Jordan woke up early the next morning, awakened by the sun beginning to seep through the blinds in the Chases' living room. He didn't feel tired despite having barely slept the night before and he got up, folding the blanket into a square and laying it on the couch cushion. He wouldn't have normally done so but he was a guest and didn't want to overstay his welcome.
Besides, Angela had taught him how to fold the blanket perfectly and he wanted to impress her.
In the past, it would've made him feel ridiculous that he wanted to impress her so bad but he couldn't help it. Right now, she seemed to be the only thing in his life that made sense.
He walked upstairs as quietly as he could, grabbing a towel as he made his way to the bathroom. When he got in the shower, the hot water soothed his muscles and he realized he had slept on his back funny. It was tempting to stay in there longer but he knew he couldn't.
He wrapped the towel around his waist and opened the bathroom door, only to see Patty Chase walking out of her bedroom. Both looked at each other awkwardly for a moment and Patty sighed, before walking past him and going downstairs for breakfast.
A few minutes later, a fully dressed Jordan joined her at the dining room table.
Patty was still in her bathrobe and was making coffee again. Her dark circles seemed deeper and Jordan realized she hadn't slept much last night.
"Mrs. Chase?" He asked, much more nervously than he meant to.
Patty looked back at him.
"Yes?"
"I have something for you."
Jordan reached into the left pocket of his jeans and pulled out an envelope, handing it to Patty.
She looked confused until she opened it and saw at least a half dozen twenty dollar bills inside.
"Jordan, how much is in here?"
Jordan looked at her and Patty could see the trepidation in his face.
"$200."
Patty was flabbergasted. "Jordan, I can't take your money."
Patty was stunned by the young man's actions and gently handed the envelope back to him.
"You need to keep this."
Jordan left the envelope on the table and Patty could pick up on his anxiety. Patty knew Angela had thought Jordan was too hard to read but the young man at her table looked like he was constantly on edge, trying his best to read her to know what to do next.
He was terrified and a new thought crossed her mind, leaving her wondering if there was something more than the death of his father bothering him.
"Do you want to talk about what happened?" She asked softly.
"About my dad?"
Patty looked at him sympathetically. She wasn't sure what to say next.
Jordan looked down and began to pick at the skin near his thumbnail again.
"Jordan, it's okay to feel however you feel right now. There's no wrong way to deal with loss."
"I'm fine, Mrs. Chase."
He knew she could tell he wasn't but she dropped the topic anyways. She knew there was no way to get him to talk about it and she quickly changed the conversation.
"Looks like neither of us were the first ones up this morning. Angela's dad left before I got up."
Jordan looked out the kitchen window and saw Angela's dad's car was missing.
"He must have had to leave for work early." said Jordan, fully aware there was more to it.
Patty knew better but agreed. "I guess he did."
The room was silent again but both understood the truth. Graham had been pulling further and further away not just from Patty, but from his family. When he was around, it seemed that a fight always broke out and Graham would storm off, not returning for hours.
Angela had spent many hours discussing it with Jordan, safely inside Red.
"I don't know why he keeps going to my Uncle Neil's house all the time. He and my dad aren't that close. And my mom doesn't really like him. He probably does it for that exact reason, it upsets my mom."
"Maybe." concurred Jordan.
He may have not had much to say but the wheels in his head were turning. And he knew there was no way Angela's dad was going to see his brother in the middle of the night. But he wasn't sure and he decided not to say anything to Angela, not knowing if he should. He felt like he was lying to her if he didn't but saying something felt much worse.
And as he sat at Patty's table, he realized he had been right. It was a sinking feeling in his stomach and he looked back up at Patty. There was a faraway look in her eyes and she bit her lip as she stayed lost in thought.
She knows realized Jordan and he felt terrible. It was bad enough that he thought it but it didn't feel as true until Patty thought so too. It was a strange feeling and Jordan felt helpless to do anything, not sure what to say or even how he felt about it. Angela was going to be crushed.
As if she had read his mind, Patty broke from her reverie and looked Jordan in the eyes. "I would appreciate if you didn't discuss this with Angela, she's having a hard enough time with Graham as it is."
Jordan nodded.
"Yes, Mrs. Chase."
Patty grinned a little at the formality.
"Jordan, you're dating my daughter. You can call me Patty."
Danielle was up a half hour later and Jordan almost didn't see her as she rushed to the pantry for cereal and back into the living room to watch TV. The kid could move fast and as much as Angela said Danielle annoyed her, Jordan found her a little endearing. He didn't exactly appreciate her watching him wake up (something Patty had a talk with her about) but she was funny and she was easily the most direct member of the Chase household, holding nothing back on her opinions. He knew it was strange but he wished he could be more like that, unafraid to tell others what he really thought.
It wasn't uncommon for Angela to sleep in but as it got closer to afternoon, Jordan started to get concerned. He knew he wasn't supposed to go into her room but he made his way up the stairs, intending to open the door just a little to see if she was okay.
He didn't have to as her door was already open and Angela was awake, curled into the fetal position on her bed and still in her pajamas. Her eyes were tear stained and Jordan realized she had figured it out.
"Angela?" he asked quietly.
He knew she had noticed him but she didn't say anything and Jordan walked into her room, sitting beside her on her bed.
The late morning sunlight pouring through her blinds and the sounds of birds chirping outside her window felt like a horrible contrast to what was happening inside the bedroom and as he got closer, he realized she had been crying for hours.
'He's not visiting my Uncle Neil." said Angela, her voice thick. She was trying to fight off tears and Jordan stroked her hair, trying his best to do anything to comfort her.
"I'm sorry." he whispered.
"How could I be so stupid?" she cried, still trying to keep her voice down.
"Angela, you're not stupid!"
He said it louder than he meant to and he realized the whole house likely heard him. Still, he tried to focus on Angela and he kept stroking her hair.
"Angela, this isn't your fault."
Angela sniffled and it pulled at him when he did. He couldn't help but lie down next to her and pull her into his arms, trying to do anything to take the pain away from her. He was so focused on doing so that he almost didn't notice Patty Chase in the doorway, looking just as despondent.
She entered the room and shut the door behind her.
"I guess we need to talk." she admitted, her voice hollow.