Staggered Through These Empty Streets
"This is so surreal." Brian began. "I can't believe that I'm sitting here talking to you after all theses years." He smiled warmly. "So things are going well for you?"
"Yeah. I mean you are so completely different." Angela admitted, noticing how attractive he had become and trying to place all of her hopes on that guy—who never showed up—onto Brian.
"Did you really think I was going to be the same? Some gawky, curly-headed, brain?" Brian continued staring intensely at Angela. "I have changed and grown up."
Angela nodded, looking out at the window just behind Brian's now short, blonde hair and imagining what she would say to this Dan if she saw him. How could he lead her on like that and make her think that something would happen, when had he no intention whatsoever of seeing—
"So, what do you think Angela?" Brian wondered, his eyes looking at her expectantly.
"Oh. I say yeah. Go for it!" She punched out her fist enthusiastically, even though she knew that she hadn't heard a word he'd said.
"You think I should give up everything and move back here?"
"Well, if you want to?" Angela shrugged unsurely, fixating on that spot behind Brian again. Maybe if she thought really hard and willed it to happen then maybe, just maybe Dan would show up.
"Angela? Angela …" He paused but she was completely wrapped up in her own thoughts again. "Are you even listening to me?"
"Of course." She lied. "Well … not really, but I'm listening now."
"Would you rather me take you home?" Brian asked, disappointed, knowing that look at Angela was giving him. It was a sympathy look. Every time that she had gone out with Jordan and cut class with him, even though she was supposed to be studying with Brian, she would give him that look. As if he were a poor puppy dog, like some lonely reject that no one else wanted.
Angela looked away, not knowing whether to admit that she was really not up to this now, or to pretend that everything was good—which she had been failing miserably at.
"Home it is." Brian dropped some money onto the table for the coffee he had had and turned his back to Angela, disgusted. Unable to say anything worthwhile, she remained quiet until she was back at Ricky's house, only speaking to say 'thank you.' Moments later, she collapsed onto his couch, still contemplating how she could become so obsessed over a guy she had met once … or maybe she was just trying not to think of the guy that really mattered to her.
"How was your date, lover girl?" Ricky wondered, shaking Angela out of a matrix of dreams that left her confused because of their incoherence.
"There was no date." She mumbled. "It was Brian Krakow."
"And a very hot Brian I must add."
"He does look different." Angela sat up, running her hands through her hair. "I was such a jerk to him last night. All I could think about was Dan." Looking at Ricky, her eyes seemed to ask 'Did he ever show up?'
"I didn't see him there, but maybe he only came in for a little while, looked for you, and he couldn't find you so he left." He suggested.
"Yeah right." Angela ran her hands through her hair. "I have so got to do something about this color." She declared., suddenly hating the blonde hair that she had grown out. "What do you think of brown?"
"You'd have to get a tan." Ricky responded.
"Which I am getting. Please do this for me." Angela begged as he rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, what else to I have to do on a Saturday afternoon but dye by best friend's hair?"
"I knew you'd do it." Angela squealed, hugging him tightly.
"How does it look?" She wondered, hours later, running her hands through her hair.
"Umm …" Rayanne choked back a laugh as Ricky nudged her. "What? You called in for reinforcements. I told you you should have gotten it done professionally."
"What? Why?" Angela almost shouted as Rayanne thrust her into a mirror. "White … my hair is white!" She screamed, looking at Ricky angrily.
"What? I got the color you wanted." He answered.
"And it's not white, just platinum blonde." Rayanne chimed in.
"I am so going to kill you guys." Angela ran into her room and pulled on some decent clothing, with a hood.
"Where are you going?" Rayanne held back another laugh as Angela slipped on some thin sunglasses.
"To get this fixed."
"I was going nowhere. Going nowhere fast." Jordan held the lyrics in his hand, laughing at his naïve innocence. The band was talking about using some of their older stuff and this song had come up. Red. Out of all the songs they could've chosen they chose a song about … her. Jordan noticed Angela coming towards him and briskly walked the other way. At the speed she was walking she wouldn't even notice him unless.
"Shit." He mumbled as a folder of lyrics from his teenage years sprawled onto the dark pavement and spread themselves on all corners of the sidewalk.
"Do you need help?" Angela wondered, chasing after the papers before noticing who she had run into. "It's you." Jordan cringed at those words. Well, his secret was finally out. She knew that he had lied to her and—
"Where the hell were you last night? I thought you were coming." Angela softened her tone with the second statement, still burning fire into Jordan's shoulder.
"I went to your house." He responded.
"Like hell you did. I asked my friends and they didn't see you anywhere. How do you explain that?"
"They just didn't know what I looked like." Jordan snatched the papers from Angela's hands. He didn't want her to see them … too late.
"You write songs?" She ran her eyes over one of them.
"Yeah." Jordan began to take off, knowing this was the cleanest way to end things.
"So, why'd you stand me up asshole?" Angela called after him, eventually following him around the corner.
"Why are you following me like a lunatic? You don't even know me."
"I know that you owe me." Angela held one more paper in her hand. Jordan grabbed for it. Damn it. It was 'RED.'
"I was going nowhere, going nowhere fast." She paused. These lyrics sounded familiar. "Drowning in my memories, living in the past." As if she almost had a revelation, Angela stopped to take a look at the man in front of her, really take a look…
"Did you write this?" She wondered, unsurely, knowing that she should know that song and this guy, but still unable to.
"I'm out of here." Jordan yanked the song from her hand, accidentally taking her bracelet along with it, and jogged off around the corner. When he was far enough away he sighed. He didn't get to tell her how gorgeous she was and how much … he liked what she had done to her hair.
"And you won't tell her. You can't see her ever again." He whispered to himself, realizing that he was late for yet another appointment.
(A/N; I finally updated! Whoo-hoo. Just keep the reviews coming and I'll keep the writing coming … unless I run out of time or get writer's block. I hope you like it and I might have Jordan and Angela meet as Jordan and Angela next time knowingly I'm not sure … NL)
