Angela had been slowly slumping further over her textbook for nearly 15 minutes before she finally sighed and pushed it away from herself.
"Topanga, It's time to call it a night," Angela sighed running her hands over her own face, " I've read this sentence like a hundred times and it is just so not sinking in."
Topanga's eyes flicked up to the clock. She'd told Cory she'd be home around 11:00. It was only 10:10.
"Come on Angela, it's not even late yet. Let's put on a cup of coffee and take a little break," Topanga said trying to still sound chipper. It had been a long night already.
"Nah. I can finish this tomorrow. You're not staying up are you?" Angela asked with a tinge of concern in her voice, "You've seemed a little, I don't know, off, lately."
"Just stress over this test I guess. You don't have to worry about me."
"You should really head home, have Cory help you relax a little," Angela gave her a wicked grin, " and turn in."
Topanga glanced at the clock again. 10:15.
"Yeah. You're right. I don't have to finish this tonight. Taking a break would do me some good."
"Alright. Have a good night," Angela hugged her goodbye and Topanga left. She walked down the hallway as slow as she could without drawing attention to herself, took the long way back to the marriage dorms and then sat down in the downstairs study lounge. Topanga took out her book but could only read a few sentences before checking her watch again.
At 10:30 a scary looking guy with an alarmingly loud hacking cough came into the study lounge and sat at a desk on the other side of the room.
At 10:40 Topanga was convinced he was giving her a weird look.
And at 10:50 she couldn't stand the sound of him alternating between coughing and sniffing and started her slow way up the stairs.
She reached the door and set a few hesitant fingers on the handle. It was only 10:53 and she thought she might be able to hear voices talking quietly inside. Or maybe it was just the TV. Topanga bit her lip, glanced down at her hand on the door and as quietly as she could pressed her ear against the door to hers and Cory's dorm. She couldn't hear anything. Sighing to herself she pulled away from the door. As soon as she had the door swung open.
"Hi Topanga," Shawn greeted her, surprise evident in his voice.
"Hey Shawn," Topanga pretended not to hear the breathiness in his voice or see the slight patina of sweat on his forehead, "Are you leaving already?"
"Yeah, Biology just gets incomprehensible after like, sundown," Shawn laughed. Topanga laughed with him hoping she didn't sound too fake.
"Well, have a good night," Topanga told him.
"You too, " he replied with a smile that Topanga couldn't see any guilt in. He patted her arm and walked past her.
"Hey Cory," Topanga greeted her husband who was reclining on the couch.
"Hey sweet-heart," He smiled at her, and surreptitiously checked his watch. For a moment Topanga wondered if his voice would have gotten a little higher pitched if she'd called him "Cor" like only one person did. She brushed the thought aside.
"You and Angela get much done?" Cory asked.
"We didn't quite finish," Topanga said, raking Cory's face for the signs and finding them. His curls were ever so slightly flattened, one curl in the corner of his forehead was still a little moist, there was a fading red mark on his neck, and there was the slightly dopey tinge to his smile that made her want to scream. She looked away from him, set her back pack on the table and started going through it, "But it's nothing that can't wait until tomorrow." She set a couple of her books down on the table heavily and Cory didn't quite jump at the slap they made against the wood. Topanga looked back up at him.
"I think I'm just going to go to bed," Topanga told him, in a voice so neutral even Cory had to pick up on the hurt and rage it was covering up. But if he did it didn't take that damn dopey twinge out of his grin.
"Good idea dear," Cory kissed her on the cheek with uncomfortably warm lips, "You've been working really hard lately. I'll come to bed in a little bit."
"Good night," Topanga said with a strained smile. She went into their bedroom and began to undress, trying to concentrate on the sounds of Cory's cartoons drifting in from the living room instead of noticing how the comforter on the bed, which had been put on right side up this morning was now upside down, or how the pillow cases had been replaced.
Topanga tried to swallow the lump in her throat as she crawled into bed, but couldn't so she started breathing heavily through her nose to keep herself from crying, but all it did was make the tears trickle faster down her face as she realized that her sheets smelled like sweat and Shawn's cologne.