This is more like chapter 9A. There was supposed to be quite a bit more to it (Eric seeking counsel from trusted source and Angela and Eric's state of their relationship talk.) but as I was editing, those things didn't seem to fit with the rest of the chapter. So the next chapter will likely be shorter than normal, but hopefully as enjoyable as the others. And once again Cory (and a little of Shawn in this chapter) will be as meddlesome as only he can be. I do try not to take it too far, but let me know if he's drifting into out of character meanness. I'm finding it's a fine line to walk.

And again, thank you so much for your feedback. It's much appreciated. :-)

Topanga tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable in bed. Then again, she supposed that wasn't a completely accurate statement. Her body was settled, but her mind was doing somersaults and jumping jacks. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand, both frustrated and relieved it was barely eleven. The night was passing slowly- frustrating. Yet this meant she still had plenty of time to sleep- relief. She looked across the room at Angela's empty bed. She said she had study group tonight for her chemistry class, but Topanga was suspicious. Her study groups never ran this late.

It had been a couple of days since the big encounter in the Student Union and it had been weird ever since. Well, make that weirder- because things had already been weird for far longer than anyone realized. Angela changed her seat in the classes they shared. Topanga tried to tell herself it was to create distance with Cory and Shawn, but she'd been willing to sit with them before, even after the initial break up. Now she was as far away from the three of them as she could get. It wasn't as though she had a chance to talk to Angela because she did her best to only be in the dorm to sleep. Even then, she typically left before Topanga could even hit the first snooze on her alarm clock and returned after she was already asleep. It was almost impressive considering Angela was the antithesis of a morning person. She was up early for class because she had to be, not because she wanted to be. She used to joke that it was her biggest act of rebellion against a military father who was always up with the sun and believed that sleeping past six was wasting the day. So, that she was waking up even earlier was a big deal- especially since it appeared she was waking to avoid her best friend.

She was about to get out of bed to get a book and do a little reading when she heard the door unlock and slowly open. She pretended to be asleep, watching as Angela carefully crept into the room, doing her best to make as little noise as possible. Topanga waited until she set her bag down and draped her coat across the back of the chair before she spoke. "I'm awake. You don't have to be quiet."

Angela gasped and her hand flew to her heart. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry." She sat up and switched on a lamp. "Study group sure ran late."

"Chemistry test on Monday." She dug through her drawer and pulled out the pajamas she was looking for. "How was your night?"

"Oh, you know, typical: dinner and conversation with Cory and then homework." Topanga left out the part about Cory whining over things with Eric. That was practically implied at this point. She raised her eyebrows in surprise when her friend pulled on a sweatshirt over her pajama tank. It was Eric's. She had been wearing it when they got back from visiting her dad, odd that she hadn't returned it yet.

Angela grabbed her toiletry bag before heading for the door. "I'm going to brush my teeth."

/

She meandered in the bathroom, hoping to give Topanga enough time to fall asleep, or at least be too tired to talk. That hope was dashed when she returned to their room and found her friend more or less in the same position as when she left. Instead of initiating conversation, she put her things away and got into bed. "Goodnight."

"That's all you have to say?"

"Excuse me?"

"Have we drifted that far apart where our sole means of communication are basic pleasantries you'd use with any random person on the street? We're supposed to be best friends."

She sat up and leaned against the headboard. "Topanga-"

"There's so much going on in your life that you haven't told me about. I'm starting to feel as if I'm sharing a room with a stranger. It's like I don't even know who you are anymore. I'm not just talking about the stuff with Eric." She stared at her hands, which were folded in her lap. "Why didn't you tell me about your mom?"

"I told you why. I didn't want the pity. I didn't need a big deal to be made over it and for you to fuss over me. It sucks and I hate her, but it's in the past. I'd rather move on with my life."

"I suppose I get that, but I'm sure there were moments where you were thinking about her: Mother's days, your prom, graduation-"

"What are you getting at, Topanga," she snapped, harsher than intended. She didn't need to be reminded of all the major life moments her mom missed- all the moments she would miss in the future- and all of her own accord.

"Nothing, I just… I would've listened and supported you in whatever way you needed."

"Would you have told Cory?"

"What?"

"One reason I didn't say anything was because I was afraid if I did, you'd tell Cory and then he'd tell Shawn. Especially once we were broken up- they'd use any commonality in order to force a reunion."

"I think I can be trusted to keep a secret."

"When Shawn confided in you that he still had feelings for me, you not only told Cory but got him to admit that I still had feelings for Shawn. Then you conspired to get us back together."

"I was always all for leaving you guys to work it out for yourselves. Cory was the butting in person."

"What about the "chance encounters" where we'd run into Cory and Shawn at the movies or getting some dinner, huh? Or the grocery store? And there was one time at the library. You can't tell me that meeting up there was the guys' idea."

"Okay, but-"

"And you insisted we act like a couple at every wedding we've crashed so you can steal ideas."

"We were gathering research and getting inspiration," she corrected. "I do not steal. Besides, you had to pretend to be a couple so we would fit in and not get anyone suspicious."

"You still forced me to pretend to be in a happy relationship with the person who broke my heart. Face it, while you aren't quite the Grade A interloper that your fiancé is, but you hold your own in the meddling department. You tell Cory everything and he tells Shawn everything. You three are the worst version of the game telephone."

"If you really didn't want me to say anything, I would've kept quiet."

"I want to believe that but…look, it wasn't just you. I didn't tell anyone. I'm not the kind of person that spills her life story to every person she meets. I've never been that way."

"But I'm supposed to be your best friend. Most people tell their best friends about this kind of stuff." Her comment was met with silence. "Does Eric know?"

"Well…yeah. But I only told him recently."

"You believed you could trust him, but not me?"

"What do you want me to say, Topanga? It's complicated. We were at my dad's and I was looking through all this stuff from when I was a kid- all my old stories and some pictures. We started talking." She shoved her hands into the pocket of his hoodie. "Eric is so easy to talk to."

Topanga kicked the covers off and moved to the foot of her bed. "That's something else I wish you would've told me about- you and Eric."

"Hey, I never lied. I always told you exactly when I was going out with him."

"I thought you were joking."

"Why? Why is the idea so ludicrous?"

"You know exactly why! What would your reaction have been if I told you that you'd start hanging out with him before it actually happened?"

Angela had to admit that was a fair question. "Okay, maybe I would've had a hard time picturing it at first-"

"Exactly."

"-but it never, in all these months, occurred to you that maybe I was telling the truth?"

"Not once. I thought you had a new boyfriend you weren't ready for us to meet yet. Speaking of new boyfriends…is that where things are with you two?

"I…I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"It's complicated."

"How did it start? When?"

"We ran into each other right after New Years'." She gave Topanga an abridged cliff notes version of what happened that night at the museum and how they'd been getting together ever since.

"That postcard with the picture of the sand dunes on your bulletin board was from Eric?"

"Yes."

"And the dried rose in the bud vase on your desk?"

She nodded. "It's from the morning after that first night at the museum. Eric told you all he was going to be a magician. He made the flower appear out of thin air." She still isn't sure what compelled her to save the cream colored blossom. Perhaps it's because it was something pretty in an otherwise not so pretty time in her life. "He also offered to put Cory in a box and saw him in half for me."

Topanga had a vague memory of Eric's proclamation that he was going to devote his life to magic. It was pretty impossible to forget the huge banner he made, not to mention the confetti that shot out of his sleeves. That was actually impressive. "Is there something going on between you two?" She pointed a finger at Angela when she hesitated. "And don't say you don't know."

"It's up in the air."

"Angela!"

"Fine," she began with a sigh, "I suppose there is something there, but we're not sure what we're going to do about it yet."

Her eyes were wide. "Oh." She didn't know why she was surprised. Maybe it was having confirmation of her suspicions. "And what is that something between you?"

"Topanga, I really don't-"

"I won't tell Cory. I swear!"

Angela was quiet for a few moments. She really did need to talk out what was going on with Eric with somebody. It would be nice to be able to share this kind of stuff with Topanga again, to act like best friends again. She missed her friend. "I like Eric," she admitted. "I really like him a lot."

"But what do you even see in him," Topanga exclaimed.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"I just meant-"

"Forget it. I knew you wouldn't want to hear this."

"No, wait, I'm sorry. It's just hard to picture, that's all. The Eric you describe? I could see it a couple of years ago. I don't know what happened to him, but he's like a completely different person. That Eric vanished."

"No, he didn't, Topanga. Trust me, he's still in there."

"Give me another chance to listen. Please?"

"Fine." She let out a long, drawn out breath, still not convinced this was a good idea. But she missed talking to Topanga and sharing things with her. "One more chance."

"Thank you."

"Eric is one of the sweetest, most caring people I have ever met. He's smart- sure it's in a bit of an offbeat way, but he is. He has such a creative view of the world. His imagination is off the charts. He's funny, generous, and he cares about other people. There is nothing he wouldn't do for family or one of his friends."

Regardless of whatever else was said tonight, Topanga knew those terms of endearment weren't used to describe merely a friend. "Sure, I…yes, that's true, but-"

"He cares about me," Angela continued quietly. "He cares about how I'm feeling. He respects my opinions and wants to know what I'm thinking because he's genuinely interested in me…only for me."

"Eric's not the only one who cares about you."

"Maybe not, but what he feels for me isn't dependent on how things go with Shawn. "

"Is that how you think I see you?"

"Can you blame me? All these months you and Cory are just non-stop Shawn this and Shawn that. 'Oh, Shawn's really sorry. He loves you. He's depressed without you. How can you not take him back after everything he's been through? His dad just died. His mom left. Just give him another chance, you'll see.' She fiddled with the strings on the hoodie, playing with them until they were even. "What Shawn wants, what he thinks, what he feels…that's what matters around here. Let's face it, if we weren't sharing a dorm we probably wouldn't even be friends anymore. Sides would've been picked long ago and I know what side of that fence I'd be on."

Topanga jumped up and was across the room in an instant. "Oh, Angela, that's not true. You're my best friend."

"You keep saying that, but I haven't felt like it lately."

"I suppose I just had this picture in my head of-"

"-Of the four of us together, two couples in love surviving college," she finished with a weary smile.

"How did you know?"

"You've said it a time or two or thirty million. And I know it's hard to let go of that image, but you have to. That ship has sailed."

"I suppose this explains why, even before going to your dad, you've been hanging around with other people from your classes."

"Am I not allowed to have friends outside of the group?"

"Of course you are, but I guess lately it feels like you're pulling away, like you don't want to be friends with us anymore."

"It's hard to want to be friends with people who don't listen to you."

Topanga nodded. She felt awful. How had she not realized how bad a friend she was being? She could tell Angela was pulling away, but didn't take the time to see how her own actions contributed. It was too easy to place the blame on Cory and Shawn. "I'm sorry."

"I know."

She took a deep breath. If one of Angela's complaints was that she wasn't being heard, Topanga was going to sit here and listen all night if needed, no matter what. "What's going on with you and Eric?"

"It's all right. You don't have to-"

"I want to. And I swear none of it will leave this room. I want to know what's going on in my best friend's life."

"Even if the very thought of it sends Cory into hysterics?"

"Please, what doesn't send Cory into hysterics?" They laughed. "So, you were saying that things are up in the air?"

"Yeah."

"Did something happen?"

"It's so funny, because I don't think either one of us gave any serious thought about being more than friends before last week. Why rock the boat, you know? Eric's cute, he's sweet, he's funny…but I wouldn't even let myself think of being anything other than his friend because I didn't want to risk wrecking our friendship. It turns out he was feeling the same."

"What changed from not wanting to take the risk to legitimately considering it?"

"We kissed." She hesitated before continuing. "And then some."

Topanga gasped. "You had sex?!"

"No, no, although…if my dad hadn't of called I'm not sure how far we would've gone."

"How far did you go? Give it to me in baseball terms."

"I…what?" Angela had never been much into sports. She searched her memory banks for the correlating terms. "Second base."

"It took me and Cory years before we got to second," she muttered to herself.

"It wasn't planned. The first kiss was an accident."

Topanga frowned, confused. "How do you kiss someone by accident? Lips don't exactly bump into each other without intention."

"Whether you believe it or not, the first one was accidental."

"What about the second one?"

Angela lay back on her bed. "Oh, there was nothing accidental about that."

"I don't know if I should be asking this, but how was it?"

"I didn't I realize I wondered what it would be like to kiss Eric until it happened, but I thought he'd be more timid, passive. I thought if anyone would be the aggressor, it would have to be me."

"And?"

"He definitely wasn't passive."

"Really?"

"He was very take charge."

"Oh. Okay, so you kissed and did some…second base things. Then what? Your dad called?"

She nodded. "He did."

"What did you guys do after that?"

"We didn't talk much until the car ride home a few days later." Angela stretched, feeling more uncomfortable the longer they talked. It did strike her as weird that she had no qualms about discussing kissing Eric, but divulging what they talked about made her hesitant. It seemed more personal. They were real with each other in those conversations, in ways they weren't able to be with other people. "Look, Topanga, I'm getting tired and my first class is at eight."

She looked at the time. "Oh, wow, it got late fast. My first class is at 8:30." She went back to her bed and turned off the lamp before she got under the covers. "Angela?"

"Huh?"

"Being with Eric-spending time with him- are you happy? Does he make you happy?"

Angela smiled slightly to herself in the dark. "Yes, he does. It's the happiest I've been in a long time. I'm not some damsel in distress who always needs a guy to take care of her, but damn it, it's nice to have that sometimes. It's nice to have a guy who wants to." She paused, not sure how to put her next thoughts into words. "A part of me is always going to love Shawn and I learned a lot from our relationship, but there was always so much drama going on. It was always complicated. He could never just enjoy the moment, which meant I was never able to enjoy the moment. I felt like I was constantly taking care of him and reassuring him that I loved him no matter how "damaged" he was. And in the end-"

"He rejected you and wanted new people," She finished, "at least until he didn't."

"Yeah."

"So who's the better kisser: Shawn or Eric?"

"Topanga!"

"What? It's not like we've never discussed this kind of stuff."

"Fine, but side by side comparisons?"

"Come on."

"There was no better or worse. They were each amazing in different ways."

"That smells like a cop out."

"It's like trying to compare a really great cheeseburger with a really great brownie. Both are amazing in their own way, but impossible to compare. They each bring something different to the table."

"Who's the cheeseburger and who's the brownie?" She didn't get an answer. Topanga was silent for several moments before she spoke. "If Eric makes you happy and you guys decide you want to be together…you have my full support."

"Really?"

"There might be a little adjustment period involved, but yes."

Angela wanted to believe things would be that simple, that she would just be able to stand by and be supportive, but she knew it wouldn't be that easy. "Thanks."

/

/

Eric was staring out the window of the classroom. Spring was in full effect and it was shaping up to be a beautiful day. Actually, according to the weather report he'd watched this morning, it was supposed to be nice until next week. He wondered if Angela would like to have lunch outside one day. She'd long confessed she wasn't the most outdoorsy person, but lunch should be okay, right? He should also pick a day to bring Morgan to the park. He bought her rollerblades for her birthday a few weeks ago and promised to show her some tricks, but hadn't had the time. He looked up when the voice of his statistics professor invaded his thoughts. He quickly realized his fellow classmates were gone. He had zoned out after turning in a pop quiz. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I said I decided to grade your quiz right away since you were still around." She smiled and placed a paper in front of him. "Good work. If you keep improving at this rate I have no doubts you'll get a B on the final exam, if not a higher grade."

He stared down at the quiz. Most people probably wouldn't be thrilled with a C+, but when his previous grades were a little farther along in the alphabet, a C+ was a definite improvement. "Hey, if I had been one point higher it would've been a B-."

"Like I said; keep up the good work. It's not out of the realm of possibility that you could finish this class with a low B."

"You mean it's statistically possible?"

She chuckled at his joke. Whatever had caused the turnaround in his behavior and his attitude towards doing the work in class and being prepared- it was a relief. George Feeny often asked how Eric was doing and she had been happy to tell of his gradual, yet consistent improvement. And her fellow educator was relieved to hear it. "Yes, you just need to keep working for it."

"Thanks." Eric jumped up, grabbed his backpack, and raced for the door. He couldn't wait to show Angela that the study sessions and flash cards she put together for him actually paid off. It was the first pop quiz in a long time where he didn't panic when it was sprung on the class. True, he didn't ace it, but he actually felt confident he wouldn't fail. And he didn't.

He was so excited that he was about halfway down the hall before he realized he forgot the quiz in the classroom. He spun around to head back, and nearly took out a small group of students in the process. "Sorry."

/

/

"If the temperature of a reaction is increased by 20oC, the reaction rate will be..." Angela grumbled and went back to her notes. She was so much better with words. She'd hoped studying in the campus library would help her focus, but unfortunately it didn't make the words on the page make any more sense than they did before. Suddenly a shadow was cast over her pages.

"It's C: twenty times as fast."

She turned around to find the source of her eclipse. "What makes you say that? You're not even taking chemistry this year."

"When in doubt the answer is always C. Trust me. I don't know how many of Feeny's tests I passed just because I picked C."

She immediately went to the answer key in the back of the book. "I'm guessing you weren't acing those tests by randomly putting down C."

"Huh?"

"The answer is B, four times as fast." She scribbled down a few notes. "At least this proves I should trust my instincts. I knew it was B. I don't know why I changed it." He wasn't leaving. Instead he pulled up a chair and sat beside her. She closed her book. "What do you want, Cory?"

"Can we talk- friend to friend?"

Angela shifted in her seat so she was facing him. "I don't know, can we?"

"What does that mean?"

She sighed before repeating, "What do you want?"

"I need to talk to you about Shawn…about you and Shawn…about you and my brother."

"I believe I said everything I needed to say the other day."

"But, I-"

"Cory, seriously, do you even do anything else besides obsess about Shawn and bugging the crap out of me or is this your life now? If so, congratulations, you may be the first person to ever flunk out of college due to nosiness. And I'm not talking to you about your brother."

"What happened to the girl who told me she still loved Shawn and wanted to be with him?"

"That was what…seven months ago, almost eight? She finally had enough of being treated like garbage and decided to move on with her life. She was sick of being miserable and feeling bad about herself over some guy."

His eyes narrowed. "Some guy? Look, I know Shawn screwed up. He blew it big time-"

"Yes, he did. He hurt me. I was the wronged one."

"I know," he said quietly. The rational part of his brain knew his obsessing was bordering on insanity. He remembered how difficult the break up was on Angela and how she struggled. But this was Shawn. If you didn't go to bat for your best friend no matter how stupidly they behaved, who did you go to bat for?

"So why are you expecting me to bend over backwards to try and fix someone who screwed me over? If it was any other guy you'd be happy I was moving on."

"But it's not any other guy. Shawn doesn't have anyone. His dad's dead and his mom…well, who knows where Virna is. That's a hard thing to cope with."

"Gee, you don't say," she fired back sarcastically. "I had to deal with it when I was nine. Trust me, I get it."

"Then why are you making him suffer even more?"

It was all Angela could do not to slap him across the face. "I didn't do anything. Shawn broke up with me. He's the one who said he wasn't ready. What was I supposed to do, wait around until he was?"

"Well…I'm thinking…but yeah, if you really loved him you would've."

"Who the hell are you to tell me about anything I felt for Shawn?" She gathered her books and shoved them into her messenger bag. "You know nothing about the kind of relationship we had or what we meant to each other."

"I stood there alongside you and watched it all unfold. Trust me, I saw it all."

"You saw nothing. All you had was an outsider's view."

"Please, when it comes to Shawn I'm never an outsider. And vice versa is true."

"Our relationship was very different from yours' and Topanga's. You guys are still so sheltered and naïve and clueless. You may not see it now, but one day it's going to hit you hard and it will be a rude awakening." She didn't mean it as a threat. She was simply stating a fact. The little snow globe of fairytale perfection Cory and Topanga liked to imagine surrounded them wouldn't last forever. She hoped they endured when the time came and the glass cracked.

"What does that even mean? And why are we talking about me and Topanga? This is about you and Shawn."

"There is no more me and Shawn!"

"Shh!"

They gave apologetic looks to the librarian. "Cory," she continued, "you need to get over this."

"I can't just sit by and do nothing while my best friend is miserable. Do you really think you're going to find even a tenth of what you had with Shawn with Eric?"

"You know, I'm an only child so maybe I missed a few things on sibling dynamics, but aren't you supposed to be supportive of your brother and on his side? Or at the very least want the best for him?"

"Angela, it's me. I want the best for everybody. But you and Eric don't make sense. It's not right for you to be-"

She glared at him. "Tread carefully, Matthews. It is not your business if Eric and I are friends or otherwise. And you certainly don't get an opinion on what makes sense or is right for either one of us."

"Topanga and I are getting married soon. At least assuming she ever settles and picks a date we will be."

"Yeah, so?"

"Shawn's…I just don't want him to be all alone in the world. He deserves to be happy with the woman he loves."

"Do you want me to be happy? Does that matter to you at all?"

He frowned at her choice of words. Did Eric tell her about their conversation from the other night? "What kind of stupid question is that? We're friends."

"Yes or no, Cory."

"Yes, but-"

"Then let this go."

"Just like that?"

She snapped her fingers. "Just like that. Let it go and we can all move on with our lives. It's not my job to make Shawn happy. Frankly, it's not yours' either. The only person responsible for Shawn is Shawn. He's not going to be happy until he's ready to be." Her father's words echoed in her head. No one would prioritize her happiness except for her. This conversation was proving it. Why was she wasting her time trying to have a rational conversation with Cory? "I have to go."

"Angela, wait."

She slung her messenger bag over her shoulder and headed for the exit. "Goodbye, Cory."

"What are you doing with Eric?"

"What am I doing with Eric?"

"Yeah."

"You've got an imagination," she quipped, not bothering to turn back and look at his face. "Use it."

/

/

Eric strode down the hallway on his way to Angela's dorm. He wanted to show her the quiz before he had to head to the Student Union. He wasn't supposed to work today, but one of his coworkers asked if he could cover the first couple hours of her shift. He was about to knock when he heard voices coming from right across the hall. Cory and Shawn's door was ajar and he could hear everything.

/

"I don't know, Cor. I'm not sure coming at Angela this hard is a good idea. Maybe I should listen to Jack and give her a little space."

"Are you nuts?! Shawnie, do you or do you not want Angela back?"

"I want to be with her more than anything in the world. You know that."

"Then you need to show her that you're not giving up on her and your relationship. Maybe if she sees that you still have faith, hers' will come back."

"She changed seats in all our classes," he noted sadly. "If she gets any farther away she'll be on the ledge outside. Even after we broke up she still sat with us."

"See, she's giving herself space. You don't need to provide more of it." He paused, remembering Angela's demeanor in the library. "It wouldn't be the worst idea to let things calm down before making your next move though."

"The thing that really gets me is I don't know what Eric's role in this is. We've never been that close, but I thought he was my friend. A friend doesn't move in on another friend's girl."

"Don't worry about it. If anything is happening, it's temporary- a fling…a rebound."

"You think?"

"This could be an act of revenge on her part. After all, you hurt her pretty bad."

"Thanks, man."

"-maybe she's subconsciously trying to hurt you by going after a friend."

"Huh, that sort of makes sense. How did you come up with that?"

"I paid attention in psychology class."

"Which day?" Cory hit his arm. "Ow."

"My brother has the attention span of a gnat and the maturity of a two year old that missed their nap. That won't be enough for someone like Angela long term."

Shawn shook his head. "Don't get me wrong, I know what Eric sees in her, but what the hell could Angela possibly see in him besides knowing it would hurt me?"

"Eric is always good when you need a laugh."

"That's true. You can always count on him to do something stupid that made you wonder why he was let out of the house without supervision."

/

Eric quietly crept back down the hall, not even bothering to knock on Angela's door.