So it's been too long since I've posted anything. Sorry about that. Real life is being exceptionally demanding (and kinda crappy) right now. I'd definitely much rather be writing/editing/posting.
Thanks for your comments to the previous chapter. It was a relief to see I more or less hit a realistic note with Angela and Eric's talk. And thank you for your patience with these delays. :-)
"You and Rachel already slept together, right?"
"What?" Jack was so thrown by Eric's question he nearly tripped over a section of uneven sidewalk. "What did you say?"
"You heard me."
"Yeah, I heard you. Did you hear you?"
"I asked the question, didn't I?"
"Are you sure you really want to hear about me and Rachel? You did like her at one point."
"It didn't mean anything. It was the competition that was the fun part. If you don't want to answer you can just say so." He picked up his pace a little bit and ran ahead.
Jack ignored the beginnings of a cramp in his side and hauled ass to catch up. "No, it's not that. I just didn't want it to be weird for you."
"I'm fine."
"All right. Yeah…yeah we slept together already."
"Did you guys talk about it first?"
"Not exactly. Okay…not at all. It happened really fast." When Chet died everyone was naturally more concerned about Shawn, even Jack. His own grief was an afterthought. Then one day Rachel asked him how he felt, how he was taking it. One minute she was comforting him and the next they were making out on the couch. After that they were in a bedroom- he can't remember if it was his or hers'- fumbling with clothes and falling into bed. "Why? Does this have something to do with you and Angela?"
"She's wanted to wait to have sex until we talked about it and we talked last week."
"Wait a minute. You guys haven't had sex yet?"
"Nope."
"Then what the hell is all the noise coming from your room?"
"We know how to have a good time even when we're making out and visiting all the bases," he bragged, a smirk on his face. "We're very good at all of it."
"Ugh. Shut up. I don't need mental images." He shook his head. "But I don't get it. She's been sleeping over a lot lately."
"Yep…sleeping. I kind of like it actually. It's nice having her there when I wake up in the morning. I like the random conversations we have before we fall asleep, too. I've learned the most interesting stuff about her during those little talks."
"Like what?"
"She was born in Belgium and because of her dad being in the military the only continent she hasn't been to is Antarctica. She hasn't lived on all the others, but she's at least visited. She showed me her passport."
"That's cool."
"I know, right? I found out there's this cruise line that takes you to Antarctica. Did you know that was a thing?"
"No."
"How cool would it be if I could take her there one day, give her Antarctica? Don't get me wrong, it's probably going to be at least ten or fifteen years before I can even afford to have them send me the brochure, but-"
"Whoa, don't you think you should slow down a little? You guys have only been together for a couple months and you're already planning romantic cruises and talking ten and twenty years in the future?" It wasn't a surprise to him that Eric had fallen hard and fast. In fact, it was fairly typical of him. Granted his previous relationships never made it far, but for those couple of weeks he was fully committed. Though things with Angela seemed more serious and she appeared to be as into Eric as he was to her, at least as far as Jack could tell. "It's a little fast, isn't it?"
"They're just ideas. But we've got a trip planned for the summer anyway so it's not like we could take a cruise then even if I could afford it."
He slowed as they approached the fountain at the edge of the park. When they reached the bench he sat down and chugged his Gatorade. The cramp he'd been trying to ignore was stronger now. "Where are you going this summer?"
"Who knows? Could be Florida, Montana, Alaska, Colorado, or-or…or any place else we can get in my car. We're going to throw a dart at a map and take a road trip. It's probably not happening until July though, maybe August. Her dad is supposed to be in town for a couple weeks in June so we have to wait until after his visit."
"Angela's okay with something that unplanned and spontaneous with you? She always seemed like a planner."
"Yeah, she likes a plan, but she's not psycho about it. She knows when she's with me anything can happen."
"And she likes that?"
"She loves it."
"Okay, great, but I'm still confused."
"About what?"
"What does any of this have to do with me and Rachel and you wanting to know if we already had sex? You wanting to know- still weird, by the way."
"I just wanted to know if you talked about it first. Are most girls as thorough as Angela or did she just go that extra mile? Because no other girl I've been with was like this."
"What exactly did you guys talk about?"
"First we started with birth control, condoms, and other forms of protection- standard stuff."
"Okay."
"Then there was the delightful detour into STD-land."
"Fun."
"I'm just glad she didn't break out one of those books from high school health class that had all the pictures. I wouldn't have been surprised if she did."
"Those were disgusting."
"Then we talked about our pasts. That was okay and not as bad as I thought it was going to be, but still weird because of her history with Shawn. And now I know about the time right before they broke up and it just makes me want to kill him. I'm sorry," he apologized, prompted by the look on Jack's face. "I know he's your brother, but he hurt her so bad and I want to hurt him for it. I've known him a long time, but nothing I've learned about him lately is good, at least when it comes to Angela."
"I know. He screwed up bigtime with her. No argument from me there. But I can't hold it over his head forever. I have to hope he'll make better choices that improve his life, you know? You'd do the same if it was Cory."
"I'm not thrilled with Cory right now either, but yeah, sure."
"Maybe we can just agree to not talk about him?" He wasn't sure how realistic it was. Shawn was sure to come up again at some point. "Call a truce? For now anyway?"
"I guess."
There was a silence neither one of them was sure how to fill. Eventually Jack spoke again. "So what else did Angela say that has you rattled?"
"Rattled? What do you mean? I'm not rattled."
"If you're still thinking about your conversation after however many days something must be bugging you. Come to think of it, you have been a little lost in your own head for the past few days."
"I have?"
"Do you need a reminder of how many orders you mixed up at the coffeehouse just yesterday alone?"
He sighed. "No."
"Or how you brought up all the stupid, crazy ideas you haven't mentioned in months to get customers their orders faster- roller blades, skateboards, human slingshots?"
"I get it! I'm a little off my game lately."
"What gives?"
"Angela said she wants us to be prepared for the first few times being…not all that great."
"What?"
"But she said it's not a big deal, the first time especially, because supposedly that's a freebie. It's okay if it's weird or awkward or-or…or not great and over real quick."
"She didn't."
"Yes, she did."
"What the hell's the matter with her? Like a guy isn't under enough pressure already!"
"I know!"
"What did you do?"
"I did the mature thing and hid under my blanket."
"Seriously?"
"Would you be able to look at a girl that just said that to you?"
"I'd have pulled a Forrest Gump and started to run. Hell, I'd still be running."
"Thanks, that helps me a lot," he said, his voice thick with sarcasm. "But you know Angela can't be the only girl who thinks this way."
"What?"
"She's just the only one smart enough- or dumb enough, haven't decided yet on that- to say it out loud."
"I don't know what you're getting at."
"She said it might take a little bit for things to be comfortable between us…for it to be good. That's normal apparently."
"Okay…"
"I've been with some girls, not a lot but some."
"And?"
"What if I was never with any of them long enough for it to get good? I mean I usually had fun, but what if they didn't and just didn't say anything?"
It was all Jack could do to stop himself from flashing back to previous partners and retroactively gauging their reactions. Damn you, Angela.
"It's making me paranoid," Eric continued. "Whenever we've been near each other since then I can't shut my brain off. What if every kiss and every time I touch her is being stored in her brain for grading later? Is she going to give me notes with tips on how to improve? Or is it going to be like the Olympics and she just holds up my score?"
'Time to reign the conversation back in,' he realized. "You're really overthinking this. I can't believe I'm saying this to you of all people, but get out of you head, man. Live in the moment and enjoy it."
"I really care about her. This is the best relationship I've ever been in. I don't think I've ever been this happy."
"I don't know if I've ever seen you this happy, and that counts the day you were the thousandth customer at the taco place and got us free tacos for three months."
He smiled at the mention of that. It was supposed to be free tacos for a year, but they got greedy, eating the cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner multiple times a week to save money. It wasn't long before the restaurant cut them off. "Hey, they still have our pictures up on their wall of fame."
"That's not a wall of fame. That's a 'these idiots took advantage of us and even when they pay, can't have more than five tacos a piece' warning."
"Still…people know us."
Jack leaned to one side to stretch, relieved to no longer feel the cramping any longer. "Just keep doing things with Angela the way you guys have been. That seems to be working for you so far."
"I just don't want to screw this up. She-I mean-my life makes so much more sense with her in it."
"Yeah, you make more sense to the rest of us now, too. Who knew all we needed was to find you a girl to act as an Eric-to-world translator?"
Instead of responding Eric checked the time and started to run again. He already knew his behavior for the past year or so was a bit out there. Whenever he thought he'd moved past that there would be a joke, wisecrack, or snide remark. But he couldn't get mad at them, could he? He did bring it on himself. Still, it hurt that most people appeared to believe that the idiot was the real Eric and they were just waiting for him to fall back into that mode.
"Hey," Jack shouted, confused when Eric took off without a word. He hurried to catch up. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just noticed the time. I have to open the store for my dad in an hour. Then I have a couple classes and close up the coffee house tonight. Tomorrow's the same just flip fop the store and coffee house." He yawned almost in anticipation of an exhausting few days. He didn't mind stacking his midweek as it meant he had Fridays free to spend with Angela. But he couldn't wait for summer and for the load to lighten just a little.
"I'll trade you. I have a test in two hours."
"You studied, didn't you?"
"Yeah, but it's Professor Roche. All her tests have essay questions and she docks you ten points if you miss a comma."
"It is an English class."
"Shut up." They ran quietly for a few minutes. "I'm bringing Rachel to New York with me when I go up for Mother's Day weekend."
"Really? Things are that serious?"
"I don't know. But she's bummed about not being able to see her mom and my mom's dying to meet her. So what better time, right? And my sister wants to know who would willingly put up with me," Jack added, rolling his eyes.
"I agree with Alyssa. You are a pain"
"Whatever."
"And for the record, I still think delivering orders on rollerblades could work."
/
/
"…so x must equal 3," Angela muttered to herself, scribbling notes onto the paper. She flipped to the back of the book and checked the answers of her practice test. Satisfied with the results, she put her books away to join Eric in the Student Union while he closed up. She was almost out the door when her phone rang. The number that flashed across the caller I.D. made her sigh. For a few seconds she considered not answering, but picked it up right before it went to voicemail.
"Hi, Nan." She lay back on her bed. "That's okay. You didn't interrupt anything. I just finished studying." She twirled strands of hair around her fingers as her grandmother lamented her lack of contact. "Yes, I know I was supposed to call you back. I'm sorry. Things have just been so busy and… dinner next Wednesday? Oh, I don't know, I don't think I can…would Thursday work instead," she found herself asking. Maybe it would just be easier to get this visit over with. At the very least it would end these pointless phone calls. "Six o'clock? Great. I'll see you then. My boyfriend? Um…I'll let you know. I have to check with him and see what his schedule looks like. He's working two jobs right now in addition to his classes." She knew Eric would be there for her if she asked, but did she want to involve him in this complicated family drama? "No, I'm not with Shawn anymore, remember? We broke up when college started. Eric and I have been going out for a couple of months. Right, he's the one who drove me to see my dad." She listened as her grandmother continued to talk. "Yes, he's good to me and treats me very well. He's sweet, funny, and kind. Eric makes me happier than I've been in a long time. You don't have to worry about that." Angela smiled when she talked about her relationship. She couldn't help it. "Hopefully he can make it on Thursday so you can see for yourself. You don't have to worry. He's not a picky eater. Just make sure there are tater tots and he'll be in heaven. Okay, I love you, too, Nan. Goodnight."
Now all she had to do was not lose her nerve and cancel the dinner before next week.
/
Eric locked the exterior doors. The last of the students had finally left for the night. He still had to clean up, but at least he got to spend a little bit of alone time with Angela.
"Damn it."
He walked over to where she was standing at the pool table, cue in hand. "What's wrong?"
"I scratched. I was on a pretty good streak, too."
"I know. I was watching."
She smirked before she dropped the cue to the table and turned around to face him. "See anything you liked?"
"The way you got the ball from one end of the table into the pocket all the way at the other end with the stick thingy…impressive."
"Very funny." She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him closer. "With that professional terminology I'm guessing you play a lot."
"Not since the big Eight Ball Championships in Mexico City."
"Huh?"
"I won the Grand Master in the sixties."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
He moved away from her, picked up the cue, and randomly hit the balls around the table. "Senior year there was this girl I liked but she was only into jocks because she wanted to be with a winner."
"Sounds like a gold digger in training to me," Angela remarked.
"I don't know about that, but I lied and told her I was some big world pool champion. It was easy to trick her because she didn't follow pool."
"And she believed that you won in 1960-something?"
"Yeah."
"She thought this even though you obviously weren't alive at the time?"
"Brains weren't up there on my list of priorities in high school. I just wanted pretty. And she was. Of course, now I couldn't pick her out of a line up but-"
"Eric, you're rambling."
"Anyway, she wanted to watch me play and I had never picked up a stick thingy-"
"Cue."
"Right-cue- in my life."
"What did you do?"
"I did what any rational person would do- played Frankie Stecchino for hours. Neither one of us sunk a single shot."
She chuckled. "God, that sounds hilarious in a really pathetic way."
"Oh, it was painful. But I take pride in the fact that he walked away first. Yes, that's right," he gloated, "the history books will show that Frankie the Enforcer walked away from me, Eric Matthews. I mean sure, he said he had church choir practice, but I could smell the fear."
"So what you're saying is you can't play?"
"I pulled off a pretty cool trick shot once, with no witnesses naturally, but nope, can't play." He put down the cue and went back over to her. "I probably shouldn't even be allowed in the same room as a pool table I'm that bad."
"I could teach you if you want. I'm no 60's Mexican Grand Champion," she said in an exaggerated tone, making him smile, "but I can hold my own."
"Who taught you?"
"The summer I turned nine, my dad came home early from deployment. He'd been wounded. It's the only time I ever remember him coming home hurt." Angela reached for his hand and leaned into him. Even years later she hated to think of her father banged up and bruised. "He couldn't get around well the first couple weeks but needed to do physical therapy to keep moving and help his injuries heal. We started with ping pong and moved up to pool. There was a recreation center on the base and I swear we spent the whole summer hogging the tables. I'm not going to pretend we got to be great or anything, but it was a lot of fun. And I felt so grown up and mature because the doctors made a big deal out of me playing with him and how it was helping him heal. They even gave me a special notebook to chart his progress."
"That's neat."
"I hated to see my dad hurt but I love getting to spend all that time with him. And my mom, too, I suppose," she added after a moment. "That was our last summer before she took off."
"I'm-"
"Don't say sorry," she interrupted. "It's not your fault."
"I know. I still am though." He kissed her temple. "You deserve better."
"Yeah, well, life isn't fair and doesn't always give us what we deserve. If it did all moms would be like yours'."
"You know you can borrow her for mom stuff whenever you want, right? I told you that. She'd love it. She lives for that stuff."
"Thanks, but I've been getting by without a mom just fine."
There was an edge in her voice that wasn't there a minute ago. He thought back to their trip to the mall the other day. The stores were plastered with promotions for Mother's day, which was right around the corner. They couldn't even turn on the radio without a commercial reminding you to take mom out to brunch at one of the seemingly hundreds of restaurants offering specials. Angela tried to act normal, like it didn't bother her, but he could tell that it did. "Anything I can do?"
"Can we not talk about moms? Although…I guess this is sort of mom related."
"What is it?"
"My grandmother called again."
Eric was quiet, waiting for her to continue.
"It was more of the same: she wants to talk, says she has something important to tell me. I told her I'd have dinner with her next Thursday."
"Really? That's good."
"You think? Because I have to be honest, ever since I got off the phone I've been fighting the urge to call her back and cancel."
"Why?"
"It's hard for me to want to associate with someone who sees my mother. I know it's her daughter but I still feel betrayed. Nan must've felt bad about it on some level, too, because she hid their contact from me for so long. I only found out when I overheard a phone call."
"I wish I knew the right thing to say, but I got nothing."
Angela laughed quietly before kissing his cheek. "That's okay. I wasn't looking for you to fix it. I'm just venting. I wish things didn't have to be so complicated between us. I know it's hard to tell, but I do miss Nan. She's a good person, a lot of fun, too. I think you'd like her a lot."
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"Oh-oh, no, that's not what I meant. You don't have to. Nan said I could bring you, but your schedule is packed Thursdays and-"
"Do you want me there?"
"Yes." She liked to think that she was completely self-reliant and hated to admit she needed anyone, even her boyfriend. "Please."
"Done." He stood directly in front of her. "What time?"
"Six. But what about your dad? You close the store with him Thursdays."
"He can get Cory to do it. He's always whining about not having enough money for life with Topanga after the wedding. You'd think he would do something about that besides only occasionally helping at the store, but…" In the midst of his rant, Eric noticed Angela was staring at him, an odd look on her face. It wasn't a smile, but she didn't look unhappy. "What?"
She thought she'd be used to Eric's selfless behavior where she was concerned, but it always surprised her how willing he was to simply be there when she needed him. Whether it was sacrificing his Spring break so she could see her dad or letting her sleep over to avoid tension in the dorms- he never hesitated. She'd do the same for him. At least she hoped she would. He hasn't needed her to return the favor yet aside from extra study sessions and help with homework. But studying seemed so small compared to what he's done for her. "You're really rearranging your schedule just for me?"
"I want to be there."
"But you didn't even think about it."
"Don't need to. What's the point of being in a relationship if we're not going to have each other's backs? You'd do the same if it was the other way around and I needed you, right?"
"Of course," she said without hesitation.
"See? Bigtime perk to being us. We're there for each other and you appreciate my crazy."
"You're not crazy. I hate it when you call yourself crazy because I know you don't mean the fun kind."
"Have you taken a poll recently? People don't like some of my ideas to liven up things around here."
"I don't give a damn what other people think. Last time I checked you claimed not to either. You know, I read a quote the other day and it made me think of you."
"What is it?"
"It's credited to Nietzsche, but no one can prove he said it."
"And what does this Nacho guy's maybe quote have to do with me?"
"The quote is believed to be, "And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.""
"Is that a classy way of saying I'm insane?"
"No! It's…for as long as I've known you, even before I really knew you, you did things your own way. No matter what anyone else thought you were up there doing your thing."
"I don't get it."
She wrapped her arms around his neck and closed the gap between them. "What I'm saying is you're not up there dancing alone anymore. I can hear your music now. We can be insane and dance together."
He smiled, not quite sure how to react. "That's either the strangest or sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me."
"Can't we go with sweet?"
"Sure." Eric leaned forward for a kiss. He intended for it to be quick. He did have to finish cleaning up after all. But when he attempted to pull away Angela grabbed at his shirt in an effort to keep him close. Not that she had to try very hard. "The dishes," he whispered against her lips.
"They're not going anywhere."
/
"So how did you get out of being dragged to Atlantic City with dad to see grandma for Mother's day," Cory asked Eric. It was a few days later and they were in the Student Union. "He said it was going to be me, him, Morgan, and Josh."
He gathered empty mugs and plates onto a tray and handed it to Jack behind the counter to stick in the dishwasher. The Sunday morning rush was over, but there were plenty of people in and out, seeking caffeine to fuel their studies. "Too many requested off here that weekend. Plus someone has to check in on the store when dad's in Atlantic City."
"And you're the responsible person for that job," he asked, skeptical. Seconds later, he grabbed his calf. "Ow!"
"Sorry," Angela said in a tone entirely too sweet to be natural. "My foot slipped."
He waited until Eric was out of earshot and delivering orders to other students before he loudly whispered, "liar!"
"Be glad it was only your leg. There are plenty of more unfortunate places my foot could wind up."
Cory quickly vacated the couch and moved to a table. A few minutes later Topanga came in, her arms laden with magazines and a date book. "Good morning, darling. You want to come with me to Atlantic City and save me from mind-numbing boredom?"
"If that's your way of asking me to elope, don't tempt me. I might actually say yes."
"No, I have to go to see Grandma Bernice for Mother's day."
"Sorry, I'm going to Hershey with Aunt Pru. We're meeting up with my mom and Precious Pearl."
"Who's Precious Pearl," Jack asked from behind the counter.
"My grandmother."
"Her parents named her Precious Pearl? Okay, I guess it's no wonder Topanga didn't seem like a stretch for your parents."
She rolled her eyes. "Her name is Pearl. She hated all of the grandmother-type names and since pearls are considered precious…do I have to paint you a picture?"
"No, thank you."
"If you're done making fun of my family and our names could, you please get me the biggest coffee you can make? We're talking world record breaking." Topanga sighed and slammed the books down onto the table.
"What's wrong honey," Cory asked.
"I'm so over wedding stuff and we haven't even gotten into the meat of the planning yet. The hall we like the best is completely booked for next summer. They have a couple of openings in March and April but I'm not getting married one day and have to take an honors trigonometry test the next."
"Yeah, homework would take all the fun out of a honeymoon." He picked up the date book from the stack and skimmed all of the free dates available. "I suppose we could get married over Spring break and then take a proper honeymoon over the summer."
"No, it won't feel real then. It's not what we've been planning."
"Okay, then we've got to go back to one of the other halls we liked."
"But I love this one." She pouted. "I'm tired of searching."
"When you think about it who is a wedding really for anyway," Angela pondered, looking up from her book. "It's supposed to be about two people who love each other making a lifetime commitment. Everything else is just for show. All you need is the bride, the groom, and the person performing the ceremony. That sounds like an ideal wedding to me. Because, really, what else matters? So do it. Go and elope."
"Didn't you say last summer that they were stupid for running away when we all thought they were eloping," Shawn asked. He had entered the coffee house and was going to leave when he saw Eric and Angela, but couldn't help but call her out on her hypocrisy.
"It wasn't eloping that I called stupid," she clarified. "It was the running away part. Running away isn't something mature adults do. Scared little children are the ones who run away."
He wondered if that was a shot at his previous behavior, but he didn't get a chance to question her. Someone flew past him and into the room so fast they nearly knocked him over. He didn't realize it was Rachel until she spoke.
"Jack Hunter you have some explaining to do."
"Psst, Rach," Eric interrupted, "if you're going for a Ricky Ricardo impression you've got to say it like-"
She whipped around and pointed a finger at her friend. "Do I look like I'm in the mood right now?"
He took a seat on the arm of the couch beside Angela. "Sorry."
Jack stayed behind the counter, realizing it was likely the safest place for him at the moment. Rachel was pissed. That much was clear. He wracked his brain and tried to think of what he could've done to upset her so much, but came up empty. She didn't even react like this after she found out about his and Eric's bet. "Hi, honey." All eyes in the coffee house, not just of their friends, were watching them.
"Don't 'hi, honey,' me. Your mom called a little while ago."
"And?"
"She wanted to tell me how much she was looking forward to me spending Mother's day with your family and how excited she was to meet me. Apparently the guest room is already fixed up and waiting. Because, you know, we're not married so she hopes I understand that we sleep in separate rooms while there."
"All right that had to be an awkward conversation and I'm sorry, but-"
"When were you going to tell me about this? And where do you get off making plans for me without discussing it with me first?"
"You're the one who said it would be fun to go to New York to meet my parents and sister and see a show or eat at one of the famous restaurants."
"Yes, for a day trip, not the whole weekend. And Mother's day weekend to boot? No pressure on me there," she said sarcastically.
How had he messed this up so spectacularly? "Look, I'm sorry, okay. I'll call mom later and tell her it was a misunderstanding and that you're not coming to-"
"Sure, make me the bad guy. Make her think I don't want to meet her."
"I guess I assumed that-"
"Yeah, you're right that you assumed."
Angela looked down when her phone rang. She frowned when she saw it was her dad. "Weird."
"What," Eric asked.
"Dad doesn't usually call me until later in the day." She put the phone to her ear. "Hi, dad."
"Hi, sweetheart, how are you?"
"I'm okay. There's a little bit of drama going down in the coffee house right now with Eric's roommates, but I'm good. What about you? You're not working too hard, are you?"
"I'm fine. Look, I'm afraid this isn't a happy call."
"What's going on?"
"I have some bad news. I-"
"You're canceling your visit here in June, aren't you? I knew it! I knew you'd pick work. You always do. Well, you know what, dad, the next time-"
"Angela," he broke in, "Angela, no, it's not work. Our visit is still on for next month."
"It is?"
"I swear."
"Then what's the bad news."
"Do you remember Aunt Lois? She's your grandmother's sister who-"
"She's the one who always has candy canes in her purse no matter what time of year it is, right?"
Alvin laughed into the phone. "Yes, that's Lois. Anyway, she got my number from your grandmother's address book."
"Why did she need to reach you?"
"It's about your grandmother."
Angela sat up a little straighter. "What about Nan?"
"She died, sweetheart."
"What? But that's not possible. I-I just talked to her the other night. We're supposed to have dinner on Thursday and she wanted me to bring Eric so she could meet him. What happened?"
"They think it was her heart. Lois was picking her up so they could go out to breakfast before church and when she didn't answer the door Lois went to check on her. Nan was still in bed. She didn't suffer," he reassured his daughter. "It happened in her sleep."
"Um…okay. Okay. Thanks for calling."
"Angela if you want to talk we can-"
"Not now."
"All right. I'll call you the second I know what the arrangements are. You just make sure you call me if do you feel like talking. I don't care what time it is. You hear me? That's an order."
"I love you, daddy."
"I love you, too."
She dropped the phone into her lap. Eric was now beside her on the couch. His arm was around her shoulders and he was watching her closely. He wasn't the only one staring. The call seemed to have derailed Jack and Rachel's argument and all of her friends seemed to be waiting for an explanation.
"Your grandmother," Eric questioned, his voice laced with sympathy.
"Yeah. She-uh-she's…she died. My dad said they think it was a heart attack in her sleep. Her sister found her."
"Aunt Lois with the candy canes?"
She nodded. "Yeah, Aunt Lois with the candy canes."
"I'm sorry, Angela," Topanga spoke up. "She was a really sweet person. She always made sure to have rocky road ice cream in the freezer just in case I was sleeping over."
"She had a wicked sense of humor, too," Shawn chimed in. "I remember if she thought I was sitting too close to you on the couch she'd throw a handful of catnip towards me and then for the rest of the night I'd be fending off…what was her cat's name?"
"Sushi," she answered, remembering the old gray and white cat that would occasionally sleep in her bed.
"Right. She used Sushi and his claws to get me out." He laughed a genuine laugh for the first time in a long time when thinking about him and Angela. "That was creative and hilarious."
The rest of the group said a collective apology and Angela hated being the center of attention. She especially hated having people pity or feel bad for her. "Thanks, guys, but I'm fine." She gathered her books and stood. "I'm going to head back to the dorm and clear my head. I think I just need to be alone right now." She vacated the area before anyone else could say a word.
"Jack, can you-"
He waved Eric off. "Go. I can handle things until the next person comes in."
/
"Angela, it's me," Eric said when his knock went unanswered. After several seconds went by he was about to test his luck and see if she left the door unlocked, but then it opened. He thought she made a quick escape to avoid crying in front of everyone, but she wasn't crying now. She looked…dazed maybe? "Can I come in?" She walked away from the door and sat down on her bed. "Are you okay?"
Just hearing those words made her tense. Was there a more hated question? "I think. I don't know." Angela thought about how long it had been since she saw Nan- last summer, not long after graduation. How many times had she called and asked her to visit only to be blown off? Countless. What kind of person does that to their own grandmother? "Oh, no," she exclaimed and jumped up from the bed.
"What's wrong?"
"She wanted to tell me something. Every time she called that's what she said, that there was something she had to tell me. It was important."
Eric tried to wrap his arms around her, but she resisted. "Ang-"
"No! I could've taken a half hour, an hour out of my life to visit and see what she wanted. Hell, you offered to drive me more than once."
"You had your reasons for not doing that."
For the first time she felt tears stinging her eyes. "Excuses maybe."
"You can't blame yourself." He tried to hug her again. This time she didn't fight it. "You didn't know this was going to happen."
"Maybe not, but now I'll never know what she wanted to tell me."