Angela

"So don't you usually have a date or something on Friday nights?" She asked changing the subject.

"Shit." I said running my hands through my hair and closing my eyes for a second.

"Well don't get all bent out of shape about it." She said "I was only asking"

"No it's not that, I just forgot to call Joey and cancel."

She just stared at me until I spoke again. "Can I use your phone?" "Sure It's right over there." She replied as she pointed to a bedside table.

I sat on the bed and slowly dialed Joey's number, he was audibly angry when I canceled and started screaming at me despite the fact that he often stood me up without so much as a word. I was sure Angela could hear him calling me a bitch and asking if I was fucking around with some guy.

"Joey, please..." I started to plead with him. I was in the middle of a sentence trying to calm him down and tell him I was just studying when the line went dead. At first I couldn't process what had just happened, Angela had pulled the adapter for the cordless phone out of the wall cutting of the call. When I looked up she looked mad enough to send a tiny shiver of fear through me. I wondered what I'd done to illicit such a look whatever it was I wouldn't be doing again anytime soon. "I'm sorry" I said apologizing reflexively. "What for?" she asked me dropping the adapter on the nightstand. I didn't know what I was sorry for so I didn't say anything.

She looked at me for a few beats then walked across the room and started eating her sandwich without a word. I just sat there feeling embarrassed I'm sure she thought I was stupid for staying with Joey but she didn't understand my reasons.

A knock on the door broke through the silence that filled the room and one of the kids screamed that someone was on the phone for me, Angela opened the door and snatched the cordless phone from the whoever was outside of the door. I knew the caller on the line was Joey, he'd called back after seeing a strange number on his caller ID.

I reached for the phone but Angela wouldn't give it to me. She spoke into the receiver as she stared at me. " Yes, she is here as a matter of fact." I could hear Joey screaming at her and demanding to speak to me. Angela didn't bother trying to yell over him instead she just said goodbye and hung up the pone.

Joey was still screaming when she hung up. The phone rang again immediately This time when she picked it up she had lost patience and there was an edge to her voice that made the hairs on my arm stand on end.

"Listen to me if you call this number again I'm calling the police, I'm really not interested fucking around little boy." She hung up again this time the phone didn't ring anymore. I smiled at her, still more than a little embarrassed. After I nibbled my sandwich a bit we got to work, she finished my food for me as the encounter with Joey had made me lose my appetite.

Since there was only one chair and she was sitting in it I worked on the bed eventually stretching out on my belly to read and take notes. When she brought her book and lay next to me it seemed stupid to move. First off I knew her feelings would be hurt and I didn't want to be insensitive, secondly I really didn't want to move. She actually made me comfortable and true to her word she didn't "Attack me or anything"

We worked for hours breaking only to get more food. We used books she had picked up at the library the day before but hadn't felt like lugging to school for in class work. We actually finished all the research and a goodly portion of the oral report. Still I worked because I didn't want to leave. Finally with everything but the visual aide done I couldn't think of another reason to stay. We'd have to get poster boards and things to complete that part.

As we were leaving her room she grabbed my hand and held it for a second. "Listen Mia don't you ever let anyone make you feel like you're less than beautiful."

As quickly as she grabbed my hand she let it go, I felt like crying but I couldn't understand exactly why. Once we were downstairs she walked me to the door, stopping in the family room to get the baby who had called out to her as we passed. When she was holding the child I could see how much they looked alike. I smiled touching the little girl's springy locks. She had a head full of thick dense curls. When I touched her hair she giggled and leaned toward me. I had to put my arms out to keep her from tumbling from her mother's arms and onto the floor. The child had literally thrown herself at me. I rested her on my hip for a moment looking into her eyes that were exactly like her mother's.

"She's beautiful" I told Angela "Thank you" She said with a proud smile

The little girl laughed, clapping her little hands. I noticed she had the tiniest gold ring I had ever seen on her left middle finger and a single bracelet on her tiny wrist. After clapping her hands the child put her face close enough to mine for our noses to touch "Boo-ful boo-ful boo-ful ." She giggled some more.

"Wow" Angela said, "She usually hates strangers. But she seems to like you and she's right you are boo-ful."

The little girl giggled and turned to her mother, she almost put her little index finger into my eye blindly pointing "boo-ful" she said again.

"That's right baby-girl very beautiful." She said staring into my eyes and reaching for the little girl. Suddenly Asia clung to my neck and screamed loud enough to startle me. She had some set of lungs on her, I thought my ears would bleed. I backed away and motioned to Angela to let the little girl be. She dropped her arms away from the child and Asia immediately stopped screaming. I held her close and carried her to the family room. She was smiling and happy and clearly not a single tear had fallen.

"You don't have to stay Mia I know you must be tired, besides it's bedtime for her."

"Oh it's alright and if you don't mind I'll take her up for you. I don't want her screaming and carrying on."

"Are you sure?" Angela asked

I didn't answer instead I just started up the stairs. When I passed Angela's mother in the hall and she grinned at me more than the child I was carrying. "I see little Miss Asia minor has taken a shine to you."

I smiled both at what she had said and because she had called the child "little miss Asia minor." I shrugged and continued up the stairs, by that time Angie was right behind me. Back inside of her bedroom I walked over and opened the door that had been closed all night. I was speechless for a moment, I could see that someone had taken a lot of time painting a Winnie the Pooh scene on the walls, complete with the hundred acre woods, in the old style not the newly animated Disney version. There was also a blue cloud filled sky painted on the ceiling. I whistled and turned to Angela. "Who painted this?" She smiled a little and shrugged "Me."

"Wow, you're really talented."

She just shrugged some more, and I could see she was a little uncomfortable so I dropped it and put the little girl on the dressing table. The diapers were right out on plain view so I undressed the baby and changed her asking Angela were the pajamas were. I had my hand on Asia's belly holding her in place so that she wouldn't move suddenly and roll onto the hard wood floor. Angela stepped up behind me and leaned in, I could feel her breasts pressing into my back and her breath tickling my neck as she reached up and opened a drawer that had been built into the wall and painted with part of the scene. I hadn't even noticed them. "In there." She said quietly. Neither of us moved for a moment but then she stepped back. I got Asia in her pajamas and put her into the white crib in the middle of the room. She wasn't having it she started to scream as soon as her little feet touched the bedding. I picked her up and sat in the rocking chair in the corner she stopped crying as I held her but didn't look the least bit sleepy. I rocked her for a while to no avail before beginning to sing softly. My very first nanny had always sung to me and it was the only form of comfort I could offer, I didn't know any lullabies so I sang Summertime. By the second time through the song Asia was asleep. When I looked up from the little girl's face Angela was staring at me with her mouth slightly open and tears in her eyes.

"You have an amazing voice." That was all she said. I hadn't sung in front of anyone in ages and in truth I hadn't really meant to sing in front of her, I had just wanted to put the baby to sleep. I'd dropped out of the school choir two years before because the teacher was a fucking cunt, and I certainly wasn't joining any church choir. I had more than enough to deal with without having to worry about religion.

I could feel myself blushing as I quietly thanked her. I stood up and put the baby in the crib before turning back to Angela. I followed her into her room and shut Asia's door, then we just stood there looking at each other, I wanted to kiss her so badly it was like a physical ache, but I was afraid. Afraid that a kiss wouldn't be enough and then I'd really and truly no going back would be "that way". I couldn't handle all that a kiss could entail, so we just stood there as awkward as two left shoes. Finally I mumbled goodbye and walked out of the room. She followed me down to the door and stood there until I pulled away.

Once I got home all I wanted to do was go to sleep, but of course I couldn't always have what I wanted. After I took a shower and laid down in my bed I was more awake than I could ever recall being. There were questions that I couldn't answer and there were truths I was desperate to deny. Just before I finally went to sleep I wondered if the truth would ever set me free.

The next day Angela showed up at my house at noon. I was in short shorts and an old pink panther t-shirt sans bra, needless to say I wished I had on some cute little outfit to look nice for her, she gave me a once over and her smile made me feel like I was the most beautiful woman on the planet. She had poster board and markers with her to finish the project. I wondered if she really was that into it or if like me she was using the project to spend as much time together as we could without fully admitting that there was an attraction between us. I invited her in and debated whether or not I should "Get cute", I decided not to because it would be too obvious. I felt giddy as a preteen on her first date. I think I may have even been sweating a little.

We worked for two hours straight and had the graphs charts and maps done completing a project that wasn't going to be do for weeks. I wished we'd worked slower or had more to work on just so I would have a reason to see her everyday, things were so much easier when I was provided with a tailor made excuse. I didn't have the courage to take the first step let alone to admit that I was attracted to her on a physical level as well as emotionally bound to her. We hung out for a little while but the atmosphere was strained, partially because I wanted her badly, and partly because I didn't want to want her. My conflicting emotions caused me to run hot and cold, I couldn't blame her for wanting to escape my mood swings.

I didn't see her again until school on Monday, I watched her whenever I could and at least twice I know she caught me the second time she winked at me and my heart skipped a beat. By the time I got to last period I couldn't wait to be near her. We wouldn't be doing group work today which disappointed me because that meant I wouldn't be able to talk to Angela, not that I could think of anything to say anyway. Instead of listening I sort of zoned out while the teacher talked about current events, I was surprised when the bell rang, time had flown by. I gathered my books and stuffed them into my bag before heading out the door, Angela was no where to be seen but I figured she had run off to one of her many sports practices. I was still a little out of sorts when I ran into Joey in the main hallway, I had been avoiding him nearly all day and would have kept on if he hadn't grabbed me by the arm and pushed my back against a row of bright orange lockers. There was a lot of end of the day commotion in the halls and no one took pause to see why my boyfriend had me trapped against the lockers. He lowered his head so that it was only inches away from my ear. "Gotcha." He whispered tightening his grip on my arm and pressing his lips to mine. I struggled but couldn't push him away. I was gagging and suffocating from the "kiss" he was giving me and I wanted to run like hell, except I couldn't move.

A palm slapping against the locker net to us made Joey lift his head, I'd never been more glad to see a hall monitor in my life. Most of the students had cleared out and the monitor was glaring at us. "This is a school, not a make out party." I was trying my best not to puke as she stood there until Joey moved his body from mine. He still had me by the arm and I had to pull hard to get him to release me, and I know he only did that because the monitor was still staring at us. I walked in the opposite direction once I was free, I was headed to the gym I knew there was track practice behind it and I also knew that if I walked out the front door I'd never be able to out run Joey to get to my car. He was after all the running back and he'd broken several school and state records with his speed.

I was so afraid I was shaking, Joey had never really hurt me but he had made it clear that he could, the only reason he didn't was because I nearly always went along and did things his way. As idiotic as he could sometimes be he made me feel special, like someone really did care about me after all. That was the real reason I had stayed with him for so long, I could have gotten almost any guy to fill the boyfriend requirement but would they care? I didn't think so. I also didn't think I was ready to pay whatever price Joey had in store for me. The track team was indeed behind the school running laps and doing exercise drills. I spotted Angela nearly the first second I walked out of the building. Her brown skin was glistening in the sun and even from a distance I could see that she was focused, she was running faster than everyone else by three or long paces but I could tell she wasn't even strained. I leaned against the side of the building and watched her, her presence calmed me and although my stomach was still knotted with fear I felt a little safer.

I watched them until practice was over, when the girls were heading back into the gym and toward the locker room Angela saw me. She grabbed my hand and I had no choice but to follow her. The other girls were in different states of undress but Angela just grabbed her gym bag and her book bag off of the bench and left the locker room. She had let go of my hand to get her stuff and I wished she hadn't. Of course I didn't say anything or make any motion to reinstate the contact. When we left the locker room she turned to me "What's the matter with you?" She asked

I didn't say anything. I wanted to explain to her about Joey and tell her I needed her to protect me but in truth I knew she probably couldn't yes she was stronger than me but I doubted if she could hold Joey off without being injured. I didn't know what to say but I knew I wouldn't let her walk out to my car with me because I refused to put her in danger. Instead I told her to wait right where she was because it didn't make sense for her to have to lug her bags all the way across the parking lot after she'd just worked out. With a smile I said "I'll pull around if you want a ride that is."

"I'll ride anywhere you want to take me" she replied. I smiled for real and walked out of the door. The parking lot was mostly empty and it took all my courage not to turn back, I made it to my car unscathed but I wasn't fool enough to relax, he hadn't waited me out but I couldn't hide forever. I pulled the car around to the front of the school and watched Angela get in. Again I wanted to tell her what was going on but I couldn't. Instead I drove the short distance to her house in a distracted silence. She asked me to come in but I refused, I knew if I went with her I'd breakdown , I was an emotional mess and I wanted to keep that part of myself behind closed doors. I let myself in the house and made sure to lock the door before going up to my room. I tried to watch television but inane situation comedies grated on my nerves in the best of times, so being stressed made TV a no go. I turned on the radio and tried to do a little school work but I couldn't concentrate. Eventually I ended up laying across the bed falling asleep I didn't wake up until about eight, I was starving and so I headed down to the kitchen to see what was there. My dinner such as it was ended up being a bowl of frosted flakes. I was just finishing my feast when the phone rang, looking on the caller Id I smiled. It was Angela or at least someone from her house. I picked up the phone "Hello." "Hey are you busy?" Angela asked

I looked at the empty kitchen and the bowl of cereal in my hand and nearly laughed out loud. "Um no" I said managing not break into gales of laughter I could hear Angela taking a deep breath before she spoke again. "Well do you want to come over and hang out?" Did I want to come over and hang out? Hell yes in fact I could think of nothing I wanted to do more. "Sure." I said as if it didn't matter one way or the other.

"Okay" She said I could tell she was smiling.

"Give me a little while I have to straighten up before I leave." I told her

"Ok. See you soon" I hung up the phone and sat there smiling for at least two minutes before I got up and rinsed my bowl and spoon. Then I ran upstairs to change. I had a walk in closet and a dresser full of clothes but I still had nothing to wear. Not wanting to take up to much time I had to decide quickly and so I ended up in a pair of lowrise jeans and a Low cut cropped pink shirt. I paired the outfit with pink sandals and a belt to match. All in all it was the best I was going to do in under seven minutes. Before putting on a pair of big silver hoop earrings I pulled my hair into a ponytail and put on some make up. I was ready and excited I couldn't wait to see her. I normally would have walked down to her house thinking it was dumb to drive half a block, especially with gas prices steadily on the rise but the confrontation with Joey still had me shook so I grabbed my keys and headed to my car. The dark quiet night unsettled me but I made it to Angela's front door untouched and once inside I was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

One of the girl twins had answered the door but I couldn't tell which one it was, before I could ask to see Angela the girl bellowed loud enough to be heard within an eight mile radius. Angela emerged form the kitchen wearing of all things a short baby blue nightie. I couldn't help but stare. Her hair was all undone from the braids in the front and it cascaded around her face.

She looked both surprised and embarrassed I could tell she hadn't quite been expecting me so soon, although if this was how she lounged around the house I would be randomly stopping by all the time. I couldn't stop my eyes from taking her in from the tips of her toes to the last bone straight strand of brown hair on her head.

She looked embarrassed as she brushed past me mumbling something about getting changed. "Oh don't change on my account" I told her. She looked at me and raised an eyebrow and I heard a out burst of laughter from the kitchen. Obviously more than one member of her family was eavesdropping. Not wanting to just stand in the family room being observed or listened too we went upstairs to her room.

"I thought you had to straighten up or something" She said in an accusing tone.