I'll Follow Your Lead

Chapter 4 - One Question

     Angeline was confused. Dorothea did not have a performance tonight so she was supposed to be home about an hour ago, yet here the young redhead was: sitting in Dorothea's bed by herself.

      "Where could she have gone?" Angeline wondered out loud as she got off of the bed. Her footsteps were muted against the plush carpet as she went to the window. It looked out toward the front of the building and she spent a lot of her free time staring out of it and watching the city. However, she gasped in delight when she looked out and down toward the front door. Dorothea stood on the front steps with her back to the building and a blond boy stood in front of her, leaning against the handrails. They were talking, though Angeline could not tell what about, and occasionally both would laugh at something one said. Angeline was beside herself with excitement. This boy must be Jack. The one Dorothea has been talking about every night for almost two weeks. The young girl continued to watch until Jack glanced up at the window and noticed her there. Angeline quickly backed away from the window before Dorothea noticed her and got mad.

      "Someone was just spying on us," Jack laughed. He pointed to one of the windows on the third floor and Dorothea followed his gesture to see he was pointing at her window. She sighed and shook her head.

      "That must have been Angeline. She's very nosey and is not going to let me walk in there without a barrage of questions now that she's seen you," She tucked a fallen piece of hair behind her ear as she looked away from the window and back to Jack.

      "Is she a friend of yours?"

      "Yes, she's my roommate. She's freshly thirteen and is...a handful sometimes."

      Jack hummed in acknowledgment, "Well I shouldn't keep you any longer. It's getting colder and I'm sure the longer I keep you out here the more questions she'll ask," Jack said. In truth, he would have loved to keep her out all night. He really enjoyed getting to talk to her and having her full attention, unlike at the café where she has to keep up with other customers. Unfortunately, it was really getting cold and he could tell that Dorothea was too kind to tell him to go away so that she could go inside.

      "You're right, it is getting cold. I hope you have somewhere warm to go back to?" Dorothea said it more like a question. She wanted to make sure he was taken care of before she left him to go on his way. Jack nodded.

      "Yeah, I got my own arrangements," He turned to walk back down the road but glanced over his shoulder at Dorothea. "You should get inside. You'll catch your death out here."

      Dorothea scoffed but reached back for the doorknob, "Well, if I were to get sick it would be because of our extra slow walk back, not from me watching you leave."

      Jack laughed as he continued on his way, sending a final wave goodbye in Dorothea's direction.

      "Was that Jack? Can I meet him? Is he nice? Well, of course, he's nice. He walked you home. Are you two together now? Are you gonna get married? Will he-"

      "Angeline!" Dorothea shouted then let out a deep breath, "One question. You get one question." Dorothea closed the room door behind her and began stripping her outerwear. Angeline paused and thought for a moment. If she only got one question, she had to make it count. She watched Dorothea undo her hair ribbon and let her long, black, curly hair fall down the length of her back. The older girl let out a sigh as she massaged her scalp and looked around her room, searching for her hairbrush. She thought Dorothea was nice but never had she seen her smile as she did at that boy. Dorothea was always slightly closed off. She never let herself fully relax. She was always tense and tired but the Dorothea that Angeline saw with Jack was as relaxed as she could be.

      "Do you like him?" That was her one question.

      Dorothea paused. She felt her cheeks heat up and she glanced at Angeline from the corner of her eye before clearing her throat.

      "No!" That was not convincing. "He's just a good friend, that's all."

      "Right. Whatever you say," Angeline said in a sing-song voice. Dorothea glared at her before finding her hairbrush and brushing her tangled hair. Angeline continued to watch her with a small smile forming on her face. "I think he likes you," she said. Dorothea paused and looked at the younger girl.

      "Really?"

      "Ah-ha! You do like him!" Angeline exclaimed as she rushed over and poked at Dorothea's reddening cheeks.

      "Oh, you little goblin!" Dorothea swatted Angeline's hands away but she could not hide her growing smile. Both girls began giggling as Angeline taunted the older girl.

      "Dorothea's got a crush!" The girl repeated over and over as she danced around the room. Dorothea sighed with a bashful smile. She hadn't really felt this way about a boy before. It was very new to her.

      "All right, that's enough now. You're going to disturb the other women in the building, Angeline!" Dorothea waved her hands at the young girl to get her to stop twirling and singing. Angeline stopped her antics and giggled before flopping back onto Dorothea's bed. The elder girl sat beside her and laid down as well. A moment of silence passed.

      "He's very handsome," Angeline said. She turned her head to look at Dorothea who gave her a side glance before looking back up at the ceiling. For a moment Angeline didn't think she would respond. Dorothea seemed to have been lost in her own little world. However, just as Angeline sat up to get herself ready for bed Dorothea spoke no louder than a whisper.

       "He's even more handsome up close."