Angie slams the phone back on the receiver and presses her hands over her mouth, trying to smother the sobs threatening to escape.
She stumbles along the cracked sidewalk, her vision blurred by tears, until she trips over a jagged edge.
Instead of forcing herself to the motel, she crumples against the building, letting herself fall apart.
Honestly, she deserves it.
Steve was right—everything he said stings because she finally sees the truth.
Maybe that's why he did it: leaving.
To make her realize.
She hadn't considered how her disappearance might affect anyone, and the thought of it now gnaws at her chest.
She had assumed they'd wait, that they'd understand.
Outrageous, when spoken aloud, but it made sense to her heart at the time.
Her mind races.
She didn't tell anyone where she was going.
She didn't explain what she was doing or how long she'd be gone.
They must've been terrified—Eddie, Wayne, Steve, everyone.
She hadn't even called until two days later.
Who does that?
Who disappears and leaves everything dangling like that?
She buries her face in her knees, imagining Steve.
He must have been frantic.
Maybe he thought something had happened with the Upside Down, those horrible nights forever etched into their memories.
He probably relived every nightmare she'd ever had as if it were his own.
He'd been there for her back then, holding her when the darkness crawled close.
Without him now... she shudders at the thought.
She might not survive another round like that.
No.
She pushes the thought away.
Not now.
Not while she's trying to make it back to some sense of stability.
She takes a shaky breath, wipes her cheeks, and forces herself upright.
The motel is only a few blocks away.
She can make it.
A man's voice interrupts her thoughts.
"Trouble in paradise?"
She looks up and freezes.
It's Jack McCain, the stranger from the grocery store.
"Oh, no. It's just... um, an eyelash," she lies quickly, forcing a laugh. "There was one poking my eye."
"Oh, well—"
"Actually," Angie interrupts him, steeling herself, "I was hoping I could find you before tomorrow afternoon."
"Why's that?" His tone is cautious but curious.
"I decided I'll go with you on your trip," she says, eyes on the ground to hide the flicker of uncertainty.
Jack checks his watch. "Sure. I guess we can leave at noon instead of three."
YOU ARE READING
Angelica "Freak Two" Munson
Fanfiction"Hey, Harrington!" she reverses against her heel, flipping him the bird, "The names Freak Two, actually. If you're gonna insult me, you might as well do it right." ---------- Angelica Beatrice Munson, aka "Freak Two" is Eddie Munson's younger sister...
