Angelica "Freak Two" Munson

Chapter 59

Angie bids Robin goodbye early that morning.

In all honesty, Robin was pretty eager to get out of there. Of course, she didn't want her friend to leave, but the pain of spending time with her, knowing that she was leaving, felt so much worse than pretending she was already gone.

She knew it was wrong, but it felt like the easiest way to get through the situation.

Robin didn't like it when people left her life– and plenty of people did. I mean, who would? She thought it'd get easier– and for the most part, it did– but this was different. This was someone she had begun to think of like family– like a sister.

Angie had grown to be so important to her. Of course, she didn't want Angie to leave, but she was no liar. She told Angie that she'd let her go if Angie really thought she needed to leave, and she meant it. But that didn't mean it was going to be easy.

In reality, she did go to see Angie to tell her to stay, but when she saw how much pain she was truly in, she knew it wasn't right to.

"How'd it go?" Steve rushes up to her eagerly as she enters his home early that morning.

If it were any other day, he'd be happily sleeping in. He didn't have to get up for work or school, but he just couldn't sleep. His brain wouldn't shut off no matter how hard he tried.

Robin shut the door behind her, placing her jacket on the rack, "It was fine." She states with a weak shrug.

"You don't sound too excited about it." Steve notes.

She sighs, brushing her hair out of her face, "I don't think she's staying, Steve."

"I thought you were going there to convince her?" He whines.

"And I was!" She defends, "... until I spoke to her."

Steve gives her a questioning look.

"I just–" she hesitates, "she's really struggling right now, Steve."

"You think I don't get that?" He scoffs, "Of course, I get that! And I feel terrible, but that doesn't mean that I want her to leave!"

"You think that I want Angie to leave?" Robin shouts, tears clouding her vision, "She's my sister! The last thing I want is for her to leave– we're all struggling, and we're all just trying to find ways to cope. Do you really wanna be the one to take that away from her?"

Steve sighs, "I'm not trying to take that from her! I'm just saying that–" he hesitates, "I'm trying to cope with this too, and I need you guys– I need her... I need her help with getting through this, and she's leaving, okay?" He asks rhetorically, "And I'm sorry if that makes me selfish or mean, but I can't continue to dismiss myself because my needs are just as important as hers."

Robin plops on the couch, placing her head in her hands, "Why is this all so complicated?"

He sits next to her, "What we've gone through isn't exactly normal." He states with a small smile. It fades quickly, "I just wish we would all be here for each other when it's over."

"Who knows?" She shrugs, "Maybe we will be?"

[?]

Angie sits upon her mattress, with a brown jacket in her hand. Her half-packed bag still lies next to her. She's finding it harder to come up with the motivation to pack.

She'd finally mustered enough to continue when she came across the jacket lying across her lap.

It was Steve's.

Sure, she'd given most of his things back to him... but not this. 

He had given it to her that cold night in the car– even though she insisted that she didn't need it.