Wrong Impression

24. The Real Angie

Tom looked at his locker, trying to focus on what he needed from inside, but he couldn't. He wasn't angry. He wasn't even pissed. What was lower down the list than pissed? Ticked off. Yes, he was a little ticked off. And also a little worried.

Angie had stood him up. Left him waiting by the swings in the park with a bouquet of flowers and no sunglasses. Left him there with the desire to open up to her, tell her everything and start a relationship. A proper one. Left him there with a burning desire to kiss her.

But she never showed. After an hour of waiting, worried out of his mind, he'd skated to her house. Well, Kay's house. Every window was dark and he had no idea where Angie's room was or he would've climbed in to make sure she was alright.  He'd spent way too much time staring at the house.

Then, with his last bit of hope, he'd headed back to the park. Then the diner. Then the club. Angie was nowhere. At three in the morning, he'd finally given up and went home where he'd spent the rest of the night doing homework. So he'd had zero sleep.

Yes, he was a little ticked.

"Hey, Tommy, you okay?"

Tom groaned and banged his head against the locker before turning to Gina. He cheered up considerably when he saw her worried expression and the Styrofoam cup of coffee and paper bag in her hand.

"Morning," he answered with a smile. He liked nice Gina.

"You look terrible." She handed him the coffee cup and paper bag which contained a yummy bagel.

"I'm okay. You should stop bringing me food because I can't say no to it."

"You're not okay. You look exhausted. And I don't mind bringing you food."

Tom shrugged and took a sip of coffee. It was unhealthly sweet, just like he liked it. "Didn't get much sleep last night."

Gina nibbled on a hang nail, seeming severely worried. Which was new. Gina was rarely worried.

"You okay? What's up?"

She just nibbled some more. Finally, after Tom was done eating his bagel, she opened her mouth to speak. "I'm not sure if I should be telling you this. I'm... we broke up and it's none of my business."

Tom raised an eyebrow and downed the rest of the coffee. "Try me."

"I mean, it's not my place, but... are we friends?"

Something terribly weird was going on. "I guess we are. You brought me food in jail and there must be a friendship law regarding that."

She didn't crack a smile, just sighed. "Okay, then as your friend, I want to warn you against that Angie girl you're seeing."

He frowned. "Um, what?"

"She's dating Ross and I have a feeling you don't know that."

At the risk of repeating himself... "Um, what?" That was beyond stupid. Angie didn't even know Ross. The guy was a year older and was too busy being a douche to go out with Angie. And besides, Angie was going out with him. Or was at least supposed to.

"And there's this rumor flying around that she has this older dude with a a Mercedes picking her up from school," Gina continued the avalanche of improbable bullshit. "She has all these sugar daddies that help her out."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

She only shrugged. "I don't know about that. They're just rumors. Just like the one that she was the one seducing Collins to get a higher grade, not the other way around. The Ross thing on the other hand... Yes, that one I can confirm."