Earth Angel

Chapter 7

(Very VERY short chapter!!!)

The next day, I couldn't stop thinking of him. Everything he said, and how he spoke Italian to me.. that was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard.

But I had one thing to worry about. Drew.

I had to tell him. I couldn't keep it from him. Even though I wasn't completely one hundred percent sure we were even dating, I knew we kissed, and I had to tell him.

Jan drove me to Drew's house and waited outside in her car. I got so nervous.

"Hey, it's okay Margie! Once you tell him, all is well." She smiled comfortingly. I took and deep breath and got out of the car. I made my way to his front door and my heart started pounding. I rang the doorbell.

I heard footsteps, and then his mother opened the door.

"Oh, hi Margaret. Can I help you?" She asked politely.

"Uh, is Andrew here?" I asked. My stomach was constantly flipping and I could hear my heartbeat.

His mother looked down, sadness clear her eyes. What happened?

"Andrew, um.." She paused and took a deep breath. "He decided to go into the navy." My eyes widened and my heart just stopped.

"What?"

"Yes. He wanted me to tell you he was sorry." She sounded so upset. I'm sure this was hard.

Somehow my world stopped. A gigantic wave, no tsunami, of guilt and sadness and so many different feelings washed over me. I felt my eyes well up with tears.

"Oh. Okay, I'm sorry." I said quietly.

"I'm sorry too." She hugged me.

As I walked down back to Jan's car, I just felt so many feelings. Sadness is too much of an understatement.

I got in the car and I just started bawling. Crying, sobbing hysterically. My body was shaking, and I felt even more shaken than I was the night those men attacked me. I couldn't stop, I couldn't breathe.

"Oh my God, Margaret?" My sister said while rubbing my back. "What is it?!" I sat up, still shaking. I just shook my head. I couldn't speak.

Jan drove home, clearly concerned. The look was on her face the whole time and she kept looking sadly at me.

I just cried and sometimes just stopped to think about how terrible I was. How I just discarded him because he didn't call me.

When we got to our house, Jan took me upstairs with her. We sat on her bed, and she put and arm around me.

"Tell me." She said. I took a deep, deep breath.

"Andrew went into the navy.." There was barely even a second between when I said that and when I started crying. Her face face softened from concern to surprise, and then to sadness.

"Oh.. Margie.."

"I didn't even say goodbye! I didn't even say anything, I should have done something!" I shouted. I threw one of her pillows against the wall. It hit a glass plaque on her wall with the Our Father on it, and the plaque fell to the floor and broke with a loud crash. Jan didn't care, though. "I just waited around like he was the only one who could do something! While he was deciding to into the navy, I was kissing Dominic!" I was yelling now. At myself.

"You kissed Dominic?" She asked, shocked. I nodded, and my mouth was forced to a frown. I started sobbing again. I started hearing quick, heavy footsteps up the stairs, and then my parents, and Kat, barged in.

"What is.." My dad started angrily. "Margaret?"

I groaned and turned on my stomach. I cried into her blankets. Kat ran over and sat on the bed. She patted my head.

I heard my mom pad over to me. She sat on Jan's bed.

"Margaret? Why are you crying?" She questioned. I let out a big sigh. I didn't even want to say it anymore. They didn't even know about Andrew.

"There was.. there was a boy named Andrew who I really liked..." I began. I looked at them, pleading. "Please don't be angry I never told you, but we kissed. I felt really good around him and I knew he really liked me.."

"A boy?" My dad asked, raising his voice. I let out a small whimper.

"Please!" I croaked. Why could they never be understanding? "He went into the navy! I haven't talked to him in, like, 3 weeks and when I go to talk to him.. His mother tells me that.." I couldn't finish before I was back to bawling. My mother took me in her arms.

"Sh, Margie. Don't cry," She said soothingly, rubbing my arms. "Things like this happen, but they always happen for a reason. I know dad won't like this, but someone will fill in the gap where Andrew once was."

My dad sighed and joined us on the bed. He gently took me from my mother and into his bigs arms. He kissed my hair.

"I'm sorry, Margaret," He said. "When I was in World War II, it was hard to leave you, Janet, and your mother. But I knew you were all praying for me and I knew I'd be back to see you." He comforted me. I hardly remember him leaving. I was only one, and I think he was 35. I just remember him not being there when I was four.

I didn't say anything because the big problem wasn't that I'd miss him. The big problem was how I didn't get to say goodbye to him or even say anything to him.

After I calmed down a bit, I just went back to my room. I laid there and stared at the ceiling. I wanted to slap myself. I just felt like the worst person ever.

I felt so tired from crying so much, and I eventually just fell asleep.

I woke up all sweaty. I remembered what had happened and started feeling upset again. I didn't have it left in me to cry again, though. I just went downstairs. I spotted a bowl of chicken noodle soup on the kitchen table, probably from my mother.

I sat down and started eating it. Slowly.

I just thought about Andrew.

I left half of it in the bowl and checked the clock. It was 7:30 P.M. I slept for that long?

I rinsed out my bowl and left it by the sink. I didn't really know what to do. I wanted to talk to Dominic so badly, but I felt it was wrong.

The phone rang three times that night as I lay in bed. On the third call, I heard Jan pick up.

"Yes, but she's had a rough night." I heard her say. I knew it was him.

"She'll talk to you later. Sorry, bye!" She said and I heard the phone fall onto its cradle. I turned on my side and just cried more. There weren't many tears because of how much I'd cried already.

I couldn't sleep at all that night. My mind was filled with Andrew, and all the possibilities of what could happen to him.