WANTED: Love of my Life

29. The Meaning of Homeless

“Ange?”

“Hmm...?”

“Hey, Ange! I'm talking to you!”

Somebody kicked me on the shins. I didn't really have too look around to see who it was, but I did so anyway. I didn't want to be kicked again.

“Yes, Jen? What's up?”

I tried to look at her, but it was really difficult. Over everything around me, there seemed to be the superimposed image of a certain person. A person I would see again in only a few hours...

“...and haven't been listening to me at all!”

“Hm... Sorry, what did you say?”

Jen glared at me.

“I said you look even more strange than yesterday, and you haven't been listening to what I said all day. And all the time you've got this inane grin on your face. It's driving me crazy! What the hell is the matter with you? You haven't touched my stuff, have you?”

Sandra frowned.

“What would Angela want with your schoolbooks or pencils? She's got her own.”

Jen rolled her eyes.

“No, I haven't gone near your... stuff.” I shook my head, hoping fervently she didn't mean what I thought she meant. “I don't know what's up with me. I just...” My voice trailed off, as I lost myself in memories of Giacomo's lips. I took another sip of coke from the can. The metal was too cold, too hard. I needed something warm and soft pressing against my lips very, very soon. But the taste... Oh yes, the taste brought back memories.

500 $ a bottle.

“Jesus, Ange, what's up with you? I'm getting seriously worried over here!”

I just smiled and took another sip.

“It's obvious,” Anastasia proclaimed. “Can't you feel the romantic energy emanating from her? She's in love.”

I spit out a mouthful of coke. Luckily, we were out in the park, at our favorite spot under the statue of the big fat guy, and not in school. The coke probably didn't bother the earthworms as much as it would have bothered the janitor.

“W-what?” I stammered.

The other two stared from Anastasia to me, red hot in the face, and back again. Then, very slowly, Jen started to snicker. Sandra followed suit and they broke into laughter. It took me a few seconds before I felt well enough to join in, and even then, my laughter sounded rather half-hearted.

“Right,” Jen snorted, thumping me on the back. “That'll be the day!”

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

It wasn't day anymore, it was evening, turning into night. Finally. I was nearly bursting with anticipation by the time I arrived at St. Christopher’s. Anticipation, and anxiety. Would he already be there? Would he smile at me? Where would he take me tonight? What would we do? These questions, particularly the last one, were rather distracting and Debby had to repeat her 'hello' three times before I noticed she had appeared beside me.

“Angela?” She bent down to me, concern written on her face. “Is everything all right?”

I seemed to be hearing that question rather a lot lately. 'Yes,' I wanted to say. 'Yes, Everything is more than all right. Everything is righter than it ever was.' But I couldn't. Instead I just shrugged and said, “Oh, I was just thinking.”