The Girl Beneath the Moon | ✓

Chapter Thirty Seven

Song: Stubborn Love (by The Lumineers)

*

"Noah, Leena, what are you doing here?" Angela blurted in her shock.

Leena, of all people, understood the full scope of the situation the quickest. She smiled bracingly, in her natural element of turning every situation into one of casual and friendly socializing. "We're here to see you," Leena said brightly. Behind her wide grin Angela read her best friend's meaning: I'm saving your butt here, Angie. "Sorry to barge in. How are you?" And she rushed forward in a flash of silver bangles and a leather purse to envelop Angela in a hug, like the day before they had not sat in tense silence at the lunchroom table.

Angela clasped her back, and when Leena leaned back to examine at her critically, she let herself be moved. With their faces mere inches from each other, Leena asked in a quieter, more reserved tone Angela knew was 100% serious: "Are you okay?'

Angela nodded faintly. She thought so.

Her best friend slapped the smile back onto her face and turned to her next victim. "Eric!" she exclaimed, and embraced him too. Eric, to his credit, hugged her back with complete composure, but Angela didn't miss the evaluating and semi-jealous looks he sent Noah's way. It must look bad that Angela claimed they weren't dating, but Noah had the freedom and familiarity to walk into her home without knocking

At the peak of their friendship, Noah had used the Grodberg's house as his own. However, he had not exercised that unspoken privilege in years. Why now? Angela wondered. She suspected it had something to do with Eric being there, but she couldn't connect the dots and work that out. If she didn't experience an unpleasant sinking feeling in her stomach every time she looked at Noah, she would demand an answer of him. She had a lot of explaining to do. Instead, Angela avoided looking his way, preferring to focus on her best friend.

Leena broke away from Eric and started to grill him with questions about what he had been up to lately. Angela was commonly seen as the calmer of the two, but she had to admit Leena kept remarkably good form in moments of stress and uncertainty. The dark-skinned girl managed to pretend everything was a-okay between the four of them, and that her short-term goal in life was to be up to date on everything that was happening in Eric's.

Attracted by the dulcet tones of Leena's voice, no doubt, her parents entered the hallway to investigate. Leena's absence from the Grodberg house had reached a record high. Despite Angela's parents hinting that they noticed her disappearance they didn't press their daughter for details. Besides, after hitting Keely with her car, the Grodbergs had more important topics to discuss when they could get Angela to speak to them.

"Leena, it's so good to see you," Mrs. Grodberg said warmly, probably relieved that Angela still had a female friend in the world. Then, in a slightly more pointed voice, she asked, "Where have you been?"

The peppy cheer that had draped Leena like a security blanket fell away. She glanced at Angela nervously, inhaling deeply. In a way that was both earnest and stoic, she admitted, "I have been a terrible best friend, and I am so sorry for that. But I am here now and, Angie, and if you can forgive me for not being there for you, I would like to earn my status back as the best friend ever."

Angela was, at this point -- too appreciative of the way Leena had grabbed hold of the situation and brought it neatly to heel -- knew she could never go without Leena as her main girl. Also, Leena's bravery in apologizing in front of others impressed Angela, who had trouble saying sorry even to the person she had wronged. In a move unlike Angela, she boldly held open her arms and Leena fell into them.

"Love you, Angie," Leena murmured.

"Love you too. Also, guess what?" Angela whispered in Leena's ear. "I have felt more emotion today than I have all year."

Leena half-laughed and half-sobbed. The two girls, though keeping ahold of each other, released their death grip. Leena had to wipe a tear from her eye, though she smiled through it. "I missed you," she said. "And I meant it. From here on out, I am here for you."

Eric spoke up. "I am here too, Angela," he reminded tenderly, not only to her, but everyone else present.

Angela nodded gratefully, but she was painfully conscious of Noah standing silently to her right, just inside the door. When she risked a glance at him, he was staring with an inscrutable expression at Eric. As if sensing her gaze, though, he turned his head to her. Their eyes met for one brief, burning second. With cheeks reddening, Angela swiftly looked away.

"I thought you were just leaving," Mr. Grodberg said pointedly.

"Dad!" Angela said, shocked at his rudeness. He preferred Noah, she knew, but still... it wasn't a competition.

"What?" Mr. Grodberg said with pretended innocence. "I come home and I see him hugging my daughter, and I'm not allowed to be a little stern with him?"

Now Angela felt Noah's eyes on her and only her. They seemed to sear her soul, and with such heat, she refused to look at him. "Dad," Angela repeated, now with her cheeks flaming. Eric's too were turning pink. "Please."

Leena found the situation funny: Angela could see her trying not to laugh, even if it would be verging on hysterical. Angela couldn't remember the last time she herself had laughed.

"Okay, dear," Mrs. Grodberg admonished, and gently tugged her husband back into the kitchen. She directed her next words at her daughter, with a raise of her eyebrows that warned Angela she would would be receiving her lecture later. "You can have a few hours with your friends, Angela, but we're going to have a family-only dinner tonight."

Angela bit her lip and nodded. She knew her behavior, even pre-Keely, had been verging on erratic, and her parents were probably going to tighten the slack and tell her so. Mr. and Mrs. Grodberg retreated into the kitchen. Silence fell, and even Leena wasn't disposed to break it.

"I should go," Eric said, before the awkwardness became unbrearable. "I'll see you later, Angela, Leena."

"Bye, Eric," Angela said.

Noah moved aside to allow Eric passage, and both of them inclined their heads in the minimum movement that could still be an acknowledging nod they could politely get away with.

Leena said loudly, "Bye, Eric!"

He half turned and gave her a wave before letting himself out. Noah, Angela, and Leena stood at three points of an invisible triangle, looking between each other. The carefully blank expression on Noah's face was starting to worry Angela.

"I'll leave you girls to catch up," Noah said neutrally.

"Noah..." Angela started, yearning to say something -- to explain -- but without knowing how or if she even wanted to.

He held up a hand and a small burst of air puffed from his nose in disbelief. "I'll talk to you later," he said, and like her parents had, Angela knew that at the ominously appointed time of later, she would finally get the punishment for her actions.

He left then, shutting the door slowly and with exaggerated care, like it was all that prevented him from slamming it. Angela's eyebrows drew together as she watched him cross the Grodberg's yard into his own from her vantage point through the windows.

"Angie?" Leena asked hesitantly.

"Yeah?" Angela replied absently.

She tilted her head slightly, eyes compassionate. "I think it's my fault that Noah is upset."

Angela shook her head, automatically absolving her friend from any blame. "No, this is my fault. I lied to him and then the thing with Eric --" Angela heaved a deep breath. "I'll be lucky if he speaks to me again."

Leena's eyes narrowed in curiosity. "What was Eric doing here?"

"It's kind of a long story," Angela said. She looked towards the kitchen, where she could hear her mom and dad discussing the presidential election. "Let's go to my room," she said in a muted tone. She wanted as much privacy as possible. Angela didn't know how much she would end up telling Leena, but she was nearly to the decision to tell her everything -- because Leena too had proven herself a safe person for Angela: She had come back.