Angie by Candy J Starr Read Free Book Online Page A

house.
     
    -o-
     
    Luckily , my face had cleared up before we had to fly up and meet the guys. I hadn't told Eric what had happened because I didn't want him to worry and also because I'd said I'd try to get along with his mother and getting along was exactly what I'd not done. My feelings about the trip were all over the place. I wanted to see Eric again. I wanted to be with him, but his mother!
    Could I go into a relationship knowing it would be pretty much doomed from the start? It'd be hard for me to be around Eric and not be with him.
    Maybe I’d be better off not even being there. It’d just be torturing myself. I needed to stay away from him.
    I packed my bag with a few things I needed for the trip and gave my plants an extra watering to see them through. Then I decided it wasn’t even worth going and unpacked my bag again. I’d totally disengage myself from the band and maybe become a nun or something. I’d never have to see Eric again.
    Nothing would ever be right again.
    The doorbell rang. I figured it'd be Hannah picking me up to go to the airport. I’d tell her I’d caught a cold and my sinuses were all blocked up so I couldn’t fly.
    B ut it wasn't.
    It was Eric-Mama.
    I so did not have time to deal with her. She'd probably just come over to yell at me about something. And how did she have my address? Eric must've given it to her. I'd kill him when I saw him next.
    She stood in the doorway, not talking. Fine. She could leave.
    Okay, I couldn't be that person. I had to invite her in.
    But I didn't like it.
    Still, she didn't say anything and she didn't look at me. That was creepy. The silence stretched out, getting awkward and weird.
    "Look, I'm in a hurry. If you want a coffee, I'll make it for you but you'll have to drink it real fast. I'll add some cold water so it's easier to drink."
    I normally had mighty fine hospitality, but t hat was about as fine as my hospitality was going to get with her. I'd had three days for my resentment of this woman to build up. It filled me up and overflowed. She confirmed all the worst things I thought about myself. The moments I thought I wasn't good enough. She was, in fact like a demon, sent from hell to prey on my insecurities. So, I'd be buggered if I’d give her any opportunity to cut me down again.
    I filled up the kettle and put it on. No fancy coffee machines for me. I could barely afford instant coffee.
    “It’s okay,” she said. “I don’t need coffee.”
    She looked around and I suddenly wished I’d folded the laundry and put it away instead of dumping it on the chair. And those pizza boxes from a week ago, I should’ve put them out. Bloody hell, I even had a bra hanging off the back of the couch.
    She cleared her throat.
    I turned back to her. She didn't meet my gaze though, she just stood there fidgeting with her hands.
    "Maybe I shouldn't have given you the face mask," she said. "I didn't know it would react with your face."
    My hand automatically went to the ring on my lip.
    "It wasn't the metal. It was an allergic reaction to the mask."
    She put her head on one side. "What I want to say is, I didn't do it on purpose. I was trying to be nice... I'm sorry."
    She looked so lost, I couldn't help but put my arms around her. I could tell it'd cost her a lot to say that. I mean, I didn't hate the woman. She was obviously a lovely person to those she liked. She was just very narrow-minded. My heart sang. Things could work out. She’d accept me, and life would be repaired.
    "It's hard for me," she said. "Eric looks at you different to the way he looks at other girls. Before, he never was very serious about anyone. I don't understand. Why would he like a girl with hair like a parrot and who is a little bit fat? He could have a girlfriend with lovely long legs."
    I pulled away from her.
    "Maybe he likes girls who are a little bit fat. Maybe he wants someone who isn't superficial and airheaded."
    Her face scrunched as though the idea caused her physical