Angel jumped from the counter when she saw Peter and Casper enter the apartment, rushing towards them and basically throwing herself into Peter’s arms. “Baby, you look so great,” she complimented, smiling brightly up at him as she settled back down on her feet. “So spooky, but also very hot,” she told him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “This was a good idea. To dress like skeletons. And Casper looks great too,” she added, looking down at the dog.
It had been a few days since Killian had sent his... concerning text messages warning her away. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she was growing sick from her worry. Deciding she couldn’t take much more, she asked her neighbor to keep an eye and an ear out for Olafr, then made her way to the Jolly Roger. She checked in there first, then decided to go up to the apartment in her search for Killian. Stepping inside, she gasped at the disarray the home was in, then looked around before calling out, “Killian? Are you in here?”
Angel had tried to stay with Peter as long as she could while he was in the hospital. When he was released, however, they decided to part so they could get some much needed cleaning done: Peter with the bar and his apartment and her with her home with Philip. After she got rid of the broken door, put up a temporary curtain for privacy, and put some cleaning product on her rug to get rid of the blood, she made her way to the Jolly Roger. As she walked inside, she called out, “Peter? Are you here?”
Angel hated this. All day at work, all she could think about was how Pan was out there, and he was out because of her. The town was going to be plagued by his psychotic games, and it was all her fault. She’d promised Hook she’d stay away from Pan for a week before trying to get her Peter back, but it didn’t sit well with her to stay uninvolved while Pan wreaked havoc on Fableton. After a decently long day at the salon, Angel came home and headed right for her room, thinking a nap might do her good. When she walked inside, however, she was met with a sight she didn’t expect. “Pan...”
Angel had spent a long time thinking about college. She’d made a list of pros and cons, considered what it would mean if she did or did not go, and even thought about what her friends would think. She knew that Jack, Tiana, and Sean all wanted to go. Hell, she was pretty sure Philip and Peter were behind her attending. She knew if she didn’t go, she would probably be a hairdresser for the rest of her life, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it wasn’t her dream. If she did go, she could flunk out, or find out she wasn’t as talented as she thought she was, or not be able to do anything with her major once she graduated. College would mean improving her skills, being forced to take classes with professors who might not have been successful in their fields, and possibly waking up really early for class and staying up late studying.
As she stood in front of Fableton University, she bit the inside of her cheek and brushed her hair back. After all of her thinking, she’d decided that she should at least try the whole college thing. If, after a semester, she decided it wasn’t the right fit for her, then she could stop. The only question she was faced with now was paying for the whole thing. She knew that the people closest to her had offered to cover it for her, but she couldn’t give them that chance. That was why she had decided to sort out a payment plan before telling all of them she’d decided to go to college.
Walking into the financial office of FU, she could feel her stomach twisting, just thinking about how much this was going to cost her. She walked up to the desk and asked to speak to someone about a payment plan for her classes and tuition. After being asked to wait for a few moments, she went to sit in one of the chairs in the office. She wondered what classes she would be taking in the fall, and whether or not she would actually do well. She also wondered if she would have to take a loan out from the bank. She had a decent chunk of change saved up and an entire summer to raise more, but she wasn’t foolish enough to think she could pay for college on a hairdresser’s earning. Not when she wasn’t actually licensed.
When her name was called, she followed the woman that stood waiting for her, then sat in an office across from the same woman. The woman then began to explain that according to their records, a payment plan had already been set up, and that they were simply waiting for her to commit to the school and plan when she would attend orientation. Angel furrowed her brows, shaking her head in both confusion and denial. “That can’t be right. This is my first time being here. I couldn’t have set up a payment plan already. Why else do you think I would come here?” she pointed out. The woman was insistent that she was already covered in terms of finances, at least when it came to tuition and any classes she would decide to take.
The reality took her longer to accept than it should have, but when it did, she inhaled sharply through her nose. She muttered a soft “thank you”, then left the office, knowing what must have happened. She had a gang of people all rooting for her to go to college. One or several of them had clearly gone behind her back to pay for her education, and she was going to give whoever it was an earful. First, she would have to find out who did it.
Right when Angel heard that Trick had disappeared, she was surprised. Then she felt heartbreak, as he had been someone she had not just seen as a friend, but as someone she cared for rather deeply. Then she felt guilty. He had been in the middle of whatever mess was going on between them and Peter, and it had driven him away. After going through her slew of confusing emotions, she was left with a moment of perfect clarity. Her life had been changing quite a bit, and between school, the mess with Peter and Trick, and the proposal Phillip had given her, she felt like she’d lost herself a bit. She was in college now, and she had a future ahead of her she could actually be proud of. However, if she didn’t know who she was while that happened, would that really matter?
She’d come to a conclusion that she knew would be emotionally painful, but she knew it was necessary. She needed to take some time to herself and focus on what needed to be focused on. She needed to save her energy for work and school and maintaining the relationships that didn’t leave her confused and conflicted. As much as she loved Peter, their relationship - at least the romantic one - had become a weight she needed to let go of. Perhaps she would be ready to take it back on again someday, but that day was not now. It was what had her knocking on his door, her heart hammering in her chest and her stomach in knots. She only hoped he would be understanding and not hate her for her decision.
