In which Angie can look back and laugh now (even if it is an evil cackle)

The year is 1989. Angie is a senior in high school. Angie is sporting permed hair, electric blue eye shadow, and teased bangs. When she is not in her cheerleader uniform, she is wearing her Catholic high school skirt rolled up twice at the waist and writing IN INK all over the hemline things like: ‘We are proud and we are mighty. We’re the class of 1990’, or the Lyrics to "MORE THAN WORDS" and other Monster Ballads. When she is not wearing either uniform, she is donning her Units belt, over-sized shirt and leggings, or her Guess Jeans (the one pair she ever owned) and her sweaters made to fall off the shoulder. Angie is from the Midwest, so it could be that Angie’s fashion is JUST A TAD behind the times of other class of 1990 graduates.

Angie is feeling pretty cool these days. You see, Angie has a boyfriend. Not just any boyfriend. A COLLEGE boyfriend. This boyfriend, who we will name FRANK for the purposes of anonymity and because his real name is actually FRED (family name) and FRANK is very close anyway, is a JUNIOR in college. YES, A JUNIOR. Frank is also ANGIE’s brother’s fraternity brother and one of his BEST FRIENDS. In fact, FRANK becomes Kevin’s best man just a couple years later.

Back to the story.

Over the summer between Angie’s Junior and Senior Year, Angie and Frank saw each other a lot. They went to movies. They hung out around their parent’s houses. They went to movies. They went to college rush parties. They went to movies. It probably needs not be said that Angie and Frank were on different pages with respect to social life. You see, FRANK was of legal drinking age. Frank was in COLLEGE. When school started back up, Frank lived AWAY from Angie for MOST OF THE TIME. At first it was fine. Frank came home for Labor Day. Angie went and visited Frank for a weekend. Angie even once snuck away and saw Frank for a weekend when STRICTLY forbidden by her parents who also foolishly LEFT TOWN that weekend. (Sorry Mom and Dad, although something tells me you are not as stupid as I thought you were then and you probably knew this).

As time goes on, Frank begins calling less. His letters (which match Angie’s volume in a 1/10 ratio) become more small talk and even fewer. He begins to mention things like “see other people,” “where do you think this relationship is heading, anyway? Marriage???” Kevin, Angie’s brother bluntly tells Angie when she calls for Frank that he was OUT with a girl named TRACY (who is actually Tammie, but Tracy is close). Angie curses and tells Kevin to tell Frank to call her so she could “TELL HIM HOW OVER HIM SHE WAS!” However, when Frank calls, he explains he was STUDYING with Tracy. Or that Kevin just doesn’t like them together because he is her brother. The next time Angie calls, the conversation happens EXACTLY as it just did before, so much so that when Angie calls, Kevin tells the other fraternity brothers to inform Angie when Frank is with Tracy, which is a lot. Angie acts exactly like her 17-year-old self and IGNORES these people in favor of the blatant LIES THAT FRANK TELLS.

That Christmas break, Frank does not come home from college until the Saturday AFTER finals week. Frank says ‘he actually has a final late on Friday, could you believe the bad luck, and then has to pack up.’ Kevin compassionately and gingerly tells Angie Frank is, in fact, staying for graduation because Tracy is graduating and her whole family would be there and expect Frank, you idiot. Angie says no, he has a final and Kevin says ‘no he doesn’t because we have the same classes and I have been home since Tuesday, you idiot’ Even if he is staying for Tracy’s graduation that isn’t so bad to an extent because they are, in fact, dating other people which means Frank is dating other people and Angie is patiently waiting for him to get over it. Kevin says 'Frank is not dating other people; he is dating Tracy, you idiot. '

Frank even stands Angie up on New Year’s Eve showing up AROUND ONE AM after promising her he was coming over to celebrate the New Year with Angie and her brother and her brother’s fiancé. Kevin is not surprised and tells Angie that he is with Tracy, you idiot. Angie maturely handles this like any 17-year-old and has her best friend call Frank’s house around midnight asking for him because parents are stupid and would not at all think Angie is involved since Angie’s voice is not involved. Angie believes Frank when he finally arrives and tells her whatever lie it is she can no longer remember because she is sure he whispered sweet nothings to her about how much he missed the cute mole on her chin that most people mistook for a piece of chocolate.

Angie (before mole removal) and best friend

Because Angie is in high school and Frank is a junior in college, Frank is LESS than enthusiastic about and actually completely unwilling to subject himself to the social festivities that highschoolers find so damn crucial to their well-being. Things like, homecoming dances, prom, being seen outside anything but the movies with a high-schooler, etc. However, late that Christmas break, FRANK decides to humor Angie and come watch her cheer at a tournament game. Because it is a tournament, Angie’s team is playing teams they do not normally play. One of these teams is from a town on the Illinois side of St. Louis that they have never played before and as far as Angie knows, have never played again. Did Angie mention that Tracy is from the Illinois side of St. Louis????

Angie's cheerleading squad photo from that year with a wide angle lens required to incorporate ALL THAT HAIR into the frame. The man in the middle is their cheerleading moderator who simply got paid the extra stipend 'coaches' get on top of his meager private high school teaching salary while doing NOTHING to help or teach the squad. Sadly, he was probably as qualified as ANY of the teachers at Angie's high school to fill the slot.

Frank and his brother walk into the gym, smile at Angie and sit down. Within seconds, Angie sees Frank’s brother laughing while Frank uncomfortably squirms on the bleacher, and she thinks they are laughing at her cheering which is, in fact, laughable. Angie laughs, too, and begins to beam that her friends can finally see she was not making up Frank all these months.

Then, Angie sees a perky crimped-haired cheerleader from the ILLINOIS side of St. Louis team come over, hug Frank and point to someone just down the way. Did Angie mention that Tracy has a sister Angie’s age? Frank gets up, walks down the way and starts talking to someone who looks like they are old enough to be Frank’s parents. He sits there THE ENTIRE GAME AND TALKS TO THOSE PARENTS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE GAME. He never once comes over, even during half time and acknowledges Angie. However, Frank’s brother does. In fact, Frank’s brother talks to Angie A LOT. Angie thinks he even puts his arm around Angie at one point in time and Angie is pretty sure if she would have looked, Frank’s brother ensures his arm is around Angie when those parent-aged people glance over at them. Angie is pretty sure we refer to that today as “taking one for the team.” Angie is too stupid love-struck by an older guy to see it, so much so, that it takes her about FIVE years to look back on that situation and figure it out.

After the crowd disperses and the opposing team leaves gym is practically empty, Frank finally acknowledges Angie who between sobs and screams tells Frank to GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE. NO WAIT, COME BACK HERE. EXPLAIN THIS TO ME. HOW COULD YOU DO THIS? I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN. I HATE YOU! WAIT, COME BACK, I LOVE YOU, while threatening to throw her Kelly-Green-striped K-Swiss cheerleader shoe at him. Frank smoothes over the situation trying unsuccessfully to run his fingers through her teased bangs and banana clipped hair telling her how much he loves her Add-A-Bead necklace.

However, about one week later, Frank officially breaks up with Angie. Why he didn’t break up with Angie about THREE MONTHS PRIOR will remain a mystery for the ages, since after all this, it is PRETTY DAMN OBVIOUS ANGIE IS NEVER GOING TO BREAK UP WITH HIM AND that he is CLEARLY IN LOVE WITH TRACY. However, Angie still thinks today, that part of Frank oddly still loved Angie a bit, too, and that is why he did not break it off completely until that night when he saw exactly how old Angie was.

AND because he probably didn’t want to get that close to being caught again by Tracy and her family.

Angie goes to Frank and Tracy’s college the next year. Tracy has graduated. She is a year and a half older than Frank who is 3 years older than Angie, making her blond, tall, beautiful, smart, employed and 4-1/2 years older than Angie. Angie forgives them both. However, she can never really look at Frank again that year. She does, however, join Tracy’s sorority, Chi Omega, because it is the best one for her on campus, and because Tracy doesn’t go there anymore.

Oddly enough, Frank was not a jerk. He was not a ‘bad boy.’ He was kind of nerdy, but tall, smart and cute. It’s probably safe to say that no one would have thought Frank had it in him to seriously date two girls at the same time. Frank and Tracy ended up marrying and having kids. As far as Angie knows, they are still happily married today. And Angie is happy for them.

The End.

KEEP BELIEVING