Chapter Two: New City, New Life

Vanessa drove through the busy city streets of Woodcrest, the bright buildings and trees passing by her in a colorful blur. The ride over there from Pennsylvania had been fairly short—only a half-hour—but she wanted some time to kill before having to move into her new apartment (and Lord knows how long that could take).

So here she was, on her way to visit her half-brother Nicolas, whom Vanessa hadn't seen since she was little. When their parents split up, he ended up with his father, and she with their mother. Vanessa grew up in the urban streets of Philadelphia, while Nicolas supposedly moved here to Woodcrest.

Now that they both were significantly older and no longer held back by their parents, there was nothing stopping them from seeing each other anymore, like old times.

At a red light, Vanessa took the time to look at the address she'd written down on a piece of paper. He messaged it to her the last time they talked on Facebook. Feeling confident of the reminder, she turned another corner once the light turned green and drove into a small neighborhood.

After skimming past a few houses, Vanessa parked her car outside of the house she assumed was her brother's, got out, and went towards the front door. With a deep breath of encouragement, she rang the doorbell. For a moment there was silence. Then, she heard heavy footsteps.

"Took yo ass long enough."

Vanessa smiled bemusedly. Did he know I was coming?

The door flew open, and the person standing there was not her brother. Instead, it was a guy (taller than her) with tan skin, muscular arms, and cornrows. He was good-looking, Vanessa decided, but she hoped that she didn't come to the wrong house—because that would've been embarrassing.

"Uh… Sorry to bother you," Vanessa said to him, as politely as she could. "Does Nicolas Owens live here?"

The man cleared his throat, his Adam's apple bopping up and down. "Yeah, he live here."

Vanessa smiled with relief. Her sense of direction wasn't so bad after all. "Oh good. Is he home?"

The man took her hand in his, catching her by surprise. His thumb was rubbing the backside of her hand, feeling her skin. "Can I ask who's askin', beautiful?"

Whoa there… Not knowing what else to do, Vanessa chuckled and slipped her hand away from him. "Vanessa."

"That's a nice name," he said. "It's pretty, like you."

"Thank you, uhm… Who are you?"

"Riley, but everybody 'round here call me Young Reezy."

"Oh." Vanessa bit back her bemused smile. Was he serious? Young Reezy? At least Nicolas's taste in friends hadn't changed. "Well, it was nice meeting you…Riley. But I think I'll just come by again tomorrow."

Vanessa turned to leave. She was hoping she didn't sound like she was a hurry to get away from him, but then he grabbed her hand again. "My bad, shawty. I ain't scare you or nothin', did I?"

Vanessa shook her head. "Oh, no. I'm just kind of in a hurry right now."

It was true; she almost forgot about her apartment. She had things to unpack, and she still had to meet with her new landlord. "Could you tell Nicolas that I stopped by, please?"

Riley gave her a sweet smile. "Sho' thing, cutie."

Vanessa turned away from him to hide her blush and took back her hand. She felt his eyes on her as she walked back to her car, but was too nervous to turn back. She felt instant relief once she got back in her car and drove off to her next destination.


Vanessa parked her car in front of an old apartment building. It was only a little bit past the time she was supposed to be there—she hoped that her landlord wasn't too strict on things like that.

She hurriedly left her car and went inside the lobby of the complex. Instantly, she was greeted by a man; he was about her height with dark skin and a lean build.

"Hello," he said. "You must be Vanessa Wellens."

Vanessa smiled and shook his outstretched hand. She recognized his voice from their many phone calls. "Yes, I am. And you must be Donte."

"Yes, it's nice to finally meet you."

Donte gave her a kind smile before ushering her to an elevator. "Your room is on the third floor. I'll gladly show you around."

And so he did. He gave Vanessa a quick walk-through of her apartment. Her living room wasn't too bad and the kitchen wasn't terribly small, and her bedroom was a nice size. All she really thought the apartment needed was a fresh coat of new paint. Maybe she could go get some tomorrow.

"And there you have it. Your rent is due every first of the month." Donte handed Vanessa the key to her new home and proceeded to leave with a farewell smile. "Welcome to the city, Vanessa."

"Thanks, Donte!"

Vanessa shut the door and smiled to herself—her dreams were finally becoming reality! First, she became the first person in her family to graduate college, and now here she is living in her own home!

Well, almost. She still had to unpack her things.

The only thing left on her bucket list was to nail her job interview at Wuncler Law Firm, which was in a week. She'd been hoping for a chance to become a lawyer ever since she was a kid, and after going to the best schools Vanessa's mother and her grades could get her into, she could finally say that her work was about to pay off.

Vanessa sighed with contentment, then she look around at her surroundings. The room was empty - her things were in the trunk of her car.

Ugh, she groaned. Better to do it now than later.


The next morning, Vanessa awoke bright and early on her air mattress. It was a good call bringing it since her new bed wouldn't be here until a few hours later, along with some more furniture she'd ordered online.

Vanessa yawned and left to go shower and wash her face. It was weird starting her day like this—alone and without her mother. Shutting off the faucet, Vanessa went back into her bedroom and searched for her phone. When she found it, she dialed her mother's number.

"Oh, praise the Lord!" Miss Wellens answered with a cheery tone. "My baby's okay."

Vanessa chuckled. "Good morning, mom."

"Good morning, sweetie. I thought I told you to call me as soon as you got into town?"

"I know, I'm sorry. I was just really busy meeting my new landlord and unpacking. I still have plenty more to do."

There was a few seconds of silence over the line, until Miss Wellens finally asked, "Did you go see Nicolas?"

Vanessa cleared her throat before answering. "Kind of. I went to his house, but I didn't see him."

"Hm."

Nicolas had always been a touchy subject to talk about with Vanessa's mother. He was her firstborn child, and when he and Vanessa's parents split, it was like half of her world had been taken from her. She had always been a great mother to Vanessa regardless, but there was no denying that noticeable emptiness everyone saw in her.

"Well, maybe you could stop by there again and ask him to help you get settled. Lord knows how much stuff you like to hoard," Miss Wellens continued.

Vanessa flashed a relieving smile at her mother's change of attitude. "Maybe you're right."

"Of course I am. I'm your mother."

The two shared a laugh. It was nice to hear it, especially now that the two were apart. "Well, I won't keep you on the phone much longer. I know how busy you are."

"Okay, mom. Love you."

"Love you too. And don't forget to go grocery shopping!"

Vanessa hung up after she said that and rolled her eyes playfully. Of course, even though she was miles away, her mother would still find a way to baby her. But…she was right. Vanessa had no food, no breakfast to start her day.

She would go shopping later, but for now, there had to be someplace nearby for her to eat at. After throwing on some clothes, Vanessa then took it upon herself to explore the streets of Woodcrest.