chapter 2.

The next morning Rapunzel stretched, sore from straining her eyes all night. Getting to class on time was tough but she made it with just moments to spare. Rapunzel exhaled and sat down, pulling out her textbooks. It was difficult for her to stay awake but after a long three hour class she was finally able to rest for a moment. Her stomach grumbled as she put away her books and she remembered that she hadn't since dinner the previous night. Walking through campus to get to the cafeteria, she noticed Flynn sitting where they had hung out the day before, and much to her surprise, he was reading the book she'd checked out for him.

"Hey stranger!" she greeted with a smile.

He closed the book quickly like he was caught doing something he shouldn't, "oh hey, sup blondie?"

"Flynn are you, dare I say-reading?" she gasped dramatically.

"Psh, no, I don't read."

"How is it?" She asked, taking a seat next to him.

He blushed, "its really interesting actually, I'm reading about how they make rings and crowns and other kinds of jewelry."

"I'm so proud," she fake cried, a hand to her heart.

"What're you doing, princess?" He asked.

"Heading to the cafe for lunch, wanna join?"

"You know, I actually had a better idea, come on."

Rapunzel's eyes flew open as he grabbed her hand and pulled her up. She was surprised not by his invitation, but by her trust in him. He lead her to an old, beat up car and opened the door for her.

"Wow a gentleman too, you've just got everything don't you?" She joked.

He slid back his hair and smirked, "don't forget my smolder."

She rolled her eyes, "where are we going?"

"Just across the street for some lunch."

It only took them a couple minutes to arrive at a strip mall near the campus. of course, rapunzel had never been outside of campus grounds other than to travel to and from home, so she was both nervous and excited.

"what is this?"

"this is the ugly duckling, you've never been here?" he asked, astonished.

"No, I don't get out much, if you can recall the strict mom."

"Right, well I guess you're pretty young for a bar," he replied as they got inside. A hostess asked how many people were in their party and then took them to a booth in the back.

"Why are we at a bar?" Rapunzel asked.

"Well, bar and grill technically, don't worry they have food."

"Am I old enough to be here?"

He sighed in defeat, "maybe not."

The waitress asked for their drink order and Flynn asked for a beer, while Rapunzel just got a water.

"So you are old enough to drink then?"

"Legally, yes, does that mean I didn't have a drink or two before I was 21, no it does not."

Rapunzel laughed, "ah there's the crime. I knew you had one."

They sipped their drinks in awkward silence for a few minutes before Rapunzel spoke again, "do you have any other classes today?"

"yeah but I've got time to kill, my next isn't until 2:30."

"And you're having a beer?"

He shrugged.

"Alright, I wont question you. So tell me more, where else fun have you been to?"

"I'm afraid I might bore you with that since I don't really get out much either, travel wise. I've always wanted to explore the world though, history is my best subject."

"So the bad boy does care about something. Where do you want to travel to?"

"Oh man," he laughed, "well I really want to go to Germany; but I also would love to see Italy, Hawaii, Bermuda Triangle."

"I would love to go to Germany as well, I've read that they have some amazing architecture there. I too would love to travel and explore the world one day. I'm worried I wont get to though."

"Your mom?"

"Mhm."

"Why do you keep going back then? If you're almost 18, then you can move out in just a few days."

"Its...complicated."

"Is it your dream?"

"More than anything."

"Then you have to do it."

"It would crush her though."

"Yeah but sometimes you have to make sacrifices and sometimes you have to hurt the ones you love to truly be happy."

Rapunzel was stumped in thought. Was he right? She looked up at him, almost as if seeing him for the first time. She took in his chiseled, hairy chin, and his light brown eyes, and inhaled. What was that feeling in her stomach? she had never gotten that feeling before, not with any guy or girl she had met thus far. She wanted to ask if it was a normal feeling, but thought it might make things weird, so she sat in silence for a bit. Food was brought out and they began eating, feeling famished. Little did Rapunzel know that the infamous bad boy was getting the same butterflies in his stomach, but he just thought something was wrong with him. He told himself he couldn't be getting feelings for someone that was three years younger than him, and especially a girl that came from a moderately rich life when he grew up with nothing. The part of him that was rebellious and confused thought it would be best to take advantage of her riches and began plotting.

"So where do you live?" He asked as casually as he could.

"Over by the city lake, at the top of the hill, Monroe street."

"That must be a nice area, my friends and I used to skinny dip in that lake."

"You mean swimming naked."

"Yeah," he nodded, "so what about your dad?"

"Oh...uh I don't really know honestly, never really had one and my mom never talks about him."

"So its just you and your mom in that big house?"

"Mhm, no relatives either that i know of. we've kinda been a package deal all my life. She raised me all on her own, but she would leave me home alone a lot for work, and that's when I began reading and painting and stuff."

"I'm sorry, that sucks,"

"I mean that life for ya."

"Where does she work?"

"Shes a freelancer, sometimes she works from home, sometimes shes out, I never really know, but if I'm not home when she gets back she throws a fit. I cant leave. Somehow she always knows."

"Do you care?"

"She's my mom...I love her. Shes all I have."

"What happened to 'I'm everybody's friend?'"

"School friends only. No one is allowed over and I'm not allowed elsewhere."

"You're here now."

"Oh don't worry I'm freaking out on the inside right now, if she knew I was here..."

Flynn set a hand atop Rapunzel's, half because he wanted to comfort her, and half because he wasn't sure how to respond. This was gunna be harder than he thought, but he couldn't allow himself to get sidetracked. He now had a mission.

"We should probably head back to school."

"Good idea."

"Are you sure you're good to drive?"

"I'm good, are you?" he joked.

"I've never driven..." She admitted sadly.

"I'll teach you sometime," he said without thinking. He shunned himself. Why would he say that? He needed to avoid her as much as he could, he shouldn't be offering her anything.

They got back to school and Rapunzel hugged him goodbye, he was surprised by this and didn't return the hug, but she hadn't noticed, she was a hugger, and not many people were. She waved and said she would see him the next day, then ran off to class.

Later that night she decided to go to bed early, exhausted from not getting any sleep. But again she lie awake, unable to shut her brain off. After a few hours, after her mom had already long been asleep, Rapunzel went up the the tower to look at the stars through her telescope. She opened the widow and adjusted the lens. A few moments later she heard what sounded like footsteps on gravel. She stepped back from the telescope and leaned out the window. Two stories below she could faintly make out someone slipping through the main floor window. She gasped and ran downstairs. The person had come through her living room window, and to get to the living room, Rapunzel had to go through the kitchen, where she grabbed the first thing she saw to defend herself, a large frying pan.

Rapunzel creeped around the corner, finding a hooded figure rifling through drawers. He turned around quickly, sensing her presence, and her muscles reacted quicker than her brain. She wacked the thief in the head and knocked him to the ground.

Rapunzel gasped. It was him.

"Flynn?"

He rubbed his head, "ouch."

"What are you doing here? Why are you in my house? Where you trying to steal from me?"

"I'm sorry...I just...I needed some money."

"And so you thought you'd take advantage of me and steal after I confided in you?"

'I'm so sorry, Rapunzel."

"I'm sorry too. You need to leave, Flynn. Now."

He nodded and got off the ground. Flynn knew what he did was wrong, and seeing the look in her eyes, the distrust in her eyes as she held the frying pan up protectively. He wanted to reach out to her, to brush her hair back and say that he wanted to be with her and he would never do anything so stupid again, but he couldn't let himself. He had a reputation to uphold, he couldn't fall for her, he just couldn't. He was a bad guy, and she was just an innocent young woman. She lowered her eyebrows and sized him up.

"Don't make me use this again," she said sternly, pointing to the skillet with her eyes. He knew she would. She was a strong, intelligent woman, and she could take care of herself.

He started to walk away, but he just had to say one thing, "you'll never know how truly sorry I am, I made a huge mistake. I'm sorry." He didn't give her a chance to respond, letting himself out the front door.

After checking all the locks in the house, Rapunzel ran back to her room, throwing herself down on her bed. Tears streamed down her face. How could he do that, why would he do that? She had trusted him. Sure, maybe she shouldn't have, they'd only known each other a couple days, but had always seen something inside him, something good and light, something he didn't even see in himself. She wanted to forgive and forget, but how could she? He'd tried to steal from her.