Chapter 2: The Usual Morning Lineup
"Okay Rapunzel, I'm going to work. Please remember to take care of the chores before heading off!" mother said to me. I held up my trusty broom and smiled.
"I'm on it mother!" I said cheerfully. Mother kissed my forehead and waved as she got in the van and left. I closed the door behind her. We had been in Corona for about a month now, I had gotten a job at the local restaurant as a waitress so that I could raise money and enroll at Corona Community College. I also needed a car, and Flynn had been kind enough to be my escort on the days my mother could not take me, which were most days… but to be quite honest, I needed my own car.
On this particular morning, I had a little more work to do because of a work party that my mother had hosted the night before. I began my usual routine, sweeping the floor, doing the dishes, washing the clothes, straightening things up and if I was lucky I would work on the living room mural for a bit before work. As I washed the last dish, I heard a knock on the door.
"It's open!" I called out from the kitchen. The door opened and in walked Flynn. I turned off the water flowing from the sink and wiped my hands on a dish towel.
"Good morning, Blondie," Flynn said. I put my hands on my hips.
"Good morning to you too Rider, I thought I told you not to call me that," I said. He shrugged.
"Force of habit," he explained. "Ready to head out?" I nodded.
"Yep, let me just feed Pascal," I said, approaching the glass tank that I kept my chameleon in. Flynn strode over to the tank as I put bits of fruit into the tank.
"What is that, a frog?" he asked. I glared at him with a playfully angry face.
"Chameleon, actually," I said. Flynn ignored my statement.
"Nuance, come on, we don't want to be late!" he said. I patted Pascal on the head and shrugged. I followed him out the door and to his beat up pickup truck. He started it up and put on his seat belt. I put mine on and we were off.
After a few minutes, Flynn sighed. "So… does your mother know that I drive you to work every day?" he asked. I shook my head.
"Nope, she thinks I walk to work," I responded. Flynn tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.
"Why haven't you told her?" he asked after a moment or two. I sighed and averted his gaze.
"It's a really long story," I said with a sigh. Flynn turned his head back to the road in front of him.
"Well it appears that we're going to be stuck in traffic for a while, I'm all ears," he said in a concerned voice.
"No thanks, I'd rather learn about you," I said with a laugh. Flynn chuckled as we moved forward a little bit.
"Sorry Blondie, I don't do backstories," he said. "However, I will tell you bits and pieces, if you explain to me exactly why your mother has no idea that you hitch a ride to work every day." I crossed my arms over my chest and looked down at my lap.
"My mother is… well I guess you could say, over cautious. I don't know why, but she doesn't want me out late or hanging with boys. She'd rather that I stay inside and paint all day. She was so reluctant to let me apply for this job that I had to convince her that I would be back by six every night just so she doesn't worry," I explained.
"So she's a little overprotective," Flynn reiterated.
"A little?" I said, surprised. "More like she's the most protective person I know. More like the only person I know, she homeschooled me so that I wouldn't have to go outside." Flynn gave me a sympathetic look.
"Wow, so you never met your neighbors or made any friends?" he asked. I shook my head. I ran my fingers through my hair.
"So, what about you Mr. Rider, tell me what you're willing to tell me. Where are your parents?" I asked. Flynn tightened his grip on the steering wheel and let out a sigh.
"I don't have any parents. I was abandoned as a baby," he said. I gasped.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to bring back…" I began. I didn't finish because I found Flynn's hand on my shoulder.
"Don't worry about it Blondie, I trust you," he said. The traffic began moving faster. "Well would you look at that? Traffic cleared up. Now let's get you to work." I smiled at him. I had a good feeling about our relationship.
I waved slightly to Rapunzel as she made her way into The Snuggly Duckling Diner. After that I was on my way back home to meet Antonio and Jack for our latest heist. And by heist, I mean grocery shopping; we were out of milk again.
"So, you seem to be hitting it off with the new girl," Jack said from the passenger seat. I nodded.
"It's been a whole month now Jack. Can you believe that she's never had a friend before me?" I said. Jack's mouth dropped.
"Talk about no social life," Antonio piped up from the back seat. I laughed.
"I think I should keep hanging out with her. She sounds like she needs it," I said. Jack patted my shoulder.
"It's the right thing to do buddy. But just for the record, I'm the first to know when you finally screw her," Jack said. I laughed again as I shut the car off and got out.
"Not going to happen anytime soon," I said. Jack scowled and followed Antonio and I inside the grocery store.
"Hi, Welcome to the Snuggly Duckling, how many?" I asked almost subconsciously.
"Three please," the customer said. I looked up at the people in front of me, there stood Flynn, Antonio, and Jack.
"Oh, hey guys! Right this way!" I said excitedly. I led them to a table near the back and handed out some menus. I turned to Flynn. "I get off at 5:15 today," I whispered. He nodded and picked up the menu. "Your server will be right with you." I walked to the kitchen and stared out the window at Flynn and his friends.
"Who is he?" my coworker, Amanda asked. I turned to face my redheaded friend.
"Flynn Rider," I said with a goofy grin. Amanda stared at the three men in the booth. A couple of cooks turned towards us, putting some food on plates.
"Flynn Rider?" one of them asked. "The thief?"
"Flynn's a thief?" I asked in shock. The other chef handed Amanda the plates.
"Yeah, but the police have no reason to convict him. He recently made a turn around, it was weird," he said. I looked over at Flynn, Antonio, and Jack. Amanda shrugged as she left the kitchen to deliver the food.
"How long ago was that?" I asked the cook as he handed me a plate.
"About a month ago, he came in here mentioning that he was set for life, oh well. I think it's about time that he cleaned up his act," the cook said. I walked out of the kitchen and delivered the food, staring up at the clock on the wall, 5:00. I got off soon, and then I could spend more time with Flynn. The customer thanked me and began eating. I couldn't help but wonder if Flynn had actually been a thief, or if he still was. I would be sure to ask him later.
"Ready to go Blondie?" I asked at 5:15. Rapunzel rolled her eyes and took off her apron.
"Yep, just let me clock out and we can go," she said. I gave her a flirty grin as she put her card in the reader and then put it in her bag. "Let's go," she said.
We drove for a while in silence; Rapunzel seemed to have something on her mind.
"So… what's on your mind?" I asked. "You normally talk all the way home!" Rapunzel turned to face me and sighed.
"Some coworkers were telling me today that you're a thief… is that true?" she asked. I didn't respond right away, she seemed genuinely concerned.
"I was. At one point," I said. I felt ashamed that she had to know that. Rapunzel turned away from me as I pulled into the parking spot. Her eyes opened wide upon viewing the blue van in the parking spot next to us.
"Oh no! Mother's home early!" she cried, getting out of the truck. She turned around and smiled at me. "Thanks for the ride, Flynn," she said with a grin. "See you tomorrow?" I nodded.
"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow," I said as she ran towards her condo. I sighed, she didn't care that I was a thief. Yep, there was definitely something different about her.
QAN: Okay, there's chapter 2. Here are the titles for the next 4 chapters,
Chapter 3: Mother Knows Best
Chapter 4: It Started as a Typical Day
Chapter 5: Eugene
Chapter 6: Bonding
Please REVIEW with ideas and stuff. Thanks for reading!