Hello again, gamers! This chapter is a bit later than I expected because I actually cut a part out of it and decided to push it until later. And it was originally gonna be a two part thing so I was going to write both Molly and Angela's perspectives at the same time and then post them. But as I was reading over it to edit, I realized that the event I have planned can kinda just... wait? The story will probably flow better this way instead of me nearly rushing everything. I hope you lovelies enjoy! ~Shaymie

Molly

It was barely the beginning of summer and Molly felt like she was going to melt into a puddle.

She adjusted the sunhat on her head as she stood on Chase's porch. Angela was planning a day at the beach, and while Chase wasn't the most social person out there, she thought she would at least offer an invitation anyway. Besides, she didn't visit him at the bar yesterday because of all the tourists. For such a small island, it got a surprising amount of visitors. The bar had been packed and her social anxiety took over, forcing her to stay home last night.

The door opened right as she raised her fist to knock. Her hand remained awkwardly suspended in the air as she made eye contact with Chase. She wasn't expecting that. She lowered her hand with a shy giggle, returning it to the strap of her tote bag. It seemed like the heat was even getting to Chase. His face was slick with sweat, and for once he had his hair tied back, the curly strands in a low ponytail that brushed the back of his neck.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Freckles? Normally I have to go to you."

"I visit you at work," she pointed out, though she realized that this was the first time she's been to his house. She wondered if he kept his house as meticulously clean and organized as he did the bar. When he wasn't cooking or making drinks, he was almost constantly fiddling with the glasses and bottles on the shelves. Maybe someday she'll get invited in. "Um, we're going to the beach. Do you wanna come with us? I know you like to be alone, but I thought..."

"The beach, huh?" Chase leaned against the doorway, blowing some sweaty strands from his face. "That's a lot better than hanging around here with a broken AC. I'm in. Just let me change out of these sweaty clothes."

"Oh, wait!" she called as he turned to enter his house. She set the tote bag down and rustled through it, pushing aside the beach towels and sunscreen. She really should've had this sitting on the top, but Angela had shoved her stuff in last minute, an apologetic look on her face as she mentioned being unable to find her own bag. She pulled out a pair of oranges and held them out to Chase. "Angie had some trees planted on the edge of the property for shade and they finally started producing fruit! I know you really like oranges, so here!"

"O-Oh. Thanks." He accepted the oranges, a stunned expression on his face. She smiled at him, rocking on the heels of her feet as she waited. She was honestly surprised he had agreed to join her. Surely he had to know that wherever Angela was, Luke and Owen were bound to be, too. She knew that he wasn't a fan of her sister's friends, finding them too loud and rambunctious. They were a bit more bearable now—his words, not hers—because they had Angela to rein them in if need be.

They were off to the beach five minutes later, Chase now dressed in a plain t-shirt and a pair of swim trunks. Molly hummed quietly to herself to fill the silence. Chase looked over at her with a frown. She stopped humming. Was she being annoying? Maybe he preferred walking in silence. They did spend the beginning of their friendship—were they even friends back then?—just staring at the ocean silently. She squeezed the straps of her bag tightly, looking up in surprise when he spoke.

"Is it safe for you to swim? You know, with the seizures?"

"Aw, you actually care about me," she teased, earning an eye roll and Chase muttering under his breath that she's been spending too much time with him. The teasing surprised her, too. Normally it was the other way around. She shook her head with a small smile. "I'll be fine. Angie and everyone else is gonna be there. I'm not that fragile, Peaches. Everybody seems to love forgetting that I used to-"

"Dance?" he finished for her when she got choked up on the final word. She nodded, clearing her throat. "You don't seem to like talking about it much. Did you hate it?"

"No! I actually loved it! It's just... hard. I thought I'd do it forever, but I'm retired at twenty." Her fingers twitched in agitation. One stupid accident had taken her out of commission. Even though she could probably have gone back to dancing once she recovered, she knew she wouldn't have been able to do it. Too many people would have their eyes on her. Everyone would be watching for the next big mess-up. The pressure would be suffocating. No, her career was ruined forever.

She might be having a bit of an identity crisis. She'd put everything she had into dancing. It had become her whole identity. She put what had to be thousands of hours into training her body, doing pilates and yoga and working out at the gym. She threw away her chances to make friends, the only people she really spoke to outside of the group being Linh, Bridget, and her family. Baking was originally a secondary hobby for her, something to do when they were between competitions, but now it had become the new thing she relied on, hoping it would fill the hole in her chest. Spoiler alert: it didn't.

"You alright there, Freckles?"

"Y-Yeah..." They were almost to the beach now. She could see Angela setting up a cooler and forced a smile onto her face. "We should stop talking about this stuff now. Wouldn't wanna ruin the mood."

"Psst! Hey, Molly!"

She blinked as a pebble landed just inches from her feet and looked around curiously. Owen and Luke were standing at a quiet part of the beach, beckoning her over. She frowned. Why were they acting so suspicious? She tucked the seashells she had gathered into the pocket of her dress—she was planning on having Mira make them into jewelry she could send to Linh and Bridget—and walked over to them. Normally you'd avoid men twice your size trying to lure you into a dark corner, but these were Angela's friends. She knew they were harmless.

"What's up?"

"Luke has a crush on your sister," Owen blurted out with a laugh. Luke shushed him, looking around frantically to see if anyone noticed. Not like there was really anyone here, the beach surprisingly empty for it being the start of tourist season. Chase was sitting on a towel applying sunscreen, his earbuds playing rock music from some band Molly had forgotten the name of. She tried not to stare at his shirtless figure too long. Angela had gone to the inn to fill up the water guns she'd bought from the general store, Kathy tagging along to see if she could get Maya to come.

"Dude! What the hell?" Luke hissed, his face burning bright red. "I don't like Ange! I just... thought she looked nice in her swimsuit."

"You were totally staring at her tits. I'm surprised you didn't pop a-"

"Um... What does this have to do with me?" Molly interrupted, looking between the two of them. She wasn't surprised Luke had grown to like Angela. The two of them spent nearly all their free time together, and Angela had a habit of flirting with people she was comfortable with. Even when she was dating Mikhail, she openly flirted with Reina and Muffy. Reina was even Angela's first kiss, an event that Molly had accidentally walked in on during a summer sleepover.

"We need whatever info you can spill on Ange, like her favorite color or the type of guys she likes. Anything to help Luke make a move on her." Owen slung an arm around Luke's shoulder, another loud laugh bursting from his chest. This time Chase did notice, looking up in confusion. His eyes landed on them, one of his eyebrows shooting up curiously. She shrugged.

"Well, I don't know about the type of guys she likes..." A frown flashed across her face as she thought of Mikhail, the aloof violinist who had broken her sister's heart and smashed it to a million pieces. "But her favorite color is red."

"How about her likes and dislikes?"

"What do I look like, her dating profile?" The two looked at her in surprise, Owen muttering that she's been spending too much time with Chase. She ignored the comment and smiled up at Luke. If there was anyone she wanted her sister to potentially date, it was him. Angela never cared much about her appearance, but whenever she was going somewhere with Luke she would spend a few extra seconds getting ready. Angela probably doesn't even notice she does it. "It's gonna be fine. Just be yourself."

Owen thanked her and practically dragged Luke off for the talk, ignoring Luke's protests about not needing it since he was a grown adult. Molly giggled as they left and made her way back over to where she had left her things so she could put the seashells away. She hoped that things worked out between Luke and her sister if he did ask her out. Angela deserves someone that actually cares about her.

Mikhail was... nice, but he seemed almost ashamed of Angela. He forced her to change practically everything about herself when they went out in public. Her clothes weren't right. Her hair wasn't right. She had too many piercings. He spent what had to be thousands on fancy dresses for her to wear to parties, a ridiculous price to pay for something that would only be used once because it was an absolute sin to repeat outfits. Molly couldn't understand it. If he loved her, why didn't he let her be herself?

If he loved her... why did he cheat on her?