Oh hi there, gamers! Been a bit of a hot minute, hasn't it? I started crossposting this fic on AO3 and realized that I forgot to post the latest chapter here. That's a big whoops. Anyway, I hope you lovelies enjoy! ~Shaymie

Molly

Somebody had bought that old townhouse near the inn, and it was currently the talk of the town.

Nobody knew anything about the new person moving in. No matter how much Luna pestered Gill for information on them, he refused to give out any personal information about them. All he'd said was that come fall, they were going to be the new teacher at the school since he was too busy to do so. Molly gave up on trying to lure the tabby cat out of its hiding place—Angela said if she could get it to like her, she could keep it—and looked towards the empty townhouse. Whoever was moving in had paid in advance for the carpenters to fix the house up before their arrival, something Angela was regretting having not done.

"Hey, Molls!" She squeaked at the sudden sound of Luke's booming voice behind her. The cat yowled and fled from its hiding spot, taking the fish Molly had bought with it. She sighed and stood up from her squatting position, checking to make sure the hem of her dress wasn't dirty. Angela always made fun of her for wearing blouses and long skirts in the summer, but they were what she liked. And they did not make her look like a grandma.

"Hi, Luke. Excited for your date with Angie?" These past couple of days have had Angela floating around in a sort of daze. Molly knew that her sister's self-confidence had taken a beating after dating Mikhail. For some unearthly reason Angela seemed to think that she was undesirable when that couldn't be further from the truth. Back home she was revered as a goddess along with Reina and Muffy. They were like an unstoppable trio.

"I'm kinda nervous, actually," Luke admitted with a small laugh. "I mean, your sister's like... really pretty. And I'm just me. What if I mess it up?"

"It'll be fine. Angie will be happy just to spend time with you." They could just be hanging out in his bedroom with Nacho the snake and Angela would be happy just having been asked out in the first place. She gave Luke a reassuring smile. He really didn't have anything to worry about. It's not like Angela's a complete stranger he happened to ask out. They wouldn't be working from nothing. He knew her. Molly checked her watch, eyes widening when she noticed the time. "Oh, sorry Luke! I promised Renee we'd hang out today!"

"No problem. I have to get back to work anyway or Dad'll tear me a new one." Luke gave a quick wave before jogging up the stairs to the townhouse. Molly waved back, giggling as he tripped over one of the flowerpots outside the inn. She turned on her heel and started making her way to Flute Fields. If she wasn't wearing ankle boots and a dress, she might have run there. Maybe she should start running again. Exercising and getting back in shape might get her out of the mental funk she's been in since... since everything happened, basically. And if she was more like she used to be, maybe she'd be able to actually dance again.

A girl could dream, at least.

The walk to Flute Fields was a long one, and she was beginning to wish she had a cell phone. She had sold hers before moving here, wanting a completely fresh start. It was nice having to not worry about social media, constantly checking it and comparing herself to everyone else. But she certainly missed the convenience of a cell phone. She missed being able to listen to music wherever and it would make long walks like this less boring.

She brushed her sweaty bangs back from her face with a sigh. She wanted to be able to like summer more considering it was the season she was born in, but it was full of inconveniences. She's anemic, so extreme temperatures tend to not agree with her. She normally spends summer either in air-conditioned buildings or outside on the verge of heatstroke. At least Castanet didn't get as hot as it did back home. Since there's no gyms here, she'll have to work out the old-fashioned way.

"Molly!" She looked up as she passed the farm. Angela jogged over to her, covered in dirt and sweat. She'd been spending a good part of the morning pulling weeds and planting seeds in the gaps that she'd left empty after Molly forced her to take a break, having never gone back to them until today. Angela looked exhausted as she dusted off her gloves with a heavy sigh, but she still gave Molly an excited grin. 'Good news! Dr. Jin cleared you to drink on your birthday! If you want to, that is."

"Really?" She wasn't as obsessed with the idea of drinking as Kasey and Angela were. She couldn't see what was so exciting about it. She'd smelled the things her father drank, and they were absolutely disgusting. But Angela seemed to think drinking on your 21st was some rite of passage, and if Jin said it was safe to do so then she could give it a try. It would be nice to cross it off her bucket list.

"I mean, you can't get drunk or anything, but one or two drinks should be alright." Angela's grin widened. "I'll ask Hayden to mix up something special for you!"

"You don't have to do all that! I'm fine with whatever." She didn't like the attention she always got around her birthday. It wasn't that big a deal to her, and she could just tell that Angela was planning something big. Angela's had several conversations that conveniently ended the second she walked into the room, and she kept grinning to herself when she thought Molly wasn't paying attention. She doesn't think she's worth the trouble, but there was no stopping Angela once she started something. Everyone in her family was stupidly stubborn like that, even herself.

"Nope! You deserve the best and that's what I'm getting you, end of discussion." Molly sighed. She should've expected that response. Angela reached out to pat Molly's shoulder, but realized her gloved hand was still caked in dirt. She gave her a thumbs up and a kiss on the cheek instead. "Well, I should be getting back to work. But Molly..."

"Yeah?"

"You... you need to stop thinking so lowly of yourself. I can just tell that you have this-this low self-image. You're beautiful, Molls. You're talented. I don't know what ideas Chelsea planted in your head, but they're not true. None of it's true. She was just a hateful bitch." Molly flinched at that. She had grown up with Chelsea. They'd been neighbors for most of her life. She thought they were best friends, but somewhere along the line Chelsea had grown to... hate her? Envy her? She didn't even know. "And Mark was just an asshole. I don't know what you saw in him."

Markus Ziegler was the it boy among her dancing peers. All the girls swooned over him, and all the guys were jealous of the attention he got. She should've known something was up when he asked her out when there were other girls who were more his type. But she'd been blinded by youthful infatuation, and Chelsea convinced her to give him a chance. She learned after he nearly took her virginity (only failing to because Angela came home early) that he'd only asked her out because of a dare.

Chelsea claimed to not know anything about it, but Molly wasn't sure how much of what she said could be trusted anymore.

"Angie, I'm fine now. Really."

"Yeah yeah, you're always fine," Angela huffed. Her expression softened as she met Molly's eyes. "I'm not the best at talking about feelings or anything like that, but you know you can talk to me if you're feeling down, right? You don't have to keep everything bottled up until your calls with Dr. Kane."

"Thank you, Angie..."