Haha, y'all remember when I said last chapter that I got a copy of ToT and I've been enjoying playing it? Yeah, my Wii's started throwing tantrums and just refuses to read discs about 99% of the time so progress on it has slowed. Not sure what made it work for like two hours before I turned it off again and the cycle began aside from me hitting it so that's fun. On the bright side, I finally married Reina in PoOT. So that's nice, at least. Anyway, hope you lovelies enjoy this chapter and please pray that my Wii starts working. ~Shaymie (rebranded)

Angela

"Morning, Angie!"

Angela stopped tugging at a stubborn weed and looked up at Molly curiously. The younger sister was clad in a pair of overalls, her hair done up in two pigtails. Her straw sunhat was on her head, the blue ribbon fluttering in the early morning wind. On her feet were the new pair of work boots Fritz had sent over. Molly spent about an hour and a half trying to break them in last night, though Angela knew it would take much longer for them to be broken in all the way.

"Morning, Molls." She couldn't help but smile at her sister's peppiness. Despite it being so early in the morning, Molly still had a warm smile on her face and a flush to her cheeks. She must still be in a good mood from her birthday. But it was unusual for her to be up so early. The animals weren't even awake yet. "What's up?"

"I want to help with the crops today! Look, I found this in the shed!" Angela winced at the watering can Molly had brought out from behind her back. The thing was heavily rusted and far heavier than the one she used. She couldn't understand why the previous owner of the farm even kept it around. Maybe it was a family heirloom that they couldn't bear to part with? Then again, if it was an heirloom they probably would have taken better care of it. Maybe they just forgot it was there.

"...I don't think that's such a good idea, Molly."

"Why not?" Molly gripped the handle of the watering can tighter, her expression growing determined. "If you're worried about me overworking myself again, I learned my lesson! I'll take breaks when I have to! I... I don't want you to have to do this all alone."

"I'll be fine handling this on my own. You have your own chores to take care of." She wanted that to be the end of it, but deep down she knew it wouldn't be. Molly was infamously stubborn and wouldn't rest until she got what she wanted. And while Angela would gladly give her sister the world, this is one thing she has to refuse. She promised Kasey that she'd watch over their sister. Molly didn't know her limits. She'd push herself to the brink of exhaustion while insisting that she's fine, and then all the work she's put into recovering will have gone to waste.

"My chores that you take care of half the time! We promised we'd do this together, 50/50, but it's more like 90/10." Molly's cheeks flushed with indignation as Angela stood up, brushing the dirt from her knees. She sighed and looked down at her sister. They did promise to split the work equally, and though she didn't want to admit it, working the field every day was taking a toll on her. And Molly was looking healthier nowadays, her skin less pale and her figure filling out a bit more. She could fit into the clothes Kasey had sent over a while ago without needing to tuck them in.

"Fine. But I'll take that," she pried the rusted watering can from Molly's hands and replaced it with the copper one she had. There's no way she's letting Molly lug around that heavy piece of garbage her first time around the field. Molly grumbled about being babied but accepted the lighter watering can and quickly got to work, listening intently to Angela's advice. She lasted a lot longer without a break than Angela anticipated. Maybe she shouldn't have underestimated her sister.

"I don't think I've ever had anyone braid my hair." Luke's voice was uncharacteristically quiet as he leaned his head back. Angela mumbled around the bobby pins in her mouth for him to sit still before running her hands through his hair. It's been so hot lately that his hair was constantly frizzy, but he was so busy working that he just left it alone. Angela knew that there was no point in fixing his hair up when he planned on spending the rest of the day at home. It's not like anybody was going to see him. But she's wanted to mess with his hair for the longest time.

She smiled to herself as she worked on his hair. She's never done anything like this with Mik-her ex. If they weren't in public or in bed together, he never touched her. There were no after-sex cuddles or any winter snuggling. She honestly couldn't understand why she stayed with him so long. Being with Luke was like a breath of fresh air. He was always trying to steal a kiss or two when they were together, and the way he looked at her like she was actually a person and not just someone to sleep with... She never thought anyone would look at her with such admiration in their eyes.

It's still weird to think about someone wanting her for something more than her body. Does she really deserve Luke's affection?

"Can we talk about what happened at Molly's party?" Luke said that it didn't bother him or make him think any less of her, but she can't get it out of her head. She dragged him off to the bathroom and tried to proposition him like some cheap slut. In her drunkenness, she had forgotten that Luke is her boyfriend and not some random guy she was trying to hook up with. He should have broken up with her right then and there. She's hopeless.

"What's there to talk about, Ange? I told you it's fine." He turned to look at her with that easygoing grin she had come to appreciate. She bit her lip. How could it be fine? They haven't even been dating a week and she's already messing up. It's been so long that she's forgotten how to act like a normal girlfriend. She should have called Muffy or Reina for advice, their busy schedules be damned. They'd forgive her for bothering them once they knew how urgent the situation was.

"...I acted like a slut."

"Hey, none of that now." The hair braiding forgotten, Luke joined her on the couch. He kissed her cheek and brushed some hair back from her face. "You shouldn't talk about yourself like that, Ange. It's no big deal. Besides, we're even now. I saw your boobs and you touched my dick."

"One of those is an accident. The other is sexual harassment." Angela paused, her cheeks going pink as she took in his words. "And you told me you didn't see anything!"

"I wasn't just going to tell you I saw them! You would have kicked my ass!" Luke wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. She couldn't deny that. She tended to get physical whenever she was embarrassed. "But Ange, you have to stop talking bad about yourself like that. It's not right."

"It's not like I can just flip a switch and turn off all the mean things I think about myself. I've... not liked myself for years now. My ex wasn't like you. He was like your opposite. He kept finding these little things about me that he didn't like. I mean, I get it. He's famous and he had a reputation to uphold and all that. He couldn't be seen with some stupid punk rock girl. But his criticism got to me. I can't even think of a time he called me pretty or beautiful like you have. And I was with him for four years..."

She never thought she would open up to someone like this. It was so much easier to just put on a confident facade and parade around with this... this mask. Growing up, she always wanted to be an older sister that Kasey and Molly could look up to and admire. But Kasey was always covering for her fuck-ups and Molly became someone that she looked up to. Kasey went to college and Molly got all the talent while she's just the stupid leftover. She hates the way she envies her sister. She knows it's not right, but Molly was everything she wanted to be. It seemed like things just came to her effortlessly.

"Well, that guy's just a blind, stupid idiot." Luke wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. She rested her head on his firm chest with a sigh. She knew she had a lot to work on, but it wasn't just going to get fixed overnight. Like it or not, Mikhail had done a number to her self-confidence. And while sleeping around had felt good, it didn't exactly help. It made her feel cheap and easy. She felt less like a person and more something to be used.

"'Stupid idiot' is a bit redundant, don't you think?" She hummed as her eyes slid shut. This is the first time she's gotten to spend time alone with Luke since they started dating. Most nights, he went to the bar, wanting to relax after work. She joined him because it was really the only time she got to see him. She could tell Dale was getting tired of her dropping by the townhouse with poor excuses to see Luke even for a moment, gruffly commenting that if she spent any more time around the work site they were gonna start putting her to work.

...Actually, that wasn't a bad idea. Working part-time with the carpenters could kill two birds with one stone. She could get a little bit extra money and spend some more time with Luke! She just has to find a way to pitch the idea to Dale without sounding like a desperate clingy girlfriend and hope that Molly wouldn't lecture her about working too much.

Well, a lecture was inevitable. She could only hope that it wouldn't be too long.