Whoo lordy, this chapter was meant to go up on Halloween but I cannot shut up to save my life. Happy 60 chapters and hopefully you lovelies enjoy! ~Shaymie
Angela
"Come on, Kase, I don't want to miss the whole party."
Angela lounged on Kasey's couch, absently plucking the strings of his (their) guitar with her good hand while she waited for her brother to get dressed. Her nose wrinkled at the sound the poor thing made. It made sense for it to be out of tune. She couldn't remember the last time either of them picked it up. Obviously it was before Dad died. Before she left Mikhail and had to move back in.
So... at least a year then. Probably closer to two at this point. Shame. It's such a nice guitar. It felt wrong to let something so precious, something that Dad bought for them, end up this neglected. She'd have to see about replacing the strings while she's at it.
"I'm coming, alright? Don't get your thong in a bunch," Kasey retorted, sticking his hand out of the doorway of his bedroom to flip Angela off. She rolled her eyes. While Mai Shiranui was a character she's always admired and wanted to be, she quickly realized that she didn't have a clue what to wear under the costume. Kasey hasn't shut up about it since he found out. He worried about her accidentally flashing the party or something.
She personally couldn't care less. The costume pretty much showed off everything already. What did it matter if people saw a bit more? All the better to tease Luke with, after all. He couldn't get enough of her earlier. She had to peel him off just to come over here. Otherwise they'd be in bed all night.
Maybe she could teach Molly a thing or two about showing off. It'd probably speed up the whole asking Chase out thing. Molly kept saying she was waiting for the right time but she's such a perfectionist that she'd probably never think it's the right time. And while Angela obviously knew her sister like the back of her hand, she didn't have a clue what could possibly be stopping Chase from making a move.
He's not shy. He clearly had no problem speaking his mind. He's probably the only guy apart from Kasey and Jack who had the balls to stand up to Angela (though she noticed he'd back down if she threatened physical violence). He didn't seem to have any of Molly's social anxiety so why the hell hasn't he gone for it already? Half his interactions with Molly were already borderline flirty anyway.
"I didn't have time to go shopping for a costume so this was the best I can do," Kasey said as he stepped out of his bedroom. Angela gave the guitar a final strum and looked up at her brother.
"Your best is your normal clothes? Kase, I told you to get a costume," Angela groaned, glaring at Kasey's denim jacket like it had personally wronged her. It might as well have. He could have at least gotten some fake blood or something. She would have helped him if he needed it. "How the hell did you get costumes for the kids and not think of getting anything for yourself?"
"Look, I can make this work. Gid's Spider-Man, right? So... we can just say that I'm Peter Parker."
"...Yeah, sure, whatever." She couldn't be bothered to argue with him. At least he's trying to salvage it. That's better than nothing. "Got your laptop?"
"I really don't think anyone's going to be sitting down and watching any movies, Ange." Despite Kasey's obvious doubt, he still packed his laptop and a flash drive full of Angela's favorite horror movies into his messenger bag. There wouldn't be enough time for all of them (Hayden wanted his bar back by at least two), but she hoped they could get through the classics at the bare minimum. There's no way they're leaving that party without at least watching Nightmare on Elm Street or Scream.
Angela's phone lit up with a text from Reina. She nearly fell off the couch diving to get it. It's been months since she's seen either of her best friends and while it'd be pretty hard for Muffy to get out here (pregnancy was kicking that poor woman's ass), Reina was just a few hours away and itching to party. Inviting her was a no-brainer. It'll be just like old times again, minus the whole being single thing.
Luke was better than anyone she's ever hooked up with, and she heard from Reina that Syd was different from anyone else she's dated. They were willing to sit and listen for hours while Reina talked about some big archeological discovery she made. She was already thinking about marriage. Reina. Getting married. Despite Muffy being the one to always obsess over marriage, she could easily imagine Reina as a happily married-woman
Shame the same couldn't be said for Kasey. It still pissed her off how things ended with Jill. Yeah, Kasey was a dick for not telling her about the kids, but there was no reason for Jill to retaliate by cheating on him. She could have just dumped him instead of letting him think there was a chance of them staying together. Kasey didn't fucking deserve that. Jill's always been a nasty bitch. She hated Kasey getting attention from anyone that wasn't her. She was paranoid he'd realize there were better people out there and leave her.
Even now Angela didn't know what her brother had seen in Jill. He wasn't stupid like her. He knew that Jill was petty and toxic and just waved it off as her being herself. Didn't he think he deserved someone better than that? It's not like he really cared about her. Angela could tell that much just by watching them together. The only times he ever uttered the words "I love you" were when Jill prompted him to do so.
It wasn't real love, no matter how much he tried to say it was. No matter how much he tried to convince everyone that everything was fine. No matter how much Jill said they were soulmates.
Was it really a surprise that Kasey went after the first girl he met the moment he had even the smallest break from Jill?
Angela was dying to ask her brother about Lumina. She had to be something special for him to be so hung up over her. It's not like they ever actually dated. It was just a hook-up and then some poor form of co-parenting. She wasn't sure if she could even really call it that. Kasey was about two steps away from being a deadbeat, though she knew that wasn't entirely his fault. He told her that he'd been in a battle with Lumina's grandmother just for the right to even visit his own kids.
So stupid... The old bitch couldn't be bothered to actually help raise her own grandchildren so why was she so cruel to Kasey? Did she even love them or was it a power thing with her? She'd never understand why old people were so against people having kids out of wedlock.
"You swear you're not gonna try to talk me into drinking?" Kasey asked, closing his messenger bag after packing the wires he'd need to set the computer up on the TV. Angela was never good at all that tech stuff. She paused in the middle of unlocking her phone and looked at Kasey incredulously.
"Do you really think I'd do that?"
"You did the last time I went to the bar with you."
"I was drunk," Angela scoffed, waving a hand in her defense. Kasey stared at her with a raised eyebrow. She sighed. "Fine. If I try to get you to drink even a drop of alcohol, I give you permission to... I don't know, pour water on my head or something."
"Like how you waterboarded Jack that one time?"
"Hey, he asked me to do it!" She laughed at the memory. There was a period of time where Jack was obsessed with the idea of being a secret agent and was convinced he was man enough to withstand any torture that got thrown at him. He tapped out real fast when Angela dumped the entire cooler over his face at a family trip (the Sawyers were practically extended family at this point) after draping a spare towel over him. Jack's reaction was well worth the grounding. Six Flags sucked, anyway.
It was nice to hear Kasey's laugh again after so long of getting nothing from him. Angela was still scared to be optimistic and think that things were perfectly fine between them now. She'd definitely do or say something stupid and ruin it. She always did. There's no way she could go back to Kasey hating her again.
She pushed that worry out of her head. It's Halloween, for fuck's sake. It's time to have fun.
"So you're the guy who's stolen my dear Angie's heart?" Reina narrowed her eyes at Luke, drink in hand as she looked him over with a critical stare. Angela couldn't hold back her laughter. Why was Luke so scared of women half his size? At least Reina's taller than Molly, but not by much. She barely reached 5'6 in heels! Angela should probably save her poor boyfriend from Reina's grilling...
Nah... This is too fun.
She looked around the bar, surprised by just how many people had actually shown up. Nearly every young adult in town was here. Somehow Gill had even caught wind of the party despite her not even bothering to invite him. He was sitting in a corner with Candace, watching Kasey set up the spare TV they'd borrowed from Hayden. The three of them were the only ones not drinking. Angela briefly wondered what kind of drunks Candace and Gill would be, but she's not going to force them to drink. Kasey probably felt better not being the only sober person here.
Maya's the only one not here because she'd rather hang out with Molly at the kids' party. Maisie offered to accept her invite instead but Chase said there's no way she's coming to this party. He didn't trust Angela to not give Maisie a drink or two when he wasn't looking. Which was... fair, but still a rude assumption. She wouldn't do something behind his back. He's currently Maisie's guardian so what he says goes. She could respect other people's rules.
Just not when they tried to stop her from doing what she wanted.
"Whatcha looking for?" Angela yelped at Owen's voice suddenly popping up behind her and whirled around to look up at her friend. She'd never understand how he was so light on his feet. He's six and a half feet of pure muscle. She snorted as she took in his costume. Blue shirt, blue pants, a pickaxe made of cardboard...
"Chloe really got you to dress as the dude from Minecraft?"
"His name is Steve," Owen said, rather defensive, yanking his cardboard pickaxe away before Angela could mess with it. She laughed and took a sip of her drink. It's easy to laugh at him now but she knew she'd do something just as embarrassing if Mara or Gideon asked. Hell, after Frozen came out, Molly managed to convince her to dress as Elsa that following Halloween.
Funny how just one pleading look from a kid can turn even the toughest person into absolute mush.
"My bad. Chloe got you to dress as Steve. What's her costume?" Angela left the house before any of the kids showed up so she could get dressed at Luke's house. Mara and Gideon's costumes are the only ones she's seen since Kasey showed her a picture of them earlier. It shocked her how much those two gave her baby fever. Shouldn't, like, actual babies do that? Not cute little five year-olds with the cutest chubby cheeks and the most adorable freckles and... that precious subtle lisp Mara has.
"What else would Chloe be but a pirate? She's been tryin' to get Gramps to make her a real hook all month," Owen chuckled into his beer. Angela pushed thoughts of her niece and nephew out of her head to focus on the conversation—even though Mara looked absolutely precious in her Sofia the First dress and just had to be the best-dressed kid at the party. No offense to Maisie and her fortune teller outfit. Molly seemed to recognize it so it must be from an anime or something.
"Chloe's not the only pirate tonight. Check Chase out." Angela nodded her head over at the chef behind the bar. Maisie was clearly responsible for his costume. There's no way this cranky jerk would ever dress up otherwise. The suit was certainly something he had in his closet already, and Maisie came over to straighten his hair since apparently her straightener kept messing up the power at his house. She probably came over on purpose to give Molly a look at Chase in a suit.
Angela could only imagine the thoughts running through her sister's head when she saw him. Molly's admitted before that she really wanted to kiss Chase, among... other things. She was too nervous to say what it really was she wanted but Angela knew. Anyone could tell just how bad she wanted him. Selena really woke something up in her, didn't she? Pity she has to miss out on this party.
"Huh?" Owen didn't seem to recognize Chase's costume. Angela rolled her eyes.
"How the hell did you know that Kasey's dressed as Peter fucking Parker but you can't tell that Chase is Sanji? You know, kinda one of the greatest chefs in all of media?"
"...Peter Parker's more iconic," Owen muttered into his cup. The way he said it sounded odd. Angela raised an eyebrow and craned her neck to look up at him. He was looking across the bar at Kasey. Staring, more like. She watched Owen watch Kasey for a bit, trying her best to hold back a laugh when Kasey left for the bathroom and Owen tried to make it seem like he hadn't been staring right at his arms for a solid minute. This was... new.
Angela was used to girls swooning over Kasey, even when he was with Jill. Puberty was a nightmare for her (though it did give her great tits) and a dream for him. He wasn't some pushover nerd anymore. Everything changed when he grew five inches and gained a few pounds of muscle. But it's different when the person swooning over Kasey was one of her best friends instead of some random girl she didn't even know the name of. She couldn't exactly scare him off.
"Dude, Peter Parker's not even a chef." Angela thought about asking Owen about Kasey, but decided to hold off on it. She wasn't sure if he was ready to come out to anyone else yet and the last thing she wanted was someone overhearing them. She could bother him about it later.
He did seem kinda weird at the twins' birthday party...
She'd been surprised he even went to the birthday party. Owen practically worked sunup to sundown. He'd live in the mines if he could. He said he had to work hard so he could take over once Ramsey retired so he rarely took breaks. It seemed odd for him to take some time off just for Mara and Gideon's party even if they are friends with Chloe. If he went to try and spend some time with Kasey, though...
Well, that made a lot more sense than her initial theory of him wanting free cake. He said Molly's baking was the only kind of sweets he liked but she doubted he'd skip out on work for it. Luke would (and has), but not Owen.
"Okay, well there's other iconic chefs, then. Like Boyardee or that guy from Ratatouille." Nice save. She'd give him a pat on the back if she wasn't holding a cup right now. She tried to picture Chase dressed as either of those other options and got a few interesting images in her head that caused her to choke on her drink.
"Chef Boyardee?" Angela wheezed out. Of all the characters he could have possibly said, he picked one that couldn't be any further from Chase's vibe. "God, I think the only other option worse than that would be the Swedish Chef."
"You don't have to make fun of me." Owen tried to sound frustrated but he was laughing too, broad shoulders shaking as he took another drink of his beer. Angela paused for a moment to take it in. She wasn't used to having a guy friend. Most guys either avoided her or were distant friends until they revealed that they just wanted to fuck her. Jack didn't really count as a friend. He's family.
She... supposed she could also count Chase as a friend. Of course, she'd never say it to his face. Don't want to give him a big head or anything.
Speaking of Chase, she caught him sneaking out of a side door after passing a colorful cocktail to Reina. Probably time for his usual smoke break. He's spent the entirety of the party holed up in the kitchen like a loner. He probably would've stayed home if he wasn't being paid to be here. Angela considered following him but decided against it. If she kept it up then smoking would become a regular habit again.
Getting her to quit smoking might have been the only good thing Mikhail ever did.
"Ange!" Reina squealed, stumbling over in her high heels. She and Syd decided to come in coordinated witch outfits, the only big difference being their shoes. Reina had a whole section of her shoe closet dedicated just to party heels, but it seemed like Syd was more comfortable in combat boots. Someone after Angela's own heart. She'd have to talk to them before they left to make sure they were a good match for her friend. It's only fair after Reina spent so long grilling Luke.
"Careful, babe," Angela laughed, steadying Reina before she fell over. She didn't have a clue how much Reina's already had to drink, but clearly it was enough to give her cheeks a good flush and impair her balance. Owen was looking on with an amused look on his face so Angela took the time to introduce them. "Owen, this is Reina Navarre, one of my best friends in the world. She might not look it but she's one of the smartest women you'll probably ever meet."
"You're smart too, Ange!" Reina sounded offended for her, perfectly stenciled brows furrowing as she pouted. "Don't you handle most of the numbers for your farm?"
"Well... Yeah, but that's just to make it easier for Molls. You know how much of a perfectionist she is. She'd probably stay up all night triple-checking everything."
"Angie, you need to let Sunny learn to handle things on her own. No wonder you're always too busy to stop by for a visit." Angela's mouth twitched. Nobody said a single goddamn thing about Dad or Kasey spoiling Molly, but she does one nice thing for her and it gets called out? There's just no winning. She does nothing, Kasey yells at her. She tries to stop Molly from burning herself out, suddenly she's the bad guy.
It's exhausting.
It's... irritating.
Everyone cared so much about Molly, worried so much about upsetting her, but they couldn't care less when it came to Angela. Nobody was coddling Angela when she learned about Mikhail's cheating. Jack was the only person to really check on her after Dad died. Not that she made it easy for him. Her natural instinct was to push people away. She didn't want to be seen as weak. At least she could say Jack made an effort. Everyone else in her life just left her alone.
"I need a smoke," she grumbled, pushing past her friends and heading out the door. So much for breaking old habits. Fuck it. Who cares anymore? Let it become a habit again. No matter what, she'd be a fuck-up. Might as well let loose while she's at it.
Chase gave his usual complaints when she joined him but shut his mouth when she gave him a handful of cash to replace the cigarettes she'd taken from him. She wasn't in the mood to deal with his shitty attitude. God, she'd kill for some weed right about now. That's another thing she needed to talk to Syd about. Unlike her and Molly, they didn't just grow crops. She would have gotten in contact with them a lot sooner if she knew that. Hell, maybe all Molly needed to fix her anxiety was a little bit of weed.
Weed and maybe some more therapy.
"Not that I care or anything, but why are you out here? I thought this was supposed to be your dream party or whatever." Leaning against the wall like this, cigarette between his fingers, Chase really did look like an anime character fresh out of the screen. Angela couldn't help her snort. A piece of straightened hair fell over his eye as he turned to glare at her.
"Sorry, it's just... That outfit really suits you. Pun not intended." She took another drag of the cigarette, thought for a moment, and added, "You know, Molly really likes anime."
"I'm not going to keep dressing as cartoon characters to get her attention, Angela."
"First of all, it's anime. And I wasn't suggesting you should. I was just trying to help you out a bit. Maybe for your next date, you can watch some of her favorite shows." Chase scowled at that, the words it's not a date probably lingering on the tip of his tongue. She didn't understand why Chase and Molly kept insisting their picnic wasn't a date. It should be easy for them to just accept that it was and start dating.
Nothing's ever simple when Molly's involved, though... Everything has to be just right for Her Majesty. Angela groaned quietly. She came out here to stop thinking about Molly. Tonight could even be considered a break from her sister altogether. No need to supervise Molly and hope that she made some sort of progress with Chase. No struggling to talk her through another panic attack. Just... peace.
"You didn't answer my question, Angela. Why are you out here instead of partying with your friends?"
"Why do you care?" Angela blurted out. Chase's expression darkened so she quickly backtracked. "Sorry, didn't mean to sound like a bitch. I'm just... surprised. I didn't think you cared about anything except Molly and cooking."
"As much as I hate to admit it, we're sort of friends now. I mean, at the very least I can tolerate your presence."
Angela smiled. That was an improvement in her eyes. She opened her mouth to respond, but the sound of something hitting the pavement caught her attention. Rather, someone hitting the pavement, followed by a muttered curse. Chase's head shot up at the sound, thin eyebrows knitting together.
"Maise? That you?"
"Yeah! Don't worry, I'm okay!"
"I wasn't worried," Chase chuckled, dropping his cigarette and stomping it out with his shoe. Angela was impressed he recognized his sister just from the sound of her falling. Maisie dusted off her clothes as she walked over and opened her arms. Chase continued to be a surprise by pulling his sister in for a hug. Then again, was it really that surprising? He's shown he can be nice sometimes.
Mostly when Molly's involved, but still. Nice. He was also nice when it came to the twins. He didn't lose his temper at Gideon's almost-compliments towards his food, and he had a good amount of patience towards Mara's quiet staring. Even Chase couldn't be a dick towards kids. Craig could learn a thing or two from him.
"Can I hang out with you guys? I promise I won't try to drink anything. That kid party was just really boring and I don't want to be by myself," Maisie mumbled into Chase's shirt. She looked up towards Angela, but Angela looked at Chase. It was his call. He sighed and nodded, an arm going around his sister's shoulder.
Guess that's the end of his smoke break.
"That wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be." Kasey sighed in relief as he helped clean up the bar after the party. Reina was supposed to be helping too, but she drank way too much and Syd had to escort her back to their room at the inn. Angela would be disappointed about their time tonight being cut short if Syd hadn't told her that the two of them took some time off. Reina's boss insisted that she take a break, and Syd made their own hours so they could vacation whenever.
For once Angela's glad Owen and Luke have basically taken over her farm work for the time being. It meant she had time to spend with one of her best friends. She could use some girl time. Away from the farm if possible. Away from Molly and her sweet smile and kind eyes and tendency to panic over nothing.
She paused. What's gotten into her? She loved Molly. Adored her, even. She'd do anything for her, but every time she's thought about her tonight, her mood's immediately gotten sour. There was a sick feeling in the bottom of her stomach that was hard to describe. Molly's done nothing wrong, so why did Angela feel like this? She felt almost guilty.
Her eyes darted over to Kasey, who was chatting with Owen while they cleared up all the empty glasses. She bet he didn't feel like this. Molly's like his baby. He'd sit with her in the nursery for hours when she was younger. He was all too happy to take care of her. Dad didn't have to sit him down and lecture him about the importance of being an older sibling. He just had that instinct.
Was she a bad person for feeling like this? Feeling so burned out felt... selfish. After all, how the hell did Molly feel? She had to be exhausted. She didn't know how to take it easy or slow down. And on top of that, she's trying to learn how to be her own person. Rediscover who she is now that she didn't have ballet consuming every bit of her existence. Who is Angela to feel some sort of way about Molly?
A pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind, pulling her from those confusing thoughts. She closed her eyes and sighed, breathing in the brisk scent of Luke's cologne. It was a new thing he was trying.
"Wanna get out of here?" Luke whispered in her ear, resting his head near her shoulder. His loose hair tickled her neck. He wanted to wear one of his usual bandanas but she refused. Andy Bogard didn't wear bandanas. They ordered a wig for him and some extensions for her but she's pretty sure they got lost in the mail. She's still waiting on a refund.
"Are you just saying that because you don't want to help clean up?"
"I'm saying it 'cause I want you."
His honesty cut through her teasing like a knife through butter. Now she's the one getting flustered. It's still hard to believe anyone could make her feel like this. Being with someone that wanted her, every part of her, made her feel... light. Giddy. Like she was walking on air.
Unfortunately for them, their daring escape while everyone was busy was thwarted by none other than one Maisie Robbins, who loudly piped up from her seat at the counter to ask where they were going.