"Riding On Your Own"

Chapter 2

A/N: Hey guys! I'm back with chapter two after... a whole year. I'm not going to use school as an excuse for my absence, but I do hope you enjoy this chapter! 'The Carpenter Who Stole My Heart' shall be updated pretty soon, so look out for it! Anways, here's the second chapter!

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Standing behind the counter, Angela took her time to observe the animal shop. It was fairly small in size, yet had a variety of products displayed neatly on shelves and crates around the store. Being so close to a cash register reminded the young brunette about her times in the city, and with those reminders followed thoughts about her mom. Was she doing ok without her? Was she eating properly? Was she missing her?

A sigh escaped Angela's lips as she drummed her fingers against the countertop. Ten minutes had already passed by, and the only person who had stopped by to buy something was Luke. She was engulfed in silence; the sound of her fingers fidgeting was the only thing audible. Angela thought about using this time to write back to her brother, but the sound of a phone ringing made her drop that thought immediately.

Looking around for the phone, Angela picked it up as soon as she located it. "Hello?"

There was a momentary pause until the voice on the other line responded, "Is this Renee?"

"Actually, Renee is—" The brunette stopped as the tone cut her off.

"Where are the eggs I ordered?" the voice asked, not bothering to hear Angela out. "I've been waiting for almost an hour for them to arrive and they still aren't here! What the hell is taking so long?"

Angela sighed as the voice began to yell. "I'm sorry. I'll bring it to you as fast as I can."

"Yeah, yeah. Just hurry and bring them to the Sundae Inn."

With that said, the person on the other line hung up. Angela looked at the phone dazed at what had just occurred. To say she had never been spoken to that way in the city was a lie. But she never expected the people of Waffle Town to be like this.

Muttering a small 'that was rude', the brunette bent down behind the counter in order to find a carton of eggs. After a few seconds of looking, Angela grabbed a carton of good eggs before getting up and walking towards the door. She wanted to deliver the eggs as immediately; she didn't want her cousin to get in trouble for something that had completely missed her mind. Plus, it was the least she could do.

Flipping the sign to 'sorry, we're closed', Angela made her way out of Brownie Ranch. As she stepped out, Angela couldn't help but admire her surroundings. Unlike the polluted and stuffy aura of the city, the countryside was much more spacious. Although the wind was quite violent, it didn't disrupt the wandering butterflies and the chirping birds that were starting to mark their territory.

Angela deeply inhaled the island scent while she passed by another shop annexed to a farm called Soufflé Farm. The shop seemed somewhat similar to Renee's, and it seemed as though the owners were growing strawberries. Angela smiled to herself as she continued to walk, but she stopped abruptly when she had realized something important.

She had forgotten where the Sundae Inn was located at.

Biting her lip, the city girl glanced around her surroundings to see if she could spot somebody who could help her. She couldn't comprehend how she could've been so careless as to not ask the customer where the Sundae Inn was located. A sigh escaped Angela's lips, as she looked around one last time. It seemed as though her prayers had been answered when she saw a petite female her age strolling outside of Soufflé Farm. With no time to waste, Angela made her way towards the figure.

"Excuse me," Angela verbalized with a bow.

The figure looked at her before remarking, "I haven't seen you before. Are you the new farmer?"

Angela shook her head. "No, I'm Renee's cousin, Angela."

"I'm Anissa," the female introduced herself while bowing. "So you're the girl Renee was gushing to me about. Can I help you in any way?"

"Yeah, can you tell me where I can find the Sundae Inn?" Angela asked.

Anissa paused briefly before responding. "First, take a left. After that, take a right and continue forward. The Sundae Inn should be the first building on your left. Think you can remember that?"

"Of course. Thank you so much!" Angela expressed her gratitude with another bow.

Anissa smiled before shaking her head. "No need to thank me; I'm just happy I was able to help you. I guess I'll see you around?"

Once the girls were finished saying their farewells, Angela headed towards her destination. She was glad she had met Anissa, seeing as that girl was as friendly as Luke was. Angela secretly hoped that the other islanders were as friendly as them, and not as vicious as the customer she had talked on the phone with. If they were like Anissa and Luke, Angela would definitely get used to this place.

When Angela finally reached her target area, she let out a series of pants. Even though she was a city girl, she wasn't used to walking so much. Anytime she wanted to go somewhere, she'd usually take the bus, and walk on occasions. As soon as Angela collected herself, she opened the door of the Inn and entered. She couldn't help but feel at bliss when a delectable smell filled her nostrils.

The Inn had a warm aura; much to Angela's liking, and made the girl feel welcomed. There was hardly anybody inside, but there were a few islanders chatting away at some of the scattered tables. With her attention back on the objective at hand, Angela strolled towards th front counter, where a male with peach colored hair was crouched in front of an oven.

Sharply inhaling, Angela announced, "I've brought your eggs, sir."

"Just leave them on the counter," the man told her. "Oh, and I'm sorry for yelling at you, Renee."

Angela opened her mouth to object. "I'm no—"

The man continued. "Yolanda just kept pressuring me to do stuff, and you know how I act when I'm under pressure."

A few seconds after his apology, the male rose from his position and began to dust himself off. Once he finished, he turned around to retrieve the eggs and thank Renee, but he was honestly surprised when he saw someone else in his view. The man stared at the girl was a judgmental face on as he observed her presence. He had never seen her before, and seeing how the girl was dressed, he knew she wasn't from the countryside.

"Who are you?" the male ask, his question seeming more rude than intended.

Angela mentally rolled her eyes. "My name is Angela, and I'm Renee's cousin."

"Chase," the man acquainted before he sighed. "I guess I owe you an apology now?"

His statement caused Angela to shake her head. "Not really, I'm already used to it to all of the yelling and insults."

"City girl, huh?" Chase interrogated as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Anyways, thanks for bringing the eggs. As much as I'd love to waste my time and chat with you, I have more important things to do."

Angela bit the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from saying anything irrational. "Ok, see you then."

With those words said, Angela started to make her way out of the Sundae Inn. Although Chase seemed nicer in person than on the phone, Angela couldn't picture herself getting along with someone like him. He seemed too bound on his work; and it looked as though he needed to loosen up a bit. Then again, Angela didn't judge him. The city had more perks, and she didn't know how it was to live on the countryside.

Minutes later, Angela made it back to Brownie Ranch. Seeing how Renee hadn't returned, Angela took it as an opportunity to right back to her brother. Grabbing a piece of paper and a pencil that was coincidently close to the front counter. Laying the paper on the counter, Angela began to write.

Hey Kevin,

Things had been getting rough after you left. But mom picked herself right back up and insisted on going back to school. Because of that, I had to do a lot of things on my own since she got out of school fairly late. Her cooking is still amazing, though. Just yesterday she made me a big slice of lasagna. Too bad you couldn't have any. I think it's the best thing she's made since you enlisted to the army.

I'm not mad at you for leaving. If going to the army was your dream, than I respect that and will support you all the way. In fact, if you hadn't left, I wouldn't have learned to be more independent. When you were still here, I was so dependent on you and mom, that I kind of felt like a burden. Yet now I know how to do things on my own without help, and it's all thanks to you.

I can't wait to see you during the holidays! But I think I should tell you that I moved out of the house. Now I live with Renee, Aunt Hanna, and Uncle Cain. I thought doing so would be better for not only me, but for mom too. School and work has taken up most of her time, and I didn't want to be in the way. Plus, I'm a teenager, so I need a social life!

Anyways, I can't wait to see you, and I hope you take good care of yourself! And tell Kasey I said hi!

Love,

Your sister Angela

A smile crept onto Angela's face as she reread her letter. As soon as she stuffed it in her pocket, the bell over the door frantically rang. Looking up, Angela was met with none other than her aunt and uncle. They stared at each other for what seemed like eternity before Angela ran up to her aunt and engulfed her into a bone crushing hug.

"Angela is that really you?" Hanna asked gleefully as she wrapped her arms around her niece. "My Goddess, you've gotten so big!"

Said girl laughed. "It has been a while since I've seen you guys. Oh, and mom sends her salutations."

"What a sweet sister-in-law. How has she been doing?"

Angela broke the hug while she smiled. "She's been good. After Kevin left she went back to school."

"That's good," Hanna commented before glancing at her husband. "Why don't you come over here and greet your niece. She did come here to see us."

Cain sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know how to approach her. She isn't that little girl who ran around in diapers anymore."

Angela laughed as she walked up to her uncle, giving him a warm hug. "I'm still the same girl. I just don't wear diapers anymore."

"I sure hope you don't," Cain laughed out as they broke the hug. "I'm really happy to see you, Angela. And we're happy to have you here."

"Thanks, Uncle Cain. I promise to help out as much I can while staying here," Angela swore as she faced the both of them.

Hanna shook her head. "Don't worry about that. We just want you to get used to the island before anything."

"How about you go rest?" Cain suggested as he moved closer to the counter. "I think you need the energy, anyways."

Angela nodded, and with a bow of goodbye, she stalked off to Renee's room to conclude her hectic day.

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A/N: Please review! I'd love to hear your thoughts!