She pointed the gun at the woman in the chair, who cringed and cowered fearfully. The expression in her eyes was pleading, begging for mercy.

“You ungrateful b***h,” Angela growled. “You have been blessed with so much-- family members who love you, friends who are always there for you, the attention of more men than you know what to do with. But despite all that, you don’t make the most of what’s available. You coast along, accepting whatever comes along. At the rate you’re going, you’ll end up in an abusive, unhappy marriage and live out the rest of your life miserable. But I’m going to give you a second chance. Do something with your life. Make changes. If you’re not on your way to a better life in two months, I’m tracking you down and shooting your a**. Understand?”

The woman nodded fearfully. “Good,” Angela said, smirking. “Now get the hell out of here before I shoot you here and now.”


“Angela, we’re ready to go back home,” Delilah said, tugging at Angela’s arm. Angela quickly lost the glazed over look in her eyes.

“Yes, I believe that will be a good idea,” Angela replied, rising swiftly and brushing the lint off of her skirt. “In fact, I believe your mother will be getting home shortly.”

Delilah and Michaela followed Angela, chatting excitedly about how much fun they’d had and the cute guys they’d seen. As they approached the house, Delilah spotted her mother shutting the car door.


“Mom!” she called, racing over and leaping into her mother’s arms.

“Hey, sweetie,” her mother greeted her. “What did you do today?”

“Stuff!”

Mrs. Stanton grinned at Angela. “Well, it looks like the girls had fun. Thanks for watching them, Angela.” She reached into her pockets. “That’s a total of… let’s see…” She counted out a few bills. “This is enough to cover the cost, plus a little extra, since you did a good job.” She handed the bills to Angela. “Here you go, honey. Go have fun now, okay? And tell your mom I said hi.”

“Yes, ma’am, I will,” Angela replied, pocketing the money. She smiled at the kids and Mrs. Stanton and then scurried away. She was a woman with a mission.


Angela returned to the park. Not surprisingly, Dunstan was sitting on a bench, waiting for her. As she approached, he rose.

“I knew you would be back,” he remarked. “So, shall we?”

Angela nodded, and Dunstan led her to his car. He unlocked the door and opened it for her, and Angela slid in. Dunstan walked around to the driver’s side and climbed in. “Say goodbye to the old Angela, because after this, you’ll be a totally different person.”


Angela stared at her reflection, turning a little to examine herself at every angle. Her hair had been tinted and then shaped to frame her face. The makeup she wore was very different from the pale pastels she typically chose. And the outfit she wore-- it was so… modern!

“So, do you like it?” Dunstan asked. Angela nodded silently, her eyes fixed on her reflection.

“Miss,” Dunstan said, addressing the saleswoman nearby, “we’ll take this too.” The pile of clothes and cosmetics was quickly adding up.

“You really don’t--” she started.

“Well, what else do you expect me to spend my money on?” Dunstan interrupted. “I like to buy nice things for pretty girls. It makes me happy, and it makes them happy. Just… uh… don’t tell Charise, okay? You know how mad she’ll be if she finds out I’m not spending all my extra cash on her.”

Angela nodded again and then glanced over at the clock nearby. “Is that the right time?” she asked.

“Yeah, I think so,” Dunstan replied.

“Oh gosh, I’m late!” Angela gasped. “I need to get back home soon for dinner!”

Dunstan passed his credit card to the cashier. “Don’t worry,” he reassured Angela, “I’ll get you back to your house soon. I bet your mom’s going to be shocked when she sees you.”

Angela bit her lip a little. She hadn’t considered her mother’s possible reaction. I suppose she’ll be happy that her daughter is finally dressing like a “normal” teenager, she thought wryly.

Author's Note: And here's two more shots of her, since it was so hard for me to choose just one picture to use as the "big reveal":