Lesbian

Chapter 5 - Leading Score

A lot of sensitivity, the right amount of pressure and the talent to give each part its individual place in the big picture: decorating cakes wasn't all that different from constructing them. And here too you were completely covered in paste and stained. Just not from dust and lubricating oil, but from flour and cake icing.

As she always did, Jessie had volunteered to help Piper bake the many little cakes, as well as a large, three-tiered cake for a charity party. The pretty, young blonde was a Brawler from home school and had previously also gone to Jessie's high school with a focus on brawling. Either you completed all your training there after six years, like Edgar and Colette probably did, or you only graduated as a Brawler in the fifth year and then went to another school to do something else, like that Piper had done it and just as Jessie's mother Pam had intended.

Being a Brawler was a fantastic job, but it was always safer to have a second job at the same time when other Brawlers were in higher demand or when you were recovering from battle injuries.

"Didn't you want to break up half an hour ago?" the young baker asked, standing next to Jessie, and looking at the cake she was decorating. "We already have more than enough cake, thanks to your help. I am sure the celebration will be a great success!"

"This one is special," Jessie answered the blonde: "I hope you don't mind, but I would like to give this to someone. As a thank you."

"Aww!", flour-sticky hands wrapped around her stomach, so heat rose in Jessie's cheeks and the girl had to quickly suppress a surprised hiccup.

"Your mother is really in luck to have you as a daughter. And don't worry, Pam Peverell is by far the coolest woman I know. She'll take it easy that you're not interested in boys."

Even Piper knew?! How far had her false statement spread?!

The heat still glowed in her face, eating into her head like a greedy crumb monster and clouding everything there. Only the beat of her loudly pounding heart dominated the mealy confusion.

Who else knew about the supposed news that she, Jessie Peverell, was a lesbian? How on earth was she supposed to explain to everyone that that wasn't the case?! She would probably stay alone forever, and she didn't deserve it any other way.

***

"Hi darling!"

"Mummy?!"

In her amazement at seeing her mother there, Jess almost fell off the ladder she was standing on to attach fairy lights to the ceiling of the hall. After they had safely stored all the cakes in the huge refrigerator in the bakery and tidied up the kitchen, Jessie voluntarily followed Piper into the event hall to assist with the decoration.

"I thought I would meet you here, my always helping daughter."

"Y-you're done working yet?"

"Yes, I was able to close the workshop earlier today. And then I thought you might like to have some hot chocolate in Star Park again."

A smile crossed Jessie's lips as she swung herself down from the ladder. They hadn't had time to visit Star Park in ages. Because of school and work, the wonderful hours of mother-daughter time were always very short, but Pam made every effort to spend as much time as possible with her little darling while at the same time being able to finance expensive things for her. Piper was so right: Pam Peverell was by far the coolest woman there was. And the best mother anyone could ask for. Pam would do anything to see Jessie happy. She had already done more than everything.

And now it's up to me to pay it all back!

Jessie also planned to do everything she could to be a good girl and make her mommy happy! Happy and proud that she at least had a doctor for a daughter, even if she couldn't be one herself!

All because of me again.

"Shh!" Piper hissed from the side before mother and daughter left the hall. The blonde conspiratorially lowered her honeyed voice so that only Jessie could hear her. These words were not intended for anyone other than her.

"If your mother doesn't know yet, it's better for her to find out from you than from anyone else. Believe in yourself! Pam was involved in the uprising against the rigid caste system in Brawler classes, she always championed the uniqueness of others. Like I said before! She is a power woman and will definitely accept the whole thing in a very cool way. I bet you she'll be super happy."

With these words followed by an encouraging wink, Piper said her final goodbyes to Pam and Jessie, whose complexion now matched that of her hair.

Why on earth did I just say that?

I'm such an idiot!

As beautiful afternoons tend to be, they tend to fly by far too quickly. Especially when you do something with loved ones. After a double hot chocolate and a cup of applebrawle at Barley's, mother and daughter took a leisurely stroll through Starr Park until it closed. Jessie enjoyed Tara's fascinating bazaar and Rico's fun bounce house and was happy to give the area where Bull's Diner was located a wide berth.

However, she couldn't help but find it strange that, as relieved as she was to be able to avoid Bibi, she wasn't the only one avoiding this place in Starr Park. In order not to cause her mother any grief, Jess had kept the recent events with the baseball player from her. So, Pam knew that the black-haired woman seemed to have a problem with her daughter, but not that she had intimidated Jessie deeply at their last meeting with her baseball bat raised and might have done even worse if Edgar and Colette hadn't shown up. Did she still avoid Bull's Diner to save Jess an unpleasant encounter, even though she didn't even begin to realize how relieved Jess was about it? She was just the best mother in the world, there was no doubt about that.

For the umpteenth time, Piper's farewell words ran through the redhead's head and made her turn into a shy rabbit inside again.

What was I thinking?

It had only been a little over 24 hours, but by now half the brawling world seemed to know about her supposed sexual attraction, she had become the main target of a feared school bully and had thought this question in her head at least a billion times.

What should she do? Should she lie to her mother? Make her think she likes girls? Like the rest did? Was it possible to keep everything from her until she had somehow found a way out of the whole mess?

"How about we finish off with a ride on a rollercoaster?"

Jessie's eyes met her mother's. They shone filled with joy, motherly care, and love.

"Yes! Thank you, Mama. You're the best!"

She was such a wayward daughter that she kept her fantastic mother in the dark.

I must make this up to you! I need to try harder, somehow clear up this lesbian misunderstanding and get even better!

The two entered the ride hand in hand.

At the same time, the last golden rays of sunlight faded from a diner nearby, where an old acquaintance was polishing glasses while his daughter next to him boredly twirled her baseball bat through the air and caught it again.