In a small Arizona town, average teen Ethan Chen is just trying to survive another day of hell, er, high school with his best friend, Tweed, at his side. However, his world is turned upside-down when he learns that their favorite hang-out spot is cl...
It was as magical as if a fairy had just appeared before Ethan and danced jovially, sprinkling fairy dust all about.
"Am I dreaming?" Ethan asked aloud and felt a sharp pinch from green-painted fingernails.
"Nope," Mara said, her expression equally as shell-shocked as she stood next to Tweed.
"And I just need to order a- Oh!"
They all glanced up at the doorway of the kitchen, and their eyes grew wide, their mouths dropping to the floor as they saw none other than Karen, appearing like a heavenly saint. She ended her phone call quickly, her face flushing in bubblegum pink.
"Hey, guys," she greeted them, coming around the pinewood counter to greet them.
"You... you bought the bakery?" Ethan asked, his chocolate brown eyes large and juvenile. They glowed with excitement like morning rays of sun on the bark of a mesquite tree.
"Yeah, I planned to tell you guys-"
"You're bringing the bakery back?" Ethan asked again, his lips parting slightly, his muscles tensing.
Karen gave him a benevolent smile. "Yes, I am," she confirmed. Ethan was still, stiller than a body of water, and the only thing that moved was the tears, free-flowing from his eyes, creeping down his cheeks and splatting on his shirt. His nose turned into a cherry tomato, and his lips quivered.
"Did I break him?" Karen whispered to Tweed and Mara, who had equally wide eyes and lips made into straws.
"I don't think so... Ethan? You alright man?" Tweed prodded his friend's shoulder carefully, once, then twice, and after the third time, Ethan turned back to Karen and launched into a hug. Surprised, she stood there while he hugged her tightly.
When he let her go, he wiped the tears away and smiled through them, touching the back of his hand to his nose. "Why?" he asked her, still grinning like an idiot, but Karen's eyes narrowed.
"You already know, don't you? What happened after the town meeting?" she said, and they all cocked their heads to the side.
"Apparently, your speeches inspired some people to take action. Those kids in your school who signed the petition went home and told their parents, and their parents also didn't want to see the bakery's building be broken down, or the business become bankrupt.
"Almost 90% of people in town donated money to keep the building up and running, and I... well, I thought that the best way to honor my mother's memory was to keep it alive, through here," Karen explained. They admired the place, Ethan's heart still beating with glee.
"So, what brings you all by?" Karen asked, and Mara and Tweed turned to each other, each with devious looks plastered on their faces.
"We kidnapped Ethan and were heading to a school dance. Do you mind if he changes here?" she asked Karen. Ethan's eyes narrowed as his brow lifted until Tweed procured a baby blue suit in a dress bag.
Tweed himself was dressed in a tan-colored suit that reminded Ethan of quicksand. The suit itself fit loose on his thin frame, the top button of the white dress shirt underneath unbuttoned. His tie, which hung untied around his shirt collar, matched the color of Mara's dress, which was emerald green.
"We can either do this the hard way or the extremely difficult way. Your choice," Tweed said, and after an intense wild-west staredown, Ethan grumbled, taking the suit and heading off to the back to change.
As he got dressed in the light blue suit with a white button-up and bowtie underneath, he began to think about how the bakery was back. It was like all of his prayers were answered, and it made him feel like now, anything was possible.
He emerged from the back room, taking a few hesitant steps as he felt all of their gazes on him. He scratched the back of his head.
"You look hot," Mara admitted, and Tweed snapped his head back to look at her, his bottom lip pouting out, and she rolled her eyes. "You know I think you're gorgeous." His expression immediately brightened up again, and he smirked.
"Thanks, babe, I can put this accolade of being called 'gorgeous' by my girlfriend along with my numerous stacks of Monopoly money." She didn't respond and kneed his leg.
"You look great, kid," Karen reassured him, and he nodded curtly, twisting his lip up in a sheepish grin.
"So, are we ready?" Mara asked, looking from Ethan to Tweed.
"Yeah. Well, I'm as ready as I'll ever be for a school dance," Ethan said, and Tweed wrapped his arm around his neck.
"Let's make a pact now. If it gets too bad, we'll just wildly wave our arms to the other, and we bolt out of there, capiche?" Tweed said, and Ethan's grin spread like peanut butter on hot toast.
"Nothing I would like more, compadre," Ethan said. Tweed narrowed his eyes, pushing him away.
"Don't call me that, Dork," he teased.
"Don't look at me, Weirdo," Ethan jeered back as they all walked out of the bakery, with its beautiful, hopeful, sun-shaped windows, to the car.
.
.
.
Dork and Weirdo are back in business! Were you guys surprised by the bakery coming back because of Karen? Have you ever experienced a shock that caused you to cry happy tears? I sure have!
If you all liked this chapter, please consider giving it a vote, and as always, love you all, peace!
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
