The bell chimed as I entered the café. It was more like a bakery. It looked small with all the tall buildings surrounding it but it felt homey. I liked coming here. Also, it remained pretty much empty at this time of the day. So, it was quiet too.
Nora smiled brightly as she saw me. She was the owner/baker of the place. She was in her early thirties but looked much younger. She had honey colored hair and green eyes.
I smiled at her too.
"Mind I came early?" I asked.
She came out from behind the counter.
"No, of course not," she said then she looked at Lacey who was cleaning the tables.
"Lacey, do you mind?" she gestured to the counter.
Lacey left the tables and went to stand behind the counter.
"Let's start then!" I said.
"Excited huh?" Nora smiled and hugged me.
"You bet," I grinned as I returned her hug.
Nora and I went to the kitchen at the back and she gave me an apron. It was a white apron with small pink flowers and pink hem. It looked a bit girly but I loved it.
Every Wednesday I came here after school to take baking lessons from Nora. This had been going on for a few months now. She was the best baker. Her cakes and pastries were heavenly.
I always had an interest in cooking. So, when she offered to teach me I was ecstatic. Too bad she denied to take any money. I insisted she take it but she didn't. So, after an hour of baking, I took the counter for another hour. I knew it wasn't much but it was all she would let me do.
"Knead it till it gets soft," she told me.
I nodded and did what she was doing with the dough.
She was a good teacher.
When she taught me I always imagined that my mom was teaching me how to bake. If she was alive wouldn't she teach me how to cook? Tell me her special recipe?
And it always filled that hole inside of me. Even if for a small moment.
I looked at Nora sideways as she was explaining the procedure to me. Was she like her? My mom.
She looked at me and her eyes crinkled as she smiled. I smiled back.
She was definitely like her.
****
Turned out Asher never uploaded the video after all. I knew why he didn't. He was scared of me. He was scared of what I might do to him if he did that.
Yeah right.
I had no idea why he didn't upload it. And why he lied he did. Maybe he was just messing with me. Like the prank wasn't enough. That guy was seriously not right in the head. Or maybe he was too smart and had planned this for something big. Something much more embarrassing than this.
Should I be afraid?
Yes.
Was I?
No.
In fact, I was glad that I didn't have to face the embarrassment before the whole school and possibly from people outside the school.
I would have been an internet joke. And my video would have been shared all over the world like the video where some kid bit his brother's finger. Or was it thumb?
Yeah, I didn't want that.
The problem was avoided for the time being and I would find the solution soon.
Now, I only had to delete that video from his phone. Which wouldn't be that hard, right? Yeah, not hard at all.
I was standing in front of my locker with Brooke and Megan. Finally! I finally managed to get them under the same roof without ripping each other's skin.
I convinced them (more like begged) to be civil with each other. And they were doing remarkably well. Well, well for them anyway.
I told them to compliment each other's outfit. Not together of course. I didn't want to be caught in the middle of something that dangerous.
"Your skirt looks cute!" Megan said to Brooke.
Brooke looked really pleased. I gave Megan an appreciative look. She smiled at me.
"Really? Thanks. I got this yesterd-"
I coughed, signaling Brooke that it was her turn.
She looked at me and then gave a nod in understanding.
"Well, your..." She looked her up and down like she was searching for something to say good things about.
I mentally face palmed myself. That's not that difficult Brooke.
Then her eyes lit up. "Your glasses are pretty cool!" she said at last. Megan's red-rimmed glasses were pretty cool but couldn't she have found something else to compliment her about.
God, this girl.
Megan rolled her eyes.
"Broo-" I started as I saw a freshman girl walk up to where Asher was leaning against his locker down the hall. Some people were standing around him, talking and laughing. She looked very nervous. Her face was all red and she looked like she might throw up.
The people around Asher stopped talking as she approached them.
She stood in front of him and fiddled with the strap of her bag nervously.
"What's with her?" Megan said.
"No idea," Brooke answered.
I smiled. We were getting somewhere. This was a start of a lifelong friendship.
Asher looked down at her and she said something so low that no one could hear. And the hall had pin drop silence.
Asher straightened up.
The girl took out an envelope from her bag and gave it to him.
He took it rather uncomfortably.
What is it? A love letter? I thought.
"People still write that?" Megan asked mockingly.
I didn't think. I said it out loud.
"I didn't know," I said agreeing with her.
After giving the letter the girl ran away. I saw at the other end her friends were waiting for her. The girl actually looked happy.
"You won't understand. Things love makes you do," Brooke said dreamily. Brooke's fangirl mode on.
She was never this dreamy about her relationship. She was quite practical about her relationship with her boyfriend but when it came to pop stars or celebrities she tended to get all gooey eyes.
Megan and I snickered.
"Please. It is not love. They are just crushing on him," I said.
"I am sure they don't even know what kind of guy he is," Megan said.
"But you gotta admire her braveness," Brooke said.
I nodded, agreeing with her.
"Yeah, braveness to the destruction of self-dignity," Megan said.
By that time Brooke was glaring daggers at her so she shut up.
"Oh look!" I said so that she would stop being scary.
They both turned their faces to where Asher was standing. There was nothing to look. He was just keeping the letter in his locker.
Just as he opened the locker a lot more fell out.
I couldn't help but laugh.
He glared at me from across the hallway. When I realized nobody was laughing with me I sobered up.
My God!
There were like hundreds of those letters. Did the whole school write him a love letter? This made me wanna crack up but I didn't.
He knelt down to pick them up and his friends helped him.
The bell rang and everyone headed for their classes. I had study hall so I made my way to the library where I spent most of my free periods. Except when I had them with Brooke, then we both go to the field.
I was walking past Asher when he held my wrist to stop me.
"Anderson will help me. You guys can go to your classes," Asher said to his friends.
"Are you sure?" Kelsey asked eying me suspiciously.
Yeah, Kelsey, I will eat your little pop star.
Wasn't she feeling uncomfortable kneeling in that miniskirt?
I stood there as his friends went to their classes.
"Don't just stand there. Pick them up," Asher said.
I sighed and stood on my knees.
I started picking up the envelopes.
"These really are love letters," I commented as I saw the heart shape in one.
Asher rolled his eyes.
He opened the zip of his bag and started stuffing it with the letters. As I saw them I realized they were fan letters.
"What are you gonna do with them?" I asked.
There was no way he was gonna read every single one of them. To be honest, I doubted if he would read any of them. He hardly even read his textbooks let alone something that wasn't gonna help him pass.
"I am gonna feed them to Roxie," he said.
Roxie was his dog. His precious little dog. No, not little. That dog was huge.
"Why Roxie? Eat them yourself," I said. I kept the rest of the letters in his bag and he zipped it.
"Why didn't you tell me before? If you wanted to eat them you could have just asked," he said standing to his feet.
I rolled my eyes and stood up too.
"You're welcome," I said.
"I never thanked you," he stated.
"Exactly."
He started to say something when arms wrapped around me from behind. Black bands wrapped around his wrists stopped me from screaming.
"Mind if I steal my girl away?" he said to Asher.
I turned my head to look at Evan while still in his arms.
"I am not your girl," I said.
"Yet," he said and smirked.
"Whatever," I said, shaking my head. I unwrapped his hands from around me and stood beside him.
"What do you want?" I asked tightening the strap of my bag.
Nobody answered.
I looked up at Evan. He and Asher seemed to be having some silent conversation with their eyes. And I was long forgotten. They were in the past.
I had to do something before it got out of hand.
I slipped my hand in Evan's.
"Let's go," I said pulling his arm. His hands were warm and large.
He looked at our entwined hands and smirked. It doesn't mean anything. It was the need of the moment.
I looked at Asher and he was staring at our hands too but his expression was far from Evan's. He was clenching his jaw.
This got my feet on work. I pulled Evan with me and got out of there.
"What do you want?" I asked once we were alone.
I noticed he had added green highlights to his black hair. Just some green at the tips. It looked good.
"I want you to be my date for the annual ball," he said.
📚📚📚📚
Hello, awesome people!!!
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Ooh what is Asher's and Evan's past?
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-K