Endure

F O U R T E E N

With no sign of Sera or Charlie anywhere, I shifted the pastry box under my arm and pulled my phone out to send Sera a text, before the sound of heels clicking across the tile floor sounded closer and closer, approaching me.

"What are you doing here?"

I glanced up before rolling my eyes and looking back down at my phone again. "It's a bakery. Take a wild guess."

"I'm guessing that you're leaving."

I tore my eyes away from my phone and finally looked at her.

She glanced over my dance hoodie and sweats before tilting her chin up at me with a haughty look.

I looked around the bakery, where everyone seemed to have a smile on their face as they selected their favorite pastries, before turning back to Claire, who was now raising an eyebrow at me in disapproval.

Well, almost everyone.

"Wait, I'm sorry," I chuckled, putting my phone away and tilting my head at her. "Who are you again?"

Her eyebrows lowered into a look of offense with a hint of disbelief as she opened her mouth to speak.

But I beat her to it. "That's right! I remember now. It was your cake that fell all over the table back there, wasn't it? That's too bad," sarcasm coated my words so heavily, I wasn't even sure if I was faking it or not anymore. "Here. Have a cream puff." I opened the pastry box and held it out to her with a fake smile.

"Ugh." Claire rolled her eyes.

"Fine. More for me," I sang, closing the box.

"Didn't I tell you to stay away?" she asked, enunciating each syllable in irritatingly perfect English.

"Relax, I'm leaving." I let out a laugh, shaking my head. "But not because you told me to." I stepped around her.

She quickly blocked my path again. "What are you really doing here?"

"I--"

"We--" Charlie stepped up next to me, swinging his arm around my shoulder and I let out a sigh in relief. "—were just having a bite to eat before we have to get back to work." He turned to me with a smile. "Isn't that right, babe?"

I gave him a puzzled look.

"That's your cue, kid," he whispered, leaning closer toward me before straightening up.

I raised my eyebrows before quickly nodding. "Right!" I stepped closer to him and he took this opportunity to dig through the pastry box. "You know what?!" I let out an exaggerated gasp, looking at Claire with the biggest smile I could muster. "You should totally come back to the studio sometime!" 

Charlie glanced up from the pastry box before returning his attention to it. 

"We could give you classes! You would have so much fun! Wouldn't she have so much fun?" I turned to Charlie, who was now midway stuffing a brownie in his mouth.