CAKE

Sixty-Two

Casey 

My stomach grumbles for the nth time forcing me out of my room once more as I head to the kitchen for the 5th time. I check the fridge as if the previous times didn't happen. And just as the prior times, my visit to the fridge remains disappointing. Absolutely nothing quick to eat other than fruits. 

Usually, I can make do with fruits and other snacks but ever since I've been back, my appetite has returned. A snack will not cut it for me. I exit the kitchen, wondering if I should just go ahead and tell my sister and best friend that I was starving or leave them alone. 

The feeling of my stomach touching my back and the growl it lets out forces me to make my way to Cassandra and Edwin's bedroom. I knock on the door softly and peek my head inside, hoping one of the two was awake already.

I'm pleased when Cass eyes me from the foot of the bed. Right behind her is a sleeping Edwin and Cassie. I smile softly at the sight, those two are literally the cutest. 

Cassandra clears her throat, grabbing my attention away from the two, reminding me what I was in here for. "There's no food," I mutter softly, sure not to wake either of them. I watch the older brown-skinned woman stand and make her way to the door, pushing me back.

I follow her into the kitchen, watching her open the fridge. She stares inside for a long few seconds before closing the door and looking inside the freeze and doing the same. I raise my brows in confusion, wondering what the hell was going through her mind.

She turns to me. "Get dressed, I need to go out." I frown but do as told, running to my room and getting dressed in an oversized hoodie, khaki shorts, and a pair of khaki high-top converse. I make sure to have my phone before following the woman to the front door. 

We exit the home and I make my way to the car as she locks the door. "Why do I have to go with you?" I question. "Because I have three things to do and you're going to help me with a task," she mutters, starting the engine. I purse my lips as I watch her connect her phone to the Bluetooth and play a Michael Jackson station on Pandora.

"What task am I doing?" I question, already hating the idea of leaving the house. 

"Grocery shopping, I made a list all you have to do is the shopping."

I groan, letting her know my dislike for the idea. She lets out a breath and pulls out of the driveway, "I'm letting you stay here, the least you can do is repay me. Or else I'll tell Kathryn you're here," she spits, glaring at me.

My mouth hangs open before I pout, "That's manipulation and gaslighting."

The brown-skinned woman shrugs her shoulders, "Whatever gets the job done. Don't worry, I won't ask you to pay for anything. I'll give you my card once we get there. And I'll let you buy something... anything you want."

My pout disappears and I grin widely. Her eyes land on me, "You're just like a child, throwing a tantrum until you get what you want," she jokes.

"Whatever gets the job done," I use her words against her. The woman laughs and nods her head as we make our way to the grocery store. The drive is no longer than 10 minutes. She pulls in front of the Walmart and stops. 

I glance in the rearview side mirror to make sure she wasn't in anyone's way. "I'll try to be back in 30 minutes, if I'm not just give me a call and I'll be here as soon as I can," she mutters handing me the grocery list and a Straight Ally flag card. I smile a little and glance at her, but she was already looking elsewhere.

Nodding my head, I exit the truck and make my way inside. Immediately, I'm glad there were baskets despite it being extremely overcrowded today. It was always like this when I'd be shopping for myself. 

Letting out a breath, I glance down at the list and head to the first section of food. 30 minutes in and I realize that Cassandra has set me up for failure. 

"Why do they even need this much food?" I cry to myself as I glance at the basket full of food. Groaning, I get to the cheese section and look for vegan cheese. Since when do they even eat vegan cheese? At this point, I think she's just fucking with me. 

There's no way they eat vegan cheese or tofu. I let out a breath and glance around, hoping no one would be in this section for a while. I squat and move around the packs of cheese, looking for the one my sister wanted. 

However, despite my efforts, I still don't find it. 

"Excuse me," I hear and my body becomes stiff as I immediately recognize the voice. She reaches over me, bumping her arm into me as she grabbed a pack of pepper jack. "Sorry," her voice rings in my ear. Though I was wearing an oversized hoodie, my skin still tingled where she bumped me.

I don't bother moving or turning my head in fear that she'd recognize me. 

I wait a few seconds before finally having the courage to turn my head, my eyes immediately meet those familiar and very beautiful chestnut eyes. But her attention wasn't on me long enough to recognize me, which I was grateful for.

Letting out a breath, I decide to go somewhere else and just tell Cass they didn't have the vegan cheese. She can't tell me I'm lying, she's not here.

Before I make it down the chips aisle, I glance back once more, spotting a familiar light-skinned man making his way toward my ex-fiance. She throws a smile his way as he tosses something into their basket.

My face falls. Of course, she'd get back together with him! 

I watch their interactions a bit longer, jealousy building in my veins the longer I stare. I clench my jaw as they talk animatedly with each other before he makes a joke that she laughs too hard at. 

Sighing, I turn my eyes away and continue with my task at hand, hoping not to run into them again. I try distracting myself, to no avail as I couldn't get the image of the two out of my head. I wasn't entirely surprised, just hurt.

I knew she moved on, but I didn't want to know it. I didn't want to see it, witness it, or hurt over it. All I could think about was his hands all over her and it made me angrier the longer I thought about it. It should be me, not him. 

But I fucked that up so all I can do is get over it and move on, just as she did. I clench my jaw and try to distract myself by continuing my task. 

A/N: I know, I know it's a short chapter but you'll get over it. Anyway, I have been able to write a lot of chapters recently and due to that fact, I've decided I'll start updating twice a week again, for a while. Either it can be [Monday and Wednesday] or [Wednesday and Friday] you guys will help me decide which two days you want, so make sure to comment if you care...

I'm really excited for the rest of this book which probably explains why I'm able to do many chapters in a day (because some of my favorite parts are coming up). I know the book has been a little depressing but I hope I can change that, just not sure when. 

Stay Gay

~ UD ❤