A Baker's Dozen

Chapter 2, The Actual Beginning.

My therapist reviewed the last chapter-thing and said I forgot to introduce myself, so here we go. My name is Abby Woods, I am currently 14, but this incident happened when I was 12, so two years ago. I live in GoldenBrookes, New Hampshire. My parents didn't move us after everything with Blair, which is surprising considering how worried they always were whenever anything happened to me. They also said that I should write this like how I'd write short stories, so I'll try to be better. Speaking of Blair, I think I should actually start telling you all what happened with her, so here I go.

It started off as any other day for me, get up out of bed, brush my hair and teeth, get dressed, and head downstairs to watch some TV before I have to head to the bus stop. As usual, I sat down on the couch and turn on the TV while putting in my earrings. I put on my favorite, as usual, (I'm not the biggest fan of change so I basically always wore them). They were earrings versions of one of those worms on a strings. As the TV played in the background, I was adjusting my eye-patch I had been wearings ever since my second day of school when some kid accidentally stabbed my left eye out with a pen. The doctors said that they could've saved my eye, but the ink from the pen went into my retinas and left it damaged. They took out my eye a while ago, but I still wear an eye-patch so my missing eye doesn't scare people. 

As the TV reported on several things, only one thing caught my attention, just as always. It was the missing pet section of the new where they report on all of the pets that's gone missing in the area, it's been a big problem in our area. Such a big problem that they needed to dedicate an entire street pole to just missing pet posters, which I'm forced to pass by every day.  I hate them all so much, some owners couldn't be bothered to keep an eye on their pets for five seconds? But to be fair, they could have died, which is worse. 

As I continue to walk to my bus stop, passing by all the cars, I notice a special car. A very big, yellow car. What I'm saying is, it wasn't a car, it was MY. BUS.  I was only five minutes away from my stop, how was it passing by me already??? I acted on instinct and tried to run after the bus as quickly as I could, but of course, I couldn't. As I started to think how this could have happened, I saw it. Not it, but her. The blonde hair, blue eyes, she-devil herself, Jenna Artzka.  She had her head out of the window, just looking back at my heartbroken, sweaty from running, pathetic face. The face she just LOVED to see, me losing. As she stuck her bratty head back into the window and went back to talking with her friends, I was just watching the bus leave my behind, shocked.

 This was the first time this had happened, Jenna acting like my best friend and telling the bus driver that I, "wasn't gonna be there today, so just pass my stop" OF COURSE I WAS GONNA BE THERE, I'M ALWAYS THERE!!! I took a deep breath and slowly continued walking to my bus stop instead. Maybe if I wait long enough, another bus will come and pick me up or I'll just walk home instead. 

After a couple minutes of sulking and walking, I reach the stop and practically melt into the waiting area for the next bus, my parents were always understanding people, maybe if I tell them what happened, they won't force me to go for today. 

As I continued my pity-party, a shadow blocked out my view of the sun and provided me with some coolness from the heat. 

"The busses are usually late this time of day, sorry." I sigh out to the person casting the shadow, my face buried in my hands.

The voice above me just chuckled and sat down next to me. It took me off guard, I'm not popular in the town, so nobody would just sit down with me willingly, they must be REALLY desperate.  

I looked over at the person beside me, and to my shock, she was smiling  at ME! It was surprising enough to bring me out of my pitiful state to manage to talk with her.

"U-Um. . .hi. I'm Abby."

I looked the woman up and down, her appearance compared to the more modernly decorated town was jarring. Her front hair was a really pleasant brown color, but she had it tied up it two pink bun as well as the sides of her hair lining her face. She had a cowlick on the top of her head, but since her hair was curly, it folded into almost the shape of a heart. 

Her bright green eyes looked at me, she looked completely harmless, even her outfit was calming, her sweater had very cool and turned-down colors while her greyish-green jacket covered her like it was winter. Her skin was a nice tan, it made her hair look even better. The best thing about her to me was the splotches on her skin. A little like mine, except hers was much less noticeable, unlike mine.  

The only thing about her that put me on edge was her neck. While the puff on top of her jacket managed to hide her neck decently well, there were bandages wrapping around her entire neck, almost like it was keeping it tied to the rest of her body.

I tried to hide my fear and continue to talk. "I-I haven't seen you around here. . ."

I think she knew I was scared, since the next time she talked, her voice was so gently.

"I moved recently from Plummet-Rock, I heard there was a space opened up recently and thought, 'I can set up my new shop around there!'. Business was getting slow back there anyways, all health-nuts, couldn't even stand the sight of sugar."

 Her words made me remember the opened space near the shopping center, apparently, the owner burned in the bakery fire which destroyed the bakery as well. The owner was a sweet old man who would shelter animals who walked into there sometimes, it was sad to see him go. 

It was a little surprising to see her talk about opening her new bakery shop, she looked young for an adult, maybe college age? 

"Enough about me, how about you, dear? You look like you've been through a lot of trouble huh?"

She chuckled before gently caressing my face near the eye-patch, her thumb touching the string of it. It didn't even feel uncomfortable or made me feel weird about her, it felt like a touch from an old friend. As she laughed, I laughed to. It felt so nice to be around someone who didn't hate me for once. God, if I could talk to my younger self, she would be shocked. . .

After some chatting later, I finally gained the courage to ask her something. She was so nice and kind, yet I still felt intimidated by her, maybe because she just seemed like everything I wanted to be.

"S-So! Um, you know I'm Abby by now, what about you?"

She stared at me for a second, then just. . .behind me, like she was asking for the answer from someone else. Before I could look behind me, she went back to smiling and answered.

"You can call me Blair dear."