“Look, I can't give you an entire bucket of our frosting, buddy, your just gonna have to deal with it.” Jessica said, scoffing as the customer flipped her off before he left. “Jesus, people are so fucking stupid sometimes…” She groaned, rubbing her forehead. Jessica leaned against the counter, turning to her coworker when they spoke up. “It could've been worse! They could've pulled a gun on you!” They said, in a thick French accent. Typical French people, always making pastries. “Has that actually happened to you before, Xane?” He shook his head, shrugging. “No! But you never know, you always see it online!” He tilted his head. “Why do you work here, anyway? Aren't you rich?” Jessica sighed, leaning up. “Yeah, but I don't wanna turn into a pretentious douchebag, so I figured working here would keep me grounded.” She explained. Xane nodded, smiling. “I can see that! Somebody ordered all the rainbow cookies, by the way, so i gotta go make some more.” Xane slithered into the back, leaving Jessica to man the counter. Or woman.
Nobody came in for a few minutes, letting Jessica do what most people do nowadays and just scroll on their phones. She did that for a few more minutes before hearing someone clear their throat. “Oh! Shoot, sorry!” Jessica shoved her phone in her pocket and quickly tidied her hair, before realizing the person in front of her was Vincent. “… oh, uh, hey?” She awkwardly muttered, putting her hands on her hips. “What can I get for you?” He stayed still, only his eyes before darting to the menu hanging above the two. “Twenty Cannolis.” He said sternly, almost too sternly for a man who's ordering twenty cannolis.
“A big one, huh? Got a large family event going on, or…?” She asked as she figured out the total amount, though she didn't get a response from him. Jessica stared at him for a moment, subconsciously rolling her eyes. “That'll be $80, Sir,” She said, slightly more sarcastic than intended. Vincent rummaged through his wallet for a few seconds before shoving the money towards her, much to her increasing annoyance. Still hasn't said anything, is he mute? She shoved the change towards his direction, most definitely as a petty display, before smiling. “We'll get that right out for you,” She walked into the back of the bakery, kicking a box almost immediately after getting out of sight. “Ugh, I hate today's goddamn customers!” Jessica huffed, grabbing one of the pastry boxes.
Xane perked up from behind a row of boxes, looking up at her. “Why? Is there another guy asking for a bucket of vanilla frosting?” He curiously inquired. She shook her head, ever so carelessly throwing the cannolis in said box. “Nah, it's just Vincent, that silent dickhead.” She practically hissed, still neatly folding the box shut. Lady has standards. “Oh! Jeez, I got it easy, then! I hate that guy too!! Never says hi…” Xane said, organizing a few boxes filled with an assortment of baking ingredients. “Right!? Though I don't know if I prefer the silence or when he HAS something to say,” Jessica finishes putting a bow on top of the box, mentally preparing herself to go back out there.
She walks back out to the front, noticing that Lauren and Heron were standing at the other side of the counter. “Hey, Jess,” Heron waved. The two must've arrived not too long ago as Heron has just now spotted Vincent, that, or he was just too high. You can never really tell with him. “Whoa, look what the cat dragged in! Damn, I never see you around town! I swear, you're like a ghost or something,” Heron chuckled, noticeably making Vincent's eye twitch. Both Jessica and Lauren started wishing that Heron would shut the fuck up at that exact moment, and it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume Vincent was thinking the same thing. “Y'know, people would like you A LOT more if you didn't have Mount Everest resting on your shoulders! If you catch my drift?”
Jessica shoved the box of cannolis into Vincent's arms, cutting Heron off before… well, nobody actually knew what would happen, but she also didn't wanna take the chance. “Enjoy!!!” She hastily said, before giving Heron a not so subtle death glare. Vincent, like always, stayed silent, walking away with the box tightly held in his hands. Though Lauren did manage to hear him mutter something out before he barged out. “About fucking time…”
Lauren grimaced at that a little, walking over to the counter. “What the fuck was that, dude!?” Jessica shouted, reprimanding him almost as soon as Vincent left. “What!? I wasn't WRONG, the man's a dick! He should know, and nobody else was gonna say it!” He shrugged it off, shrugging her off too. Much to her annoyance. “Ugh, What are you two doing here, anyway? Do you want something?” Heron shook her head, putting a hand on Lauren's shoulder. “Nah, I saw little red come in here, and I just decided to follow! I figured I'd say hi to you, too!” Lauren blinked a little, looking up at Heron. “Wait, I thought you said you were just saying hi to Jessica too??” Heron just shrugged, that's all, much to Lauren's confusion. “… Uhm, but, yeah! I wanted to talk to you about something, privately,” Lauren said.
Heron chuckled, jeering at him. “Ooo, got a big secret couple thing I can't know about?” He teased, making Lauren weirdly panic. “What!? We don't have a secret!!!” He shrieked, making Jessica instinctively exit the back of the counter and over to the front, mostly so she could try to salvage. “We're not hiding anything! It's just a couple thing that's private!! Because we're a couple! Uhm, a REALLY happy couple, too!!!” He said, eyes darting everywhere, but Heron's confused face. Jessica just facepalmed, something she's slowly starting to get used to. “… Okay. What the fuck is going on here?” Heron asked, raising an eyebrow. Jessica looked to Lauren before groaning. “Sorry, dude, but you kinda fucked yourself over here.” She said, looking back at Heron. “We aren't actually dating, he's GAY, so he started panicking about that, and so he asked if I could at least pretend to be his girlfriend so that his parents didn't, like, send him to conversion camp.” She explained without missing a beat.
“Wait, so Red's gay?” Heron repeated, making Lauren get a little more panicked. “I AM NOT GAY!!!” He shrieked, breathing rapidly. “It's just sinful thoughts!!! About men!!! That I get almost every day!!!” Lauren said, not being very convincing. “That sounds pretty gay to me,” Heron snickered, not really helping the situation. Jessica put a hand on Lauren's shoulder. “Hey! Calm down, it is fine! It's not something you can control!” She said first, frowning. “Being into men is totally natural!! Bible doesn't say being gay is wrong, it's been like a thousand years and that things been through decades of changes, people are gonna change things to fit their views!”
Lauren frowned, though he started breathing a little more regularly. “I know, I know!! But, my parents…” He trailed off, giving Jessica an opportunity to speak up again. “Your parents don't know EVERYTHING, Lauren! They won't let you watch wildlife documentaries, for fuck’s sake!!!” She said, shaking him a little. “… Well, that's just because they said that the people filming, like, drugged some animals into being gay, so people will think it's normal!” That makes Jessica and even Heron pause for a good five minutes, somewhat making their brains pause too. “… Lauren repeat that and look me in the eyes, and TELL me that isn't dumb as fuck,” Lauren repeats it in his mind for a second, shrugging. “Okay, well, maybe it's a little silly…” He murmured, making Heron burst out laughing. “That's one way to put it!!!” He laughed, leaning against the counter. “Y'know, though, if you need help exploring, I'd be more than happy to assist!” He said, very blatantly flirting. Lauren stayed oblivious, though, somehow. Jessica did not, though! Giving Heron yet another death stare.
“What? You knew I thought he was hot even before this,” Heron said, grinning, unashamedly. “Ignore him, Lauren, he's being a dipshit.” Jessica sighed, turning back towards Lauren. “Why don't we all have a sleepover tomorrow at my dads? He'll be at work all day so we can discuss this! Mkay?” She said gently, looking down at Lauren. “Uhm… Yeah, that sounds good! I haven't slept over at anybody's house before, too! So that'll be fun!” He said, at least trying to be positive. “Does 'all' include me, too?” Heron curiously asked. “Depends on if you keep acting like a dipshit,” She replied, with an eyebrow raised. “I'll try my best!!!” He laughed, walking off and out of the store after a quick goodbye. “I gotta finish my shift, but you can always text me, yeah? Go home and relax,” She said, Lauren nodded. Though, he had to try their signature FUNFETTI =) cake before leaving! So after that, he said goodbye and went home to go contemplate things.
chapter 3 - cruel summer, coming soon
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ꕤblue waterꕤ
Fanfictiona small group of friends try and navigate through the struggles of deciding what to do on summer vacation, discover who they are, and maybe even make a few new friends along the way
