Survival of the Unfit

Chapter 37

April

I walked into work more content than I ever had before Saturday, April 2nd, with a spring in my step I didn’t know existed. The shop was rather busy, but it seemed like everyone was just celebrating the end of a nightmare that had been over for nearly two weeks now. I even shook a few hands. I felt like quite the celebrity.

“Enjoying your fame?” Hailey asked, getting coming back to my workstation to put more cupcakes out.

I took my headphones out. “What?”

She laughed and checked her phone while there was a break in business. “I asked if you were enjoying your fame.”

I smiled and continued working on the cake I had in front of me. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

 “I don’t know, I was just thinking that Levi would really make your celebration complete.”

 “Oh shut up,” I told her, changing to a different icing color. “You’re more enthusiastic about this relationship than either of us.”

Hailey laughed and headed back out to the front. “Sure I am. Nice to see you, Levi.”

I whipped around, finding a familiar face leaning over the counter, one arm in a sling, blue eyes bright and hair a fluffy, dark mess per usual. He waved at me and smiled. “Hi.”

Putting the last little details on the cake, I took it to the fridge and then wiped my hands off before meeting him. He reached out and wiped a smear of icing off of my apron, promptly eating it. “Levi, that’s gross.”

He laughed and stood up straight, stretching out. “I never told you the story about the rotten apple from when I was seven, did I?” He looked to me for an answer.

I was just about to ask, despite being slightly worried, when a flurry of bright orange-red behind the door caught my eye. The door swung open, and an absolutely beautiful girl with long, red hair and porcelain skin walked through the door, some dirty blond, pretty-boy type guy at her side. I had never experienced such hair envy in my entire life. No, person envy. I didn’t know girls could be so majestic.

Levi chuckled and asked while turning around, “What are you looking...oh.”

The girl stopped short of the counter and caught sight of the two of us, small smile on her face as she turned to Levi. “Nice to see you here, Levi.”

He turned to her and backed up a miniscule step, shock on his face. “Casey, hi.”

I looked between the two of them, slowly catching on. The blond guy at her side whispered something to her, face scrunched up in distaste at the sight of Levi. Casey waved him off and directed him to order, walking over to us. Levi backed up another step. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her, honestly. It’s just people of that nature don’t find themselves in here very often.

She glanced between the two of us again, and then back to Levi. Levi shook his head around and asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Visiting my parents,” she chirped, leaning an elbow on the counter, mimicking him. She glanced at me again, eyes doing a quick scan of me in my dirty work apron. “Who’s this?” she asked him.

“I’m April,” I chimed in, with a hot flare of anger. “And I’m capable of speaking, thank you.” 

Casey narrowed her eyes at me before I bent down to get a washcloth, to wipe the counter clean of her stupid skin cells. How did they ever even start dating? That was rude. I mean, I was standing literally a few feet away from her. Where are my thoughts going?