His Cupcake Girl

[strawberry crush]

[MONDAY]

"Here, it's done." Melissa says, as she finishes icing the last cupcake. She adds rainbow sprinkles like she always does.

"Monday's special: Strawberry Crush." She smiles, admiring her work. She likes this. She loves making cupcakes and it also gets her extra money without having to work hard. It has been almost a year since she had started providing cupcakes to the cafeteria.

"Can I have one Mel? Just one?" the girl next to her pleads.

"Don't you dare, Candace." Melissa slaps her hand away from the delicious cupcakes.

"Ooh, yeah, are you keeping one for Luke? I should've known." Candace teases.

Melissa's cheeks flush. She runs her hand through her hair - it's habitual. She always does that when she is overthinking something. It is the darkest shade of brown - almost black - just like her mother.

She dusts off the crumbs from her clothes, shifts the strawberry flavored cupcakes into a box and packs them carefully.

"He has a girlfriend, Candy." She says finally, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Who does?" Candace asks from the kitchen while eating the left over batter and frosting. "Oh, Wait! Yeah. Luke, right?" She smiles sheepishly.

Melissa nods keeps the ingredients back into the cupboards and wipes the counter.

"But he did like you."

"We were kids back then. He probably didn't mean it." She doesn't say anything about how she wishes he had. She doesn't need to, Candace knows. "And I don't like him anymore." She manages a smile.

Candace scrutinizes her friend's face for any trace of emotion, Melissa keeps her face surprisingly neutral, Candace smiles a knowing smile but doesn't say anything.

"It's almost six. We have to get to school." She shouts, picks up the box packed with heavenly treats and her car keys.

The car drive to the school is silent save for the sound of the radio in the background. She steps in the school and gives the cupcake box to the lady in the cafeteria who smiles at her. She takes one out of the box for her. Like Always.

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"I have to submit my project before class starts, I'll meet you at the school gate around home time, wait for me." Candace says, taking out her notes from her locker. Melissa nods.

"Don't tell me you're going to La La Land again. You're not going to answer anybody and just keep thinking. Aw, man." She deepens her voice in an attempt to sound more dramatic, "You there? Can you hear me? Follow my voice, child and come back."

"Yes." Melissa looks up at her friend smiling down her, which she returns.

There was still half an hour before school started. She usually walks around the school ground just thinking scenarios she'd love to be in. But today, the practice for the upcoming football match begins, and she has nothing to do. So she decides to just sit on the staircase and eat her cupcake. Because staircases are the second best places to sit and think.

She opens up her bag and looks for the cupcake.

"Excuse me?" She hears somebody say behind her just as she takes it out of the box. She turned around to find Luke in his football jersey staring down at her, drenched in sweat.

Why was he talking to her now?

They hardly talk anymore. Yeah, obviously because he has a girlfriend and now he doesn't have time to talk to old best friends who end up liking him.

"Could you move? You're blocking the way." Oh. Now she felt stupid.

"Uh, sure." She stands up, her cupcake box held firmly in her hand. The last thing she wants to do is talk to him. He smiles at her and walks to his locker. That smile, gosh. Oh, what she would do just to see him smile at her again.

"Brianna?! We're dating. How can you just - god." She hears Luke shout from the other side of the corridor but she doesn't stand up to even see what is happening. She can clearly imagine him running his hand through his blonde hair, frustrated. She already knew Brianna was cheating on him. She knew Brianna too well. After all, she introduced him to Brianna.

She just sits there unsure whether to be happy about the fact that they broke up or sad about the fact that she was sort of happy and that meant she still cared.

After a while, she stands up and notices Luke standing in the corridor in front of his locker. He keeps his stuff in the locker, closes it, and walks away.

She walks closer to tell him it's going to be okay, but realizes she isn't allowed to anymore, so she just watches him leave.

She looks down, and notices the cupcake box in her hand. She searches for a paper in her bag and scribbles something on it. I'll be there, always. x

Ten minutes later, she finds herself walking towards her next class and wondering if keeping the cupcake in his locker was a good idea or not.