The Donut Shop ✔️

'R' Stands for 'Remember Promises'

Slowly but steadily, dollar bills trickled in, mostly by homeowners that wanted the boys to stop pestering them and leave their property.

By the end of the night, they had collected a total of forty-two dollars from annoyed people in pajamas. Although two of those dollars were their own, they were still immensely proud of what they had accomplished. 

"Hey, we should go get pastries at Sol... Bakery..." Ethan closed his mouth as a feeling of despair settled into his stomach. The bakery wasn't even open anymore, Ethan. What are you doing?

Tweed just grimaced, but, being the one to cheer up his friend, he said, "Why don't we get milkshakes at Bjornie's and celebrate the money we collected today for the bakery?"

Ethan gave him a tight-lipped smile and nodded as they got into Tweed's beat-up Civic. It wasn't the same, though. Ethan didn't get the same fuzzy feelings as he did when they were headed to the bakery. 

At least it would be a quiet evening, Ethan thought as he watched the streetlights above them shine bright, yellow light, making the wet street gleam. Once they arrived at Bjornie's, however, they were greeted with a huge surprise. 

"I thought we had a deal," Mara said in a low tone, tears welling up in her eyes as she stood from a stool at the counter and walked over to the boys.

"Well, it was just payback-"

"You kicked me out of the one thing I was good at!" she yelled, and Tweed grew silent, as did the rest of the diner. "Student body president was the one thing that I had that you didn't, but you just had to be greedy and take that from me too, huh?" Mara looked as if she was ready to throw hands.

Ethan's eyes just widened as he backed away, trying to blend in with the light green walls of the diner, willing himself to disappear into nothing. He hated confrontation, even more so than when his sister barged into his room without knocking and left the door open. 

"You, with your stupid, happy family and that stupid, perfect hair that always falls just right, and your natural smartness! Do you know how hard other people have to study for their good grades? I study hours at a time, and you still beat me out, every time!" Mara shrieked. 

Tweed's eyes were shaded in darkness as she continued to berate him and his appearance of a perfect life until he finally snapped.

"You know what, Mara? I don't have anything. I don't have a family like yours, or a fancy car, or some ritzy friends that I could blow money with, and it's so unfair that you're calling me all these names when you are the one with the perfect life."

Instead of screaming again, Mara took a deep, shaky, breath. "At least you talk to your family. At least you have dinner with your family. All I get are high expectations of who I should be and disappointing glares when I'm not the best," she whispered, her tears fully formed and streaming down her face.

By now, Ethan had already ordered his milkshake and was seated at the counter where Mara once was, watching anything but their fiery exchange. Apparently, he was the only one trying to mind his own business, because everyone in the restaurant had their heads tilted toward Mara and Tweed's conversation.

"At least your father isn't in jail and your mother isn't dead," Tweed finished, blinking rapidly and turning away from all the prying eyes. Within a flash, he pushed on the door and left the restaurant, stalking down the street to god-knows-where. It wasn't in the direction of his car, so Ethan didn't fear getting left behind, but he didn't follow his friend.

Once, Ethan had made Tweed so mad by beating him at a game that Tweed had punched a hole into the wall of his bedroom and stormed off. When Ethan chased after him, he ended up getting threatened with a bunch of obscenities that he knew Tweed didn't mean, but he learned a valuable lesson that day. Never mess with an angry Tweed.