Endure

E L E V E N

When we arrived to the bakery, the parking lot was packed with cars, yet everyone was gathered outside.

"What's going on?" Charlie asked as we all exited the car.

I reached on my toes to see over the crowd. "Looks like the doors are closed."

"Are you sure it opens today?"

"Yep." The tattooed player walked up to his, holding up his phone. "Coach told us to be here today."

"Hey." Tom stepped up next to me, crossing his arms. "I'll buy you whatever you want from this place and we could just drop this whole thing once and for all."

I turned to him with a raised eyebrow and let out a laugh.

A look of genuine confusion formed on his face and he dropped his arms. "What?"

"You really think it's going to be that easy?"

He shrugged. "I--"

"Keep that tutu on for the entire rest of the day then we'll see." I nodded to the bright tutu he was still wearing with a teasing smile.

"What?! The whole day??"

I shrugged before walking away to join Sera and Charlie, who were standing at the back of the crowd. "Have they opened yet?"

"No, but everyone here seems super excited." Sera nodded to the crowd.

"Just hold on," a familiar voice spoke and my head snapped up. "I'm waiting for them to be here."

I rose on my toes to look over the crowd before spotting a glimpse of Daniel -- I mean, the baker . . . 

Owner . . . 

I spotted the owner of the bakery standing at the front of . . . the bakery. 

"We will open as soon as they get here." He nodded to someone next to him before looking up and his eyes met mine.

My stomach flipped. 

It wasn't supposed to. 

He wasn't supposed to have an effect on me anymore. 

He was just the owner of a bakery. 

Yet here I was, biting down on my lip as I sunk down on my heels again.

"I'll give them a call," the baker said before disappearing inside.

"Maddie, you're here!!" My mom suddenly emerged from the crowd outside of the bakery, walking up to me with a bright smile.

I shook my head, ridding myself of my whirling thoughts. "Mom . . . Hi," I said with confusion yet gave her a hug. "What's going on? Do you know why it's not open yet?" I nodded to the bakery.

"Oh, no! We just got here!" She laughed. "He better open soon though because we have to get back to work." She turned to my dad next to her, who was looking at his phone.

He squinted his eyes as he held his phone up in front of his face. "Honey, move closer to the bakery so I could get a picture of you and Maddie," he told my mom. 

She took a few steps back. "Over here?"

"Hold on. Why isn't the camera on this thing working?" He furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. "Oh, the screen's off." He brought the phone down with a frown. "Maybe I should turn it on." He chuckled.

"Maddie, come in the picture." My mom took my hand, pulling me next to her. "How's this, Rob?"

I looked at the crowd around us while my dad brought his phone up again.