Cake pop smashed

Chapter 2: Old Friends

Not realizing what is going on I let the kiss drag in for a bit too long. He pulls away. I liked that more than I should have, but not enough to let it go on forever.

"Shit, I'm sorry Ali, I didn't mean to, I got caught up in the moment-" but what he doesn't know is I enjoyed it more than he thinks. I peck him on the lips pulling away. Shit- the bakery should have closed a while ago-ten minutes or more.

"Dane, I'm sorry but my dad should be home soon so you have to go," oddly enough, I was sad when he frowned and told me he understood. As I showed him out, he kissed me again. This time it was long. His lips were pillowy soft. I could kiss him all day. I nudge him out the door

"I know, I know, I have to go," Dane looked at me with his sad brown eyes.

"Maybe I'll see you tomorrow?" I ask Dane.

"Maybe," he said with a wink and he walked down the walkway and turned the corner. So much for enemies.

***

I was lucky Dane left when he did because just a few minutes later my father came home. I want him to catch me with a boy, especially not that boy. Later that night, when dad and Abuelita Rosa were home, I was still puzzled with what to bake. Paging through my mother's cookbook, and a bunch of other cookbooks around the house, I still didn't know what I was going to bake. When I asked grandma, she told me to bake something from the heart. Whatever that means. I paged through one of the last books on the shelf, feeling hopeless. Behind all of the books I found a small cookbook, written on printer paper and colored with markers and colored pencils.

"Yes!" I exclaimed, as the memories started flooding back. I found my old cookbook! It had all of my cake pop recipes in it from when I was going though a cake pop faze. My excitement got the best of me! I started grabbing ingredients from the fridge and pantry. Reading the recipes, I choose lemon ones. I was looking for something sweet and sour. As I baked I heard a voice that I ignored.

"Ali, what are you baking?" It was Abuelita Rosa. I love that woman but she wants to know everything all the time.

"Oh, just some cake pops. I found my old handmade cookbook and decided to bake something from it," I was so excited to get baking something I created back in my youth.

"Sounds good, hun. Let me know if you need anything," Abuelita Rosa said as she left the room. Good. I need to focus on this task at hand.

***

I made sure to get to school nice and early so that I could put a cake pop in Dane's locker, just like how I did when he first moved here. I hope he likes it, I think to myself as I jam it through the crack, hoping not to crush it too much.

Later I watch Dane open his locker and pull out his cake pop at the end of the day. He smells it, which I thought was kind of weird but moving on. Instead of what happened in middle school, he doesn't throw it out. He brings the cake pop to his mouth and takes a long bite, probably to savor the flavor. He devours the whole thing, so I walk away, secretly hoping that he will come to my house later.

***

When I'm home from school, I'm home alone yet again. What a surprise. I work at the bakery part time, only on Thursday's and Friday's and sometimes on the weekends if dad needs any extra help. And for today being Tuesday, I'm home. Abuelita Rosa Has yoga classes every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:45 to 5:15 and Roberto is always at his friends house gaming after school. I got abruptly pulled out of my daze when I heard a loud knock at the door. I grabbed my rose shimmer lip gloss and globed it on. Swinging open the thick, wooden door, painted a dark olive green, I see you know who.

"Dane, what a surprise," I said sarcastically. I had a strong feeling Dane was going to come over today and who's surprised that I am right.

"Hey, Ali," Dane said, he assumed that I wouldn't know that he was coming over, "I hope that I'm not intruding on anything. He said the phrase as if I had not really gotten to know him, but I have. When we were younger (in seventh and eight grade) we had a little middle school relationship. But then, the summer going into high school, Dane moved away for two years. His father forced him to come with him to a new location he had purchased for another one of his little chain cafés, Perk Up.

Last year he moved back, right before the start of junior year. I hadn't really seen Dane much since he moved back. I mean, I saw him around school and stuff, but I never really talked to him much. We never had any classes together or, even though we have each other's phone numbers, we never texted or called one another. I guess that is why I was so surprised when he showed up at my door yesterday.

"So, uh, are you going to let me in or...?" Dane asked, and I realized that I had been standing at the door for a little bit too long. I let Dane in and we sat in the same places as yesterday- Dane on the couch and me on the love seat. We could have both sat on the couch, but I felt like it would be super awkward- sitting that close to Dane.

"So what do you want to do?" I asked Dane, knowing exactly what he wanted to do, but that I wasn't ready for that.

"Well, I know what I want to do," Dane said, looking out the window behind me and then at my face. He stared into my eyes and then at my lips. I wished I had never let this boy out of my sight for so long.