The Ballerina & The Devil

Five. Apologies

I waited by Aidan's locker the next morning with a plastic container of cupcakes in my hands.

I scanned the hallway, hoping he'd show up. It took a lot of effort to find out his locker number, and I didn't want my attempts to go wasted.

Well, okay not a lot of effort. All I did was kiss up to the office secretary, and she was more than happy to give me the desired information.

Who knew complimenting her horrid dye job was all it would take to get a locker number?

I looked down at my cupcakes and smiled with pride. They were chocolate cupcakes with vanilla icing topped perfectly on each one of them. They all had an edible heart shaped sugar things on top with letters that spelled out one sentence.

They were pretty damn perfect if I do say so myself.

It had taken me a good three hours last night to make them. Most of that time consisted of me redoing the batter because I kept getting eggshells in it; and no, not just little fragments. I'm talking about almost entire eggshells in the mix.

I also kept burning batches. I think I went through about three dozen burned cupcakes until finally I got it perfectly right, but all the sweat, burns, and tears had been worth it. They looked amazing, and Aidan better appreciate them, or I'd throw it in his face.

Actually, no, I wouldn't. I'd take them and eat them myself because everybody knows you don't just waste pastries. It's the unspoken rule of the universe.

"Can I help you?" The familiar voice asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I looked up to see Aidan standing in front of his locker, staring at me like I might have been lost.

He wished.

"Good morning," I smiled brightly. "How are you?"

He stared at me for a moment longer before he twirled his lock combo and popped open his locker.

"Umm, I don't know if you remember me from yesterday," I tried again. "But I'm Demi. We had a few...encounters."

He pulled out a pack of cigarettes from the top shelf of his locker.

I frowned slightly but decided it wasn't my place to judge and plowed on. "And I...," I watched him pull out a lighter next. "You have a lighter in your locker?"

"No, I pulled it out of thin air," he said. "I'm a wizard."

I clicked my tongue. It was nice to know he could, in fact, talk, but at the same time he only spoke when he was being sarcastic or when he wanted to be rude, so I wasn't all that appreciative of him opening his mouth.

I ignored his statement and continued with what I was saying. "Anyway, I just wanted to give you something, so here," I held out the container of cupcakes.

Aidan's eyebrows furrowed. "What is it?"

"They're cupcakes," I said, forcing them into his hands. "I made them."

"You made me cupcakes?" He asked, looking at me with inquiry in his eyes.

"Yep," I nodded and motioned with my hands eagerly. "Open it. Now. Open it now."

He looked at me bemused, but lifted the lid just as I asked. He stared at them for a while before he looked at me again, looking even more confused than before.

"It says 'I A Sorr Aian'." His eyebrows raised.

"Oh, it's suppose to say 'I Am Sorry Aidan'. I, um, I kind of ate a couple on the way to school," I frowned guiltily.