Dear Ethan: A Second Chance Romance

Chapter 9: Operation Cake

*Jodie*

Sam's face fell when she caught sight of the bruise on my stomach. "Oh, Jodie," she said. I waved her away. This wasn't the first time I got hit but it was the first time it left a purple bruise.

"We should tell my mom," Sam's gaze hardened. "She'll know what to do."

"No," I said stubbornly. There was no way. Even though things had gotten worse they wouldn't be any better if I ended up in foster care. And then things would truly be hopeless.

"You could stay with us," Sam pleaded. The expression on her face made my heart break. She really wanted to help but this wasn't her battle to fight. I didn't want to be a burden to anyone. I spent enough time at the Kelly's house. I didn't need them to take me in permanently as well.

"I'll be okay. She was just in a rotten mood. But the school year is almost over and I'll be waitressing all summer. And then just one more year of school before I can leave."

Preferably someplace far, far away. I had saved up enough to afford the first two years of tuition and Landon chipped in now and then to my college fund as well. I had to get out of there. That goal was the only thing keeping me sane.

Sam looked so sad that it made me want to hug her. We embraced tightly and I listened to her heartbeat for a moment before I sprang back.

"Let's talk about something else. Like Operation MHFILWM" Her ears perked up at the mention before glancing over at all the things I had spread out across her kitchen island. A bag of flour, a carton of eggs, a can of frosting, plus three sticks of cream cheese.

Ethan's birthday was tomorrow. March 17th. I decided this would be the day I told him how I felt.

"That's brilliant!" said Sam, her face brightening after I filled her in on the plan.

I wasn't a professional baker but I baked a cake for one of my older neighbors last year and she seemed to really like it. And talking was never my strong suit. I figured he would get it once he saw the cake.

My heart fluttered. He would finally get how I felt about him. I didn't just want to be walking buddies anymore. I wanted him to ask me to prom. I wanted us to date and for him to hold my hand. I wanted to kiss him whenever I wanted and to tell him things.

Sam helped me preheat the oven while I whisked everything together. In our dossier on Ethan, it said he usually avoided sweets but he had a soft spot for red velvet cake. I wanted to make sure it was something he would like. Sam licked the batter and her eyes rolled. "Why is cream cheese so good?"

"Probably because it's bad for you," I replied. We laughed when my hands shook trying to apply the frosting. I wrote Happy Birthday Ethan in loopy cursive but it looked like chicken scratch. I groaned. Letters were not my strong suit. Sam looked over my shoulder. "Can I try?" I gave her the piping bag and she wrote out the words beautifully like a professional. She punctuated it with an exclamation mark and a smiley face.

"Perfect," I breathed out as we admired our work. It was a little lopsided but inside it was bursting with cocoa powder, buttermilk, and decadent cream cheese. We licked the rest of the batter from the bowl and then Sam helped me write the card.

I kept it short and sweet. I didn't want to write him a letter and have him freak out. I just wanted him to know how I felt and if he felt the same way. My skin flushed as I read the words back.

"This is so romantic!" Sam cooed, kicking her feet on the stool.

"How should I sign off though? Love feels too serious. Sincerely? Warm Regards?"

Sam snorted. "Jodie, you can't say Warm Regards after writing something like that. Just write Love. It's classic."

"But I don't want it to mean, love, love. Like I'm in love with him."

"Aren't you though?" She said mischievously.

"Okay well ya but I don't want him to know that just yet!" I said indignantly while she howled with laughter. She held her stomach, as tears gathered in her eyes. "Okay then how about...yours truly?"

I moaned loudly. Why was this so hard? The letter should be the most difficult part, not the sign off. When we finally finished, we put on our coats and went outside.

It had just rained and the air smelled fresh, most of the remaining snow was quickly melting under the sunlight. Sam came with me to the front of the house before I dashed up his driveway and left the cake box and the note by the front door. 

We ran back to Sam's house laughing and screaming. 

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What's the craziest thing you've done for your crush? 

Bit of a short chapter this week but will do another update soon :)