Dear Erika Parker, I've Always Loved You

Chapter Two.

Baking & flirting
♡ Erika ♡
. . .

The familiar and faint smell of cookies fill the air as I mix and mix the yellow lemon flavored icing around in its container with a spoon.

I mix and mix and mix, careful to make sure it's mixed perfectly or it'll melt right off the way it did when I was seven and tried to help my mama cook mom's birthday cake.

Across from me Libby continuously spins around in the fuzzy gray chair in front of our new kitchen island.

"Ehhh!" She squeals, "I'm so happy you're here again with your..." she's practically drooling, "freshly baked shit-" she stops the chair and reaches out for a brownie.

This time, I don't squat her hand away- mainly because since our moms went on a store run about an hour ago, the whole kitchen is filled with pastries of all sorts- ones I barely plan on eating but more or less make to calm my anxiety.

"Oh god" Autumn shakes her head, "when our moms come back..." she trails off, looking around the kitchen from the end of the island where the trash can is.

"They'll laugh chill out Teetee" Libby says with a chuckle, loudly smacking on the half-eaten brownie.

"I am chill, Libs" Autumn glares, "I just- don't you think this is overkill?"

"I can't help it!" I say defensively, feeling my cheeks grow red, "I'm nervous okay!"

"You've been here for half a month!" Autumn reassures me, "and we're not kids anymore, gay moms aren't bully bait".

"Easy for you to say" I mutter, "you" I point the spoon at her, "were and still remain never bullied".

"Yeah..." she laughs with a snort, "b-but like only because I wear something you don't Eri" she stands at my side.

"And what's that? Being white?"

"What?" She wrinkles her nose like the mere idea is unbelievable, "no" she waves her hand dismissively, "confidence".

"Autumn" I look my friend- a little taller than me even at fifteen, square in the eyes, "I'm always the smallest kid in my class, obviously adopted by two lesbians, the Asian stereotype, and still short even at sixteen and shorter than you at most! Please" I snort, "confidence is out the window".

"We all have lesbian moms!" Libby says with un-swallowed brownie still in her mouth which makes her words all muffled, "you're just unlucky".

"Oh thanks" I roll my eyes, "I should sell you guys for a cat" I murmur.

"You already have" Autumn's hands fly to her side as she gives me a pointed sassy glare, "and it didn't even work because you gave him to a girl".

"A cute girl" Libby pipes in.

I scowl at her- throwing a big glob of lemon icing on the yellow cake, "first off-" I begin.

"Still a girl!" Autumn injects pointedly.

I roll my eyes, "whatever, get the cookies" I nod over to the oven.