"Um, Jay, are you okay?" Liz asked worriedly.
I nodded slightly, slowly dragging in the much needed air through my lips.
I could take a lot of things, that much I was for sure, but having Colin mad at me was one thing that hurt like crazy. Out of all the things I did to him, whether it was from ruining his life with all of my havoc or the occasional lies I told, he never once got mad. Not once. He always held me close and told me that things would be okay, or that he'd fix it. And never in those times has he lied. He always fixed the things that I messed up, or the things that were broken in my life.
Yet, in that one time where he was broken, I mean truly broken, I broke him more and left him stranded. In the middle of his heartbreak, grieving, the madness, everything. I just left him to fend for himself. It was selfish, really selfish, but I was the only one trying to help him. I love Colin with every single fiber of my being, but seeing him mad or in pain because of me was something that I could not take for the life of me.
"Yeah, I-I'm fine." I lied.
She gave me this saddened smile, or a smile that was full of pity, which I hated. "Do you think that you could come help me? I'm trying to make a strawberry cake, but I think this is a disaster."
Walking over to the island and looking into the bowl, I tasted that she was right. That cake mix was rancid. "Wow, um, okay. Tell me exactly what you did so that we will never make that mistake again." I snatched that bowl from her powdery hands, and poured it into the sink. I then grabbed a clean bowl and measuring cups, and I began using a recipe that was perfect for any occasion.
"Liz, do you have a lemon or any lemon extract?"
"Yeah!"
Rummaging through the refrigerator and cupboard, she handed me exactly what I asked for. "Okay, thank you. Now, Liz, you go and take care of what you're good at, and just leave the baking to me. Because you are just... wow. Tell me, how is Derek still alive?"
She let out a hearty laugh, shoving me a little, "Derek loves my cooking!" She tried defending.
"No, sweetie, I think he loves you. How about you just stick to entertaining the guests, yeah?"
She rolled her eyes, a smile still on her face, "Fine, but only because you're giving me good cred."
"Perfect!" Grabbing onto her shoulders, I ushered her out of the kitchen. "There's a huge 'x' on this door, stay out!" I pushed her out of the entrance, and I went back to the bowl. I figured a white cake with lemon frosting would do just fine.
"Hi, I'm Hayden, who are you?" The little girl beside me asked curiously, her head cocked to the side like a lost puppy.
"I'm Jay. It's nice to meet you, Hayden." I held my hand out for her, and she eagerly shook it. I giggled at her. She was too adorable.
"What are we making?" Hayden asked excitedly.
"A white cake with lemon frosting. Ever had it before?"
She shook her head, "I don't get a lot of sweets. Daddy says it's bad for your health."
I frowned a little, "Yeah, that's true. But, one little sweet won't hurt, right?"
"Um," she tapped her chin with her finger, "I guess not."
I laughed a bit, "It won't, Sweetie. So, tonight, me and you are gonna make the most perfect cake."
"But I never made a cake before." She said, this little frown on her face.
"Don't worry. You'll do great." That put an enormous grin on her face, which I couldn't help but smiling back at.
