Baker Boy

Chapter Four

"And rise," said Madame Carolyn, swaying along with the piano music. "McKayla, relevé higher!"

Grimacing, Andy struggled to keep her balance as she counted down the eight beats. The floor felt like the deck of a galley in a storm and she was as relieved as a sailor would be to see a subsiding tempest.

Madame Carolyn walked into the centre of the room and Andy watched the reflection in the mirrors as she demonstrated the exercise. She talked them through the sets, using a mix of the proper French terms and some of her own.

Then, she clapped her hands and pressed 'play' on her little remote. Waiting in preparatory position, Andy counted through the opening of the song to get used to the tempo.

After the four counts, she leaped onto the blocks of the pointe shoes – and missed. Her left big toe took all the impact.

She hopped off pointe and clumsily knelt down. There was no pain, just numbness. With shaky hands, she undid the ribbons and pulled off her shoes.

Blood was already starting to spread up her tights. Ripping off her toe pads, Andy pulled the flap of the convertible tights over her toes.

The half of the nail that had snapped clung to the other part by a thin strip that was still connected. However, the curved edge had caught on the mesh of her now-crimson tights.

"Madame Carolyn?" Andy asked, knowing that the dragon lady herself was breathing down her back. "I think I need to go to the nurse's office."

She got a careless wave from Madame since it was her fault for not cutting her nails. Carefully, Andy stood up and hobbled over to the side to get her bag. After pulling a simple dress over her leotard and tights, she chucked her plethora of various ballet shoe models into her bag. She could arrange them later anyway.

Progress was slow since every step pulled on the tights, which pulled on her toenail. She hissed constantly, blinking tears out of her eyes.

"What happened to you?" Austin asked as Andy stumbled into the sickbay.

"An accident, and a rather bloody one at that," she said, looking around for the first-aid kit.

Pulling out the metal box marked with a red cross, Andy dropped it onto Austin's belly. He groaned but looked just fine.

"So what happened to you?" She dug around, looking for a pair of pliers and some cotton gauze.

Austin shrugged. "I fell sick on Friday but they couldn't find out what was wrong until this morning."

She bit back her scream as she irrigated the area with some sterile saline solution.

"They're using appraisals to cast for our winter performance," Andy gritted out. "We better start practicing.

When she could finally see through the blood, Andy went in with the pliers to tear off the nail. She sucked in a breath before yanking it out. More blood gushed out from the trauma and her fingers refused to cooperate. The packet of gauze was suddenly impossible to tear open.

Calmly, Austin took the packet and ripped it open, pulling out a square of cotton gauze, which he pressed to the area with one hand while digging around for a waterproof plaster with another. Then, he wrapped the Band-Aid around her toe before shoving her foot off his bed.

"I don't think you should work today," he said, packing up the first-aid kit. "It may make it worse."

"You know I have to," replied Andy, slipping on her sandal. "Get well soon."

She headed back to the dorm to drop her things off before going to the Brew House to start her shift.

Since it was Monday, they opened slightly later as Sarah, Deacon, and Andy all had morning classes. Rachel, the manager would come to open the shop and Jade used to bake before her afternoon art classes.

The lights were still off, save for the ones in the office and behind the counter. Andy could heard Rachel talking on the phone from behind the glass door. She was pacing back and forth on the linoleum, making agitated gestures with her free hand.

"Listen, this is your job and until you give me your letter of resignation, you're employed and you are required to come to work," she said. "Come now, we're opening soon and you need to start baking."

There was a pause and Andy could only make out slurred phrases thrown out with reckless abandon.

"Please, Aellius, you're the only baker we have. There's a commitment to the shop that you need to uphold."

Rachel never begged. She ran the Brew House with an iron fist and demanded respect. Even Andy was afraid of Rachel.

"You better show up," she snapped and hung up.

Andy tied up the straps of her apron and switched on the power supply to the appliances. Dutifully, she headed to the fridge to get out the cakes and cookies that could be kept for more than a day. They barely filled up the display shelf.

"Hi Rachel, would you like anything?" she asked, wiping down the counters.

"A double expresso please," Rachel replied, rubbing her temples.

Andy smiled. "It's coming right up."

Rachel took the chairs off the tables and began wiping them down. When she was done with the drink, Andy took over and wiped down everything.

"Aellius should be here soon," she said, going to the sink to wash the mug. "I have to do some important accounts in the office. Try not to disturb me."

"Alright, keep it up, Rachel."

Walking to the door, Andy flipped over the sign and turned on half the lights. The Brew House had big windows that allowed a significant amount of sunlight to stream in, reducing their electricity bills.

She had to turn down a few customers as Aellius took his time to get to the café. There were no pastries for the breakfast crowd and Andy felt terrible. They were losing business.

Finally, he came in an hour later with his motorbike helmet tucked under his arm. To Andy's surprise, he did not go straight to the kitchen. Instead, Eli sat at one of the tables, folded his arms, and proceeded to take a nap.

"Hey, don't you need to get started?" Andy asked when she finished with her final latte.

Eli groaned. "Give me five more minutes."

"The lunch crowd is coming in soon."

"Fuck off," he mumbled into the tabletop.

Andy's jaw dropped. She stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do. Then she nudged his arm.

"Come on, just get your job done then you can leave."

"Fuck off, bitch."

Andy was frustrated to her breaking point. She gave him a large shove – one that pushed him out of his seat at the small coffee table.

Eli's grey eyes flashed with the promise of violence as he glared at Andy. He took his time to stand back up, relishing in the fact that Andy was frozen in place. He surged forward, grabbing Andy by the collar of her blouse.

"Eli, stop," Andy warned, fully aware of the eyes on them.

"Don't tell me what to do," he spat. "Now I'm going to start my work, not because you told me, but because I want to."

He shoved her backwards, causing her to lose her balance. The back of the chair dug into her back when she fell over, and the chair gave, sliding forward to slam into the table.

"Are you alright?" asked one of the art boys that frequented the café. He knelt down, helping her into a sitting position.

Andy wiped at her watering eyes. "I'm fine," she said. Her back hurt from the tumble and she was sure it was going to carry on and bite her back tomorrow.

Then she turned to look at Rachel's office. The light was still on and she could see Rachel working at her desk through the glass window. Thankfully, the manager did not hear anything.