Jessica's Fate

Chapter 70

I found myself back into the middle of buttercream the next day.

Baking was my only escape and I was using it like a crutch because there was something I didn't want to do.

Like big, breaking up with Tony stuff, that I didn't want to do. I sighed softly and put the icing into a piping bag before I went to go get a tray of cupcakes out of the walk in. I frowned at them for a long moment before starting to pipe rosettes of frosting on top of them.

"Something on your mind?"

I looked up and gave Luke a tired smile. "Yeah, something." I shrugged.

"I'm a great listener, even without cupcakes or frosting."

"I know you are." I said.

"So, talk. But before you do, and before you continue... are you sure you meant to put the Lavender icing on the mocha cupcakes? I was pretty sure you were doing lavender lemon cupcakes this time around."

I swore a blue streak and set down the piping bag and huffed a sigh. "Crap." I looked at him and pushed my glasses up with one finger at the corner.

"No worries, Jessie. I'll still eat them."

I burst out laughing. "Of course, you will. Thank you for stopping me at six." I rolled my eyes at him and took the six cupcakes off the tray and set them aside, returning the tray to the walk in and grabbing the lemon cupcakes instead.

"So, what's on your mind?" He pulled a stool over next to me and took a seat before grabbing one of the cupcakes and taking a bite.

"I ... I have to break up with Tony and I'm not sure how." I blurted, feeling my face blush pink and I looked down at the cupcakes before starting again to pipe rosettes on the top of the correct cupcakes.

He didn't say anything but I heard him chewing and once he'd swallowed – mega points of credit to him for not choking when I blurted that out – he set the cupcake down and studied me. "Jess, if it's not right... if you're not feeling it then don't feel bad about ending it." He said. I shrugged one shoulder and kept working. "Not everyone meets their soulmate at 16. Not everyone decides that they've found the only relationship they ever want to have the first few times out."

"You did." I mumbled. "And Sang found hers the first time right off the bat."

"Oh, it was tough though, sissy." He picked up the cupcake. "She definitely didn't have it easy at all. And neither did we. There was a lot of work and talking and all sorts of therapy involved in letting us be this good together six years later."

I stopped piping and studied him. "Yeah, I guess. You all did change a lot after New Year's." I said. Kota's birthday week that year had been practically epic. Sang had stayed with us for a week and then I know she spent a few weeks with the Taylors and another few with Victor because his parents were gone and Gabriel stayed there too. I'd gathered she was back at Nathan's and she'd spent about a month at our place before she did it all over again until school was out and they'd made the house swap with Uncle.

"You're okay. You're almost 19 and embarking on the schooling you chose. It's your life and you're free to do what you want with it and have relationships with whomever you want." He finished the cupcake. "Don't let your past dictate what happens with your future. That being said, you are on the edge of a cliff." He pointed at me. "Your birthday is next weekend. If you're with him, he should come to your party. He knows North already but isn't it time that the rest of us met him too?"

I sighed. "That is part of the problem. Yes, he's Academy. Raven knows him too and I think most to all the Toma team is going to come over too. You all are super scary no matter what when all of you are around. I'm not sure I want him to be subjected to that. I mean, I haven't ever even had him over here for any reason."