Sweet Tooth: On My Block

2: spooky

Just half an hour before Maxine's shift ended, Dom and the two Santos from yesterday walked in with a new Santo. His strong, well-built frame towered over the others, and by the way he stood in front of them, Maxine assumed he was some sort of leader.

"How may I help you?" She asked politely, pulling her apron strings tighter around her waist. Maxine didn't have a strict dress code, she required only an apron. Under the apron, she was wearing a tight gingham tank top and light wash jeans. 

"This is Spooky, Maxine," Dom said, clapping the tall Santo on the back. 

Spooky stepped forward. "So this is the new bakery?"

"Yep. We opened a few weeks ago."

"It's pretty nice. Smells good," he assessed, looking around. "You own it?"

"Yeah. Are you going to order anything, or...?" Maxine pulled her tank top down to cover her midriff, though the apron was already blocking it. 

"I'll take that cake." Maxine pulled on gloves and bent down to get it. "I don't mean the baked good," he continued, smirking.

She rolled her eyes at his stupid line and stood up. "Any baked goods that you want to buy? Because that cake's not for sale."

The other Santos snickered at her comeback but shut up when Spooky cut them a glare. "Damn, I see how it is. Can I get two boxes of the chocolate cookies, and, uh, a box of those little mini donut things?" Maxine quickly boxed his orders and placed them on the counter. He handed the boxes back to the guys behind him.

"That will be thirty-five...forty dollars. How would you like to pay?"

"Cash," he said, and stuck his hands into his pockets. He fished out two bills and slammed them onto the counter. 

Two hundred dollars in cash. Maxine raised an eyebrow. "You only had to pay forty dollars."

"It's a tip," Spooky replied simply, and winked. Then he and the other Santos left just as quickly as they came, slamming the door behind them, leaving the bell ringing.

Maxine turned to Nova, who was just as shocked as she was. Nova examined the bills closely. "Damn, Maxie! I'm pretty sure that these bills are legit. Guess that guy's taken a liking to you."

Maxine blushed despite herself, and ran a hand through her curly hair. "I suppose. But I'm not planning to get caught up with one of those Santos. I don't want anything to do with them and their gang lifestyle. I can't risk losing someone else to gang violence."'

"Maxie, you can't be like that, with your walls up and shit," Nova said softly. "I understand how you feel, but girl, that's no way to live."

Sighing, Maxine pulled herself onto the counter and untied her apron. "I know, but I feel like I might just come undone. Like I'm on the edge of a cliff, and one step in the wrong direction and I fall off. One more incident, and I won't be able to take it."

"Eat a pastry," Nova smiled, feeding the troubled girl a chunk-sized bite of a raspberry danish. "I'll allow you to have this danish. Don't go overboard, okay?"

"Yes, Mom. Oh!" Maxine remembered. "I have to go check in on my mom, so I'll probably come home late."

"Okay, now I really feel like a mom. Yes, you can stay out after curfew, dear daughter."

Maxine laughed and jumped off the counter, tugging on her jacket. "Very funny. Don't forget to lock up the bakery, Nova. I'll try to be home soon." She shut the door behind her. Noticing a shadow behind her, she turned around. "Aah!"

"Max?!" Nova yelled, running outside with a baseball bat. She swung the bat at the man beside Maxine, and it hit him right on the head. "Take that, you asshole!"

"Fuck! What the hell?!" The guy yelled out, holding his bald head. Maxine rolled her eyes when she saw who he was, and signaled for Nova to drop the bat.

"Spooky, what are you doing here? We're closing."

"It's Oscar."

"Okay, Oscar. What are you doing here?"

"Don't worry about that. Maybe I wanted more pastries. Maybe I wanted to see you again. Alone," he said pointedly, looking at Nova, who took the hint and went back into the bakery.

"Well, now's not a good time. I have to go check up on my mom, and it's already getting a little late. Can you talk another time?"

"I'll drive you," Oscar told Maxine, gesturing to the red car parked outside. 

She climbed into the passenger's side and turned to him. "Thank you."

"It's no problem, Max."

"Max?" Maxine asked, wrinkling up her nose. 

"A no go on that, then. How about Maxie?"

"You don't know me well enough to call me that."

"Then tell me about yourself, Maxine," he grinned, turning the wheel. "Where were you from? Why have you only come into town now? Because I know for sure that if you were here before, I would've noticed you by now."

"You're too cocky. And I'm from Freeridge, I just left for culinary school. I wanted to start up my own bakery in Brentwood, but...some things happened, and I had to start it here."

"Okay, you're not telling me anything except that you wanted to be a white girl chef."

"Oh, shut up," Maxine laughed. "I wanted to start the bakery in Brentwood because it was more safe for me, and it would be better for business. And it's not like I know anything about you except for your name. And I don't even know your last name."

"Fine, you got me. Oscar Diaz, leader of Los Santos. I have a younger brother, and, believe it or not, I wanted to go to culinary school too."

"Really? How come you didn't go?"

"Like you said. Some things happened, and...I couldn't. But I'm fine here." He turned to Maxine with an annoying smile. "Unlike you, white girl."

Maxine rolled her eyes. "You're irritating, you know?"

"I know. But I also know that you think it's kinda cute."

"Sorta."

"Sorta," he mimicked her shrug, and turned back to the wheel. "Is this it?"

Maxine smiled and hopped out of the car, shutting the door after her. "Thank you, Oscar."

"No problem, Max."

Quarantine has me so bored that it's hard for me to not update the story fourteen times a day...do you think Maxine and Oscar are cute?