For Real? ✅

Chapter 8

TESS

It's a lazy Sunday afternoon when I see Leah again. We're at Betty's, the tiny bakery, where we both work.

At first, it was me who used to work here. I really needed the job so that I could pay my tuition fees. Besides, my mom taught me a bit of baking, and she always told me that I was good at it.
Baking was like our thing.

After her death, I began to bake more as it was something that comforted me. There was nothing as relaxing as mixing the dough or icing the cake.

On the other hand, Leah knew nothing about baking. She only came over to chat with me while I worked.

"I'm so bored Tess. The apartment feels so empty without you." She'd complain.

Then, one day, Leah had been caught by Helen, the owner of Betty's. Helen's always particular about work, so she hadn't appreciated Leah coming over.
"Either you leave or you work here." She'd said.

Despite not having a clue about baking, Leah signed up to work, mostly so that she could give me company.

She is such a good friend in so many ways.

Nevertheless, she also knows how to annoy me.
Like right now.

"Tess, he's so dreamy though. I can't stop thinking about him", she sighs.

She proceeds to gaze lovingly at the cupcakes she was icing, making cute little unicorn-shaped ones.
She ices another cupcake before starting to blabber again.

"He's really friendly you know, despite being so popular. I've never seen any guy like that."

"Well, as long as he gets what he wants, why wouldn't he be?" I whisper, but Leah pretends to not notice.

"And he had this cute little telescope, so we were stargazing for a long time. He looks so handsome when he's passionate about something... "

"Wait... Let me get this straight. Adam White had a telescope?" I ask her stunned. As far as I knew, the guy was an airhead.

"Yup, " Leah says, looking annoyed because she was interrupted.

"And he was gazing at stars?" I ask her incredulously.

"Yes, why?"

"Impossible," I mutter under my breath. "Are you sure you saw Adam?" I ask, a bit louder this time.

"Yes!" Leah hisses, exasperated. "I did see Adam and he did point out constellations."

I think hard, wondering when Adam started using the smart guy angle... Maybe, he just did it because stargazing was romantic.

Damn, he just tries so hard...

"And then, he had his arms around me, and I could..." Leah is busy explaining how she and Adam had apparently 'cuddled'.

"Yeah, about that," I interrupt for the second time. Leah gives me a frown, but I forge ahead anyway.

"Leah, he's a complete stranger. I know he's a student too, but you can't trust him that easily. What if something had happened to you?"

Leah rolls her eyes, "But I'm fine. Even more of reason to trust him."

"You're so naive Leah, it's time you grew up," I tell her, exasperated.

Leah opens her mouth, but the oven dings, indicating that the cupcakes are done.

"Ah, the new batch is ready. Leah, I want sunflower cupcakes this time. Tess, is the dough ready?" Helen questions, having just entered the bakery.

Helen's a brilliant pastry chef herself. She has two students, Annette and Tony, interning under her. She usually takes in culinary students, so I don't know why she employed me and Leah. We're so inexperienced.

However, I'm glad she did, because now I do know a lot about baking. Leah, too, has a hand for icing.

Anyway, Helen's also strict, so you always need to be careful around her and try not to get on her bad side.

"Yes ma'am," I say, going to fill the moulds with cupcake dough.
Leah, retreats into silence, focusing on finishing the last unicorn cupcake that had to be iced.

Helen smiles satisfactorily, seeing that she's dissolved our conversation again. She hates it when we talk at work.
Leah suffers more because she can't shut her mouth.

Once Helen leaves, I turn to Leah.

"Look, I'd trust any guy, but Adam White is different okay? He aims to sleep with every girl in college. He's a player, Leah, and not just any, he's the worst. I don't want you to risk-."

"How do you know this?", Leah asks, cutting me off. "If it's just another rumour you've heard, save it for another time. Adam doesn't seem like any of that. He's sweet", she says firmly, looking irritated with me.

Is this the part where she tells me to mind my own business? Seems like it.

I would too, I'm tired of giving her relationship advice. Except that this time, she's really endangering herself.

Adam White is a player, he is the worst. And I am not basing this off a random rumour I've heard.

I watch Leah get up and take a pill out of her purse. She swallows it while glaring at me the whole time.

"I got a headache by just talking to you", she says, trying to annoy me, so that I talk to her again.
It doesn't matter to her if I am annoyed or not, she just wants to resume our conversation.

I smile to myself. She's still such a kid. Sometimes I feel like I'm friends with a twelve-year-old.

This is exactly why she needs to understand what she's getting into.