fragile ; handle w/ care

“Is that so? Does that mean you’ll be joining me on the cry session during Jersey Shore? Because if so then I think that means our friendship has propelled to a whole new level.” Truly, she couldn’t help the laughter that soon followed. Remy had no shame in crying over certain things. She was an emotional person and well, that came out at the most random times. All she could really do was embrace it, honestly. It didn’t help right now that the topic of Channing wasn’t an easy pill to swallow for the blonde, though. She was already a mess from the movie, now this added discussion was just gonna weigh heavy on her. “But how will you know if you’re gonna get there if you don’t take that leap, ya know? I mean, like I just said, you gotta be willing to possibly get hurt if it means getting another shot at something epic. Do you really want her to be one of your biggest what ifs?” Now that was coming from experience because that’s exactly what Channing was to Remy. Her biggest what if. Of course, talking about her now, Remy had to try and push away her own feelings. She wasn’t a selfish person, not outwardly, and well, she tried not to be inward either, but in some cases, it was difficult. “No? Then why bring it up? Or go on the date even? Hmm?” She cooed, teasing her about it a bit. Remy knew Jamie fairly well. The Fitzpatrick family was like family to her as well. So it was actually kinda cool getting to hear it from Dana’s side. “Well…is there another date then? Have you been talking to them? I mean, they can be serious if they want…why not give it a shot? Unless you prefer to give that shot to Channing? Or are you kinda torn between the two right now?”

“I mean I can’t say no to trashy television so absolutely” What could she say? She was a sucker for bad reality television and had perhaps shed a tear or two during The Bachelor and Jersey Shore. At least she wasn’t alone in that. Remy was right though, Dana would never quite know until she took a chance once in a while. While Dana didn’t think the odds were in her favor when it came to Channing, she also didn’t want to let her become another what if. “No, I guess I don’t really want that either,” She said quietly before letting out a deep sigh and rubbing her temple. After all, what did she really want then? If you asked her, Dana would say a relationship that was free of doubts. She wasn’t sure if she and Channing would ever get to that point considering all their history but she hoped they could in the future. “Okay before you read into it way too much, the date was mostly a joke that turned into a very sweet gesture, but I don’t know, it’s Jamie” She shrugged her shoulders, not quite knowing how to explain their friendship, “They’re cute and they’re sweet, and they’re very very charming but...” because there was always a but wasn’t there, “I’m a serial monogamist who has a lot of baggage. As much as I love the Fitzpatrick family, I don’t think Jamie and I are meant to be” Tragically so, for now anyway. “That’s sort of the issue. Between Channing, Jamie, Brad Pitt or literally anyone in the world, I’ve always chosen her –– it’s like someone makes you feel good about yourself a billion years ago and even though there were a lot of shitty things she did in between, the good is the only thing I remember whenever I see her and I want that again even if it’s a terrible decision that’s bound to backfire.” Saying it out loud made her feel a little less insane for actually considering giving Channing a second chance, “I can’t tell if that makes me foolishly optimistic or just plain stupid.”

Aly laughed as she listened to the other, assuming she wasn’t far off some of the kids that Dana spoke about - she too didn’t care what was inside the baked goods as long as it satisfied her sweet tooth. “They’re your kids for the year, right? I get it, they are basically your kids for as long as you teach them. Hell, I wish my teachers had brought in baked goods, I might have actually paid more attention in class.” She said with a chuckle, knowing full well that if it hadn’t been for her sister pulling her through she’d have struggled to even graduate high school, let alone college. “I would be much offended if you ever made a carrot cake and wasn’t able to try it. It’s my only stipulation in life. Where there is carrot cake, I must eat it. I’m surprised I haven’t turned into a piece of cake by now, every time I come and get coffee I order a slice if it’s on display. Maybe I need Cake-Anonymous.” She added with a shrug, having always been one to be a little dramatic when it came to it. She took the receipt with a smile and tucked it into her notebook so she wouldn’t lose it. “Three months salary, right?” She asked, remembering conversations from her friends back in New York complaining about the size of the ring she’d been given - much to Aly’s entertainment. “Oh I’m gonna be trolling around that school for baked goods whenever I get the chance. I’ll pretend I’m there to you know… contribute towards educate, but really, I’m all about the cake.”

LOCATION: A Park WITH: @danaabrams​

“So, I’ve been thinking….” No sentence by anyone EVER starts off this way and ends up being wholly good. However, Liv was fully confident in her ideas and if she were to rope anyone into doing them with her, it was Dana. Especially now that it was summer and therefore she didn’t have a classroom full of bright, smiling faces to teach. “It’s time to step awaaaay from the books and do something fun. Not that reading isn’t but, you know… I need a distraction and something tells me, – call it a hunch – that you’d be best suited for the task. So, tell me, what’s something on your bucket list? And, don’t you dare say bungee jumping because, that’s some crazy people stuff. And it’s a no from me.” 

With summer in full bloom, Dana found herself with a lot more time on her hands. Even the after school program she was working on didn’t keep her busy every single day. However, it was nice to just sit back and relax with friends, like Olivia, and enjoy her time off. As Olivia went on about distractions, Dana gave her a side-eyed glance before eventually caving in. “Hmm, I don’t know if I like where this is going...” Dana trailed off before a smile soon surfaced across her features, “Okay bucket list stuff, I think going to Disney World is pretty high on the list for me” Was she serious or joking? Truthfully, Dana wasn’t even quite so sure herself if only because as a kid she was told it was ten times better than Coney Island. “How about we start off with something on your list?” 

As busy as the after school program kept Dana these days, today she found herself free from all work. It was the perfect time to rest and perhaps catch up with an old book or practice some self-care. However, true to fashion, Dana couldn’t just focus on herself. Instead, Dana found herself in Wrightsville for no other reason than to find Channing and deliver something sweet. She was loitering outside of the gallery after catching sight of Channing through the window five minutes prior. Not wanting to impede, Dana waited outside patiently until Channing stepped outside. “Thought I might find you here,” She said with a faint smile before her hand extended with a brown paper bag smelling of baked goods, “I make brownies for all the volunteers so...” She shrugged her shoulders, not wanting Channing to read too much into the gesture. “So yeah, I just wanted you to have those,” She said, clearing her throat and suddenly realizing that taking an Uber all the way to Wrightsville just to drop off some baked goods was a bit absurd. “And if you’re not busy then I don’t know maybe we could go over a lesson plan for the next class, you know if you were serious about teaching another class, if not then that’s fine too, no pressure or anything...” Dana caught herself rambling and had to force herself to shut up immediately before making things worse but unfortunately, it only lasted all but five seconds before more words slipped out, “I swear I’m not like stalking you or anything, I just figured you’d be here and so I dropped by and... okay yeah, saying it out loud it does sound like stalking, so sorry.”

At her words, Remy was quick to plant her palm to her face while she mentally kicked herself for what she said. Most of the time, Remy was a realist, but a realist with a hint of pessimism. She always leaned a little too much over to one side and it usually wasn’t the best of the two sides. Granted, with some of the things that went on in her life, it wasn’t too much of a stretch. Not to say that she had it bad, but given all the bullying she endured, it wasn’t a crazy trait for her to have. “I know, I’m the worst, I’m sorry!” She then let out a small chuckle, not wanting to ruin the mood completely. “But you totally were crying. I can’t be the only one crying here, okay? So you gotta do with me. Admit it and be proud! We cry at sappy movies. Hell, I even cried during an episode of Jersey Shore once so at least you’re not doing that.” It wasn’t uncommon for Remy to cry, honestly. She was an emotional person—and proud of it, too. Luckily, she and Dana had a lot in common, however, that she didn’t feel too embarrassed to be such in front of her. Remy liked to surround herself with the type of people who didn’t judge when it came to stuff like that and well, Dana fit the bill perfectly. The one downside, however? The fact that Channing had been a thing between the two of them. Not that Remy had let Dana in on that little secret, though. Hell, even Channing didn’t know what she meant to the blonde. One of her best kept, yet most tormenting secrets she held for all these years. And when Dana went along to talk about her, Remy had to put on her best face and not act like there wasn’t a moment in time where she was completely head over heels for the person she was talking about. “No, I get you. Plus, when you have that sort of history with a person, it’s hard to figure out which side of the fence you stand on. So you’re kind of just stuck straddling between the two and just… don’t know what to do. Is giving her another chance really what you want, though? And if it is, what’s holding you back then? I mean, if you’re able to look past everything that happened before, then why not? Ya know?” That was weird. The whole thing was. Talking about Channing and Dana and the possibility that the pair may get back together. “Wait, hold up, what? As in Fitzpatrick!? What! First off, I want all the details.. second… how are you gonna talk about giving her another chance when you got Jamie on your mind too! Is it like….serious between you two or?”

“There’s no chance you would be the only one crying,” Dana said, hoping it’d make Remy feel better. Plus it was fairly true, too. Dana was known to get quite emotional over movies and tv shows and especially youtube videos of dogs reuniting with their owners, so it was no surprise that tears did make their way down her cheeks at some point. Reaching for the popcorn, Dana stuffed her face since she thought that might distract her heart enough to stop the waterworks for a bit. However, when the conversation lingered on Channing, Dana had to think for a moment before answering. Because it was complicated, to say the least. “What I really want is to be with her –– hold her hand, make her laugh, bring her vegan cookies that I know she’ll hate ––” She sighed, forcing herself out of that daydream and back into reality, “But it’s hard to look past everything you know? She was my first love and my first heartbreak. I can forgive her but giving things another go means trusting she won’t do it again and I don’t think I’m quite there yet is what I’m saying” She shrugged her shoulders in defeat. Besides, she didn’t even know how Channing felt after all these years. Give their run in Dana could tell the blonde felt guilty about things and wanted to make things right, but there was no indication that she wanted to start their relationship over. When Remy pointed out Jamie Fitzpatrick though, Dana couldn’t help but let out a faint laugh because even she knew how ridiculous it all sounded. “They’re not on my mind,” She said, rolling her eyes nonchalantly until she realized just how much they had actually been on her mind. “God no. Is anything ever serious with Jamie?” Her guess was no. “It was nothing, it was just dinner or whatever and it was really sweet and I guess it was just nice to feel appreciated by someone again.”

“You’d think so, but there are some people who are just that fucked up in the head. It’d be just the sort of chaos they want to bring upon everyone.” Tyler rambled, finally ordering himself what he assumed would be big enough to satisfy his caffeine need, and stepped aside, allowing the barista to get it prepared. “Isn’t it always the straw that breaks the camel’s back? My straw’s a cup that’s too fucking small today.” And then there were things that he wasn’t really so willing to share.

“I personally like to think people are inherently good, especially baristas, I mean they’re doing the lord’s work if you ask me” If only because she tended to stop by the coffee shop a few times a day for her daily dose of caffeine that helped her through the days. “But, I don’t know, maybe you’re on to something” She added as an afterthought since she wouldn’t complain about a bigger cup, that just meant more coffee right? “That’s okay, mine was a seven-year-old taking a bite out of one of my candles” Granted her meltdown was probably a little less dramatic but still, it sort of ruined her day. “I’m Dana by the way” She decided that it was probably time to introduce herself.

Channing gasped in fake offense when Dana agreed with her instead of telling her she was so much more than that or some equally as cheesy shit. “I take back everything I said about you being a saint. You got mean,” she said with a grin, making it obvious she wasn’t serious. “I take the looks bit as a compliment, though, so thank you.” Dana wasn’t wrong, she was her art and she wasn’t ashamed of it most of the time. Obviously she’d like to be good at other stuff (more marketable stuff) but she wasn’t and she managed to take full advantage of her talents. “Can you blame them? I’m mean, but I make it work for me. It’s like an endearing kind of mean. Clearly they enjoyed my tough love.” The blonde smiled as Dana described the kids and their limited social abilities. That was something Chan could definitely relate with. “I know. I can be pretty terrible when I want to, but I realize I’m capable of being a decent human from time to time. Mostly around you.” Most people definitely didn’t have the pleasure of seeing her good sides, but Dana usually did. At least she did up until the point where she skipped town. “That’s fair. You’re trying to be a better person, though? Are you dead set on making me look bad or something?” Channing nodded, smiling dumbly as Dana gave her the details for their next workshop. She found herself hoping it’d be sooner rather than later, which probably meant she was nowhere near getting over her ex. “Yeah, sounds good. It was fun, thanks for asking me.”

“You don’t have to say that, I know dealing with kids isn’t my forte. It’s okay, I have other strengths. Like… art? Really good hair?” Channing said playfully, grasping at the straws at this point. She knew she was good at what she did, but she also knew that was where her skills started and ended. She grew up in a privileged world where she rarely had to fend for herself and that made it so she usually had no clue how to fend for herself or act like a normal human. In comparison, Dana had all her shit together. “Okay, so it wasn’t that bad, but it was still awkward. Aren’t kids basically walking bacterias?” She was kidding, of course, trying not to show she had actually liked feeling like she was doing something right for once. “If you look in the dictionary, you can probably find a picture of yourself under saint. Seriously. Especially compared to yours truly.” For someone like Channing, who was very aware of her shortcomings, it was hard not to see Dana as this perfect person. She was what Chan aspired to be. Kind, patient and compassionate. Being with Dana always made her feel like a better person. “Shut up, dork,” she chuckled, shaking her head softly. As terribly as their last conversation had gone, she couldn’t help but feel slightly hopeful now. they were actually talking and not arguing. “It’ll work out eventually. Not many people get it right on the first try, I feel like you have to work at it before, you know, finding the one.” She almost gagged at the cheesiness, but meant every word. Not one part of her was worried for Dana. “Sure, I can do that. It was fun.”

“It just takes practice” Dana restated and emphasized. After all, the only reason she was so good with them was that she had taken care of her younger brother and sister at a very young age. With her grandparents working like crazy and her mother never being around, she fell into the mother role by default but that didn’t mean it was easy at first. With time, everything became easier. “You know I don’t feel like I should be encouraging you to think you really only have your looks and art going for you but...” Dana’s smile began to widen as she fell into a laugh. So maybe Channing had a lot more than that going for her but it was hard to ignore that her art defined her, and yes it told the world that she was pretentious but it also told the world that she had a gift to make it a more beautiful place and that meant something. Letting out a sigh at Channing's next comment about the kids, Dana still held her smile since nothing about the words that came out of the blonde’s mouth were all that surprising, “Well, those little bacterias seemed to think you were pretty charming. And also, kids are awkward. People don’t tell you that but they are. They’re still learning and growing and trying to figure out how to hold a conversation with adults so things are gonna be a little awkward but you just sort of push through it” Dana had way too much practice and had now learned the language of children so to speak, but it wasn’t always that way. “Please stop, seriously, Chan. You were never as terrible as you think you were, okay?” While Dana could certainly attest to Channing having her moments of selfishness, that didn’t mean those moments defined her and Dana refused to let her believe so. “I don’t know, I’m not really focused on finding the one at the moment. I’m just trying to focus on work and helping out my friends, and making rent, and trying to be a better person, you know? Everything else will come when it’s meant to” While it sounded a little too hokey for even Dana, she still believed it to be true. “Okay cool, well I can text you the details the next time space opens up but yeah, thanks for doing this or whatever,” Dana said, feeling somewhat nervous for reasons she wasn’t even sure of anymore. Was it because she and Channing were actually getting along for once since they met up? Or maybe it was the fact that the familiar flutter of butterflies seemed to make their way back to her stomach, either way, it was obvious to Dana that the past wasn’t going to be staying in the past.

Aly could understand where she was coming from, but she didn’t get how quickly other people were prepared to judge food just because it had the word ‘vegan’ on it. For her, food was food, and as long as it tasted good she wasn’t that bothered what went into it, vegan or not. “It’s only sad and pathetic if people find out. Bake it, eat it, keep it to yourself, and there will be no judgement out in the world at all.” she said with a chuckle. “I’d offer my birthday but it’s been and gone this year, so it’ll be a long wait. There’s gotta be someone with one close enough for you to get it done.” Even just the thought of a carrot cake had Aly feeling hungry. It had always been her favorite for as long as she could remember, never able to refuse a slice if there was one on display in a coffee shop when she picked up her latte. “Oh you spent so many years missing out on such deliciousness!” She chuckled before continuing. “You have yourself a deal. The second I know that cake is as good as everything else you’ve baked sounds, I’ll be down on one knee to lock you down for life.”

“That plan might’ve worked if all my friends weren’t already aware that anything I make is vegan. But at least this gives me an excuse to bring my kids baked goods because let’s be real, kids don’t care if there are eggs or milk or whatever in a cookie as long as there’s sugar and it tastes good” Dana said with a soft chuckle, “By the way, I teach third grade so not my kids but kinda my kids, you know?” She certainly had already gotten attached to her summer school kids, that much was certain. It was hard not to when they all were so cute and friendly and still learning how to grow into themselves. “Hmm might have to scroll through all my Facebook friends and find out who has a birthday this weekend. Obviously, I’ll have to invite you to taste the carrot cake, too” After all, there was no harm in introducing new friends to old friends, right? Grabbing the receipt the cashier had given to her earlier, Dana pulled a pen from her purse and scribbled her phone number before handing it over to Aly, “Call me when you get that ring” She added with a cheeky smile before adding on, “Or if you wanna hit up one of the million bake sales going on at New Hanover Elementary this summer, whichever comes first.”

             With school out, Cleo was pretty much thrust into a life of free time, which was both perfectly and awfully timed with the departure of her now-ex. So, she was doing a lot of things that essentially filled her time, and that included unannounced drop ins to friends. Including Dana, who she knew was handling summer clubs and activities. However, considering the time right now, she knew she would be finishing up, and ready to pack-up for the day, leaving the brunette to venture into the familiar buildings and locate the young woman. “Hey, you.” She muttered as she greeted her, a fleeting smile crossing her features as she did so. “How do you feel about being stolen away for a bite to eat?” The young woman asked, wondering through the empty classroom as she rested a hand against one of the chairs. “So, how was it today, anyway?” She hadn’t signed up for anything of the sort, but was beginning to regret that decision.

@danaabrams​

Aly shrugged her shoulders as the other mentioned that the brownies were suited for vegans and might not be full of the buttery and non-vegan goodness that other brownies were. “I mean, if it doesn’t taste any different then what exactly is the issue?” She said with a shake of her head,  not understanding people who wouldn’t try food purely because it was vegan. Food was food, whether it suited one diet or another. “A triple-layered cake… that sounds like the most delicious cavity I’m going to end up with.” She said with a laugh, slightly regretting not spending more time baking, though if Dana was serious about letting her try hers, it seemed as though she wasn’t going to be running short of any. “I am deadly serious, and I’ve yet to be bested by a baked good yet, so bring it on.” She didn’t have to think about her favorite baked treat. “Carrot cake, no contest. Everyone in my family hated carrot cake growing up so if I could get my hands on some it was a lucky day. If you can nail a carrot cake, I might just have to marry you.”

“Honestly I think people hear the word vegan and then try the brownies and convince themselves that they actually taste different when they don’t. It’s definitely all just in their heads” At least that’s what she suspected. It made her want to test that theory and perhaps give her friends a blind taste test to see which they prefer. “The cavity will be 100% worth it. Currently just waiting till someone I know has a birthday so I can make it. Otherwise, a woman eating an entire triple-layered chocolate cake on her own might seem a little sad and pathetic” She said with a faint laugh at the very thought. It would be a new low for her that much was certain. However, Dana was both surprised and impressed that Aly already had her favorite dessert item out of her mouth when she asked. “Okay so I definitely conned myself into never trying carrot cake as a kid because you know carrots are a vegetable and veggies are gross, but I tried it as an adult and it’s so good. I missed out on so many years of good carrot cake. Anyway, I wouldn’t get a ring just yet but once I master this triple-layered chocolate cake then I’ll move onto carrot cake and hopefully it lives up to your expectations. And if it turns out horrible I’ll accept dying single and alone with all my vegan brownies. I think that seems fair.”

Despite so much going on inside of Remy’s head right now, she was putting her best damn foot forward. Enjoying her time with Dana and actually being apart of their little rom-com night. Truthfully, she was looking forward to it. She had a smile on and was ready for it. Especially considering it was all spent inside and god, Remy hated getting all dolled up to go out with friends. So this was easily her bread and butter. But she had to admit, the stuff with Lola and Channing was pretty much laying heavy on her mind right now and she was desperately trying to ignore it to give Dana every bit of her attention. “I think they can. For sure. Obviously, it would take a lot of work especially with the whole trusting thing, but hey, if they’re willing to make the effort, then sure, why not? Kinda like that saying…everyone’s gonna hurt you, just gotta decide who’s worth it in the end. Though,” Remy then paused, taking in a deep breath before her string of realism came rushing out. “I think the majority of people in our generation are pretty dang lazy when it comes to putting in the effort for relationships. Not to send like a complete pessimist here. I mean, personally, I’d forgive him too. Hell, I’d forgive just about anyone depending on what they did. Can’t really say for sure that most people would give that same grace back though.” Though the conversation was a little more serious than expected, Remy tried to let out a small chuckle to add a bit of lightheartedness to it. “Look at us, a pair of bawl bags crying over 90s rom-coms. We’re a mess, you know that? One big complete mess.” However, she wasn’t about to have it any other way. 

Dana took in Remy’s words, they certainly held a lot more rationality than her own train of thought so she was happy someone could justify her feelings for her. Still, she was right, if someone made the effort to correct a wrong, shouldn’t that be enough? Especially because it seemed to rare in their generation. “Oh come on, why did you have to bring in your pessimism, you were just beginning to sell me on the idea” Dana pouted before her smile reappeared. Truth be told, she appreciated a little cynism grounded in reality because as a full-blown optimist, it was safe to say that Dana had been let down one too many times in her life. “Hey –– I wasn’t crying. There was just something in my eye. Cat hair probably” She defended with a bit of laughter knowing it was a very weak defense, to begin with. “It’s fine, I’m okay with being a mess, not that I have any other choice. Although I’ve been maybe a little less of a mess lately...” Her words trailed off, not sure if she wanted to admit the reasons for it but decided that if she couldn’t tell one of her best friends then who else could she tell? “So Channing is back and she’s trying really hard to make things right between us, I don’t know” She shrugged her shoulders, “I guess I’ve just never really seen her try at anything when it comes to making amends so it’s a bit weird. Still, it’s hard not to appreciate the effort, you know? Anyway, what I’m saying is that maybe I should give her another chance. I mean we broke up so many years ago, we were both so stupid and young, maybe things can be different?” She was hopeful, as always, but Dana was also mature and grown enough not to get tangled up in the past, which made her want to focus on her future and the new people in it, “I would also like to add that Jamie took me on a date, like a real one, and I didn’t have a terrible time. It was actually really sweet.”

“No fucking way are they the right size.” Tyler argued as the woman nearby spoke up. Granted, she was so much shorter and smaller than him- way more than a foot shorter- but those cups had to look tiny even next to her. So he finished whatever was left in that cup, way less than he had been expecting, and placed the empty vessel next to the girl. “See, they look small even next to you. Who the hell takes pleasure in causing annoyance to people when they’re grumpy as it is.” He continued his rant, and his eyes shifted back to the menu on the wall. “I don’t think that Big Gulp would be enough at this point.”

Admittedly, the cups were much smaller than regular coffee cups but to someone like Dana who was already so tiny, they were more or less the same. When the stranger placed the cup next to her, Dana glanced down and let out a faint chuckle, “To be fair, I doubt if anyone actually designed the cup to further irritate people in need of caffeine” She said, if only because she had to believe people had good intentions, right? “So why are you so grumpy? Is it really only the cups that are causing it?” She asked, a bit curious since he seemed to be having somewhat of a rough morning and she wasn’t sure if that could be blamed solely on the size of a cup.

While moving to Wilmington had brought along its own set of challenges, making new friends had always come fairly easily to Dana, and now that she had been in town for about eight or nine months, it was safe to say she felt comfortable around a handful of people. One of those people happened to be Remy. Despite Dana’s apartment being so tiny, she excitedly agreed to host their ‘90s rom com movie night. So with a Freddie Prince Jr. movie on the television and cookies in the oven, Dana sat on the couch with her spoon going back into another pint of vegan cookies and creme ice cream. This was her idea of heaven. Soon enough Dana passed the pint over to Remy as she wiped her eye trying not cry at the sight of a completely transformed Rachel Leigh Cook, “I know that it’s pretty shitty to make a bet like that but god he’s still so perfect” She couldn’t help it that the guy was her childhood crush growing up, “Do you think relationships like that ever really work out? Like one person doing something so terrible but apologizing and making up for it –– can that actually lead to a happy ending in real life?” She posed the question, not sure if she was talking about the movie plot or her own love life but she was still curious for an answer regardless, “Or am I just stupid because I think I would totally forgive him.”

“Maybe that’s why we all got so invested in reading all of the 50 Shades.” Aly said with a laugh, her reasons for actually finishing the series were still somewhat unknown to her. Her eyebrows raised as she listened to the other talk about her baking prowess, something that Alyssa was somewhat jealous of. “Why would anybody object to brownies? Maybe you need to get a new roommate, because I don’t think you can trust anyone who won’t eat baked goods.” She explained, another laugh following her words. “I’m sure if you find a decent recipe you’ll be okay, you know if you’re able to do the brownies and cookies? Transferable baking skills?” She asked, although wondered whether her logic actually made any sense or not. “Me? Oh god no, I can barely cook the cookie dough that comes in a tube. I am very much a consumer only, so if your roommate doesn’t want your baked goods you can feel free to donate them my way any time. Even if it’s new, like banana bread. I will happily be your taste-tester.”

“Ugh I hope there’s a logical reason because I can’t imagine myself ever not being embarrassed by reading those awful books,” Dana said with a chuckle, rubbing her temple as if trying to remember why exactly she thought there would be any real promise to those books in the first place. “Well...” Dana began, mouth stretching as she debated whether or not to come clean about the details of her baking, “To be fair, they’re vegan baked goods. And some people aren’t willing to give it a chance but that doesn’t mean it’s not delicious you know? I mean, case and point, my brownies. They’re heavenly, I promise.” At least she seemed to think so and perhaps Sydney and Jamie, but that was about it. “Yeah I think next I’ll try and master baking a cake –– but like a triple-layered cake, just to add a challenge,” She said with a laugh, not quite sure how successful she’d actually be. “Listen, you better be serious because I am in desperate need of another taste tester otherwise I’ll just be eating way too much sugar every weekend. So tell me, what’s your favorite treat?”

                      “Sorry, girl, can’t wait. I’m treating this like ice cold water.” Sophia laughed as she took another drink, utilizing the excuse for the need to feel that burn down her throat. She didn’t know why, truthfully, she merely was in the mood for it. With lips pursed together, Sophia listened and took Dana’s words to heart, knowing that she meant well. And, she did have a point. Flirting could be innocent, especially with a gal like Sophia where flirting was embedded in her personality, but could become a quick catastrophe if it went too far. The thought of cheating never crossed her mind and truthfully, despite an attraction or two, Sophia didn’t even think she was capable of it. But, maybe a part of her wanted to cause a bit of reaction out of her long term boyfriend while she was feeling some type of way. Somewhere along the line a girl had to remind their men that there were others out there ready and willing, right? Or maybe she was just justifying the fact that she was flirting up a storm with a hot biker who seemed to just nibble on every load of bait she cast out. “Mm. I know. Limit myself. But are you talking from experience?” Sophia asked, brow ticked, ironically taking another sip. “You’d think… right? And it’s not that he doesn’t… it’s just… I don’t know, D, I’ve never been self conscious and I didn’t think I would be three years into the thing, but life loves to throw you lemons, huh?” Her lemons came in the form of the sunshine Tessa Sommers, but whatever. Sophia laughed anyway with Dana’s attempt at boosting her confidence which did help a bit. “Ethnically ambiguous Barbie doll. I like that.” Her head shook. “Summer school isn’t forever, so maybe we can just take advantage afterwards when you get a break. What are you teaching this time?”