After waiting for fifteen minutes, Elena made her way out of the greenhouse and crossed over to the track field. There she spotted Veronica dressed in the blue and white colours of the River Vixens uniform, saying her goodbyes to Betty as she headed off. Veronica spotted her at once, racing over to meet her as she grinned excitedly. "What do you think?" She asked, twirling for her to see her new outfit. "It's cute, right?"
It was a pretty adorable display, making Elena laugh softly. "You look great!" She enthused. "The girls are lucky to have you."
"Why thank you."
The two girls fell into step with one another as they walked back up to the school, a comfortable silence stretching between them as they walked. After a minute ot two, Elena was the one to finally break it. "So I hear you're already making enemies."
"What? Oh." Veronica pulled a face like she'd eaten something sour. "Seriously what is up with that girl? She was totally out of line going after Betty in front of everybody!"
For god's sake Cheryl!
"I know she's out of line for taking her anger out on Betty, but-" Elena sighed deeply, feeling as though she was stepping on to a tightrope. "Did she tell you the whole deal with their shared family history?" Veronica nodded. "I-I was friends with her sister Polly, before she got sent away. Their mom is a freak. I've been to their house a few times and it's like stepping into a suburban horror movie. I guess Polly just wanted to get away from all that polished perfection. I don't blame her. Jason could be kind of douchey but I'd would have taken him any day over her mom. And Cheryl... Well I think she kind of resented Polly taking a little part of him away from her. She's kind of limited on people she can really talk to in her life."
"That's..." Veronica shook her head to herself. "Heavy. It still doesn't give her the right to act like a total diva. Betty did nothing to her!" She exclaimed. "And yet she's got you apologising for her."
"I'm not, I just-" Elena denied, pulling a face of disagreement.
Veronica came to a halt, her face filled with seriousness. "Does she have something on you or something? Is that why you're so defensive of her?"
"WHAT?" Elena jumped at her own volume, blinking in surprise. "No, no! Why would you- We just connected pretty well and I can kind of relate to her." She held up her hands in surrender. "Not defending, just explaining the actions of my idiotic but ultimately awesome friend when you get to know her. We talked, I made her swear to back off. I put my foot down. It's still glued down even now." She gestured down to her foot, which remained firmly planted on the ground. "I also mentioned that it was important to me that she made a certain someone feel at home in this school."
Veronica's expression melted from stone cold to soft and warm, causing her to bump her hip against Elena's as she linked their arms. "Oh you." She smiled affectionately as they began to walk once more. "Look my worry only comes from a place of caring. I've seen how much you put into friendships and with whatever happened between you and Elio-"
Elena shook her head vehemently. "Cheryl is not Elio." She denied, her tone calm but telling as she barely kept her emotions at bay. "She's not even close."
Elio Grande had once been her best friend in the whole world. She'd known him since they'd both been in diapers, sharing a love for video games, baseball and anything they could scheme up together to piss off their parents. Elena had thought the world of him, even when he'd fallen into his father's world and she'd tried so desperately to get him out. But he'd ended up being pulled in so deep she couldn't recognise him anymore, and when she'd needed him most he'd turned his back on her. Once upon a time they'd barely gone two days without talking, now he seemed more like a hazy dream to her than a person she'd once known and loved.
"Elena-"
Elena's eyes bore into Veronica's, firm and unwavering. "I know she can be bitchy and a complete snob at school, but the girl I know is someone different. I just wish she didn't have to act like Cher-zilla whenever we're in public." Elena gulped, backing slowly down the tightrope and off of it at once. That was close enough.
"Just- Don't let her turn you into one of her minions okay? I know you know her better than me but I just want to be sure you're not being messed with." Veronica explained. "You're too nice for your own good."
Elena placed her free hand over her heart. "I Elena Cornelia Lodge, hereby pledge not to let Cheryl Blossom turn me into a mindless worker bee." She drawled, putting on her best JFK impression as she held her head high all while moulding her face into the picture of seriousness. "So help me God!" She made the sign of the cross, gazing upwards towards the heavens.
Veronica rolled her eyes and snorted. "That's all I ask. So, what are you doing after school? Any exciting plans?"
Elena found herself laughing awkwardly. "Grocery shopping."
"Seriously?"
"Yup." She confirmed with a nod, amused by the deflated look on her sister's face. "My roommate put me on tampon duty and everything."
Veronica stared in surprise. "You have a roommate? Guy or girl? What are they like? And if he's a guy please say he's cute!"
It was Elena's turn to roll her eyes as she proceeded to try and answer her questions. "Sorry to disappoint. She's a girl. Do you remember the girl I told you about who used to babysit me when I visited here in the summer?" Veronica shook her head, drawing a complete blank. Elena frowned, puzzling over how to elaborate before finally recalling something. "Do you remember the big carnival teddy bear I brought home when I was seven? You kept nagging Dad to buy you one? She bought me that."
"Ohhhhh!" A light bulb sparked to life over Veronica. "The girl Abuela and Abuelo hired to look after you! Yes, yes! You gave it that really weird name, Locasta or something."
"Yeah well we kept in touch. I kind of called her after..." She trailed off, waving her hand awkwardly. "You know. She offered to let me stay with her and well... here I am."
"That's a hell of a friend," Veronica remarked.
"Yeah," Agreed Elena, a fond smile tugging at her lips. "She is."
"So Betty tells me you work at Pop's, that diner everyone supposedly goes to all the time?" Veronica inquired.
Elena pulled a face at her tone. "It's actually pretty great. It's no Keens Steakhouse mind you, but the food's good and the prices are reasonable enough so everyone in town kind of flocks to it."
Veronica began to grin as she spoke, making Elena stop and sulk. "What?" She asked, the query coming out more whiny than she would have liked.
"You sound like a walking commercial for the place."
"Oh haha."
"Are you going to tell me about their two-for-one deal?" Veronica teased, making Elena laugh with her. The feeling she felt in her chest at the action was light and fun and she felt as though she could float up into the sky like the house from Up. It was nice. Spending time with Veronica, simply walking and talking or maybe even more in the future if she dared to hope, was wonderful and she had missed it a lot. So much so that she'd never really allowed herself to feel her loss. But she was here now, so she would take the chance she'd been given to fix things. And she would fix things. She wasn't going to ruin their relationship again, even if she had to cultivate every moment between them to be as perfect as possible.
"Care to join me on the grocery run?" Elena offered, pitching her voice to be as light and as breezy as possible. "I can give you the full town tour after and we can catch up. I-I wouldn't mind the company." She admitted, letting the offer hang between them. She's going to say no. Elena felt herself shrivel up in shame with every second that passed. She was going to say no and she was going to have to go find the nearest hole to throw herself in. Why would she want to go grocery shopping? Oh god why did I say all that?
"I'd love to!" Veronica agreed, pure sunshine as she smiled at Elena. "That'd be nice."
"Okay." Elena blinked, the air returning to her lungs. She'd said yes. Her brain caught up with the rest of her body. She'd said yes! Her brain couldn't quite comprehend that she hadn't been laughed at for the suggestion.
"Okay."
"No way!" Veronica protested, as they came to a stop in front of Elena's bicycle. "I am not hitching a ride on that thing!"
Elena opened her mouth in mock outrage, leaning against her bicycle like a proud sportscar owner. "I'll have you know that Mike has held up pretty damn well in all the time that I've had him!" Mike the bike had been her main mode of transportation since she'd been living in Riverdale, having been a gift from her aunt. She loved it, as it was one of the few things from her old life she'd been able to take with her. It was well-made, had a cute little wicker basket on the front with plastic sunflowers on it, and best of all it was light blue! Her favourite colour. What was not to love?
"You said your driver's busy for the day," Elena pointed out, causing Veronica's face to fall in remembrance. "You really wanna walk all that way? In those shoes?" She pointed to her Louboutins, mock horror creasing her features. "Can you really commit such sacrilege? The Louboutins Veronica! Think of the Louboutins!"
The moment Veronica's shoulders sank in defeat, she knew she had won. "God help me but you're right." She held up a finger in warning. "If you crash or make me fall off on purpose-"
Elena held up her hands in surrender. "I would never do such a thing."
Veronica let out a snort, sliding off each heel and handing them to Elena as she spoke. "I seem to recall a certain incident at Lodge Lodge. We were outside, mom called us in for dinner, but then you got distracted by a bird-"
"Oh yeah the robin." Elena chuckled in fond remembrance.
"-and you crashed your bike into a tree. With me on it!"
The grin slid off her face at once. "Oh yeah." She held her hands up in surrender once she'd safely secured Veronica's heels in her bigger bag, eyes sliding over to the bicycle as she gestured with them for her to hop on. "Look I swear I'll do my best not to crash and I promise you I haven't had a sip of alcohol all day. Now hop on."
"Not funny. But-" Oh alright." She sighed stressfully, reluctantly seating herself down on the handlebars as Elena hopped on as well. Veronica made the sign of the cross, depositing her handbag into Elena's basket. "Okay, okay, now go before I change my mind!"
"Drama queen." Elena muttered under her breath.
"Oh shut up and get going! I'm dying here!"
Elena guffawed at her distress and set off at once. The ride over to the grocery store consisted of Veronica's banshee-like shrieks every time they passed a car, Elena having to "break" every few minutes and startling Veronica as well as an argument towards the end about whether or not Veronica should delete a selfie she'd covertly snapped of the two of them.
"My hair is a mess!" Elena argued as they came to the bike rack outside the store. She pulled her bag off of her shoulder to retrieve Veronica's shoes, just barely resisting the urge to pretend they'd been scratched on the ride over. She'd forgotten how much fun it was to tease her. She handed them over to her at once, all while smoothing her hair down in paranoia. Some would say she spent too much time doing her hair in the morning, but Elena thought her obsessiveness with said hair was justified given that some parts would still stick up after she had straightened it to the point of no return. "Come on! At least show me!"
"You look fine," Veronica dismissed with a wave of her hand, slipping her shoes back on before hopping off the bike. "You're a regular insta hottie. Here-" She pulled up the picture on her phone, though she continued to clutch it in her perfectly manicured grip, probably in fear that Elena would snatch it from her. "I happen to think we both look great!"
"Oh." Elena stared in surprise. She had to admit, Veronica was pretty good at taking pictures with one hand. Veronica was looking up at the phone wearing a bright smile that showed off her dimples, whilst she was looking to the side for traffic, her hair trailing behind her like something out of a magazine cover. Her expression was focused but calm, making her look as though she had been pondering over some great philosophical questions when she had in fact just been wondering if the road was clear to travel across. They both looked great. "That's actually pretty good."
Veronica threw her hair over shoulder, shaking her head in staged disappointment at Elena. "She dared to doubt my selfie taking abilities?"
"A fool I am!" Elena declared, locking up her bike.
"Indeed." Veronica laughed, eyes trailing downward to her phone. "Permission to post?"
Elena gave her a thumbs up, moving to her side to peer at the contents of her phone where Veronica was busy typing out a caption. "What's your handle?"
"HodgePodgeLodge." Elena snickered, as Veronica's eyes rolled to the back of her head. "I'm serious look."
Veronica typed out the handle, sighing in disappoinment as a private account came up with a picture of Elena as the profile picture. "You have zero shame." She shook her head, attaching her handle to the picture before finally posting it. "HodgePodgeLodge?" She pulled a face of disgust, as they began to walk on over to the MallMart entrance doors. "What does that even mean?"
"It means I was bored and couldn't think of anything else." She grabbed a basket as they came through the doors, spreading her free arm wide. "Behold! The grocery store! This is where all the household staff buy things." She pointed to the fruit section as they walked on by. "Look that's an apple! And that's an orange, but look, it isn't pre-peeled!"
Veronica mock gasped, dragging her by the arm to the nearest aisle as people began to stare. "I know what a grocery store is thank you very much. Veronica Lodge is far from ignorant."
"She sure does love to talk about herself in third-person though."
"Fair warning Elena, when I find the nearest hard object in this place I'm planning to throw it at you."
"Duly noted."
Elena scanned the shelves, grabbing tampons and a few other toiletries as she and Veronica conversed. They had a nice, easy discussion about school and the other extracurriculars Elena thought Veronica should check out, which led into Veronica insisting Elena should take on some more during the new school year: "Colleges will be fighting over you!" Which in turn made Elena feel as though she was about to have her stomach turned inside out, as she was just barely managing being the Vixens watergirl and having to spend all that time with all those girls staring and whispering and judging her when Cheryl wasn't looking. Thanks Dad.
"Ooooo look!" Elena called out, tugging Veronica over to the clothing section. Thankfully it was enough to distract her.
Elena pulled out a cute white sweater from the racks. She sighed longingly, tracing her fingers against the soft white cotton. The sensation made her skin tingle, causing one side of her mouth to tug upwards in delight. It was so soft! She pulled out the tag which was hanging inside of it, but found herself disappointed as she glanced at the price. On luckier days she would have some good tips to spend, but definitely not that much! She sighed mournfully, placing it back on the rack.
In the old days she probably could have bought twenty pairs of sweaters, and barely make a dent in her card. Elena hadn't spared a second thought about money. She hadn't had to. It was always just a given; like having somewhere to live, getting to talk to your family or thinking a parent would never wash their hands of you after a few too many instances of self-destructive behaviour.
"Why don't you get it?" Veronica queried from over her shoulder.
Elena tapped the basket under her arm, squirming uncomfortably as she avoided Veronica's gaze. "Priorties." she explained with a shrug, tapping her basket as she forced herself to turn away from the sweater. It hurt to do it though. God it was pretty!
Veronica's face fell. "You can't afford it?"
I want to die, I want to die, I want to die!
Elena pulled out the cheeriest expression she had in her arsenal, doing her utmost to sound unaffected. "No it's not that I just-" She stumbled over her words, desperately trying to conjure up a more pleasant explanation before finally giving up. "No, I can't. But it's fine!" She waved her off. "I've got clothes, I eat, I have a roof over my head. It's not a big deal."
Veronica spared a brief contemplative look at the sweater behind them before meeting Elena's stare once more. Elena closed her eyes momentarily, shaking her head to herself. She knew that look. "Don't even think about it," she warned, her tone now stern. "I'm not a charity case."
"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Veronica protested, schooling her face into the picture of innocence.
"You were thinking about getting it for me." Elena surmised, confident that she was correct. Veronica was too sweet and giving for her own good, that it made Elena worry that it would land her in trouble one day. But time alone with their mother and father hadn't squashed that all too good quality of hers, and it was nice to see it alive and well despite the situation at hand.
Veronica's whole body sank at once, confirming her suspicions before she'd even spoken. "You shouldn't have to miss out."
"It's just a sweater." Elena insisted, gently pulling her along by the arm. "I can buy plenty of nice clothes in the future."
"You know what I mean," Veronica stared, dismayed at her attitude. "You're working a diner job, paying rent, going to public school-"
"So are you." Elena interjected.
"-all because of some stupid blowout with Dad. You're basically an adult at sixteen when you should be blowing off steam, having fun! Not having to worry about not being able to afford clothes. If you just talked to daddy and apologised-" Elena felt her jaw involuntarily clench at her words, forcing herself to search through a row of toothpaste lest she say something she regretted.
"And what do I have to apologise for?" She wondered, a hint of anger simmering beneath her voice.
"Nothing!" Veronica added, placing a hand on her shoulder. Veronica offered her an apologetic look, and Elena felt her the tension she'd been carrying within her shoulders fall away from her. She couldn't help it. Whenever he was brought up all kinds of negative emotions seemed to latch on to her internally and transform her into an angry human tsunami. She hated the person those feelings sculpted her into being. "I didn't mean it like that. It's just- You know what he's like. If you just apologised for whatever perceived slight he argued with you about, he and mom would let you come home!"
Elena let out a deep sigh. She knew her intentions were good, but Elena nevertheless felt a small prickle of frustration. Was she that naive? Their father had brought so much chaos and danger into their lives. Nobody had forced him into that life, he'd walked right on in without a hint of regret or a thought for the long term consequences of his actions. People had gotten hurt. She'd gotten hurt. So when he'd kicked her out, fully expecting her to come back grovelling a day or two later, she'd seized on the chance to make a new life for herself. She'd found a job at Pop's, gone on to medication and had worked her ass off to save up and go to therapy. She was not the weakling who couldn't handle conflict or the real world like her father thought she was. And she wasn't about to go crawling back to her parents so they could hold it over her until the end of time.
Elena simply offered Veronica a tight, uncomfortable smile. "I left for some pretty good reasons sis. One of which being his "job!" Veronica's eyes widened in alarm at her brazeness, but Elena plowed on. "The things he did? The stuff we were not so subtly encouraged to keep our mouths shut about?" Elena felt a lump form in her throat. "It got to me." She admitted after a beat. "That on top of school, my anxiety and- and everything else. It's not a coincidence I'm doing better mentally away from him."
"You have anxiety?" Veronica stared, care and concern so evident in her tone that it made Elena want to cry. How had she thought she would react any differently?
Elena smiled that same uncomfortable smile once more and simply nodded. Veronica looped their arms together and nodded in return, smiling in assurance. "Well..." She drawled lightly. "I can't say I'm surprised."
"No?" Elena laughed, comfort flooding through her as she felt her warring emotions fade into the background.
"You're been going grey from stress since you left kindergarten."
"Ah simpler times." Elena joked. A moment of silence stretched between them, where in which the two sisters stared at once another and communicated so much more. Elena could see that it was okay that she'd told Veronica. That she'd given away such a huge part of herself that she feared would drive people away from her. She could trust Veronica with this. "That's okay, right?"
"Right."
Yes. Elena thought with determination, as Veronica lead her down to the frozen aisle in search of some frozen yogurt to take home with her. They were going to be okay.
Nell had pastries coming out of her ass.
She'd been making so many different things that she'd eventually lost track of them over the past hour, everything blending together in one big sweet smelling blur. Her regulars mostly consisted of stoner college kids, stay at home moms, teenage girls, and middle-aged housewives looking for pastries to purchase for an upcoming lunch or party. They'd all seemed to pile in at once, each one wanting a million different things. Which on top of her in person and phone orders had left her a frazzled mess. Money? Yay. Stress? Ahhhh! Though she was frankly just grateful to have anyone show up at all, given that she'd had to close off half of the already tiny shop for repairs.
But as the after school rush faded to a lull, with people either settling into seats or leaving with a happy glint in their eyes, Nell found herself slowly but surely getting a chance to catch her breath. But as she packed away some of the delivery orders with the help of her staff, her mind inevitably wandered back to the woman she'd met earlier that day.
Hermione. She thought, drawing out each syllable in her mind. Even her name was pretty.
Their conversation had left her with such a feeling of giddiness and delight that it'd been hard not to go over it in her mind. She'd liked the look of the bakery! She'd even liked her skirt! No one commented on her clothes apart from Patrick, who would ask her which Barbie doll she was cosplaying as whenever she saw him. Not to mention the fact that Nell had imagined herself smooching the older woman an embarrassing amount of times in the time since she'd left Andrews Construction. Running her hands through her gorgeous hair as Hermione pulled her close, her hands settling around her waist as things grew more and more heated...
And then she would remember that Hermione was Elena's mom, and she would feel as though a bucket of ice had been dumped over her head.
She should not have been thinking of her friend's mom like that. Nope. No matter how ridiculously attractive she was. And even if she wasn't, nearly ninety-nine point nine percent of the women in Riverdale were as straight as they came. The odds just weren't in her favour.
She'd been so intriguing and upfront and didn't pedal the all too glossy layer of niceness most people in Riverdale traded in. The Alice Cooper types who were nice to your face but talked crap about you behind your back. No, if Hermione hadn't liked her Nell was certain she would have known at once. And she was so sweet too! Nell sound herself recalling fondly, her heart warming as she remembered her smile.
Nell slapped her hand against her forehead repeatedly, the instant the thought registered within her mind. She was an idiot. A god damn obsessed idiot who couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful and thrilling her friend's mom had been to be around. What the hell was wrong with her? Why didn't she get tongue-tied over girls like Theresa who did deliveries for her? She knew for certain that she was into women, she was single, nice, her own age and just about the most uncomplicated person she knew. But no, no! Five minutes with the world's most inappropriate person to get a crush on and her mommy issues came dancing through the door toting their best hat and dancing stick.
Nell shook herself free of her thoughts, carefully stacking the order boxes on top of one another before handing them off and heading into the back. There she found the four tiers of wedding cake she'd been slaving over all day waiting for her, fresh from the oven and waiting to be transformed. Without a hint of warning Nell let out a squeal of delight, startling some of her staff in the back and making them cry out in alarm.
While Nell loved every single bit of the creative process in baking, she wasn't ashamed to admit that decorating the birthday and wedding cake orders were her favourite part of her job. The pretty icing! The cute little edible figures and objects she got to make! She was indeed five years old, but it was so much fun to do especially after a long string of stressful days.
Theo, one of her first hires and her main guy in the back came to stand by her side. He patted her on the back, smiling sweetly. "I saved it especially for you boss." Theo was a sweetheart through and through. He was a part of the batch of Southside Serpents who'd came looking for work on the North Side after finishing up with high school, something that hadn't exactly endeared him to his buddies. But good work was scarce on the Southside, and Nell had seriously needed help when she was first starting out with the business. She'd gotten a fair amount of side-eye for her liberal hiring choices, but if everyone had treated her with the same contempt she never would have gotten anywhere in life. Sometimes a bit of kindness and giving Alice and Hal Cooper the finger behind their backs at town events went a long way.
Nell clasped her hands together, turning to him with a manic grin on her face. "Oh this is just what I needed!" Theo handed over a note detailing the requirements for the decorative process, Nell taking it from him like a giddy dog with a toy. She mentally listed everything off, nodding along as she went down the list. "Yup, yup, yup. OH!" She turned to her friend, eyes widening in horror. A hand flew to her mouth. "She wants Italian meringue buttercream?" She felt herself choke on the words.
"Have fun!" Theo waved her off with an all too cheery smile for Nell's liking, racing away from her to tend to another order.
"But I'm terrible at making it!" She protested, an embarrassing amount of distress making its way into her voice. Okay stop. You sound like a toddler!
She really, truly was. Her staff still spoke in hushed whispers of her first and last disastrous attempt at making said buttercream. It'd been such a gooey mess that she'd passed off any orders involving it to someone else ever since.
"But why? It turned out such a hot mess last time and- Ooooooh!" Nell scurried on over to where Theo was pulling out a tray of macarons from the oven, a mixed array of pinks, reds and blues. Nell took a moment to admire them, cooing like a mother over her baby. She'd spent a whole year perfecting her secret macaron recipe, so seeing them in the flesh was pretty damn swell even if it was approximately the millionth time.
"You won't get better by procrastinating." Theo commented.
Nell merely shrugged in response. "Let me bask in motherly pride before I go make my goo."
"Speaking of which-" Theo nodded towards the front, where the bell on the front door had just started jangling to indicate some new arrivals. "Your ward is here."
"What? Oh."
Nell swivelled her head around to find Elena coming through the door toting two grocery bags, huffing tiredly as she held open the door for a lavishly dressed unfamiliar girl who was with her. Nell had a feeling she already knew who the other girl was, given that she could see the echo of Elena's face on hers and she was cutting quite the figure in some definitely non-Riverdale attire. That was Elena's sister. Nell would have bet all the money she had on it. They both looked a lot like their mom, with their dark hair, sharp cheekbones and brown eyes that seemed to communicate a thousand things at once.
Elena caught her eye as they seated themselves down at a table, as always at the one closest to the door. She waved Nell over, a anxious look in her eyes that told her everything she needed to know. She was going to introduce them. The fact that the two of them were there -together- was suprising enough. Elena was nothing if not conflict avoident, but it must have been a good talk they'd had if they were there with each other.
Nell pulled off her apron and threw it to the side, smoothing down her hair as she fretfully tried to make herself look presentable. She paused, her eyes falling on the pair as she made her way out to the front. Her heart could have exploded with pride if it were physically possible, seeing her roommate talking and even laughing with her sister. People loved to make their Gilmore Girls jokes about the two of them and it made her a little uncomfortable at times, but Nell couldn't help herself. She'd progressed so far in the year and half since she'd came to live with her, and Nell was so proud of her friend. Possibly overcompensating a tad, given the lack of mature adult figures in her life that didn't have a phobia about making Italian meringue buttercream, but proud nonetheless.
"Nell!" Elena stood as soon as she came up to their table, a picture of calm that was altered only slightly when you noticed her fiddling nervously with her hands. It was a habit of hers she'd had since she was a kid, silently alerting to Nell that she was in need of a lifeline. Nell's best guess was that she wasn't sure how to introduce them, given the fact that the sisters estrangement was heavily tied to how Elena had came to live with her. "This is um... Veronica. My sister." She quickly added, a nervous smile working its way on to her lips. "Ron this is Nell."
The girl in question rose from her seat, holding out her hand for Nell to shake. She smiled at the rather adult gesture, finding her comically proper when compared to her sister. But rather than coming across as bitchy she seemed sweet to Nell, like a kid trying to emulate their parents from the way she spoke to the way she looked like she'd stepped out of a board meeting. "The roommate I've been hearing so much about?"
"Indeed," Nell confirmed, giving her hand a firm shake. "It's nice to meet you! Elena's told me so much about you!" She had at least in the years before she'd gotten that fateful phone call a year and half a go, but now Elena was like trying to rinse blood out of a stone when it came to talking about her family and whatever it was that had made her leave them. Nell had simply decided in the end not to go there until she was ready. She could be the human equivalent of Fort Knox when she wanted to be, but when she was ready to talk she would talk. And Nell would be there whenever that day was.
Elena let out a pained groan as she buried her face in her hands. "Nell!"
Veronica's eyes widened in surprise, a pleased glint in them shining through that told Nell everything she needed to know about Veronica. She was a sister delighted to be back with her sibling. Oh she's adorable. "You have?" She turned to Elena, a no doubt crimson face still sheltering in her hands. Veronica turned her attentions back to Nell. "All good I hope?"
Nell nodded, giving Elena a gentle poke in the ribs to get her out of her shell. "She's told me a few stories over the years. You two went shopping?" She swerved the conversation elsewhere, trying her best to set Elena at ease.
It seemed to work, as the younger girl emerged from her hands almost at once. "I introduced Veronica to MallMart."
"Elena nearly killed me on the way." Veronica grumbled, giving the other girl a half-hearted glare that set Elena off giggling. "She took me on her death-mobile."
Nell gaped in outrage, turning on Elena. "You took her on Mike the bike? You're evil!"
Elena nodded in agreement, smiling mockingly at her. "Very amused too." One of her roommate's many joys in life was coming up with various ways to scare her. False stops on Mike the bike being just one of them.
"Half my hair turned white when she took me out on that thing!" Nell waved a finger at Elena, who shoved it away from her vicinity all the while sticking her tongue out at her. "Anyway, what can I get you guys? There's macarons! Fresh from the oven!" She announced, spreading her arms wide. "Dentists everywhere have nightmares about them!"
Elena jumped to attention, turning to Veronica with an excited glimmer in her eye. "Hell yes! You have to try them!"
"I take it from your giddy grin they're good?"
"Nell's got the signed contract with Satan to prove it!"
Nell grabbed a nearby menu and gently tapped Elena on the forehead, making her cry out in alarm. "Alright, alright! You're a good Christian lady! Don't hurt me Baker Barbie!" She ran behind Veronica, using her as a human shield. "If you think this is bad you should see her when someone jokes about her clothes." Elena stage-whispered to her sister, who appeared to be thoroughly amused by their conversation. "Carnage!" Elena made a series of explosion noises with her hands.
"That's what I thought!" Nell crowed triumphantly, setting the item to the side before clasping her hands together. "Will that be all ladies?"
"I think so," Veronica nodded, inclining her head to Elena's. "A plate to share?"
Elena gave Nell a thumbs up. "Pile on the sugar! Oh and a Coke for me and a water for Veronica."
"I'm on it." Nell laughed, before heading back behind the baby blue counter to fufill their order.
She picked out a reasonably sized plate for the two of them and grabbed a pair of tongs, pulling off the glass dome cover of the cake stand to retrieve the macarons Theo had placed there. As she piled them up in an intricate formation she felt her phone buzz in her pocket, loud and insistent as she put the order together. It rang for a while, stopped mid-ring as though the caller had changed their mind, then it rang once more. She knew who it was without having to check her phone, as no one else had been obsessively calling her during work hours since July.
Once she got Elena and Veronica's order to them and double checked that there were no other parties waiting for their orders to be taken, Nell returned to the back of the bakery. Her cheeks and forehead red from the steam emanating from the ovens inside, she was thankful to take the opportunity to slip outside. She had only a few garbage bags and the cars in the parking lot for company, but Nell settled against the wall and inhaled deeply.
Cool air eased the tension that had seized so tight a grip on her bones, allowing her to unloosen a little. Nell loved being productive, it was practically her lifeblood. But god if it didn't hurt her feet! She settled on to the little step perched right outside the bakery's back door, pouting slightly as her feet screamed in distress as she took her weight off them. I'm saving up for a foot spa. She vowed, stretching out her legs as she massaged her neck. An expensive one!
Once she was as comfortable as she could manage, Nell pulled out her phone and re-dialled the number that had been calling her. She didn't have long to wait, as two rings in Patrick answered. "Do you think I'd look like a dick if I posted a picture on Instagram with me and all my trophies?" He asked at once, arrogance and charm all rolled into one complicated Blossom package as he spoke. "The new one really brings out my eyes."
"Yes," Nell replied, not missing a beat, "But do it anyway, please! I've been trying to get you cancelled for years."
"Bite me Eleanor."
Nell snickered, knowing that he was sulking at that moment like a child. "Congrats on the win by the way, my one claim to fame got me some attention." Patrick had come out on top of some big European race a few days previously, which was apparently a pretty big deal according to Reggie Mantle, who'd came into the bakery asking if she could get Patrick's autograph for him. All Nell knew about her best friend's career was that he raced around in fast cars, was obsessed with filling his flat in London with trophies and got paid a crap-ton of money. "How will you find a hat big enough for that head now?"
"Custom order." Patrick fired back, the grin in his voice practically waving at Nell.
Nell deflated, waving the flag of defeat. "Okay you've got me there. How- How are things? You know..."
"They're... Going." Patrick drawled, a distracted tone trickling into his voice that told her he was messing with some kind of contraption. He had the attention span of a five year old at times.
"Patrick." Nell started.
"Nell." He acknowledged.
"You wanna stop dancing around it and talk about the real reason you were calling me?"
A long beat stretched between them, going on for so long that Nell wondered if he was about to put the phone down. It wouldn't have been the first time. But then: "How is she?"
Patrick had been calling her non-stop since Cheryl and Jason had had their boating accident in July. He'd always asked after the two of them when he called her, but since his brother's death Nell had pretty much been giving him weekly updates on Cheryl's well-being. And yet he wouldn't pluck up the courage and come home to see her, no matter what she said. She just couldn't understand it. Of course Cheryl would have some anger towards him, but they were family at the end of the day. And that had to amount to something, right?
"She's dealing the best she can, given the circumstances. She did a speech at the school today for Jason." If she thought the younger Blossom would have let her, Nell would probably have crushed her with hugs a long time ago. They'd known each other for as long as Nell had known Patrick and Nell had grown to love her just as much as she did her brother. So when Elena had started seeing her Nell had all but squished the two of them together like two dolls out of happiness. The poor girl had been through so much, and with a family like that? Nell had simply gone for the most peaceful option and had kept her mouth shut. Cheryl and Jason seemed to have turned out okay from what Nell had seen from her place on the sidelines, but if they'd gone through half of what Patrick had? Well she was just thankful Cheryl had Elena and Jason had had Polly before his death. "She could use you though Pat. Elena's doing her best and I've helped where I can but she needs you! You're the only family she has left in the world that cares about her."
"I know you mean well Nell but-" He trailed off, but Nell didn't miss the sob she could hear him choking back in the background. It horridly reminded her of when she'd had to tell him about Jason. He'd been inconsolable, and his wife hadn't been able to get him out of bed for weeks. "I-" His voice trembled, but he took a second to steady it. She knew when he spoke again, it would be as though it had never happened. It was like he'd been deep-programmed not to let out emotion in front of others. "I left it too long. We both know I'm the last person in the world she'd wanna see. And them? They'll probably put a hit out on me as soon as I step through the town limits."
"Patrick-"
"It can't be fixed Nell." He insisted, so certain he was correct like in every other aspect of his life. "It- It just can't. Look I've gotta go."
"Give Mo my best." Nell sighed, resigned to the fact that she was still nowhere near to convincing him to come home.
"I will. Bye!"
"Bye."
And just as quickly as he had answered Patrick was gone, and the line went dead.