11. Mix It Together

School was always a place that people despised at some point. Whether it be because they don't want to run twenty laps in less than five minutes during gym. Or whether they don't want to do that fifteen-minute presentation in front of everyone during English. Or that time when they have to do a mini play in front of the whole school because they thought drama would be an intelligent choice for an extra curricular. No matter what it is, something's going to pop up and make someone not want to go to school.

Problem for Maisie was that she didn't want to go any day.

One day was turning into two which was progressively turning into maybe one day a week until she was barely at college. She had reassured her mom and Tony when they had wondered why she was at the bakery more than usual but the had facts were that Maisie was blatantly and with minimal shame, ditching college.

"My mom's going to realize eventually," Maisie said as she leaned against the counter in the kitchen, facing Charity. "What will I do then? I've missed so many lectures that I barely know what's happening anymore."

Charity bit her lip. "Maisie, you thought you could run the bakery and get a degree at the same time but it isn't working. You have to pick one or at least take a break from the bakery long enough to go through college. I mean, have you even made friends there?"

Maisie shrugged. "A couple."

Charity raised an eyebrow and Maisie sighed.

"I've made one friend," Maisie said. "That is if Ocean can even count as a friend. He acts more like my own personal fangirl."

"Have you been to a party?" Charity asked.

"I'm not a partying type," Maisie looked away, the counter digging into her back as she shifted.

"A football game?"

"They've only had one football game and I was busy then," Maisie said. "Besides, I'm not a fan of football."

"But how do you know that if you've never tried?" Charity sighed. "You say you're not the partying type and that you don't like football but during high school you never bothered doing that stuff either. I've never seen you even try it. What if you end up loving it? You've thrown all that aside for what? A bakery?"

"My grandma's bakery," Maisie narrowed her eyes. "Don't brush it off like it's nothing."

"I'm not," Charity said carefully. "But are you looking after this bakery because you want to or because Tony's mom left it to you?"

Maisie crossed her arms over her chest and didn't answer.

"Look," Charity started, "I don't want to sound like the one who's constantly being negative, but you can't afford this bakery. You haven't got the money but more importantly, you haven't got the time. You're flunking college, Maisie. You know, that same college you came running to me with the acceptance letter for? You were so excited to be going there."

"Things change, Char," Maisie mumbled. "Maybe psychology wasn't what I wanted to do."

"Is this bakery what you want to do?"

Maisie sighed. "I don't know."

"Maisie, you tell me what you want to do and I will be there one hundred percent to help you. You know that. Whether it's the degree or the bakery. I'll do anything. But doing both is taking it's toll on you and I can't go full time trying to run this place while you study."

"I know," Maisie said. "I know. But what's my dad gonna say? He'll be pissed if I drop out of college."

"Who cares?" Charity rolled her eyes. "This is your life, not his. He's done fuck all for you."

Maisie pushed off from the counter and rubber her neck. "Give me time to think about it. Just...give me a couple days. By then I'll either have decided or the college will have kicked me out."

Maisie's attempt at humour was dropped to the ground roughly and she let out a long breath as Charity moved around her, heading out to the front room of the bakery. Maisie looked at the clock and noted that the boys would be coming in soon. She had about ten minutes to get her crap together before one of them came bounding through the door.

And unsurprisingly, that's exactly what happened.

The kitchen doors opened with a sharp bang and Maisie looked over in time to see Nick walk in. He gave her a smile and picked up his apron from the side, tying it around his body as he walked over.

"Your dad's here," Nick commented idly.

"Step-dad," Maisie corrected.

"Uh huh," Nick finished making the bow around his back with the apron ties and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Did he said why he was here?" she asked.

Nick shrugged. "Something about 'needing to get those cupcakes with the caramel in them' and then 'get the fuck out my way, criminals' before he then started to raid the goods section."

Maisie snorted out a laugh. "Well I guess I'll have to make more chocolate-caramel cupcakes."

But she didn't make a move to go and get the ingredients, neither did she walk out to greet Tony Small or did she go to tell the boys out the front of the bakery what to do. She just stayed standing there.

"You okay?" Nick finally said. "Because if you're about to have a mental breakdown then I'd prefer to be safely out the room before it starts."

Maisie shook her head. "No, sorry. Just thinking."

"About what?" Nick asked.

"Being nosy isn't a good trait, criminal," Maisie smirked when Nick shivered.

"God, Small Jr. please stop."

Maisie laughed out loud by that. "Is that what you call me?" she asked. "Small Jr.?"

"It's a fitting name," Nick grinned.

Maisie nodded her head with a hum. "It's got a ring. But I am no Small Jr. Apparently I'm just like my dad."

"Your dad?" Nick frowned.

"Yeah, he lives in Florida with his...he lives in Florida," Maisie cleared her throat. "We should head back out."

Nick nodded. "Right."

Maisie grabbed the rest of the aprons on the way out and followed Nick through the kitchen doors. Her eyes bulged out of her head when she saw what was happening in the bakery though. Tony Small usually came in every morning or so to grab a couple cupcakes or muffins to last him through the day. Sometimes he brought another cop he had duty with that day, but never had he brought the whole damn police station.

"Tony?" Maisie hissed. "What's happening?"

"Well the boys tried one of those cupcakes the other day and loved them so a couple of 'em decided to tag along today," Tony explained as he grabbed three cupcakes out of the display cabinet.

"A couple?" Maisie scoffed at the line of police officers that went out the door. "That's not a couple, that's an army!"

"We'll be out of your hair in no time," Tony said.

"Oh Small, it's so lovely to see your glowing face again," Nick said. "You look more dashing than usual, new moisturizer?"

"Can it, criminal," Tony huffed and Nick grinned.

Maisie saw that the cops were grabbing muffins and slices of cake without pressing a single dollar bill down on the counter. She narrowed her eyes and walked up behind the counter.

"Hey," she called out, trying and failing to get their attention over the noise.

She huffed and looked over at the boys and Charity who stood in the corner as they watched the mess go on. She caught Logan's eye and waved him over. The blonde jogged over and stopped beside her.

"You okay will all these guys?" Logan asked.

"No," she said. "I need your help. Get me up on this thing."

Logan looked at the top of the counter where she was pointing to and nodded. He walked round the back of Maisie until his hands were on her waist and she was suddenly airborne. Maisie had to hold down the urge to flail her arms and legs all over the place like a dying fish and instead placed her feet on the top of the counter and let Logan steady her. She didn't comment on the fact that even though she was now stood on the counter and completely stable, he still kept a hand on the back of her calf through jeans which were rolled up a few times past her ankle.

"Hey!" Maisie yelled and her voice cut through the antsy cops like a knife.

They all stopped and looked up at the girl stood on top of a counter with bewildered expressions. Even Logan had no idea what she was doing but just stayed there, leaning on the counter behind her with a useless hand on her leg.

"Do you want cupcakes and muffins?" Maisie asked cheerily with a smile.

The cops nodded and there was a chorus of 'yes' and 'yeah'.

Maisie's smile dropped. "Then get in a fucking single-file line before I kick you all out and leave you hungry! You want cupcakes? Get those wallets out and pay up."

A couple mouths dropped but with one glare from Maisie, they slowly got into a line with a few grumbling and elbowing the other to slide up the line that was now out the door and down the street. Maisie looked down at Logan who grabbed her waist again and helped her down. When her feet hit the floor, she turned in Logan's arm and smiled up at him.

"Thanks," she said.

She pulled away and Logan took a step back. Charity ran over and stood beside her with a quick smile at her friend. Maisie called the rest of the boys over and had them get all the cupcakes and muffins into bags when they were called. It was a complete mad rush and Maisie loved every second of it. For a moment she was reminded of how the bakery was a long time ago, the times that Tony had told her about. How people were constantly in and out, that Tony's mom never had a spare second during the opening hours of the bakery.

For another moment Maisie wondered what went wrong. Why wasn't it always like this? And as she took the money off another person and stashed it safely in the cash register, she answered her own question. Times change. People want different things, different pallets, different aesthetics. And Maisie's grandma hadn't changed the bakery – ever. She was stubborn as hell and as much as that can sometimes be a good trait. In that instance, it wasn't.

Maisie had to change the bakery completely.

Tony put a hand on his step-daughters shoulder and rubbed it before nodding and giving her a smile. "Thanks."

"No problem," she said and huffed a laugh. "Come again."

When Tony was out the door with the last of the cops, Maisie's elbow dropped and she collapsed on the countertop, completely exhausted and it wasn't even halfway through the day yet.

"Can we just shut the bakery now?" Charity whined. "Everything hurts."

Maisie heard a line of identical murmurs of agreement and she closed her eyes. "We'll take a break for ten minutes...or ten hours. Whichever."

Just as sleep was about to lull Maisie away in her weird, hunched over position, the jingle of the door opening made her spine tense and her whole body protest. Please God not another.

She lifted her head up and tried to smile at the blonde boy who had just walked through but it was shaky and filled with exhaustion.

"Sorry," she said and stood upright. "We just had a mad rush and we're a bit out of it. Can I get you anything?"

Maisie looked over the boy and it was only in that precise moment that she saw his outfit. A bright blue, Bud's Bakers uniform was staring back at Maisie and the rest of the gang. Sirens were everywhere and Maisie's entire head went into red alert when the boy opened his mouth to speak but everything dissolved when someone spoke up behind her.

"Tom?" Andrew gasped out and everyone looked at him in surprise.

"Hey Andy," Tom smiled.

"Tom?" Maisie asked.

"Andy?" Keith asked with a raised eyebrow and Andrew looked down sheepishly before staring over at Tom.

"What are you doing here?" Andrew hissed.

"I'm on my break," Tom said. "I did text you but you weren't answering so I thought I'd just come over."

"Wait, what?" Maisie frowned. "Am I missing something? Why are you buddy-buddy with the enemy?"

"Enemy?" Tom scoffed.

"It just happened, I'm sorry!" Andrew pleaded.

"What just happened?" Maisie exasperated.

"You got a boyfriend and didn't tell us?" Nick frowned.

"You're dating one of Bud's guys?" Charity's voice cracked.

"You're gay?" Maisie asked with wide eyes. "Since when?"

"I'm bi," Andrew rolled his eyes. "And I'm not fraternizing with the enemy. I'm just hanging out with him. We don't even talk about the bakeries."

"Is that why you're always at Bud's?" Maisie questioned and Andrew nodded.

"Are you all done grilling me now?" he asked.

Everyone held their hands up and mumbled an apology.

"So there's really no catch to this?" Maisie narrowed her eyes. "You guys are just dating and that's it?"

Andrew choked on air. "We're not dating..."

"...yet," Tom added.

Andrew was currently impersonating the shade of a tomato.

Logan, who had been quiet throughout the entire interrogation, walked over and held a hand out to Tom.

"Nice to meet you, Andrew's boy-toy," he grinned while Andrew shot him a glare. "And if Andy's ex's are anything to go off then he's a screamer, not a moaner."

Logan had a five second head start before Andrew went charging after him with a spatula.

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- Ellie x