Sweetly & Home Economically ✔

Sleeping Ugly & The Dough Boy

Dedicated to kimberlywritesbooks. Check out her story The Bookworm. It's such a great book. Thank you, Kimberly!

~ Sleeping Ugly & The Dough Boy ~

~¤°*°*°*°¤~

"That will be $12.00, sir," I said to the little boy who's chin barely reached the counter. He and his mom come in at least once a week. She always whispered the order to him so he could tell me and pay for it. Her and I shared a smile as he tried to count out the money.

"Here you go!" He shouted happily, thrusting the money at me. He was two dollars short, but his mom passed me the difference while he was preoccupied with the bag of treats. She thanked me, taking her coffee in one hand and her son's tiny hand in the other.

That little boy's smile made my afternoon a whole lot better. I glanced around the place with a happy sigh. Just being there seemed enough to cheer me up on a bad day.

The walls and decor had the color palette of vanilla cream, strawberry frosting, and milk chocolate. Decorative chairs and small round tables were in the front, with a few larger tables in the back for groups. On one side of the cash register was a glass case full of sweets; cupcakes, cream pies, scones, cookies, and cinnamon rolls. On the other side was another glass case, but it was full of bread, quiche, and savory rolls. Dozens of different coffee and tea lined the back wall.

The best part was the smell. Fresh baked bread, coffee brewing, and sweet confections combined to create the most incredible aroma. Every time I walked through the door, I closed my eyes and breathed it all in.

I worked at Stressed everyday after school and sometimes on the weekends, helping in any way I could to run the business. I didn't get to do as much baking as I would have liked, but I still enjoyed my time there. I mostly helped with cleaning, serving, and manning the cash register.

My mom ran the bakery herself, while my dad was good with the numbers. Jennifer-- my mom's friend who I like to think of as my aunt-- and I were the only employees. We would occasionally hire someone, usually one or both of my friends, to help out when things got too busy.

"Abby, you can take your break now," my mom, Bethany, said as she pat my shoulder. "You should probably do it before we get the last rush of the evening."

The busiest times were the morning, right after school, and right before we closed. The latter was approaching too quickly. I wanted to wait for Yvette and Jarod, but she was right. I decided to get a broccoli bacon cheddar roll as a snack while I chipped away on some homework.

I sat down at one of the corner tables and opened my binder. I contemplated taking a fifteen minute nap instead, but the thought reminded me of the reason I needed cheering up in the first place. After finding out that Theo was going to be my Home Ec partner, our encounter after the bell rang had not been too pleasant.

"Hey," I muttered, poking Theo's arm. Even though the bell rang, he didn't move a muscle. "Hey," I said a little louder and nudged him. Still nothing. I thought I heard a snort though. "Hey, Sleeping Ugly! Wake up!"

Theo's eyes popped open and he blinked up at me. "Who you calling 'ugly,' Princess Not-So-Charming?" He rolled his eyes and straightened up, stretching his arms.

My cheeks reddened with what couldn't be anything but anger as I crossed my arms. "I want to get something straight, okay? Since we have to work together, I'm going to request two things from you."

"Oh, goodie," he stood up and slipped a strap of his backpack onto one shoulder. If I wasn't wearing heels, he would be about two inches taller than me. Since I was wearing heels though, we were almost at eye level. It makes him a little less intimidating that way...