Baked With Love

Chapter 1

Onyx Jordan lived upstate New York, in a quiet little town called Kenzingburg. In Kenzingburg, everyone knew your name and everyone knew your story. Small businesses thrived, and neighbors felt comfortable enough to borrow a cup of sugar. And the pinnacle of one’s life? Graduating high school with, at least, a percentile in the low eighties on the popularity pyramid.

It was a sunny Wednesday afternoon and Onyx was on the closing shift at her parents’ bakery. Her hands were busy at work, ringing up a large cake order for Mrs. Caldwell, one of their top customers, and one of her favorite people in town. Onyx pressed a tab on the till and the drawer slid out towards her. She made the correct change before swiftly pressing another tab. A receipt began printing from the old printer, slowly blotting the paper with ink. Onyx stared at it, hand on hip, change in the other, getting lost in the sound of the paper jerking out for a split second. Come on!

Onyx reached out, tapping the machine thrice with a gentle but firm force trying to speed up the process as she rolled her eyes. Onyx looked up, with a small smile, at the elderly woman, whose pale pink nails tapped against the glass counter that separated them. The woman smiled back reassuringly. Finally, the receipt flew out and Onyx handed it and the change to Mrs. Caldwell. The woman carried herself with grace, her age only visible by the cloud-white curls draped over her shoulders. Intertwined locks of hair cascaded down the back of her crisp navy-blue blazer. The matching skirt had been pressed to perfection. Mrs. Caldwell stood with hands outstretched ready to receive her order.

“Ooh, bless you, my dear! I can’t wait to sink my teeth into this carrot cake! Lucy, you remember my daughter, Lucinda, right? She swears up and down that she can make a better one than your father. And she insists on trying to feed me the poison whenever she visits...”

Mrs. Caldwell paused for dramatic effect, reaching out and touching Onyx’s hand, “...she just visited me, Onyx! So, you see my urgency.”

Onyx laughed with Mrs. Caldwell as she handed over the 13-inch black box in a clear carry out bag. Onyx knew all too well the countless attempts of Lucinda’s baking at the town fair. The box contained their two-tier creamy carrot cake, her dad’s specialty, and the bakery’s top seller.

“Well, this is just what the doctor ordered then! I hope each bite is as delicious as the next!” Onyx winked at the older woman.

“Oh I know it will be, darling, and I can’t wait! Especially after the case I just closed. Phew, ’twas a messy one! But anyway, don’t let me hold you up. Thank you again, my dear Onyx, for the cake. And say hello to your father for me, will you?”

“I will, Mrs. Caldwell!”

Mrs. Caldwell winked, a bright smile on her face as she turned and headed out. The bell attached to the door jingled, acknowledging her exit. Onyx reached up and tapped the air-pod in her left ear, the music resumed flooding her mind. She picked up a neatly folded cloth from the shelf under the counter and started wiping down surfaces.

Onyx had always enjoyed being a part of the family business. She wiped down the glass display, shifting a tray of red velvet cheesecake cupcakes. She liked to make sure the pastries were laid out perfectly in all their glutinous glory. The rows of macaroons to muffins to cakes looked enticing. From the color concepts to the combination of toppings, Onyx’s father prided himself on the ‘made from scratch, right in the shop’ scrumptious delicacies. A foodie’s dream!

The bakery had become Onyx’s home away from home. In addition, being a contributor to the hottest and only bakery in town for a couple of miles gave Onyx major high school credibility. When her parents had only been in their design phase for the bakery, Onyx had been eight years old. They’d wanted to include her in the process. So they asked for her ideas on how to decorate the bakery and then implemented them in the finishing touches. In the end, the Jordans had managed to create quite the swanky establishment.

The walls were painted a soft pink, per Onyx’s request, and the front and back walls of the bakery were accented with slanted black and ivory stripes. The storefront had two large bay windows with attached seats on either side of the front door. Long communal tables stood in front of each window with plush benches attached. A high school couple leaned into each other cozily against the left window. Two mugs sat inches away from them, steam rising and begging to be blown. Onyx gazed longingly before averting her eyes.

She instead settled sternly on the man, at the other end of the left table, making a rather loud phone call. Onyx’s dad, David, liked to call the communal tables the ‘Youth Booths’ because students gravitated there first for studying and hanging out with their ‘gadgets’. Onyx shook her head at the man obnoxiously yapping to his caller about a “rigged” scratch-off ticket. Could you be any louder, sir?

Sunlight danced on the six glass tables assembled in the center of the bakery. They were placed under a beautiful waterfall chandelier that Onyx had also been in charge of picking out. It dangled down in a spiral of small glass diamond teardrops. Onyx noticed one of the tables needed to be cleared and walked towards it, tuning the man’s voice out as she hummed to her music. The crystal clear vibe matched the front display, which was made completely of glass as well. Behind the display, an espresso machine sat atop a white marble counter, hard at work. Next to it was an electric kettle with a rack stacked tall with an assortment of teas to fit the mood for any occasion.

There were a few pieces of artwork sprinkled throughout the space as well. Two medium canvases: one portraying a platter of various baked goods, and the other, an intricate yet abstract piece were separated to the right. Both pieces had been painted by her dad, David, his relaxation hobby of choice. A large gold frame of Marilyn Monroe in black and white had been placed at the center of the left wall. Other hung images were original photographs captured through the lens of her other dad, Jesse. He was currently teaching photography and writing courses at NYU.

Above the counter and next to the kitchen door, hung a special set of photos, shot by Jesse, showing very different people. The first photograph, a family portrait, showed from left to right, David Jordan, a blue-eyed Polish man with sleek brown hair smiling proudly at the camera. His left hand rested on a slightly younger Onyx’s shoulder, flattening some of her hair. She smiled sweetly at the camera, her brown eyes gleaming through her brown curls as she leaned into him and placed her hand atop his. The head of a tall, dark and slender man, whose cocoa brown skin glowed under the sun, leaned towards Onyx and David, holding a baby in his arms. Jesse Jordan, David’s best friend and husband, beamed brightly holding their young son, Sammy, close to his cheek. Sam had David’s eyes and hair, whereas Onyx had Jesse’s.

Both children had been born through the same surrogate mother: Elizabeth Grace. She had been a close friend of Jesse and David’s from college. Elizabeth knew they had always wanted children that biologically were their own, so she selflessly helped the two make their dreams possible. Tragically though, less than a year after Sammy was born, Elizabeth had been leaving a long shift at the city hospital when her car was struck by a fourteen wheeler.

It was a town tragedy that no one had been able to comprehend. Police had tried to deter forming gossip in town after investigation by claiming for all to hear that the truck driver had been tired, not drunk. This information had consoled no one in the Jordan family. What were they to do with it? In what way would it have helped them heal?

Jesse hung Elizabeth’s picture on the opposite side of the door in a delicate white frame beside the telephone. Her memory would live on with them forever through the children, they could at least hold onto that.

Fortunately, Onyx had the pleasure of spending a lot of quality time with Elizabeth, right there in the bakery. Getting to understand who Elizabeth was to her, and enjoying those special moments in that short time was something Onyx would cherish forever. Losing Elizabeth, or “Lizzie”, as Onyx liked to call her was definitely hard on them all, but together, through loads of therapy and a lot of family bonding, they had been able to get through it.

Onyx tore her eyes from the photo as laughter erupted and echoed through the room. The sound had come from a group of kids from her school settled down at the communal table to the right. Two girls waved her way with a smile as they all got up to leave. One of the guys shouted a goofy goodbye with praise of the pastries her way before his buddies shuffled him out. Onyx chuckled, shaking her head as she waved goodbye.

High school credibility meant nothing if you didn’t work for it and to keep it. Onyx had rightfully earned her place in her high school by becoming Student Body President. If there were any downside values, considering nerd culture and combining that with her unbreakable streak of Honor Roll awards since learning to read and write, Onyx didn’t buy into any of it. She managed to be quite the social butterfly in all aspects; and it was all due to her best friend: Zayne McKinley.

Onyx sighed heavily. She had wanted to tell Zayne how she felt about him since freshman year, but she could never work up the courage. They had been best friends since their diaper days, and were still holding down the fort in the war zone of high school. They had gone to the same schools their whole lives. Living in a small town had made that less optional, but still a notable mention when there was always at least one other option for school attendance in their area code.

Onyx and Zayne’s parents had also been close, going all the way back to college. The couples got a kick out of their children’s ‘special friendship’, whatever that had meant. The untold story was that one night, after a dorm room party had gone awry and someone got their heart broken, Onyx and Zayne’s parents made a pact: They’d promised to live next door to each other and raise kids at the same time. The end goal was supposed to protect their kids from experiencing the same relationship traumas they endured as late teens. But Zayne, being Zayne, felt it more of a power play to conspire a new hierarchy in little ol’ Kenzingburg.

Zayne’s parents, John and Sandra McKinley, ended up becoming big deal surgeons who traveled often for work. It made it harder for them to be around. Once the kids started middle school, Zayne had begun spending most of his hours at the Jordan’s. The story making its way around town became the McKinleys wanting an heir, but the Jordans needing another child for normalcy. There were variations of the rumor mixing around like fresh batter with horrible ingredients. But the families did their best to ignore them.

Growing up together in such a close knit way definitely didn’t stop Onyx from having a crush either. If anything, it had ignited the flame. They had always been inseparable, could you blame a girl? They had made some interesting memories over the years that made Onyx question if Zayne could have possibly felt the same way about her too. She thought back on every place they’d shared a ‘special moment’. Their young beginnings, and the start of Onyx’s journey on Confusion Highway via one very rocky road.

The first, on the open land behind their homes, the two had been enjoying the summer breeze. There was a large willow tree that stood, centered, between both their yards. It had been the kids’ sacred territory, a safe haven for secret chats and feeling big feelings because they could hide beneath the leaves. The willow’s branches leaned towards the most peaceful lake, the green leaves swayed back and forth as a curtain. The two were about eight years old at the time when they laid under the willow laughing, trying to catch dragonflies.

Zayne sat up after a time and turned to Onyx. He ruffled his hair as he began, “Promise me we’ll stay best friends forever, O.”

Onyx’s eyebrows released their tension and her teeth were on full display as she sat up and on her legs. She extended her pinky for him to link, “Duh! Forever, Z!”

Zayne beamed looking down mischievously at her small finger. He hooked his pinky onto hers and gently tugged. Onyx, not ready for the sudden pull, lost her balance and leaned toward him. Zayne took the opportunity to quickly peck her lips, sealing their promise. Onyx’s jaw dropped as Zayne pulled away. He erupted into a fit of giggles, falling onto his back.

Onyx’s ears grew warm. She rubbed her cheeks trying to stop the smile creeping its way up across her freckled face. She melted onto their red and black checkered blanket beside him. What had that been? Onyx twiddled her fingers for a second. Zayne suddenly exclaimed that he had seen an ice-cream cone shaped cloud, pointing upwards. She smiled, looking up with him, as she spotted a train shaped cloud. The kiss never came up again.

The second time had been at a local hotspot a few years later. It was Joe’s Pizza Island, not too far from their current high school. It stood near the outlet mall, and shared a parking lot with The Shanty Arcade. According to the neighborhood kids, the pizza there was to die for! All the junior high kids hung out there because the high schoolers had taken over and claimed the bowling alley, the Jordans’ bakery, and the only two chain restaurants for miles.

It had been Onyx and Zayne’s last year in junior high. They were out for a short walk that had turned into walking miles. Zayne still hadn’t been a fan of going home to an empty house, so their foot adventures became a regular and on-going theme. As they turned the corner on Mudleberry Street, a fat droplet of cold water splatted smack-dab in the middle of Onyx’s scalp. She gasped looking up to the sky as three more droplets materialized.

“My hair!”, she cried out.

As if on cue, the rain began to pour down, soaking them, as they stared helplessly up at the sky. The people of Kenzingburg believed awnings were a thing of the past. Too outdated for their highly cultured and sophisticated tastes, Zayne liked to say. He quickly grabbed her by the hand as they ran in the direction of Joe’s for shelter. More importantly, for the warmth from a full belly.

Zayne swung his head to an anxious Onyx as they ran. He remembered she had been keeping a strict routine while maintaining a new hairstyle for the school year. He called her meticulously straightened hair her ‘sophisticated, I’m almost a woman now’ look. Zayne bit his bottom lip, thinking of what he could do to help stop the pained look growing on Onyx’s face.

He grinned, “Gee, I wish my hair could curl real pretty like that in the rain. I’m sooo jealous!”

Onyx’s eyes darted to her left, watching him through her peripheral vision. She glared at the gloomy weather surrounding her, but couldn’t help it as her frown began to wash away like the rain cleansing the street beaneath them. Zayne cheesed, his pearly whites glistening under the gray clouds. He squeezed Onyx’s hand reassuringly, feeling accomplished as his feet continued to hit the pavement. Onyx chuckled as they ran faster, their laughter beginning to overshadow the low trembles of the thunder chasing them. Zayne hadn’t realized his words would strike Onyx in a much deeper way in the end. He thinks I’m pretty.

They approached the only brick building with two artificial palm trees outside. Drenched, they entered and walked over to their usual spot: a corner booth with a window that faced the street. They plopped down and talked for hours as they dried off. Music played from a jukebox in the background, low and quick as the dim neon lights flickered above them. Onyx was in coach mode, criticizing an old lacrosse game Joe had been playing on the tv.

“Dude, look at that! You love to body check below the waist! You almost kneed Bobby in the nuts last week!”

“Well I needed Dane to take a shot. So if lil’ Bobby can’t handle me being a good pick, then—”

“Oh shut up, Z! You’re supposed to be passive, not aggressive! That’s the whole point. Being sneaky in the game may hurt you more than help you. You’re gonna’ get kicked off the team before we even make it to high school! And you’re so good too!”

She shook her head, angrily placing her can of kola down on the table using the crust in her other hand to point. Zayne rolled his eyes in defiance, but internally, he was slightly pleased that she saw how good he was and meant it. Onyx was opening her mouth to scold Zayne again, but he saw it coming. He grabbed at her hand on the can, keeping her in place. Onyx looked at him puzzled and Zayne could tell she would inquire next. Zayne leaned over the table swiftly and kissed her, instantly shutting her up. Onyx’s eyes widened, the pizza crust falling from her other hand onto the white paper plate. Crumbs bounced onto the table and scattered about as she kissed him back.

They pulled apart after a minute, and he smiled at her as he leaned back in his seat. Onyx blushed, averting her eyes downward to her palms beneath the table. Zayne, on the other hand, immediately began discussing the game on the screen behind her once again, not even allowing Onyx the chance to process. But she did catch Zayne as he mumbled softly, “I’ll try to play better… for you,” and it made her smile.

Last, and Onyx’s personal favorite, was the third: Zayne McKinley’s house. During their freshman year of high school, they had started a tradition of weekend movie nights. It was meant to help them adjust to high school life while giving them an opportunity to destress from the previous week and prepare for the upcoming. They would catch each other up on the gossip of faculty, and even the do’s and don’ts of the hallway, according to the upperclassmen.

They were watching Pitch Perfect (for the third time), and Zayne had begun making his usual comments about one of her beloved characters.

“Dude, if I was Thumper, I’d be throwing, like, zeeero game her way. She’s frickin’ fat!” He sneered, shaking his head. Onyx slugged him in the arm and rolled her eyes as he winced.

“As a defender of all women worldwide, shut up or get slapped, Z. Don’t speak on Patricia’s name! She’s totally fine just the way she is. It’s comments like that! This is why she calls herself fat so trolls like you sound stupid cause she’s beaten you to the punch!! AND she is comfortable being—”

Onyx cut herself short when she caught Zayne mocking her from his recliner. Onyx growled in annoyance. Without thinking, she pounced towards Zayne, landing on him and throwing playful punches at his body vigorously. Zayne pretended to scream for help, laughing at her tickled attempt to attack him. He grabbed Onyx’s arms to stop her as he chuckled. She tried to release herself from his grip but he was too strong. At that moment, Onyx thought to herself that using the gym facilities at school more often would be beneficial in her near future. Zayne swiftly grabbed her torso, dropping her to the floor with him hunched over her. She yelped. Zayne looked down at Onyx, his two gold chains dangling between them. He wore a strange expression on his face that she couldn’t quite read. Zayne’s eyes pierced into her soul, and it made her uneasy.

But before Onyx could say or do anything, Zayne filled the space between them and kissed her. The lights dimmed around them as she gripped his shirt. The kiss left Onyx stunned once again, and the darkness hid the flush of her face, something she was eternally grateful for. Zayne broke away first, leaning up, and ruffled his hair. He cleared his throat, helping her up.

Zayne turned to Onyx, “Fine. No more Fat Amy comments… W-wait! Do I get in trouble for that too?!”

Onyx chuckled, regaining her composure as she sat down beside him and got comfortable again, “Yes. So stop talking, Zayne.”

As the characters doo-wopped on the screen, she wondered what the kiss could possibly mean. Was kissing your best friend just something all the cool kids were doing these days? She let her lips slip upwards into a big grin as she covered her face with her sweater. I think I might really like him.

To her dismay, Onyx never got the chance to find out if it could be more. Because after that weekend, Zayne would win his first high school lacrosse game and discover that girls flocked to the star athlete like moths to a flame.

Onyx leaned against the glass counter, tapping her pencil against her notebook. She was in the middle of writing a short story for her English Honors class. She sighed, wondering if there would ever be an appropriate opening for her to find out if Zayne liked her back or not. What was a girl to do? She flipped to the back of her notebook and started listing all the reasons why Zayne could possibly like her in that way.

As the ideas flooded her mind and spilled onto the paper, two unnerving thoughts stained the page and choked out any positive attributes:

1. Zayne is a notorious player.
2. Zayne is in an on-again, off-again relationship with Miss Veronica Maize.

Veronica Maize, the Queen ‘B’ of Elton High, had been with Zayne McKinley for three years. They fought, made up, fought, and made up again. They almost always ended up on page one or two of the town’s main gossip, the school newspaper: 24 Hours Kenzingburg High or ‘24K’ for short. Zayne was the star of the lacrosse team, and Veronica’s parents were wealthy bankers who donated money to several properties in town regularly, including the school. It made sense for Veronica and Zayne to be an item. They were the high school “it” couple, and Onyx couldn’t deny that they did actually look good together. On paper, at least. Upon remembering these facts of the court, Onyx shook the feeling away and shut the notebook. She’d finish the last paragraph of her assignment at home.

It was 6:30 in the evening and the bakery was now deserted. Onyx pulled her curls up into a messy, ponytail, preparing herself to clean. She walked towards the kitchen door humming along to the music, her back turned and oblivious to the ding of the front door. In the midst of pulling her hair through the second loop, a pair of hands reached for Onyx’s waist, grabbing her roughly from behind. She screamed, spinning around with all her might through the culprit’s grasp to visualize who she would be murdering. She deadpanned as laughter erupted through the bakery. Zayne fell to the floor, tears streaming down his face as he gasped for air.

“Your face! Oh my– That was priceless!”

Onyx looked down at him, trying to disintegrate his soul with her eyes. She took the AirPods out of her ears completely. She enjoyed imagining carving Zayne’s torso into eight sections while her heartbeat decelerated.

Zayne came over to the store every day, around closing after his lacrosse practice. Onyx should’ve expected him, and yet still she had been caught off guard. She tried to hold her scowl as she controlled her breathing. But who could stay mad at such a perfect face like that? She found herself becoming completely consumed by her feelings for the twerp as her scowl faded.

Zayne wore a red and black plaid button down, it hung open revealing a black tee beneath tucked into faded black jeans. His pristine butterscotch boots squeaked, as he repositioned his long legs on the floor. His sleek brown hair fell around his green eyes, his sharp jaw slicing the air as he laughed. Onyx tried hard to look away, but she couldn’t, using a glare as an excuse to stare just a tad longer.

Zayne pushed the hair out of his face, still snickering to himself. He looked up at Onyx and winked before pushing himself up off the floor. He dusted his hands together loudly. He reached out to pull her into a tight embrace, “Alright, give Zayne some sugar!”

“Get off of me, jerk! I don’t want to hug you!” Onyx tried to push away in fake disgust, but Zayne only held on tighter.

She chuckled, “I can’t breathe, moron. Let me go!”

“My bad, my bad,” Zayne released and held his arms up in surrender.

Onyx internally pouted, immediately missing the closeness of their bodies. As if reading her mind, he placed an arm over her shoulder and began guiding her over to the pastry display. Onyx nibbled on her bottom lip as they walked. She wondered if she should take this as a sign that they were emotionally in sync, therefore, romantically in sync? Her eyebrows furrowed.

Zayne stopped in front of the display to peer through the glass. He pointed, “How ’bout a slice of cake for my journey, fair maiden?”

Onyx rolled her eyes at her greedy friend, snapping back to reality as she smiled. She shrugged him off her shoulder and walked behind the cake display. At this time of day, most of the townsfolk were ending their shifts and heading home to prepare for, or partake in dinner. Kids were either finishing their after-school activities or pregaming for a spontaneous weekday party at some random house.

The bakery was quiet, and Mitchie, the other on-shift employee, was busy in the back doing inventory. If Onyx had actually been attacked, Mitchie had just proven himself useless. Nobody ever paid much attention when she slipped Zayne sweets. Onyx pulled a cake out from the display rack.

She set it on the counter and went to grab a knife, “Fair maiden, Zayne? Really? Someone‘s learned a lot in history today and is feeling extra special about their newfound vocabulary, I see. Please get a life though, I’m begging.”

Zayne chuckled, his eyes never leaving the Oreo-stuffed cake. It was a triple decker chocolate cake with thick, cream cheese frosting enforcing its foundation. Crumbled cookie bits peeked out from the frosting and ground up Oreo cookies dusted the outer layer. A few slices had already been cut and sold. The rich chocolatey insides of such a voluptuous dessert were on full display. How un-modest!

Zayne watched with hungry eyes as Onyx sliced a generous portion of the decadent, yet fluffy cake, that would be considered high-way robbery anywhere else. Cookie crumbles fell from the knife as Onyx carefully lifted the slice from the tray. She placed it into a clear take out container that had a fancy engraved ‘J’ on the lid. Zayne smiled eagerly as she slid it across the counter dramatically. He reached for two take-out forks from the glass jar next to her, and began unwrapping them.

“Speaking of having a life, there’s a party tonight. And you, my friend, are going,” he pointed one fork at Onyx before stabbing the cake with the other. She grabbed the fork from his hand and sunk it into the cake. We both have an AP Calculus test in the morning. I can’t go out! …I did get in a lot of hours for studying, though... I should be fine. I think.

Onyx slowly tilted her head to look at him, raising an eyebrow skeptically as she swallowed, “Okay fine, Zayne, I’ll bite. Whose party is this?”

Zayne chewed a little longer, slowly and deliberately blinking at Onyx. Onyx’s eyes narrowed as she gripped the fork in resemblance to one with a knife, preparing herself for the name she had a feeling she’d hear.

“Okay, okay, it’s Jake’s! Don’t be mad,” Zayne gulped. Onyx remained calm and collected, but even she couldn’t ignore the knot beginning to form in her stomach.

Zayne stuffed another mouthful of chocolate into his mouth, continuing, “Everybody will be there though, O. I heard Jake’s girl is trying to rack up Prom Queen votes. So, she’s definitely gonna’ invite all the ‘walks of life’ for clout. Which means, you won’t even collide with Jake tonight, with all the other bodies floating around and all! Woo, yay fun!”

Zayne grinned, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible. A smear of icing under his bottom lip cheered with him.

Onyx rolled her eyes, handing him a napkin, “Soo much fun,” she muttered.

She took one more bite from his container before tossing her fork in the trash bin. Onyx dusted her hands together.

“Alrighty, I’ll go. Just let me finish cleaning up here first, and tell dad.”

“Cool”, Zayne shrugged, continuing to give his undivided attention to the chocolate cake.