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Bella brings two blank notebooks to school the next day. Her old one is safely computerized and boxed up with its predecessors.
At lunch, she sits with Angela; Jessica and Eric and Lauren sit at the same table but mostly talk to each other, and Mike is nowhere to be seen.
Bella is just about on time to gym, thanks to an overnight icing that means she has to pick her way with extreme care across the slippery grass or the slick sidewalks. The second time she falls down, she gives up on attempting any dignity at all, and, cradling her thwacked elbow, scoots the rest of the way to the gym on her rear. This leaves her with damp jeans but no further injuries, and they were a little damp anyway from the falls.
She doesn't have time to do more than smile and wave at Alice on her way to get her mat and get out of the way of careening balls. She spends the class doing the subset of her safe activities that won't stress her elbow.
self_composed
edgeofyourseat
"Okay."
He stands up, tosses his notebook and pen on the desk, and heads for the door, kicking laundry out of his way as he goes.
He stands up, tosses his notebook and pen on the desk, and heads for the door, kicking laundry out of his way as he goes.
self_composed
"I was under the impression that Hilary's title was 'housekeeper', not just 'cook', though she'd certainly be worth retaining as the latter - does she keep out of your room or are you just very, very fast?" Bella asks, following.
edgeofyourseat
"She gave up on my room," he says. "The parents let her. Once in a while when my dad wants something to be pissed off about he sticks his head in and yells at me about my floor."
self_composed
Bella snickers quietly, and trots down the stairs towards the kitchen, sniffing the air for maple-caramel-coconut-butter-cake.
edgeofyourseat
Grinning, he follows.
When they reach the kitchen, Hilary is arranging the various layers along the counter.
"Just in time to be ordered around some more," she says without turning around.
When they reach the kitchen, Hilary is arranging the various layers along the counter.
"Just in time to be ordered around some more," she says without turning around.
edgeofyourseat
"That's what I like to hear! You get to handle the caramel. Laney, you can haul cake around."
"Sure," he says cheerfully.
"Sure," he says cheerfully.
self_composed
Bella handles caramel. She stubs her toe once, and her hands are covered with caramel; if a coin appears, Alice can't see where.
edgeofyourseat
He does notice the toe-stubbing, and spends a brief moment wondering if she managed to make any coins out of it. There aren't that many places one might have appeared. Maybe she didn't. Or maybe it went to a place that is conducive to creating more coins and wow he is stopping that train of thought right there. Luckily, he has cake-lifting to distract him.
self_composed
Frost frost frost. Ice ice ice. Hum hum hum. If Bella's new coin exists and is making her uncomfortable, this doesn't show on her face.
self_composed
Bella isn't very good at icing rosettes like those that go on the outside of this cake - it's not a task friendly to slippery hands or shaky arms - so she lets Hilary do that, but she watches the technique carefully.
self_composed
And with all the roses in place, the adventure cake is complete.
"Mm," Bella says. "Is this for after dinner?"
"Mm," Bella says. "Is this for after dinner?"
edgeofyourseat
"Yes it is," says Hilary. "And you can take some home, too, if that strikes your fancy. In the meantime, who wants to help me make spaghetti?"
"Me!" says Alice.
"Me!" says Alice.
self_composed
"Is spaghetti a multi-person job?" Bella asks. "I'm happy to help, especially if this is fancy Hilary-the-cake-goddess spaghetti, but I'm not sure how extra hands would be useful."
edgeofyourseat
"It is fancy spaghetti," she says, "and I'm sure I can find a use for you."
"By help she mostly means get in her way and learn things," Alice translates.
"That too."
"By help she mostly means get in her way and learn things," Alice translates.
"That too."
self_composed
"Ooh, learning things," says Bella. She has her notebook in her pocket. She removes it from her pocket.
edgeofyourseat
"I don't know why your father won't let you do this the rest of the time," Hilary mutters, presumably not to Bella, as she fetches another cookbook.
"Because he is kind of an asshole?" suggests Alice.
"No comment." She puts the book in the book-holding contraption.
"Because he is kind of an asshole?" suggests Alice.
"No comment." She puts the book in the book-holding contraption.
self_composed
"You're not allowed to cook when he's home?" Bella asks. She peers at the recipe. Huh, fennel seeds.
edgeofyourseat
"I tried telling him that," says Hilary. "And yet."
Alice shrugs. "Maybe he thinks I like it for the wrong reasons."
Alice shrugs. "Maybe he thinks I like it for the wrong reasons."
self_composed
Since Bella herself has critiqued some of Alice's behaviors on the grounds that he likes them for wrong reasons (among others), she doesn't have a good reply there, at least not when Hilary's around.
She just sighs an exasperated sigh and hopes there's a hex in the stash.
She just sighs an exasperated sigh and hopes there's a hex in the stash.