Who Doesn't Love Donuts, Right?

Who Doesn’t Love Donuts, Right?

Susie Roberts, a young girl from Wyoming. Susie had thick strawberry-blonde curls that bounced whenever she turned her head. Her style; very preppy but also very chic. She wasn’t the most popular girl around, but her beautiful smile was unforgettable. Susie was a hardworking girl. She would spend her days learning in school, then she would drive over to the mall to work an evening shift at the little donut kiosk, Jim’s Classic, on the second floor. She loved her job, and she was great friends with all of her coworkers. Unfortunately, the employees from the neighbouring stores were always rude towards the Jim’s Classic employees, because the sweet scent of the pastries would draw customers away from their stores and towards the kiosk, which meant less business for them. However, there was one store in particular which carried on a feud with Jim’s Classic for many years and that was the bookstore from across the hall, the Bookend. 

The assistant manager of the store, Jay, was a senior at Susie’s high school, and also the smartest kid at their school. Jay always had a fresh buzz cut and constantly sported a Ralph Lauren puffer vest. He never left home without the keys to his Subaru Legacy, his pair of deck shoes, or science textbooks. Jay would spend five days a week mixing chemicals in the lab, one day a week stocking poetry bookshelves at the Bookend, and of course another day a week playing Cribbage with his godfather. Jay was smart and privileged, and he knew it too. He looked down on any customer who hadn’t read Milk and Honey before, or someone at school who didn’t know how to solve a basic chemical equation. 

Jay loved working at the Bookend, but couldn’t stand the employees from Jim’s Classic, especially Susie. Jay was Susie’s first boyfriend, and the two dated for nearly a year. They broke up in the summer because Susie claimed to have fallen out of love. So, seeing Jay almost everyday at the mall was hard for her. He was no longer friendly to her when they would cross paths. He would avoid eye contact, and would refuse to even go near her at the mall. 

In early October, the donut kiosk baked different types of pumpkin spice specialty donuts for the season. The spicy scent of the treats drove the mall-goers crazy while shopping in the Bookend, as well as Jay. The two teenagers argued about the strong scent of the pastries in the middle of the shopping centre one evening, causing a scene. It was awful. Jay had so much built up anger towards Susie that this was his perfect opportunity to let it all out. Susie didn’t go down without a fight though, and she made sure the whole shopping centre could hear her cuss her ex out. Jay was temporarily suspended from working because of his actions towards Susie, while Susie didn’t face any consequences because… well…  how could anyone argue that pumpkin spice donuts smell too strong? 

After a long day of taking pictures of the lacrosse team for the school’s yearbook, Susie headed to the mall for her shift at the kiosk. When she arrived, low and behold, Jay was standing  in the window of the Bookend preparing the store’s Christmas display. The two made quick eye contact as Susie clocked in for her shift… totally awkward. She threw her apron on, picked up her frosting-filled piping bag, and got to work. 

The shift was going by swiftly, until around 6:00pm, when Jay stumbled up to the kiosk.

“Hey Susie, what’s up?” Jay said as he pulled a $5 bill out of his pocket.

“Um, hey Jay… what are you doing over here?” Susie replied anxiously. Why would he want a donut from Jim’s Classic… and why would he want to talk to her?

“I’m on break dude, and I’m starved. Who doesn’t love donuts, right? Can I have one of the new vanilla dipped donuts? One with extra sprinkles too.” his mouth watered as his eyes scanned the display case.

“Uh, sure. That’ll be $2.75… how’s your shift going so far?” Susie was dumbfounded as to why he would voluntarily come over to her kiosk… she thought he hated her guts. Jay handed the money to Susie, yet avoided her question. He pulled out a scrap of receipt paper from his pocket, and scribbled something across the back of it. Susie handed him his change, and he slid the scrap of paper across the counter. He grabbed his donut and coins, and darted back towards the Bookend. Susie picked up the paper and her jaw dropped. The note read:

“I miss you.”

Susie was shocked. Her cheeks turned a bright pink and her heart skipped a beat. It hadn’t even been one month since the two had their falling out in the mall, and Jay was already talking to her again, and apparently confessing his feelings for her? Super weird. Now she couldn’t shake the thoughts of Jay out of her mind. Susie carefully tucked the note into the pocket on her apron and began to ice the donuts once again. 

The clock struck 9 o’clock, which meant the mall was closed. It had been two hours since their small ‘encounter’, and Susie was anxious to talk to Jay after her shift. She cleaned up behind the counters and swept around the kiosk. She pulled the shades down over the display case and locked up the register for the night. All Susie could think about was Jay. Was this a sign that they were going to get back together? Was she … happy about this?  

Susie headed out the back doors of the shopping centre and walked over to her tiny Honda Civic. She went to reach for the keys, when she noticed something sitting on her windshield. A beautiful bouquet of daffodils, a box of toffifee, and a tiny poetry book were perched upon the wipers. Susie gasped so suddenly that she felt the cold winter air pierce down her throat. She grabbed the gifts and hopped into the driver's seat of her car. The book gave away the supplier of the presents… Jay. Her heart filled with joy. Yes, their argument was not pretty, and it hurt her to hear Jay raise his voice as he did. However, she kind of left him hanging in the summer when she told him how she really felt when she broke up with him. Susie missed having Jay in her life, and she didn’t want to keep fighting with him like this. 

A quick flash of the headlights of Jay’s Subaru pulling up next to her made Susie’s hands weak. He rolled into the parking spot next to her and slid down his passenger seat window.

“Susie. I love you. And I haven’t stopped loving you. Words can’t even describe how sorry I am for our argument. I was just so frustrated at the time… but I came to the realization that I just can’t stop loving you.” Jay’s voice was shaky. Susie could tell that he’d been waiting to say this for a while now. Her eyes began to tear up and her heart was pounding in her chest. 

“Jay… I don’t know what to say… I thought you would never want to talk to me again. I still love you so much.” Susie hopped out of her car and locked the door behind her. She ran over to Jay’s Subaru and sat down in the passenger seat next to him. 

“Do you want to grab something to eat? I’m so hungry after that shift.” Jay said to Susie, gazing into her big green eyes. 

“This might sound silly, but how about we go to Krispy Kreme and get a box of donuts. Who doesn’t love donuts, right?”