Éclairs au chocolat
Sitting on the bench in the locker room, Caitlyn massaged her aching temples. She threw her head back and let out a deep sigh. Once again, she had failed.
Her creams were curdling, her tart crusts were collapsing, her brioches weren’t rising... Nothing was going right. In front of her éclairs—more like little chubby sausages covered in dull icing with runny cream spilling out—Madame Valienne had asked her to come to the principal's office after class.
Caitlyn put her head in her hands and slumped, her elbows on her knees. She knew what this meant: she was going to be kicked out.
She had passed the prestigious admission exam based on her dossier. Her academic record was objectively perfect: private high school, top of her class at Oxford University, 14 years of high-level pistol shooting... and an influential family. Caitlyn was a Kiramman, and she knew that her name had likely influenced the admissions panel’s decision.
But the Kiramman name and a great dossier meant nothing if she couldn’t bake. She was awful, bad, mediocre, and the principal was going to kindly tell her to step aside and make room for someone more deserving.
Her migraine intensified, and she closed her eyes. The last students had just left, and their voices in the hallway were growing fainter. Silence enveloped her, bringing with it a heavy sense of loneliness. She decided to call her brother.
Jayce and she had always had a close relationship. He was her older brother, and also her best friend. They didn’t talk every day, and they saw each other less and less, but she knew she could count on him no matter the time or distance.
He excelled in his engineering studies and was set to earn his PhD in a year. Caitlyn had joined Oxford to be with him; he had taken her under his wing and helped her integrate into the university community. Still, he hadn’t held it against her when she told him she was moving to France. Jayce had supported her against their mother’s sharp remarks and helped her with the administrative steps. She owed him so much and would continue to lean on his kindness as long as he could put up with her. Absently, she pulled her phone from the pocket of her stained apron and called her brother.
A deep voice answered almost instantly, warming Caitlyn’s heart like a medicinal balm.
“Cait! How’s it going, big chef?”
She slumped against the wall, the cold contact cutting through her clothes, and answered with her eyes still closed.
“Let’s talk about you instead. I need a distraction. How are you? How’s school?”
Her brother paused for a moment, carefully choosing his words.
“Cait... Alright, fine. We’ll talk about me first, but you won’t escape the other part later!”
He went on to tell her about his daily life, the latest anecdotes that made her burst out laughing.
"...and actually, it was a rabbit in the office eating his homework! I swear, a real rabbit!" He paused. "Cait, I need to cut to the chase. What’s going on? Haven’t you gotten any better?"
Caitlyn, now serious again, replied bitterly, “No, I’m afraid I’m going to be kicked out. And imagine if Mom finds out... I won’t hear the end of it.”
“Well, it could be worse, Cait. Imagine if you told her you wanted to become... a baker?” His last words, spoken with mischief, made it clear that he didn’t look down on the profession, but was just trying to cheer her up.
Caitlyn burst out laughing, swept away in the game he was playing. Jayce always knew how to make her smile. She kept it going, thinking about what their mom would say. The door to the locker room opened, but she didn’t pay attention.
“No, seriously, Jayce. A baker? Making baguettes all day long? Anyone can weigh flour and turn on an oven, right? A pastry chef, at least, that’s an art. Precision, elegance, attention to detail... It’s a noble craft, not a rustic hobby.”
Her brother burst into laughter at her exaggerated imitation of their mother. A throat-clearing sound made her jump. Caitlyn opened her eyes and turned her head.
To her left, Vi was there, frowning, staring at her. Her icy blue eyes pierced her with contempt. In a white uniform. Caitlyn had unwittingly become the target of a joke that should have remained private. Caitlyn felt her face turn red and hastily ended the call with Jayce.
Vi turned back to her locker, fiddling with the code-lock mechanism and opening it wide, revealing a joyful mess of stuff and photos on the inside of the door.
As Caitlyn was about to speak to clear up the misunderstanding, Vi turned around, her powerful arms crossed over her chest. She spoke in a slightly altered English, tinged with anger:
“So, Kiramman, not only can’t you make a single dessert, but you’re also a jerk with people who actually work?”
Caitlyn was left speechless. Anger rose in her throat. This day was a disaster, and now she was being lectured for a simple sentence? If only Vi had given her two minutes to explain, she would have understood it was just a joke.
She avoided looking at Vi’s powerful arms, forcing herself to stay calm. In a measured tone, she replied coldly, “It was just a private conversation with my brother. If you’ll excuse me, I’m not really in the mood to listen to your venom. And if you had taken a second to think instead of jumping at the chance, you would have realized it was just a joke. But apparently, subtlety is beyond you.”
She regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth and bit her lip. Vi didn’t deserve that. She had simply walked in at the wrong time, and anyone could have misunderstood her words.
Vi shook her head and ran a hand through her messy pink hair, revealing a shaved side. She looked disappointed. Disappointed in Caitlyn, and that disappointment was clearly visible on her face in a disgusted frown. It twisted Caitlyn’s heart and made her want to apologize, but a knot formed in her throat.
Vi turned to her locker and slammed the code-lock shut. She spun on her heels and, with a venomous tone, spat out, “Spoiled brat.” The door slammed behind her.
Caitlyn put her head on her knees. Guilt, exhaustion, and sadness churned within her. She was going to be kicked out, and she had just turned her crush into an enemy. Very impressive, all in one day. Several minutes passed. She stood up and headed toward the principal’s office.