Dedicated to mialuvsreading for being soooooo patient with me. Check out her book recommendations and author interviews! Thank you, Mia! ^v^

A shout out to Lonely_Art_of_Life for using Skittles & Science in her book club!

~ Karma's Witch & A Candy-Loving Demon ~

~¤°*°*°*°¤~

"Ms. Hensley, may I speak with you for a moment?" Mrs. Cordier asked me as students filed out of the classroom.

With a sick feeling that it had to do with the omelette incident yesterday, I nodded and approached her. Mad didn't even begin to describe how I felt when I saw that smug look on Theo's face. He must really hate me to do something so low. I tasted the inedible eggs when he had his back turned. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing my reaction, because I knew it had to be bad. It was worse than what I imagined. There was enough salt in it to ward off a hundred demons.

Except for the one haunting this classroom, I threw a look at the sleeping devil behind me.

I obviously couldn't handle the situation the way I wanted to, which probably would have turned out violently, so I acted as if nothing was wrong and ignored him the rest of the day. I could have told the teacher, but why cause trouble for anyone? Besides, it was not like I couldn't make up for it. Unless, of course, he sabotages my work every time we have to cook something, my eye twitched at the mere thought.

"What's up?" I asked her when everyone else was gone.

Except for Mr. Snores-A-Lot. Okay, maybe he doesn't snore, but I have seen some drool. I didn't bother waking him up yesterday, and I wasn't planning on doing it again. I would not be his own personal alarm clock.

"I would like to talk to you about yesterday's assignment."

I inwardly cringed, waiting to hear about her disappointment. What made it even worse was feeling his presence. He may have been asleep, but he was still in the room.

"I was informed about the accident, and I want to assure you it won't affect your grade. I must say, I don't understand why you didn't tell me yourself."

"Accident?" I asked, confused as to what she was saying.

"Ms. Hensley, there is no need to cover for Mr. Keller. He won't be reprimanded because of a mishap." She then muttered to herself, "Back-talking, on the other hand..."

"I'm afraid I'm not following."

The teacher sighed, more than likely bothered that she had to spell it out for me. "Mr. Keller explained to me this morning that he unintentionally spilled the salt into your pan."

"Oh," was the only thing I could think of to say. Unintentionally? I did have my doubts, but he didn't need to say anything. Maybe it was just an accident after all. Should I thank him for clearing it up?

Mrs. Cordier stood and gathered some papers. "Don't be too late for your next class, Ms. Hensley." She left me with an encouraging smile.

There's my answer.

I cleared my throat, feeling awkward and unsettled. I wasn't used to being around someone like Theo. He was intimidating to me, and I could not place why I felt that way. He seemed to treat me like little red riding hood. He was the big bad wolf, watching his prey, ready to dive in for the kill at any moment. Maybe that's a teeny tiny exaggeration on my part.

My footsteps were the only thing heard when I moved towards him. I had no qualms about waking him up on day one, but when I had to thank him, I was more reluctant to do it.

"Theo," I nudged him with my finger and hesitantly leaned in when he didn't move. "Hello?"

He sighed blissfully in his sleep, "Strawberry." I barely caught the whisper.

"It's Abby. Wake up." I poked him again.

"Pop........Rocks," he mumbled, wrinkling his eyebrows.

I tried to stifle the laughter that poured out of my mouth, but it didn't work so well. I wondered why he couldn't be that way when he was awake.

Theo blinked and sat up with his eyes halfway open, squinting in the light from the windows. "Dollface?"

"Don't call me that," I grumbled and crossed my arms, blushing. For some reason, I really didn't like that name. It felt more insulting than a term of endearment.

I looked away when he stretched and rose from his chair. "Whatever you say, Cupcake."

"Don't call me that either," my irritation grew, but I immediately squelched it. I stood straighter and uncrossed my arms. "Look, I just- I just wanted to say thank you."

He raised a dark eyebrow. "For?"

Of course, he's going to make me say it. "For," I dragged out, "setting things straight about the salty omelette."

"No need to thank me." He started to walk away, but spun on his heels. "One question. I know you thought I did it on purpose, and you could have easily told her about it. Why didn't you say anything?"

I bit my lip, trying to think of how to respond. "Why did you?"

For a minute, he just watched me. I wasn't sure if he was going to answer me until he sighed. "It wouldn't have been fair of me not to say anything. People like you, who let everyone walk all over them, really irritate me. Stand up for yourself."

He left me alone and speechless.

¤°*°*°*°¤

Why.

Karma, perhaps? Is this for the mess my friends and I made at the bakery? Or because I laughed at Theo so much, mostly behind his back, when he made his omelette? Maybe because I didn't stand up for myself.

"Karma really is a witch...," I muttered, turning the key again.

The one day I stayed late at school, the battery in my car decided to die. I hoped that was the cause, anyway. So there I sat in a deserted parking lot, say for a couple of cars. The librarian needed some extra help with sorting books and asked me to help her. It took much longer than expected because of a mess some freshmen left behind. She just left, so I assumed the other cars belonged to teachers. How awkward would it be to ask a teacher to give my car a jump?

I guess I have no choice, I thought, slamming my head on the steering wheel. A knock on my window startled me.

"You okay in there?"

The owner of the muffled voice was none other than the candy-loving demon. I grinned widely and gave Theo a thumbs-up. I would much rather ask a teacher for help.

His expression became sarcastic, "Really?"

I nodded.

He mirrored me, but his nod was decisive. He backed away a few feet before he pivoted and stepped out of sight. I stared at where he previously stood. That was weird, I thought as I tweaked my head.

Seconds later, I heard an engine rumbling. A car pulled up directly in front of mine. I had a sneaking suspicion of who it was, but I couldn't make out the person until they stepped out of the car. It was Theo in the passenger seat and another guy behind the wheel.

The driver got out and lifted the hood of his car while Theo strutted back over to my window. He smiled and wiggled his fingers. Reluctantly, I cranked my window down. Without a word, only a stupid smirk, he reached down into the car to pull the hood latch. I jumped and moved away when the back of his hand brushed my bare leg. The reaction didn't go unnoticed, but he spared me further embarrassment and watched his friend hook up the cables.

When his friend signaled from the driver's seat and revved his engine, Theo turned back to me and leaned into the car. He reached his arm over and twisted the key in the ignition. Much to my relief, the car finally roared to life.

I tried to create some space between us again, but there wasn't any room left. His face was extremely close to mine. I swallowed, feeling his warm breath on my neck as he lingered there.

He inhaled. "Huh, you really do smell like strawberries," he mumbled to himself.

"What?" I turned my head. Big mistake. He was even closer than I originally thought. Theo smirked at my shocked gaze and tilted his head as if waiting for me to move away or push him out of my car. Thankfully, his friend called him, so Theo relented and backed up. Standing at his full height, he listened to the other guy say something I couldn't quite hear.

"Eli says you should get the battery checked," Theo passed to me.

"I will," I responded stiffly. I just wanted to get out of there.

"He also offered to do it for you," he said loud enough for his friend, Eli, to hear.

"Hey!" Eli shouted. Theo grinned at him and shrugged, saying something about him needing the practice.

"Um," I said, getting his attention, "thanks for the jump."

He looked at me with the same grin, and winked. "Anytime."

I internally rolled my eyes. "I'm going to be late for work."

"We wouldn't want that, would we?" Theo walked over and closed the hood. He waved as I backed out of the parking spot. I did my best to smile and wave in return.

¤°*°*°*°¤

Thursday nights were when my dad cooked dinner. So when my mom and I got home at about 6:30, we smelled delicious pot roast in the oven. My dad was as good a cook as my mom, and I wasn't far behind either of them. Because he got off work sooner than us, he used to cook most nights. It became more of a shared duty though, since we divvied up the responsibility.

"Hi, dad," I gave him a quick hug at the stove and stepped aside for mom to greet him with a kiss. A good way for me to lose my appetite.

"My girls! Welcome home," He grinned, turning the oven off. "And just in time too."

"I'll go set the table," I said, anxious to eat.

The dining room had hardwood flooring and a large mahogany table with matching chairs. I set out the plates, napkins, and silverware as they brought the drinks and roast. In no time, we were all seated and digging into the food.

"So how was school today, Abs?" My dad asked me.

"It was," I paused, thinking of the correct word, "fine. Just a normal day."

"Are you sure? You looked really stressed out when you got to the bakery," my mom added with concern.

I laughed nervously. "Well, my partner in Home Ec is stressing me out a little, that's all." I took a mouthful of food before they asked me any more questions.

"You know what I always say about stress," my mom said with a wink.

"'Stressed' is 'Desserts' spelled backwards." I rolled my eyes with a smile. That was her motto. Hence, the name of the bakery. My dad continued to stare at me, his eyes twinkling with parental intuition.

"Is this partner a boy, perhaps?"

The one question I wanted to avoid.

"If you want to call him that, yeah. I prefer an invasive species," I replied half-joking, with the hope of straying away from the subject. My parents were protective, but not completely against me dating. Well, my dad did have a shotgun at the ready for the day I brought a boy home.

I had dated before, but I didn't do it often. I never really had a proper boyfriend though. Not for lack of trying, but there wasn't anyone I liked that much or felt comfortable around to be the imperfect me. The ones I did date expected perfection, smiles, or all of my time, which I couldn't give. It wound up being exhausting, so I was better off with my friends. I think the shotgun will scare any boy who sticks around though. I laughed to myself, picturing my dad chasing Theo off of the property with his gun. Not that he would be here for any reason, I hoped.

My mom's eyes lit up at the mention of a boy, "Oh, really?"

My dad grumbled, "Oh, really..." He looked down at his food in dejection.

"Don't worry. I'm not interested in him." I can barely stand to be in the same room as him. "He's too...adventurous for me."

He looked up from his plate, while my mom giggled.

That was the wrong choice of words...

"What exactly does 'adventurous' mean?" He set his fork down, meaning business.

"It means how you used to be, dear. Living on the wild side of life." My mom patted his hand with affection.

"Oh my gosh, I have officially lost my appetite!" I took the cloth napkin off of my lap and set it on the table, pushing my plate away. I did not need to hear about the old days when my father was a bad boy and how infatuated my mother was with him. Clearly, I heard it enough times.

"Does he have a motorcycle?" My dad asked in exaggerated terror before I got up.

I recalled the car Theo and his friend pulled up in and assumed the car belonged to Eli. "No, he does not have a motorcycle." I don't think he does, anyway.

He released a breath, which I didn't realize he was holding. "Okay, then I will withhold most of my judgement on the young man."

"Your kindness is overwhelming, dad." I scooted out of my chair and took my plate to the kitchen. I faintly heard my mom say that she wants to meet him. And my nightmare continues. That is not going to happen, even if my life depends on it!

After I did my homework and took a shower, I settled in bed and called Yvette and Jarod on a conference call. We talked about our plans for Friday. It was my parents date night every week, so my friends and I made our own tradition. Each of us buy food to share and pick out three movies to watch. Then we veg out and crash on the heavenly plush couches for the night. Thus it was deemed Food Flicks Friday. Otherwise known as FooFliDay.

I failed to mention the incidents with Theo today in fear of what they would say which would be along the lines of my parents. So when I got off of my cell phone, I stared at the ceiling in thought of what happened earlier.

I didn't know what to think of Theo. He seemed like the stereotypical bad boy type, but was he really? He did something nice by jumping my car, and he owned up to the salt accident. Neither of which he had to do for me. I was beginning to think I was wrong in judging him just because of his rep in school.

One thing was true. I didn't know anything concrete about him. And he didn't know anything about me, but I got the feeling he believed he knew everything.

I guess that's something we have in common.

~¤°*°*°*°¤~

Theo: So if I'm a demon, does that make you my angel? *winks at Abby*

Abby: *smiles at him then looks at the Author* Do I really have to put up with this?

Author: Oh, you love it.

Theo: Come to me, my Angel. Give your sexy beast a kiss.

Abby: You got the 'beast' part right. You just have to replace 'sexy' with 'ugly.'

Theo: *gawks and spins to the Author* Can... Can she say that to me?!

Author: Well...

Abby: Oh, don't be such a baby...

Theo: *grumbles and addresses the crowd with a falsetto voice* I'm Abby. I like cupcakes. I pretend to be an angel, but my wings are black like my heartless, bitter soul. I'm cruel and lie about Theo! *returns to normal voice* I am beautiful, okay?!

Abby: *smiles sweetly and speaks with a baby voice* I Theo. Abby huwt my feewings. Gimme Pop Rocks neow!

Theo: You're so mean to me. *sniffles and sighs* I know you love me though. Or you will eventually.

Abby: *turns to the Author* He's not serious.

Author: Or is he?

*Abby groans while Theo cheers for the Author*

A/N: Okay. Time for new chapters. Eventually a full cast. A few songs. And a new cover is in the works! I may take advantage of the new multimedia content, but only in the A/Ns, so it won't mess with the flow. Yo. No? I'm just gonna... Go.

¤°* Have a Pop Rockin' Day, Sweeties! *°¤