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Echo waved it off like she’d done in the past. Even after I sobbed on her weeks after the assault, she was there for me without comment. Her quiet steadiness helped me when nothing else could.

I went back to the cakes, losing myself in the rhythm of chopping the strawberries, grating the lemon peel, juicing the lemons, and sifting the cocoa powder, mixing each ingredient into the separated batter, before pouring them into three cake tins. I knew Graham liked variety and didn’t mind trying anything new, hence the lemon-poppyseed cake, but you couldn’t go wrong with traditional chocolate. The twins liked anything sweet, but I knew he would love the tart strawberry mixed with the sweetness of the buttercream.

I opened the door before sliding the cakes into the oven and set a timer. As I started mixing the buttercream frosting, Hensley came back into the kitchen, a little hesitant, wearing a pink hoodie and gray leggings with her hair pulled up in a messy bun. It made her even more beautiful, but I said nothing because I thought her emotional upheaval had something to do with her career.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better, thank you. Do you need any help?”

“Nah, all that’s left is the pasta, but that’s more kneading than anything else.”

“You make everything from scratch?”

I shrugged. “I learned the hard way to take care of myself and discovered I’m sensitive to preservatives. If I make it, I know where it comes from.”

“So the sauce and the cheese?”

“Yep, I make everything. Well, that’s not true, the Parmesan is the premium Italian kind, but that’s about it.”

“I feel inferior.” Hensley said it in such a small voice. Another pang throbbed in my chest.

“We all have our talents, angel. I’m sure we couldn’t do what you do.”

“And that’s the problem, I think. I’m not sure I want to be a model any longer.”

“There’s nothing wrong with changing careers. You need to do what makes you happy,” Echo chimed in.

Hensley grew quiet and when I stopped the mixer to check on the frosting, I glanced up to see her biting her lip.

My best friend continued, “We won’t judge you. Some people think what I do, editing Neko’s videos while I run my fashion and makeup channel, isn’t an actual career. We get lots of flack from people who don’t understand, thinking their opinions matter.”

“You mean your mom and stepfather?”

Echo flipped me off, and I laughed. When Hensley made a small noise, we looked over to see her working her bottom lip with her teeth.

“It’s kinda what I want to do. I play a lot of games on my downtime, but since travel, photoshoots, and fashion shows run me ragged, I have little time for it.”

“Oh, you want to be a game streamer?”

“It’s a pipe dream. I’m not as good as you.”

“Nothing you want bad enough is unreachable. Everyone has a niche and everyone is at a different level of skill. I scream like a drama queen and wet myself because my viewers like me playing scary games. But I also love long let’s plays where I’m fifteen videos in, encompassed by the story, and distracted by hours of side missions because I don’t want the game to end. Both types of videos are popular. When you start your own channel, you’ll find what suits you and if you enjoy it, do that. Besides, no one cares about your skill level as long as you’re having fun and you’re genuine.”

Echo said, “And I can edit your videos.”

“We can also help you build a rig that’s powerful enough for any game you want to play and introduce you to other streamers when you’re ready. We can all play together to get you exposure.”

Hensley sighed. “You make it sound so easy.”

I swiped a bit of the frosting, checking for sweetness and consistency. Satisfied with it, I used a spatula, getting most of the frosting off the whisk attachment, before I held it out.

“What do you think?”

They both swiped globs of frosting and I laughed when Echo, then Hensley, moaned aloud. I put the frosting in three containers, adding pureed strawberries to one, lemon juice and vanilla to another, and the third cocoa powder, folding the flavors in and then storing the containers in the fridge until the cakes cooled.

“To be honest, starting off making videos or streaming is tough because you’re learning. But we’re here for anything you might need.”

“My manager says it’s a horrible career move because I’d have twelve-year-olds or creepy old men as my only followers. I don’t care about the money because when we were together, Graham taught me how to invest and save, so I have a healthy nest egg. But I want something for myself.”