All Chapters of Shortcake: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

27 Chapters

Straight Country

The bass was already vibrating through the floorboards by the time they pushed their way through the front door. The house was packed, air heavy with cheap beer and sweet perfume. As they squeezed past the cramped kitchen, a guy lugging a heavy plastic cooler paused, shifting the weight against his hip.“Hey,” he called over the thud of music, “you two want one of these before I set this down and the vultures descend?”They both reached in, grabbing a dripping, ice-cold can. The guy shot them a wink and kept pushing his way through the crowd.“He was kinda cute,” Freddy noted, as she popped the top and took a sip.Gemma bumped her shoulder against Freddy’s. “Freddy, you think every guy with a pulse is cute.”“I do not!” Freddy yelled over the music, laughing. “Just the cute ones with a pulse!”The night quickly became a fast, glittering blur—dancing in the makeshift living room, letting a couple of guys pull them into the crowd, the heavy rhythm drowning out the thoughts Gemma had bee

Honey I'm Home

The deadpan delivery caught Freddy completely off guard. She snorted, and a second later, the two of them were falling against each other, laughing as they stumbled through the glass doors of their dorm building.It wasn’t until Gemma was back in the quiet dark of their room, peeling off her clothes and trying to scrub the stubborn glitter from her shoulders, that she realized something important: she’d actually made it through an entire night without constantly looking over her shoulder, and without thinking too much about Tony.When she finally climbed under her covers, she set her phone face down on the nightstand—a small victory, and for once, she didn’t feel the urge to reach for it again.Morning arrived with a dull, throbbing headache, but Gemma forced herself out of bed anyway, determined to get a jump on their first creative writing assignment. The prompt was simple—but daunting: Explain in detail where you come from and tell us if your new environment is a lot different, a l

Country Bumpkin

“Wait until you see what I got thrifting today,” Freddy announced, dropping an overflowing tote onto her bed. She dug through it and pulled out a pair of worn-in denim overalls. “Look at these. They’re going to look absolutely adorable on you.”Before Gemma could even process the outfit, Freddy dove back into the bag. “And look what else I found!”She held up a pair of scuffed leather boots. They weren’t exactly traditional cowboy boots—more stylish, with intricate embroidery, definitely cowgirl boots.Gemma laughed, eyeing the outfit. “Please tell me those are for you.”“Are you kidding?” Freddy scoffed, holding the overalls up against her own frame to show the difference in their heights. “I’m a good six inches taller than you, Em. And that’s if you wear the boots.”Gemma snorted, shutting her laptop and tossing it aside. “Okay, fair enough. You got me there.”“Now go try this on,” Freddy commanded, waving the overalls like a flag. “Wait, hold on.”She dug deeper into the tote, her a

Survived Another Saturday in Colorado

As Gemma started moving through the crowded house again, she let him follow. He stayed close, a solid, warm presence at her back as she navigated the crush of dancing bodies, until they finally located Freddy standing by the drinks in the kitchen.She reached into a plastic cooler for a beer, and Freddy’s eyes narrowed. She noticed how Chase stood right behind Gemma, his arm draped casually but heavily around her waist, holding her to him. It was a subtle but deeply possessive stance—as if he already owned her.Freddy frowned into her cup, wondering for a split second how Gemma actually felt about a guy claiming her space so quickly. But just as her concern peaked, Chase slyly poked Gemma in the ribs.Startled, Gemma let out a loud yelp, nearly spilling her beer as she twisted away from his touch. Chase laughed, tightening his arm around her waist as if the moment was nothing more than a private joke between them.Gemma swatted at him, breathless, her laughter genuine but tinged with

Just be Careful

Tony’s jaw clenched, his teeth grinding together in the quiet room. A hot, ugly spike of jealousy flared in his chest, warring with the crushing reality that he was the one who had told her to go. He had pushed her away so she could have exactly this—friends, college parties, and guys who looked at her like she was the center of the room.He stared at the screen for a long, agonizing minute. Then, with a groan that sounded too much like defeat, his thumb reached out and double-tapped the picture, leaving a solitary, silent like.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chase was a perfect gentleman. They’d go out to dinner and he would always hold doors for her. They’d walk across campus together to the diner or the cafeteria, talking and laughing. Then, one afternoon, he asked if he could take her home to meet his family—they were having a big bonfire for his brother’s birthday, and he wanted to show her

Iron Skillet

Melanie introduced Gemma to the family—her husband Jacob, who clearly favored Chase, and then to Chase’s brother Carter. Carter was the exact opposite of Chase in every way: curly blond hair, blue eyes, and a smile that could stop a thousand hearts. Gemma couldn’t help but notice the way Carter looked at her. So did Chase.“Excuse us, we’re going for drinks,” Chase muttered, steering Gemma away.As they moved through the crowd, Chase leaned in, his voice low and tense. “Could this night get any worse? God, did you see the way he was smirking at you? Like, why?”“And just how was he looking at me, Chase?” Gemma shot back. “I saw a very nice person smile at me and talk to me—not talk down to me.”She turned to face him, her jaw set. “Take me back to the dorms.”"I saw the way he was looking at you. And smirking at me,” Chase continued, his voice tight. “He’s not charming, Gems—he’s a snake in disguise. Trust me.”He bent and kissed the end of her nose. “I’m sorry. Let’s stay, okay?”Some

"Boyfriend"

The next morning, as Gemma lay in bed, her phone buzzed with a new text. She reached for it on the nightstand.Chase: Morning, Gems. How about having breakfast with me?Gemma groaned. “I just want to be lazy today. No Chase, no books, no anything. Just sleep. Sunday all day sleep.”Freddy laughed. “Well, that’s simple then. Tell him we’re spending all day together, watching chick flicks, and crying over tubs of ice cream. Tell him it’s a bad time to be a man around here. If he knows anything, he’ll take the hint—we’re on our periods. Easy peasy. No man would hang around after hearing that confession.”Gemma texted him back:Hey, I’m really not feeling well—it’s that, well, you know, time. Freddy and I are just going to watch movies all day and cry into some ice cream.Chase: Can I bring you anything? Ice cream?Gemma: No, that’s okay. We’ll go get something later if we feel better.Chase: Nonsense. I’ll bring you some ice cream and watch movies with you.Gemma: Do you really want to b

Tinkerbitch

“You were good enough to meet my family in that getup you had on last night, and yet I’m not good enough to meet your family?” Chase challenged.Gemma met his gaze evenly. “If you feel that way, leave, Chase.” She’d finally come to a conclusion—this was done before it got any farther.Chase took a deep, calming breath and looked at her. “I’m sorry, Gemma. I shouldn’t have tried to force you. That was really insensitive of me. Of course you want to go home.”"Chase, I think you’d better leave before Tinkerbell turns into Tinkerbitch,” Freddy said, stepping in with a pointed look.Gemma couldn’t look at him. Chase was staring at Freddy, surprised that she’d stepped into their conversation.“Gems, I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “It’s just…my mom liked you so much last night. She thought you might have changed your mind about going home after meeting everyone.”“I’m going home. And if you don’t like it, then this is done before we both get in too deep.” Gemma’s voice was steady, but inside,

Made it Home

Gemma had agreed to let Chase drive her to the airport Wednesday morning. When he pulled up to drop her off, he said, “I’d feel much better if I was going instead of just my shirt, but it’ll do. I’ll meet the family some other time.”“Okay, I’ll see you Sunday night,” she replied, already reaching for the door.“Bye, Gems.” He leaned over, but she had already stepped out, dodging another attempted kiss.“See you in a couple days, Chase,” she called over her shoulder, then hurried inside.She was nervous about flying, but honestly, Chase made her even more nervous. As she waited at the gate, Gemma wondered if she was pushing him away because she was still hung up on Tony. Maybe that was why she felt so disconnected from Chase—why every kiss, every smile, felt just a little bit wrong.As she settled back into her tiny seat on the plane, Gemma pulled out a book Freddy had picked up while out thrifting. She could practically hear Freddy’s laughter when Gemma opened it and started reading—

Home

When they pulled into the drive at home, Tony got out and helped Gemma down. They stood for a moment, just looking at each other, before heading inside. Their mother was waiting at the door.Kyle grinned. “Look what I found walking down the road.”“Oh, Gemma, it’s so good to have you home,” her mom said, pulling her into a hug.Tony stood back with his hands in his pockets until Dee smiled at him. “I see you brought another hitchhiker with you.”Before Gemma could say anything, her phone buzzed again—another text from Chase:Hello? Are you getting my calls? My texts?Gemma tried to ignore it, but everyone noticed the anxiety flickering across her face. Tony leaned in and asked gently, “Everything okay?”“I’m fine,” she replied, forcing a smile.Dee glanced between them, sensing the tension but letting it go for now. “Well, I’ve had chicken and dumplings in the oven for an hour. Let’s sit down and eat.”“Is that Bug I hear in there?” her dad called, coming around the corner into the ki

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