Jade watched as Skye chatted animatedly with the bakery boy at the counter of the food court, ignoring how Hope pointedly sipped her soda. "Stop staring, Jade," she said finally, when her slurps were beginning to annoy the family a table over. "It's getting kinda obvious."

The older girl whipped her head around, a blush filling her cheeks. "M-m-me? Blushing?" She wasn't staring at Skye. Not by a long shot. She was admiring the pastries in the case. Yeah. That was it. Pastries in the case. They all looked scrumptious, and had Skye just laughed at the dude's joke? Had it even been funny? What was taking so long for the damn -

"Jade!"

Jade whipped her head back around. Skye had left the counter and returned to their table, sliding a freshly made dan taat in front of the each of them. "You good?" she asked. "Sorry I took so long. That was Tony Huang. We used to go to Chinese school together, until he punched some kid's two front teeth out."

"We're okay," Hope chirped, as Jade had opened her mouth without any sound emanating from it. "Jade was just looking at the pastries in the case. Weren't you, Jade?" At that, Jade snapped her mouth shut and nodded. She'd never thought an eight-year-old would be her wingwoman, but apparently anything was possible.

"Looked like a lot of good stuff there," she finally managed to get out. "You'll have to show me all of it sometime." Somehow, her facial muscles came together to manage a wink and a half-smirk, cause Skye to stop halfway to sitting down. Hm. "That is, if you don't mind."

"I, uh. Nah, of course not!" The wrapper to the dan taat slipped to the floor, and Skye hurriedly took the opportunity to hide her own blush. "I can make all of those, actually. My mom taught me when I was younger. We don't serve 'em at the restaurant 'cause they take too much time to make and we don't have a window display to put them in, plus if we did we'd have to open early and you know how my mom hates opening early -"

"Skye!" Hope's look was more than pointed, and Skye snapped her mouth shut to find Jade holding back a snort. "Are you done telling Jade about all of the things you've made? I think she wants to go get a dress today, you know."

"I think it's cute." Skye choked on her first bite of tart. "My mom never really taught me how to make any of the foods she made for dinner." The other girl actually looked offended at that, and Jade shrugged. "I guess she always assumed that I'd meet a nice Chinese boy who would teach me." Of course, that plan had been ditched the moment she'd gotten kicked out of boarding school.

Hope looked between the two of them, hoping she wouldn't have to fill in the blanks. No such luck. Did she have to do everything around here? "Okay, so, Skye, when do you want to teach Jade how to make pastries? You want to teach Jade how to make pastries, right?" She took another bite out of her dan taat to make her point.

"Oh. Right." Skye shot Jade a nervous grin. "What do you say, Wong? An actual big and little activity?" She pulled out her phone, pretending to squint at it. "See, I've only got a couple of openings every week, it'll be kind of hard to squeeze you in between recovering from Fitz's tastings and slaving over Thoreau."

"She means to say she's wide open," Hope deadpanned when Jade looked to reconsider her offer. "Trust me, you coming to hang out at least once a week at May's would be so much better than watching Skye do her homework and eat scallion pancakes." Jade still looked unsure, so Hope sighed. "How about Wednesday, Jade?"

"Wednesday sounds fine," Skye and Jade said in unison. Hope shot her babysitter a look - which one of them was supposed to be setting the dates again? "Wednesday sounds great," Jade continued, shooting Skye her own grin. "Think you can start with teaching me how to make the dan taat?"

Skye nodded, still unsure as to how she'd gotten to this point. It was probably best to just keep nodding at.

"Good." Hope put down her soda can with a tiny clang. "Can we go now? You guys said I could pick something, too!"

"Okay, so first, I want to try green," Jade said as they trooped back into the store. "For some reason, I didn't inherit the Asian gene where you look good in red. And it's gotta be dark green. None of that neon green stuff. You think you're up to the challenge, kiddos?" Skye raised an eyebrow at the categorization but nodded nonetheless. "Good. Break!"

The three of them scattered off to look through the rack. Hope stuck to Skye's side this time, the both of them starting at opposite ends. "Hey, Hope?"

"Yeah, Skye? Can you help me get this dress?"

Skye lifted the aforementioned garment off with relative ease. "Thanks. For earlier. But, uh...you know I don't like Jade that way, right? She's just a friend. You can stop setting us up." She appreciated the gesture. She really did. Hope had given her the opportunity to spend at least one afternoon a week hanging out with Jade, making food and getting hit with quips. But she didn't like her like that. Skye could even say she appreciated the amount of attention Jade gave her - for one, it wasn't sleazy and egotistical, and second, it didn't come off of Bobbi. It...it was nice.

It kind of made her feel like a fresh dan taat herself - warm, bright, and generally like a child all over again. She'd be a fool not to like that feeling. But Jade? Like Jade? She couldn't imagine it. And it wasn't like reciprocation would be fair game, anyhow. As far as leagues went, Skye was pretty sure Jade Wong was a couple ahead of her, as mesmerizing and mysterious as she was.

"Well, why not?" Hope was already trying to pull off another dress on a hanger by the time Skye made her way through her mental gymnastics. "She's nice and funny! And she's really pretty. And you let make fun of you. You only let Bobbi, Miss May and Dad make fun of you, and even then you threaten to try and kill Bobbi."

"You're right," Skye hummed. "Jade's pretty, funny, and nice, kiddo. And I do let her make fun of me. But I just don't like her like that, you get me? Some girls like girls, and that's okay with me. I'm more than okay with that. I love it! But I'm not one of those girls, is all." She held up a dress. "What do you think of this for Jade?"

Hope looked around, trying to find the taller girl. "I think she's disappeared."

"It's easy to find her. Just yell something mildly insulting and she'll come out of nowhere ready to fight you. Give it a shot."

"What would I even yell?"

"Watch and learn, young Padawan." When Hope didn't look amused, Skye just sighed. "I got this. JADE WONG IS A FAKE CHINESE AND THINKS FRIED RICE IS PRIME CHINESE FOOD!"

"ExCUSE ME, I'M FULL CHINESE AND I CAN DAMN WELL WHACK YOU WITH MY FAMILY TREE TO PROVE IT - oh, come on!" Jade had emerged half-dressed from the fitting room, hopping in a pair of tailored pants, to deliver her tirade. "I fell for this last week!"

"The funniest thing is that you fell for it a second time, Wong," Skye giggled. "Anyways, Hope and I found you some dresses. Go try them on in all of your fake Chinese glory," Jade just shot her a sharp glare before snatching up the dresses and marching to the fitting room. "I still can't believe you think fried rice is prime Chinese food!"

"And so it begins," Hope announced dramatically when the curtain shifted. "Jade Wong's homecoming dress, take one." She shot Skye a meaningful look. "Hopefully not one of fifteen million."

"I feel like I can't breathe, so I don't think it's going to be a total hole in one, Hope," Jade stepped gingerly out of the changing stall, the top half of her dress clinging tightly to her body. Golden threading ran down her sleeves and through the majority of the dress, including two wide gold bands at the bodice and waist before snaking their way through a flowing skirt. "I also think my back sweat's developed its own back sweat."

Skye and Hope could only goggle. "Hey, dragon lady," Skye said at last. "Where's your cane? You leave it with your mythical steed?"

Jade shot her a withering look in return. "You only wish you knew where my cane was, Wong."

"Jade's homecoming dress, take two!" Hope clapped loudly before checking the group chat once more. "Jade, Miss May says that she wants that dress to wear during Asian St. Patrick's day. She wears a seven, whatever that means."

"It means that Miss May has a rockin' bod, and I'd probably kill to be in her shape at her age." Jade stepped out in her next dress, and both girls were stunned into a silence even worse than before. "This is bad, isn't it? It makes me feel like a fuckin' old Irish lady. Had enough of those when I went to boarding school." She did an exaggerated curtsey. "Top o' the mornin' to ya!"

There were a couple more seconds of stony silence before Skye finally lost it, bursting into laughter. "There's a bow!" she guffawed, slapping her leg not unlike that of an old country bumpkin. "There's a fucking bow! I can't believe it, a bow..." Her laughter brought her to the nearest bench, and she collapsed on it, still holding her stomach. "Hope, take a picture for the...for the group chat, I'm sorry, Jade, it's just - there's a bow!"

She'd never met someone over the age of eleven that still wore bows. Seeing the almighty Jade Wong wear one was a jarring image she'd never thought she'd get to see. (And now that she was seeing it, it was fucking hilarious.)

Jade stared at herself in the mirror for a long while, seemingly contemplating her life decisions. Hope just stared at Skye as if she'd declared aliens existed and had somehow taken over Piper and Davis' bodies.

Finally, Jade snorted. "Goddamn. I'm going to find something black."

"Why are the angles of this dress so sharp?"

Skye and Hope exchanged equal looks of confusion before the latter went back to playing Candy Crush. The former turned back to her conversation with Kaya.

Clouds: i invited her to make pastries at may's every week kay what do i d p

Kay: wow smol may's got game who woulda thought

Clouds: i am NOT trying to game her! why haven't i invited grant ward to come make pastries at may's yet!

Kay: ...why don't you ask him then

Clouds: what if he thinks it's weird? you don't just ask the boy you like to come make PASTRIES. let alone CHINESE pastries

Kay: and you ask the girl you like to do it?

Clouds: i do NOT like jade

Clouds: we're friends

Clouds: /just/ friends

Clouds: idk why people keep asking me if i like jade

Clouds: first hope and now you

Kay: wait lil hope asked you if you liked jade?

Kay: smol hope

Kay: who's like, eight

Kay: and she can sense the gay

Clouds: there is no gay. not for me

Clouds: i have already said this

Kay: aight

Kay: but you're dress shopping with her

Kay: and you can't tell me you haven't seen her serve some Looks

"I hate it," Jade stepped out of the stall, picking at her shoulder. "I feel like the modern version of Breaking Dawn and Christina Perri." The dress in question this time had a soft black mesh top, extending down long sleeves embroidered with similarly-colored flowers. It cut all the way down towards Jade's waist, where a white skirt flared sharply out, more black flowers lining the hem.

"I think your emo phase called," Skye snarked. "News flash: it wants its clothing back." Jade pretended to hiss at her in true vampire fashion, causing Hope to look up and roll her eyes before turning back once more to her game.

"You guys are losers."

"Just remember which one of us is buying you things later, kid."

"Skye?"

"What's up, Hope? You need another soda or something?"

"Can you tell my daddy I love him? I don't think I'm gonna make it. But another soda would be nice." Skye rolled her eyes and handed Hope a five-dollar bill. "Thanks, Skye!" The smaller Mackenzie skipped out of the changing room, leaving Skye alone with Jade.

"Okay, how's this?"

Skye's mouth went dry when Jade stepped out of the stall. The most recent dress in question was made entirely of sparkles and was set in deep a cut down to her stomach, a small mesh triangle attempting to preserve some modesty. Jade did a small twirl, the plain black skirt lifting a little, and it was only then that Skye caught the wide expanse of skin the dress was leaving in the back.

Why were her cheeks burning...?

"I'm gonna take that as a sign you like it," Jade teased. "I've never stunned a girl into silence. This is good."

"It...I..." God, the temperature was hot in there. This wasn't fair. Jade was too pretty. Skye's eyes involuntarily dipped down the cut of the dress before zooming back up and down the sharp line of Jade's shoulders. This wasn't fair. There was so much skin. And it was probably warm and soft and wow, did she want to touch it. But mainly, Jade was just pretty.

Where had that come from?

"Skye?"

"I think your neckline's a little too high, Wong," Skye finally croaked out when her brain was able to formulate words once more. Jade snorted loudly.

"You're lucky I don't put a pride flag up your ass. Now, I'm gonna change into this cute suit I bought, and you're gonna change into the dress you bought, okay?"

Following commands wasn't really Skye's forte at the moment. She'd just been accosted by a pretty girl, okay? "...wha?" Jade sighed and handed Skye the bag sitting next to her.

"Change." A few minutes later, Skye was shaking her hair out of her ponytail to see Jade shrugging on a suit jacket that cinched in at her waist. If Skye's mouth had gone dry at the sight of Jade in the dress, the suit silently stole the breath out of her lungs. How did anyone make a suit look so good? Well, she amended silently, her mom could do it. You didn't become a feared figure of the Chinese mafia without rocking a suit or two.

"Remind me why I'm in this dress again?" she asked, if only to take the attention off of the fact that they'd been staring at each other in absolute silence. "I know you've never been to homecoming, Wong, but typically we take the photos the night of, not in the dressing room."

Jade just fiddled with her phone. "When was the last time you danced with a dude?" She hoped she wasn't reaching, asking Skye to dance with her. The whole purpose of the shopping trip had been to establish their boundaries as a big and little, not to blur them with her feelings. Jade hated feeling like she was walking on eggshells and not knowing how her every move would be reciprocated. She hadn't felt this taut in a long time - almost not ever, dare she say.

For her sake, she hoped Skye figured herself out soon. She couldn't take much more of getting too close to the girl.

"I can dance," Skye said in a half strangled voice. "I...I mean, I haven't danced with anyone since like, seventh grade, but I can dance with a boy." Still, she stepped closer to Jade when the other girl started up a slow song, setting her phone on the bench speaker up. "Asking me to dance, Wong?"

"Can't hurt, can it?" Jade braced herself as the opening chords began to play, waiting for Skye to step back with the same panicked look in her eyes she'd seen in so many other girls. Waited for the look, you're sweet and all, but I just...you know that... It would be rejection, plain and simple, regardless if Skye was straight or not. "I mean. If it's not too awkward, I mean. You don't have to, we can just pretend this never happened -"

"Teach me to slow dance, Wong," And just like that, Jade had a hand on Skye's shoulder and another around her waist. Her skin was every bit as soft as she thought it'd be, she noted. And a tiny bit warmer. It already seemed like her fingers had set up a home there, though, and had no intention of leaving.

You're in my arms

And all the world is gone

The music playing on for only two

So close together

And when I'm with you

So close to feeling alive

Skye stepped back, bringing Jade with her; Jade stepped sideways. A couple of repetitions had them dancing in a small circle around the dressing room. Lights dimmed in their heads, the carpet turned to shiny hardwood, and the music seemed to echo around their ears instead of out of a single source point.

So close to reaching

That famous happy ending

Almost believing

This one's not pretend

And now you're beside me

"And look how far we've come..." The words slipped past Jade's lips like water. Almost instantly, she wanted to snatch them back and stuff them into her mouth. She and Skye hadn't gotten anywhere. They barely knew each other, much less enough to marvel on the progress on their friendship. And here she was, putting herself out on the line for what? An ever-decreasing chance? Thanks, but no thanks.

Skye just grinned. "So close, yet so far." The two of them were pressed a little too closely together, Jade with her eyes closed and Skye trying to diagnose the odd warm feeling in her stomach. "Guess you were an Enchanted girl when you were younger."

"Idina Menzel was pretty," Jade answered with a small scoff, but smiled and twirled Skye anyways.

Oh how could I face the faceless days

If I should lose you now?

Hope, soda in hand, peeked back into the dressing room to see Skye and Jade slowly swaying in the middle of the dressing room, pops of color in the otherwise bland atmosphere. She couldn't understand why Skye was so intent on not admitting she liked Jade. Especially when she was looking at the taller girl like she had the ability to produce scallion pancakes on command.

And with Jade looking at Skye, stoically remaining in the friendzone? What was up with these two?

She gave them the benefit of the doubt until the end of the song before stepping into the room, cracking the tab of her soda loudly. Skye and Jade jumped apart, both of them with burning cheeks.

"I'm just gonna - yeah, I'm gonna - change," Skye said lamely, all but dashing into the stall. Jade did the same, and the comfortable silence that had been in the room before had suddenly turned heavy and awkward. Both girls emerged from the stall, purchases in hand, determined not to look at each other.

"Let's go pay," Jade said. "And, uh...Hope, it'll be your turn, and we can all go get ice cream, yeah?"

"Come on, let's see it!" Jade called some time later. "You can't hide in there forever, kiddo. We'll break down the door eventually."

Hope poked her head out of the door, her hair done in a messy bun and eyes alight. "Guys. I love it!" A white lace ruffle spread over her shoulders and lead to a black-and-white polka dotted boy wrapped around the waist before going into a similar skirt. "I LOVE THIS BOW."

The excitement was slowly sliding off of Skye and Jade's faces, turning them into grimaces instead. Hope, uncaring of their reactions, danced back into the dressing room to take pictures. "We gotta call child protective services," Jade whispered to Skye, breaking the silence that had been hanging between them ever since they'd left the previous dressing room. "I don't think Mack's raising his kid right."

Skye turned and looked at her. Their last encounter was still weighing on her mind, and she'd spent the whole walk (and search) over trying to figure out what the dance had meant. She'd liked it. That was no question. But had she liked it because someone'd chosen to lavish attention on her (which was what was more likely) or had it been because...because...

Because...

"Skye?"

This wasn't the time. "Amen," she echoed, drained. "Who the fuck loves bows on their waists?"

The second dress was simpler - a straight, plum-colored shift dress with a lace button-back and a small leather belt around the middle. Skye'd picked it out because it'd been the best compromise she could get with Hope over some sort of cinched waist.

"Wow, Hope, lookin' classy!" Jade called. "You look like you're about to go to a wedding."

"Thanks, Jade! Guess what?"

"What's up?"

Hope excitedly stuck her hands in her dress with a manic grin. "It has pockets!"

Bobbi May: mom wants to know if jade's staying for dinner

Bobbi May: skye i know you're not fucking talking to me for some stupid reason but mom wants to know if jade's staying for dinner

Bobbi May: skye come on

Melinda May: skye, is jade staying for dinner?

Skye May: hang on, mom

"Hey," Skye nudged Jade, who was scrolling through her phone. "You wanna come for dinner?" Jade had to stare at her for a long time, trying to force her brain from the idea that Skye was asking her for a dinner date. "Mom's making...well, I'm not sure what she'll make, but it'll probably be something you like, since apparently y'all know each other."

Jade forced herself to nod. "Yeah. Yeah. I'll, uh...I'll be there. I love your mom's cooking. Any chance she can make the shrimp? It's been forever and a half."

Skye May: jade says she's coming for dinner and she wants to know if you'll make the shrimp mom

Melinda May: tell her i'll make the shrimp

Melinda May: skye mack wants to know why you put her in a romper

Melinda May: skye my daughter is EIGHT she should NOT be in a romper that is meant for thirteen year olds

Melinda May: please don't buy that for her i know you're her babysitter but you're supposed to do things behind my back like taking her to see rated r movies and to get ice cream not buying her rompers

Alphonso Mackenzie: but dad it has POCKETS!

Melinda May: hope no you're not getting the romper

"I think I finally understand Hope when she was being dramatic earlier," Jade groaned, standing. There was a loud crack. "My lower back is killing me." Skye kept back her grin as the other girl hobbled around the dressing room, clutching said part. "I must confess, so are my knees."

A gasp sounded within the dressing room. "It's PERFECT!" Skye and Jade exchanged looks. What would await them this time? A series of bows? A multitude of pockets? More rompers? (They'd let Hope do her own shopping. It was a decision they were regretting right about then.) Hope ran out of the dressing room. "Can I get this one? Pleeeeeease?"

Hope's dress was very similar to one of the dresses Skye had tried on before: red, yellow and blue flowers bloomed over the top and skirt, set against a white background and flowing oh-so-innocently. A violet belt cinched the waist, and while there was a bow, both of them decided that they could forgive it. The colors sat perfectly against Hope's skin and were the narrow to her bushy hair, which she'd pulled into a messy ponytail.

"You know, I don't think your dad will kill me for this one," Skye hummed. "Yeah. Let's get it. I think it's even good enough for you to come take pictures with us on homecoming night." Hope fist-pumped the air. Of course, Skye had planned on letting Hope take pictures with them anyways - but at least now, she'd be decked out to the tens.

"Can we be flower girls together?"

Skye snorted. "Heckin' yeah, Hope. If we both wear those dresses I'll make your dad take us out to tea. And not that stuff in the dining room, either," she laughs, ruffling Hope's hair. "Real darn tea." Hope deserved to know her experiences, she believed. To see and understand the world like her mom had done for her when she was little.

Not that she was faulting Mack for his parenting. Not at all. She was pretty sure Mack was a better parent than Skye and...whoever she chose to end up with combined.

"Can Bobbi come, too? And Miss May and Mister Phil?"

Skye looked at her, swallowing. "I'm sure none of them would miss it for the world, kiddo." She and Bobbi would just have to slide through the fact that they still hadn't spoken to each other, was all. No biggie.

And whether Phil and May would manage to survive a high tea date? She'd have to make sure Piper and Davis brought popcorn.