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The Last Crumb Cake
Chapter 17 : Changing Sides

Chapter 17 : Changing Sides

Zach entertains the idea. The product, he's handing out is failing. Why not join forces with another team. He wants to do it himself. Zach doesn't want to have to go through the same thing he went through with Brendan. Getting his hopes up just to be disappointed. Teaming up with someone at this point mean he's a failure. And he doesn't want to be deemed a failure. He politely declines and continues handing out samples.

The woman's presentation is totally different. The fried crumb cake's in a small clear circular box with a red ribbon. Underneath it is a business card and a flyer. She's selling each fried crumb cake for $20.

Her business partner's seated at a table handing out samples. The people give the fried crumb cakes high marks. A line forms. Those sampling end up buying because of the laid back salesmanship and the great taste.

"You sure?" she asks Zach.

"I'll think on it", he says.

"Are you just telling me that to get away from you?" she asks

"Yes", teases Zach.

Brendan's workers witness the fried crumb cake line growing. They intercept customers with flyers and crumb cake samples. They say, 'how do you like the crumb cake, which one is better, don't you know fried foods aren't good for you, our crumb cakes are 100% baked and we use the healthiest oils".

"What are all these preservatives then?" asks a Customer.

"To keep the food fresh without it the product wouldn't last long on the shelves", says a Brendan's Crumb Cake Representative.

"Ours are made fresh everyday, no preservatives, and here's my business card, would you like to try a sample?" asks The Woman.

"Emily, I would love too", says The Customer.

"Maybe, I need to fry my crumb cake, look at all the attention and customers she's getting, something has to give, I'm not selling anything and I can't keep giving out samples, this stuff costs money and I'm a high school student, who hasn't been to school in a couple of days because I've been focused on crumb cake. I'm waiting for them to send a letter home. I'm surprised they haven't already."

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Once Brendan's speech ends, he mingles with the crowd and makes every effort to corral the people to his area with free crumb cake samples.

"How are you doing today, have you tried our crumb cakes, today we have lemon flavored, coconut and cinnamon raisin, my favorite is cinnamon raisin, you should try all three and see which is your favorite, have you dropped by our booth, why don't you stop by, do you know where we are, I'll escort you, I'm going back there to finish up, I have to pack up and get ready to meet up with my family follow me folks and try some crumb cakes, and meet my family, they'll be happy to see you, and we never ever fry our cakes."

"Have you tried them?" asks a Customer.

"I don't eat fried foods, I won't touch it, if it isn't baked or boiled, I care about my health and you should too, you know all that oil causes acne break outs, and your face is your business card, wouldn't you agree?"

"Hey, man you're poaching our customers, you can't do that," says Emily with her fists on her hips.

Zach walks off into heavy thinking.

The next day Anastasia kisses Zach goodbye before going off to work. She gets a text from her husband saying, "I'll be home in four weeks, make me a plate of my favorite baked chicken and potatoes and ask the boy 'how his business is coming'.

Zach gets up out of the bed and goes online to his forum and notices that he has three new people. Three in one chatroom. Things are happening to slowly for him

"I don't think it's ever going to happen, this is a nightmare, I can't seem to get anything right, it starts off straight, then the wheels fall off, what else do I have to do, I'm late for school, I feel like going then I don't feel like going, its just, I don't know I can't figure it out, it's as if I'm in quicksand, sinking, sinking and sinking with no help. What do I do, God Help Me, what do I do, i don't even want to talk to these clowns in the forum, why are they even here, there's no one else in here, they can be in a forum that has 35 people or more, they must be losers, like myself, I should just shut the whole thing down, that's what I'll do, I don't even feel like doing that, I'm lost, broken, I'm failing in high school, I'm failing in life, I can't catch a break, everybody's on my butt, my parents won't help me, no one's buying my crumb cakes, I'm uhh, I need to sleep in, I can't sleep in, what if I oversleep and my mother catches me, then I'm in trouble, all the money I saved from the lunch money my mother gave me is gone, I can't buy any ingredients, what am I going to do, my father won't respect me if I go back to him after what he just said, I would look like a beggar. Lord help me."

Zach posts a message in the chatroom.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" asks Zach.

Gregory stops by Zach's house. He rings the bell. Zach masks his voice. He pretends that he's an adult. Gregory sees right through the artificial voice.

"Zach, open the door, I'm not with Brendan anymore, I want to help you take him down, he stiffed me out of the new crumb cakes, he lied to me man, that wasn't right at all, and he looked like he wanted to laugh, that's right, he kept turning away from me, you making crumb cakes now, that's why you can't open the door man, let me in, I'll help you"

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