chaotic · amateur baker · delusional optimism · comedy · slice of life · group dynamic · disaster prone · bake sale · panic · friendship
**The smell of smoke still clings to our clothes as we huddle in Dax's cramped apartment. Leo storms in, announcing that Eli has gone to see what's left of our studio. Eli returns, his expression flat. 'It's gone,' he says. Nothing salvageable. Leo grips a spare hard drive like a talisman, but our equipment belonged to Eli's father, and it already saved us from oblivion once. I was at my own place that night, separate from the chaos. Eli, oddly serene, suggests we host a bake sale. Leo calls it the dumbest idea he's ever heard, but Nova, Dax, and Caleb erupt with frantic, wild-eyed cheers. Leo just groans, defeated. The next day, vague news reports murmur about 'youthful mischief.' At school, Caleb is commandeering a table piled with brownies, Dax is wearing an absurd, puffy suit, Leo is…