Chasing His Kickass Luna Back by Jane Above Story

Abby

Vanessa walks up to me, her heels clicking softly on the tile floor. The room

slowly begins to pick up its volume again, but I feel lost in a giant void.

“Are you okay, Abby?” Vanessa asks, her voice pulling me back to the present.

“I-I’m fine,” I murmur, although the words feel like a complete and utter lie. “I’m

sorry. I didn’t mean to cause a scene.” I glance at Karl, who’s standing a few

feet away, watching intently.

Vanessa smiles, a soft, empathetic curve of her lips that immediately puts me at

ease. “Don’t be sorry. The culinary world isn’t exactly a bed of roses for women,

you know? We’re already at a disadvantage just by being female chefs.”

Enter title…

find myself saying, a hint of bitterness

talent should

nods, her eyes meeting mine with a look that speaks

But sometimes the world doesn’t operate the way it

as though

to make a decision. “Let me tell you a

crossing her arms

my way up the ladder, there

him Mark—who couldn’t stand me. Not because

in the kitchen, mind you, but

black woman at

I say, my heart sinking at the thought of facing such

discrimination.

the beginning of it,” Vanessa says, her voice taking

grim tone.

from a food critic,

the fresh herbs I’d prepped with ones that had turned, ruining

dish. The critic got sick. It was

gasp. “Did he get away

“He did. At the time, nobody