Page 12 of It's in the Contract
“Suzy?”
She reaches into the can.
“Suzy!”
She pulls out my bag of chocolate chips, only half covered in something red that might be ketchup, and the bag of flour, which is mostly untouched.
“Suzy, gross!” I exclaim, but my heart warms. “Don’t do that. Eww. Put them back.”
“They’re still usable. I can fix this.”
I shake my head. “Please don’t.”
Suzy sighs and drops the stuff back into the trash and closes the cupboard. “Fine. You’re right. That was nasty.” She washes her hands and sits next to me at the counter again. “You can bake at my house?”
“Thanks.” I dab my fingers underneath my eyes, trying to get rid of the moisture without smudging my mascara.
Suzy takes a cookie and rolls it, edge down, across the counter, back and forth, her manicured fingernails playing with the treat. “What happened when your mom was a teenager?”
“She was bullied pretty hardcore by some mean girls in her school. According to her, she was chubby back then.”
“No way,” Suzy says. “Your mom?”
“She wasn’t always a fitness junkie.” I stand and pick up the rack of cookies. “The name-calling and cruelty actually drove her to an eating disorder. It took years of therapy before she overcame it.”And honestly, I don’t know if she did,I don’t add. Oh, she doesn’t starve herself anymore. Her body image obsession has turned into something else.
I move toward the trash.
“Wow. That’s—that’s so sad.” Suzy leaps off the barstool. “Don’t throw those away!”
I pause with the cooling rack poised over the trash can. “But my mom said?—”
“I’ll take them home.” Suzy carefully takes the cooling rack from my hands. “Your mom doesn’t have to know.”
I smile. “I’m glad you like them.” I head to the pantry and grab a paper plate.
Suzy places the cookies back on the counter. “Okay—don’t hate me—what if you did run for Homecoming Queen?”
I take the cookies from the tray, one by one, and put them on the plate. “No.”
“It could be a good way to show Noah what he’s missing,” Suzy says. “And it will definitely pull you out of all this garbagey gossip going around the school. People would see that you’re not bothered by the breakup. You’re a boss.”
I point at Suzy’s lip. “You have a little chocolate right there. Noah’s not going to get back together with me just because I win Homecoming Queen.”
Suzy wipes at her lip then sucks her finger. “That’s not what I’m saying. You don’t want to be with someone who will do that to you. C’mon!”
I nod slowly. “You’re right.” The words don’t feel true, not yet. The hurt is still too fresh.
“But it would show him that he made the wrong choice. Plus . . .” Suzy pauses. “I heard that Brielle is going to run. It sure would feel great to beat her.”
I stare at the marbled counter top. “It would. But I just can’t.” Our school turns Homecoming Queen into ahugedeal. The participants have to campaign and gather votes just like they’re running for student body president. It’s outdated and annoying, but the winner each year gets treated like true royalty and is revered by the rest of the school.
I imagine myself for a second with the crown on my head, everyone in the crowd at the Homecoming dance staring at me in awe, my mom finally seeing me for what I’m worth. Noah staring in disbelief. Brielle looking aghast, wondering how anyone could challenge her and come out on top.
“I—I can’t.” I cover the cookies in cling wrap and hand the plate to Suzy.
“Just think about it. They’re not announcing the runners until next week.” Suzy sets the plate on the counter in front of her. “I’m going to run. It could be something fun we do together.”
Butter, deflated at not getting a cookie, waddles away into the living room.
