Page 87 of It's in the Contract
“Let’s do it.” Suzy joins me, putting on her Wonder Woman to-do-list-loving face. “We are going to get those votes!”
I give Suzy a high-five that turns into a hug.
“Don’t count us out yet, Cal,” Suzy says, her arms tight around me. Suzy doesn’t hug very often, so it means a lot. “We can still win this.”
We spend the next hour baking sugar cookies and practicing with the royal icing. Even though I’ll never be a pro or do intricate designs like Brielle’s mom, by the end of the hour I feel more confident that at least the cookies won’t look horrible. We work on designing cute cookies that we can hand out at school, and Mrs. Jeong (orOmma-nim, as she requested I call her) even has a good gluten-free sugar cookie recipe we can have on hand for those who need it.
My stomach bubbles with the joy of baking, and for a while I forget about everything—the pressure to win, the need to stay on top, the humiliation that will come if I fail.
I’m just a girl in the kitchen with my best friend, baking and laughing and tossing failed bits of cookie into each other’s mouths.
Thirty-Three
Head to the common area to sample some home-baked goods by Callie Carter! And don’t forget to vote; Homecoming is just around the corner.
Instagram caption by @SuzyJeongBoss.
“Vote for Callie!”I hand a cookie to a student passing by.
The common room is crowded, and Suzy and I stand behind a table filled with shiny wrapped cookies. Each beautiful sugar cookie is covered in a perfectly smooth, thin layer of royal icing, with “Vote for Callie” written on top in forest green. They taste almost as good as they look, and most people are eager to take a cookie as they head off to classes. I’m not convinced this will translate to actual votes, but I’m out of ideas, and Suzy is positively beaming next to me.
“It’s not too late to change your vote even if you’ve already voted!” Suzy calls. She holds out a cookie in its wrapping to Shannon. She looks up from her phone, her red hair pushed back from her face by a white headband.
Shannon shoves her phone in the pocket of her overalls and glances from Suzy to me without taking the cookie. “No, thanks.” Shannon hurries away.
I hand a cookie to a boy in a baseball cap passing by. He smiles and takes it.
“That was weird,” I whisper to Suzy.
Suzy frowns, but her smile is back in a flash when someone else approaches and takes a cookie. “Vote for Callie! Homecoming is only two weeks away!” Suzy lowers her voice. “Did you see what she was reading on her phone?”
I blanch. “What?”
“Want to guess?”
I hand out another cookie, smile frozen in place. “The article.”
“Yep.”
I have to force myself to hold back a sigh. Last time I talked to Shannon, I thought I had her vote in the bag, but if she thinks I’ve made a move on Zeke, well . . . looks like I’ve lost it.
Nicole approaches the table, wearing her spotless white converse shoes. Her teeth look insanely bright as well, and I wonder if she had whitening done recently. “Wow, Callie! Are these gluten free?”
“Just these ones.” I point to the cookies wrapped with paper and a “gf” sticker.
Nicole takes a cookie, unwraps it, and bites into it. “Sorry.” Cookie crumbs spray from her mouth, and she covers her lips with a hand. “I didn’t have breakfast. And I literally cannot remember the last time I had a sugar cookie. These are soooo good! Just like the real thing.” Nicole leaves with a wave.
Well, I don’t know if this is actually getting me votes, but I still smile. Just like at the fundraiser, it feels good to see people love my food.
“VOTE FOR CALLIE FOR HOMECOMING QUEEN!” Suzy shouts.
I rub my right ear. “I don’t know if yelling is going to get them to vote.”
But more people flock to our table, exclaiming over the cookies, and before I know it, we’re out.
Suzy helps me wrap up the tablecloth so we can take it outside and shake off the crumbs. “I can’t believe your crazy idea actually worked,” I say.
“Well, we haven’t checked the votes yet.” Suzy takes the tablecloth and heads for the front door.
