AGNES

Yvonne and I arrive at a small bungalow. Brown roof, washed up maroon paint, and a little gate in front. It's the very last house at the back end of Cornelia Street where I live with my aunt.

Aunty Cherry is a kind lady who loves anything and everything related with baking. I have lived with her for the most of my decent years, after mom's passing. She more or less took her place in my life.

"Girls! You're back!" She calls from the kitchen the moment she hears the creaky sound of the front door swinging open.

"Yeah," I say in a gloomy manner, throwing my backpack on the sofa.

Suddenly, the aroma from the kitchen changes everything including my bad mood and starved appetite. Yvonne and I see her via the window panel opening the oven with her favourite Kitty Kat mittens to withdraw the hot tray inside.

"Wow! What's that sweet smell?" Yvonne asks Aunty Cherry.

"I guess that would be me."

Yvonne goes closer and peeps into the kitchen. "What are you baking?"

"Just trying something new. I've been receiving reviews recently on my cakes and cookies, and one of my customers suggested I try something different."

"Wow! That is so cool!"

"Wanna try the new recipe?"

"Really, aunt! Like you had to ask!"

Yvonne waits for aunty Cherry to walk into the living room with the tray of cookies, hot steam streaking from the top. I already notice her and the expectant look on her face. Of course, she will be the first to launch them even before my aunt places the tray on the centre table.

"These are nice looking cookies! I bet they will taste just as good," Yvonne comments.

She hovers around the table like a parasite, and I join them to see the novel recipe. The cookies appear larger than usual, but who cares? Every recipe aunty Cherry prepares is new and fresh, and better than the previous ones. That is how passionate she is with her work. I have to say, I sometimes wonder if I had that kind of ethic for my talent, maybe I would not have given up on it so easily.

"This looks like a fruit blend. Is it?" I ask.

"Yes, actually. I just tried it out. I thought about doing something no one has ever done before. It only needed my brain to work out something interesting, and voila!"

"Oh. That is quite creative." I want to say more but I come up empty.

She must have thought I'd get overenthusiastic by her eureka moment, watching absently like a deflated balloon. Probably if I had not sensed a 'not to brag while bragging' impression as she was speaking, I would've given plaudits for her discovery.

Meanwhile, Yvonne has already eaten as many as eight cookies out of a dozen on the tray, and as she goes for the ninth one, aunty Cherry hits her hand. "Yvonne!"

"Come on, aunty! Your homemade cookies are so yummy!" Yvonne says, still munching on the ones in her mouth. She is a sucker for food I tell you.

"Let Agnes taste some too!"

"It's okay," I giggle, looking at Yvonne drooling over the remaining ones left on the tray. "She's free to eat as much."

"And never get satisfied. How do you even deal with her?"

"I'm used to it."

At least, she doesn't feel upset. She knows the truth. After I take one cookie from the tray and place in my mouth, I chew on it for a second to allow my taste buds do its thing. "Let me guess, this is..." I try to make out the distinct flavours, "strawberry and chocolate?"

"How does it taste? Good?"

Then its fully delectable essence comes alive in my mouth. "Wow! This is the best cookie I have ever tasted in my entire life!"

"How delightful!"

The way the cookie crumbles in my mouth, the flavours blending so well on my taste buds and the chips inside – my goodness! Words cannot describe how luscious this cookie is. Then here comes my brain with the finest idea it has ever formulated. "Aunt, I think we could retail these cookies in school!"

Yvonne throws me a brief glance, and instantly, she clicks. "Yeah! We could make profits selling your snacks, especially this recipe since there's nothing like it in the school cafeteria."

Aunty Cherry's face flushes hot pink. "Awn, you girls are so sweet." She takes our cheeks in her palms and caresses it gently.

"So what do you say?" I ask seriously.

Her blush crinkles into worry. "But what about your studies? And won't the school authorities reprimand you guys?"

"Come on, aunt, that's not a problem," Yvonne says.

She gives the idea a moment of thought. "How can I resist you girls? Of course, you can!"

"Yes!!!" Yvonne and I squeal with excitement.

"And aunt, one last thing. You do know I'll have my share of benefits, right?"

"We, you mean," Yvonne corrects.

She laughs first then pinches my nose playfully. "I know, darling."

I face Yvonne. In sync, we raise a hand and clap them against the other.

FELIX

Xian and I walk together down the hall heading to the cafeteria during the class break. Though I'm not particular about what I want to have for lunch, their cooked dishes are out of the menu. I'd rather grab a few snacks and just head back to class.

As much as I try to avoid as many people on my way, friends and fans alike keep popping out of nowhere, saying hello or a few indulging me in small talk. I know how much Xian hates it when we walk together and I suddenly get distracted by someone's greeting, but what can I do? I can only imagine how he must feel when I'm lost in conversations with the other popular guys.

Being my loyal friend, he chooses to bear it and I hope that doesn't make me sound like the evil friend. Or does it?

He remains totally silent as we survive through the avalanche of 'heys' and 'hellos' until we get to the other end of the hall and find Agnes with her friend selling snacks to students passing by.

"Felix, why don't you buy some of her cookies? They're delicious!"

Instead of giving a reply, I just stare vacantly in her direction. Her medium-length brown wavy hair falling delicately on her slender shoulders, her creamy skin smooth as silk.

She is really pretty to be honest, but pretty too damn tough. Despite the stonewall she created around her, there's got to be any kind of means to get through. And then I start to devise a way to approach her in a manner that she won't tell me off until I hear a loud snap in my ear.

I turn to Xian.

"Where were you, Felix?" He asks. "I have been talking to you for the past two minutes!"

Obviously, I'm anywhere but here. "I was trying to think," I say blankly, still very much involved in my thoughts.

"About?"

I stare at Agnes. "I need to focus, come up with a strategy to entice her."

"I don't understand. Entice who?"

"I need to make Agnes like me."

"And you think staring at her will do that?"

"I don't know... there should be something she likes, something I can use to woo her. I need to get her before this session ends, so I will prove to that Rex of a guy that he is wrong about me." Immediately I say all of that, I come back to my senses and realize I might have given too much information than I should.

I turn to him, and damn! The staggered look on his face clearly tells me that he's going to scold me sooner than later.

"It's not what you think, okay," I quickly add.

"If I'm getting this right, you plan to date Agnes and dump her like you did to Joey and your list of other girlfriends?"

"Hey, don't say it like that. This is just for fun."

"Just for fun?!" He yells then scoffs. "Agnes will never forgive you for sure – if she even falls for you."

I stare at him. I know that I like to prove people wrong and I'm going to do just that. "Well, you can watch me."

Before I take one step forward, he tugs my shirt to pull me back. "I won't let you do that to her! Not on my watch!" He scowls fiercely.

"Why? Is she your girlfriend?"

"You cannot hurt her like that! I won't let you!" The seriousness on his face scares me a bit, but only just a bit. My mind is already made up.

"You said she won't fall for me, right?"

"Yes. So?"

"So she's not going to get hurt, alright," I assert my opinion and jerk his hand away.

"Unbelievable! Have you gone nuts?"

Ignoring his cry of concern, I stride to Agnes as she calls for people around to hear. In my head, I feel a little guilty snubbing my best friend, but no matter – a boy's gotta do what a boy's gotta do.

"Come get your mouth-watering cookies here! It's rich, tasty and very affordable!" Agnes cries out.

"Can I buy your best cookie?"

We stand face to face for the longest moment. I am more confident than the last time we were this close. She surely senses this confidence, so instead of her usual frosty glare, she averts my gaze. It's my turn now to make her feel uneasy.

She turns to Yvonne. "Could you sell cookies to him, please?"

Yvonne becomes confused, and before she can speak, I override. "I actually want the ones you have in your hands. They're the flavours I like."

Here I am thinking Agnes didn't like me. Now I realize she doesn't just don't like me, in reality, she despises me with all entirety. This I confirm when she gives the cookies in her hands to her friend, picks up another set of cookies from the stock container and walks a very far distance to continue calling out to students around.

"Buy your delicious cookies here!"

Yvonne stares, embarrassed for the both of us.

Questions begin to spring up in my mind. What did she do that for? Did she really hate me that much? What sort of issue can make her do that to somebody she barely knows? The rhetorical questions keep coming until I adopt to shake it off before I completely lose my mind.

When I attempt to confront her, Yvonne clasps my shoulder firmly. "Let her be, Felix. I'll talk to her."

The readiness to give Agnes a piece of my mind dies and the steam cools off. "Thank you," I say before finally walking away.

I could swear Xian adored every minute of that. He chuckles quietly in my direction and shakes his head at that extraordinary failure before he makes his way to class, while I bury my head in shame, following him behind. I quickly catch up in time so nobody notices me there.

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