Chapter 33
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.
My phone vibrates, and I pull it out to see a text from Mom.
Eeeek! You’re catching up! There’s a screenshot of the voting website, and she’s right.
Brielle’s votes have gone slightly down, and I’m only fifty votes behind.
Fifty votes! Is there a way to finish this, to close the distance before Homecoming?
I should feel happy, but instead, irritation pokes me in the chest. Mom is checking the voting website? And just like I predicted, we haven’t talked about our fight, instead pretending like the tension between us isn’t there.
The irritation builds inside my chest until I think it’s going to explode.