Buttercrème Frosting

Chapter Seven: A good day is composed of cupcakes and competition.

Chapter Seven: A good day is composed of cupcakes and competition.

“Welcome, Foodies! Today we are going to start round one of the games. The partners who win this challenge will receive an advantage for the next round. There will be five mini rounds all leading up to the final round at the end of summer.” The counselor, who I now know as Mrs. Betcher explained. I focused my gaze on her as she talked. “The first round will essentially prepare you for your final round; to bake a dozen cupcakes representing each other’s personalities.”

I looked around to see everyone peering at Mrs. Betcher skeptically. “You will have half an hour to plan, an hour to prep and two hour to bake. Time starts now!”

People scrambled to find their partners, not wanting to waste precious much needed time. I dodged in between partners, trying to find mine. Over the sea of heads, there Ayden stood conversing with the enemy.

I marched over to him and dug my nails into his arm, as I led him away. “What do you think you’re doing? We don’t have conversations with her, Ayden.” I whisper-yelled. “What ever happened to ‘we need to wreck Adrianna.’?”

Ayden kept glancing around, looking for something. “She needs to think that nothing has changed between me and her.” He whispered. “You know, keep your friends close and your enemies closer?”

I sighed. “Whatever, just don’t let this become an episode of “Cheaters”. I need your full attention on winning and you can’t when Adrianna is concerned.”

He glared at me. “You, Serenity, mind your own business. Just because I have a love life and you don’t, doesn’t mean you can interfere in mine!”

My eyes widened. “Interfere in your relationship?! You dumb little piece of—”

“Okay,” Mrs. Betcher clapped her hands enthusiastically. “I hope you used your time wisely because it’s time for you to start prepping!”

“Shit!” Ayden started rubbing the side of his head. “This is fine…we’ll be okay.” He reassured himself while taking out a bag of raspberries. “We’ll just make Raspberry Jasmine Green Tea Cupcake. Quick, simple and easy, but still up to my standards.” He mumbled to himself. Up to your standards? What are you trying to say?!

He took out a bowl and set it next to the raspberries. “Go get a packet of green tea and put a kettle of water on the stove.” He ordered.

I ran to the back of Frosted’s Challenge Kitchen, and examined the rack for green tea. My eyes lit up as I spotted it, and I was about to grab it until a pair of manicured fingers snatched it away.

“Hey, I was going to use that!” I aimed my words to the girl next to me.

“Poor, poor Serenity.” Adrianna dangled a box of green teas in her hands. “Too bad! You snooze you lose!” Her heels clicked away.

I needed that green tea! We were going to win one way or another. I contemplated on what to do. You know what they say, YOLO!"  I decided to casually stick my foot out. Her heel caught onto my shoe and she landed on the floor with a thud. 

The green tea box went sliding out of her hand and skidded across the floor. I hurriedly stepped over Adrianna, picked up the packet, but not before leaning down and whispering in her ear. “You really shouldn’t wear heels in the kitchen. It’s a safety hazard.”

I made it back to my station and put a kettle of water on the stove to boil like Ayden instructed. When the water was done boiling I poured it into a glass cup, and struggled to open the box of green tea.

Ayden came up, pried the box out of my hands and opened it with ease. “I’ll let what you did back there slide because it was for a good cause.”

I scoffed and dumped the tea bag in the scorching hot water. “If you were watching my internal struggle, why didn’t you come to help me?”

“And risk a good entertaining show, I don’t think so.” He took the jasmine flowers and placed them in the water. “And now we wait.”

*****

“I am right, and you know it!” I yelled.

“No, we should put the tea in the frosting!” he retorted.

“Fine,” I sighed in defeat only to start back up again. “if you want it to taste like a load of—”

“Now, for the fun part everyone! You have two hours to bake your cupcakes. Begin!” the counselor shouted over the commotion.

I beat Ayden over to where the tea was sitting and started to make the batter. I poured enough of the tea into it, so the cake would taste like the much loved drink. He glared at me as he saw me go against his wishes, but turned around to make the frosting.

*****

The kitchen was clean and every partner had one cupcake nestled in between them. Mrs. Betcher strolled around tasting each cupcake and asked them what in it that represented each of them.

“Ayden!” I whispered. “We forgot to base the cupcake off of our personalities!”

Ayden rolled his eyes, annoyed. “Don’t worry, leave it all to me.”

She made her way over to our station. “Please explain your cupcake.”

Ayden started. “This cake—”

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously at me. “I want Miss. Lively to explain.”

I gulped and started. “This cupcake incorporates the subtle taste of green tea and the fragrant flow of jasmine.” I breathed out. “Me being a simple, reserved, shy person that I am—” lies.

Ayden interrupted. “More like outspoken.” He grumbled under his breath.

I continued. “I represent the green tea. Ayden being the rambunctious, convivial, polished" pain in the ass.  "person he is, represents the jasmine.” I finished flawlessly.

The counselors mouth hung open for a moment, and she cleared her throat. “V-very well said, Miss. Lively.” She took a bite of the cupcake, and I noticed almost every person, with the exception of Adrianna who just looked plain mad, looked shocked. Finally the years of convincing people to buy the most expensive cupcake on mom’s menu is paying off. “This cupcake is wonderful! I think it was a good choice to put you all together.”

She moved on to the next group, and I turned to Ayden. “We’re obviously going to win.”

Mrs. Betcher tasted the last cupcake, and made her way to the front of the spacious room. “Well, this was a close challenge for round one. It came to be between Ayden’s team and Adrianna’s team.” Oh the irony. “The flavors were pretty matched, but what it came down to was the explanation you had to give.”

Everyone in the kitchen was quiet, hanging on to her every word. “So the winner of round one challenge, between the Jasmine Green Tea Cupcake and the Red Devil Cupcake” no surprise there that Adrianna's cupcake is called the Red Devil. "is..."