Cupcakes
1166 Words
I finished my final exam, turned it in, and decided to leave school for the day. As I was handing it to Mr. Cline, he stopped me. “Madeline, the counselor would like you to stop by her office before you leave for the day.” he said. I scrunched my eyebrow, confused. “I didn’t schedule an appointment with her.” He smiled sadly, “I’m aware. I think that it has something to do with graduation. She will be waiting for you to arrive. Have a nice day.” I took a deep breath, slowly dragging my feet to her office. I knocked on her door, “Come in, Madeline.” She had been waiting for me. I peeked my head around the corner “You wanted to see me?” “Yes, please, sit down. You’re not in any trouble.” I breathed a sigh of relief, coming in to sit in the chair directly in front of her desk. I glanced around her room, as I’d not been in here before. She loved dogs. There were photos of what I assumed to be her own dogs in picture frames on her desk. Small sculptures of dogs lined a few shelves mounted to the walls. There were even paintings of dogs on the walls. It was a bit much, but to each their own I suppose. If she was going for a calming effect in here, the dogs were overkill. I returned my gaze to her as she started speaking. “I noticed that you hadn’t ordered a cap and gown, but graduation is in two weeks.” she said. I nodded, slowly. “Yes, I don’t plan to walk at graduation. I will just be picking up my diploma on the morning of graduation.” She squinted her eyes at me. “Do you mind if I ask you why? You have shown a streak of phenomenal grades in your four years here. Mr. Cline has even recommended you for the Young Scholar Scholarship.” My mouth dropped opened and then I snapped it shut. My eyes widened, but I couldn’t find the words to speak. She continued “If you need a cap and gown, you can always borrow one from the school and return it at the end of the evening.” I had no plans on attending because I would already be in Tallahassee by the time the ceremony would be taking place. “I appreciate it ma’am, but I don’t plan to attend. I have prior obligations that evening.” She looked at me concerned, “Well if you change your mind, don’t hesitate to stop in and let me know.” I nodded, saying goodbye and quickly leaving. I was devastated that Mr. Cline had nominated me for that scholarship. Not that I didn’t want it, but there was no way I was staying here to go to college.
I decided to stop by the supermarket on my walk home to grab a cupcake for my birthday tomorrow. It had been a tradition for a while now that I would buy a cupcake on my birthday and sing to myself, alone in my room. Most years, my mom was at the bar or in a drug induced coma. It pained me knowing how little effort she put into my birthdays over the years. She didn’t even pretend to care, buy me a cake, or even ask to celebrate with me. I don’t think that I have had a proper birthday party since I was like, four. I sighed. I shouldn’t let it affect me, but I can’t help it. Sometimes the pain of what could have been invades my thoughts. Tomorrow would be the start to my future. I had to remain focused on that as I headed for that cupcake.
I walked through the doors of the supermarket and headed towards the bakery. I was looking around the case, deciding which cupcake I wanted this year. They had Death by Chocolate, Strawberry with cream cheese icing, topped with white chocolate curls, and Carrot Cake. I had decided on the Strawberry cupcake. I was about to place my order when I felt someone approach me from behind. “What are you doing?” the voice asked. I can’t escape him if I tried. “Hi F...Peter. I was just ordering myself a cupcake for tomorrow.” He raised an eyebrow at me, obviously not missing my near slip up. “Nonsense. You deserve a cake. Tomorrow is a special day.” He grinned at me, giving me chills. “Scratch the cupcake order, she wants the whole cake, my treat.” He said quickly to the man behind the counter. The guy looked at me and I just nodded, faking a smile. He quickly packaged the cake, handing it to me. I thanked him as f**k boy wrapped his arm around my shoulder, walking us to the registers. I slipped out of his grasp and set the cake on the counter. The older woman at the register smiled as she rang us up. “Big day for one of you?” she asked. “Tomorrow is my girl’s 18th.” He smiled at the woman. “What a sweet partner you are!” She gushed. How wrong was she. “Oh, uhm no, he’s dating my mom. The woman looked at the two of us confused, but said nothing more. F**k boy paid, and we walked out. “Uhm, thanks for the cake.” He smiled “Of course. Anything for you. Like I said, tomorrow is gonna be a special day.” The way he said “gonna be a special day” made me feel sick. I started to walk away with the cake in my hands when he grabbed my arm. “Let me take you home.” he suggested. “Thanks, but I think I’d rather walk.” I saw him clench his jaw. “I’d hate for you to be walking alone all the way home. It’s not safe for a pretty girl like you to be out and about.” Typical mansplaining. I’d been on my own long before he came along. I didn’t need his protection. I gritted my teeth, reminding myself that I’m so close to being away from him. “You’re right, thanks” He turned his back and headed towards his car. I rolled my eyes when I was sure he couldn’t see. We drove back to my house in silence. I was thankful that he wasn’t interested in the conversation. I brought the cake in, quickly depositing it on the counter, and heading to my room. I planned to pack the few belongings I owned into my backpack, and stashing it in the back of my closet. I would go tomorrow and buy my bus tickets. After preparing everything and hiding the backpack, I fell into my bed, exhausted, and ready for some much needed sleep.
- Writer
