Cupcake Fight

Chapter Six �" Cupcake Fight

 

            “It’s nice to meet you, Clair.” Sammy said shaking my hand, and giving Josh a sly look, I pretended not to notice, seeing as I’m supposed to be clueless about the bet. Josh smirked at her and made a motion with his hands that undoubtedly meant ‘pay up’. I rolled my eyes discreetly before smiling at Sammy and pulling my hand back to my side.

            “You too,” I said, gripping Eric’s arm tighter, already annoyed by what I’m doing. She gives me a polite smile, and then clapped her hands, an excited grin plastered on her face.

            “Guess what, guys! Eric, your mom got me a job at that flower shop she’s always visiting.” She squealed. I have yet to express my annoyance of girls who squeal. I cringed as she jumped up and down whilst grabbing both me and Eric for a hug.

            “That’s great.” Eric said, unenthused. Sammy’s face dropped a little, then perked up again like she’s realized something that we haven’t yet.

            “That means,” She said, grinning so wide it must hurt her face, “that I’ll be staying with you and Aunt Laura for the next few months, until I start college. Remember, I said I was looking for a job since I was taking a year off before starting college. Well, I’ll be spending that year with you guys!” She said way too cheerfully.

I looked at Eric and noticed the look of pure grief hidden beneath his fake enthusiasm over the news Sammy just delivered. At first I thought it’s because he just doesn’t want to live with her, then I remembered that I’m supposed to be his ‘girlfriend’, and if Sammy is going to be living with him, she’s going to realize that I’m not.

            I squeezed his hand reassuringly, and hoped that he doesn’t expect me to go on pretending for longer than this day.

            “That really sucks.” Josh told Eric, not caring that Sammy was in hearing distance. He obviously doesn’t mind expressing his dislike of her. I held back a laugh while Eric and Sammy both glared at him.

            “So, where do you live? I haven’t seen you around. You go to RH high, right?” Sammy asked me, ignoring Josh now.

            “Um, next door to Eric, actually, and I yeah I go to RH high. I just moved here, though,” I explained. She nodded.

            “Really, right next door? That must be convenient,” She said suggestively, waggling her eyebrows. I grimaced internally, but gave her a smile, as Eric complained, shoving her shoulder playfully. Josh laughed.

            “Just kidding,” Sammy said giggling, before pulling us all in for a hug one last time, “Well, I have to go be a good host, so talk to you later.”

            “Well, that was unpleasant.” Josh said taking a seat in the shade, on a picnic table covered with a red plastic table cloth, that’s taped down so it doesn’t blow away with the wind. Eric nodded, taking a seat across from him. I plopped down next to Eric, and sat as close to him as needed, which isn’t very close, thank god.

            “So, she’s coming to live with you, huh? Guess I have to give her the fifty bucks back, then.”  Josh said, his face falling a bit at having to give back money that he conned anyway. Eric turned to me with a pleading look on his face. Oh, no. No, no, no…

            “Clair,” Eric started. I looked over at Josh and he smirked at me, “please,”

            I cut him off, “No.” Hurt flashed across his face and I added, “Sorry, I can’t.” He nodded at me, still looking kind of sad. I had to stop myself from taking back what I just said, and telling him ‘Sure, I’ll pretend to be your girlfriend for the next year or so’. I just couldn’t do that though.

            “Alright, I understand,” Eric said, as Josh gave me an unbelieving look. I shrugged at him.

            “Eric, hun, come over here, we’re taking some family photos.” Eric’s mom called from the patio of Sammy’s yard. He stood and looked at me.

            “Do you want to…” He asked.

            “Nah thanks though.” I told him, and he gave me a relieved smile and headed to his mom who was gathering a bunch of people for a family photo.

            “So you seriously won’t help him with this?” Josh asked me. I shrugged.

            “I can’t spend the next year of my life pretending to be Eric’s girlfriend. I just won’t.” I told him, crossing my legs under the table.

            “I get that.” He said, and I looked up with a surprised expression. He gets it?

            “Really,” I asked, and he nodded. He leaned his arms onto the table, and yawned.

            “But, you know, you could always just pretend for the next week or two, then something could happen and you’d have to break up.” He said, grinning mischievously. I’m about to tell him no when Sammy walked up.

            “Cupcakes,” she asked us, holding out a plate of cupcakes. We both take one.

            “Thanks,” I said, she waves me off before scurrying over to the next group of people. I looked at Josh, still annoyed that he was still trying to get me to pretend to be Eric’s girlfriend. On impulse I picked up my cupcake and smeared it on his face. He gave me a bewildered look, and I died laughing as I ran towards Eric who was heading back to our table.

            I heard Josh running after me as I ducked behind Eric, still laughing. Splat! Josh’s cupcake hit Eric in the face, on his cheek, and slowly fell to the ground, leaving a smear of red and white frosting on his face. I laughed even harder and Josh joined in. Eric, however, picked up the cupcake and threw it at Josh as he was running away.

            The cupcake flew through the air, almost in slow motion, before slapping into the side of Josh’s face. I fell onto the grass, trying to suppress my laughter to no avail.

            Damn, I didn’t know Eric such a good arm. Josh wiped the frosting off of his face and ran to Sammy to grab another cupcake.

            “Oh no, you don’t.” She shouted, trying to move out of his grasp. Instead, he crashed into her, knocking the tray all over her, ruining her bright flowery dress. I suppressed another fit of giggles, as everyone gasped, and Eric doubled over in laughter, obviously enjoying what happened. Josh’s bellowing laugh is quieted when Sammy picked up a cupcake from the grass and pelted it at Josh.

            Within moments, just about everyone at the party was throwing some sort of food or spraying each other with the hose, which was turned on right away. The older family members and friends took cover in the house, all rushing in side as fast as they could.

I decided to follow them, and just as I’m about to reach the patio a piece of broccoli covered in ranch hit me square in the forehead. I turned around and Josh is laughing and holding his stomach. I glared at him and ran into the house.

~*~

“See what you started, Clair?” Josh asked me, with mock authority. I laughed and continued rinsing my hair in the sink of Sammy’s bathroom. Josh and Eric both took a ton of napkins, wet them, and used them to wipe off the majority of frosting covering them.

“Shut up,” I told him as I cupped water into my hand to rinse the ranch off of my cheek.

Sammy instantly headed upstairs to take a shower and change her clothes, while the three of us gathered into the small bathroom downstairs. Everyone else hosed off outside or headed home for a quick change of clothes. Surprisingly, no one was really angry about the food fight, instead everyone had a good laugh about it. I couldn’t help but keep picturing how my dad would have reacted to this. He’d have flipped out and would have no doubt given everyone a long lecture on how this is not the appropriate way to celebrate.

“I think I’m ready to leave.” I told Eric, giving him a grin, hoping he’ll be fine with giving me a ride home so early.

“Yeah, me too,” Josh said, slinging an arm around my shoulder, of which I shrugged off instantly. He smirked at me again, and I elbowed him in the ribs.

            “Okay, just let me tell my mom that we’re leaving. I’m pretty sure she’d said something about taking Sammy out to dinner before bringing her home with us. She shouldn’t have a problem with us leaving though.” Eric said, clumsily moving around me and Josh in the small enclosure called a bathroom. I followed behind him, as Josh grabbed my arm, leading me in the direction of the front door, before I pulled away.

            Before long, Eric was closing the front door to Sammy’s house and then, a few seconds later, climbing into the driver’s seat of his car. We drove away in silence, all of us for the most part, tired from the food fight.

            “So, Clair, did you consider my idea?” Josh asked from the seat behind my own. I sighed, loudly.

            “No,” I told him.

            “Why not, it’s a decent idea, and you’d really be helping Eric out.” He said, his voice laced with a pleading tone. I rolled my eyes.

            “What you mean is: I would really be helping you keep your conned money.” I said, turning sideways so that I could smirk at him. He grinned, and shrugged shamelessly.

            “Well, yeah, but…” He started to say, but Eric cut him off.

            “You’d really be helping me too. Sammy’s always teased me, since we were kids. She’s just naturally a bully, I guess.” Eric said, somehow already knowing Josh’s plan. They must have been conspiring about this behind my back. I sighed again.

            “Fine, but you owe me. Big time,” I told him, already regretting it.