“Phew! Ms Sophia sure is intense!”

“I know right? She’s nice, friendly and approachable but when she’s angry, even a lion can’t stop her.”

“Yaa, there’s an imposing presence around her. It’s terrifying.”

“Hey, enough talk about Ms Sophia. Remember! Syndesi brought cookies! Let’s go try some!”

“Sure.”

“Count me in!”

“Me too!”

“Hey, wait for me guys!!”

It’s recess time. Many people flocked to Syndesi’s desk and she was perplexed. She didn’t know how to react. She just stared blankly back at them, waiting for some kind of response. Nobody had the courage to ask for the cookies. Nobody wanted to be first.

*Awkward silence...*

“Looks like I got to give her a push again.” Ruth was planning to take action but Abigail was faster.

“Hey Syndesi! I heard you got some cookies you want to share with us!”

“How did you...? But the cookies are all crumbled.”

“We know, we know. Still...we all want to try some. Right guys?”

“Yeah!”

“I want some!”

“Me too!”

“We would all love to have some, Syndesi!” Abigail exclaimed happily.

Syndesi took out her box of cookies from her bag and removed the lid.

Shattered cookies laid in a disorderly fashion. Bits and pieces of cookies scattered around the large box.

Syndesi was insecure. She was scared of sharing these crumbled cookies. As she was about to close the lid, Abigail broadcasted to the rest of the class who was not part of the crowd yet.

“Hey everyone! Can you smell that! The alluring chocolate fragrance wafting in the air!”

Abigail helped herself to a broken chocolate chip cookie before anyone could stop her.

“MHMMMM. THIS IS FRIGGIN’ DELICIOUS!! HOW COULD YOU NOT SHARE THIS WITH US EARLIER!!

“NOW WHO WANTS SOME COOKIES!!”

Everyone flocked to Syndesi's desk after hearing that comment. No one wanted to miss out on free cookies. No one.

Syndesi was overjoyed. She was on the verge of crying tears of pure joy.

Although Ruth despised the crowd, she couldn’t stop revelling in her ingenuity. She was so proud of her remarkable achievement, she let down her guard. She accidentally leaked her joy and smiled.

“RUTH, YOU SMILED!!! I have never seen you smile like that!”

This was the first time Syndesi saw her deskmate smile. And they had been sitting beside each other for 2 months.

“Nope, I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did! I saw it VERY clearly.”

“You saw wrong.”

“How could I have seen wrongly?”

“You just did.”

Ruth was maintaining a poker face but deep down, she held substantial scorn for the eagle beside her.

Ruth’s pride was clearly at stake.

“Damn it! She had to see it! Does she have eagle eyes? Her vision must be 20/5!! I knew it. I should never have helped her! What was I thinking?! I just created more trouble for myself to deal with. I should continue to keep my distance and get less involved. Yes, that must be it! That’s the way forward.”

While Ruth was immersed in self-denial, everyone else had a great time enjoying Syndesi’s unparalleled cookies.

All except one.

Abigail secretly vanished and left the room.