Cupcakes & Crushes (DISCONTINUED)

Monday, February 1st

"Heyyy Mani!" A friendly voice trilled. Normani opened her locker door and turned around to see her best friend, Dinah, standing behind her.

"Hey, DJ. You're sounding oddly happy for a Monday morning," she noted.

Dinah let out an obviously fake laugh, and with a voice sweeter than sugar, replied; "Well, any day is better when I have my gorgeous best friend standing right in front of me!"

Normani raised an eyebrow. Dinah sighed, giving up on her charade. "Ok, can I copy off of your math homework?"
"Dinaaah! Why didn't you get it done?"
"Well, I really tried! But, I fell asleep. No matter how many times you do it, algebra remains about as exciting as..."

While she waited for her friend to come up with the rest of her brilliant simile, Normani began transporting her textbooks to her locker, keeping her eyes on Dinah.

"As... as... OH!" She jumped up and clapped. "As exciting as those videos in biology."
"Those are very boring," Normani agreed.
"Right? And, you're about to squash that cupcake."

"What?" Normani snapped her head in the direction of her locker. Her history textbook had come into direct contact with the top of the small dessert. "I didn't even see that there!"
She used her thumb to wipe off the frosting that had come off on George Washington's face.

Dinah took this opportunity to grab the cupcake. "I wonder who gave this to you! Whoever it is has a very boring taste. Vanilla frosting on vanilla cake!"

"So? Who doesn't love vanilla?" Normani placed the book back in the locker.
"True. It'll still be good."
"Hey! That's my cupcake!" Despite her best friend's protest, Dinah raised it to her mouth. "Fine then, you left me with no choice." Normani wiped her frosting-covered thumb right across her best friend's cheek.

Dinah gasped in shock. "Mani!" She dropped the cupcake to the floor and rushed to the bathroom, her unfinished homework forgotten.

Normani knelt down to pick up the treat, amused and slightly disappointed. But as she made her way to the nearest trash can, she noticed something that Dinah hadn't. Although it was smeared, the letter P had been drawn on top of the cupcake with red icing.

P? Could that possibly be a clue to figuring out where this came from?

She racked her brain for classmates who's names started with P. There was Paige, Peyton, Perrie...

What about Parker? She thought. Parker was a member of the basketball team, and he had flirted with her on some occasions. But, that's what Parker does. Plus, didn't I already reject him?

The warning bell rang, causing Normani to realize that she was still standing at the trash can with the cupcake in her hand. She tossed the dessert and hurried back to collect her things and make it to class.

----

Normani entered the cafeteria and made her way over to Dinah.

"Got anymore sweet surprises for me?" Dinah asked, with a slight edge in her tone.
"You stole my cupcake. I did what I had to do." Normani shrugged. "What do they have for lunch today?"
"Uh, I just grabbed some pizza. I didn't really see what else they had."

"Gee, thanks. You're a real help." She turned around to see a girl with long, black hair centimeters away from crashing into her. "Woah!" Normani jumped back.

Startled, the black-haired girl blinked and took in her surroundings. "Oh my god, I'm sorry, I must've spaced out or something."

"It's ok..." Normani had seen this girl before, and she struggled to remember her name. But thinking was hard when a pair of the most beautiful eyes she'd ever seen were inches away from her own. "...Uh, Lauren?"

She smiled. "Yes, I'm Lauren. You're Normani, right?"

Normani fought her way out of the emerald oceans that were Lauren Jauregui's eyes. "Yeah, yes, that's me!"

"Well, Normani, I'm really sorry for running into you." Lauren smiled and walked off.

Normani let out a long breath. "Wow."

"Wow is right. Way to stare, Mani. You got a thing for her?" Dinah questioned.

Normani shook her head. "What? No, I barely know her. Her eyes just... I don't know." She cleared her throat. "Ok, I need to eat. I'm going to get some food." And with that, she walked off.