A Recipe for Disaster

what a coincidence

After what felt like a million years, we finally finished the video. 

But we never talked about that day. We call it a "forgettable-ish day," not because it was forgettable, but because we acted like it was. You pass each other in the hallways and pretend everything is normal as if you didn't share a genuine moment with that person. As if you don't know something no one else does. But you think about it—like I did. I kept wondering about so many stupid questions that could be answered in a second if I just asked him, like:

How his mom was doing?

Does Matilda know?

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About three weeks later, Graham and I were walking to school, and he was talking about Maya... again.

For the twentieth time that week. I wanted to rip my hair out, for the twentieth time that week. Graham couldn't stop talking about her—it was always Maya this, Maya that:

Maya is so nice

Maya is so tall

Maya has the prettiest eyes

Look at Maya doing this TikTok dance, she dances so well!

Maya could be a model

Maya could be an influencer

Maya is going to be my fiancée

Maya is going to be my wife

I love Maya

Maya is so sweet!

Maya, Maya, Maya, Maya, Maya...

I know this sounds crazy since I didn't even know the girl—only heard great things about her—but I hated Maya. 

I hated that Graham talked about her all the time. 

I hated that she was pretty.

That she danced.

That she was nice. 

But I didn't know why. 

"...and she's coming for 3 three months," Graham said, finishing his sentence.

"What?" I snapped out of my thoughts.

"Maya's coming to visit for three months! Her dad's moving here since he got an amazing job offer downtown. But mainly because of her grandmother. Her grandmother has dementia, and since her husband died a while back they decided to live nearby. Isn't that great?" He smiled excitedly.

What a fucking coincidence, I thought, suddenly pissed at Maya for no reason.

"I really can't wait for her to come," he added, a huge smile on his face. "I like her. A lot." A small blush spread across his ears.

Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck.

"When is she supposed to get here?" I asked, trying to hide my frustration.

"In three weeks," he said, grinning. "But she won't be coming to school with us. Her dad still wants her homeschooled. Even though homeschooling is the dumbest thing ever..."

I zoned out as he rambled on, imagining a future with Maya:

As Graham and I walked home, we heard a familiar voice calling him.

"Graham Cracker!" Maya called, her blonde hair flying behind her as she ran toward him. She gave him a huge smile before tackling him in a bear hug, wrapping her legs around his waist. Her grin was so wide, it looked painful.

"Masha!" he shouted, hugging her back.

"Masha?" I asked, confused. "Isn't her name Maya?"

He rolled his eyes. "It's an inside joke."

"So, how was school?" Maya asked as she finally let go of the weird bear hug.

"Amazing, but it was so boring without you!" he whined, pouting in a way that made me want to gag.

Maya smiled and grabbed his hands. "You're so cute when you pout," she said in a baby voice.

Graham blushed, squeezing her hands and pulling her closer, leaving me behind.

"Hey! Guys!" I called, but they didn't seem to remember I was there. Or maybe they couldn't hear me because they kept showering each other with creepy compliments and ridiculous nicknames straight out of a Disney movie, like:

Sugarplum

Teddy Bear

Lovebomber

Baby Girl

Cutie Pie

M'lady

My Queen

My King

Lovely

My World

My Everything

Pookie Bear

Snuggle Muffin

Pookie

Cuddle Wuddle

Honey Bunny

Sweetie Patootie

Boo Boo Bear

Cupcake Face

Schnookums

Munchkin

Pumpkin Pie

Snickerdoodle

Angel Cakes

Lovey Dovey

Fluffernutter

Sweet Cheeks

Honey Toad

Buttercup Snuggle Cup

Bubble Gum

Powdered Sugar

My Blonde Vanilla Latte (Get it? Because she's white, hot,  blonde, and sweet. Hilarious.)

I'm sure there were more, but I couldn't hear them because I was drowning in my own thoughts.

"...Isn't that going to be so exciting?" Graham asked, snapping me back to reality.

"Yeah!" I lied. 

No, no, no, no.

"We could do everything together now!" He said with a huge smile, "you and Maya will 100% become the best of friends!"

I nodded once again, trying my best to not to yell to his face and scream 'I will never like Maya' but all I said was, "ok,"