The Cookie Concept (on Hold)

9) Chemical Reactions

If you put love in a test tube what would it look like? A clear solution with mini candy hearts or maybe it would be filled with glitter or a deep red liquid. The same colour of the blood that pumps through your heart that only beats for your true love.

They say it's a chemical reaction in our brain that releases dopamine and makes us, simply put, happy. It puts a romanticized rose coloured filter over how we see our day to day lives.

Maybe that's what they mean when they call it being love struck. After you fall in love you fall hard and can't focus. Your thoughts are consumed by one person. This however never comes in handy when you are handling real chemicals.

"Mackenzie stop daydreaming about your boyfriend. I need your full attention so we don't accidentally break anything again." Casey cringes at the sound of glass smashing from the bench next to us. This makes me feel a little better about dropping half the equipment and rearranging its particles. Or how my teacher would say breaking into smithereens.

"At least it wasn't us this time" I smile innocently "and I'd like to point out that I would never be distracted by a guy unless he was Dylan O'brian or the Prince of Genovia."

"You know that's not a real place right?" he says slowly.

Standing up abruptly I slam my booklet shut and start packing up my equipment. "I don't need this type of negativity in my life, I think I may need to go and find myself a new lab partner."

We both know this is an empty threat but the theatrics are just fun and class can get get very dull from time to time.

He leans on his elbow to quirk an eyebrow "I call bluff, you wouldn't leave me for Natalie. You hate people that complain about everything plus I heard someone cut in front of her today and she's on a row."

Our attention drifts over to the lady in the back tapping so furiously on her phone that I'm surprised it hasn't smashed yet. Being the only people under 40 in the class came with it's perks like knowing how to use equipment like a computer and projector. We usually do a 20 minute tutorial at the start of every class because they seem to forget every time.

I pat him on the cheek thoughtfully, "True true, where else would I get my daily dose of eye candy from?"

"I am a taken man and I believe Sam is supposed to be your eye candy? Oh great, now I have become a middleman in your newly blooming relationship am I only a pretty face to you?" He slides his stool slightly away all the while trying not to fall off /

"No, I mean your dimples are super sweet and you make me feel like a sane person when I see you. Then you also make a pretty mean Singapore noodles which is a added bonus to this friendship, where else am I supposed to get good tasting food?"

At the sacred word mention our teacher Janine zeros in on us "Mackenzie, do I have to remind you that the lab is a food free zone? Unless of course you want us start testing the food in chemicals."

My stomach grumbles at the thought of food but the look Janine gives me the impression that I shouldn't test her patience. "No. You made that very clear when you chucked my perfectly good muffin the bin while yelling 'CONTAMINANT! ' "

The saddest part is that I never got to take even a bit out of that muffin.

Janine can only shake her head and sigh. As you can tell we have a great mutual respect for each other.

My eyes are drawn up to the board that had elements written out in a list and an equipment trolly next to the lab table. It's reassuring to know that we will be doing real chemistry today and not just 

"Today we will be doing a simple reaction exercise today using common elements. I will give you a list of task and tests to do on said elements then you will have to record the effect of different conditions. Make sure you have all the proper equipment. Remember the equipment is fragile so take care. Her gaze burns into us particularly at the last sentence.