Back Tucks and Touchdowns

Playing Games

"This is dumb. You're dumb. They're dumb," Danica hissed angrily, flicking her copper hair over one shoulder. Her tone was so vehement it seemed to mask the fact that she had the vocabulary range of a five-year-old.

Maisy, however, seemed completely unaffected by her friend's rage. In fact, she simply shrugged Danica off and continued stirring the cake batter inside the bowl.

"It's a nice gesture," Maisy replied in response. Katya could tell that it was her way of half-heartedly attempting to placate Danica.

"Well it's stupid," Danica insisted, crossing her arms and cocking her hip as if daring Maisy to disagree with her. Knowing better than to get into an argument with Danica when she was like this, Maisy simply ignored her and continued pouring flour into the bowl.

"Hey don't get mad at me. It's not like I made up these rules."

"But you're following them anyway! You're giving in to this misogynistic system! It's horrible! It's blasphemy!"

"You're being dramatic Danica," Shelly, interrupted with a small, pacifying smile, effectively interrupting Danica's tirade. She even went so far as to playfully flick flour in her face.

"This isn't funny! I'm being serious," Danica asserted, wiping away traces of flour with an impatient hand.

"Yeah, well, so am I," Shelly countered, pining Danica with a beseeching stare while gesturing to Maisy. "C'mon it won't take that long if we all help out."

Danica simply sniffed away in disgust, glaring at the seemingly-innocent bowl of batter. "As if."

Katya shot Danica a look at her snobby tone, which Danica pointedly ignored. Before Katya could threaten Danica with Maisy's electric whisk, Maisy's phone twinkled with an incoming call.

Suddenly Maisy let out an ear-splitting shriek, flung the batter-covered whisk towards the sink, and nearly knocked Shelly over in an attempt to get to the phone. (Shelly, in response, threw her hands over her head and ducked out of the way to avoid the chaos that was Maisy Kim.)

Danica, blinking at her friend's abrupt departure, smiled deviously. As Danica crept closer to the unattended bowl of batter, Katya intercepted her. Even though Maisy had left the room, they could still half-hear her.

"Hello?" Maisy greeted softly. Coyly.

Danica paused, her hand half-suspended over the container of salt in Maisy's kitchen while Katya deftly grabbed her wrist. Both of their ears were cocked towards the sound of Maisy's voice.

"I missed you too," Maisy giggled.

Rolling her eyes at her friend's love-sick tone, Katya pinned Danica with a dark look. "Don't you dare."

Danica stuck her tongue out in response, and used her other hand to grab the salt container.

"Danica!" Shelly chided with a shrill voice.

Out of the corner of her eye, Katya could see Shelly nervously shifting her weight from foot to foot. She loathed conflict of any sort; Katya could practically see Shelly debating whether or not to step in between the two of them.

"Yeah, we're making some cupcakes right now. I can save you one if you want." Maisy replied.

Katya smiled triumphantly, when Danica reluctantly set the container back on the counter. She wasn't about to ruin the batch of cupcakes if Maisy was going to give them to someone she actuallycared about. Maisy released another high-pitched giggle, causing both Danica and Katya to cringe.

It was then that Shelly decided to insert herself between Danica and Katya.

"We should help Maisy out." Shelly pointed out softly, while grabbing the bowl and a clean whisk.