Human Kid (II)

8.

"Hey guys! Morning!" Ashley said sweetly as she walked up to Ryan and Andrew.

As usual, Andrew had been the first to arrive, then Ryan had come in not too long after him.

"Ashley," Andrew nodded curtly at her as she greeted them, then resumed his typing on his laptop.

Ryan just turned away, ignoring her presence.

Ashley slid into a chair nearby, unbothered.

They were in the the school waiting room.

She then zipped open her bag and started to look for something.

Just then Ethan breezed in.

"Oy! Good morning everyone!" he said cheerfully as he sat beside Ryan.

"Ethan," Andrew said curtly as he lifted his head briefly to acknowledge him and then resumed back to his laptop.

Ryan just grunted in response.

"Hey! Morning Ethan," Ashley beamed at him, stopping her rumaging through her bag briefly.

"Whatcha got there?" Ethan asked curiously as she yanked out a box from her bag.

"I brought cookies for everyone," Ashley annouced gaily.

"Really?!" Ethan's eyes widened in pleasant surprise.

Ashley nodded.

She passed him a smaller box of one particular type of cookie.

"Cool! Chocolate chipped cookies! One of my favorites!" Ethan said excitedly as he opened the box and grabbed one readily.

He bit into it and moaned in delight.

"This is so good!" he said after taking another bite.

"Here Ryan," Ashley stretched out a box to him, smiling, "I've got one for you too."

"You wasted your money," Ryan said coldly as he eyed the box in her outstretched hand in disdain.

Ashley laughed, unabashedly.  "Oh I didn't buy them! I actually baked all these yesterday."

"Really?" Ethan's eyes widened more.

She laughed and nodded.

"Here, let me have Ryan's share since he's too stuck up to take it!" Ethan stretched out his hand to collect the cookie box Ashley was supposed to have given Ryan.

"I didn't say that I wasn't taking it! I just said that she had wasted her money, that's all," Ryan snapped at Ethan, then he turned to Ashley.

"What type of cookies are those?" he asked coolly as he looked at the box in her hand.

"They are red, velvet cookies," Ashley replied with a gentle smile.

"Man, he doesn't want it! Gimme!" Ethan whinned.

He had already finished eating all his cookies.

"Stop being greedy, Ethan; you've had your own share!" Ryan told him coldly.

"You don't want it, and I want it. How's that being greedy?!" Ethan retorted and glared at him.

"Well stop misquoting me! I never said such," Ryan snapped at him and snatched the box out of the amused Ashley's hand.

"Thanks," he told her gruffly.

Ashley laughed and walked to where Andrew sat beside an indoor plant.

"Here's yours." She stretched out a box to him.

He stopped typing and looked up at her.

"I don't eat sweets; I've told you before," he said nonchalantly and wanted to continue with his typing but she kept the box on his laptop keyboard.