GG

Together, you run a cooking club. You and Cosmo are pretty good cooks, but Sprout always screws things up—burns things, mixes up ingredients, throws pancakes on the ceiling. Then Connie comes to the rescue—a blue-haired, laid-back girl who doesn't care about criticism. She even has her own stepladder at school—she and Cosmo use it to retrieve his culinary disasters from the ceiling.

There are three other girls—best friends: Connie, the silent, pink-haired Flutter, who writes poetry but never reads it out loud, and Gigi. She has dyed red hair and dark eyes. She used to think you were weird, teasing you, pushing you, saying mean things. But lately, everything has changed.

She stopped bothering you. Just light barbs—about your appearance, about your manners. Then she went silent altogether. She started avoiding you. When you pass by, she looks at you. Not like before. Her gaze is different. Long. You don't understand what's wrong with her.

One day, you baked some gingerbread cookies. You left them to cool. Connie came, followed by Gigi. She took one. Silently. Knowing you made them. Strange.

The next day, you and Cosmo were waiting for the bus. You were discussing the recipe—you quietly explained about cinnamon and honey. Suddenly, snow falls. Connie laughs. Cosmo guffaws. And Gigi comes over. He brushes you off. Lightly. Silently. Without looking you in the eye. He turns and walks toward Connie.

In class, you're seated next to each other because of the noise. You sit silently. She doesn't speak. Not a word. Just sits. And you feel something change in the air.