CUPCAKE by Olivia Tejeda

Tessa knew she should sit still, but her little legs kept on bouncing up and down on her chair as her big brown eyes watched Mrs. Miller walk around the dining room table giving each little girl a pink birthday cupcake. Tessa’s mother followed behind, placing a napkin next to every plate and admonishing each child with a rule.

“No eating yet … Napkins on laps … Use your inside voices.”

Mrs. Miller was handing out the fun, and Tessa’s mother was reigning it in, but Tessa wasn’t listening. She was focused on the cupcake tower Kelsey Miller’s mother made for the girl’s 8th birthday.

Kelsey was her best friend, and Tessa was as excited about the party as Kelsey was.

Tessa’s mother RSVP’d as soon as the invitation arrived, and Tessa tried to hear the conversation, but could only hear her mother’s voice.

“You’ll have your hands full. Do you want some help?”

Tessa clenched her fists. No, she willed Mrs. Miller. Please say no, please say no, please say no.

“No, it’s no trouble,” Tessa’s mother listened and looked down at Tessa, giving her the Mr. Binkley smile, the same insincere smile she gave their Pekingese when he did something adorable.

“Great! We’ll be there Saturday.”

Tessa wanted to stomp her feet and scream. Instead she stayed quiet, like a good girl are supposed to.

On Saturday, Tessa was putting on her pink party dress, when her mother told her to wear the purple jumper. Tessa tried to explain that Kelsey’s favorite color was pink, but her mother put her hand up and raised her eyebrow. Tessa knew the discussion was over.

“Oh my God, I’ve been waiting for you!” Kelsey said as she yanked open the front door and pulled Tessa in. Tessa’s mother nodded her approval, and the girls ran off.

“Walk!” her mother called.

Kelsey’s bedroom was a jungle of stuffed animals, toys, and stickers. The girls were picking through the clothes on the floor deciding what Kelsey should wear when Tessa’s mother came in.

“Tessa, you should ask Mrs. Miller if she needs help.”

Tessa’s mother already had her eyebrow raised, ready to squash any rebellion before it happened.

“My mom doesn’t need help,” Kelsey protested. Tessa froze.

“Tessa,” her mother said. “What did I just say?”

“I’ll be right back,” Tessa sighed.

There was no one in the kitchen when Tessa went in, but she heard voices outside. She looked out the window and saw Mrs. Miller filling a punch bowl and holding baby Kyle.

She stood in the kitchen looking around when she saw the cupcake tower in the corner. She stared a moment, before looking out the window again to make sure Mrs. Miller was still there, then she quickly walked over to the cupcakes. They’re beautiful, Tessa thought as she inhaled their sugary scent. I could eat every single one.

Each cupcake had a pink cloud of icing and glittery sprinkles. Treats like this weren’t allowed at home, or at least she wasn’t given access to them. She had seen her mother’s hidden stash in the nightstand, and sometimes when she was supposed to be in bed, she’d spy, watching her mother in front of the TV eating ice cream or cookies. Tessa’s mother didn’t want her daughter to end up fat, so she watched everything the girl ate. This was her best friend’s birthday party, though, so her mother told her she would allow one cupcake, no more.

As Mrs. Miller continued to pass the cupcakes around the table, she stopped short after giving one to Tessa.

“Oh no,” she said to Tessa’s mother. “I must have counted wrong. I only have three cupcakes left and there’s four kids.”

“Well,” Tessa’s mother said. “Tessa can share one with baby Kyle. She doesn’t need a whole one.”

Tessa snapped her head around to fight, but her mother’s eyebrow went up before she could say a word, so she stayed silent.

“No,” Mrs. Miller said. “We’ll figure something else out.”

“It’s okay,” Tessa lied, knowing there was no sense in fighting it. “I really don’t like cupcakes. Kyle can have the whole thing if he wants.”

“Are you sure?” Mrs. Miller asked.

“It’s okay,” she said again, and her mother stepped in quickly, as Tessa knew she would. She handed the cupcake to Mrs. Miller and put a handful of carrots and broccoli from the veggie tray onto Tessa’s plate.

“You don’t want anything else?” Mrs. Miller asked. Tessa shook her head and wished Mrs. Miller would shut up about it because if she said one more word, Tessa would start crying.

It was settled, though, and Mrs. Miller lit the big “8” candle on Kelsey’s cupcake. Tessa looked back at her mother, who winked and mouthed, Good girl, and she gave Tessa another Mr. Binkley smile. Tessa remembered loving that smile. It meant she did something to please her mother. She stopped loving it when she realized Mr. Binkley got the same smile just for being a cute little dog.

As everyone started singing the Birthday Song, Tessa turned around and joined in.

When the cupcakes were finished, the girls scrambled into the living room to watch Kelsey open her presents. Tessa quietly asked her mother if she could be excused.

“Good manners,” her mother complimented.

“I have to use the bathroom,” she said.

Her mother gave her another Binkley and Tessa gave one back.

Between the locked bathroom door and the window curtain, Tessa had the privacy she needed. She quietly slid the shower curtain aside and sat on the edge of the tub. She carefully pulled a bundle of paper towels out of her pocket.

She looked at the clump in her hand and slowly started peeling away the layers of paper. A smile blossomed across her face as she smelled the sugary scent and revealed the missing treat. “Hi, Cupcake,” she said before taking her first big bite.

Olivia Tejeda has worked as a staff writer and editor for newspapers, magazines, and online journals. She is currently focusing on flash fiction and her novels, For Purple Mountains and Master Class. Her flash fiction, "Dinner Music," was selected for inclusion in BOFF 2009: The Best of FridayFlash Anthology.

---