Don't Eat the Cookies
After training ended, my wrists throbbed and my shoulders felt stiff from holding the wooden sword for so long. Normally Dorothy would have been leaning her chin on the fence, tossing out a comment before I could even set my sword down. “Your sweat smells insane today.” I would have shot back something like, “Then don’t come near me.” “My poor nose, it’s suffering.” “I said don’t come near me.” And Dorothy would have grumbled while still grabbing my wrist and sending cold magic into it. The moment that cool energy seeped through the inside of my wrist, the throbbing pain would slowly fade. A uselessly convenient kind of magic. It had been uncomfortable these past few days without it. No, more than uncomfortable—it felt strange. Training was over, yet no one was picking a fight with me. My wrist was swollen, yet no one was cursing me out while holding it. I walked past the shop that smelled of sugar, yet no one pestered me to buy something with my money. Without Dorothy, the street felt quiet. Too quiet. It was driving me crazy.
That was when I heard her voice today. I stopped walking on reflex. In the alley beside the bakery, where sunlight slanted in low, Dorothy and Luna were standing together. Dorothy’s dark brown eyes looked as round and bright as always, but the corners of her mouth were strangely tight. Luna stood in front of her, clutching a small bundle of cookies with both hands. I slowed my steps without meaning to. I hadn’t planned to eavesdrop on whatever they were talking about. But when I heard my own name, I couldn’t help paying attention.
“It’s about Kyle,” Dorothy was saying. I frowned. Talking about me? What was she complaining about this time? The moment I took another step closer, Luna spotted me first. Her eyes widened. “Ah, Kyle.” Dorothy flinched. Those dark brown eyes met mine. For some reason she looked like someone caught doing something wrong. I had too many things to say, but I didn’t know where to start.
“What are you two talking about right now?” Instead of answering, Luna asked a weird question. “Kyle.” “What?” Still hugging the bundle of cookies tightly to her chest, Luna asked carefully, “Are you dating Dorothy?”
I answered on reflex. “Are you crazy?” The instant the words left my mouth, the air in the alley turned rock-solid. Dorothy’s face flushed red. It wasn’t just ordinary embarrassment. The color raced from the tips of her ears all the way down her neck, and her dark brown eyes shook with disbelief. I realized too late that something had gone wrong, but my mouth wouldn’t stop. “How could I possibly be dating her?” Dorothy’s eyebrows twitched. “She hits people every day, swears at them, has a rotten personality, treats other people’s pockets like her own, burns the sleeves of my training uniform and then insists it’s ‘design.’ Why would I—” The more I spoke, the more dangerous Dorothy’s expression became. Even while watching that, I stupidly added one more thing. “Well… it does feel a bit empty when she’s not around.”
At that moment Dorothy moved. Her black hair whipped through the air. Her small body came at me faster than I expected. I instinctively tried to step back, but it was too late. The tip of her foot slammed straight into my shin. “Die, you oblivious idiot!” “Ow!” I crumpled on the spot. It felt like fire had exploded in my leg. “Why?!” I clutched my leg and shouted. “What did I even do?!” Dorothy didn’t answer. She glared at me once with those dark brown eyes, then turned on her heel and ran. What the hell. Why did I get kicked?
Dorothy had never intended to say any of those things. When Luna first approached her carrying the bundle of cookies, Dorothy had still been able to smile. The same smile she always wore in front of the villagers. The one where she tucked her black hair behind her ear, curved her dark brown eyes gently, and pretended nothing was wrong. Luna was a kind girl. She had a few freckles, a soft voice, and never treated anyone carelessly. That was exactly why it irritated Dorothy even more.
Luna carefully lifted the bundle of cookies. “Dorothy, about these…” Dorothy blinked. “What is it?” “I made them for Kyle.” It felt like something very thin had scraped across her heart. Dorothy kept her smile in place. “Ah.” The short reply came out colder than she meant. Luna didn’t seem to notice. Or maybe she had noticed but was pretending she hadn’t. Luna looked down at the cookies and said, “You’re really close with Kyle, right? I heard he doesn’t like sweet things very much.”
Dorothy’s fingertips stiffened. Why do you know that? The fact that Kyle didn’t like sweet things. The fact that when he received sweet cookies he would only eat a few and leave the rest. The fact that Dorothy always ended up eating what he left behind. The fact that when they were little and Kyle took one bite of candy and frowned, Dorothy would snatch it away saying “Your taste is trash” and eat it herself. Those memories belonged to Dorothy alone.
She tried to lift the corners of her mouth. “Yeah. He hates sweet stuff.” “That’s why I made them less sweet.” Luna smiled shyly. Watching that smile made Dorothy’s stomach twist. You even adjusted for that? Who gave you permission? Luna took one step further. “And I heard his wrists swell up a lot after training.” Dorothy’s smile grew even tighter. Luna fiddled with the cookie bundle and continued, “I heard it helps if you use cold magic on them. You’re really good at that kind of thing, aren’t you, Dorothy?”
For a moment Dorothy stopped breathing. That. After training, when Kyle shook out his wrists, Dorothy would always walk over while complaining. “Did you swing it like a brute again?” “Training is supposed to be done like a brute.” “Listen to you.” When she grumbled and grabbed his wrist, Kyle would silently offer his hand. The moment she sent cold magic into it, his eyebrows would relax just a little, as if it felt refreshing. She loved that brief expression. It felt like an expression no one else knew. Drying his sweat-soaked training uniform. Washing the small cuts on his palms with droplets of water. Eating the sweets he left behind for him. Stealing the tastiest part of the meat skewer first when they bought one. All of it was Dorothy’s place.
And Luna was innocently stepping right into the middle of it. This bitch. Dorothy clenched her fingertips. A small spark nearly flew out. No. Getting angry here would look strange. Luna was her friend. A friend could talk to another friend about the person she liked. Kyle didn’t belong to Dorothy. And yet a voice inside her whispered, He’s mine.
Dorothy forcibly pushed the thought down. Instead she smiled. “Luna.” “Yeah?” “Kyle’s actually the worst.” Luna blinked. “Really?” “Yeah. He’s completely awful. He has zero awareness, a filthy mouth, and he’s way too nosy.” Dorothy folded her fingers one by one. “He trains every day so he always stinks of sweat, throws his clothes anywhere, eats meat like a wild animal, and even leaves his own food for the neighborhood cats.” Luna’s eyes sparkled strangely. Seeing that, Dorothy spoke faster. “And because he trains with a sword his forearms are ridiculously thick, his shoulders are pointlessly wide so he blocks the whole street, and when he stands next to you in a crowd it gets hot.” “He sounds diligent,” Luna said softly.
Dorothy froze. “What?” “He trains every single day.” “No, that’s not what I—” “He feeds the cats too?” Luna’s voice grew even gentler. “How kind.” Dorothy’s insides flipped over. “Kind? What’s kind about that?! I’m telling you he’s just ridiculously nosy!” “Thick forearms mean… his body has gotten really fit, right?” Luna’s voice trailed off. Her face had turned slightly red. Dorothy suddenly wanted to clutch her forehead. It was ruined. She had tried to tear Kyle down, but everything had turned into praise. The problem was that the idiot had too many good points. No. They weren’t good points. They were bad points. Definitely bad points. Dorothy gritted her teeth. She needed to say something stronger. Something that would really make Luna lose interest. Kyle’s absolute bottom. Impulsively, she opened her mouth. “He’s actually filthy.” Luna tilted her head. “Filthy?” “Yeah. After he showers he throws his wet underwear on the floor like a shed skin!” Only after she spoke did Dorothy realize what she had said. Silence fell. Luna slowly blinked. Dorothy closed her mouth, but it was already too late. Luna asked carefully, “Dorothy.” “What.” “How do you know that?” Dorothy’s mind went blank. “Huh?” Luna asked again with an innocent face. “How do you know where Kyle throws his underwear after he showers…?”
Dorothy waved her hands frantically. “Th-that’s! No, it’s not like that! I go to Kyle’s house a lot! His room is messy! We’re childhood friends! It was just by chance!” “By chance?” Luna asked, looking even more curious. Dorothy felt heat rush all the way up her neck. “It’s really not what you think!” “Not what I think?” “Not whatever you’re imagining!” “I haven’t imagined anything yet.” Dorothy shut her mouth. It was over. Completely over. Luna stood there quietly holding the cookie bundle and simply watched her. That calm gaze made it even harder to bear. “Dorothy.” “What now.” “Your expression changes when you talk about Kyle.” Dorothy swallowed. Luna continued slowly. “You sound like you’re angry, but you talk about him in such detail. You act like you hate him, yet you know everything. What he likes, what he dislikes, where he gets hurt often.”
Dorothy looked away. Her black hair fell across her cheek. “We’re childhood friends, that’s all.” “Yes, childhood friends would know those things.” Even as she said it, Luna didn’t back down. “But when you talk about Kyle… it doesn’t look like you’re just talking about a friend.” Dorothy clenched her fingertips until her nails dug into her palm. The center of her chest burned as if it had been exposed. She hated it. She hated that Luna had noticed. She hated that Luna had realized something she couldn’t even tell Kyle. Just then, footsteps sounded behind her. Dorothy turned her head on instinct. Kyle was standing there. Wooden sword slung over his shoulder, still in his training uniform, red marks still visible on his wrist. Dorothy thought her heart might stop. How much had he heard? From where? Had he heard the underwear part?
At that moment Luna looked at Kyle and asked, “Kyle, are you dating Dorothy?” Dorothy’s breath stopped. It really felt like her heart had stopped. She didn’t want to hear the answer, yet she did. If Kyle looked even slightly flustered. If he hesitated even a little. If his face looked even slightly strange. She thought she could endure it if that happened. But Kyle answered immediately. “Are you crazy?” That single phrase stabbed Dorothy squarely in the chest. Are you crazy? Did he really have to say it like that? Was dating her such an absurd idea? Dorothy tried to laugh. The way she always did. She should have thrown it back with something like, Hey, that’s my line. But no sound came out. Kyle kept speaking without any awareness. “How could I possibly be dating her? She hits people every day, swears at them, has a rotten personality—” Dorothy’s ears burned. It was humiliating. Embarrassing. Painful. Kyle added one last thing. “Well… it does feel a bit empty when she’s not around.”
At that moment Dorothy’s face flushed bright red like a ripe tomato. She felt wounded. Yet her heart was racing. She was angry. Yet it felt so good. He started by saying she was awful, but ended by saying it felt empty without her. That without Dorothy he felt empty. Unable to endure the feeling, Dorothy kicked Kyle’s shin with perfect accuracy. “Die, you oblivious idiot!” Kyle dropped to the ground. “Why?! What did I even do?!” Dorothy didn’t answer. If she answered, something strange might come out. That she liked him. Or that he should like her. Or that he shouldn’t accept cookies from other girls. All of them were things she couldn’t say. And so Dorothy ran away.