“Rock, paper, scissors… shoot!”
She threw scissors with dramatic flair, already bouncing on her toes. He looked down at his hand—paper—and groaned.
“I won. I won. I WON!” she crowed, doing a tiny victory dance. “Now all your cookies belong to me, haha.”
He slumped back against the couch, arms crossed. “Ugh, please… you won, so what.”
“So what?” She gasped like he’d insulted her ancestors. “So what means I am now the rightful ruler of this apartment and its baked goods.”
She marched to the kitchen, grabbed the cookie jar, and held it up like a trophy. Chocolate chips rattled inside, a sound as sweet as victory itself.
“Unbelievable,” he muttered. “You’re acting like you just conquered a nation.”
“I did,” she said, already biting into one. “The Nation of Snacks. Population: me.”
He watched her for a moment, then sighed. “You know what? Fine. Take them. Enjoy your sugary reign.”
She paused mid-chew, squinted at him. “Wait. That was too easy.”
He stood up, grabbing his jacket. “I’m going out. I refuse to witness this level of smugness.”
She grinned, crumbs on her lips. “Running away already?”
He opened the door, glanced back with mock seriousness. “This isn’t over.”
She waved the cookie jar at him like a farewell flag. “Tell the outside world I died happy.”
BThe door shut behind him. Silence settled. She looked down at the jar—half empty now—and laughed to herself.
“Worth it,” she said, reaching for another cookie.
Outside, he shook his head, smiling despite himself.
“So long…” he muttered.
Inside, she raised a cookie in salute.
“…suckers.”