Smart Cookie by L.R. Allan

Espresso Girl

Flour dusted the counter and her hands. The white powder was like a second skin to her as Mina kneaded the dough. Birds sang with the rising sun and Mina breathed in the dewy air coming in the kitchen window. There was something meditative about kneading dough. The push and pull was like a mini yoga that pumped life into her veins. It was just a simple bread, way less fancy and complicated than her other creations, but she loved going back to basics. It grounded her, especially on mornings like this.

Her mom came into the kitchen, "Good morning." She smiled. Mina focused on the dough and did not notice her mom holding an envelope until her mom decided to wave it in her face. "You got mail!" She sang. Mina's chest filled with sharp, light air as she snatched the envelope and with zero hesitation ripping it open like a wild animal.

"Dear Mina Hart, we are happy to inform you that you have been accepted into La Pâtisserie Arts University. Your enrollment will start this fall..." Mina stopped reading to jump and squeal. Her mom wrapped around her in a tight hug that could kill.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you, baby."

"Yeah..." Mina's wide grin quickly faded, "It just sucks that I have to move so far away for school."

"Nowhere is too far away for me to see my baby," Mina's mom kissed her forehead, sticky from glitter gloss, but she did not wipe it away.

Her sparkly pink suitcase bulged from the abundant frilly skirts and fluffy sweaters. Mina hugged her mom and dad before walking into the airport. She passed the school she would attend starting Monday in the new city. She continued through the city following the map she drew out on her own. Sugary lemon and ginger spice caught her nose's attention. Mina abandoned the map and GPS and followed her nose. A cute, pink shop with cakes filling the window with roses framing the display. The Cupcake Corner, her new home. Her bones buzzed with excitement as she entered the shop, an old bald man sat behind the corner.

"Hey! So you're Tay's girl? We heard so much about you!" Mr.Cake is younger than she thought he would be. He was probably in his fifties, with strong arms that probably rolled and kneaded dough all his life. He guided her to the back. Mina soaked in the cozy atmosphere with the glowing lights and displays of sweets and floral decor. Mr.Cake pulled out a chair at a small table. "So time for the interview." He leaned in with a serious glint in his eyes.

"Interview?" Her heart leapt into her throat. "I- uh didn't prepare for an interview..."

A plump older lady came downstairs and swatted Mr.Cake playfully on his head. "Leave the girl alone. Ain't nobody got time to play your games." She was Mrs.Cake.

She had the same style and classy demeanor as the aunties at church. She pulled out sandwiches that were perfectly cut and made Mina's stomach growl just looking at them. "He's just playin'. We've already seen your work, your momma sent the videos you make," said Mrs.Cake.

"Yeah, you're really talented." Mr.Cake leaned back, losing his previous seriousness and chuckling.

"You'll start tomorrow, but you'll be on bar before I let you into my kitchen." Ah, I'll be a barista. That can't be too hard right? Mina thought to herself. They took her upstairs after eating to the spare room where she would be staying. The room was bare, just a bed and dresser. She would be allowed to go crazy with the decorations with the extra money she made from working here. "As long as there's no holes in my walls," said Mrs.Cake. "Or else she'd be put in the wall," Mr.Cake had joked. This was a fresh new start. A blank canvas, like naked cake just before she frosted it. She had so many ideas for this new room.

She had classes early in the mornings and then worked afternoons. But to her, it was like a dream come true, day in and day out she would be in the kitchen making delicious sweets. Joy bubbled up in her like soda pop. Dressed in a crisp apron she made it to class. It was surprisingly large, like an army of chefs about to fight in some Great Food War, and her only weapon was a whisk. Mina giggled to herself at the thought.

On the first day, they went over the basics. Mostly safety stuff, like what temperature certain foods need to be cooked to, and storage. Raw meat and veggies should never be on the same shelf. Yadda, yadda, yadda. All the stuff she knew already.

"There will be a quiz on this too, if you fail you get kicked out of the class." Murmur breaks out among the students. "But don't worry. It's the easiest quiz," he smiled, reveling in the freaked-out reactions of his students. As the lesson went into knife safety, the students were shown how to properly hold a knife and were tasked with learning different techniques for cutting vegetables. Mina was a baker, but she was never really into cooking food. She only really looked forward to the confectionary lessons but it can't hurt learning a good life skill. While trying to make perfect julienne cuts, a cold shock sparked up her arm. A drop of scarlet dripped onto the cutting board.

"Go ahead and clean up at the sanitary station. I knew at least one of you would cut yourself." Why did it have to be me? Mina's cheeks burned as she rushed towards the sink. Not the best first day but at least today could get better.

Her backpack hung heavy and dug into her small shoulder as she carried a stack of textbooks. The weight did not bother her, Destiny was used to it. Every day after class, in between classes, and even early mornings before her classes she studied. She balanced five subjects plus two extracurriculars. Which to most seemed excessive but Destiny was sure she could handle it. She had a strict schedule and routine and wrote everything down in planners.

It was about noon and being up since five, like every other morning, was catching up to her. And like every day she went to her favorite coffee shop and ordered the same thing. Destiny's heart dropped as she approached her favorite cafe. It was closed. A paper on the glass door read it was closed for maintenance. This threw a wrench in her plans. Her meticulously planned schedule was foiled by the inevitable she forgot to account for.

Usually, she enjoyed her latte in the same spot in the cafe and took a twenty-five-minute break to read.

The spot was so perfect: not too close to the speakers, or machines. It faced away from other patrons to avoid awkward eye contact. And a great calming view of a flower bed from the window. Now sleepiness was quickly catching up to her and she needed a caffeine fix. Destiny used her phone to look up another coffee place nearby. The Cupcake Corner popped up. She also looked up the menu and had to recite the order in her head over and over again to be prepared when she got to the counter.

The place seemed to be part cafe and part bakery. The decor was shades of pink and cream in a retro style. Cute desserts lined display with floral icing. Behind the counter stood a shorter woman, with wild curly hair like a lion's mane. She noticed Destiny come in and smiled brightly. Plush lips revealed a charming tooth gap in the center. "Welcome!" the woman chirped in a preppy voice. For a moment Destiny thought she might have arrhythmia, the way her heart pulsed irregularly.

God, Destiny wanted to turn and run. New interactions were the plague of her existence but she squashed these thoughts and she stepped towards the counter.

"Yes, uh hi. Could I have a um..." What was it again? Did she seriously just forget the simplest order she literally just recited on the way here? "H-hold on, sorry." Destiny pulled out her phone again to see the menu.

"No worries! Take your time," the lion-maned girl said.

Destiny blushed at how nice the barista was. "Yes, um the honey oat milk vanilla latte, please?" "Okie dokie!" She pressed some keys, "Is that everything?"

Crap. Destiny did feel a bit hungry now but was not sure what to get.

The barista noticed her hesitation. "We have a sale on these lemon poppy seed muffins. Two for five." "Sure." Destiny paid but avoided eye contact. Those hazel eyes were pretty but intimidating.

"Oh and name for the order." There was not anyone else in there at the time so the name seems kinda redundant but she gave her name anyway.

"Destiny." Her voice was quieter now. While the lady worked she peeked at her name tag. Handwritten in doodly font and a heart dotting the 'I'; it said Mina. Their hands grazed when Destiny grabbed her order and it sent tingles up her arm.

"Th-thank you," she quickly exited, cursing at herself for being so awkward.

In Destiny's dorm, she tapped her pencil on the desk. The interaction played over again in her head. She prayed she was not too awkward. Or came off as weird. She took a deep breath and backed up from the desk to recollect her thoughts.

"Focus," she told herself. "It is 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Your next class is from 6:45 p.m. to 9:15p.m. Which means you have two hours to study and a snack break before leaving for your next class." She stretched, "Let's do this!" She set her timer and placed her textbooks and notes in order. Classical music played in the background. Studying let her be in her own little world. After three pages of notes on computational genomics, she started reviewing notes on molecular biology.

Science was everything. Proven. Real. She understood it. Even when she did not know something she could find real factual information and the scientific method used for that discovery. Unlike socializing, where there are all these unspoken rules that she can never understand, science never lets her down. Everything had its place in her satchel for school. Each pocket is assigned to a pen, eraser, calculator, etc. After packing everything up she made lunch. A healthy meal she referred to as "brain food". Hummus on toast with blueberries and apple slices.

While Destiny waited for her calculus class she kept her face buried in a book. Most of her peers were chatting. No one ever approached her. Well, not too often. Anytime someone would try to talk to Destiny her mind would go blank and she would stutter. Besides, who needs friends? She was not here to socialize but to learn, earn her degree, and start her career as a biochem engineer. That was all that mattered.

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