The last cupcake

By Pooja Das

The St Thomas High School reunion couldn’t have been more predictable. Everything was the same. The red, chipping paint on the school building, the vast banyan tree in the garden, and even the watchman.

As the alumni walked into the assembly hall, they smiled at each other hearing the music reminiscent of the years long gone by. A decked up, albeit nervous Leela stood at the end of a snack table. She didn’t know what to expect from the evening as she stared at the cupcakes spread across. All she knew was she wanted to see him.

She couldn’t help but think of the ‘cupcake thief’. How many years had it been? She reminisced hesitatingly. Two gawky teenagers stood at the canteen counter, eyeing the last cupcake. Subodh got hold of it. Thus, began the infamous rivalry between Leela and Subodh. They lived in the same neighbourhood, so avoiding each other was almost impossible and tolerating each other, out of the question.

Three years went by and it was the final year of high school. The board exams were all everyone could think about. Except for Leela and Subodh. They thought about each other. It dawned on them that the one thing they thoroughly enjoyed—getting on each other’s nerves—was soon to turn inconsequential. It was time to graduate high school and take the first step towards real life—college.

Amid the crowd, she spotted him. Quickly adjusting herself on the chair, she gazed as Subodh walked her way.