Cookie Party
It was a nice May afternoon in Springfield. Lisa Simpson had had a tough day at school, as usual; a group of girls had been teasing and pulling pranks on her, and she was really annoyed. She was fed up with those girls, but instead of fighting back, she had decided to take a different approach: she'd turn her enemies into friends.
With this plan on her mind, she invited Sherri and Terri (quite used to pose as her friends and then betray her) to a "Cookie Party" at her home, as she knew well how much did the twins love eating chocolate cookies.
As Lisa arrived home, she told her plan to her mother, who gladly accepted to help her with such a nice and friendly idea.
Sadly, well-intended plans can get wrong, as every other plan, and things started to get ugly for Lisa as her mother had to go out. Marge Simpson received a phone call telling her that her husband was causing a big trouble at the daycare center where he had to pick up Maggie, their baby child.
- But Mom, I need you to…
Before Lisa could finish her sentence, her mother had left home, leaving her alone in the kitchen, with no idea of what to do…
- Oh great, now what I'm gonna do…?
Not wanting to panic, she looked for one of her mother's book of recipes and started getting out everything she needed to prepare the cookies. When she was done with that, Lisa realized the house was too silent… where on Earth was her brother? Bart could ruin her plan in any moment; if he knew about what her sister intended to do, there was no doubt he would try to blow up the "Cookie Party".
Worried about a possible sabotage by her brother, Lisa searched for him in the household and in the treehouse. Bart Simpson was nowhere to be seen.
- Oh well… Hope he's at Milhouse's… Okay, time to work.
She went into the kitchen again and began reading the book. As she was ready to start making the cookies, the doorbell rang. It was Grampa Simpson.
- Hi, Lisa! Your mother told me… huh… ah…
- To watch over me, right. Please, come on…
Lisa guided her confused grandfather to the living room. As she was getting into the kitchen again, she heard him snoring loudly.
- Like father, like son… -she sighed softly-.
The doorbell rang again before Lisa could begin her task. This time…
- Heya, Lisa! Are you there? We're hungry!
- Oh no! -she shouted, too loud for her own good-.
Very nervous, she opened the door and stood there, speechless. Would Sherri and Terri get angry because the cookies weren't ready yet? Would they leave in that right moment and tell everyone about her total failure of a party?
"Say something, say something…"
- Ahh…
- Can we enter?
- Huh? Uh… yeah, sure… please come in…
- Where are the cookies, Lisa? We're…
- Awww, c'mon, Terri! Don't be so annoying! You've told me ten times since we got outta home!
Terri went into the kitchen before Lisa could prevent her from doing it.
- What the…? The cookies ain't made already?!
- Huh? What are you saying…?
- Oh please, don't…!
- Oh, I see…
- Please, don't you go away! Please help me…!
- Help you with what? The cookies should…!
But Sherri simply shrugged her shoulders and said:
- Okay.
- W-What…?
- What?!
- Oh, shut up, Terri! Stop behaving like a baby!
Lisa and Terri looked at Sherri, a bit shocked.
- Uh… did I actually say that…? Well… Whatever, let's start.
Lisa smiled and the "Cookie Party" took off. The spiky haired girl gave instructions to her unexpected assistants, but the pale-faced twins didn't understand too much… nor did they believe Lisa actually knew how to prepare chocolate cookies.
- Lisa, are you sure…?
- Yeah, yeah, I am…!
But she wasn't at all. Of course, she wasn't going to admit it. She had been enough lucky that Sherri had decided they would help her, and now she didn't want to give up.
After nearly an hour of work, the kitchen looked like war zone; chocolate and cookie dough spilled everywhere, crockery (both whole and broken) piled up in the sink, empty packages all over the floor, its content forming a strange mix with the chocolate and dough… Not to mention the kitchen furniture had also suffered the absolute lack of experience of the three would-be bakers, and was now showing a wide range of scratches and bumps. Several wood splinters could be seen here and there, and not even the table cloth had escaped the disaster, a big, nasty tear caused by… Heaven knew what had caused it.
The strange-looking cookies were put in the oven, and Lisa tried her best to pretend she knew how that new oven worked.
- Lisa, are you sure…?
- Yeah, I am! Stop asking me the same stupid question…!
- You're a bit nervous, ain't you?
"A bit…? An excellent diagnosis, Dr. House…"
Instead of replying, Lisa sat at the table and took a good look at the chocolate cookies' recipe, trying to find any possible mistake she could have made (and wishing not to find it). The twins, not knowing what to think (and also wishing Lisa had guided them right), simply stood still, taking a look at the oven from time to time.
After a while…
- Uh… Lisa, there's smoke coming outta the oven…
Lisa didn't seem to hear what she was being told, as she was too focused on reading the book to pay attention to any other thing.
- No way… Maybe we should open the oven, sis…
- Okay, but be careful, Terri; remember what happened last time you did it at home…
Terri took a pair of kitchen gloves, turned off the oven and opened it. As she did, a huge cloud of black smoke quickly spread throughout the room.
- Oh, girl! It seems something has really gone wrong! What do you think, uh…?
She received no answer; her sister was coughing due to the smoke, and Lisa was still reading the book, seemingly unaware of what was going on…
"Oh my, how does she do it…?"
- Okay, that leaves only me and the cookies… -she grinned-.
She left the tray on the dirty floor. The cookies looked totally burnt, black as coal, but the lavender hair girl didn't mind at all, and took one cookie. But Terri should have remembered that trying to eat something which has just come out of the oven isn't the best of ideas. The gloves protected her hands, but as she bit one of the cookies…
- OWWWWW…!
Not only the cookie looked black as coal, it was also as hard as coal. Terri dropped the cookie and started to cry in pain. As Lisa heard the cry, she looked up and found the black cloud invading the kitchen and both twins crying. Sherri was blinded by the smoke, and Terri was knelt in the floor, with a hand before his mouth. As Lisa got near the youngest twin, she discovered the black, stone-like cookies, one of which had a tooth stuck in it.
- Oh my…!
- Lisa…! -Sherri managed to say, while coughing heavily-. Can't… cant' see…! -she coughed more-. Please help me!
- Oww…! -Terri whimpered-. My mouth… my poor little mouth…! -she said between sobs-.
As Lisa was on the verge of a panic attack, she heard a car parking in front of the house.
- Mmmm… cookies…!
- Oh my, Lisa! She must have tried to make them on her own...! There's smoke coming out of the kitchen!
That was right. As Lisa ran to the door, Sherri had somehow managed to open the window.
- Mom, Dad, please help me! -Lisa yelled as she ran out of the house-. NOW!
An hour after the accident, the problem was solved. The twins were back at home, scared but unharmed (except by Terri's tooth) and Marge had started cleaning the kitchen. No matter what she said to comfort her daughter; the "Cookie Party" had been a total and absolute failure and Lisa knew it had been all her fault. Not even Bart dared to say a word about it, as he arrived home.
Later, at night, Lisa couldn't sleep, wondering what would happen to her the following day. She was sure Sherri and Terri were going to make her pay, and worst of all was, this time Lisa felt she deserved it…
It was a nice, sunny Friday morning. Lisa had been scared they would pick up on her as soon she arrived at school, but the twins simply avoided her; they didn't want to get near Lisa.
"What a stupid idea I had…"
During the break, no one disturbed her. She didn't mind. She was alone, as always. No matter what she tried, she couldn't make any friends. Real friends. She sighed once and again…
- Maybe I'm not made to have friends… -she whispered in a sad tone-.
Lisa didn't realize the girl was coming until she heard her voice.
- Excuse me; I heard you're giving "Cookie Parties". Is that true? -the girl asked politely-.
Lisa didn't bother to answer, or even to raise her head. She could only see the girl's feet; she was wearing a pair of heelless black shoes… and a dark red skirt… and…
- Allison?
The girl with orange hair smiled as her friend got up from the bank.
- Well Lisa, is it true?
- Of course it is -Lisa smiled back-.
Both girls stared at each other for a few seconds.
- But this time… better ask your mother for help, okay?-Allison smirked, while winking at Lisa-.
- Sure! -Lisa exclaimed-.
And the two friends burst into laughter. Lisa wasn't alone, after all.
THE END