“… she said that she’s always wanted to live somewhere more tropical, so she’s going to put in her two weeks and then, you won’t fucking believe this, she’s moving to Florida to live with her online boyfriend!” exclaimed Julia’s other friend, a snake-headed woman named Jade.

Everyone gasped and jeered.

“She’ll hate it!”

“How many times has she met him in person?”

“Only like twice! But she already bought a plane ticket. She told me she wants him to propose soon!”

“No!!”

The group crossed the street, heading towards a row of quaint shops nestled between the larger buildings. Phoebe was sucked into the drama surrounding Jade’s soon-to-be-ex coworker- so much so that she nearly missed one shop’s displays. Familiar boxes were stacked up in the window of a candy store. The sight made her light up.

“They have maple sugar cookies!” Phoebe exclaimed to no one but herself.

“Oh, this place is great,” Kamari said, having overheard her. “They have candies from the 70’s and stuff. Let’s go in.”

The inside of the store was decorated in a jubilant, retro fashion. While everyone spread out, Phoebe picked up one of the prominently-displayed boxes and showed it to Julia.

“I’ve never seen these before,” Julia said.

“They make them near where I grew up,” Phoebe explained. “There’s maple sugaring, and a maple festival every spring. I used to eat them a lot as a kid.” When had she stopped eating them? After a certain age the cookies had stopped being bought for her, and she’d never bought a box herself.

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8.21.2024
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The festival is real btw and mark my word one day I'll have those cookies again.

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