Tiramisu for the Postgraduate Offer

Sue's smile turned rigid, but she soon forced another—even sweeter this time as she leveled her twinkling, adorable eyes at me. "Come on, Zoe. It's just one box, and you're going that way."

My fingers clenched around my pen—it was those eyes that once made me feel warm and happy, when in reality she intended to destroy my life for her own success!

It was murder, and I wouldn't let her win!

My palms turned sweaty and my tone turned stiff in reply, "It's inconvenient."

Sue's smile stiffened again, and she hung her head, tugging on her own sleeve. "Really? I'm just a little tired and don't want to go by myself today…"

She sounded so wounded I had to avert my eyes.

I still felt angry and helpless, but I still couldn't link this Sue to the nutjob in the prophecy.

But it proved eerily correct and I had to tread carefully now…

Tiffany, our roommate, suddenly asked, "Weren't you going to the mall anyway?"

She took off her headphones and dropped her pen on the book.

Then, turning to face me directly, she watched me—not glaring, but her tone severe nonetheless, "The night bazaar is right beside it. Just drop by and grab one. Why dilly-dally?"

I held her gaze. "I have other things to do. It's inconvenient for me."

Tiffany frowned. "So what—"

"It's okay!" Sue threw her hands up, smiling. "Zoe must be busy. I know you want to help, Tiff, but don't get so harsh on Zoe, okay? It's just a craving, and since Zoe really doesn't want to, I-I… I'll just have it some other day! Thanks, Tiff!"

But as she finished, she turned to look at Tiffany with genuine gratitude and a smile.

She then turned to me, but with a look of eerie calm.

It was a look I had never seen before.

I felt cold sweat running down my back right then, knowing the prophecy was true.

It was all real!

"Harsh, you say?"

Tiffany mused, and suddenly chuckled coolly, glaring at me before turning to Sue. "You're way too nice, girlie. Why didn't she say 'it's inconvenient' when you shared your tiramisu with her just last night? And now, it's 'inconvenient' for her even though the stall is along the way back."

I could feel a rush of blood up into my head.

Somehow, in Tiffany's words, the cake shared with the whole room was only shared with me, like it was a personal favor meant for me alone.

All four of us in the room ate it, and everyone thanked Sue for it.

I even refused at first, if Sue didn't persistently make me.

I was working on a past exam question, but I thought I was being nasty when I refused, so I bought her favorite snacks just to apologize.

And yet now, here she was hanging her head, her voice almost too soft to hear, "I gave it to her willingly, Tiff. It's just that she's always so frugal, so she definitely never had a taste, and I wanted her to try… I didn't think that she hated it and refused to buy it for me."

In other words, she was saying that I was ungrateful for not getting her the tiramisu.

And somehow—just like Tiffany put it—the cake shared with the whole room was only shared with me, like it was a personal favor meant for me alone.

Adding 'willlingly' on top of that, and it was all the more damning.

I stood by my bed, watching her hang her head, looking utterly miserable.

That was when Tiffany was clearly running out of patience, her headphones clattering loudly. "So are you going or not, Zoe Jackson?!"