Chapter 2: The First Lie
Tessa recovered quickly.
She had always been good at that.
Give her a few seconds, and she could turn almost any disaster into someone else's fault.
“I made it,” she said, adjusting her apron.
The judge looked down at her clipboard.
“Your name?””
“Tessa Bennett.””
“And you completed the entire cake yourself?””
“Yes.””
I watched her face.
Not a flicker of hesitation.
Not even a blush.
The woman glanced at the cake again.
“That's impressive work. How long did it take?””
Tessa smiled.
“About two days.””
I almost laughed.
Two days.
She had watched me make it for three nights. She had even complained that the kitchen smelled too strongly of vanilla while I was working.
The judge nodded.
“Very well. We'll begin the preliminary inspection shortly.””
She walked away.
Tessa turned toward me.
“Don't.””
I blinked.
“Don't what?””
“Don't start telling people that you made my cake.””
I looked at her.
“It's my cake.””
“Mom said I could use it.””
“Mom doesn't own my work.””
Tessa stepped closer.
Her voice dropped.
“You really want to embarrass yourself in front of everyone?””
I looked at the cake between us.
Then at my own display.
“No. I think you've already handled the embarrassing part.””
Her face hardened.
Before she could answer, Gloria approached.
“What is happening?””
Tessa immediately changed her expression.
“She keeps accusing me of stealing.””
Gloria turned toward me.
“Aaliyah, can you please behave for one day?””
I stared at her.
“Are you seriously asking me to behave?””
“Your sister has worked hard.””
I looked at Tessa.
“Worked hard doing what?””
Gloria lowered her voice.
“Not everything has to become a fight.””
I wanted to tell her that I had spent my entire life avoiding fights with them.
I had given Tessa the bedroom with the larger closet. I had let her borrow my savings when she wanted to buy a car. I had worked extra shifts so my mother wouldn't have to worry about the electricity bill.
And somehow, I was still the difficult daughter.
Instead, I opened my display box.
“Look at this.””
Gloria glanced inside.
“What?””
“My entry.””
She examined the chocolate flowers.
Her mouth tightened.
“It's… unusual.””
“Thank you.””
“I didn't say that was a compliment.””
Tessa laughed.
“Mom, don't encourage her.””
I carefully adjusted one of the flowers.
The competition organizer had announced that this year's theme was A Garden of Memories.
My bouquet represented the little garden my father used to keep behind our old house.
He had grown roses, lavender, and lemon blossoms.
When I was little, he would take my hand and let me smell each flower.
I remembered his voice.
“Flowers don't have to be perfect, sweetheart. They just have to make someone stop and look.””
I had built my entire entry around that memory.
I hadn't told anyone.
Especially not Gloria.
Because she had sold the house and cleared the garden after he died.
At nine thirty, the preliminary judging began.
Participants stood behind their displays while judges inspected each creation.
When they reached Tessa's table, one judge examined the blue cake carefully.
“Beautiful piping,” she said.
“Who designed the floral arrangement?””
Tessa smiled.
“I did.””
“Did you use a stencil for the petals?””
“No. Everything was handmade.””
The judge leaned closer.
“Very consistent work.””
Gloria stood behind her, smiling proudly.
I noticed the little silver brooch pinned to my mother's jacket.
It had belonged to my father.
She had given it to Tessa that morning.
I looked away.
Then the judges reached my table.
One of them, a tall man with silver hair, studied the bouquet.
“Now this is different.””
He leaned down.
“Are these entirely edible?””
“Yes,” I replied.
“The flowers are made from molded chocolate, cake, and buttercream. The stems are tempered dark chocolate.””
He picked up the tasting fork.
“May I?””
“Of course.””
He sampled a vanilla rose.
Then another judge tried the lemon blossom.
The woman raised her eyebrows.
“That's lovely.””
I smiled nervously.
“Thank you.””
The silver-haired judge looked at me.
“What inspired the arrangement?””
I hesitated.
“My father's garden.””
He nodded.
“Tell me more.””
I looked at the little ivory flower in the center.
“He used to grow flowers behind our house. I couldn't always see them clearly, even when I was younger, but he would let me touch the petals and smell them. He taught me that flowers were more than something pretty to look at.””
The judge studied the display again.
“And the ivory flower?””
“My father used to grow white roses. That one is for him.””
For a moment, the judge said nothing.
Then he wrote something on his clipboard.
“Thank you, Aaliyah.””
As he moved toward the next table, I felt a small warmth in my chest.
Someone had listened.
Someone had actually listened.
But the peace didn't last.
During the break, I went to the restroom to wash chocolate from my fingers.
When I returned, Tessa was standing beside my display.
She was holding her phone.
“What are you doing?””
She looked up.
“Nothing.””
I walked closer.
“Put that down.””
She rolled her eyes.
“I was just taking a picture.””
I inspected the display.
One of the chocolate flowers had shifted.
“Did you touch it?””
“No.””
“Tessa.””
She shrugged.
“Maybe your little masterpiece isn't as stable as you thought.””
I looked at the flower.
Its stem had cracked.
A thin piece of chocolate lay on the table.
My stomach tightened.
“Why would you do that?””
She stepped closer.
“Because you're making this difficult.””
I reached for the damaged flower.
“It's already difficult enough.””
Tessa leaned toward me.
“Listen carefully. Mom wants me to win. Everyone knows you're not going to win with that ridiculous arrangement. So just accept it.””
I looked at her.
“You stole my cake.””
“Mom gave it to me.””
“She didn't make it.””
Tessa's jaw tightened.
“You always do this.””
“Do what?””
“Act like you're better than me because you work so hard. You think everyone should feel sorry for you because of your eye.””
I stared at her.
Then I quietly picked up the broken flower.
“You know what, Tessa? I don't need anyone to feel sorry for me.””
She laughed.
“Good. Because they won't.””
She walked away.
I spent the next ten minutes repairing the chocolate stem with melted coating.
It wasn't perfect anymore.
But it held.
When the final judging began, the room became almost silent.
The judges tasted each entry, discussed the presentation, and evaluated the technical work.
I stood beside my table with my hands clasped together.
Across the room, Gloria whispered something into Tessa's ear.
My sister nodded confidently.
Then the silver-haired judge returned.
He looked at my bouquet.
“Ms. Bennett, could you step forward?””
I approached.
He held a small card.
“Your creation has received an excellent technical score.””
My heart began beating faster.
“Thank you.””
“However, there's one additional question.””
He glanced toward the registration desk.
“Did you submit any supporting photographs of your preparation process?””
I nodded.
“Yes. I uploaded photographs when I registered.””
“Were those photographs taken by you?””
“Yes.””
He looked at another judge.
The two exchanged a glance.
Then he said something that made my blood run cold.
“Because we have received a complaint claiming that your entry is not entirely your original work.””
I froze.
“What?””
The judge turned his clipboard toward me.
A printed photograph was attached to the page.
It showed my blue cake.
But underneath it was a handwritten statement.
*Aaliyah Bennett copied the design from another competitor and submitted a replacement creation after realizing she couldn't finish the original.*
I read it twice.
Then I looked across the room.
Tessa was watching me.
She wasn't smiling anymore.
Gloria stood beside her, holding her phone.
And suddenly, I understood.
May you like
They hadn't just stolen my cake.
They were trying to make sure I lost everything.
