It’s lunchtime. The cafeteria staff has been preparing for the busiest hour of the school day…well, after breakfast, which is also busy but not much because more than half of the student body have ate breakfast already at home or elsewhere (and a few even skip the most important-ass meal of the day). Lunchtime, however, is where almost the majority of the student-body as well as most staff members come into the cafeteria and form lines to go to either of the two serving areas - one for the left, the other for the right - to get their school lunch. Meanwhile, there are also several students who opted to come straight to their empty tables so that they can eat their own bag lunch instead of school lunch. That would include the three of us: me, Cinnamon and Cymberly.

After we entered the cafeteria and go straight to our empty table - Cinnamon and Cymberly sat on one side while I sat on the other in front of them - we start unpacking our bag lunches. I got a normal-ass sized lunch box consisting of four peanut butter and tuna sandwiches along with vegetables to go with them as well as orange juice and a water bottle to go with it.

Cinnamon and Cymberly, however, have bigger-ass sized lunch boxes that are packed with super powerful lunch meals that can definitely help them maintain their body and muscle masses all the way.

As we eat, we engage in conversation, much like the other students here in the cafeteria, for the majority of the lunchtime. Then our discussion shifts to a topic that I've been contemplating.

“So, Cinnamon,” I said. “What’s up with you and Cheyanne?”

“What’s up with me and Cheyanne?” Cinnamon prompted.

“Yeah,” I replied, wondering if the two have history of negative exchanges or they just don’t like each other.

“Well here are the things I don’t like Cheyenne that much,” Cinnamon explains to me. “Number one: she beat me every time I go and out to compete in bodybuilding. Well, female bodybuilding, I should say. The first time I entered into the spot, Cheyanne saw me as a threat…because she bulk up a whole lot of muscles, chest and backside just like I do. At the time, I didn’t even think about it because the former teenage female bodybuilding champ of all time—“

“Elena McHarridon,” I guessed, interrupting her explanation.

“Yeah,” Cinnamon said. “She formerly held a world-ass record of being the strongest female while being a teenager. But she’s about half the body mass and half the muscle mass than me so I thought with a whole lotta hard-ass work and plenty of high-ass protein diet, I could become the one who can top Elena McHarridon.” She then sighed. “But then it turned out not to be. I was actually bewildered when Cheyanne broke that record, not me. “And I was wondering how the hell did she manage to surpass me, especially when I've been putting in so much effort and dedication into my training.”

"Did she gleefully happy that you lost?" I asked.

"Well....no," Cinnamon said while shaking her head. "Not at all. She did tried to make friends with me, which, part of me says that It's a form of sportsmanship to befriend an opponent after being defeated. But the other part of me says that maybe it's just a facade, a way to further assert her dominance in the sport. I couldn't shake off the feeling of resentment towards her, especially knowing that she's now the one holding the record I've been striving for."

"She then tried to enter the subsequent competitions just to beat Cheyanne," Cymberly added while pointing her finger at Cinnamon. "Only to have Cheyanne won every time."

"How many guys you have been gone to bodybuilding?" I asked.

"The contest?" Cinnamon asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"About three times," Cinnamon and Cymberly said.

"The same as Cheyanne?" I asked.

"Yeah," they nodded.

"And yet you still haven't beat Cheyanne, Cinnamon?" I asked.

"I wish," Cinnamon said. "But no." She shook her head.

"Every time Cinnamon tries to bulk up to outmatch her, Cheyanne still manages to win and it's because she continues to bulk up even more so that no one would, you know, outmatch her," Cymberly said.

Back when I saw Cheyanne in homeroom, I thought she wasn't big enough than Cinnamon in terms of mass and all. Now that I heard what Cinnamon and Cymberly are saying, it turns out Cheyanne was a little bit bigger than them than I thought.

"So that's number one," Cinnamon said. "Number two: she apparently tried to beat me in evil creature hunting."

"Wait, there's a competition in evil creature hunting?" I asked.

"Well...not really," Cymberly chuckles off. "But since several weeks ago, every time Cinnamon got butt-kicked by an evil creature, Cheyanne kicks that evil creature's butt. And while that's nice to have a fellow evil creature hunter fight that evil creature for you, it's also a constant reminder of Cheyanne's capabilities and her ability to excel where Cinnamon fall short."

"It's like she's always one step ahead of me, whether it's in bodybuilding or in hunting down these creatures," Cinnamon said. "It's frustrating, to say the least."

"Last night, me and her do evil creature hunting," Cymberly said as she points fingers at herself and Cinnamon. "And--"

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"I was patrolling, she was on mission control," Cinnamon said while pointing her finger at herself and Cymberly, interrupting Cymberly.

"Right," Cymberly said to her before she glanced back at me. "And there was this evil creature called The Baroillain and she beat the shit out of Cinnamon," she said to me.

"And I also got beaten the shit of by another bitchy evil creature," Cinnamon said to me, whom I believe to be Haddie the Monster but she doesn't know that female evil creature's name at the time.

Cymberly glanced at her. "Wait, what?" she asked with a slight shock on her face.

"I got beaten the shit of by another bitchy one," Cinnamon said to her.

"Man, you're struggling," Cymberly said.

"In the butt-kicking department? Yeah," Cinnamon said. "I'll try and see if I could beat the shit out of The Baroillain again tonight." Then she she started to realize something. "Hey Cymberly, can you check to see if Cheyanne have defeated or plan to defeat her?"

"Let me check," Cymberly said as she unzips her purse and takes out her smartphone before she starts checking out the evil creature tracker app to see if Cheyanne has already defeated The Baroillain or planned to.

Cinnamon waited with baited breath.

"No," Cymberly said as she shook her head.

"No?!" Cinnamon said.

"No," Cymberly repeated as she puts back her smartphone in her purse.

"Oh good," Cinnamon said as she sighed for relief.

"So, Cinnamon," Cymberly said as she glanced back at her again.

Cinnamon glanced at her yet again.

"Do you have a number 3 reason?" Cymberly asked.

"I do," Cinnamon said to her before she and Cymberly glanced back at me. "Number 3: getting defeating in the 'going the extra mile' department."

I paused as I exchange a confused look on my face. "What's that mean?" I asked.

"It means pushing oneself beyond the standard expectations to achieve a higher level of success or mastery in a given area," Cymberly said. "And Cheyanne has been going the extra mile ever since she got the first straight A report card...just like the both of us."

"Like getting awards and stuff?" I asked.

"Yeah," Cinnamon and Cymberly said it and nodded together.

"When I first found out that Cheyanne is entering into the SAT competition, knowing that she would excel very well in that area, I have to enter so I can beat her in the academic department whereas I couldn't beat her in the bodybuilding department," Cinnamon said. “Alas, even in academics, Cheyanne demonstrated to be formidable,” Cinnamon sighed. “She passed the SATs like a walk in the park, giving me the usual tag as the runner up. Her shadow seems inescapable to me, despite trying to outdo her in any field of my life.”

"And when we got into an honor roll assembly, Cheyanne was there, beaming with pride as her name was called for every academic achievement possible," Cymberly said, a hint of admiration mixed with a tinge of frustration in her voice. "Meanwhile, Cinnamon here was struggling to maintain her spot on the list, constantly feeling like I was just one step behind Cheyanne."

"Well did she really intended to become a competitor?" I asked.

"Well...," Cinnamon said as she went awkward before glancing back at Cymberly, looking for an answer from her.

"At times, Cheyanne is a competitor but--," Cymberly trying to explain to me.

"She was some sort of a bitch who try to befriend me while trying to kick my ass at the same time," Cinnamon said to me while interrupting Cheyanne.

“Gosh, was it that cutthroat?” I asked, taken aback by the degree of hostility between the two friends.

“It definity was,” Cinnamon nodded. He came up with these points: ‘I mean, Cheyanne might not have intended to be my competitor initially, but once I set my sights on conquering that championship title that I dreamed of, it sort of turned into a rivalry, you know?"

Cymberly added her opinion on the matter. “Yeah, it was like she couldn’t resist the challenge," Cymberly said, referring to Cheyanne. "She has always been the one who is thirsty for achieving more.”

"I can understand that," I said, attempting to make sense of the dynamic between Cinnamon and Cheyanne. "It seems that you and Cheyanne have had quite a past.”

"We do," Cinnamon sighed. “And yet, Cheyanne continues to be the kind of an opponent that could stand her ground in any area I attempt to challenge her in.”

“She's one of those people who simply excels at anything she chooses to focus on," Cymberly added. "Which is, at times, both inspiring and frustrating.

“Definitely,” I agreed, having an emotional state of a sense of admiration that is also verged with pity for Cinnamon. "But at least she keep you on your toes, right?"

Cinnamon laughed half-roughly. “Yeah, you could say that, I suppose." she said. "Cheyanne does have an exquisite way of making sure that I should stay on my toes, whether she realizes it or not.”

I nodded.

"You see, my goal was trying to become the world's strongest teenage girl," Cinnamon said. "My goal was to beat Elena McHarridon. Now my new goal - and it has been ever since - is beating Cheyanne. Not just in female bodybuilding but also in evil creature hunting, even though there wasn't really a competition it was just me and her trying to beat each other, and also in the extra miles of academics."

"So basically you're not only trying to become the world's strongest teenage girl," I said. "But also the smartest girl in the world, and the girl who's capable of defeating evil creatures"

"Yeah," she nodded. "And I hope I could excelled that by the time I become twenty."

"I also want to pointed out that Cinnamon would also try out to become the world's strongest woman," Cymberly said.

"More than that, girlfriend," Cinnamon said to her. "I would also try out to become the world strongest person...ever."

"Well, you certainly have some super tough competition ahead of you if you want to achieve that," I said to Cinnamon.

"Yeah, Cathyrine Cherryousky is the champ of them all," Cinnamon said.

"Yeah, about that, she happens to be my mom," I said.

Cinnamon went thunderstuck when I just said that. So does Cymberly.

But before they would respond, the bell rings, meaning lunchtime is over. Everybody are taking their trash to the trash can. At the same time, we got up out of our seats.

"Alright well we shall meet again next time," I said to Cinnamon and Cymberly before I throw away the trash and walk away from them.

But Cinnamon and Cymberly haven't said a word as they watched me leave before they glanced at each other yet again. Then they start to dumb their trash into the trash can as well before they grab their purses, placing the shoulder straps over their respective shoulders, and started following me.

As we headed towards the door, Cinnamon and Cymberly exchanged bewildered glances, clearly still processing the bombshell I had just dropped about my mom being the reigning champion in their aspiration. I couldn't help but chuckle at their stunned expressions.

As we stepped out into the bustling hallway, Cinnamon caught up with me as her curiosity piqued. "Wait, wait, hold up," she said. "Cathyrine is your mom?"

"Yeah," I said.

"The one who holds all those records?"

I nodded, a sense of pride swelling within me. "Yep, that's her," I said. "She's pretty incredible. Incredibly awesome."

Cinnamon's eyes widened in disbelief. "Holy fuck!!!" she whispered.

"No way!!!" Cymberly reacted similarly.

"I'll talk to you guys later," I said before I start walking away again.

Cinnamon and Cymberly slowly glanced at each other yet again before they start change the subject.

"I got Matter of Energy next," Cymberly said to her. "What about you?"

"Yeah, me too," Cinnamon said.

"Same teacher?" Cymberly asked.

"Mr. Williams," Cinnamon said.

"I'll take that as a yes," Cymberly said.

Then they start walking toward a different direction together down the hallway.