Chapter Text
...present day…
“Do you wanna buy a Girl Scout cookie?”
The older man paused his hobbling to look at Kara, and Alex nudged her with an elbow. Kara smiled bigger.
“Aren’t you sweet,” the old man said. “But my granddaughter already sold me ten boxes.”
“You know, you can freeze them,” Alex piped up, subtly pushing the Trefoils towards him. “You should really get enough to last all year.”
This one, surprisingly, wasn’t a prime target. But only because he had a granddaughter. It was useless to try and convince him. The obligation they felt towards their grandchildren was unparalleled, Alex had learned, from years ago when she’d made her own grandmother buy at least twenty boxes every year.
She hadn’t been Alex’s best customer, but had helped boost her numbers every year.
It hadn’t really been about the prizes. Well, it was, cause a few of them were pretty cool, but it was more about one-upping the other girls. For Alex, one other girl in particular.
“That’s alright. I see your boxes are selling like hotcakes, you’ll have no trouble,” the old man said. He winked at Kara and went inside the grocery store.
Alex allowed herself a sigh, then fixed her eyes on the next person walking up to their table.
“Alex, can we have a break?” One of the other girls asked.
“It’s only been forty-five minutes,” Alex said, glancing at her watch. These ten-year-olds should be able to last longer. Even the twins who didn’t contribute at all. “We have a two-hour time slot, and the front entrance instead of the exit side. So we need to grab as many people as we can.”
It was good strategy to ask people on their way out, and they didn’t have that advantage this time.
“Twenty more minutes, and then a break?” Kara asked, putting on a pout.
Alex glanced around. They really couldn’t afford it, but… “Fine. If it’s slow.”
The other girls squealed, and Alex rolled her eyes. “You,” she pointed at the shy one, Liza, running back to get more cookie boxes. “Up here with Kara until the break.”
The girl looked scared, but it was good for her. Alex knew Liza would hate her for a while, but she’d thank her someday.
Alex went to the back and whipped some scissors out to open the new crates. She had anticipated almost every box going today, but at this rate…
Her troop was small, just hitting the minimum of five girls. Alex was glad they were still young—still cute enough to make you want to buy an extra box or three.
When Alex straightened up, her arms loaded with Do-Si-Dos, her gaze involuntarily flicked over to the other entrance of the store. The parking lot was on their side, so everyone walked in their entrance. And no one wanted to buy cookies before their grocery run.
Another troop had gotten the exit side, which Alex could see over the long rows of empty shopping carts waiting for customers.
It was the second time Maggie Sawyer and her girls had beaten their troop to the punch on prime locations this season, and Alex would not let it happen again. She—her troop—had to win the biggest prize this year. They had to.
Alex didn’t even care what it was.
Because Maggie’s troop had beaten them in box numbers last year, and Maggie had always been a worthy competitor, and Maggie was the only person who took this stuff as seriously as Alex did, and she was back.
She was back after mysteriously disappearing twelve years ago and, consequently, the drive returned to Alex once again.
Alex must’ve been staring, because Maggie looked up as if she knew Alex had been watching her.
Her smirk made Alex clench her jaw. Alex spied the full shopping carts headed towards their respective vehicles and saw cookie boxes in almost every single one.
“Dammit,” she muttered. When she looked back, Maggie raised her eyebrow in a challenge.
Alex shoved the Do-Si-Dos into one of the girl’s arms to set up. “Girls, no breaks.”
“What?”
“But Alex—”
“I need to pee—"
“There’s a bathroom in the store. But otherwise, no breaks today. We have to use the full two hours. We’re behind schedule.”
“Alex, c’mon—"
“Kara.” Alex crossed her arms. “You wanted me to be your troop leader, right?”
“I’m questioning that decision,” Kara muttered. Alex pretended not to hear it.
“Our goal today is to run out of boxes, okay? So put on your cutest smiles and let’s get to work.”
Alex herded them all to their positions and tried not to get involved too much.
And Alex didn’t notice Kara’s watchful eye as she looked back at Maggie and their troop. She didn’t notice Kara’s sigh, or her intrigue at the young boy now trying to talk to Maggie, or Maggie’s soft smile, and then the boy ending up behind the booth with the rest of Maggie’s troop, helping out.
All Alex could see was the slowly disappearing boxes on their table, too slowly for her taste.
We need to win, she thought.
Although if anyone had asked her why, today or more than a decade ago, she wouldn’t be able to give a straight answer.