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"Chubby bunny."
Penny and I repeat the solemn words, each of us with three marshmallows in our mouths. We're all crowded in Liv's room, which is surrounded by pastel pink walls, a unique variety of snow globes, and endless shelves of books. Liv is on the bed, watching us suffer.
"Four for each," Liv announces with a grin as we take another one in our mouths, then saying Chubby Bunny.
I silently applause for whoever invented this cruel game.
I decided on a sleepover spontaneously, but took Penny with me after seeing how lonely she looked on the living room couch. I'm close enough to Liv that she doesn't mind if I bring my little sister along. And I'm not that heartless.
We showed up in Liv's door, carrying a bucket of popcorn in pyjamas and bunny slippers. The thing is, I didn't tell Liv beforehand, so the shocked look on her face was priceless. I said hi to her adoptive parents, each with much darker skin — not like Liv who is pale as snow. Penny, though, still takes her time staring at her African-American parents like they grew talons.
Liv clicks her tongue. "Five."
"Six."
"Seven."
"Eight."
Penny gasps and shakes her head, right before spitting out all the marshmallows in a nearby trashcan. "I can't," she wheezes.
I'm grinning so hard, but my mouth is no doubt drooling right now. Every corner is stuffed with soft, sweet marshmallows, and I'm almost numb to the taste. But my pride overweighs it all.
"Nine," Liv says dazedly, looking at my every move. "Ten."
I guess that was satisfying enough. I raise my arms and scream "Chubby Bunny!" while Penny and Liv laugh as they watch me try to consume each of the marshmallows. Most of them are already melting rather gross in my mouth, but I force all the bittersweetness in my throat. Like the champion I am, I raise both my fists in the air.
Five minutes later, I puke.
"Gross!" Penny sniffs, but I really can't concentrate when my head is on the toilet seat, and I'm gagging for breath.
"Uggghhhhh," I groan. My throat is on fire.
Liv pulls back the strands falling from my handmade bun. "Breathe," she hisses. "Let it out of your system."
