𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦.

"No," Aurelia said in a definitive tone, "You're going to look hot. End of story. It's only cringy or desperate if you think it is." She knew it was true because Phoebe already did look hot and Aurelia's thirst trap game was unparalleled. "Act confident and no one will question you." Those were the words of wisdom that Aurelia lived by.

"It might also be cringy and desperate if other people see it and think it is," Phoebe points out, definitely not confident at all in the message this photo sent out. This was Aurelia's department, not hers, which was probably why she hit publish and decided to trust her friend. "Fine, I'm doing it."

“ that is true. She can’t feed the wooden ones “ well she could try but that was gonna be a bigger mess than he was going to be able to clean. He smiled at her comment and felt a bit of pride at the idea of being seen as a good brother cause he always wondered if he was screwing up. He’d jumped into the chance to be the guardian without realizing it wasn’t just like being a brother he had to be the parent and that took a lot of work and help where he could find it. “ as long as she’s happy that’s the most important thing "@phoebekeller

"Exactly. So, definitely go with the real horses. You can get her a wooden one as a bonus, if your budget allows it," Phoebe adds quickly. Her own budget definitely wouldn't. "I can't wait to hear about it, but I'm pretty certain you'll definitely win best gift this year." @sullivanxshaw

"I mean, it'd have its upsides. I'd stop smelling like grease for once. But I'd also not be able to pay rent and lose my apartment," Phoebe says, taking too long to weigh the pros and the cons when the right path was obvious. "I can get them ready for you tomorrow. Let's say... noon? Are they more into chocolate or vanilla? I could do both." @the-nelson-quinn

“ if it helps I don’t notice any sort of grease scent “ Nelson noted as he glanced back at her. The sort of thing didn’t even register to him but then again, she worked her. It’s one of those things where sometimes aspects became more noticeable the longer someone spent time in a place. “ see that would be where I would feel absolutely horrible. I am not out to make somebody jobless or lose their home. “ he would’ve paid out-of-pocket of his behavior got someone fired. “ they like both because we’ve got a toddler and an eight-year-old. Is tomorrow too soon or do you need more time? I’m completely fine waiting.” @phoebekeller

"That's nice of you, but I can assure you that no amount of soap can get the smell of deep-fried shrimps out of this uniform," Phoebe tells him, resigned to the idea of smelling like a French fry. "I can do tomorrow. What colours do they like? I'm a beginner, but I can definitely handle food colouring and even a little sprinkle." @the-nelson-quinn

Sully always doubted himself ever since he’d decided to become his sisters guardian. He knew it was the right choice but he always sort of felt like he could have been better. Like his sisters already deserved better than him. It was as though his previous insecurities grew magnified over time. The only thing that really shook him out of it was when he’d get support from others. They say how his life was and not his own anxiety distorting things. It helped more than he could express.

"I'd definitely go with real ones. No doubt about it. I mean, a wooden horse doesn't compare to the real thing," Phoebe points out. A kid would definitely be more impressed by actual live animals over a toy. "Yeah, no problem. Sounds like a fun time, honestly, and you might just win the best brother award." @sullivanxshaw

"Edible enough for me to care to come every other day. Has this been a trial and error sort of thing? Do I need to be scared of internally combusting at the bite of one of these?"

"That feels like high praise coming from someone who seems to have very high standards," Phoebe says with a grin. "It was, yeah. There were a couple of batches... The taste was unspeakable. This one is fine, though. I think. I guess we'll find out in 24 hours." @coopjo

“Shit sorry. I would feel like shit if I got you canned from this place “ Nelson admitted as he glanced over to her with a small smile. “ it’s definitely a compliment. When you have food good enough to be addictive you’ve got something special going on” he added.

"I mean, it'd have its upsides. I'd stop smelling like grease for once. But I'd also not be able to pay rent and lose my apartment," Phoebe says, taking too long to weigh the pros and the cons when the right path was obvious. "I can get them ready for you tomorrow. Let's say... noon? Are they more into chocolate or vanilla? I could do both." @the-nelson-quinn

"What if it came from the trash? Maybe you would care then," Phoebe suggests thoughtfully. "Not that these are from the trash. I made them, I swear." Her smile widens when he doesn't spit the cupcake out right away, and she's beaming by the end of his compliment. "Because I'm broke and hopelessly lost?" @beejsachar

“ thank you.” He nodded feeling a bit embarrassed. Sully had never been great with praise and even now despite him bringing up the win he was still shocked it happened. “ I appreciate it “ he added with a small smile.

"That's a great idea, don't doubt yourself," Phoebe tells him with what she hopes is an encouraging smile. "I think the best gifts are the ones you can enjoy with the person who's doing the gifting, you know? It makes it that much more special." @sullivanxshaw

Aurelia holds the phone close to her chest as Phoebe attempts to sneak a peek. "The fact that you think I would let you look stupid is frankly insulting." When it came to making exes feel jealous, she was a pro. "Now I'm going to send this to you and you need to post it to your story." Her fingers went back to texting the picture to Phoebe's number before listing out their next instructions.

This definitely wasn't something Phoebe would've come up with on her own, which is why Aurelia seemed to complement her so well. "Are you sure that won't look kind of desperate or cringy?" The brunette asks her friend, her fingers moving across the screen quickly as she did exactly what she had been advised to do.

“ what did you put in the cupcakes? Cocaine?” Nelson replied with a surprised look on his face at how she wanted people hooked on them. “ but I see how your business model works and I appreciate that. Tell you you what, I hate not paying for stuff. If I like this one I’ll get at least a dozen, cause I’m sure my niece and nephew would love it. Provided these aren’t actually laced with something “ @phoebekeller

"Oh, no, I definitely didn't do that. Not so loud, you'll get me fired," Phoebe hisses, looking back to make sure her boss hadn't heard. "I'll take that as a compliment, though." The thought of cooking more of these and getting paid for this brought a smile back to her face. "There are no drugs at all, and I would love to do that. When do you need them?" @the-nelson-quinn

"Well, hey, see -- that's context that would have been helpful in your opening. You should have led with that," Demi informs her, taking a bite ofthe cupcake and chewing decisively.

"I'm selling them at the counter of the dinner I work at. I thought it was obvious I wasn't a pro," she points out, watching as the woman chews her cupcake and trying to figure out her thoughts. "Your first instinct is to criticize? That can't be fun." @demichu

"They're just a little — just a tad bit — soapy," Mavis said, covering her mouth with her hand as she swallowed and fought a grimace. "Aw, but now I feel bad for making the Girl Scout feel bad. I take it back. They're great, actually. Perfect."

"Soapy?" Phoebe repeats, horrified. "I didn't put any soap in there, there's just no way..." Was it possible she had started washing a bowl and forgot to rinse it? Nothing was impossible, but she wasn't that much of a klutz, was she? "No, it's too late, you said it already. I made soap-flavoured cupcakes. My sidegig is dead." @maviscampbell

"Edible enough for me to care to come every other day. Has this been a trial and error sort of thing? Do I need to be scared of internally combusting at the bite of one of these?"

"I mean, I doubt I accidentally baked something lethal, but you never know," Phoebe admits, cringing just slightly at the fact that even she hadn't been brave enough to taste her creations. "I'll take that as a win, though, and my cue to keep experimenting. Any flavour requests?" @coopjo

"After all this time, the puppy dog eyes still work," she says proudly, giving herself a mental pat on the back. "Don't worry, I use my power responsibly. Like when I need people to try out my potentially terrible cupcakes." @maviscampbell

"Is that responsible?" Mavis asked. "This could be the worst thing I've ever tasted."

"Or they could be the very best," Phoebe corrects, always the optimist. The smile on her face quickly vanishes, however, as she watches the woman chew slowly. Maybe a little too slowly. "Oh, god. What's wrong with them? They taste like shit, don't they?" @maviscampbell

Demi hesitates a moment but slowly comes around, reaching to take the cupcake and peel the lining down the side enough to take a tentative bite.

"Hey, I'm a beginner baker, give me a damn break. I'm not about to start mixing fancy flavours together when I wasn't even sure these would be edible," Phoebe says, glaring openly at the woman. "Also, you should try a little harder next time because that was totally bitchy." @demichu

“ if you’re doing it for extra cash why are you offering samples doesn’t that kind of defeat the purpose? “ Nelson asked as he looked at what she was selling. They smelled and looked good that was promising at the very least. “ I’ll buy something without the taste test, is that cool too?” @phoebekeller

"Okay, so I'm thinking I'll build my clientele by getting them hooked on the cupcakes, then I'll go in for the kill and double the price," Phoebe tells the man. "I mean, you're more than free to get a second cupcake if you enjoy the first one." @the-nelson-quinn