The truth behind the Twinkie

Angela Guiao
MSMU Class of 2021

(4/2021) "Did you buy twinkies?"

I groaned. This couldn’t be real. I was dreaming. Though why I was dreaming of him… I roll over in my bed and pull my pillow over my head.

I felt someone tug the covers off my body. Great. Now my feet are cold.

"Hey, did you buy twinkies?"

I take a deep breath. I open my eyes slowly. Everything is blurry. I need my glasses. I can make out the general shape of my college roommate/best friend’s angular face. His bright red hair glittering from the sunlight seeping in through the window. His face a blob of pale ivory, light brown and blue. I grab my glasses. His freckles come into focus, and I can see his bright blue eyes staring back at me.

"What do you want?" I snap.

"The twinkies. Did you buy the twinkies?"

I glance at my alarm clock. It’s 5 in the morning. My blood begins to boil.

"We aren’t supposed to leave until late this afternoon," I growl.

"I know. But I just want to make sure you don’t forget to buy the twinkies. I can’t survive a day without twinkies," he jumps onto the end of my bed and starts picking at his nails.

I groan. I guess it’s time to get up. My back hurts. I stretch.

"Also, don’t forget to bring water. And pillows. You should also bring a blanket just in case it gets cold. Do you think we should bring more food? We could probably stop by somewhere to eat. "He continues to ramble. He loves rambling. I block him out. I drag myself out of bed and to our shared mini fridge. I need some water. It’ll wake me up.

I open the fridge door, and it’s empty. I huff.

"What happened to all the food I bought?" I grumble. He doesn’t hear me.

"Can we stop by the Grand Canyon? How about the Empire State Building? I hear Arizona is really close to New York." He is standing now, trailing behind me as I make my way to the bathroom.

I take a step on the cold tile floor. I shiver. I make my way back to my room, and I search my drawers for a pair of socks. I finally find some, but they don’t match. Whatever.

"I don’t think travel should take more than half a day."

I sigh. "We’re going to Washington. We won’t pass any of those places."

"Starbucks was created in Washington, I think. So was Amazon. At least that is what that girl in our business class said." He never stops talking.

I quickly pull on my socks and hurry my way to the bathroom. He keeps pace. Once I’m inside, I swiftly turn around, my arms blocking the entrance.

He knocks into me.

"Ouch," he says, rubbing his forehead.

I roll my eyes and shut the door in his face.

"Don’t forget the twinkies," he calls a few minutes later. After some shuffling, I hear the door to our room shut close.

I sigh a big breath of relief.

He’s been obsessed with taking a road trip to Washington. I didn’t want to go. Finals week was coming up, and I really needed to study. But honestly, I just really didn’t want to be stuck in the same car as him. He wouldn’t shut up about it though. He kept talking about it and talking about it, until I finally agreed. I don’t know why I thought he’d stop talking about it after I agreed because he just started talking about it even more, if that was possible.

I love him, but gosh he is annoying. He was my Freshman roommate. We were randomly put together and got along great, school wise. He kind of balances me out. He is bright and sparkly, and I never see him upset. He is one of those talented kids, the ones that get good grades without really trying.

I am the opposite. My hair is dull and black. My eyes are black. My skin is pale from never going outside. I get annoyed at everything, especially at him. But it doesn’t faze him. He still likes to spend time with me. Sometimes, I think he’s my best friend because I don’t have any other friends. But that’s not true. I just don’t have any friends that I regularly talk to or see.

I finish cleaning up and decide it’s time to start packing. I pull out the duffle bag I used to pack my clothes in when we moved in. As I sort through my clothes, I get really hungry. He ate all my food. He’s unbelievable.

I walk around a bit, trying to relax then I head over to the campus store and stock up on the things we need.

When I get back, I finally finish packing everything, and plop down on my bed. Maybe a few minutes of sleep before it’s time to leave.

Suddenly the door bangs open, and he comes striding in.

"It’s time to go!" he yells, running around the room, throwing his clothes into a plastic bag he found under his bed.

I take a deep breath.

"Come on," he calls, darting out of the room, "It’s time to go!"

I groan and grab my things. I follow him through the hallways and out of our building. We make our way to the parking lot, and he stops suddenly in his tracks.

"What’s wrong now?" I ask, puffing. He walks really fast.

"I forgot we don’t have a car," he said quietly.

"Are you kidding me?" I yell exasperatedly, plopping onto the ground. I am starting to get a little lightheaded.

"Hey, are you okay," it’s the girl from our business class. I forget her name.

"Yeah, I’m fine," I say, waving her away.

I turn to him, "You forget everything. You depend on me for everything," I spat.

"Who are you talking to?" It’s the girl again. She still hasn’t walked away.

"My roommate," I say.

She looks confused.

"There’s no one here but us," she says.

I look around. He’s standing right there. He shrugs.

"Here," she says, walking closer to me, "You’re probably just need something to eat. Does your head hurt?"

I nod.

She sits down beside me. "Eat this," she says.

She reaches into her bag and pulls out… a twinkie.

Read other articles by Angela Tongohan