Twinkie Boy

Written for the Daily Flash Fiction Challenge with a word limit of 300.

The prompts: This story must contain the words face, hook and snack.

Twinkie Boy

Ten-year-old Ralph watched himself in the mirror with intent fascination. His eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head. His face was visibly taut. Slowly, he pushed Twinkie number eight between his tightly stretched lips where his tongue had carved out a small niche. If he could fit two more in, he would have the record!

Maybe he wasn’t the smartest or fastest kid on the block but he was certainly the best at one thing…eating. While this may not be a category of notable achievement in most neighborhoods; Ralph had raised the bar to where he was getting some attention. 

In the mirror, he could see the entire gang. They had piled into the bathroom wanting to witness history. It was hard to breathe with so many yellow, preservative enriched delicacies chipmunked into his mouth. Ralph picked up number nine and jammed it in. 

The kids all gasped as one. Deep, way at the back of the reflection, he could see her; the girl of his preadolescent dreams. Alice pushed her thick glasses up on her nose and tried not to turn away as his reflection caught hers. That someone like Ralph would even notice her was almost enough to send the shy girl running out of the room. After all, a guy that could fit that many Twinkies in his mouth could get any girl he wanted.

Ralph picked up number ten. He loved the spongy feel and the dust-like aroma of the bus-shaped snack. Using his finger like a hook, he slowly pulled back the lip on the side of his mouth and shoved the Twinkie straight into the book of local legends.

History may have taken little notice of the event, but Alice…she had been there and that was all that mattered.