by Chris Cannon
“Fully stocked. The only thing we might want to buy is food coloring for the icing.”
“I had an idea about that.” Delia stopped walking and reached into her backpack. She pulled out a sketch of a book shaped cake, which used a Wilton green and blue striped necktie as a bookmark. “What do you think?”
“I like it.”
She folded the paper and shoved it in her backpack. “Cool. It’s a plan. See you later.”
“See you.”
As I headed to Foods class, I wondered if Ms. Ida would have any ideas about how to make the cake stand out from the other entries. Maybe we could put gold on the edge of the pages like those classics books in the library. That might look good. I took a seat at my assigned table and opened my Foods book to the cake section where it listed different types of decorations. Sugar sprinkles for baked goods came in every color under the sun. Maybe we could use those.
“Earth to Zoe,” a male voice said.
I blinked at Grant who was seated next to me at the table. “What? What’d I miss?”
“I said hello, but you were too busy staring at your book to respond.”
“Sorry, I was trying to figure something out. Delia and I are working on ideas for the bake sale auction.”
“So you’re not just pining over me?”
“Nope.” I shut my Foods book. “I hope that doesn’t hurt your fragile ego.”
He sighed dramatically. “Somehow, I will manage to survive.”
Before I could respond, Ms. Ida clapped her hands to gain the class’ attention. “Listen up, students. Today we are going to work on your cake decorating skills. I’ve placed a cake in each kitchen along with cake decorating supplies. Be sure to discuss with your partner what you’d like to do so that you are on the same page.”
Curious, I headed back to our kitchen to see what we had to work with. Our cake was round. Our decorating supplies consisted of multi colored sprinkles¸ licorice, and a bowl of vanilla icing.
“What are we supposed to do with this?” Grant asked.
“Well it’s round, so we could make a face or some sort of ball.”
“Why would you want a cake that looks like a ball?”
“Have you never been to a little boy’s birthday party where the cake was made to look like a soccer ball or a football?”
“No. The only cakes I’ve seen have had writing on them, as in ‘Happy birthday to whoever.’”
“Once again, you’ve led a sad life.”
“Once again, you’re wrong. As long as the cake tastes good, who cares if it’s decorated like a basketball?”
“Parties are about having fun. Decorated cakes are more fun than ones with roses.” I picked up one of the Twizzlers and started peeling it apart. “We could make a baseball using these as the stitches.”
Grant grabbed a Twizzler and followed my lead pulling the strands apart. “We could make a spider web cake.”
“Or the licorice strings could be hair, like a Raggedy Ann doll.”
Grant made a yuck face. “Who’d want to eat hair?”
“Hair is out, but you’re good with eating a spider web?” I laughed.
“Spider man is always in good taste.” He grabbed the bowl of frosting and stirred it with a spatula.
I grabbed another piece of licorice and tore it apart. “You have Spiderman pajamas at home, don’t you?”
“Yes. Footy pajamas.” He scooped up a dollop of icing and plopped it on the cake, then proceeded to smooth it out.
“Sexy.” I laughed.
“Let me guess,” he said. “You liked Disney princesses.”
“Not that there is anything wrong with wanting to be a princess, but I was more of an Avengers Black Widow kick-butt-type-of-girl.”
“Spiderman is way cooler than Iron Man and all his friends.”
“Wrong.” Once he’d finished icing the cake, I laid the licorice out in a spider web pattern. “How’s that?”
“We need a spider man symbol or at least a spider.” He left the kitchen and came back with a piece of plain white paper and a blue, black, and red ink pen. He sketched what appeared to be a fairly accurate spider man mask and then cut it out with the kitchen shears.
“Nice.”
“Thanks, now how do we put it on the cake?”
“People put plastic things on cakes as decorations all the time. I think it’s okay to put this on the cake. We could cover it with a thin layer of icing to make it blend in.”
“Good idea.” He used the spatula to smear icing on the front and back of the paper before pressing it into the center of the spider web.
Ms. Ida came around and nodded at our super hero cake. “Nicely done.”
“Thanks.” I smiled at Grant. “I guess we’re not such a bad team, after all.”
…
Grant
Zoe beamed at me, like everything was right in her world. And it might be, except for the fact that she was prone to drama and emotionally unstable. Even if I enjoyed spending time with her, she wasn’t the type of girl I needed in my life. I needed someone low maintenance. Someone on the datable girl spectrum somewhere between Lena with her controlling ways and Zoe with her constant emotional upheaval.
I nodded like I’d heard what she said, but didn’t really agree. “So, I guess it’s time to clean the kitchen, again. That’s the problem with cooking. You might end up with something good to eat, but the mess afterward doesn’t seem worth it.”
The happy expression slid from her face and she turned away from me. Walking over to the sink she filled it with hot water. “There’s not much to clean today.”
Her tone was flat, like she’d gotten the message I wasn’t interested anymore, which was good. That would make everything easier. Aiden would see that I could have her back if I wanted her, so I’d win the bet, but I’d avoid the minefield of dating a girl who didn’t really fit into my life.
…
My mother was absent from the dinner table that night. My dad sat reading something on his tablet.
“Where’s Mom?” I asked.
“She had a meeting.”
That cleared everything up. Still, this might give me the opportunity to get some answers to a few questions I’d been pondering. “How did you and Mom get together?”
He set the tablet down. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, I’m trying to figure out the kind of girl I want to date.”
His gaze flicked to my mother’s empty seat. “I’m not sure I can help you there. Your mother and I started dating my senior year at Wilton.” He smiled like he was remembering something happy. “It was more her idea than mine. I was always lost in my books. More like your friend Aiden than you. Your outgoing personality definitely comes from your mother.”
“So she just started following you around?”
“No, but she seemed to be wherever I went, and if she saw me she’d come sit by me and talk to me. At first, I thought she just wanted help with her homework.”
I laughed. “So you were clueless.”
He shrugged. “I never thought someone as beautiful as her would be interested in a guy like me.”
“How’d you end up together?”
“One night, she told me that she wanted to go see a play and asked if I’d take her. I said yes. After that I did whatever she suggested and everything seemed to fall into place.”
What happened between my mom and dad being happy way back then and ignoring each other at dinner now? Could I ask him?
“I can see it on your face,” my dad said. “You’re wondering what went wrong.”
“What happened?”
“Your mother chose me because I followed her lead and then she expected me to become someone I wasn’t. I’m not the man who walks into a room and takes charge of a situation. I’m the guy who figures out the answers and happily turns them over to someone else to make the big announcement. I don’t need outside validation. I’m content to think big thoughts and solve puzzles, and that doesn’
t give your mother the status she wanted.”
And now I had no idea what to say. “Where does that leave you guys?”
“It leaves me eating dinner with my son while having an incredibly awkward conversation.” He chuckled.
“And where does it leave Mom?”
“She finds her validation through charity work, and socializing, and you.”
“Me?”
“Yes.” He stared at me for a moment. “It’s funny that you’re turning out to be the sort of man she wished I was. We’re both proud of you.”
“Thanks.” I ducked my head and concentrated on my food. “How about we end the awkward conversation portion of the evening and go finish our dinner on the couch while binge watching something on Netflix.”
“Sounds good.”
We adjourned to the den. I watched a series my father found on the SyFy channel while I contemplated my future. My mom was probably pushing me toward Lena because she’d recognized a kindred spirit but I did not want to go down that road. Where did that leave me?
…
The next day at school, I stood next to Aiden, scanning the crowd for a girl who would make my life easier, instead of causing more problems.
“She’s over by the clock tower,” Aiden said.
“Who?” I checked the area by the clock and spotted Zoe talking with Delia. “I wasn’t looking for her.”
“You’re giving up?” He held out his hand. “Then pay up.”
“Wrong. I could have her back in a heartbeat, so I win the bet.”
“No way.”
I filled him in on our conversation during Foods class.
“That doesn’t prove anything. To win the bet she has to agree to go out with you.”
“We never said that.” Not that I couldn’t get her to agree to go on a date with me. “Besides, if I asked her out, then she’d think I was interested and that’s a problem I don’t need.”
“But you are interested.” Aiden pushed his glasses up higher on his nose. “Or haven’t you figured that out yet?”
“No. I’m not.”
“Yes, you are. But that’s okay because she likes you, too, and Delia is fun to talk to so it’s a win-win.”
“No. It’s not.”
“Is there another girl you’re interested in?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t met all the new girls yet.”
“I have. None of them confuse me like Delia. She’s a puzzle I want to figure out.”
And then my shy, sit-back-and-let-life-happen-to-him friend headed straight for the one girl I didn’t want to deal with.
…
Zoe
“Why does school have to start so early?” I finished off my coffee and stared into the bottom of my empty cup. “And how did my coffee disappear so fast?”
“I have a better and more relevant question,” Delia said. “Why is Aiden headed straight for us with Grant.”
I covered my yawn and glanced in the direction Delia indicated. My eyes were watering so I had to blink a couple of times before I could focus. I hadn’t slept for crap last night due to some bizarre nightmares where I baked dozens of cupcakes, and Grant and Aiden bet on how bad each batch would turn out. And then Grant ate one from every batch, telling me they weren’t good enough. Delia was right. Aiden was headed for us like he had a plan and Grant was the one who appeared confused.
“What’s that about?” I asked.
“We’ll find out soon enough.” Delia turned her back to the approaching boys and started talking about something she’d seen on television last night.
I nodded along like I was paying attention, because God forbid Grant think I was waiting for him to come bless me with his presence. He’d made it quite clear in Foods class yesterday that he did not think we made a good team. And at this point I couldn’t agree more. I needed a guy who made me feel like I was important in his world, that I was more than good enough and that he was grateful to have me around, not some moody snob who only wanted me on his terms.
“Good morning, Delia,” Aiden said, walking around so he stood in front of her.
She backed a step away from him. “Morning. What’s up?”
“Not much.” Aiden reached out and touched the pink stripes of Delia’s hair. “Why pink?”
“Technically, it’s hot pink. And I think it’s a happy color.”
Grant sidled up so he stood next to me. Rather than talking, he nodded at me and said, “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself.” I yawned again. “Sorry, I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“Stay up late binge watching something on Netflix?” he asked.
“No. I had bizarre dreams all night. When my alarm went off, it didn’t feel like I’d slept at all.”
Grant grabbed at my arm. “Where’s your grandfather’s watch?”
“Oh my God.” I looked at my bare wrist. Cold panic shot through my veins. “It must have fallen off.” I scanned the ground around my feet. Nothing.
“What’s wrong?” Delia asked.
“My grandfather’s watch. It’s gone.”
“It’s probably in your car,” Grant said.
“You guys look here. I’ll check the car.” My stomach twisted. I could not have lost my grandfather’s watch. I dashed to the car and yanked open the passenger door. My heart beat faster as I scanned the seat, and the floor.
I heard footsteps running up behind. Had they found it?
“It’s okay,” Delia said. “I called your grandma. The watch is on your dresser.”
“Thank God.” I slammed the car door and leaned back against it.
We headed back to where the boys were still standing.
“Everything all right?” Grant asked.
I nodded. “It’s always fun to start the day out with a panic attack.”
“You must have been really tired this morning if you forgot to put the watch on.”
I nodded. Since he’d inadvertently been the cause of my nightmares, I somehow felt this was his fault, which was ridiculous, but I wasn’t feeling warm and fuzzy toward him at the moment.
The bell for classes rang.
Grant walked next to me as we headed into the building. “Do you have plans after school?”
“Yes. I plan on taking a nap.” I yawned. Now that the high from the state of panic had worn off, I felt more tired than before. At this rate, I’d be lucky if I managed to stay awake through first hour.
At lunch, I sucked down a soda and prayed that the caffeine gods would save the day. By Foods class, I wasn’t doing too badly.
“You seem more alert,” Grant said as we flipped through recipe cards Ms. Ida had passed out at the beginning of class.
“Caffeine is my friend.” I stopped shuffling when I found a card for old fashioned mac ’n cheese. “We should make this. It doesn’t require a lot of ingredients or a lot of clean up.”
Our assignment was to pick a recipe and create a grocery list. We would only be allowed to use the items on our list when we cooked. So if we left anything off the list, we’d be screwed. Not that Ms. Ida had put it that way. Her message was more along the line of, you don’t want to plan a meal and find out you don’t have all the ingredients.
“Looks easy enough.” He shot me a smile that had he not rebuffed me the day before, might have made my heart flutter. I wasn’t about to go down that path again. Mr. Moody could find another girl to flirt with. Then again, what did I know, maybe he acted this way with all females, whether he was interested in them or not.
“Why don’t you write down the list of things we’ll need,” I suggested, “and then I’ll double check it.”
His smile faltered a bit.
I laughed. “What? Do you want me to write it down?”
“No. I’ve got this.” He grabbed a pen and one of the blank recipe cards. When he was done, he passed me the list. I glanced at it. “You forgot butter and salt.”
“We always have those things. Why would I need to put them on the list?”
“Weren’t you listening? Ms. Ida said we could only use what we put on the list.”
He snatched the card back and added the two missing ingredients.
“You don’t like to be wrong,” I teased.
“No one likes to be wrong. Not that I was. I just wasn’t aware of all the rules.”
I held my hand out for the card. “I better check again, just to be sure.”
“No.” He stood. “It’s good. I’m going to turn it in.”
“Whatever.” Curious, I watched him approach Ms. Ida. As he made his way across the room, several girls glanced at him and smiled. He smiled back at every one of them. Was he preparing for a career as a politician, or was he just keeping all his options open?
…
Over the next few days, Aiden kept popping up near Delia. He wasn’t flirting with her. It was more like he thought they were friends. More often than not, Grant came along for the ride. He flirted just enough to annoy me. Why was he flirting with me? Was he one of those guys that only went after girls who weren’t interested in him?
Jack must have noticed what was going on, because Wednesday night at dinner he said, “I hear you’re hanging around Grant again. What’s up with that?”
Good question. I twisted my grandfather’s watch around on my wrist. I’d been wondering that myself. “We have Foods class together, so we talk. It’s not a big deal.”
He tapped his fingers on the tabletop. “Does he come looking for you, or is it just in Foods class?”
“Some of both, I guess.”
“You should know that guys are still saying he’s trying to make you the Ringer, and he’s not denying it.”
Wait. What did that mean? “Did anyone ask him directly, or is he just ignoring stupid gossip?”
“You want me to ask him, because I’d be happy to do that.”
That’s all I needed. “Not a good idea.”
“Tell me you aren’t going to fall for this, Zoe. You’re smarter than that, right?”
“I don’t trust him. Does that make you happy?”
He nodded. “It’s a start.”
Delia was already in a conversation with Aiden when I approached her on the quad the next morning. Grant stood off to the side. When he saw me approaching, his face lit up, like he was happy to be in my presence. And I found myself smiling back. Maybe I should just come out and ask him what was going on. He probably thought we were just friends, like Aiden seemed to be with Delia.