The Days Before 16

Chapter 10 Continued

Wednesday, 18 February 2015

"Mmm. I didn't say before, your cake was lovely. Very chocolaty and rich in flavour. It melted on my tongue the instant it was in my mouth." He said as we rounded the corner to the Maths classroom. I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Damn, he just kept getting hotter. He knows his food, sexy. I didn't know what I wanted to be when I left high school but I'd thought about being a chef because I just 'had a way' with food, well that's what everyone told me.
"Thanks." I said. I always felt happier when someone commented on my food. Our class hadn't started yet; the teacher wasn't even in the room yet. The whole class was standing outside the closed door. We'd just got to the back of the line when the door opened and Mr Smith yelled at us to get in the room.
"Oh this is going to be fun. An angry Maths teacher, yay. Might actually have to do some work." He said as we entered. Wait, so he didn't even do the work? What's he trying to be? A bad boy? And I thought we couldn't get any more different. How strange, one minute I'm thinking he's 'oh-so-hot' then I'm like 'we-could-never-work-as-he's-too-different-from-me'. I'm one of those 'goody two shoes' types. I do my work, stay out of trouble and definitely don't cause it. He was right, an angry Maths teacher was so much fun-not. We were hit with a pop quiz on something we'd learnt at the start of the year-it was now the third term and we hadn't gone over it since the one lesson he taught us about it. Then half way through the quiz it asked questions about something we hadn't even learned of yet. I was looking up, trying to think of an answer when Emily, a brown haired girl who sat in the second row on the right, raised her hand and whispered to Mr Smith once he was next to her. Whatever she said made him even angrier.
"You're supposed to learn it by doing it! Just finish the quiz, if you can't, I don't care; just sit there then!" he yelled at her and she flinched. She was like me, a 'goody two shoes' type. I felt bad for her. Then he said, gesturing to the class, "How are you supposed to think by yourself and understand problems and solve them by yourself if someone is always telling you the answer? Well? That's right, you're not!"
Emily was looking down at her hands very hard. The whole room was as quiet as a mouse.
"Get back to the quiz. You've only got ten minutes left."
Everyone stayed still for a second then jumped back into it. I had just finished writing my answer for the last question when the bell rung. I shut my eyes for a second in relief then opened them. What if I didn't do it right? What if I don't pass? I handed in my quiz at the teacher's desk when I reached the front of the room.
"So, how do you think you went?" I asked Trevor when we were away from the classroom.
"I think I did pretty well. How about you?"
"I don't know. The first part of the test I knew a little about but the second I had no idea. I still guessed all the answers, though."
"I love guessing answers on tests, it's exciting."
"Ok?"
"So, what you doing this arvo?" he asked.
"Making up to Sonny by making her a chocolate skittle cake with sprinkles on top."
"You want any help? Because I know a thing or two about cooking." He offered. It couldn't hurt right? Right? But Sonny called dibs.
"Um... .sure, why not." I said. What the hell did I just say? I was supposed to say no. Why the hell did I say that? I thought about tomorrow when I give her the cake, I'll say in a fake happy voice- 'Hi Sonny. Sorry about yesterday. Here have this cake. Me and Trevor made it for you yesterday after school. Oh yeah, he was over my house but it's no big deal right? Let's go back to being friends.' Knowing her, she'll shove the cake in my face and that would give her everyone's attention, leading her to tell everyone of what I'd done-which was nothing but to her, everything. I couldn't take it back now so I said, "Come over to my house around three-thirtyish ok?"
"Ok. Did you need me to bring anything over?"
"No, I've got everything at home."
"Even the skittles?"
"Especially the skittles."
"Skittles fan are ya?"
"Like you wouldn't believe." I said and heard a car honk. I looked up and saw a Black Holden Ute. "That's my ride, see you later." I said as I walked down the steps to Todd's car.
"Why were you talking to him? Isn't that Trevor?" Todd said as I slipped into the passenger seat.
"Hi Willow, how was your day? What did you learn about today?" I said trying to sound like him.
"Ha ha very funny. Now, answer the question."
"Hey, don't go all bossy on me."
"I'm the adult here, you do as I say."
"Ok. Yes that was Trevor and we were talking about the Maths pop quiz we just took. That's it." I said. It wasn't all a lie; we did talk about the quiz just not for very long. But I saw no need to tell him that or mention that he was coming over to our house this afternoon to help bake a cake with me or, and the biggest one, tell him about what happened at both lunches. He didn't talk, just turned up the radio and I was fine with sitting there in the silence. When we arrived home I went to my room, dumped my bag on the floor at the end of my bed and took off my shoes. I sighed. The carpet felt so good against my aching feet. I wonder when they started aching. If they started aching when Trevor or Daniel was around I wouldn't have noticed. Hell, I could've been hit by a bus and I wouldn't have noticed if one of them was with me. I sat down on the corner of my bed and moved my feet back and forth against the carpet. I sighed and laid back. After a minute or two I got back up and went downstairs to prepare everything. I was passing the front door to go into the kitchen when someone knocked. I paused and readied myself. I breathed out and opened the door. It wasn't Trevor; it was one of Todd's friends.
"Hey Willow. T home?" Stan asked. 'T' was what Todd's friends called him. Stan wasn't a bad looking guy either. He was tall and muscly and handsome and had blonde hair and was popular from being a football player like Todd.
"Yeah." I said to him then opened the door wider to let him in. "Todd! Stan's here!" I called down the hallway as we walked. Todd met us in the kitchen and he and Stan fist bumped.
"Sup T." Stan said.
"Sup Brah." Todd replied. I made a gaging noise and they both looked at me.
"Take it to the other room girlies." I said. Todd looked at me sternly while Stan laughed.
"Come on Honey, let's go next door." Stan said in a seductive voice.
"Listen to your girlfriend." I said. Stan put both hands over his heart and took a step back into Todd who steadied him as he faked falling.
"No need to go over dramatic there Bro." Todd said. Stan and Todd were best friends. 'Buds', would be the word they'd like better because 'best friends' was too girly for them. Nah, 'best friends' is just the right term for them.
"I feel so, so tired and everything is getting dim... " Stan said, his voice trailing off. He was such a Drama Queen, even bigger than Sonny sometimes.
"Ok Stan, let's go man." Todd said and pushed him toward the living room.
"Bye Willow. By the way, your haircut looks good." Stan said and winked at me over his shoulder. That made Todd a little angry.
"Come on." Todd said and pushed him again.
"No need for that." Stan said to him.
"Whatever man, just move."
"Bye." I said to them with a little wave. Todd's smile was tight while Stan's was open and happy and again, he winked. This time Todd didn't see the wink and I thought that was probably for the best. I did think he was cute though. Every girl I knew who had an older brother had a crush on at least one of their brother's friends. Well the only girl I knew who did that was Sonny. I smiled as I remembered that we used to go over one or the other's house when we knew that the older brother was having a guy's night. We used 'well if he got to have friends over, why can't I?' as our cover to watch them. Now that I thought about it, it was kind of creepy. Whoops. But they never suspected a thing. I hope. I heard the sound of the T.V being turned on then the sound of a Zombie killing game theme song blast through the speakers. Todd had so many Zombie killing games that I couldn't tell which one from the next. But this one was different. Very different. I knew this one well. There was a knock at the door and I was sure that this time, it was for me. And it was. Trevor was wearing the same clothes as he was at school. Which surprised me a little, and why I don't know. I realised as we entered the kitchen that I hadn't gotten anything out because of Todd and Stan.
"Nice house." Trevor said.
"Thanks. You've only seen the kitchen and the front hallway though." I said, not realising what I was saying until too late.
"Well we can change that now couldn't we?" He said with raised eyebrows.
"I hope you're not suggesting... " I said as I walked around the island in the middle of the kitchen.
"Think what you want. I know what I'm thinkin'." he said as he met my eyes and when he smiled he showed straight white teeth. Still bloody sexy, hadn't changed that from school either; and that, was fine.
"So, let's get started." I said. I didn't want Todd to overhear our conversation because that would have been very very bad.
"Ok."
"Sorry, I got distracted and didn't get time to get everything ready. It'll only take a sec." I said before I started pulling utensils and ingredients out.
"No problem." He said. By the time I'd finished I had a bowl, a fork, a cake tin, baking paper, milk, eggs, butter and the chocolate flavoured cake mix on the bench before me.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked. What could he do? It was pretty straight forward. Put the measured ingredients-
"You know how to measure ingredients without spillage?" I asked. If I did it I'd be cleaning up for hours.
"Of course. What do you want me to measure?"
"These." I said as I handed him the milk and butter. He looked at me with raised eyebrows. It was like his thing. I emptied the cake mixture into the bowl.
"How am I supposed to measure without measuring cups and spoons?" he asked. Are you stupid or something? Idiot!
"Right." I said embarrassed and got them out for him. I cracked the two eggs into the bowl then added in the two thirds of milk and the three table spoons of butter when he handed them to me.
"You mix with a fork? Not a spoon?" he asked me as I started stirring. I didn't stop stirring.
"Yeah, I like forks over spoons. I don't know why, I just do. I think forks are better than spoons when it comes to cooking." I said. He nodded but was trying to hide his disbelief. It didn't bother me much, weirdly. Every chef had their likes and dislikes; forks were one of my likes. Once I was satisfied with the mixture I started the motion of pouring it into the cake tin, but didn't make it.
"Stop! You haven't added the skittles!" Trevor said. I stopped with the bowl mid-air. I set it down on the bench. Damn. That's twice now that he's picked up on my mistakes! You gotta watch it Willow.
"Right. Thanks. Again." I said and walked to the pantry.
"No problem. Happy to help."
"Oh no." I whispered, looking into the pantry.
"What's wrong?"
"There are no skittles in here."
"Do you want me to go to the store and get some?" he offered.
"No. It's fine. I've got some upstairs. Just don't tell my brother, ok?" I said facing him. He did the Zip-The-Lips-And-Throw-Away-The-Key thing as if he was a kid. I laughed and he smiled with his eyes. I held up one hand in a 'stay-there' motion. As I went up to my room I thought about what Todd would say if he found out I had skittles; considering what happened. I was kind of addicted to them at one stage. I bought five big bags and downed them in an hour and a half. Of course, mom and dad didn't care; but Todd did. He got me off them like I was a drug addict and he was rehab. He helped and I stayed off them for a while. But I bought some three weeks after I had stopped eating them. I used to sit there staring at them for hours, never having one but always wanting one. I used to give them to Sonny at school. She used to say 'I'll tell Todd if you don't give them to me... "- I always gave them to her. I went back over to the secret compartment and got the skittles. That place was really handy sometimes.