Scars

Cook[ing] Pizza

Now that he wasn't wearing a helmet, I could more clearly make out the details of his face. Cook had light brown hair that was sticking up in all directions. He had brown eyes that reminded me of coffee with too much creamer. He had the most uncomfortable expression on his face, his thick eyebrows scrunching together nervously. He didn't dare touch the large slice of pizza sitting in front of him.

Kristie sat directly across from him up against the wall beside the booth. Her nose and cheeks were bright pink from the cold, as I was sure mine were as well. Her wild blonde curls tried to keep desperately trying to fall in her eyes, but she constantly pushed them back again behind her ears. She had completely demolished three and a quarter slices of three meat pizza. Honestly I wasn't sure how she managed to stay unhealthily skinny.

James sat on her other side, across from me, absentmindedly tapping his fingers on the table. "You're not hungry?" He pointed out, gesturing at Cook's untouched slice.

Cook shook his head, "I, uh, ate before the game." He looked slightly embarrassed to have it been pointed out. There was more silence that followed the question until Cook broke it again. "Not to be rude or anything, but why am I here?" It took me a moment to realize he was talking to me.

I struggled for words, confused to why he was directing the question at me. "What do you mean?" I managed.

Cook sighed slightly, "I thought you would have hated to be around anyone in relationship to Nick. Is this a joke or something? I mean, I barely know any of you."

Kristie answered for me as I struggled again for words. "Oh, well, we're just trying to be nice. I mean, you seem like a-" She tried to continue before I cut her off.

"What do you mean 'in relationship with Nick?' " I said, raising my voice slightly. Cook sunk back into his seat.

"Well, see, I assume since you hate Nick you're going to hate his best friend."

"Wh-" I tried to say, utterly confused, but he cut me off.

"It's okay. We're not really friends anymore. I mean, I haven't seen him in years. So nothing to worry about."

"Cook shut up" I said trying to stop him from rambling on. It worked. I thought back to freshman year, trying to remember Cook, and I could vaguely remember him, thin and gangly, hanging around with Nick. But Nick always made sure to dispose of his friends when we were together, hence the reason I couldn't remember Cook very well. "I don't hate Nick." Cook looked even more confused than I was seconds before. That's when I finally felt sorry for the clueless kid. He had no clue Nick was back in town.

I stood up and put on my coat. "Come on, Cook. We're going on a field trip."

***

Cook looked insanely nervous and confused. But it I told him where we were going, my fun would be ruined along with the surprise. But I started to regret it the moment Cook opened his mouth. "Listen, uh, Brin, I'm sure you're... a nice girl, but, uh, I'm not really into you like that."

I laughed, cutting him off abruptly. "If that's what you think field trip means, I'm not sure how you made it through grade school going on so many of them. Trust me, this field trip has next to nothing to do with me." I had given him the biggest hint I could, but it only made him more confused.

After I had pulled into the parking lot and nearly dragged a hesitant Cook up the stairs, I hid him around the corner of Nick's hallway. "Please just wait here." I said, hoping to death he wouldn't run away or call the cops or both.

I came up to Nick's door, and, putting on my best poker face, knocked on the door. It didn't take long for him to open the door with his perineal grin glued to his lips and his intense green eyes staring me down. "Good. You're sober" I said sarcastically.

"Great to see you too" he shot back, the grin still strong on his face. "Besides, it was sort of a onetime thing."

"How did you even get beer anyway? You didn't magically turn twenty-one." The question had been eating me away for a while. Frankly I was quite afraid of what the answer may be.

Nick suddenly looked slightly uncomfortable. "Jesse might or might not have stopped by for the weekend."

Before I could say anything back, Cook rounded the corner with a curious look in his eyes. Nick tried to see who was coming down the hallway, craning his neck around me. A glorious look filled his face to the brim as he realized who it was.

Cook stood behind me awkwardly as if he had no idea who Nick was anymore. "No way, Brin, you brought me a Cook? Good. I was getting tired of microwavable dinners anyway" Nick said, his voice dripping with excitement and thick sarcasm.

Cook grinned, "Nice to see you too, bro." He pushed past me for the manliest bro hug the two could possibly handle. "Juvy decided they couldn't handle you?" The two engaged in a highly sarcastic conversation as I quickly drifted outside of it.

"Wow, Cook, you've really put on some weight?"

"I know right."

Ren came up behind Nick, bored, lugging her backpack behind her, untidily packed due to a lack of help from her father. She slumped over to me and I more neatly put away her things. I interrupted the boys' highly interesting conversation, "Bye, Nick," in hopes he might at least pay attention to his daughter for a moment. It worked. I watched Cook's ever so confused face as Nick came over and kissed Ren's forehead. "Please tell me she's sober" I told Nick sarcastically, causing him to laugh loudly.

"She may not be. You never know." I rolled my eyes and walked off down the hallway.