Flavorful fusion (Complete)

The party

Kehlani

After the principal spoke, he told us to return to our rooms and prepare for an event on our second day. I giggled because it reminded me of high school. As I was leaving, someone touched my buttock.

Turning around, I saw Mason grinning.

"Kehlani, I couldn't resist the urge to grab your nice-looking ass," he said with a wink. I was ready to retaliate when Emma stepped between us. Frustrated, I raised an eyebrow at her. 

"Are you going to let this fool get away with grabbing my ass cheek?" I questioned.

Emma rolled up her sleeves and declared, "Of course not." She clenched her fists, and before I knew it, I saw Mason running around in panic as Emma chased him. I couldn't help but burst into laughter. My dad chose well when he signed me up for this cooking school.

They calmed down. I stepped off the locker and smiled at their playful banter. "Hey, by the way, there's a party tonight. ''You guys should come," Mason said, overflowing with excitement.

"Why would I want to go to a party with you again?" I retorted, sucking my teeth. I reminded him that he got me banned from all high school parties. Mason giggled, finding it amusing. Before he could say anything else, I punched him in the back, causing him to run off in search of cover. With a grin, I turned to Emma. "Well, we should go," she said.

"As long as you keep that pervert away from me," I replied, rolling my eyes. "You got yourself a deal," Emma agreed.

I returned to my room and said farewell to Emma, my Friend. Feeling exhausted, I lay down on my spacious bed to rest before the party.

I then heard a sharp knock at the door after hours passed. I rubbed my eyes, got out of bed, and opened it. Chloe, my rival and Mason's girlfriend stood at my door and waved. I knew trouble was coming because she always caused problems when we went somewhere. Then, she grabbed my hand and had me close my room door before bringing me to Emma and Mason.

Mason told us to come to the party. We didn't know what was there, but we went with him. College students filled the area. Empty beer cans, glasses, and bottles covered the ground. I said, "Gross," when I saw the mess.

A pretty girl came up to Mason and kissed him on the lips. Chloe saw this and got angry. She pushed the girl, causing her to fall to the ground.

Carson Anderson, the top chef in our school, appeared behind us, his deep voice booming."He yelled, "I ban all four of you!" His frustration was evident in his voice.

"Not again," I whispered, smacking my forehead in disbelief. Carson Anderson excelled at culinary school, making my already bad day worse. Exasperated, I walked away while Emma engaged in a heated argument with Carson.

As I walked away, I couldn't help but feel frustrated and disappointed. I wanted to have a fun night with my friend. But instead, I got banned from another party. I took a deep breath and tried to shake off my negative feelings. Tomorrow will be better.

~

The next day, we had our first cooking class. Starting our cooking journey excited me. But when I saw Chef Harrison, my excitement turned to anxiety. He was strict, intimidating, and had high expectations. 

For our first assignment, we had to work in pairs, and to my surprise, Mason was my partner. I was still angry at him for what happened at the party. I decided to ignore my anger and focus on the task.

We received a recipe for a classic French dish, Coq au Vin, and had to recreate it from scratch. Even though it was hard, I stayed determined to impress Chef Harrison.

Mason preferred flirting with girls in our class instead of cooking. I tried to ignore him. I wanted to stay focused. But his constant distractions were annoying me.

The sauce broke. Chef Harrison was not happy.   I thought things couldn't get any worse. He scolded us, told us we were wasting his time and that we didn't have what it takes to make it in this industry.

I felt defeated and embarrassed. We were the only ones who failed the assignment, and I knew it was due to Mason's lack of focus. I started to doubt myself and wondered if I was even cut out for this.

~

Later that day, as I was sulking in my room, Emma came to visit me. She noticed that I felt upset and inquired about the reason. I told her everything, and she listened.

After ranting, her pep talk uplifted me. She reminded me that everyone makes errors and that failing is part of learning. "Keep going, even when obstacles appear," she told me, admiring my abilities.

Her words of encouragement gave me the motivation I needed to ugh. The next day, I went to class determined to do better. And to my surprise, Mason was helpful for once.

We worked together, communicated well, and impressed Chef Harrison with our dish. He even gave us a nod of approval, which made me feel like we had redeemed ourselves.

From that day on, things started to look up. We worked hard, improved our skills, and made friends with our classmates. We had both good and bad times.

Today, our families' rivalry could finally come to an end.