Darkson High

4.3

The cafeteria was filled with excitement as the banter between Malik and Nikky escalated. A crowd had gathered around their tables, everyone eager to see who would come out on top in this spontaneous culinary showdown.

Malik grinned widely, an exaggerated flick of his wrist. "Listen, small fry, it's cute that you're trying to compete with the big boys, but you're out of your league here."

Nikky rolled her eyes dramatically, crossing her arms. "Oh please, Malik. It's honestly embarrassing that you're putting up a fight when everyone knows your curry goat is basic. Like, who are you really trying to impress here?"

The crowd erupted in laughter, and Malik put a hand to his chest, gasping in mock offense. "Basic? Oh, honey, I don't do basic. My curry goat is legendary—ask anyone. You'll be eating those words once you've had a taste and realize you've been living in denial."

"Keep dreaming, Malik," she shot back, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "After today, no one's even gonna remember your name. They'll just say, 'Hey, remember that guy who got his butt kicked by Nikky's jerk chicken?'"

Francesco, who had been hovering nearby, saw his opportunity to jump in. "Oh, Nikky, Nikky," he interjected in his thick Italian accent, sliding closer to her table with a confident smirk. "Why are you wasting your time with these amateurs? Come and try my mom's lasagna. It's amore in a dish, and I promise, it'll make you forget all this nonsense."

Nikky raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Francesco, nobody asked you to join the conversation. Take your lasagna and your cheesy lines somewhere else."

Francesco grinned, undeterred. "Ah, but you see, Nikky, I think you secretly want to be wooed by an Italian stallion like myself. Don't deny it." He gave her a playful wink, which only made Nikky roll her eyes even harder.

Before Nikky could reply, Jake, who was watching the scene unfold, chimed in with a pointed glare at Francesco. "Francesco, why don't you piss off already? No one here wants your third-rate flirting or your mama's lasagna."

The crowd chuckled at Jake's bluntness, and Francesco threw up his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, I'm going, but you'll come crawling back for a taste, mark my words!"

"Keep dreaming, Romeo!" Nikky called after him, turning her attention back to Malik. "See, Malik? Even Francesco thinks you're an amateur. How's that feel?"

Malik chuckled, shaking his head. "You're all talk, Nikky. But at the end of the day, your little chicken dish is nothing compared to the complexity and flavor of my curry goat. You're just a small fry in a big pot."

"Ha! Small fry?" Nikky leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a challenging whisper. "Malik, after today, I'm gonna be serving you humble pie as dessert. How's that for a complex flavor?"

Nearby, Jake and Ricky were thoroughly entertained by the ongoing chaos. Jake couldn't stop laughing. "This is better than any reality show," he said, turning to Kendra and Mike, who were watching from their nearby tables. "I'm telling you, we need to start taking bets. Who's gonna win this? Nikky with the jerk chicken or Malik with the curry goat?"

Kendra laughed, shaking her head. "No way am I getting involved. Both of them are too intense when it comes to food. Besides, I've got my own dishes to worry about." She gestured to her table, which was filled with a spread of Egyptian and Somali dishes like koshari, ful medames, sambusas, and suqaar.

Mike, who had been setting up his own table with Korean dishes, chimed in, "Yeah, I'm staying out of it too, but it's definitely fun to watch." He glanced over at Kendra's table, noticing the sambusas. "Hey, those sambusas look amazing. I'd trade you some japchae for one."