"Party!" Peter says, storming through the front door. I've been at Ash's apartment now for almost the whole day, dealing it's now five o'clock. "I brought popcorn!" Ash and I are sitting on the couch in the living room.
"Cool," Ash says. "Once Dri gets here we can put it to good use." Peter sits down on the loveseat on the other side of the room. "So, when does that devil get here?"
"She's not a devil," I say, defending my best friend.
"She made Ash and I kiss."
"Okay, so I'm best friends with a devil."
"Yeah." The door opens, and a teenage girl comes through.
"Hey, what'd I miss?" Dri asks, taking a seat next to Peter.
"You're a devil," Ash explains. I hit him with the throw pillow next to me. "Hey! You said it!"
"It was Peter!" I say to Dri.
"Yeah, okay. Why is there popcorn, and why isn't it popped?" I pick the bag of kernels off the coffee table and plop it into the microwave.
"There!" I say from the kitchen. "You happy?"
"Very," Dri says. Once the timer ends, I cut open the bag and pour it into a plastic bowl I find in a cabinet.
"Here." I put the bowl on the coffee table. "Dig in."
***
"So," I say, half an hour later, the popcorn now gone. "Penguins or jaguars?"
"Jaguars," Asher says. "They're not appreciated enough."
"Oh, really, Mr. Activist. So, what are we not appreciating about these wonderful creatures?"
"Well, for starters..."
"Oh, we're just starters now?" Dri chimes in.
"Okay, little Miss. Annoyance, for graduated masters of expertise, they are the largest cats in the Americas."
"Well, Mr. Smart-Guy," Peter says. "How about another interesting factoid of information about these intriguing beasts?"
"Okay, um, ooh! Their scientific name is Panthera Onca."
"Fascinating," I say. Ms. Reynolds walks into the living room, and into the kitchen. I hear the fridge open.
"So, what are you kids talking about?"
"The great Panthera Onca," I say.
"I will never understand you kids," she says, going back into her room. We burst out into laughter.
YOU ARE READING
Even Through the Storm
Ficção AdolescenteAsher and Lola have been dating for six months when Asher's long-lost father comes around and ruins everything.
