Tiny Terror

Gosh Dang Woojin

  "Oh, my God! You know how to make tacos?!" I drooled while standing in the kitchen with Vasco.

  "It's pretty easy." He smiled while unloading the vegetables and taco shells onto the table. "You can cook the meat this time, I'll chop the tomatoes and lettuce." Vasco handed me the ground meat, and I grabbed a pan to put it on the stove. Hearing him rinsing off the vegetables and tomatoes, I cut open the package of meat and put it in the pan.

  Grabbing a spatula, I started to cook the meat while listening to the sound of the knife in the big guy's hand hitting the cutting board. Adding some seasoning to the meat as it browned and sizzled, I paid attention to the cooking tips the Burn Knuckles leader would give every now and then.

  When I drained the grease from the meat, that was basically it, and the big guy and I put together the tacos.

  "Pass the lettuce." I waved one hand while holding a taco shell in my other hand. Vasco reached over to the bowl with his longer arms since I couldn't reach it myself from my seat, and handed it to me. "Thanks." I softly smiled while setting down the bowl next to me and sprinkling lettuce onto my taco before getting the shredded cheese.

  And, as it usually went, I ate dinner with Vasco while my parents were still busy at work. They'd eat the leftovers when they got home, and the big guy tended to only leave then so that I wouldn't be alone. We talked and laughed, enjoying each other's company and the delicious, wonderful tacos. They were honestly so damn good.

  "Oh! Did I tell you about how I'm building a little mansion for some geckos?" I asked.

  "You have geckos?" Vasco furrowed his brows.

  "Nah, one of the guys Ms. Jiwon manages does. He's paying me to build them something." I replied.

  "Are they big?"

  "Well, they aren't like the ones you find outside. One's a crested, the other is a leopard."

  "Crested? Leopard?" The big guy's head tilted as he looked confused, and I chuckled.

  "There's different types of geckos like there are dogs. Crested geckos have little spikes along their sides while leopard geckos are covered in spots like a leopard." I explained.

  "Cool." Vasco smiled as I ate the rest of my taco. "Ah, is there anything you want to make next time?" Chewing as I thought, I swallowed before answering.

  "Pancakes." I stated. "I always burn them...."

  "Then I can show you how not to." He grinned, and I could only smile back. I was happy.... Things were going rather well for me, and I wasn't having to worry about some gang trying to overthrow me. I was also learning how to cook, which was a plus when no one else was home and I was hungry, and I was building stuff more than I was destroying like my parents had hoped.

  Oh, and I couldn't forget the biggest thing- I was with Vasco.

  "Hey, you wanna check out what I have so far?" I asked as we were cleaning up after dinner. "Give me your opinion on it?"

  "Sure!" And we went out to the shed after the kitchen was straightened back up. Unlocking the door of the shed, I pocketed the key and flicked on the lights before walking in with Vasco right behind me. Going over to one of the workstations, on the back wall, I moved some stuff around before showing him the half-built gecko mansion.

  "What do ya think?"

  "Woah!" He bent down to get a closer look while peeking in at the built-in furniture already in there. "This is really cool!" Vasco smiled and put his hands on his knees as he looked over the architecture of the little mansion. Looking at the side of his head, I just watched as the Burn Knuckles leader admired my work.