Just Good Friends

Chapter 26

SAM's POV

~Monday, At the mall, Winter Break~

Since it was only my second day working at S'barros, Jake was appointed to teach me how to make pizza, calzones, and pasta. We were standing in the kitchen area next to the oven and all the fryers, and it was burning up back here! Most of the food's already pre-cooked, so when a customer orders, all we have to do is reheat the food in the oven and serve it to them. It's easy and the customers don't have to wait for the workers to bake a fresh pizza. Since most of the pre-cooked food was already out on display, there weren't any cooks back here in the way preparing things. It was just me and Jake.

"Alright, so I'm gonna teach you how to make a pizza. Again," Jake begins as he hands me a pair of disposable gloves before he puts on a pair himself.

"I already know how to make a pizza," I reply.

"I'm sure you do, but there is a right and wrong way here at S'barros."

"What you trying to say?" I roll my neck as I ask him.

"I'm saying... just shut up so I can teach you," he grins.

I glare at him and decide to be a good girl. For now.

"So, you take a ball of dough from the fridge, roll it flat with a rolling pin, and brush some melted butter onto it." He goes through the motions as he speaks. I watch him and nod my head. "Then, you pour your tomato sauce all around in a circle, and then you add cheese and your other toppings depending on the order. Okay? Not too bad, right? Now you try."

He steps aside as I repeat the actions that he did and make a perfect pizza. Afterward, we put our prepared pizzas into the oven to cook before he shows me how to make calzones and pasta. It was pretty fun, honestly. As we were waiting for the food to finish cooking, I spotted a bag of flour that was open. I sneakily put my hand inside the bag, scooped out some flour, and tapped Jake's shoulder. As he turned around, I cheekily flicked the flour onto his apron. I would've thrown it at his face but I was feeling generous today.

"Sam!" He yelps in surprise.

"Oops, it slipped," I smirk.

"Don't throw the ingredients," he replies in a serious tone, but his grin shows his true feelings.

Seeing that he wasn't too upset, I grab another handful of flour and rub it on his face.

"Sam!! Okay, now you're starting something." Jake reaches for the flour, grabs a tiny bit, and wipes it on my nose.

"Ha ha! That was nothing!" I tease as I run around the kitchen.

"Are you two-- Jake? I see you're having fun with the flour, huh?" Our boss, Maria, says with a hand on her hip and a surprised smirk on her face.

"Uh, yeah. Lots of fundamental learning," he says. I try not to laugh.

"As long as you're teaching her something. Go wipe off your face though. And Sam, wipe your nose. I'll be watching you two," she says with a smile before leaving the kitchen.

***

After we clean the flour from our clothes and face and take the food out of the oven, Maria said that we could go on break since not much was happening today. We each get a big slice of pizza and pasta to eat and find a table in the food court.

"This is nice," I say.

"What?"

"This job. It's kind of laid-back... just how I like it."