Winged

4: Brainfreeze

"Where to?"

"Well, The Brainfreeze has some killer ice cream..."

"Oh we're off to get a brainfreeze; a beautiful brainfrozen brain!"

"On the other hand, your brain might be a bit too frozen already." I knocked on the side of his head. "And I'm supposed to get your brain working, not break it more."

"Aw, come on. Anyplace with the word 'brain' in it has got to be good for you!"

"I think you're misunderstanding the rule of context."

"I'll pay?"

"You got yourself a deal! Race ya!" I took off running in the direction of the ice cream parlour.

"No fair! You got a head start!" He took off after me, easily catching up within seconds. He slid into a booth and pretended to sleep as I pattered up behind him, out of breath. I sat down across from him.

"I am so unfit it's not even funny."

"I dunno, I find it hilarious." He peeked at me from under dark eyebrows.

I kicked him under the table. "Toby!"

He threw his head back and laughed. I couldn't help but join in. So that's how the waitress found us, laughing our heads off like two idiots. We finally swallowed our laughter long enough to order.

"Ginger cookie sundae, please."

He stared at me like I had just grown a second head.

"Make that two." He told the waitress, his eyes not leaving me. She walked away, scribbling on her notepad before tearing the page off and sliding it across the counter.

"You might want to pick your jaw off the ground. What's wrong with a ginger cookie sundae?"

"What's your favorite food?"

"Do cookies classify as food?"

"Yes. Yes they do."

I blushed a deep red. "Then any cookie, I guess."

"Ever heard of Aunt Hazel's Apple Oatmeal cookies?"

"No?"

"You haven't lived until you've tried one. I'll have to make you some sometime."

"Sure, I'd love that."

"So, I guess we should probably get started on the English?"

"Yeah, probably." With that we pulled out our books and got down to the real reason we were there. Right. To study.

Turned out all he needed was a different perspective on the basics. I used stories and jokes to brand the terms in his memory, and then made him turn it around and teach it back to me, just to make sure he really understood. Turns out he was one of the funniest teachers I ever had the privilege of listening to. The waitress brought our ice cream, and we dug into it. Toby took a humongous bite, only to suffer the immense pain of a brainfreeze.

"That was totally on purpose." I accused him.

"Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. Anyway, what's the point of ice cream without one brainfreeze?"

"To be able to actually taste the rest of it, silly!"

"Eh, whatever." He studied a spoonful of ice cream before looking up at me with a mischievous smile.

"No." Oh, no.

"Oh, yes." He leaned forward and stuck the spoonful of ice cream smack dab on my nose.

"Toby Parsard, you are a pathetic excuse for a human being!"

He shrugged and grinned like a little kid in a candy store.

I rolled my eyes and stood to find something to wipe my face off with.

The homework lay completely forgotten at our elbows.