Primrose [On Hold]

Chapter 6: Side Snacks

Larissa pays for her boba and settles on the couch. It's a nice celadon green. It's also probably the squashiest couch in the universe.

I flop onto the couch and sigh contentedly, taking another sip of my boba. Mm. No one could ever convince me to give up drinking these.

Then someone's stomach rumbles. I sit up, glancing at Larissa and then Cameron. He looks sheepish. Called it. "Sorry. My stomach decided to demonstrate a whale's call."

Larissa bursts out in laughter. A middle-aged lady in a navy pantsuit coming in frowns not so subtly. Outside, a little boy towing a plush polar bear presses against the glass, eyes wide. I give her a look. "'Rissa. We are in public."

"I know, Rosie," she trills. "I just wanted to scream a little."

Classic Larissa. I sip my boba, a piece of aloe vera slipping down my throat easily. Yum.

She scoots closer to Cameron, almost imperceptibly. I raise an eyebrow at her, but she ignores me and starts talking. "Hey, since you like food so much, why don't you order some side dishes? Takoyaki, brick toast..." Larissa rattles off a long list of snacks and side dishes that go well with boba. I bet she totally, definitely, undeniably didn't look all of that up the night before. The only boba side dish she actually knows of is brick toast. She had no idea what it was until I ordered some for her.

Sometimes, I feel kind of jealous of my friends, how they're so bold and straightforward. They're not afraid to do stuff without asking. They take on personal challenges with no qualms whatsoever. Like how Larissa's actually trying to get closer to Cameron. Honestly, she deserves better, but if she likes him, great. Hopefully it works out.

Larissa orders a butter brick toast scattered with strawberry slices, drizzled with chocolate, and topped with a cloud's worth of whipped cream. Cameron holds his hand up for a high five. "Nice. Sweet stuff for the win."

She smacks his hand enthusiastically with a shout of "Yeah!" as I order my usual plate of popcorn chicken, also called salt and pepper chicken. Nothing like something greasy to go with something sweet. The name of the dish comes from the fact that the surface of the chicken is very crispy and is often seasoned with salt and some pepper. Probably more salt than pepper, though, because Sugar Tea's popcorn chicken is very, and I mean very savory.

I still don't know how Larissa can stomach something sweet with something sweeter. If you ask me, it's much better to get something savory and something sweet. They cancel out.

Larissa, I notice, has earned a few more glares from the Sugar Tea customers, but she doesn't seem to care. She and Cameron are deep in enthusiastic conversation, probably about food or restaurants or whatever topic they've switched to.

Then she notices me. "Oh, Rosie! Cameron was just saying that—" She switches to a stage whisper. "—he likes reading as well!"

"It's not that weird, Larissa." Cameron raises an eyebrow. "Lots of high school seniors like to read."

"Yes, but I never would have pegged you as the reading type. The mischievous type...maybe." Larissa giggles.

I jump in before Larissa can go totally off the rails with her flirtiness. She's totally taking this challenge too far. "Which authors do you like?"

"Oh, Poe mostly." He runs a hand through his (unfortunately, gelled) hair. A nervous tic?

"I don't read a lot of Poe, but I've read The Tell-Tale Heart." I shrug.

"YES. That was really good. I mean, that moment when the mentally ill guy is like, 'It was the old man's hideous heart'? Awesome as he—" A mom glares at him. "—eck. Awesome as heck."