I stare at the weirdly shaped lump of batter that sizzles overtly in the melted butter on the frying pan, with a satisfied grin. The batter I mixed is too runny because of the surplus milk I accidentally poured into it to get the desired consistency, and my first pancake looks like a pair of balls with a minuscule dick jutting out from between because the batter ran down one side of the pan when I was trying to pour more. But nothing can beat my brimming pride right now.
In short, I'm mighty proud of the pseudo success of my first culinary endeavour.
It doesn't take very long for the pancake to become a beautiful golden brown, and I turn it using a life hack I saw on Tik-tok a few days ago.
When it looks properly cooked, I plate it carefully and proceed to pour another round of batter onto the fry pan before taking my first pancake to Dad's bedroom.
"Good morning Dad!" I chime zealously, opening the door a little and peeking in after knocking twice.
"Good morning. Come in." He motions for me to enter.
He's already dressed for work and is flipping through a file intently, sipping his cup of morning tea every few seconds with a slurry sound.
It's too early to eat, just seven five, but I have to be at school by eight and I really don't want anyone to miss out on eating a lovely, warm breakfast- basically, something that is not cereal or raw fruit.
"What is this you've prepared, Ariya?" my father purses his lips as he eyes my dick shaped pancake with curiosity.
"Why, it's a pancake, of course!" I thrust the plate into his hand along with a bottle of chocolate and maple syrup in different compartments that open up to a common nozzle, "I thought I'd give you the honour of tasting my first one."
"Oh—"
"You're welcome. Eat it while it's still warm, Dad!" I cut in impatiently, "Now I need to go check on the pancake on the fry pan before it burns."
I waltz out of his bedroom and into the kitchen and I'm welcomed by a lovely buttery aroma wafting about the small space.
"Hmm." I hum to myself as I lean forward to get a better look at the rich golden-brown colour and air bubbles that have firmed, flipping the pancake and readying another plate.
"Hello, Ariya. It's a pleasant morning, isn't it?" Nathaniel walks into the kitchen at exactly seven twenty.
"Today is. I'm cooking for the first time."
"Have you finally given up on your cereal?" he asks, raising his brow somewhat playfully.
"Given up wouldn't be the right phrase." I wiggle a finger, unfazed, "More like bored and craving for variety. Besides, I'm sure you're bored of eating fruit and milk for breakfast every morning too, so here's something new for you to try."
I present a neatly plated pancake, one that's more decently shaped- like an artist's colour palette, with an enthusiastic grin.
Nathaniel eyes it weirdly and retracts his hands from the table top slowly.
"Is this supposed to be a—"
"Pancake. Yes, looks lovely doesn't it?" I enthuse, smiling hopefully, "It's this simple recipe I saw on an Instagram reel yesterday and I'm so glad to see that it's turning out so well. Go on, dig in and you can ask for more. I'm making extra."
Wordlessly, Nathaniel exercises his fingers for a few seconds and picks up a fork from the silverware stand in the middle of our small dining table. I quickly pour another round of batter before turning around to watch as Nathaniel takes his first bite.
He cuts out a generous portion before making two halves. Piercing one half with his fork, he dips it generously in the honey he's opted to eat it with and elegantly bites it off without closing his lips around the fork.
He chews hastily, glancing up at me with an encouraging smile before quickly eating the next portion.
Taking that as a sign of gratitude and encouragement I make one for myself before turning around to offer another one.
"I don't think I'm hungry enough to eat another one." Nathaniel shakes his head quickly just as I open my mouth, wiping the edges of his mouth and glancing down at his plate, "Thank you."
I frown slightly.
"Boys your age normally eat a lot more, but ok."
Shrugging my shoulders, I break a piece of my pancake and pop it into my mouth without any topping as Nathaniel gets up to wash his hands and rinse his plate in the sink so that he can go up and get dressed.
My features twist into a weird expression as I chew. Clearly, exteriors can be deceiving. And smells. My pancake tastes more like a milk tortilla-like flat bread and is far too sweet. It's not exactly inedible, per se, but I'm sure I'd prefer milk and cereal over this thingy I've made any day.
I tear out a piece from the second pancake I've made for myself just to be sure, before setting down the plate and turning to Nathaniel.
"Fucking hell, Nathaniel!" I cough, bring my fingers up to cover my mouth, "Why didn't you tell me that it tasted bad?"
He casts a sheepish smile my way, scratching the back of his neck, "You just seemed so excited, I didn't want to be the one to rain on your parade."
I throw my hands in the air, and shake my head, "Jeez, that doesn't matter. You're lucky that my cooking isn't awful enough to poison you. You do realise that constructive feedback is a thing right? And as my friend it is your duty to tell me when I'm in the wrong."
"And you're telling me that you wouldn't feel bad if I did?"
"Well, I would at first. That's kind of a given but at least I won't go around making the same mistake." I roll my flatbread-slash-pancake into a roll and stuff it into my mouth, "Right, that's the next lesson in your Art of Unopulence 101 class. Speaking your mind."
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind."
"A simple ok will suffice. Eloquence is unrequired, although it is a nice change from all the incessant cussing around me."
"Ok."
"Cool." I give him a thumbs up, "I should really finish getting dressed properly before we head to school then."
I jog up to the top floor briskly. I've got used to the climb now and my calf muscles don't burn as much. I wouldn't be surprised if they started showing proper muscular intonations soon, they would definitely work wonders for my skinny legs.
I pull on a pair of faded black distressed jeans and pair it with a tight, ribbed white full sleeved top that has a sweetheart neckline. Since I haven't washed my hair, I comb it into a neat ponytail before wearing an extra nude scrunchie on my left wrist.
I don't wear any makeup, except for a hasty dab of a clear lip gloss.
Grabbing my filled water bottle and bag, I step out of my room and bolt the door. I find Nathaniel's door locked as I climb down which means he's already waiting for me outside the front door like he usually does. It's like he likes rubbing my slight tardiness into my face by doing that.
Honestly, I'm actually very curious to see what he's decided to wear. He wouldn't let me pick out his outfit, saying that he was more than capable of doing it himself to which a conceded.
"Bye Dad!" I call out over my shoulder before striding out, "Sorry for the pancake catastrophe. I cleaned up the best I could."
My lips curve up into a smile when I see Nathaniel. He's done well, not that I expected anything less. He looks extremely dapper in his black denims and dark grey turtleneck that hugs his long slender neck and lean, slightly built torso perfectly. He has nice broad shoulders that taper downwards so beautifully that I'm certain he's going to be potential eye candy for several people in school.
"Looking hot." I chime, walking past him to push open the driveway gate and I can almost sense the blush that must have risen on his cheeks.
I spend almost the entirety of the short walk to school to drill in general greetings like hi, hello, what's up, etcetera into his head. And I give him the task of making small talk with at least two of his peers to observe how they talk and carry themselves more closely so that he could decide for himself how he wanted to act. As much as I wanted to help Nathaniel blend in, I did not want him to completely alter his personality and dictate how he was supposed to act. Because high school is the place where standing out actually indicates that you're doing something right, right?
As usual, we're greeted with a bunch of curious stares as we navigate through the crowded hallways.
"The way they look at us so intently makes me wonder whether all their OTT subscriptions have expired." I mutter under my breath, rolling my eyes, casting a sweet smile at some of the faces I recognize, "It's like they have absolutely no entertainment in life."
Nathaniel and I have lockers on either side of the hallway, exactly opposite to each other which normally provides on opportunity for the staring to bifurcate when we split to get to our respective lockers but today he's clearly much higher on the attention scale.
A new buzz of whispering erupts and I catch the words hot, yummy and fucking wannabe from random separate conversations.
I find the mini uproar almost hilarious. Over time I've realised that appearances can be deceiving but thy are exactly what people tend to hold on to unless there's a valid reason to think otherwise.
Madison Wu, the lovely quarter-Asian girl from my Advanced Chemistry class with three ear piercings, has her head almost buried inside the locker next to mine. I instantly recognize her ridiculously straight jet black hair with coral highlights blended into the lower part.
"Madison?" I ask tentatively. I wasn't aware her locker was right next to mine.
She jumps, startled and draws back, "Oh hi Ariya. I didn't see you there."
"I'm sorry to have scared to you," I give her an apologetic smile, "Why didn't you ever tell me that your locker was right next to mine?"
She shifts on her feet, scanning the sheets in her bright yellow binder for whatever it is she was looking, "I thought you knew—Is that Nathaniel Ross?"
"Yep."
I watch as her jaw drops to the floor, her face a mixture of surprise and admiration.
"I'm glad he's settling in well then. It was awful how some of the boys treated him last week. Never seen them act so obviously insecure." She says turning to me, "You know the two of you should come sit with my friends and me for lunch."
"I'll ask Nathaniel." I nod, "He tends to be a little anti social at times, since his father..."
I trail of deliberately before letting out a quiet sigh.
"Oh yes, I understand. He's been staying with your family since his father passed away while serving in the peacekeeping forces or something abroad, right?" She frowns slightly, understanding, "That sucks. But I think he's remarkably strong if he's holding up so well. It can be pretty overwhelming when your life turns upside down. Anyway, I'll see you in class and lunch."
"Yeah, see you." I say, pondering over her words for a few seconds as she walks away, before turning around to look for Nathaniel.
He's standing next to his locker talking to a chatty blonde with a half smile that makes him look mysterious and very attractive, especially with that all black outfit of his. She leans forward and whispers something in his ears at which he laughs. The nameless blonde giggles as she pats his chest and sashays past him, turning her face over her shoulder briefly to twiddle her fingers to say bye.
I snort loudly, my eyes alternating between Nathaniel's satisfied smile and the annoying skip of the girl in her step as she makes her way to class.
"Never expected you to be so fast. Day one of your new avatar and you're already scoring!" I smirk, pulling Nathaniel along to our first class of the day.
He smiles shyly.
"Yes, I was rather surprised when she approached me by my locker and introduced herself. I knew that trying my best to fit into the general high school crowd would be beneficial for better communication opportunities, but I never expected the students to flip their attitudes altogether." He states thoughtfully, "Kimberly is actually a very funny young lady. She offered to blow me in the janitor's closet today. Judging from how excited she was, I presume it's a fun activity."
I bite my lip, holding back a snort. Nathaniel's ignorance is refreshing to say the least, but if he keeps it up this way he's certainly going to find himself in some extremely uncomfortable and awkward situations.
"She offered to blow you in the janitor's closet today?" I ask in a playfully sombre tone, "And you agreed?"
"Yes."
"And do you know what she meant by that?"
"I don't know the exact specifics but Kimberly was pretty excited." He shrugs, "Why, what is it?"
"I think it's best for you to search that up on the internet." I raise my hands in the air, "I do not want to take any responsibility in this case."
Nathaniel quickly pulls out his phone and fires up the web browser. With practiced dexterity he types out the word swiftly and I watch his reaction as the results show up.
His eyes widen slightly, and he turns pale as he blinks a couple of times in disbelief. His mouth twists with disgust.
"Well—" I ask, raising my eyebrows.
He groans to himself, muttering under his breath as he averts his gaze.
"I think I need to use the restroom." He blurts, before hastily making his way into the nearest washroom.
So much for talking to two new people today.
•><•
I really shouldn't be laughing at Nathaniel's distress :D
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