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me want something I d never considered before. They were making
me think I d found something that was worth the effort. Scary.
V'
Do you want to help me make breakfast? I asked Theo once
we returned from the store.
I m a good helper.
I figured.
We set a chair in front of the sink and Theo started washing the
fruit and placing it in bowls. I watched him as I mixed ingredients
together. He was very meticulous. When he finished, I gave him a
butter knife so he could cut slices of banana.
Hey, T. He looked up at me. When you re done with that
you want to help me whip the egg whites?
Okay. A look of consternation crossed his face. What s that?
You know how there are two parts in an egg? He nodded.
The clear part is called the white. If we whip it like whip cream it
will get white and fluffy.
Will it taste good?
No. It will taste gross. I struggled not to smile at his look of
confusion. But when we add it to the waffle batter, it will make it
all light and fluffy. That way the waffles will taste better.
" 140 "
SEX AND SKATEBOARDS
Cool. When are we makin whip cream?
After that probably.
Okay. He turned back to the task in front of him, hurrying to
finish.
When he was done we moved the chair again so he was next
to me at the counter. I let Theo hold the mixer steady while I held a
towel over the top to contain spatters. Whenever the blades hit the
sides of the metal bowl he would jump in shocked delight at the
noise.
Actually folding the whites into the batter proved to be a
challenge. Theo wanted to help, but it made his little arm tired. After
trading off stirring, he eventually just placed his hand next to mine
on the spatula while I gently folded the batter.
Theo helped me set the table before I started making the waffles.
I set up one place setting and he mimicked the remaining four.
You re pretty good at that.
Thanks. He finished setting the last place. Why can t I help
make the waffles?
Because the waffle iron gets really, really hot, and I don t
want you to get burned. Besides, you already helped with all the
important stuff. I didn t want him to feel left out, but there was no
way he was going anywhere near that waffle iron.
Really?
Totally. You did the fruit and you helped with the whip cream
and the batter.
Can I do anything else? He was very helpful.
Why don t you go wake up everyone?
Okay. He hesitated at the stairs. Right now?
Yeah. Right now.
I ll be back. It was good to be informed.
V'
Hey, Wes, gotta sec? I nodded toward the back door. The five
of us had gone through more food than I thought possible, but hey,
we were still growing. The kitchen was a total mess. Trevor and
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ASHLEY BARTLETT
Jamie had offered to clean up, which was awesome because I hated
cleaning up after myself.
What s up? she asked as we stepped outside and shut the
door behind us.
Umm, I m not sure how to say this. I wasn t. Still, I thought I
deserved to know if she was telling Trevor that I was her girlfriend,
especially if one of them was also telling Theo.
Say what? She looked a little worried.
I m not sure. May as well just go for it. See, this morning
T and I got coffee. Well, he got hot chocolate, and the barista chick
was giving me the death stare. Get to the point, I told myself. I
wasn t sure what the point was. And, umm, Theo told her that I was
your girlfriend and that was why me and him were hanging out.
Wes just stared. Her mouth was hanging open. Good, I thought
it was slightly unsettling too.
He, uhh, said that Trevor told him. She d been quiet for a
while so I had to say something.
More silence. Then, Trevor! She screamed loud enough that
both Theo and Jamie looked up. Trevor looked a little scared. Jamie
gave him the what-did-you-do-now look. With a quick shrug, he
joined us outside.
What s up?
You told Theo that Alden was my girlfriend? The volume
had been lowered, but not by much.
No. His eyes got big. Okay, yes. Sort of.
Why? Oh, that tone was scary. It was cold enough to kill. I
was so glad it wasn t directed at me.
He asked me. Trevor shrugged. Part of me wanted to help
him; the other part wanted to deck him. Wasn t that something
between me and Wes and Theo? What should I have told him?
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