COOKING 101 (Cleo and anyone else)

[MICHEAL "MIKEY" COLBERT]

Tristan was messing with his lighter when the alarm on his phone went off. He looked up to see empty cooking stations prepped for his class. He was subbing for his teaching in the Cooking 101 elective. He wasn’t sure he was qualified for that but he was too wrapped up in the idea of teaching people how to cook to really care. He whipped up a simple recipe for them to learn and he was sure they would love it. The class was early so he chose a breakfast item. Cinnamon rolls. A delicious pastry that when well with any breakfast. He had all the ingredients ready and the instruction in a powerpoint. He was aware of his accent and din’t want anyone to misunderstand the recipe.

Everyone piled in and sat at their seats. Tristan felt like he was at a small concert or something. They were all talking amongst themselves. Tristan waited ten minutes into the class like his professor and closed the door. He walked back to his station and smiled warmly. “Hello everyone. The professor could not make it to class today so I will be his substitute. I have a recipe for you to cook and the outcome will be graded by me. If you have any questions while cooking do not be afraid to ask. I am here to help,” he explained. He click the power button on the projector and a lovely picture of cinnamon rolls popped up. He watched as everyone smiled to themselves. It seemed like a good reaction.

“Now please take out your notes and write down this recipe. We will be making cinnamon rolls today. I brought fresh milk and orange juice to go with them. So once you are finished and graded, come up and grab a cup. Shall we begin?” He asked. Everyone shuffled for a pen or pencil and Tristan took this time to look over the crowd. He recognized one person in particular but had to bite his tongue so he wouldn’t say anything. He could later when they were cooking.

He went through the recipe a slide at a time and tried to speak loudly and clearly even if they could see it. Finally when he had finished, he turned them loose and watched as his peers put together masterpieces. It was a lovely career, teaching. He couldn’t see himself as a very good teacher though.

[CLEO EVERETT]

Cleo loved cooking. She loved baking. She loved experimenting in the kitchen. She loved trying new recipes. She loved that her Cooking 101 class was in the morning. More often than not, it meant breakfast labs. Breakfast was her favorite meal of the day. Lunch and dinner just couldn’t compare when breakfast had sweet options like waffles and French toast. Getting up early for this class was completely worth it. And! Just to add the wonderful that this class was, Scottie was taking it as well! Classes were always better when you had roomies with you. She made sure they were partners half the time, but their teacher sometimes had issues with friends working together.

Today, however, their usual teacher was out. Cleo was always hesitant about substitutes for a cooking class. There just didn’t seem to be many out there that were suited for it. Usually, days with subs meant bookwork. She hated bookwork. After arriving in class and settling down at her usual seat, she was pleased to see that the textbooks weren’t out today. Lovely! They’d be cooking! Cleo was quite sure the substitute was familiar but from where she sat, she couldn’t be positive. For a good ten minutes, he let the class chat amongst themselves. Well, that was going to win them over.

Finally, though, he got to work. Cleo had no idea what was in store when he clicked the projector on. “Oh God,” she whispered to the student next to her, “I love cinnamon rolls. Like, you don’t even know.” Though they probably did. Of course, her classmates knew of Cleo’s sweet tooth. Everybody did. It’d just be wrong for her classmates from a COOKING class to not know that. It wasn’t until their substitute started talking that Cleo recognized him. Tristan! Of course, the attractive French guy who’d saved her from the museum! This was totally fantastic. Having talked with him before, Cleo could easily understand him as he went through the power point. French accents weren’t difficult to understand in the first place, but Cleo did notice some confused expressions around the room.

Once the power point was finished, they were finally to get cooking. It wasn’t like she’d needed to write down the recipe (she’d made cinnamon rolls before) but it was better to be safe than sorry. Cleo quickly claimed Scottie as her partner, knowing the substitute wouldn’t have any problems with friends working together. (Well, she hoped so). “Scottie! Are you ready to make some totally delicious cinnamon rolls?” Cleo rolled her shoulders before tugging her apron out of her backpack and putting it on. “I know the sub, by the way. He saved me from being eternally lost in a museum.”

[SCOTT PARKER]

Scott had been in a bit of a funk as of late. To be honest, he knew exactly why. He knew without a doubt what was wrong with him and why he felt like the world had no meaning and just wanted to curl up in the fetal position and cry himself to sleep amidst the shrapnel of his own artwork. He also knew that he could never tell anyone else why.

Dan had left. Without a word. Without a single reason, or eve a heads up, or even a helpful little wave goodbye. Scott had heard through the grapevine that that fine, fun, fabulous guy had transferred schools because he'd been finding the city too boring or something stupid like that, but still. Scott felt betrayed. He felt more than betrayed. But he also felt guilty, because he knew he had no right to feel that way. Dan had never been interested in him. Scott had read way too far into their relationship, and the fact that the fine, freaking hot guy had moved away without saying anything to Scott just drove that point home harder than anything else.

Scott had let himself get way too attached to someone who really didn't even know he existed. Sure, they'd talked, and sure, they'd gotten drunk together a few times, and maybe there was that one, intimate moment that they'd shared, but Scott honestly didn't even know if that had really happened or not. Knowing his luck he'd probably just dreamt it up in a boozy, delusional haze and now clung to it like it was the last scrap of truth he could stand upon.

Scott shuffled slowly to class, not even bothering to brush his hair that morning or change out of his pajamas. He didn't care. It was fucking cooking. Why should he bother? It wasn't like he was going to be paying attention anyway. He hadn't paid attention to much of anything lately. Half of his brain was always focused on going over and over that one question... How could he have gotten so attached? It had been obvious that Dan was straight. There had been no hope for even being attracted to a bisexual guy. Dan would constantly talk, in that cute, fake-mysoginistic way of his, about all the assets that girls had and how he loved them. There had never been anything to even hint at his interest in Scott or any other guy for that matter. It had all been a hopeless, pointless love story that Scott could never have won.

After entering class and sitting down, completely devoid of class supplies, it took a full five minutes for Scott to notice that this was not the usual boring professor that he was used to. In fact, it was a new guy, much younger, much different. It was disheartening and heartwrenching. It just made him wonder even more where Dan was at that very moment. He could be off in some class somewhere, or even skipping class to get drunk. What if he was drunk already? It was only 9 AM but what if he was drinking and making out with some other guy, or even worse, a GIRL?!

"Uh, huh? Oh... yeah." Scott just kind of vaguely nodded as Cleo energetically got to work preparing herself for the divine ritual of making cinnoman rolls. Honestly, what was the point? They were just going to be eaten anyway. Why go to all the trouble, working yourself p making the batter and getting the ingredients ready and making it all PERFECT and going to all the trouble just for something that would be gone at a moment's notice anyway?

"Oh, and that's cool.... Who is he, anyway?"