Jonatha and Maddie arrived at the home ec classroom to find two words on the whiteboard: Baking Day! Oh great, Jonatha sighed. We have to cook? It had been coming for some time, but today was the day. Everyone took their seats as Mstr. Bowyer walked from his back office to the desk.
"Morning, class. It's Baking Day!" Some students smiled. "Now, I've put together your groups, so listen carefully. There are five groups for our six kitchen spaces. Group 1 is Sym Black, Maddie Gibson, Shaymantha Hobbs, Danice Lathrop, and Timothea Marcotte." Jonatha sighed again at being split up from his twin. "Group 2 is Lucy Corinth, Jonatha Gibson, Zacharielle Maynard, Xandra Murray, Yazmín Torreblanca and Honey Trawood. Group 3, you're..." Jonatha zoned out. Ugh. I'm in a group with Rielle? Just what I needed today, huh... "Alright, go to your kitchens!" Mstr. Bowyer instructed, the cue for Jonatha to get with the others.
"Hey there again, Gibson," Zacharielle greeted. Jonatha remembered suddenly that Xandra and Yazmín were two of Zacharielle's best friends, forming the so-called "XYZ" clique along with Honey and a couple of others. "Ready to feel like a winner?"
"Hey," Jonatha said casually as he tied an apron behind his back.
"Okay boys, let's bake!" Xandra added excitedly, adjusting the apron over his Triforce shirt.
"So what are we baking? A vanilla cake?" Jonatha asked, already going through the list of ingredients in his head.
"Vanilla here? Just you, generic blonde," Rielle teased in his poisonous way. "We're gonna make chocolate and strawberry brownies!"
"Isn't that too complex for us to do right now?" Jonatha asked again, wondering if Zacharielle had gone insane.
"Bull!" Yazmin exclaimed. "We have enough hands on deck to do everything perfectly." Jonatha stood and stared for another moment.
"So what are you waiting for, an invite from the King of England? Chop chop, Gibson, go to the fridge and get me these ingredients." Zacharielle shoved a torn off piece of paper in his face. "Yaz, go get the sugar and flour. Lucy, preheat the oven." Everyone scrambled to get the necessary ingredients and prepare their workspaces. As Jonatha returned with eggs, fresh strawberries and a gallon of milk, Zacharielle tied his hair up in a high and voluminous bun.
"Alright, Gibson, thinly slice those strawberries." As Jonatha set himself to the new task, he noticed just how bossy Rielle was. "Look who's an ace with the knife," Rielle teased, watching him work. The kitchen was moving. Xandra was whisking. Jonatha was slicing strawberries. Yazmin was preparing the chocolate sauce. Lucy was watching the oven. Honey Trawood was reading off the recipe. And Rielle was just delivering orders.
"Strawberries done," Jonatha called out. "Where do you want them?"
"Put them in the fridge, Gibson, they're a garnish so we won't need them until the end." Zacharielle was speaking faster than he was used to. As Jonatha returned from the trip, he heard Zacharielle chit-chatting. "You know, we would have won regionals if I was the captain instead of that Jade..."
"Yeah, if you didn't trip!"
"Whatever, it's not like Erika didn't help, either... Xandra, is the batter done?"
"Yes."
"Do we have the brownie pan to pour it into?"
"It's right here." Xandra gestured to a brownie pan sitting in front of them, with square indentations to hold each brownie.
"Alright, put it in." Rielle stood back as Xandra did all the work. "Lucy, is the oven heated all the way?"
"Yes, Rielle."
"Come on, Rielle, stop barking out orders! We're a team, not a company," Honey called back.
"But we're not going to get things done if I don't keep everyone on task."
