Tori's POV:
"So…how are things with you & Gary?" Rosa asked.
"Huh?" I had been in the middle of a very nice daydream in which I had as much agility on Lyoko as Yumi.
"Gary? Your boyfriend?"
"He's not my boyfriend." I said. "I've told you this. We tried dating, & we both thought it was too weird, so we decided to just be friends." I stirred the spaghetti sauce a little more. I loved working back here in the kitchen, even if I sorta had to, to pay for my tuition.
"Yeh, sure. Is the sauce ready yet?"
I took a small sample. "Um…not sure. I still think it needs…something…"
Rosa came over & took a taste. "Are you crazy? This is incredible!" We lifted the pan off the stove & placed it on the table. We worked silently for a while, plating the food & covering it with plastic wrap to keep it warm until serving time. That is, until Rosa happened to glance up & look into the room.
"Hey Tori, your non boyfriend is here." Rosa just loved it when she thought she was right. While she was thinking of romantic reasons why Gary was standing in the cafeteria well before dinnertime, all I thought of were the many different types of disasters that XANA can create.
"Why are you here?" I asked as I walked over to him.
"Do you remember what Jeremy told us last night?" Gary whispered.
"Yes. He wanted us to come by around six to help him rebuild their ship. I know it's cutting it close, but I'll be there." I also lowered my voce to a whisper.
"Do you realize it's 6:15 right now?"
I gasped & pulled out my phone to check the time. He was right! "I'm so sorry! The others must be freaking out!" I said. "Look, go back & tell the others that I'm sorry. I'll be there as soon as I can."
He left & I went back behind the counter to work. I had even finished a single plate when Rosa came over.
"So, what did lover boy want?"
"Nothing." I said quickly. "I…just forgot that Gary, Kelly, & I had a school project we need to work on."
"Well then, you should go." Rosa said. "You kids planning to come to dinner tonight?"
"Um…probably not…" I felt guilty, but some times when we had to go to Lyoko we'd lose track of time. I had a feeling that whatever Jeremy needed us for wasn't gong to take less then the 45 minutes we had until dinner…
"Well then, I'll have to give you some to take with you." She put 3 of the plates we already made in a bag with some silverware. "Just make sure to bring the dishes back tomorrow morning when you help with breakfast."
"Thanks, Rosa!" I said. "You've been a bigger help then you know…"
Hey, it's hard to save the world on an empty stomach…
It's so nice to see you guys coming back for anther story in the series! If you're new (which I'm pretty sure some of you must be), you may want to check out "Home" & "Fade to White" before you go any further in this story. Or you can just jump in here, I don't mind…
Please review!!!
