Kori hurried out of home economics, three text books in her arms, and headed down the stairs to her locker, dodging other students as they bustled around the hallways. That was easily her worst class, seeing as she knew very little about earthly homes or foods. None of her friends shared that class with her, which meant there was no one in there to defend her when the laughter and barrage of mockeries started to flood her ears. She didn't know what any of these earthly cooking utensils were, had never even had what they called a "birthday cake", and didn't know that it was frowned upon to ice it with mustard. All week, Kori could feel the judging stares as she attempted to find her way around her group's kitchenette. Worst of all, Kitten was in her group, and the worst of all the insults seemed to come from her.

"Do you know anything, you freak?"

"You clearly don't belong here."

"You idiot, you can't even crack an egg?!"

As princess of Tameran, Kori had never even had to step foot in more familiar kitchens, always having her meals prepared for her. And earthly kitchens were so different from the ones on her home planet. And apparently it wasn't normal to be able to pull a hot pan out of the oven with your bare hands. That had gotten her the most hurtful comment from Kitten that day.

"Shit, Kori! Do you have a death wish? If so, don't worry, we won't miss you," she had said as she pulled on a pair of oven mitts and snagged the cookie sheet from Kori.

Kori had been avoiding Richard in gym all week after finding out that he was dating Kitten. But they had been assigned as partners for a presentation in world history that was due on Monday, so she knew she wouldn't be able to stay away from him this weekend. She worries that he thought she was a freak, with Kitten feeding him insults and rumors about her.

As she opened her locker and began packing her backpack with the textbooks and journals she would need for the weekend, she heard a voice from behind her say, "Hey girl, everything okay?" She turned to find Bee eyeing her with deep concern.

Kori took a deep breath. "It is quite challenging… trying to the fitting in here. I don't know what a spatula is, and apparently you are supposed to use the mitts for the oven when taking out the cookies."

Bees eyes went wide. "Damn, girl. Are you hurt?" She said, grabbing Kori's hands and examining them, only for her eyes to go wider when there was no sign of any burns on her palms.

"I am alright. I'm…" Kori thought for a second, choosing her words carefully. "My skin is highly resistant to the heat."

"Wow. How is there not even a mark?" Bee asked, curious.

Kori turned her face, hiding her shame. "I am… not normal."

Bee smiled. "Don't worry. None of us are."

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The house was pretty quiet after Bee, Rachel, and Kori returned that afternoon. Rachel had retreated to her room, mumbling something about a cliffhanger, whatever that was, and Bee had busied herself with cleaning the kitchen.

"Friend Bee?" Kori spoke up after taking a few long, slow breaths. Bee's head perked up in her direction. "Umm… Could you tell me what a skillet is?"

"Oh, yeah. Sure," Bee replied, drying off her hands, then reaching in one of the lower cabinets. She pulled out a pan that was round and flat with a curved edge, a long handle protruding from the side. "Here's one. I like to use this one to make eggs."

"Oh," Kori sighed, remembering what Kitten had said about her not being able to crack an egg. "There is still so much that I need to learn about cooking. I am very far behind in the class for economics of the home."

Putting the skillet back in its place under the counter, Bee offered, "Would you like me to help? I can show you what everything is and what it's used for."

"That would be glorious!" Kori exclaimed, careful not to let her feet leave the ground in her joy and excitement.

As the two of them were busy pulling out random cups and cookware and studying them each carefully, there was a knock on the door. Bee looked at the clock "Shit, it's nearly 6 already? That'll be Vic and Dick. Football practice is over." She walked over and unlocked the door, letting them in. And when she turned back, Kori had disappeared.

"Man, I could eat a cow!" Vic complained as he walked in, Richard right behind him.

"Dude, I heard that!" came Gar's voice from Vic's car parked in the driveway.

"You were supposed to!" Vic hollered back. "We were heading out to the Old Time Diner. You ladies wanna come? Say, where are Rachel and Kori?"

"Well, Kori was right here. I'll go see if they would like to join," Bee replied, heading down the hall, passing Rachel on the way. "Hey, do y-"

"Gar already texted me," she interrupted holding up her phone. "I'm coming." Then she continued out to the car.

Upon reaching Kori's room, Bee knocked lightly on the door. She was greeted by a soft, "Umm, who is there?"

"Hey, girl. It's me." There was no reply, but Bee could hear Kori's footsteps treading nearer to the door, and she cracked it open. "Is everything okay in there?" Bee furrowed her brow. Something had been off about Kori all day.

"Yes, everything is glorious!" Kori chimed with a forced smile, shuffling her feet.

Bee rolled her eyes, knowing good and well that everything was only 'glorious' was synonymous with 'horrible, terrible, no good, very bad'. "Girl, you're a horrible liar." Bee pulled the door open the rest of the way. "You know you can't avoid him forever, right?"

Kori looked taken aback. "Whatever do you m-"

"Save it," Bee stopped her, putting up her hand in front of her. "I see the way you look at him. You so like him!" she teased.

A flush crept into Kori's cheeks. "I do not know what you are talking about. Besides, Richard likes Kitten, and Kitten very much does not like me," she turned away from Bee, not wishing for her friend to notice her tearing up.

"Kitten doesn't like anyone. The two of them won't last. Now, why don't you join the rest of us out for dinner?"

Kori turned and gave a small smile, then wrapped her arms around her friend in a tight hug. "I thank you for being so kind."

"My… pleasure," Bee choked out, trying not to make a fuss over the bruising she could feel in her ribs. Then they joined the others outside.

As they walked out into the warm evening air, Vic and Gar ceased their arguing to address them. "I've got all of my and Dick's gear from practice in the back, so there's only room for one more. Someone's gonna have to ride with Dick," Vic said.

"No worries. I'm sure Kori would love to volunteer," Bee said with a sly smile, shoving her in his direction. Kori's eyes went wide, but Richard was already handing her a helmet. She looked at it unsure why she needed it. "We need protection to ride in your car?" she asked innocently.

"You need protection to ride more than that!" Gar quipped from behind them, earning him a glare from Richard. And if looks could kill, Gar would be a bearskin rug.

But the joke was completely lost on Kori. "Wait, where is your car?" she asked.

"Don't have one," Richard said, nodding his head in the direction of his motorcycle, and grabbing Kori's hand, he guided her over to it.

"We'll meet you there, okay?" Vic called out his window. All the others had already climbed into his car, and they sped off down the street.

Richard looked thoughtful for a moment, staring down at his own helmet. "You haven't talked to me since I left lunch on Monday. Everything good?"

"Oh, um," Kori stammered. She was far from ready to talk about her feelings with him. If she did that, she'd for sure scare him off. Besides, he had a girlfriend. So, she just said, "I would not want to make Kitten jealous." She spat the girl's name out of her mouth like it had the taste of sea water.

Richard chuckled, shaking his head. "Dislike her that much, huh? Well, you wouldn't be the only one. All of our friends have the same reaction." He climbed onto his bike and placed his helmet on his head.

Kori cocked her head to the side, curious. "Then why do you do the 'going out' with her?"

"The universe works in mysterious ways," was his only response. Kori had no idea what to do with that information, or what that was supposed to mean in this situation. But she didn't have much time to think about it. "Hop on," he told her. So, she swung one leg over the seat and settled on the bike behind Richard. "Now hold on tight."

"To what?" Kori asked, looking around for some sort of handlebars or something that she could grab onto.

Richard smirked. "Me," he said. So carefully, Kori snaked her arms around his torso and leaned into his back. Then he started the ignition, kicked off the ground, and sped off.