Anna drags her feet as she walks home. She was by herself today since Jaci had a date with Dannielynn, her girlfriend. "I can't believe he didn't like Luke's burger." She wipes the tears from her cheeks as she recalls her instructor's words. Chef Ned was hard on her but he never lied to her. He said the burger was good but ordinary and with that kind of cooking, she might as well be a lunch lady. It made her question everything. Was her palate too basic for a high-level culinary school? She looks forward to the food at Lukes's more than at her grandma's.
She thought the high-end food at Emily's was amazing. But, it didn't wrap her in a hug like Luke's food did. That burger that he insults picked her up when she was feeling down and made her victories feel like a true celebration. The best food was the one that moved you. The flavors should be so great that you forget about all your troubles as you eat. She felt that way about Luke's cooking, never about any fancy dishes. So maybe she didn't have enough imagination to be here. She was wasting people's time and her grandparent's money.
Anna was so busy pouting at the ground she didn't notice the hound dog behind her until he nudged her leg to get past her. "Oh sorry," She moved out of their way.
"Oh no, I'm sorry. He is just a lazy dog that is in a hurry to get back to his bed." The lady holding the leash shook her head.
"I feel him." Anna chuckles.
"Well, have a good day." She waves before opening a door and going inside. Anna realized that the lady was a volunteer at the pet shelter. The one that Jess and she had been talking about going to get a dog. She figures that looking at some animals would cheer her up.
She went into the shelter and was greeted by a man behind the front desk. "Hey, looking for any particular animal?"
"Oh no, I'm just looking around," Anna told him.
"A kitty mill was busted, so we have a lot of cats right now." He pointed to the door that was labeled kittens.
"I'll have a look." She walked into the kitten room. Her eyes went immediately to a cage. "We are Siamese if you please." She sang as she went over to the siamese kittens.
"Hi," She stuck her fingers through the fence. A few came over to paw and nip at her. A scratch to her elbow made her turn her head to see a white fluffy ball pawing at her for attention. "Hey there." She moved to scratch the cat under his chin. He rubs himself against her hand.
"Do you want to take him into a room?" A worker appears next to her, pointing over to a few doors on the side that lead to small rooms for people to have some playtime with the kittens. Anna jumps in fright. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She apologized.
"It's fine." Anna looks over to the rooms. "I want to take him in a room."
"Great." She opens the cage and grabs the kitten to hand it over to Anna. She led her over to a room. It had a cat tree in the corner, a water bowl, a litter box, and a few toys on the floor. "Have a good time." She closes the door.
Instead of sitting down on the bench with him, she sat on the ground. She puts him down and rolls a ball over to him. He pats it back to her. They play like that for a little while until he rubs himself against her leg purring. They cuddle and play and then cuddle again.
Anna looked down at the kitten on her lap that was sleeping and realized that she felt relaxed and re-energized. With a clear mind, she was able to remind herself she was fresh outta high school. It wasn't a big deal if she wasn't perfect, she had time. She had two years to learn and hone her skills.
"Hey, I just came to check on you, it's been an hour." The worker cracks open the door.
"Oh my god, has it?" She pulled her phone out of her bag to see that it was and she had a text from Jess asking if she went out for lunch with Jaci. She texted him that she was on her way home before looking down at the kitten. She thought about calling him and asking for his opinion, but she would be crushed if he said no. She figured that he would be happier with a cat than a dog. He seemed more like a cat person. "Can I get him?" She asks the worker.
"Of course." The worker nodded. "I'll take you to the front desk to fill out the paperwork." She waved her hand to follow, so Anna did with the kitten in hand. She gave the kitten to the worker when she put the paperwork in front of her. "Have you had a cat before?" She asks.
"Oh no, I only ever had a hamster." She fills out the information.
"I will print out some information." She told her.
"That would be great, thank you." She grabs her wallet and hands the lady her credit card.
After she runs it, she hands it back to Anna with some papers. "Here is some information about raising a kitten, this is about litter box training, and this is about her breed."
"Oh thanks, I'm sure it will be useful." She put the papers in her bag.
She put a box on top of the counter. "When you adopt with us, you get a small bag of kitten food, litter, and a litter box."
"Oh, where's the cat?" She looks around for the fluffy ball.
"The little ragdoll is in there too." She points to the box.
"Ragdoll?" She raised an eyebrow.
"It's the name of the breed because when you pick them up they like to go limp." She explains.
"Interesting… I'm gonna get us home." She grabs the box to look in to see the kitten look up at her.
"I hope you guys have a good life." She smiles and waves as they walk out the door.
"Jess, I got a surprise." She walked through the door, hoping that this would go well.
"I got one for you too," Jess called back. She walked into the living room to see Jess sitting down on the ground with a bulldog puppy.
"Oh, my god." She gasps.
"What up with the frown? I thought you would be excited. I know you wanted to go to the shelter but my co-worker's dog was pregnant and this is the runt that no one wanted, so he gave him to me for like a hundred bucks." He got off the floor to explain to her. She puts the box down on the table and pulls out the kitten. "A cat, we never discuss a cat." He stared at it with wide eyes.
"I know, but I had a horrible day, so I stopped at the shelter. The guy said they got a bunch of cats in because of a busted kitten mill. Then I saw him and spent an hour with him and he melted my troubles away. I couldn't leave him there." She sighs.
"What are we going to do?" He ran a hand through his hair.
"I can't take him back." She held the kitten close to her chest.
"I guess I can give him back to my friend." Jess looked down at the puppy. He was sitting at Anna's feet looking at the kitten. He wiggled his wrinkled butt around in excitement to meet a new friend.
"You don't have to." She stared down at the cute puppy.
"What are you saying? Can we afford both of them?" He stared at her in disbelief.
"I can." She nods.
"Anna." He gave her a look.
"I can, especially since you insist on paying the rent and utilities." She points out.
"Utilities are included. You pay for the food." He reminds her.
"It's just the two of us, so the first paycheck of the month covers that and the gas for the month. I'm sure my second one can cover them." She told him.
"I have a second paycheck too, so we can go half on them." He sighs. "Alright, see if they get along."
"Great." She sat on the ground and put the cat down. The puppy sniffed the kitten all over until the feline swatted his face. The canine jumped back and it became a game between the two.
Jess sat down across from her. "So, what are we naming them?"
"We should give them pair names." She looks at him.
"What about Sid and Nancy?" He asks.
"What? No, the cat is a boy." She shook her head.
"Well, what about that anime we are watching?" He asks.
"Naruto and Sasuke." She claps her hands.
"Which is which?" He nods to them.
"Naruto has more of a dog personality. He is always happy and ready to go." She reasoned.
"Sasuke being the cat makes sense." Jess looked down at the two animals that were exploring their new home together.
"Who knew you would need so many supplies to own an animal?" Jess was getting stressed as they went down the aisle at Walmart. He looked at the two babies in the box, since they couldn't leave them at home alone.
"Some things are a one-time purchase like the gate and litter box" Anna put a pet gate in the cart, so they could section them off at least until they are litter trained. She decided to do the same for Naruto that way she wouldn't have to buy pads and litter.
"I guess, after this, it will be litter and food." He nods.
"Oh look, Jess, a cat tree that looks like a tree. Oh, damn." She looks at the price. "I'll get the small one for now and I'll save up for the bigger one when he's older."
"Good call." He threw a cheap dog toy into the cart. "Are you sure we're not biting off more than we can chew?"
"Which one would you give back?" She asks.
He stared down at them before cursing. "Neither of you can get into an accident or get sick and cost me a high vet bill." He points a finger at them.
"We'll be fine, Jess." She tried to reassure him.
"It's just that I'm finally in a comfortable spot. I'm scared of losing that." He looks at the ground as he admits.
"Jess." She grabs his hand. "We are in this together. And remember if anything does happen then I'll take them both."
"Don't talk about us breaking up." That made him more uncomfortable than the money topic.
"For a grumpy guy in leather, you warm my heart a lot." She kissed him.
Anna was concentrating in class while making Sookie's magic risotto. They were learning about pasta today. If she was looking around she would have cringed at the basic mistake people were making like not adding salt to their boiling water, rinsing their pasta, throwing out the cooked water, and throwing their pasta against the wall.
She plates her pasta making it pretty enough to be in a five-star restaurant. When the time was up, she put her hands behind her back. She held her head high as he went around tasting the food. Chef stopped in front of her. He grabbed the bowl to take a bite. "You like making the same mistakes." He put it down to move on. Her jaw dropped as she watched him in shock. She had tasted it herself, it was perfect. "You guys are done for the day. Clean up your station and take your slop with you."
Everyone did as they were told. Anna scrubs the pot hard to let out some of her anger. When everyone left the room, she went up to the demonstration station that he was standing behind. "That risotto was perfect."
"From a technical standpoint, all the dishes you've made are perfect, but they miss the mark. You know why?" He crossed his arms.
"If I did, I wouldn't feel like throwing myself on the ground and having a fit." She huffs.
"Do you know why I think everyone should go to culinary school?" He cocks his head to the side.
"To keep this school running." She hated when he answered a question with another question that was supposed to help her figure out the problem.
"So, they don't end up being a copy of the chef they mentored under. Every dish you made has either been Sookie's or Luke's. Everyone else is exploring new things and learning what is best for them. You're just doing what you already know. Instead of making risotto, you should have made something you didn't know. If you're not here to grow then why are you here?" He turned to walk out of the room.
"He's not wrong." Anna was walking with Jaci home after they finished their shift.
"Still, he could pull you aside and explain that to you. He didn't have to make you think you're going crazy." She felt for her new friend.
"It makes me feel like I'm behind." She sighs.
"Oh, please. You just need to learn to think outside of the box you're in while the rest of us are learning the basics." She scoffs.
"You're good. Your spinach ravioli was yummy." She wasn't going to let Jaci talk badly about herself. She got the prep cook position for a reason.
"Thank you, the compliment means a lot coming from you, Sookie's prodigy." She snickers. Anna gave her a side-eye. "Don't let him get to you. I tasted your risotto, and it was amazing. If he didn't know your mentor then he would be praising you."
"I can't imagine that man praising anyone." Anna snickers at the thought of him giving a compliment.
"I got to say the best part of being in culinary school is getting to take home the leftovers. I don't want to cook tonight." She swings her bag with joy as they walk into the apartment building.
"I can't argue with that." She stepped into the elevator. Jaci got off first waving at her as she walked off the elevator. She waited for her floor and practically ran to her door. "Naruto… SASUKE!" She imitated the anime character screaming for his friend.
"Anna, stop that. We live in an apartment with people surrounding us." Jess scolds her.
"Sorry," She put the container in the fridge. She took the spot on the couch. Sasuke jumps on her lap. She pets the cat. "How was your day?" She watches him type on the laptop at the breakfast bar.
"Good, we had a half day at work, so I was able to take them to the vet for their first shots." He had a productive day.
"I had a breakthrough with Chef." She giggled when Naruto failed to jump on the couch. She picked him up so he could cuddle with them. Sasuke tried to push him away but eventually let him join.
"Did he finally pull the stick out of his ass?" He asks.
"Oh no, I think it's permanently up there. But, he admits that he is annoyed that I'm not expanding my horizon and I'm making what I already know. He said the school is a place to learn." She leaned back into the couch.
"So, why didn't he say that? What an asshole?" Jess rolled his eyes.
"He's one of those teachers that believe their job is to guide you to the answer, not give it to you." She found it frustrating.
"Teachers like that are why I hated school." Jess scoffed.
"Hey, since I only have school tomorrow, do you want to go to the library and maybe grab a bite?" She wasn't planning on driving to Stars Hollow this week.
"Sure." He nods.
Anna wraps the Uchiha windbreaker closer to herself. The library was cold. She grabs cookbooks from cultures she never tried to cook before. She already had dog and cat training books in her tote bag. She found Jess in the thriller section. She was surprised that he was talking to two guys. From the looks of it, it seems like they knew each other. She walks over to meet them. "Oh, Hi. You must be Anna. I'm Matthew and this is Chris." An African American man introduced himself and then his friend.
"Hi." She smiles.
"So, how are you feeling about the business adventure? I know Jess is on the fence, so if we got you on our side we could win him over." Chris smiles.
"Business adventure?" She looks at Jess.
"Looks like your big mouth made things awkward again. Nice to meet you, Anna." Matt walks away pulling Chris with him.
"It's the publishing house/bookstore they want to do. It aims to help local artists get their stuff out there without having to get ripped off by big publishing companies." He explained the concept.
"It sounds like something you would enjoy, especially since you've been writing. Why not take the plunge?" She wondered why he never brought it up.
"Because I'm not going to quit the stable job that makes me a lot of money to take a chance on something that might not work. I have bills to pay. I just got two pets." He didn't think it was the right time to take a risk.
"Would you do it if I wasn't here?" She asked.
"If you weren't here, I wouldn't be here." He would have stayed in California or would have gone back to New York.
"You know what I mean Jess." She gave him a pointed look.
"Yeah, I would go in on buying a fixer-up and living there but I'm not making you live with two other guys in a small place that has no heater with two animals." He wasn't going to put her through that.
"Jess, I know you want to go for it." She didn't want him to let this chance go because of her. "I'll pick up doubles or something until the place gets off the ground."
"No, if I'm going to do this then it's my burden. I'll work my day job and go to the bookstore after. The main reason they want me is that I'm a handyman that reads." He wasn't going to have her sacrifice for him.
"Jess, we're partners in this." She knew he had manly pride that made him want to be the main provider, but she was here to help.
"Maybe when the animals are older and trained you can pick up an extra shift once in a while but for now you can't." He compromised. It was hard for him to lean on her. He wanted to be the pillar that she could depend on.
"So, you're going to do it?" She smiled.
"If you're sure you're okay with it? You know this means I won't be home as much. There'll be less money coming in. Our spring break plans to do a road trip with the animals are gone. The bookstore might not make money. All this might be for nothing." He wanted her to know how much they would sacrifice with this.
"Jess, we'll be fine." She didn't need to add that she had the emergency credit card that Emily gave her.
"Okay, then I'll tell the guys…. Guys, I'm in." He turned to tell the men who thought they were successful in hiding behind the bookshelf.
"Great, glad to have you join." Matt stuck his head out.
"Thank you, Anna." Chris smiled.
"We'll go over the plan next time." They wave before going to check out their books.
"How did you meet them?" She laughs at the colorful characters.
"I was reading the same book as them. They sat at my table and we started talking. Now we take turns picking the book we read." He never went out of his way to make friends.
"Oh my god, you're in a book club. I feel like I just found out you got a double life." She gasps.
"Don't be dramatic." He sighs. He walks over to the checkout desk.
"Just tell me not to breathe." She whines, following him.
