Chapter 5: cockies crumble like memories
Isaac puts his fork down and searches in his pocket for his phone, when he sees the caller id his stomach turns. "Sorry, i have to take this" he mutters out and stands up not looking at the the rest of the table. "Hey mum, im with buck " he answers the phone. ' good dear, we were worried when the school called' his mothers sickly sweet voice came through the phone. Isaac walked around the trying to loose some of his nervous energy. 'You nisibetter come home soon we have to talk' "yeah sure" he whispered in the phone even though that is the last thing he wants to do, he prays that the school didn't tell them much or just that he was in a fight and not the other thing.
A tap on his shoulder lets him flinch from surprise but when he turns around its just buck. "Hey i talk to them, no need to worry" buck says and holds his hand out Isaac gladly gives the phone away. Buck whispers to him " go finish your lunch" and pats him softly on the back 'hey mom its evan' isaac can hear buck say and he stands there for a second before slowly making his way back to his seat at the table.
He doesn't look at the others and just picks his fork up to eat, feeling slightly uncomfortable again with how silent the table is. "So isaac" the captain Beginns and isaac really doesn't want to talk about his parents " i assume your in your last year of high school?" Puzzeld he looks up to bobby not expecting this question. "Uhh.. yeah." He answers dumbfounded."got any plans what you want to do after it?" Bobby asks and no he really doesn't "moving out" he mumbles more to himself then anyone else. "No not really " he answers this time much clearer. " if we go after you siblings i say something to do with helping people" hem jokes or at least Isaac thinks her name was hen, he really needs to start to remember names better expecially if they are important to his siblings. "Maybe but right know, i just want to finish school without getting expelled" he says and putting the last peace of lasagne in his mouth. " so you get into fights often?" Bobby ask and Isaac can see him looking at him, after swallowing he says " sometimes... " he looks down at bucks hoodie he is still wearing and fiddles with the sleeve. "But you don't always start them right ?" The captain continues and causes Isaac to look up again "i mean no but.." "then you are just protecting yourself " the captain finishes for him. " the cap is right, i know you and you only fight if something was done wrong" chimney says. A small smile creeps o on his face and he looks down again trying to to hide how much even this little support means to him. "Thanks" he whispers.
"Hey mom here is Evan" he says into the phone, he doesn't necessarily want to talk to his mother but seeing Isaac so nervous he just had to help. "Oh hello Evan. Can you tell Isaac that he should come home we have to talk to him about school" his mother says and it sounds odd. "Yeah about that, i can drive him home later when my shift is finished" he starts and his mother disrupts him "just let him tide his bike home again. " annoyance starts to build in him "no, he is pretty hurt, i wont let him ride his bike like that" he looks over to the table where everyone is sitting and sees bobby talking with his brother who is really looks like a little kid in his hoodie not that he would tell him that. " he is just exaggerating" his mother says annoyed over the phone and that starts to build anger in him "no, he is definitely not. I will drop him off this evening bye" he says not in the mood to argue more with her " fine do as you wish Evan" with that he ends the call, he cant understand how they can be like that when there child is hurt. Still he made his way back to the table with extra heavy steps so he doesn't spook Isaac again. "So you can stay till the end with my shift " he tells isaac "if thats ok with you bobby?" He ask his captain who nods and turns to Isaac " your welcome here as long as you need" he is really grateful to have such wonderful teammates. "Isaac you want to play a partie Mario cart? You still need to beat me" chimney says and he can watch as his brother shifts and a spark of his usual self comes out. " ha i think you remember it wrong, I definitely beat you old man" the boy says with a smirk "uhh chim i think that was a challenge" with that chimney stands up and gestures for Isaac to follow him. And hen of course follows them. Which lets him alone with bobby and Eddie. "You don't seem very happy buck" eddie says and buck has to agree he isn't " when i talked to our mother, she didn't care that isaac was hurt" Eddie nods and says "but does it surprise you, i mean from what you told me about your parents it doesn't sounds as if that was something new" and yes Eddie is right but it just hurts to see his brother like this how can anyone just not care about it " it's different, how can they ignore that he is hurt, look at him he is so young" he says defeated. "Buck,"bobby starts " maybe your parents don't care but you do and your brother knows that otherwise he wouldn't have made the long way here" buck puts his head in hands and massages his temples" yeah your probably right bobby, bit what should i do know?" He ask his" be there for him, show him that if he needs anything he can always count on you"
Isaac was in a game with chimney which he was winning when buck was walking over "Looks like chimney is losing " buck says and hen comments " yes your brother is destroying him." "He just got lucky" chimney corrects her and Isaac is really concentrated not to loose his first place because he got distracted by the other guys talking. "Ha, i win " he he burst loud out when he crosses the finish line, chimney groans next to him and buck gives him an high five. The five of them played together for awhile exchanging the controllers each round it was really peaceful and Isaac started to understand why buck liked these guys so much and chose them over their family a few minutes later the captain walked over with a tray and cups. " you made hot chocolate? " buck exclaimes who was currently sitting on the back of the Couch next to Eddie and sometimes yelling at him because the guy misted a mystery cube. "Yes buck, i did and please could you sit normally and not destroy our couch?" Bobby answers buck and puts the try on the coffee table. And isaac watches as buck grumpily does as he is told, he so gets maddie know for saying there like father and son. The captain hands isaac a cup and he takes it with a small thanks. He holds the cup in both hands and let it warm his hand. When he drinks a sip someone next to him yells "but where are the cookies!" And when Isaac looks up he can see that bobby has the most done look in the world on his face. "Yeah cap why didn't you made coockies, its a must for hot chocolate " and that was definitely buck talking behind him. "You make cookies yourself?" Isaac ask bewildered, he knows that people bake but more like in Christmas season. " yes, you ever made some" the captain ask back. "Uhh. No, my parents think that i cant be trusted in the kitchen so i never make anything there other than coffee" Isaac answers truthfully its not like this is a secret, he knows that buck was an eacually horrible cook when he left their parents home. "I can show you how its done if you want" bobby says and Isaac eyes widen like a puppy, "like right now know?" He says and he knows he sound way to excited. The captain hands chuckles and says "yeah right know kid"
He follows bobby in the kitchen and puts his cup on the counter he stands now awkwardly in the room not wanting to intrude or annoy the captain. He kind of feels a bit tense, maybe because his last interaction in a kitchen wasn't that great.
"So you never really worked in a kitchen? "Bobby ask and a bit ashamed Isaac nods. " that is no problem, i will explain everything and maybe you can do it on your own next time." the captain says with out judgement and Isaac feelt a bit of relief. "Okay" he nods "Okay first thing first, we need a clean works space, so why don't you wash your hands while i clean the table?" Bobby ask the teenager who nods and rolls up the sleeve from bucks hoodie which is way to big on him.
As he washes his fingers he thinks about how he isn't even a day at his brothers workplace and is learning more then there parents ever bothered to, like don't normal kids bake Christmas Cookies with there parents, why do they have to have those fucked up family dynamics. He doesn't even know if they did it with buck or maddie when they where kids because he spend all of those years in a boarding school.
He dries his hands ad walks over again trying to surpress his anger, he watches as the captain pulls out some bowls and a scale to measure the ingredients."So we first need butter, its in the fridge" Isaac nods and opens the fridge pulling out the cold butter and bring it over to the captain.
"Its easier if the butter is a bit warm but this will do and if you want to measure everything correctly you put the bowl on the scale before you turn it on, this way you don't measure the bowl with." Bobby explains and points to the bowl wanting Isaac to do everything just being there to explain everything or help when needed.
"Ok and how much" Isaac ask looking up to the captain. " 250 gram and after that you mix 100 gram of sugar and 150 gram brown sugar." Bobbys says and already putting the ingredients next to the boy who was putting it together "and now?" He ask not sure what he should ad next.
"Now you mix it together until its one smooth mass, did you ever use a hand mixer?" Bobby ask with a soft voice that Isaac didn't expect. " uhh yeah in school, but its a few years back" he says slightly embarrassed that he really didn't know anything about cocking or baking. "That ok, just hold it steady " he gives Isaac the machine and slowly steps slightly behind hin and points to a lever "with this, you control of fast the attachment are rotating " Isaac listen's attendingly to what bobby has to say and even though he is right next to him, he doesn't feel threatened or scared, it even feels nice to get something explained without getting shouted at on how dump he is.
Isaac nods and stirs the sugar and butter mix until its one mass and looks at bobby for new instructions. " ok you can put crack those two eggs and i put in some Vanille ok". "Yes sir" Isaac jokes and grabs the two eggs and cracks them open without spilling some of the shell into the mix. " now you mixe this shortly and afterwards we put in the rest of the ingredients." Isaac nods and starts doing as he is told. It follows then 360gram of flour 1 one teaspoon of baking powder and a pinch of salt. " and now for the most important ingredient ' chocolate chips'" bobby announces to the room "So while you putt as many chocolate chips in there as you like, i will heat up the oven to 180 degree."
Isaac opens the box of the chocolate chunks and tilts the box to the bowl so that a lot of it comes out. He mixes everything again and is finished with it just as bobby puts a tray with baking paper on the kitchen island. " now we grab two spoons and put equally big chunks of dough on the tray ." Isaac starts and it takes some time until he gets it "like that?" He ask and bobby praises him "yeah looks great" a warm feeling spread inside him and he cant really name what it is, with a smile on his face he makes one after another until there is no dough left. "And now this thing comes into the oven for ca 12 minutes " just as bobby puts the Cookies into it the alarms goes off. Isaac can see buck and everyone there who where still playing the game starting to move running to the stairs but bobby hesitates for a minute.
"You think you can get them out on time?" He ask not wanting to have his firehouse being burned down but also not wanting Issac to think he doesn't trust him. "Yeah i can do that, im not a baby" Isaac answers and looks at the clock "ok, i trust you" bobby say's and sprints down the stairs. Isaac know stands alone in the kitchen with a responsiblity that know one ever trusted him before but also feelings he never felt.