Just Another Reason I Could Never Forget You

The steam rising from the sink burned my fingers, but I kept a grip on the pot and watched the water continuing to pour out. This wasn’t the first time I had been burned while cooking, so it wasn’t a big deal; it just hurt like hell. The burning sensation made me think of the days when me and my dad would cook together when I was little. We would be in the kitchen for hours cooking dinner or some kind of dessert. It would always be messy, mainly because I insisted on mixing everything together myself. Even then, I was a very independent person. My mom would come home from work and laugh at us because we were covered in whatever sauces and powders were being used. Then we’d eat as a family and my mom and I would clean up the kitchen. It was just how things used to be.

Sighing, I set the pot back on the stove and began mixing in the sauce, watching the noodles absorb some of the bright red sauce. Red, like the blood that had been fleeing from Belle when she had been shot. It was red like the lipstick that Jessica Rabbit always wore. It was the red of the dress my mom had worn on the day my parents renewed their vows three years ago before everything fell apart. I bit my lip and continued stirring the sauce and noodle mixture. It had been a while since I’d really cooked dinner, so getting back into my cooking zone was proving to be difficult. The garlic rolls I had made were in the oven still, though they were due to come out at any minute.

Sure enough, there was the timer going off. I put on an oven mitt and pulled the garlic rolls out, setting the pan on the oven to cool off just a bit. They smelled so good and I knew that they would taste even better. My mom wandered into the kitchen and leaned against the island as she watched me finish up dinner. I had invited Zack over, telling him not to eat beforehand, so that the two of them could finally meet. It was a big step for me, inviting him over like this. Mom knew that me and Zack were just friend, but the looks she kept giving me were ones that said she knew there was more to the relationship. There were some things that I just couldn’t hide from my mother. Liking Zack happened to be one of those things.

The doorbell rang and I grinned at my mom before going to answer it. Zack stood on the other side of it with a cheeky grin on his face. He stepped inside and watched me close the door behind him before sniffing the air. It reminded me very much of a dog and I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Do I smell spaghetti?”

I nodded and grabbed his hand, pulling him with me into the kitchen where my mom had just finished setting the table for three. She smiled at Zack and said hello as she moved the plate of rolls and the bowl of spaghetti over to the table. Zack sat down in the chair closest to the backyard and closed his eyes as he inhaled the smell of the food. I could tell that he was looking forward to tasting it, which made me happy. After all, it wasn’t often that I slaved away in the kitchen actually cooking food. The boy should be happy I actually cooked for him. I didn’t cook much anymore, since it was something me and my dad always did together before my parents split.

My mom made casual conversation with Zack as I sat and quietly watched. They got along so well and I knew that my mom liked Zack. She thought he was dependable, trustworthy and a gentleman; all the good things that she wanted her daughter’s boyfriend to be. Her eyes regained the sparkle that they hadn’t had in ages. Mom was enjoying herself because of how polite Zack was. He was constantly making jokes, but at the same time, he was telling her about his life. I was glad that my mom was finally enjoying herself but I got the feeling that she expected the two of us to start dating. She wanted me to find someone who would ‘treat me special’ and keep me happy. The only problem I had was that she wanted that person to be Zack. Mom had been dropping hints all week about me and Zack because of the fact that he was there for me about Belle dying. I trusted Zack, but things were still rocky between us on the relationship front. We were friends who liked each other and that was how it was going to stay until we figured out how to make things work between us.

When we were all done eating dinner, my mom offered to clean up and rinse the dishes so that Zack and I could have some time to relax. I lead him upstairs to my room and turned on my television before opening up the cabinet beside it. Inside the cabinet were all my movies and video games, each alphabetized and separated. Anal? Me? Never. Zack went through all of the movies and games before turning to look at me.

“What exactly am I supposed to be picking?”

“Whatever you want, Zack. Game, movie, I don’t care.”

“Oh, alright. Well than, are you game for some Guitar Hero?”

“Am I game for some Guitar Hero? Who do you think you’re talking to? Of course I’m game,” I scoffed as I turned on my Playstation and put the game in. Zack grabbed the guitars and plugged them in before sitting on the end of my bed and waiting for me to pat the spot next to him. I plopped down next to Zack and smiled as we went through the opening menu.

“Incubus or Sum 41?”

“I’m feeling like Sum 41 right now,” Zack said. I nodded and picked that song as well as expert. I watched Zack hesitate between hard and expert. He finally settled on expert like me and then we sang along to the song as we played. It was fun while it lasted, but the song ended as quickly as it began and we moved on to Stellar by Incubus. Things were chill between us as we argued over who was doing better on each song that we played. This went on for a few hours before Zack had to leave for the night. After all, we both had some homework to do.

I sat in my now empty room and stared around the room at the walls. They all seemed empty because I still hadn’t put any band posters up. My eyes landed on the sketchpad sitting on the table by the window and I smiled as I stood up. Walking over to the table, I sat down in front of it and grabbed a pencil. I started to sketch out general shapes and then I let my hand take over from there. Thirty minutes later there was a small poster for All Time Low sitting in front of me. It was lacking color, though I got the feeling that adding color to it might ruin the beauty of it all. Each of the guys was in the picture, though they were hidden behind the band name. Still, considering I don’t draw very often, the picture was pretty good. I opened a drawer and grabbed some thumbtacks before tacking the picture to the wall behind my bed. It wasn’t much, but it was a start and that was all I could manage at the moment.

I was tired by this point so I crawled into my bed and laid there. Homework could wait.