Kari is a compassionate girl on the geeky side with budding culinary talents. After her family had to move halfway across the country, Kari is unable to adjust in her new high school where she is an outcast. Repeatedly forced to do group assignments...
November 15th: once a day Milo most looked forward to each year had become a day he'd dread. The last five of them went down in his memory as some of the most miserable days of his life.
Milo was about to set off for school. But first, he was checking himself in the mirror to make sure he looked... half... presentable. He picked at the sparse hairs poking through his chin and cheeks. Grow faster, he thought. I need to hide this bloated balloon face! I look like I got stung by an entire hive of bees! How am I eighteen, and only *just* starting to get facial hair when some guys had full mustaches in seventh grade?!
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He punched his reflection as he left the bathroom, fuming.
At least Mom will be out late... so this one will be decent. I hope...
He knew she would be out late because the night before, he was shaken awake by a nightmare at around 11 p.m. While trying to drift back asleep, he overheard his mother 'talking on the phone' with her imaginary friend about how she's coming to visit him after work the next day. That was what she's been doing instead of celebrating his birthday. Even as he tried looking at the bright side, he knew his mother doesn't celebrate it anymore because of how much she regretted giving him life. He knew she was going to the cemetery to sob into the void about how she wished he never existed. He cried himself back to sleep.
Milo didn't expect anything special. At least beyond the usual. Because Kari was special and so was the wonderful food she'd make for him. To keep his mind off his mother, he thought about Kari and her cooking non-stop until the moment he saw her.
"Heyyy, guess what I made!" Kari said cheerfully as Milo sat next to her.
Her enthusiasm excited him. He felt himself salivate. But he didn't enjoy guessing games. He gave a cop-out answer so he couldn't be wrong.
"Uh. Food?"
Kari laughed. It was technically correct and he sounded cute saying it, so she let it go. She lifted the large tupperware she was carrying so it would be at Milo's eye level. "You once said my pancakes are one of your favorite things I make."
"Yes, it is!" Milo said softly, not wanting anyone on the quiet 7 a.m. bus to hear someone like him be excited about food.
"Mhm." Kari nodded. "But I'd never make ordinary pancakes on my best friend's birthday, hehehe..."
Milo gasped hearing that second b-word. It put him off guard. Well... both b-words did. Even after a year he still wasn't fully used to the idea of being someone's friend, let alone best friend. But he told her his birth-date, what, six months ago?
"Y-You... remembered my birthday...?"
"I wouldn't ask you about it only to not remember it!" Kari pointed to her head, brimming with mirth. "Anyway, happy birthday!!"
"...Th-thank... y-you..."
Giggling some more, Kari waved the container around. "Uh huh!! So, uh. As for what these are. ...Th...They're s'mores pancakes. They're... kinda of a mess. They're not very pretty."
