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I opened the fridge and groaned. There was absolutely nothing aside from a bottle of ketchup, two bottles of Gatorade, and a takeout tub of Chinese food that had been in there longer than I cared to admit. I was pretty damn desperate, though, so I took out the tub and gingerly opened it—and then immediately regretted the decision. An unearthly stench blasted my senses. I would almost wager that whatever had been living in there was on the verge of creating a new civilization. I quickly tossed the tub into the trash. With my stomach paining for food, I rifled through the rest of the kitchen—nothing. We were totally out of things to eat. So much for leaving it to Chris to pick up the groceries.
I considered going to get something, but that would make me overly late for class. The way I saw it, I had two options: be late for class or appeal to the kindness of my new neighbors. Maybe if I offered to cook them dinner in exchange for breakfast, they’d take mercy on me. I could also use the opportunity to maybe chat with Brooke about chemistry class. That is if she’d talk to me. I got the impression she wanted to avoid me for some reason. She’d acted rather strange in class, shoving her email address into my hand and then pretty much running away. Asking my neighbors to help me out might end up being awkward, but I was desperate enough for food that I was willing to risk it.
I pulled on a shirt, walked over, and knocked on their door. A few moments later, Leslie opened it.
“Good morning, Emerson,” she said with a smile.
“Hi, Leslie.”
“What can I do for you? Are you here to talk to Brooke?”
“I… um… no. I need a favor. We have absolutely nothing to eat in our place because Chris is an idiot and didn’t get the groceries like he was supposed to and uh… I was wondering if you had anything to spare, maybe some fruit or yogurt or something. I promise I'll make you guys an epic dinner if you can help me out.”
“Coming to beg from your new neighbors, huh?” she chuckled. “No worries. Been there. We have yogurt, a few donuts left over from yesterday, and a couple of bananas. The donuts might not be too fresh, but if you're hungry, you're hungry, right?”
“I'll take 'em! Damn, Leslie, you're a lifesaver, a total lifesaver!”
“No problem! I’ll grab something for you.”
Leslie went to the kitchen, leaving me standing at the door. I craned my neck, peering inside the apartment trying to see if there was any sign of Brooke. My heart sank a little when it seemed she wasn't there. I couldn’t help but wonder what was up with her, why she seemed to want to avoid me. I was trying to think of a way I could bring her up in conversation without coming across as being interested when Leslie returned and did it for me.
“Here you go,” she said as she handed me the food. “Like I said, the donuts might be a bit stale.”
“That's alright, I'm famished enough to eat just about anything right now.”
“You’re quite welcome. So, Brooke told me you guys are gonna be lab partners.”
“Yeah, that's right. Totally randomized selection from a computer program; how about that?”
“Weird, right? It's almost like fate is conspiring to bring you two together.”
I chuckled a little awkwardly, not knowing how to respond. Thankfully, I didn’t have to.
Leslie continued speaking. “So, I guess that means I'll be seeing a lot more of you around here, huh? You'll probably be coming over to study and stuff, right?”
“I guess that’s possible, depending on Brooke,” I replied. “Okay, so,” I continued eager to switch topics, “do you guys like Thai food? Like I said, I'm gonna make it up to you for helping me out with breakfast.”
“You really don't have to. I meant it when I said the donuts are kinda stale. I was probably gonna toss 'em out anyway.”
“No, I insist. C'mon, you're really gonna turn down a free dinner?”
She laughed. “Hell no! Actually, we're both big fans of Thai food. When should we expect this awesome dinner?”
“My afternoon is pretty free today, so I guess I can whip up dinner and bring it by this evening if that's alright?”
“That sounds killer. We’ll both be home after six, so you can swing by then.”
“Sounds good. I'll see you guys then. And thanks again for breakfast!”
“No problem, Emerson. See ya later.”
“See ya tonight,” I responded as I stepped back toward my apartment.
She shut the door as I grinned. I was pretty darn proud of myself. I had created an excuse that was more than merely classwork to get to talk to Brooke. Now I just had to make it to class on time.
***
I stirred the curry one last time and inhaled deeply, breathing in the fragrant aroma of spices. I'd nailed it, even if I did say so myself. Just to make sure, I dipped a spoon into the curry and blew on it to cool it, then gave it a taste.
