Straight-Up Not Having A Good Time At Night Raven College: Chapter 1

Chapter 14: Delicious Varieties

"Alright," Trey sighed.
Adjusting his glasses, he wiped his hands on the dishtowel again.
"Next, we just sprinkle on a little powdered sugar..."

He shook the bag of powdered sugar into the sifter, then held it over the tarts. Kat, Ace, and Grim watched with bated breath, like they were observing the last step in a critical surgery.

Grinning, Trey shook the sifter lightly, patting the side of it with the flat of his hand. The powdered sugar drifted down over the light brown swirls of cream like a flurry of snow.
After a second, he put the sifter down, stepping back and folding his arms with a satisfied sigh.

"WE DID IT!" Ace and Grim cheered in unison, jumping up and punching the air.

"W...We did it," Deuce mumbled, still looking listless.

Kat snorted quietly, patting him gently on the shoulder.
"There, there," she smiled, putting her head to the side. "Good job."

"Mmm," Deuce mumbled, nodding vaguely.

Ace approached, looking between him and Kat.
"Hey, what's up with him?" He asked, brow furrowing. "What happened while you guys were out runnin' errands?"

Kat gave him a look, shaking her head.
"He's fine," she said flatly, giving Deuce a final light pat and walking over towards the newly finished tart.
"He just needs to... Wrap his head around some things. He'll probably be fine."

Ace blinked, following her and giving Deuce one last suspicious look.
"Okay..."

Deuce shook his head, muttering something under his breath that Kat couldn't quite make out.

Ace shook his head, rolling his eyes. "Whatever, man..."
He yawned, stretching his arms behind his head. "Well, anyway-- man, I never realized how hard baking actually is! I'm exhausted..."

"Yep," she agreed, stretching as well. "So, how's--"

Suddenly, the doors slammed open.
Cater strolled in, winking and giving his customary two-fingered salute-slash-peace sign.
"Hey, hey, hey!" He chirped, bouncing over to the group. "How's it goin', fam? Man, you guys sure look beat... Workin' hard, huh?"

Grinning, he slapped Ace and Deuce on the back, catching Kat's eye and winking.
Then he perked up, spotting the three tarts on the counter.
"Ah-- no way, you're done with the tarts! Great job! Wow-- the decorations are super cute!"

He walked over, already pulling out his phone.
"Hey, I bet these'll go viral on Magicam in half a sec! Mind if I snap a quick pic?"

Of course, he was already starting to take pictures before anyone could even say anything. The loud clicking and flash started filling the kitchens like a mini thunderstorm.

Ace shook his head rapidly, catching up with all the events carried out by Hurricane Cater.
"H--Huh?!" He demanded, scowling and planting his hands on his hips.
"Hey, man-- what gives?! What, you only decide to show up NOW, of all times?!"

"Awww..."
Cater pouted exaggeratedly, putting his phone away and turning to Ace.
"Hey, c'mon-- I just wanted to see how hard all my cute lil' kouhais were workin'! Hm?"

He blinked, looking from Ace to Kat and Deuce.

"Pffffft--- HA!"
Turning away, he put a fist to his mouth, grinning. "Hey, hey-- what's with those FACES?! Man, you guys look like Trey worked you half to death!"

"Hey, don't be like that, Cater," Trey scolded lightly. Moving across the kitchen, he washed his hands again.
"Baking's a tough job if you're not used to it... But these guys actually did great!"