Lab Partners (Wattpad Books Edition)

DON'T FORGET THE PARMESAN!

I turned on the radio in the kitchen and immediately started humming along to the Rolling Stones tune that was playing. I couldn't recall the name of it at first, but the melody was familiar and the voice was definitely Mick Jagger's. Once the chorus kicked in, the name suddenly clicked back into my brain: "Sympathy for the Devil." Though those words were never actually said over the course of the song, it was implied throughout. The lyrics cleverly referenced all sorts of historical events, retold from the first-person point of view—anything from the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia to the Hundred Years' War. I wasn't much of a history buff, but I enjoyed the fact that I could recognize some of the references. There were still a few that escaped me, but I could always look them up later if I happened to remember. Or maybe I could ask my sister. She usually knew about that kind of stuff.

I rummaged through the cabinets in search of ingredients. There I found two packages of pasta, some garlic-and-herb-flavored sauce, and a can of diced tomatoes. Then, while checking to make sure there was parmesan cheese in the fridge, I spotted some leftover sloppy joe mix from the other night.

"That could be interesting," I muttered to myself as I pulled out the sloppy joe mix and set it on the counter, thinking I could add it to the sauce.

Making dinner was my favorite time of day. Being able to pull together ingredients and make something for my whole family to enjoy gave me a sense of accomplishment that I rarely got from any other part of my life. Any achievements at school were overshadowed by the fact that my sister was doing better, but cooking was my thing. I was the only one in my family who was both willing and able to cook. I really loved being able to take things that you wouldn't normally think to put together and turn them into something delicious.

After washing my hands, I stooped down to look through the pots and pans. I had to shift some things around a bit, but eventually I was able to pull out a large pot for the pasta and a smaller one with a matching lid for the sauce. I held the larger pot in the sink and turned on the water. The pot grew heavier under the running faucet. I watched as the surface of the water inched higher and higher, all the while trying to estimate how much I would need to boil two packages of angel hair pasta.

Determining that I had enough, I shut off the water and transferred the pot to the stove. I turned the burner on to the highest setting and added a bit of salt and vegetable oil to the water to give the pasta a better flavor and make sure the noodles didn't stick together. Then, while waiting for the water to boil, I started on the sauce.

It wasn't long before I had everything going. After setting the timer on the stove, I pulled out a stool from the kitchen island and took a seat. I played with my hands, since there wasn't much else to do while I waited. I was starting to smell all the spices I'd added to the sauce, and my mouth watered in anticipation. I hadn't made spaghetti in quite a while.

I became lost in thought again and ran my fingers through my unruly hair as I went over all of the things I needed to do this weekend. There were a few pages of AP Chemistry homework that I had to finish, as well as some calculus. I was not looking forward to doing either.

The timer went off then, pulling me out of my thoughts. I slid off of the stool and turned off both burners before grabbing some pot holders from the drawer beside the stove. Then I gripped both handles of the pot and carefully transferred it to the sink, where I dumped the pasta into a colander to drain the water.

By then it was around half past six. As I waited for the pasta to cool, I stepped into the living room and looked out the front window. Ellie would be getting home any minute now, and I wanted to check and see if I could spot her car coming down the road yet.

I saw nothing, so I went back into the kitchen and dished myself up a plate of spaghetti. I was just adding the sauce to my plate when I heard the front door open. I perked up a little and turned to see my sister as she entered the kitchen.