***

My favorite food was everything.

Eating was my favorite exercise and I couldn't go on a single hour without chewing something. I considered time that I wasn't eating a wasted time. It was just evil, wrong and unproductive.

Pen perfectly knew it so she was using the knowledge to her advantage.

I scowled at her as she wiggled an especially juicy piece of ribs in front of my face. I could see the juices coming out of the meat. It was love at first sight.

"Come on, just one bite." I pleaded.

"Answer my question first and I will let you have one bite." She said in a singsong voice.

What the hell. Girls were cruel.

When Pen assigned me to the grill earlier, I almost jumped out of joy because it just meant that I'd be able to sneak a taste of everything while grilling. I should've known better. The girl had been watching me like a hawk ever since we started cooking. She didn't even let me taste the potato salad she brought even when I so selflessly volunteered to taste it to be sure it wasn't poisoned. She should be thankful that I was willing to sacrifice my life to ensure their safety. But nope. Not even a single thanks.

I thought she was my friend but I couldn't feel the love right now.

"Why are you so mean to me?" I pouted, giving her my best puppy dog eyes look.

"I'm not being mean. I'm just being practical. Remember the last time we went swimming and we left you to the grill? We all starved when lunch came because you've already eaten more than half of the food." she said, cringing at the memory.

Cal glanced up from peeling the husks off of the corn cobs that we'd grill later after we're done with the ribs.

"I remember that." He said with a poker face. "I almost killed him that day but you stopped me." He frowned at Pen as if it was her fault I was still alive right now.

I crossed my arms over my chest. I didn't appreciate it when my friends teamed up against me.

"I was only sixteen back then and still growing. I needed the nutrition and sustenance to be a big boy."

I've explained it to them a thousand times but they still wouldn't forgive me. These people were so hateful. Couldn't we just forgive and forget?

Cal scoffed.

"You certainly weren't sixteen when you devoured one whole box of fourteen inches pizza last week and left only one solo-sized box for Rush, Parker and I to share, you asshole." He retorted.

"And you also weren't sixteen anymore when you guilt-trip me into giving you the entire bag of KitKats I bought yesterday." Pen added, dropping the ribs back onto the grill using tongs. I looked at the juicy meat with longing.

I didn't understand why they were bringing up all of that now. Didn't they realize they were hurting my delicate feelings?

I looked at Cal with pained eyes.

"My darling Cal, it pains me to see you getting all worked up just because of a pepperoni pizza that isn't even your favorite pizza. But in my defense, I ordered another box of pizza right after I realized I ate the entire box. And it was Hawaiian, just like how you like it. It's not my fault that you were already drooling in your sleep when the pizza guy came back."

Cal shot me an impressive glare.

"I don't like Hawa..."

He wasn't able to finish the sentence because I already put my finger over his lips to shut him up.

"It's okay, buddy. We don't judge you for your pizza preference."

I dropped my finger and then looked at Pen.

"Pen, I know you're on a diet and I just want to help you stick with it. That's what friends do. We support each other. I took the chocolates out of the goodness of my heart. But I still left you three pieces of KitKats, remember? Three pieces, Pen! Three! You know what three KitKat means?" I asked her.

"I don't know, I love you?" she guessed, her expression softening.

I shook my head,

"It means: Hunter is awesome."

She threw the tongs at me lightning fast that it almost hit my chest if I wasn't able to dodge fast enough.

I looked at her with wide-eyes.

"Is one black eye not enough for you, girls? Now you need to stab me in the heart with a pair of tongs too?" I raised both of my arms in the air. "Women! I come near you and you all go psychopath on me. Where's the love?"

Pen just rolled her eyes.

"It's because we can't have a serious conversation with you." she said through gritted teeth.

I sprawled spread eagle onto the grass, clutching my growling stomach. I had been grilling for almost an hour now and my arms were getting tired from fanning the coals.

It was cruelty, what Pen was doing to me. I was sure I could sue her for violating my human rights.

"I'm so hungry; I think I'm going to pass out." I whined. Still trying to shot Pen with the most pitiful expression I could muster in the hope that she would give me at least one piece of those ribs.

"Answer my question and I promise I'll give you the largest piece of meat we have here." she bribed.

"What's wrong with you? Do you think you can bribe me with a piece of meat? Fine. What's the question again?"

I saw Cal stood up to retrieve the tongs that Pen threw, casting me a sideway smirk. The bastard.

"When are you going to tell her?" Pen asked that question I really didn't want to answer.

I sighed.

Here we go again.

"I told you, I don't have any plans to tell her. She doesn't need to know. It's not a big deal."

Pen gave me a look of pure disbelief.

"How could you say that? She spent all those years believing you're the villain. She needs to know all the things you've done for her."

I sat up from lying on my back.

"No, she does not. And you know I'm not exactly the hero either. It's better this way." I gave her a reassuring smile and beckoned her to sit next to me.

She walked towards me and did just what I asked to. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder in a brotherly way.

"Don't worry about me, okay? I'll be fine."

She sniffed.

"I just think you deserve to be happy. You've been so selfless for years. It's time you think about your own happiness too." She murmured, resting her head on my shoulder.

I couldn't help but smile as I ruffled her hair.

"I'm happy with what we have right now. I had the chance to have a clean slate and I'm taking advantage of it. Besides, she already thinks I'm a pervert. I don't want her to think I'm a stalker too." I said, chuckling when I remembered Sky's face when she called me a pervert. She was really too cute for her own good.

Pen raised her head and looked at me solemnly.

"You really like her do you?" she asked.

Cal was watching us, a slight smirk playing on his lips as if daring me to answer.

Yeah right. Not gonna happen.

I stood up and then helped Pen to get back on her feet. As I was about to get back on the grill, I saw Heather and Sky emerged from the woods, walking side by side, their arms full of branches and twigs. Sky raised her head and for a moment, our eyes met.

I grinned at her and she flashed me a shy smile in return.

Man, she was so goddamned beautiful. And her long legs were killer too. It was the first time I saw her wearing shorts because she just usually wore jeans at school. Whoever convinced her to wear those tiny shorts should be canonized immediately.

I knew I was leering at her like the pervert that she thought I was but I was a boy, and eighteen. Enough said.

"Never mind, I already know the answer." I heard Pen said.

"That was a stupid question to begin with." replied Cal.

I ignored them. What was I doing with these hateful people, anyway? The two of them were just bullying me and hurting my feelings. I should be on my buddy's side, ruining her good mood, or something.

I found myself taking a step towards the two girls, completely forgetting the ribs Pen promised to give me.

The ribs could wait.

Who needs food anyway?

***

😉