Page 2 of Spike

I wasn’t sure whatshe meant by students, but all became clear as we neared the grill. Standingbehind a row of large folding tables was a line of kids who looked to be ourage. Most of them girls. They all wore matching black T-Shirts with bold whitelettering which read ‘Lifesprings Church Student Ministries.’ Each kidalso wore a nametag, not that it mattered much. Most of them, boy or girl,seemed to be named Logan, Bailey, or Jordan.

We were each givena tray which held two plates a cup and plastic silverware. Moving down the chowline felt a little like being back at Lakewood, but the food and some of theservers sure looked a hell of a lot better. They all said things like ‘blessyou,’ and ‘thank you for joining us tonight,’ as they cheerily shoveledmacaroni salad and baked beans onto our plates.

After grabbingsome burgers and dogs, Screek scoped us out a table and we took our seats. Bothof my plates were piled high, and I could barely wait to dig in when anotherstudent walked in and took her place behind the dessert station.

She had longblonde hair and the brightest blue eyes I’d ever seen. She smiled wide as herfriends greeted her and I momentarily forgot how to breathe. I always thoughtthat was some sort of corny expression, someone taking your breath away, but Iswear, for at least thirty seconds, I fucking forgot how to inhale and exhale.

“You, okay, bro?”Screek asked.

“Uh, ah, yeah. I,uh, ahhh,” I stammered. “I…I…I’m gonna go get some dessert.”

Bolting from myseat I heard Screek call out, “You haven’t even started eating your dinner!”

I pushed my waythrough my fellow housemates, practically flinging myself toward the dessert station.

“Uh, hi,” theblonde said, with a sweet, but surprised giggle.

“Hi, hello…um. I’dlove some, uh, dessert, please,” I said, studying her face. She was the mostbeautiful girl I’d ever seen.

“Oh, I’m not quiteset up,” she said, tying her apron. “Sorry, I just got here. Besides, everyoneis sitting down for dinner.”

“Yeah, I’m notreally that hungry,” I said.

She pointed at theempty spot next to Screek, who was staring directly at us. “Are you sure?Because, from here, it looks like your tray is pretty full.”

“Oh, that’s not mytray…well, itismy tray, but it’s mydinnertray, and I alwayslike to eat dessert first, so I’m gonna save all that food until afterwards.”

“Dessert first,huh?” She raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t that spoil your appetite?”

“No, not at all.Of course not,” I replied, noticing she wasn’t wearing a name tag.

“How do you managethat?”

“Listen,” I saidleaning in. “I’ll let you in on a secret my mom told me when I was a littlekid.”

“I love secrets,”she replied, ducking her head down lower.

“I had a feeling Icould trust you,” I said.

She stifled alaugh and I quickly had to remind myself to breathe again.

“Okay,” Iwhispered. “When I was eight years old, my mom leveled with me. She told methat grownups lie to their kids about dessert spoiling their appetites.”

“Really?”

I nodded. “Parentsonly tell kids that story so they can use dessert as a reward mechanism fortheir children to clean their plates. They don’t want children to know therealtruth.”

“What’s that?”

“That the humanstomach has a meal chamber and a dessert chamber.”

Her mouth formed asmall ‘O’ shape and then she smiled again. “Stomach chambers? Like a cow?”

“Yes, indeed. Andeven if one of them is full, there is still room in the other. So, it reallydoesn’t matter which you eat first.”

“I see. And youprefer dessert first?”

“Of course. Whatif something horrible happens midway through and this wonderful meal is broughtto an untimely end? I’d regret not coming over here and at least trying thedessert you worked so hard to make.”

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