Page 9 of Stuck with my Frenemy
Hurrying, I flipped through the cabinets until I found the bottle, slid it across the counter by the plate, and got back in position just in time to see Ebony’s stony face.
I felt like clapping when her hard eyes fell on the plate, and I could’ve sworn there was a small smile playing at her lips, but I couldn’t be sure.
“You cook now?” Laughter bubbled out of her. “So, not only are you annoyingly perky, but you’re also Suzie Homemaker too?” More laughter filled the kitchen, and I had to admit, at that point, irritation swarmed inside me like a cloud of bees.
“I do. Sit down and eat before it gets cold,” I supplied, my happy tone still present—a fact that made me proud.
She swaggered forward, a cocky expression on her face as she plucked one of the plates I’d laid on the counter and forked two pancakes on it, setting it down and squirting a ton of syrup on them. Not losing eye contact, she took a fork and stabbed them like she wanted that to be my head, tearing off a bite and plopping it in her mouth.
The minute Ebony started chewing, her face paled. “Oh no, what’s wrong? Is it—”
Wet, gooey pancake particles sprayed my face when Ebony spit her food out, and I reared back, wiping at the goop with everything in me.
“What the hell did you use to make these? Glue? I’m not sure you got the memo, but eating glue went out of style many years ago.” Ripping off a paper towel, she scraped it over her tongue. “That has to be the most disgusting thing I’ve ever eaten.”
Her familiars both strolled into the room then, snickering.
Clenching my fists at my sides, I moved forward until I was pressed against the other side of the counter. “Why do you have to be so mean? I put every ounce of love in those pancakes that I could, and I even added sugar for added effect. Like, can’t you just try to be nice sometimes? You know it won’t kill you, right?”
Eyeing something on the edge of the counter by the fridge, Ebony rolled her eyes, pointing at the package behind me. “Did you use that sugar?”
Turning, I nodded when I saw what she pointed to. “Yes, because sugar always makes people joyful. Duh!”
I wanted to smash her face when she grinned from ear to ear like she knew something I didn’t. She might know everything there was about death and darkness, but sugar and spice and everything nice was my forte, so she could argue with me on this until she was blue in the face, but it was one argument I wouldn’t back down from.
Picking up the small bottle, she held it in front of her. “This, Cherry, is not sugar. It’s salt, you dumbass, and if you dumped a shit ton of this in the mix, that is why it tasted like something that should never, ever be eaten.”
Well, I would’ve won the argument if I’d actually used sugar. Salt was something Ebony probably knew more about, not that I’d tell her that.
“Oh, my goodness. Of course, it is. I couldn’t tell because both look so similar. Whoopsies! Sorry about that, Ebs. But don’t worry, my familiars stocked the kitchen with their special powers from Karma, so check the fridge and get something in that belly of yours. I could cook something el—”
“No, no, I think you’ve done enough.” Moving to the fridge, Ebony opened the door and rummaged through it until she pulled out a yogurt. “Now, how about we talk about where we can start looking for Thor’s Hammer.”
“We need to find clues, like detectives! How fun will that be?” I leaned against the counter. “Like, I cannot wait to start. Do you want to start tonight?”
“Tone down the enthusiasm, Rainbow Brite. You need to realize things like this are never easy. Especially when it involves gods.”
“Oh, ye of little faith. Trust me, when the time to look comes, our sign will come.” I snatched her empty yogurt container and tossed it in the trash.
“Your faith astounds me. It also makes you idiotic.”
“Like your familiars,” the black cat added with a snigger.
Stomping forward, I poked his head. “Hey. You can bite me all you want, but don’t talk about my familiars that way. They didn’t do anything but be nice to you.”
Ebony raised her head, and something that looked like approval simmered in her eyes, but it was gone so quickly I thought I must have imagined it, which was something I tended to do a lot, in general. If I could imagine something, it could happen. At least, that was what my mom always told me.
I missed her. She always knew how to handle the Ebony’s of the world. But she had taught me everything I knew, so I would be just fine.
Hopefully.
Just then, a loud boom shook the house, a crack of lightning bathing the outside in an electric blue glow.
I couldn’t stop the grin that stretched my lips. “Well, look at that. What better way to find Thor’s Hammer than to follow the trail of lightning? I—” I started.
“Don’t say it,” Ebony interjected.
But her words didn’t stop me from finishing my sentence. “Told you so.”
If a person could win an award for best glower, that person was Ebony, because the look she gave me could’ve killed me where I stood leaning against the counter. “I warned you.”
Beaming and bouncing on the balls of my feet, I ran to her, gripping her in a tight hug. “It’s okay. Warn me all you want, Ebs. You should know warnings don’t deter me.” With a wink, I rushed off before she could slap me, her hand passing an inch from my head. “I’m going upstairs to change. I can’t hunt Thor’s Hammer dressed like this.”
A groan followed me up the stairs, which only made me chuckle. But I could’ve sworn I heard her mutter, and I just bet that her eyes rolled.
No, that couldn’t be right. Ebs was already well on her road to becoming my best friend after we’d bonded over the salt incident. She just didn’t know it yet.
I couldn’t worry about that right then, though. Not when I had to find the perfect “Thor’s Hammer Hunting” outfit. Ooh, maybe something in black will please the gloomy doom of a friend I had.
If I could find anything.
