Chapter 6: Dinner
962 Words
At Robbie Jocks School for Exceptional Young Women.
After lounging around all day, Charlie finally remembered his job and headed to the kitchen in the evening.
Ignoring Spaldding's displeased glare, he picked up some pots and pans and started cooking.
Soon, he whipped up a dish of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, one of the few dishes he could make.
Thankfully, what he lacked in variety, he made up for in skill.
Everyone who had tried his scrambled eggs with tomatoes loved it.
Charlie divided the scrambled eggs with tomatoes onto four plates and was about to head to the dining room when he overheard Madison joking about Spaldding's severed tongue.
That girl would destroy herself with her sharp tongue someday.
At that moment, Charlie felt she was doing a great job, watching Spaldding storm past him with a dark expression.
Charlie smiled subtly to himself.
"Serving witches for generations, are you so proud of that? Enjoy being a servant, huh? One day I'll teach you that all men are created equal. Becoming a master is the true way!"
Of course, all this would have to wait until he was powerful enough.
For now, Charlie still needed to ingratiate himself, so he approached the dining table and presented the dish to the young witches.
"Ladies, this is an authentic Chinese dish I made myself. Hope you like it."
"My dear Charlie, you are so thoughtful!"
Madison, who had casually mentioned her desire for Chinese food that morning, beamed with delight.
Especially after seeing Spaldding's sour face, she added with a bright smile, "Charlie, you really are the ideal boyfriend template."
"This woman is getting feverish again," Queenie muttered from across the table.
Nan also smiled and said, "Madison's interest in Charlie is growing."
Hearing this, Zoe, who was helping Charlie with the plates, frowned.
To avoid a conflict before the meal even started, Charlie quickly said, "How about a taste?"
Queenie was the first to pick up a fork.
After a few bites, her eyes lit up.
"This is delicious! I never thought scrambled eggs and tomatoes could taste like this."
She quickly devoured the entire plate, clearly not just being polite.
Zoe, having tried a few bites herself, said with surprise, "Charlie, how come I never knew you could cook so well?"
"I just learned recently. I wanted to surprise you," Charlie replied, making Zoe's heart flutter.
Charlie then turned to Madison and Nan.
"How about you two?"
Nan said, "It's a unique taste. I think I'll like it."
Madison added, "Not bad at all. Compared to the Chinese restaurants I've been to in LA, the taste is a bit different, but this is what you call authentic. Spaldding does the same things over and over. Charlie, from now on, my stomach is in your hands."
"It would be my pleasure."
Without further interrupting their meal, Charlie patted Zoe on the shoulder and left.
Watching him leave, Madison turned to Zoe with a mischievous grin.
"I didn't expect you to like this type of guy. I've never dated a guy who could cook. How's that taste, Zoe?"
Zoe blushed. "What do you mean, how does that taste?"
Madison boldly asked, "How is Charlie in that regard? I've heard..."
"Enough!" Queenie interrupted.
"It's mealtime, Madison. If you want to flirt, do it another time."
Madison stopped, her eyes burning with anger at Queenie.
At that moment, Nan comforted the visibly uncomfortable Zoe, "It was just an accident, Zoe. Charlie's alive, and I believe you'll have a different but still happy relationship."
"Nan, you？" Zoe looked up, surprised.
"Nan can read minds, Zoe. You can't hide anything from her," Madison explained, then looked at Nan with gossip-filled eyes. "Charlie's alive? That's interesting. Nan, tell us what happened between these two."
"No! There's nothing to say," Zoe quickly interjected, not wanting to revisit the past.
Nan, respecting Zoe's privacy, turned to Madison and said, "How about I talk about the people you've killed instead, Madison?"
"What's there to say?" Madison shrugged indifferently.
"My agent hated me. He blamed me for things I didn't do and wouldn't let me defend myself. During a rehearsal, he criticized me again, so I taught him a little lesson. I didn't expect the spotlight to fall right on his head. Yeah, that was my doing."
Queenie, her tone serious, said, "Your agent just wanted you to hit your mark. Can't you benefit humanity and take a proper acting class, you washed-up, Botox-filled D-list actress?"
Bang!
Finally losing her temper, Madison flicked her wrist, causing Queenie's plate to flip, splattering food all over her.
Queenie, unphased, used her voodoo doll ability to retaliate.
The dining room erupted into a fierce battle, ending just as Charlie arrived to check the commotion.
Nan was pulling Queenie away, leaving only Zoe and Madison at the table.
"What happened here?" Charlie asked, feigning ignorance.
Madison, quickly regaining her composure and talking to Zoe about needing each other now, brightened up.
"Almost forgot about you, Charlie."
"Just some girl talk, nothing you'd be interested in," she said, waving her phone. "I just saw on Twitter that there's a frat party tonight. Charlie, Zoe, want to join me?"
"Of course," Charlie agreed immediately, as it was his goal. He turned to Zoe, "Zoe, you've been too stressed. It's time to relax."
With her boyfriend's encouragement, Zoe nodded.
Madison, eyeing their outfits critically, said, "For you, Charlie, it's no big deal. But Zoe, do you have anything besides Gap?"
In the U.S, Gap is known for its affordable, lower-end clothing. Zoe, from a modest-income family, wore such clothes.
She awkwardly shook her head.
Madison, showing her generous side, said, "To make sure you shine at the party, you can borrow something from me."
"Tonight, let's have a blast!"
- Writer
