reclections.
“I love it!” gushed Sam. “It looks sort of like the pompadour style from the 1970’s!” Pleased that he noticed it, I confessed, “That was EXACTLY the look I was aiming for! I think that hairstyle suits you very well.”
“I think I’ll keep my hair short from now on,” murmured Gideon, as he gingerly brushed his fingertips against his spiky new hair. “I don’t know why I ever let my hair grow long to begin with.”
“Just consider me your new hairdresser then,” I replied before grinning at his reflection. “Now… Let’s go eat!!” I announced, as I clapped my hands twice to let them know we needed to hustle.
By this time, we only had thirty minutes left to eat. Linking my arms through Sam’s and Gideon’s, the three of us headed for the Mess Hall and wolfed down our dinner posthaste.
3
We made it back to the Common Room with only five minutes to spare. I sighed in contentment from finally having a full belly. Tonight, I had two large slices of meatloaf, sautéed brussel sprouts, stuffed portobello mushrooms caps, and a grilled corn on the cob with butter. For dessert, I had a huge wedge of chilled watermelon. My lips twitched as I recalled the looks of amazement from the guys. It was always hard for them to believe the amount of food I was able to pack away, even as they sat across from me and watched me eat it.
“Okay…where the hell does it all go?” Gideon demanded as he stared at me in bafflement.
“Yeah!” Sam piped in. “How is it possible for you to eat as much as you do and not get fat? You should feel like puking your brains out by now! You ate way more than I did!” I pursed my lips as my gaze flicked to the half-eaten plate of spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread that was still on Sam’s plate.
“Consider it one of the many wonders of the world guys,” I murmured serenely as I patted my flat abdomen. “Sometimes in life, you just gotta accept what you don’t understand,” I joked. Glancing at them, I could tell they weren’t going to let the topic drop. It was funny that they always seemed obsessed with the amount of food I was able to consume. As we slowly made our way to the Common Room, I finally explained that it was because I never ate bread, rice, or pasta anymore. “The healthier you eat, the more you’re able to eat. That’s my philosophy anyways. You guys never noticed how I always avoid the bread basket?” I demanded skeptically.
Gideon shrugged as he replied, “I thought that was just a girl thing. You know…a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.”
I snorted with amusement as we passed through the doorway of the Common Room. “I think maybe that phrase applies to the sweet stuff, like an entire triple chocolate cheesecake for example, or a whole carton of cookie dough ice cream.” Gideon grinned at me sheepishly as all three of us plopped down on the couch to await Sergeant Ramsey’s arrival.
“In any case, I perform better physically when I eat natural foods and eliminate the processed crap from my diet,” I explained. I briefly raised an eyebrow at him as I contemplated his eating habits. “Ya know, you might want to try my way of eating sometime Gideon. It might just help you with your digestive issues,” I murmured innocently, as I broke eye contact and smirked at the wall. Gideon was highly sensitive about his “tummy troubles” and claimed he always had to run to the bathroom because he believed he had irritable bowel syndrome. Whatever! I had my suspicions that maybe he was just gluten sensitive like I was.
“Ooh! Teagan! Go grab your brush while we wait for the sergeant!” Sam suddenly blurted out loud, snapping me out of my food trance. Once I returned from my room, he patted his lap invitingly with a playful smile as I heard Gideon’s exasperated sigh. Peeking at him from the corner of my eye, I bit my lip as he rolled his eyes at us with annoyance. A few months ago, Gideon had accused Sam of
Learning to Kill: Stories