When he notices me watching, he says, "It's not because I'm a fancy pants. I just don't want to burn my fingers.”
“You could wait for it to cool down?”
“I’m too hungry for that.” He uses his fork and knife to lift a slice to his plate and efficiently cuts it up.
We busy ourselves with food, and I mostly eat the hot and spicy, since it’s my favourite flavour. Jude tries a slice of it, and I begin to warn him, but it’s too late, and he has to chug down a glass of water while blinking tears out of our eyes.
Everyone, including Jude, laughs. He pushes away his plate. “I can’t finish this.”
“I’ll take it,” I say. He nods, and I pick it up and take a bite, savouring the way the jalapeno mixes with sauce and beef and melted cheese.
“Indirect kiss,” Ricky says.
The girls giggle, and Ethan rolls his eyes. Jude pinks, though.
“Don’t worry,” I say. “They’re just joking.”
After a while, Mimi and Lily are full, and soon after, Jude is too. Ricky, Ethan and I carry on. I’ve got a big appetite — at home, I always eat a larger serving than my parents since I’m a growing boy and all that.
“So, Jude,” Ethan begins, a piece of crust in one hand that he’s finishing off. “What’s it like to go to school with your mum as the principal?”
Jude finishes off a glass of water before answering. “Unremarkable.”
“Come on, it must be a bit weird,” Mimi says. “Has she ever told you off at school?”
“I’m sure she has a long time ago.”
“So your mum was the principal before Easton Grammar?” Ricky asks.
“Yes,” Jude answers. He doesn’t meet anyone’s eyes as he pours himself another glass of water. “In Melbourne.”
“Have you ever gotten sent to the principal’s office?”
“Does she make you do your homework?”
“Is she super strict?”
“Do you call her ‘Mum’ or ‘Ms Seymour’?”
“Does she get mad if you get bad grades?”
“Does she shit-talk other teachers?”
“What happens if you make her look bad?”
It’s a barrage of never-ending questions. Jude pours himself several glasses of water, taking his time to sip and swallow before answering.
Eventually, he excuses himself to use the loo.
“I’m not surprised he needs to piss,” Mimi says after he’s gone. “Did you see how many cups of water he drank?”
“He was uncomfortable. Couldn’t you see he didn’t want to answer all those questions?” I say.
“Come on,” Ethan says, rolling his eyes. “It’s not like we asked anything invasive. Besides, he didn’t tell us to stop.”
“Listen,” I say, lowering my voice even though Jude is out of earshot. “Drop the mum stuff.”
“I don’t know why it’s such a big deal,” Ethan replies. “You’d be fine if we asked you about your parents. Lily didn’t care when we talked about her dad’s cakes.”
