We biked to my house as the crisp fall sun finally peeked out from behind the heavy clouds. The wet streets shone, and Chip laughed as he rode through a puddle.
I don’t know why, but it made me laugh too.
Cyprian Cusumano looked really beautiful in the golden light.
I did my best not to notice.
Laleh already had the kettle on the stove when we got home. She scooped some tea into the teapot.
“Hey, Laleh,” I said. “You remember Chip?”
“Hey,” said Chip.
Laleh glanced at Chip and blushed.
“Hi,” she murmured. Then she turned back to the counter. “Want to help me smash some hel?”
Chip looked at me.
“Cardamom. For the tea.”
“Oh. Sure.”
Laleh’s blush was spreading from her cheeks to her ears. But she arranged five cardamom pods on a paper towel and folded it over. “It’s easier if you use the bottom of the pot.”
“What do I do?”
“Smash them until they pop open. But you can do it as much as you want.”
Chip grinned, and Laleh gave him a gap-toothed smile.
“Hey.” I knelt and looked at Laleh’s smile. “Did you finally lose that tooth?”
“Yeah. At lunch.” She stuck her tongue through the gap where her canine used to be.
On Laleh’s other side, Chip rolled the bottom of the teapot over the cardamom.
“You have to hit them hard,” Laleh said. “Here.”
Chip handed her the pot. She banged it five times against the counter,whack whack whack whack whack!I winced at the sound.
I usually just pinched them open myself. But Laleh loved smashing hel.
Chip looked at me, his eyes wide.
I chuckled. “Want me to pour the hot water?”
“Sure,” Laleh said.
When our tea was made, we all sat at the table with our homework spread in front of us.
“What’re you working on?” I asked Laleh, who was frowning at her half-finished drawing.
“We’re doing a space unit.”
“Oh. Cool.”
We never did a space unit in regular classes.
