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"So, it's just us?" Paula asks, following Sunny into the forest.
"Yep! Katy, Ma-san, and Lammy are practicing for their concert, Parappa and PJ are helping them, and I honestly have no idea where Matt is." Sunny answered, swinging her picnic basket back and forth.
"Hmm." Paula hummed. The rest of their walk to the clearing was filled with the sounds of nature.
Sunny stopped walking and looked around. "Here we are. Can you put the blanket down for me?"
She grabbed the blanket from Sunny and laid it onto the ground before kneeling next to it, smoothing out any wrinkles before scooting onto it. Sunny did the same, placing the basket full of food in front of them.
Next came the plates, forks, cups, and napkins, each being carefully placed on the blanket before the food and drinks were brought out.
Paula looked at the food that Sunny took out of the basket and tilted her head. It seemed to be just…noodles.
Paula reached past Sunny and took the basket to see if there was any other food that was packed.
There wasn’t.
“Hey Sunny, you did remember to bring everything, right?”
Sunny hummed in thought while looking what was laid out on the blanket. “Yep! Everything’s here.”
Paula took one of the water bottles and drank from it, mentally preparing herself to eat these noodles.
Sunny handed her one of the plates and a fork before loading up her plate.
Paula looked at her plate, then back to Sunny. She seemed to be enjoying her own plate so maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as Paula initially thought it would be.
She took her fork and twirled it around in her pasta before bringing it to her mouth.
It was incredibly bland and tasteless, and Paula hoped that there was something- anything -to cover it up.
She swallowed the bite and took her water bottle again and washed away the lack-of-taste that stayed in her mouth.
Paula looked back to Sunny, who was already almost finished with her plate and reaching for seconds.
The flower girl looked at Paula’s plate and frowned. “Aren’t you hungry?”
She shook her head and pushed her plate towards Sunny. “I kinda ate before we came out here.”
Sunny shrugged, taking Paula’s plate and eating the food off of it.
Paula really hadn’t eaten all day and was starving, but she wasn’t too keen on telling Sunny the truth.
Well, that had been the plan before her stomach started to growl.
Sunny immediately stopped eating and looked at Paula again.
“I thought you said that you already ate?”
Paula blushed from embarrassment and turned away. “I-I did!”
“What’d you eat then?” She asked, putting the plates down.
“It doesn’t…it doesn’t matter!” Her voice started rising.
Sunny frowned once more. “Are you sure? You can always tell me the truth! We’re friends, right?”
Paula sighed and faced Sunny again.
“You really want the truth?”
She nodded.
“Okay then, you asked for it. The food you brought is really bland and I can’t stand eating it.”
Sunny blinked but kept a straight face before tears started pouring out of her eyes. “Oh.”
Paula cursed under her breath when she saw Sunny starting to pack everything up.
“Sunny, what are you doing?”
“What does it look like?” She replied, her voice kind of shaky. “If you were so miserable eating it why are we still here?”
“Sunny…” Paula hated seeing one of her friends so sad, especially if it was her own fault.
Paula thought for a moment before coming up with an idea. “Maybe…uh…maybe tomorrow we could go to your house and learn to cook together?”
Sunny paused from putting the noodles away and turned to Paula again. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m a lousy chef and you want to improve, right? We could try to help each other learn…” She started to trail off, suddenly doubting her idea.
Sunny though, she smiled.
“You'd really try to help me learn to cook better?" She asked, wiping a stray tear from her eye.
Paula nodded her head, trying to avoid eye contact.
Sunny beamed before leaning over the food and hugging Paula tightly. Paula gasped at the sudden action, and unsure of what to do, pat Sunny's head a few times before wrapping her arms around the short flower-headed girl.
She sighed as she looked over Sunny's head to the half-packed food.
Tomorrow was gonna be a long day.