The group soon arrived at a place for lunch, much to the relief of Ken who felt his stomach protest. He hadn't eaten anything since before the plane ride this morning.
As they got out of the bus, Ken's attention moved to the restaurant nearby.
"Willy's Mexicana? Howlin' hot chicken? What kind of name is that…" He muttered, wearing a weird expression.
"Oh man, I love chicken wings." Steve exclaimed, donning a big smile.
"Don't dilly dally, let's go inside. I've got some work to do."
Coach Wyatt was like a mother duck as he tried to usher the players into the building. After getting the proverbial kick up the rear by the Chairman of the WWBA, he needed to create a profile for Ken as soon as possible.
They quickly entered, being assaulted by a delicious, mouthwatering smell.
Ken felt his stomach grumble loudly as the scent drilled its way into his nose. Whatever it was, he was going to devour it soon.
Without even finding a seat, Ken went up to the counter and looked at the pictures of the delicious foods on offer.
"Can I please grab the Willy's classic sandwich, a 12 pack of wings, coleslaw and some fries thanks." He asked, doing his best to keep his saliva within the confines of his mouth.
"Oh, are you ordering for me too? You're the best." Steve stated, placing his hand on Ken's shoulder.
Ken turned to him with a straight face, "This is all for me…"
"Ah…"
"That will be $27.65." The young lady behind the counter stated.
"Sorry, can you add another classic sandwich on please?"
Ken felt a little sorry for Steve who had very little spending money while they were away this week, so he decided to throw the guy a bone.
"Thank you so much… You're such a good friend." Steve exclaimed, tears almost pouring out of his eyes.
Shrugging off the emotional guy, Ken waited by the side, his eyes locked onto the kitchen staff. He was so hungry that he had to resist the urge to go out the back and make it himself.
Seeing that his friend was hangry, Steve kept his mouth shut. He had an uncanny ability to sense when and when not to talk to Ken, almost like they were a couple.
Perhaps some of the people at school still thought they were a couple, but it no longer bothered Steve who had been seeing Stephanie since prom.
When Ken's number was called, he swooped in like a vulture and grabbed the tray, heading to the nearest table. Without bothering to grab any cutlery or napkins, he quickly dug into the sandwich with ferocity.
The overabundant lettuce was flung out with every bite, but he didn't seem to care. The slight heat and the acidity of the pickles and sauce caused his taste buds to dance in euphoria.
Only after demolishing his sandwich did Ken take a moment to breathe. His eyes moved to Steve who was just sitting there, staring at him.
"What are you waiting for? Eat something." He said, ripping into the closest chicken wing.
Now that he'd received permission, Steve let out a sigh of relief and grabbed the sandwich, helping himself. He let out a groan of satisfaction, reveling in the flavor.
It wasn't until they'd almost completed the food that Steve dared to spark some conversation.
"Did I ever tell you about what happened at prom between me and Steph?" He asked, wiping his face with a napkin.
Ken sent him a glare, "Don't bring up the prom again. I still haven't forgiven you for throwing me under the bus."
Steve shrunk back, regretting his wording. "A—Ah, I was just saying… It turned out that you were right."
"About what?"
"Well… The short of it is, she was jealous." Steve said, his features softening. "When I left homeschooling and started going to McCallum, apparently I stopped talking to her as much."
"She started seeing me with other girls and began to pull away. And instead of trying to chase after her, I just gave her space." He stated with a wry smile.
"Yeah, you're pretty stupid." Ken replied, throwing another fry into his mouth.
Steve froze, considering whether or not to react to the statement. However, under his calm judgment, he managed to keep himself from making a mistake.
"…Anyway. It looks like I'm officially off the market." He said, wearing a grin.
"Mmm, congrats." Ken replied, nodding. "Just be careful of Sarah, she'll be coming for Steph when the next prom comes around."
Steve's eyes widened in disbelief, unsure if Ken was being serious or not. His smile was the same one that he showed when it came to punishing him during training, causing Steve to feel uneasy.
"W—What do you mean by that?" He stammered.
Ken shrugged, turning his attention to the coleslaw left on his plate. "I gave you the heads up, my job is done here."
Before Steve could ask again, Latrell, Max and Nico appeared beside them with their food trays in hand. "Got room for us?"
The two moved over in the booth, allowing the others to take a seat.
"Damn, you guys are finished already?" Max commented with shock. They had only enough time to order and receive their food, yet the other two were already done eating.
"Everything I do is fast." Ken commented, leaning back in his chair.
Everyone's face turned weird in that moment, turning to Ken with question.
Steve smiled mischievously, "Everything huh? I feel sorry for your girlfriend."
"What!? Ken has a girlfriend?"
Ken frowned, only to suddenly understand what Steve was getting at. His face turned red in the next moment and he spluttered, "N—Not everything alright. I like to take my time in some things."
"Haha, yeah sure buddy." Steve waved his hand dismissively.
"Bro, talk to me when you finally lose your virginity. Until then, I am still your Sensei." Ken shot back scathingly.
"Ah…" Steve held his heart, acting as if the words cut him deep. In reality, he had no ground to stand on.
Nico, Max and Latrell were speechless after arriving amidst the lovers quarrel. Just as they were about to try and make an excuse to leave, Ken and Steve both burst out into laughter.
"Hahahaha."
The laughter cut through the tense atmosphere, allowing the three to breathe a sigh of relief. However, they still felt unsure of the relationship between the two.