Page 41 of A Dish Best Served Hot

Once Mariana walked away a stilted silence fell over the table again.

“Right. Since it appears that we aren’t going to be productive until you two do this, Yara, I’ve been meaning to touch base with you about Ruby. Did you get a chance to talk to her school?”

Yara nodded. “I made sure to talk to the principals and social workers at all the kids’ schools after the shelter closed and have been in communication almost daily to make sure they are still showing up and doing what they need to do. But I made it a point to talk to Ruby’s school about the situation with that kid in chemistry.”

“Let me guess, they pretended to not know about it and said they’d look into it.”

“Of course. I told them to make sure they did because they didn’t want me showing up there and causing a scene. I talked to Ruby too and told her to let me know if they follow through and if the kid keeps touching her. I know his momma and will handle it myself if need be.”

That was what Lola loved about Yara. Yara knew better than most how the teens in the shelter could get looked over and disregarded and she was willing to step in and be their guard dragon if the situation arose. That was why Lola couldn’t really be annoyed with her despite this whole pissing contest with Saint. Yara was doing what she did best—looking after the people she cared about.

Since El Hogar had closed, a few of the kids had risked returning home. Some were staying with friends. Others had to find shelters outside of Humboldt Park. It broke Lola’s heart to hear—it was as if a family had been separated. El Hogar was unlike anywhere else in that they really created a safe and welcoming community for the residents. It wasn’t just a place where they could survive, but where they could thrive. All because Yara made it clear to anyone who stepped in the building that those kids came first and she would not tolerate anyone behaving differently.

Mariana came back shortly with a large pitcher of ice water, two huge glasses of milk, a basket of bread, and Lola’s regular wings with a side of ranch and veggies. “I’ll be right back with the other wings.” When they came back moments later, they were wearing a pair of latex gloves and a mask over their face as they carried a basket of wings to the table. “I have a pair of gloves for y’all too.” They put the basket in the middle of the table then pulled the gloves out of their pocket and placed them in front of the basket.

Dear God. The spice was so strong that Lola could smell it in the air. She had to blink her eyes because they wanted to water. Lola glanced between Saint and Yara. They both looked like they were regretting their challenge. Then they made eye contact and suddenly the determination was back. Lola watched with growing incredulity as they both put on the gloves. She couldn’t believe they were about to do this.

Next to the table Mariana held their phone up, obviously getting ready to record this shit show. They also must’ve told the other people in the bar what was about to go down, because other people had completely stopped eating, drinking, and talking to watch. Many of them also had phones in their hands.

“Alright, y’all. These are the Hellfire wings made with Carolina Reapers, which have 2.2 million Scoville units.”

“I don’t know what any of that means,” Saint grumbled.

“That means it’s the hottest pepper in the world, bro!” someone yelled from the crowd.

While neither contestant said a word, Lola clearly read thefuckoff both of their facial expressions. She waited for them to back down, but of course neither did.

“Ladies first,” Saint said.

Yara rolled her eyes at him, but reached into the basket and pulled out a drum.

Saint reached in and pulled out a flat.

“On the count of three,” Mariana yelled. Together everyone counted. As soon as they said three, Saint and Yara brought the wings to their mouths. Where Yara took a bite, Saint shoved the whole wing in his mouth and pulled out the two bones.

There was a quiet moment when neither reacted and Lola thought,Maybe it’s not that bad. Then both of their faces changed. Their eyes bugged out of their heads.

“Oh fuck no,” Yara yelled with her mouth full. She shook her head back and forth like a dog whipping around a toy.

Saint’s face scrunched and he began blinking while he chewed. Then he let loose a few coughs.

“Swallow it,” Mariana said.

“Holy fuck,” Yara cried. She too began coughing. Her eyes were streaming with tears.

Saint’s face was bright red and his leg was bouncing up and down. He made a noise unlike anything Lola had ever heard. It was like a wheezy groan. “Why?” he asked.

Lola wasn’t sure if he was asking why it was so hot or why he agreed to do it in the first place. It didn’t matter. The answer was the same. “I don’t know.”

Unable to take any more, Yara spit out what was in her mouth. “Fuck that.” She yanked off the gloves, reached for the milk, and started chugging it.

Lola looked at Saint. He had his eyes squeezed closed, but his cheeks were still wet. His nose was running, but he was still chewing.

“You’ve got this, Saint,” Lola coached. “She spit out her bite. All you have to do is swallow what’s in your mouth and you win.”

He shook his head.

“Come on, you can do this.”

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