Excitement bubbled inside of me as I reached the school's doors. Today, one of America's most known chefs would come to pay a visit around lunch time. I wanted to look presentable, so I changed my usual ponytail for a messy, curly, up-do. I decided to wear one of my new shirts and my best pair of jeans. I was even wearing makeup.

Exhaling, I pushed the doors. I couldn't act like a groupie. Bryan wouldn't approve, and he was the boss. Still, it was James Olander. The man had several restaurants around the world, a cooking show and many cookbooks that cost a fortune each. And we'll be sharing the same air. It was impossible not to be excited.

"Good morning!" I said loudly before placing my backpack behind the front desk.

"Oh. It's you." A girl's voice said behind me. My smile faded as I turned around to find Tom's girlfriend. To make things worse, she looked as stunning as ever. Ugh. The magazines didn't do her justice. Long beachy waves cascaded down her shoulders complimenting the tight white dress that hugged her perfectly. Could she be more freaking perfect?

I tried not to compare myself to her, but I was so underdressed. "Hi," I said as I held my stomach.

She raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow before staring at her French manicure. "Tom and Bryan are upstairs."

"Thank you." She didn't even look up. It was like talking to a wall.

I couldn't see what Tom saw in her. Okay. I could. She's pretty, but only on the outside. I rather have freckles and faded jeans than be rotten on the inside.

"Hi Jess!" Tom's smile was the first thing I saw after entering the kitchen's lab. "We were just talking about you." I glanced at Bryan leaned on the counter with his arms crossed looking apathetic as always. This guy. "James is coming today but we're swamped with paperwork," Tom gestured to the pile of manila folders next to Bryan, "And my mate here, suggested that you could cook lunch for us."

I had to repeat his words in my head a few times before I got it right. Bryan wants me to cook lunch for three ridiculously talented chefs? This was payback for almost breaking his coffee machine.

My mouth fell open as Tom's grin widened. "Isn't that a great idea?" He kept on going and I closed my mouth, only to open it again to protest, but nothing came out. My heartrate was already in overdrive as he went on, "Remember that you can cook a great meal in under thirty minutes." It was one of his stupid show's motto. I'd always found it funny and charming but right now, it didn't make sense. At all.

Bryan rolled his eyes. "Tom, do you ever try to stop selling your books?" he shook his head before uncrossing his arms. "However, since you're working with us, I think it's the best opportunity for you to show off your cooking."

Right. The same day James Olander comes over for lunch. Because why the freaking hell not?

I clasped my lips together in a tight line.

"There are like 300 dollars here," Tom handed me a Surfas' debit card. I admit it. Surfas was one of the most exclusive gourmet stores in the city. I'd visited it a few times, but every time I did, I'd came out with my hands empty. It's super expensive. Nevertheless, today I wasn't excited. Panicked, worried or freaked out was more like it.

Bryan's smug expression didn't go unnoticed. This whole thing felt like a test. Like in one of those cooking shows in the TV. Awesome. Freaking awesome.

Trying to find the positive side, I didn't have half the nation observing my every movement. I just had to be careful not to screw things up. Or at least be careful so no one notices if I do.

You can do it Jess. I mean, lunch is the simplest meal of the day, right? I took a deep breath and braced myself for this test. I smiled confidently to Tom and took the card in my right hand ─ignoring Bryan's scrutinizing stare. "How much time do I have to prep?" I was totally bluffing. I hoped they didn't notice that I was just repeating the same terms Tom used in his cooking shows.

Tom's lips tugged up once more. He glanced at Bryan who had raised an eyebrow, looking entertained as hell. "You have almost two hours, plenty of time to get everything ready," Tom glanced at his phone's screen. "Please make something vegetarian for Nadia. She's very picky about this sort of things."

Figures. The girl probably doesn't eat more than spinaches. "Sure."

Bryan's lips twitched as I passed next to him. Glad you're finding this funny. He pushed himself away from the counter and walked beside me. "You should probably get her something from the coffee shop," he said in a low voice. "She's insufferable."

I bit the inside of my cheek not to snort or laugh. Bryan got that right. Although insufferable wasn't the word I'd use for her. Still, his warning was welcomed. "Thanks."

He bobbed his head and a beautiful smile lit up his whole face. "Brake a leg, Simmons."

Yeah. Right. I was sure that this was his idea. However, I was going to prove him that I could actually cook. I just needed to call Juno for minor directions.

It was the first thing I did I walked down the street to get to the store. "Hi Juno," I chirped in as soon as someone answered.

"My voice is pretty masculine. How can you confuse me with Juno!" My stupid brother argued quite offended.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Seth, I need to talk to Juno, like right now."

"Why?" He asked in a teasing tone. I could see him laying down on the couch in front of the TV like the complete sack of potatoes he usually was.

"Seriously, my job is on the line here!"

"Sheesh, take a chill pill, sis!" I was about to stomp my foot, very maturely done, of course, when he added, "she's not here. She had to do something with whoever."

Shaking my head, I sighed. "I do wonder how you get good grades, Seth. See you later." I hung up sighing defeatedly.

I had no idea what to do. So, I did the most sensible thing anyone could do: I googled impressive easy recipes, because I am a chef in training, right?

My lips tugged up as walked inside Surfas. Oh my God. The place was amazing. I was assaulted with the exotic scent of spices. My mouth watered at the fragrance of fresh baked bread, and my heart started racing as I glimpsed a whole aisle dedicated to chocolate. This was heaven.

Two hours wouldn't be enough to explore the whole store. I couldn't help but admire every little product that I didn't know existed. So many things I'd never seen in my life; different fruits from exotic countries, weird-named spices and so on. I had to drag myself to get the ingredients because I wanted to see it all.

I almost had a heart attack when the cashier said the total amount of my basket. Especially since it was pretty empty to begin with and I wasn't getting anything foreign or weird. Hesitantly, I passed him the card. It didn't feel good to spend so much money, but at the end, it wasn't for me. Plus, they were probably used to all this fancy gourmet stuff.

I made a Greek salad and kebabs with mint. For dessert, I baked my grandma's brownie recipe because I knew they were a crowd pleaser. I knew I'd played it safe but I didn't want to screw things up in this new amazing job.

The chef arrived as I was finishing up the salad. In all the cooking shows that I love, the chef always sprinkles herbs and pours a little bit of olive oil, so I did the same, hoping that my dish would look more professional like that.

The lunch went well. I followed Bryan's advice and didn't cook for Nadia. I got her a salad already prepared, and I she ate it whole. I was pretty sure that if I'd made it, she wouldn0t have enjoyed it as much.

Chef James turned out to be a funny man. He joked around all the time and he seemed to enjoy my food. Especially the brownies, he devoured three of them. Before he left, he told me the simplest dishes were the greatest. I wasn't sure if that was a compliment, but I felt proud of myself.

All in all, Bryan's smile at the end of the day, let me know that I'd passed his test.

It was the best feeling ever.

Ok. So I don't know why but starting to write this story has been really hard. I really didn't know what to write or where I wanted the story to go...and it feels like I owe it to all of you that have repeatedly asked me to update this. Or any other story.

So thank you. Seriously. If you hadn't asked me to, I wouldn't be pulling my brains out to write this. (By the way, I now know where I want to go with this, so this has to be easier, right?) ;)

I'm aming to finish this for NaNo. So there's going to be a gazillion mistakes...probably more tan ever. Sorry in advance for that!

Thank you all for being so awesome!!!