Romantic Issues in Home Ec (Zeke and Bebe)

[Bebe Tenko]

Bebe wasn't looking forward to Home Economics. She never was anymore. When Zeke was talking to her, everything was fine and dandy, but he'd just shut up one day. It was as if he didn't even know her... Bebe wanted to keep him as a friend SO BADLY, yet her customary nerve had vanished, just when she needed it most.

Earlier that day, Bebe had stuck a note in Zeke's locker. If she could recall correctly, she'd written, I don't know what your problem is with me, but let's talk about it in Home Ec. We're baking pies today, so no one will hear us over the cover of exploding apple filling.

Bebe loved her negativity sometimes.

She tied an apron around her waist and looked about. Zeke wasn't in class yet... come to think of it, Zeke had ditched class a few times already in the year. It wasn't like the Zeke Bebe knew... or thought she knew.

Bebe remembered that she'd once called Jacob a friend, too. And look how he turned out. Bebe couldn't help but sigh and let one solitary tear fall from her eye.

[Zeke Baylor]

Zeke walked up to his red locker, pissed of at the people around him. They just jumped on the wildcat bandwagon, knowing the barley knew about them. He slammed the bottom locker hoping no one was around to get hurt by the violent kick. "Stupid East High!" he mumbled under his breath.

He then turned his locker, to his numbers to open it, when it opened a folded note fell out. A smile snuck on his face secretly. He then frowned when he picked it up. It was the freaking' redheaded witch, Bebe. He didn't want to talk to that stupid idiot. He then grumbled, about ready to ditch class, though, he didn't need to fail a simple class.

He then opened the wooden door and slammed it out of madness. He then walked over to the teacher, and she smiled. He smiled back, because now he was known as the best cooker in East High. When he faced his back to the teacher, he frowned.

He then put on an apron and looked at the tilted floor. He then looked up, with his eyes, and not moving his hair, and looked at Bebe. If he looked ticked off without that stare, he looked very pissed of now. He then turned to the other side of the kitchen.

He then got everything he needed to get out and awaited for something to happen.

[Bebe Tenko]

Bebe noticed Zeke had come in, looking exceptionally pissed off. Bebe felt some sympathy for him, even though she had no idea why he was mad. Most likely her.

Why did she always fail the people she trusted?

"...Hey Zeke," Bebe said calmly. Suddenly she felt her entire body choking up. Things weren't supposed to happen like this. She was emotionless! Why was she on the verge of tears? "...Is there a reason you...?"

Bebe cut off, rolling her pie crust blankly. She had to take a few seconds to disperse her sudden bout of crying. It came up quickly, and - unfortunately - Bebe knew why. She really missed having Zeke as a friend, and she didn't know why Zeke had left so abruptly.

"Zeke, why did you just start... start treating me so badly?" Bebe finally whimpered as she rolled dough. Her body tensed as she waited for an answer.

[Zeke Baylor]

Zeke heard the whiny voice of Bebe say his name. He rolled his eyes as he rolled the pie crust quickly, but yet perfectly. He then turned around and there eyes met. "What biotch?" he said, not feeling the need to cuss during class, but it had to be some what close to what he wanted to say.

"Is there a reason I what?" he said turning around and totally facing Bebe. He was taller, so he had to look down to see her. Her red hair looked pink, and sort of like a boys haircut. He didn't care, he was in a bad enough mood already.

He then saw her cry and he rolled his eyes. It was a pathetic try to make Zeke come up and cuddle her. He shook his head and softly cut the apples. "Zeke, why did you just start... start treating me so badly?" He then shook his head and stopped chopping.

"When did you become such a wimp? Where did the old Bebe go? If I knew the old Bebe, she wouldn't be over her crying for her old friend to come back. She would make her old friend come back, she would keep trying and not go straight to the symphony level." he said with a glare.

[Bebe Tenko]

Bebe was floored. Absolutely floored. This wasn't the Zeke she remembered at all. She took a knife out of the carving block, dispelling the sudden urge to stab Zeke. She couldn't go doing anything rash. She began to chop apples.

"...Sorry for crying, then," Bebe said harshly. "It's been a crappy day, and your closed-mindedness isn't helping any."

Bebe put the apple slices into her pile of flattened dough, getting angrier by the second. Here she was, in legitimate pain over so many things, and Zeke was being a total jerk. She didn't remind herself that Zeke had no way of knowing why she was so mad, instead going full speed ahead.

"I mean, it's completely normal to just STOP TALKING to people out of the blue and leave them completely confused as to their own feelings, especially if they aren't used to having friends anyway!" Bebe chopped apples with even more angry vigor. "I mean, my one friend got engaged to my sister and ruined my life and sent me to this cesspool of idiots known as East High, with their King, Troy the Amiable MORON, all because I retaliated - I didn't used to be so angry all the time! I didn't used to hate the world!"

Bebe didn't look up from her work. "Yeah, I didn't! Jacob ruined my life, getting engaged to Tamaran, when he KNEW I loved him! I loved the stupid -!"

She cut off suddenly, dropping the knife. She'd finally told someone about Jacob. She'd finally let the weight come off her chest. This was enough to shut off her brain and stop the stream of words.

[Zeke Baylor]

"Okay, it is fine for you to cry." he yelled. "FYI- you’re not actually, you’re not the one, who has only had the freaking crappy day! The world evolve around...," he then put the cut apples in the pan in an angrily manner. He was pissed of as ever to the new Bebe. "YOU!" he yelled and slammed the knife down.

"Well maybe I stopped talking to you because you were changing, and being a jerk!" he yelled it echoing through out the whole room. "Maybe you didn't have many friends because you have been a jerk to them like you are to me RIGHT NOW!" he yelled louder, everyone looking at them.


Zeke then heard Bebe yell about her inner life. Jacob? Who the heck was Jacob? He then heard Bebe drop her knife and stop talking. "What?" he said facing Bebe. He didn't really get all this marriage stuff. I mean, you get to marry who ever you want to. "If you loved him, why didn't you tell your sister?" he asked. It seemed pretty simple to him.

[Bebe Tenko]

Bebe somehow knew that was coming. No one else was a yakuza in this school... far as she knew. And what did Zeke mean, she was being a jerk? She couldn't see what she'd done. Bebe stared at her knife as it shone in the light. She didn't even notice all the people staring at her.

"...Zeke, my family is the most powerful yakuza family in Japan," Bebe explained. "Arranged marriages are the only way to keep the family name going."

Bebe got the feeling Zeke wouldn't really understand the idea of an arranged marriage - after all, it was ridiculously old-fashioned, and sometimes even SHE didn't get it. But she continued anyway. "My sister's the beautiful one. It's always been that way. I'm gonna run the business, but Tamaran will get the money and the fame and the man...

"But Jacob recently called me. He said he wanted to end his engagement... to go with me." Bebe did her best to not cry again. She forlornly rolled another pie-crust, biting her lip and speaking through her teeth. "And after years of getting over him, slowly, surely... and I..." Bebe cut off. "I mean, I'm in a relationship now. I wouldn't give it up for the world. But my heart wants him still... even though a bigger part of my heart is committed to my boyfriend and this school... and my friends."

Bebe smiled wearily. "And that brings us here. I... I really don't want to lose you, because you're really the only male friend I have. We were best friends, I thought..."

Bebe returned to her food. Best friends. An odd term. First with Emma, then with Zeke... but Emma was always so happy to see her, and didn't question anything at all. Zeke, in contrast, just stopped talking to her out of the blue.

"...Why did you just stop talking to me?"

[Zeke Baylor]

Zeke cocked his head to the side. He was really confused at this marriage thing. Japan, is really weird! They don't have the freedom to who they marry? Zeke thought that was a big rip off. Zeke then turned to Bebe, and realized he was being a jerk.

"Is you sister hot?" he said in a joking manner, and then hugging Bebe. He then realized he wasn't allowed to touch anyone. He then jumped off and took a big step back. "I forgot." he said in defense.

"Who do you think is hotter? Chad or Jacob?" he said trying to help. "I mean if you take Jacob, and your sister is hot... I will be HAPPY to take her." he said with a smile. He then forgot about Emma. He loved Emma! So what was he doing now, right in front of Bebe. "Never mind." he said quickly.


"I... I.... I..." he started to wonder why he did just stop talking to Bebe, out of the blue. "Well, I just got pissed of when you said you were dating Chadster." he said. He then shrugged and looked at Bebe.

He then started to sprinkle cinnamon on his pie, for a special taste. He then added more apples and then made more dough. He then looked around at the people staring at them. "What the heck is your problem?" he yelled.

[Bebe Tenko]

Bebe giggled at Zeke yelling at the (now completely shell-shocked) younger classmen, reminding herself why she became friends with Zeke in the first place.

"It's fine if you're hugging me, by the way. Chad really doesn't care," Bebe smirked. "He's so nice like that." Bebe peeled an apple delicately with a small blade, making the waste trim, neat, and ready for the compost heap.

Bebe narrowed her eyes. She seriously just thought of an Ed Edd n Eddy line. She couldn't remember the last time, in her emotional upheaval, that she thought of any cartoon she used to watch, or any TV show she'd seen.

"I get the feeling you don't quite understand why the marriage is so important," Bebe admitted. "Well... let me put it like this. My family has no sons. When it became clear that Tamaran would be far more beautiful than I will ever be, she was given the duty of getting married to a powerful family. In comes the Cervantes family.

"Their eldest son is Jacob Cervantes." Bebe exhaled slowly, controlling herself. "He and I have been... had been... were... well, we've known each other since birth, basically. I loved him... so much. So very much. I thought he loved me.

"But the needs of the family come first. I'm going to take over the business, and Tamaran is going to expand our wealth. The Cervantes family is powerful. And I know what you're thinking - what difference does it make which Tenko he marries? It's a world of difference. Jacob needs to continue his name, and I need to continue mine."

Bebe dumped the pile of carved, peeled apples into her basin of dough. "But that's all done with. I genuinely love Chad... I'd never give him up, not for anything. And unless he has an aneurism and forgets who I am or something, that's not going to change." Bebe grinned wickedly at Zeke. "Something tells me you have someone like that in your life now, anyway."

[Zeke Baylor]

Zeke nodded as he tried to understand. Once Bebe was done with it he said he understood even though he had no idea what she was talking about. "Interesting. So forget about Jacob. Next time he calls hand the phone to me okay?" he said remembering something about Jacob and Chad earlier. He really didn't get it but oh well.

"Someone in my life?? Nah." he said lying. He knew he was but he really didn't care. "Zeke has all the ladies on him, but he doesn't have one as a girlfriend." he said with a smile.

He then started to put the dough on top of the pie crust to finish the pie. He then put little holes in it to let it heat up in the oven. He smiled as he did it, because he had his friend back. He then preheated the oven and turned back to Bebe.


"So why do you ask?"

[Bebe Tenko]

"You weren't mad at me for refusing your advances. You were mad because I was... acting weird, in your words," Bebe noted. "You're usually mad at me because of guys... so I figured you'd got a girlfriend and didn't really care anymore."

Bebe began to place the pie crust over her pile of apples before realizing that she'd forgotten some cinnamon. She reached over Zeke's arm, grabbing the bottle of cinnamon.

"But maybe you've just matured," Bebe finished almost nonchalantly. "...Seems like everyone's gotten so different. I mean, Sharpay's all nice... and Miss Emma isn't a follower anymore... It's interesting."

Bebe sprinkled cinnamon into her pie lightly. "Are you gonna try out for the musical, Zeke?"

[Zeke Baylor]

"Well, I have no idea why Sharpay started acting all nice... and un-Sharpay like. Though Emma on the other hand I know why.” he said with a smile. He wasn't gonna tell Bebe, for fun. He then heard the oven beep and he put the pie in the oven.

"Musical? I was... but now I probably won't." he said his voice fading. He then turned to Bebe and looked at her. "You changed to you know." he said with a frown. "Why?" he asked. "Other then the Jacob and Chad thingy." he said looking at the teacher who was looking at the kids, who were still looking at them.

"Need any help?" he said pointing to the pie. He then played with the dough, being bored to death. He then put each left over dough into a large circle. He then stole the cinnamon and sprinkled it on the 4 large circles.

He then sprinkled sugar on it being bored. He then opened up the oven door and put each circle in the oven. He didn't know how it was going to turn out but oh well, he finished early and well he had nothing to do.

[Bebe Tenko]

Bebe could feel the eyes boring into her skull. Kids... so stupid... she turned to the nearest one, a wannabe cheerleader with dead blonde hair.

"What're you looking at?" Bebe demanded to know. THe cheerleader jumped and looked away. Bebe smirked - hopefully this would start a chain reaction amongst the rest of the conformist drones. Bebe turned back to Zeke.

"Well, if you wouldn't mind, yes I do need help," Bebe noted. She showed Zeke her deflating pie. "It's... a mess. A big mess. Haha... actually, just the top crust..."

Bebe lifted the top crust off the pie. "Should I give this pie to Chad? Or my mom?"

[Zeke Baylor]

Zeke smiled at the yelling Bebe. He didn't mean to but... it was like a hook was pulling his corners of his mouth up. Forming a smile. He laughed and shook his head. "Bebe..." he said.”Oh help? Okay." he smiled.


He took the pie from Bebe. "First..." he said holding the lose upper pie loosely. "You put it on top." he smiled and then put the bad dough on Bebe's hair. "Once I fix it... give it to Mom. Chad doesn't like people who bake. Remember?" he said. "When Troy and Gabs sang and everybody... yeah." he said hoping she remembered.

Zeke then got some more dough and put it on top of the pie. He did his work and then put it in the oven. "That is how you do it." he said crossing his arm.

[Bebe Tenko]

Bebe laughed hysterically as Zeke put the crappy pie crust on her head. She took it off and let it fall into the trash can. "My HEAD isn't a trash bin!" Bebe couldn't stop giggling at the absurdity of it all... but a big part of her was relieved that Zeke wasn't being surly anymore.

"Well... I just thought, you know, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach," Bebe shrugged. "Although baking... I think that... Chad just didn't like people going outside of their specific roles. You know, like how you were the jock, and I was the gangster... and now you're on your way to the best culinary school in the West, and I'm dating one of the most popular guys in school.

"I'm grateful to Troy and Gabi for... for singing. It changed a lot... A LOT a lot."

Bebe then gave Zeke a rather creepy smile. "Yeah, my mom would like this. I haven't made her anything since fourth grade... she'd appreciate the effort."

Bebe peered into the oven, letting her Union Jack dangling earrings hit the sides of her cheeks. She grinned. "It looks really good... Thank you." Bebe smirked. "I'm glad you... you understand."