“Well, ya gotta take out all the goop first.” I explained. I mean, it was kinda obvious.

Kyle looked up to me, face filled with dreaded disgust. You’d think we were dissecting a cow eye in biology class or something.

“Here,” I moved over to his side of the sidewalk spoon in hand. “Use this. It’ll scrape all the edges down.”

I held the large spoon out to him, pumpkin guts draped across like slimy Spanish moss.

He shook his head. “No.”

“Are you kidding me? Afraid of a little pumpkin. Really?”

He stood up, placing the pumpkin back on the ground. “It’s gross. There’s no way I’m doing this.”

“Oh don’t be a baby.”

“No. You didn’t say it’d be like . . . that.”

“Well, how was I supposed to know you were squeamish. Carving out all the slimy stuff is the best part!”

“That’s great and all but I’m heading back in. You have fun.”

“Tch,” I scoffed. Coppin’ out on roommate bonding time. Not on my watch.

“No way.” I grabbed his arm. “You ain’t gettin’ out of this that easily.”

“Saywer, I’m really not in the mood.”

I scowled. “You never are!”

“Well maybe you should pick things we both enjoy doing.”

I went off, sticking a finger in his grumpy face. “You were the one who agreed to do this in the first place. I went out and st- . . . got these pumpkins just for this. You should’ve told me beforehand that you weren’t even interested. That’s on you pal.”

He pushed the finger from his face. “You’re not blaming this on me.”

“I’m not blaming anyone, but if we’re playing the blame game here, it’s definitely you who’s at fault.”

“Oh yeah?” Kyle cocked his neck out defensively. “Well, who even likes roommate bonding time anyway. It’s pointless, dumb, and a waste of my time!”

“You take that back!”

He paused before saying. “Make me.”

My eyes flared, before glancing down to my filthy hands and the half-carved pumpkin at our feet. An idea coming to mind.

Kyle’s eyes grew wide. “No.”

I smiled.

“No, Sawyer, don’t.”

I grinned wider and in a flash had the pumpkin in hand. Ammo at the ready, I launched myself at him.

He’ll never admit it but he screamed like a little boy when I shoved a handful of pumpkin guts down the back of his shirt. Meanwhile I cackled with maniacal joy. And people say roommate bonding time is useless.