(POV: Ethan)
It started, like most ridiculous things in our friend group, with Leo making an offhand comment.
"I don't think spice really affects me that much," he said casually over lunch.
I froze mid-bite. Sophia's drink nearly slipped from her hands. Ava, ever the instigator, leaned forward with a devious grin.
"Oh? No spice? At all?"
Leo shrugged. "Not really. I mean, I've never really thought about it."
I turned to Sophia. Sophia turned to Ava. We all turned to Leo.
"Leo, we're making a bet," Ava declared.
"A challenge," Sophia corrected.
"A stupid challenge," I added, mostly for my own conscience, which was promptly ignored.
Leo blinked. "Okay."
Just like that, the Spiciest Food Challenge was born.
---
Phase One: Overpreparation
The challenge was simple: Leo had to eat the spiciest thing we could find without reacting. But for some reason, we took this way too seriously.
I read scientific articles on capsaicin tolerance. "Apparently, drinking milk beforehand coats your stomach! We should do preemptive dairy training."
Sophia spent hours watching videos of competitive eaters. "We need to desensitize him. Start with jalapeños, move up to ghost peppers. Maybe rub hot sauce on his tongue every morning?"
Ava, however, had the most chaotic approach. She booby-trapped Leo's food, adding increasing amounts of spice to everything he ate. Breakfast? A dash of habanero. Lunch? Carolina Reaper flakes. By dinner, she was sprinkling ghost pepper powder onto his fries like it was table salt.
Leo, unfazed, kept eating.
"Food tastes a little weird lately," he mused.
Ava grinned. "No idea why."
---
Phase Two: Sabotage
Somewhere along the way, the challenge stopped being about Leo's spice tolerance and became a war between me, Sophia, and Ava. Each of us had our own ideas on how the challenge should go—and each of us wanted to be the mastermind behind Leo's downfall.
I, worried for Leo's well-being, tried sneaky interventions. I swapped out the spiciest dish with a milder version when no one was looking. I preemptively placed ice water next to Leo. I even—at one point—considered bribing the restaurant staff to "accidentally" lose the hottest sauces.
Sophia, meanwhile, went full coach mode. "We need psychological warfare." She played videos of people suffering from hot wings. She whispered, "The spice is coming for you," at random intervals. She convinced a first-year to fake cry while holding a chili pepper, just to get into Leo's head.
Ava? Ava simply ordered the hottest dish possible and sat back, ready to watch chaos unfold.
---
Phase Three: The Challenge
The moment arrived. A special dish was prepared at the local food stall—a plate of noodles so red it looked like lava. The chef, a battle-hardened old man who had witnessed countless spice-related tragedies, warned us.
"No refunds."
I gulped. Sophia cracked her knuckles. Ava practically vibrated with anticipation. Leo, as always, was just…there.
"Go," Ava whispered.
Leo picked up his chopsticks and took a bite.
We leaned in.
He chewed. Swallowed. Picked up another bite. Ate that too.
Absolute silence.
He kept going.
Nothing. No reaction. Not a bead of sweat. Not a flinch. Not even a slightly wider blink.
By the time he finished, I was gripping the edge of the table like a man in distress. Sophia looked like her entire worldview had shattered. Ava? Ava was experiencing what could only be described as emotional whiplash.
Leo set his chopsticks down. "That was pretty good."
The chef stared. The entire stall stared. Somewhere in the distance, a dog whimpered, sensing a disturbance in the universe.
"That's it?" Ava croaked.
Leo wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Yeah. Kinda tangy."
Tangy.
TANGY?!
Sophia threw her hands in the air. I looked physically ill. Ava banged her forehead against the table.
"What—HOW?!" she shouted.
Leo thought for a moment. "I guess I just don't register spice the same way?"
"You mean to tell me we spent weeks prepping, sabotaging, and mentally tormenting you, and you weren't even slightly concerned?!"
Leo sipped his drink. "Concerned about what?"
I buried my face in my hands.
Ava looked ready to scream.
Sophia shook her head. "You know what? No. I refuse to believe this."
She took a bite of the noodles. Instant regret.
Her face turned red. Tears welled up. She fanned her mouth desperately. "WHY DID I DO THAT?!"
I immediately handed her ice water. Ava, stubborn to the end, took a bite too. She lasted three seconds before flailing wildly, knocking over an entire tray of napkins in her suffering.
Leo watched as we self-destructed. "Maybe you should've trained more."
I groaned. Ava, through gasping breaths, wheezed, "I hate you so much right now."
Leo smiled. "Want some milk?"
Sophia could only glare through the pain. I simply sighed.
Ava swore revenge.
And Leo? Leo just enjoyed the rest of his day, completely unaware of the chaos he had once again, effortlessly, left in his wake.
___
End of Chapter 21.