Breakfast at the Brownstone was never a quiet affair.
Today was no different.
A glob of porridge made a splat on the wall, right next to Neil's head as he walked in.
Lucky misses were commonplace around here.
"Wanna say that again, Herry?" Atlanta goaded, her spoon already loaded with the next spoonful of porridge. "Go on, I dare you. See if you can dodge this one too."
Atlanta's stood in her hunter's stance at the far end of the kitchen, her bowl of porridge cupped by her elbow and a look of malice on her face. Herry was sitting at the kitchen bench with a large bowl of cereal in front of him, having just ducked away from Atlanta's first shot.
"Dude, I just meant that girls can't bench press as much as guys. Chill, man." Herry begged, his hands held up in the air. Herry turned to Neil for support. "Women, huh? Must be her period or something."
Atlanta's look of malice turned to one of frustration and pure loathing.
"Period? Period?! That's it!" Another glob of porridge flew across the room, and Herry only just dodged it this time.
If only Jay had been as lucky: it hit him square in the chest, and Jay took a few moments before he lifted his hand and wiped it off his shirt.
"Atlanta, what's going on?" Jay asked somewhat angrily, still wiping at his shirt.
Atlanta turned to glare at Jay, opening her mouth ready to let fly a string of angry words.
Jay jumped in quickly- "Okay, okay. I'm going now…" He began to back out of the room, before turning and running altogether once he was past the doorway. A glint of success flashed across Atlanta's face before she turned back to Herry.
"Now, did you have any more to say?" Atlanta asked, loading up another spoonful and simultaneously eyeing off Herry and Neil. "And don't you start!" She spat at Neil, as Neil looked like he might butt in.
"I'm not saying ANYTHING more around here." Herry responded quickly, jumping off his stool and dropping his half-eaten breakfast in the sink. Atlanta looked like she might let fly another glob, but luckily she seemed to restrain herself at the last minute.
"Good. You should respect us girls around here." Herry quickly hurried out the door too, Neil following in close pursuit now. As they headed out, they bumped into Athena, whom was carrying a huge pile of washing. Herry pulled her aside insistently.
"Athena?" He asked, looking at her desperately.
"What is it, Herry?" Athena asked kindly, her eyes darting to Atlanta's still-tense form in the kitchen. "Something up with you kids?"
Herry gulped, then spoke. "I think Atlanta's, like, on her period or something… can you make her be nice to us again?" Herry asked desperately, a look of need in his eyes. Athena chuckled.
"Herry, if I had to live with so many teenage boys, I'd probably feel a bit angry too. Have you considered what it's like for a girl surrounded by men? You're not the cleanest…"
Neil responded, wounded. "Hey, I'm neat!"
Athena's eyes darted threateningly to Neil before she looked back at Herry.
"You're not who I'm talking about, Neil." Athena said warningly.
"Are you guys talking about me?!" Atlanta demanded from the kitchen, sitting down now at least.
"Of course not!" Athena responded easily, before looking straight back at Herry and Neil. "You guys go easy on her, okay?"
Herry began to speak, but Athena cut him off again. "And that means no snacking on other people's food." Athena eyeballed Herry as she began to walk off. "Okay?"
Herry nodded mutely at Athena before he turned back to Neil.
"Man, living with girls is hard."