Author's Note: The joke at the end of the story is from a jokes page that I got off of yahoo.

HeartsAndLies: I never considered Avery and OC hating each other. Hmm. There's Maternal Rizzo, MILF Janny, Drunk Silky, Slut Verchota, Rammer the Virgin, Mac the best friend. Did I miss anybody? hehe I hope you like the update.
"Did you tell him you're like a fly?" Kimberly Lucas asked her sister over the phone.

Avery was leaning against the kitchen wall, one hand being the weight for the arm that was holding the phone up to her ear. "Yeah. He actually finds that endearing. Jenny and Julia hate it when I'm sniffing around other people's food."

Kimberly laughed a little. "How did the lunch date go?"

"I had a blast. He's a really nice guy."

Kimberly said something to another person on her side of the phone. "Sorry. It's busy here. I'm glad you're having fun."

Avery asked, "Am I no fun? Do I have a stick up my ass?"

"What? You're fun. Why do you think that?"

"Well, Drew…" Kimberly gagged. "What?"

"Hold the phone, time out."

"What?"

"Av, why are you friends with that slut? Why are all of you friends with that slut?"

"I'm friends with her because…" Avery was lost for words.

"See you don't even know."

Avery sighed. "I've been friends with her since we started college."

"Why are you letting the bullshit that she says in?"

"She's my friend."

Kimberly sighed. "A real friend wouldn't be a bitch. She'd support you. Not cause any trouble."

"Yeah," Avery quietly said. She was tormenting herself. Inside she was calling herself stupid, idiot, and moron. This whole ordeal was making her nuts and bringing her spirit down.

"Whatever," Kimberly whispered. The two didn't speak for a while. "I'm happy for you."

Avery hesitated for a second. "Honest opinion, Kim. Am I no fun?"

"Av, you are fun. When you're home, you let loose and have a good time."

"Are you just saying that because you're my younger sister?"

Kimberly told her, "I'm going to hang up if you keep talking like this."

"Honest truth?"

"For a while there, I was worried you were going to end up a spinster with a dozen cats running around."

Avery closed her eyes. "Thanks."

"But you are twenty-two, you're serious. That's ok. You have a full life ahead of you. If I was standing in front of you right now, I'd take you by the shoulders and shake you senseless."

Avery, despite how down she felt, laughed. "I just feel like I should be out having fun, instead of being in here, studying."

"May I remind you… you have you're bachelor's in teaching."

"But that's not enough to me."

"My opinion on this whole education thing is, I think after the master's, you should take some time off. You have plenty of time to get a PhD. Apply to a few high schools, see what comes out of it."

"Nice advice there, sis," Avery said. "Are you sure becoming an English teacher is what you want to do?"

Kimberly chuckled. "Of course. I only give advice out to family members."

Avery sighed. Val entered the kitchen, mouthed 'say hi to Kim', and went over to the fridge. Avery watched her for a few seconds before she told her sister that Val says hi.

"Now what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Kimberly didn't press. "I'll talk to you later. Don't freak out because if I know you, and I do, you will. You're overanalyzing everything. The only reason you're doing it is because you lost yourself. You became a geek, a geek who is my big sister, who I love."

"Ah thanks," Avery sarcastically responded.

"Av… I'm serious. Find yourself again. You know, with this guy… don't sweat it. I think he likes you, for you. If he didn't, he'd be long gone. He's not pressuring you."

Avery smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem. I'll talk to you later."

"Later."

"Bye." The phone went dead.

Avery placed the receiver back on the hook. She faced Val again, leaned back against the wall and sighed. Val looked up, but didn't ask anything. Avery closed her eyes and enjoyed the silence. "What are you making?" she asked a few minutes later.

"It's just a sandwich. I thought for five seconds you feel asleep."

Avery chuckled. "No."

"What did Kim have to say?" Val asked as she put the bread back in the fridge.

"She's doing well. She said that I should take some times off from school."

"And what do you think about that?"

Avery leaned against the counter, arms stretched out in front of her. She was deep in thought. "I don't know." She shook her head and then laid down across the counter, her head between her arms.

vvv

"The fly?" John "Bah" Harrington laughed at the nickname. "How'd she get that?"

Ralph was sitting on his bed in his room that he shared with Bah. The two at the moment were playing Atari. With all 24 guys on the team practicing at the moment, they usually head out somewhere to do something. Tonight, some of the guys were staying in. "She walks around a room, looking at what other people have, stays around them for a while, and then heads somewhere else."

Bah laughed. "The fly."

"Oh crap," Ralph muttered when the pong didn't hit his paddle.

Bah said, "She seems nice."

"She is."

"Then why is everybody nagging on her?" Bah asked. "I don't get it."

Ralph sighed again when he didn't get the paddle to the right spot. "Man… I such at this." He placed the controller down next to him and fell back on the bed. "Man… I don't get why either. She's cool. She's different."

"Different how?"

"Well, she's really determined to get her degree…"

"A master's degree in history, right?"

"Right." Ralph went on. "I think what's different about her is that she's unique. She's not one of the groupie's who hangs around O'Malley's waiting for us."

"Like Drew."

"What does Mac see in her?" When Bah didn't answer, Ralph laughed. "Right."

Bah didn't say anything for a while. "If she's a fly, does that mean you're a spider?"

"What?" Ralph questioned laughing. After a couple of seconds he got it. "I guess… I don't know."

"Ralph… Coxie… man… if she's cool, that's cool." Bah replied slowly.

Ralph looked over at Bah. Bah had started to play a different game on the Atari. Ralph sat up and watched the game. They sat there for some time before Bah decided to call it a night.

vvv

The loud crack of pins being plowed down was deafening. Balls being thrown down the lane kept going over and over. Loud yells of yeah, damn, and oh could be heard through the air. Avery followed Ralph to a lane, which already had four people on it. The four yelled 'hey' when Ralph came up. Avery stood back watching the group interact.

"Avery," Ralph turned around and waved for her to come forward. "These guys are Rizzo, Jimmy, Pav, and Pav's girlfriend, Emily. Guys this is Avery."

Avery smiled shyly at the group. "Hey," she quietly said. Avery went and sat down. She got ready to play some bowling. However, she realized she didn't have a ball.

"You can share my ball. It's only eight pounds," Emily told her.

Avery smiled at her. "Thanks."

Avery watched as Jimmy took his turn. He threw the ball down the lane and got six of the pins down. Avery was nervous. She agreed to come here because Ralph asked her. What Ralph didn't know was she hadn't bowled since her friend, Jenny's eighth birthday party. Even back then, she was bad.

After Jimmy, Pav got up and took his turn. Avery was watching, trying to see how he threw the ball.

"So Avery… where are you from?" Emily asked.

Avery turned to Emily. "Chicago."

"I'm from Green Bay."

"Do you go to the U?"

"No. I went to Duluth. That's where I met Mark… err… Pav."

Avery nodded. When Pav sat down it was her turn. She went up to the ball return stand, found the eight pound ball, and took her turn. The ball ended up in the gutter. She sighed and went back to wait for the ball to return.

"Spare!" Jimmy yelled. "You can do it."

Avery gave him a funny look. "Yeah right." When the ball came back, she picked it up. Once the ball left her fingers, and was rolling down the lane, Avery turned around and walked back to the seats.

"You got four down," Ralph told her.

Avery looked back, smiled, and sat down. "Yay."

Ralph tapped her on her knee when he walked by when he got up. The next couple of frames, she ended up with a decent 53. It wasn't great, it wasn't good. Avery was actually having fun. She talked to Emily, talked to the guys. After the three games that they played, they headed into the small bar to have something to drink. There the laughter that was going on, kept on going.

"A drunken man staggered into a Catholic church, sat down in the Confessional and said nothing. The priest is waiting and waiting and waiting," Rizzo started to tell a joke. "The priest coughs to attract the drunken man's attention, but still the man says nothing. The priest then knocks on the wall three times in a final attempt to get the man to speak. Finally the drunk replies, 'No use knockin,' pal. There's no paper.'"

"Oh lame," Pav jeered.

Avery laughed at the joke. Ralph looked over at her, leaned into her, and turned back to the guys. That night she liked Ralph a little more. His friends were really nice. She never once thought about homework.

vvv

"What time is it?" Avery asked from the kitchen.

Val looked up from the TV and told her, "Eight thirty two. Why?"

"Just wondering."

"Is Ralph supposed to call?"

"No. The whole team is in Europe."

Val got up from the couch and went over to the kitchen. Avery had a book open, and her notes were open in front of her. This was a sight she was use to. "Why are they in Europe?"

"It's a European tour."

"Ok. I'm jealous."

"They're playing the European teams."

"Who are they playing today?"

Avery shrugged. She picked up her cup full of orange juice and took a sip. "I think I'm done. My brain is jell-o."

"Ok. I never heard you say that before."

Avery closed her book, grabbed her glass of juice, and headed into the living room. She plopped down on the couch and stared at the TV. For Val, it was weird. "Ok." That's all she thought before going over. "You ok?"

"Just tired," was all Avery said.

Val was baffled. "Ok." She sat down next to Avery and watched the TV. Wondering what Avery was thinking, but didn't press it. After a few minutes, she left it go and gave the TV her full attention.