Chapter 74: The Commons

Tuesday, January 3rd, Morning

Early lunch was good and bad, you got the early break from classes, but you were also hungry by the end of the day. Shaking her head, she sat down at the lunch table, went into her backpack, and took out her lunch, she packed this morning. Not that school lunches were bad, but she was on a special diet and so she brought her lunch.

Brett glanced up and saw Avril take a seat across from her. Avril bought school lunches, and from what it looked like by what was on Avril's tray, lunches were the better term. Brett shook her head, Avril could eat.

"How do your parents feed you?" Brett asked, "Do they buy the wholesale?"

"Really B? We've known each other how long?" Avril asked.

"Long enough, I'm just trying to figure out if your parents cooked a turkey just for you at Christmas," Brett said.

"Not funny, I'm loading up for tonight," Avril said.

Brett shook her head and turned to her lunch. Avril looked at what Brett was eating and wrinkled up her nose, "What are you eating, B?" Avril asked.

"Usual stuff for my diet," Brett said.

Avril looked at her, "Who put you on that?" she asked.

"Av, we've known each other how long?" Brett asked.

"Auntie Tall," Avril said.

"Yes, well really Auntie Tall's nutritionist," Brett said.

Avril shook her head, "Live a little girl," she said.

"Who needs to live a little?" Nessa asked as she took a seat at the table.

"It's Av and B, who do you think, Babe?" Forrest asked as he took a seat next to Nessa.

"My guess is Av, what's B to live a little with her dietary choices," Nessa said.

"Exactly," Avril said.

Brett shook her head, "Whatever Cookie Monster," she said to Avril.

Avril picked up one of her sandwiches and looked at Brett, "Nom, nom, nom," she said then took a big bite out of it.

"What are you doing, Avril?" Shannon asked as she stood over the table.

"Eating," Avril said.

"I see," Shannon said, "Usually it works better if it in your mouth and not on your shirt."

Brett shook her head, "Shannon, what brings you over here?" she asked.

"Well, now that you ask, I'd like to talk to you about your family," Shannon said, "In private."

Brett nodded, "I see, well talk," she said.

"I want to do it in private," Shannon said.

"I hold no secrets from my friends," Brett said.

Shannon nodded, "As you wish," she said, "May I sit down?"

Brett snorted, "If you must," she said.

Shannon pulled out a chair and sat down. She looked over to Avril and her tray full of food and shook her head, then turned to look at Brett. Shannon was tall for a woman, but Brett, and Avril even, were positively Amazonian in stature.

"I think my brother likes one of your family members," Shannon said.

"So?" Brett asked with a shrug.

"Well he doesn't have the balls to talk to her," Shannon said.

Brett laughed, "I hope not, my closest sister in age is eleven," she said.

Shannon shook her head, "No, the sophomores," she said.

"Oh, well it's only a technical relation," Brett said.

Shannon looked at her, "How so?" she asked.

Brett sighed, "Keni is my step mom's baby sister, and LK is my step dad's baby sister, so they are technically my step-aunts," she said, "I don't bring it up because it can be rather embarrassing."

"I see," Shannon said, "So, how does Sawyer fit into it all?"

"She's LK's cousin, and well Keni's sister is married to her brother," Brett said.

"Huh? Wouldn't that make her your aunt?" Shannon asked.

"No, different sister," Brett said, "Anyways we were raised together."

"Okay," Shannon said, "Well could you see what she thinks of Jackin?"

"Which one?" Brett asked.

"I'm not quite sure," Shannon said.

"Well Shannon, that doesn't help, because there are three of them," Brett said.

Shannon sighed, "I'm hoping it's not LK," she said.

"Why not LK?" Brett asked, coolly.

Avril tensed up from Brett's tone. Nessa and Forrest seemed to back away from Shannon slightly. Shannon didn't notice the change in Brett, gone was the easy-going girl. There also seemed to be an almost physical change in Brett, as if she was growing claws.

"Well, I don't think they can connect," Shannon said.

"Why?" Brett asked.

"Just a feeling," Shannon said.

Brett leaned forward, "Change the person we're talking about," she said, in a faint voice, extremely near a whisper. The tone had a tinge of aggression.

"Okay," Shannon said, backing away.

"A bit of advice, Shannon," Brett said, in the same voice.

"Yes?" Shannon asked.

"Don't mess with LK," Brett said.

Shannon put her hands up, "Sure, don't mess with LK," she said.

Brett eased back, and her demeanor only relaxed just a bit, "So, who else do you think?" she asked, in her normal voice.

"Joce, thinks it might be Sawyer, and he's scared of her," Shannon said.

Brett chuckled, "Sawyer can be a little bit intimidating, but she's okay once you get to know her," she said.

"That's easy for you to say," Shannon said.

Brett shrugged, "Sawyer just has a big personality, that's all," she said.

"Big is, to put it mildly," Shannon said.

"That leaves, Keni," Brett said.

Shannon nodded, "Keni and her UFOs," she said.

Brett laughed, "She spent too much time with her brother on YouTube," she said.

"I can see that," Shannon said.

Brett shrugged, "If it's Keni, well he'll be entertained," she said.

"There is the other girl in the group," Shannon said.

"You mean Wendy?" Brett asked.

"Yes her," Shannon said.

"She's dating Dex Matthews," Brett said.

"Really?" Shannon asked.

"I'm surprised you didn't know," Brett said, "Well I'll ask them what they think of Jackin."

"Okay, thanks," Shannon said, got up and started to walk away.

"That was fast," Nessa said.

Forrest chuckled, "I think Brett scared her," he said.

Brett looked at Forrest, "What does that mean, Forrest?" she asked.

"B, your she-bear was starting to come out," Avril said.

"What are you talking about?" Brett asked.

"I noticed it too," Nessa said.

"What?" Brett asked.

"You're temper, girl," Avril said.

Brett laughed, "Yeah, whatever, let me finish my lunch and we have Masonbourgh tonight," she said.

"That we do," Avril said and went back to her lunches, with a knowing grin and a nod.