the 'brook action threads

Although generally Laura didn't appreciate being told that one of her best friends would rather spend time with a boy, she had managed to be understanding for Mallory's birthday. Partly because she wasn't going to ruin Mallory's day, and partly because on her birthday, Laura preferred just spending it with her boyfriend. So rather than argue, she'd pushed back the birthday dinner a day.

So now she was in JJ's bar and grill, irritated at being around a crowd, but trying to be happy and enthusiastic for Mallory. Who wasn't there yet. Trying not to frown, Laura leaned back into her seat. It was probably Brian's fault. "I bet Brian's being a dick," she muttered to Matt.

Sitting next to her, his arm resting on the back of her seat, he shrugged. "Probably," Matt agreed, tapping his fingers on the table. He didn't really like Brian too much either, but they'd only met once, and unlike Laura, he wasn't quick to dislike people. "What d'ya think?" he asked Josh. Josh usually seemed a lot less biased than Laura.

Laura interrupted. "That he's a dick," she said in exasperation, before looking at Josh, expecting him to agree. "A total dick, right?"

It was no secret that Greer hated thunderstorms and always had, so she really should have taken that into account when she bought her house along the beach in Malibu. Two stories high, it was smaller and more compact than most townhouses, but it had the advantage of not being attached to any other homes. The beautiful large windows had seemed advantageous, too, when she'd first toured the home and fallen in love with it, but now she could see every bit of the storm and she felt surrounded by it. Even closing the curtains didn't do much except shield her from the sight, but enhance the feeling that the storm was closing in on her. Even though it was far from a hurricane, she couldn't help but remember back to Hurricane Julie when she and Brad had....

 

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Dawn was in the kitchen, making one of her many famous tofu meals. She had the radio on and danced from place to place, all while singing along to John Lennon. Yes, she was an original, but it bothered her very seldomly, and with Price, she felt quite complete and at ease with who she was. Even though she knew he was going to be disappointed when he found out what they were eating today. Not once had Dawn compromised her vegetarianism since she moved out on her own several years ago, and she wasn't planning on doing it today either. Price would just have to deal, and sneak a burger later. But she didn't expect him to be happy about it, as it was a frequent cause of argument in their home.

As she heard the door fling open, she lowered the volume on the stereo.

"Hi babe!" she called from the kitchen.