Re: James + Derek + Brianna + Open
Having to live with an alcoholic posing as her 'mother' had contributed to Brianna's avoidance of heavy drinking. Many parties at university had seen her soberly helping friends home, as she only drank on rare occasions. It had only been once that she'd been caught off guard, and that hadn't ended well for anyone involved.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring the mood down," Brianna offered, seeing both Derek and James go from smiling and relaxed to serious and confused. "Do you see your mother often?" she asked automatically, not quite sure what else to ask and trying to think of something else to steer the conversation back to the relaxed party mode it had clearly been in before.