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?"

Although she'd gotten used to the seeming crowd of people Faith normally allowed to hang out in the apartment they shared, Laura always preferred to just have one or two friends over. She suspected it was a consequence of the aversion to people she'd gotten at some point in middle school, but didn't really care too much.

So when she'd finally gotten the place to herself, she'd invited Mallory over; though they hadn't been too friendly in high school, Mallory was probably one of her closest friends now. Laura just kind of wished Mal would get a different boyfriend. She was convinced he was an ass, though she was willing to admit that she tended to think about almost everyone that way.

"Surprised you managed to find time for me," she teased Mallory, partly because she didn't think Brian particularly liked it when Mallory hung out with her. She didn't know why else she'd been seeing so much less of Mallory; the redhead wasn't the type to just drop her friends.