19th Breakfast

[Snick]

Siobhan got her preferred breakfast of sugar substances--frosted poptarts, cocoa puffs, chocolate milk, and a banana. She looked around the room to see if her brother had arrived. She didn't see him yet, but knew he would be coming soon, so took a place near where he usually sat. She had something to talk to him about. While she waited for him, she sliced her banana over her cocoa puffs, the poured chocolate milk over both.

Lorccan sits down across from his sister after placing a tray loaded with his usual breakfast. "Hey Shi.. sleep well?"

"I suppose." She looked at his tray. "Lorccan, you never ate like a kid. Bacon, eggs, oatmeal, toast, juice . . . it's so healthy. It looks just like Mom and Dad's breakfast." She laughed. "They can't see us here. Live a little," she gestured to her breakfast, grinning.

"I did have something I wanted to talk to you about, though. I got into some trouble. I have detention for the next six Sunday nights with Patrick and Pratt, so I won't be able to study with you those nights." She blushed a little. She had deserved detention before, but it was the first time she had been caught and actually given it. "Will the school tell Mom and Dad?"

"Not for a first offense," Pratt said sagely as he settled into a seat beside Siobhan with his usual Poptart. This time it was blueberry. He hated the actual berries, but the Poptarts tasted alright. The dye tinted his tongue blue. He stuck his tongue out to display this. In his other hand was a little jug of orange juice - not the little cartons they give in the cafeteria, but the ones from the legacy vending machines.

"Mom doesn't eat greasy stuff and is always on Dad's case about the amount of bacon and sausages he likes. Don't think Mom would call this anymore healthy that that fake flavored crap you enjoy, Shi. I rather save my sweet tooth for real sweets, like home baked cookies and apple pie." Lorccan never understood why Soibhan liked such overly sweet stuff as the poptarts and cocoa puffs. About the only thing on his sister's plate he would was the banana and drink the chocolate milk. Even then he rather dilute the chocolate milk in normal milk, he just didn't like how overly sweet it is straight.

"So just what did you do to get that many detentions?" Lorccan eyed his sister, ignoring Pratt for the time being. He just hoped letting his sister date Pratt wasn't going to end up a bad idea on his part, if she's going to get 6 detentions out of it. If it was just her and Pratt he may think some teacher caught them doing more than just holding hands.

"We got caught taking a boat out after dark. They might have over-reacted a little since the rules changed and all . . ." Siobhan smiled uncomfortably. "But that was the gist of it. We got six Sundays of detention for that. Thirty-six hours. And we're in the play too, and Patrick is on the team . . . but no, the detention sticks. Good thing there aren't any Sunday games or performances, but it really sucks for studying." She sighed. "I'm sorry. Do you want me to find someone to be your study buddy on Sundays? Maybe Arwen would."

Pratt snorted at one of his own thoughts (Arwen couldn't read slow enough for Lorccan), then shoved the rest of the pop tart in his mouth. This was followed by downing the entire jug of OJ. Otherwise, he'd probably say what he was thinking and he didn't think either of his breakfast mates would appreciate it - even though it was more of a jab at Arwen's obsession with reading than it was a remark about Lorccan's stupidity.

"Yeah, no biggie," Phrixos waved a hand dismissively and crossed an ankle over the opposite knee casually. "And since Brat was there, you know it wasn't because I was tongu- ow!"

Pratt rubbed his side where Siobhan elbowed him, but he was still laughing all the same. "What? I said I wasn't..."

"That's it?" Lorccan didn't know why boating was such a major crime. "I never had that much detentions nor for that length of time. Which teacher did you really piss off Shi?"

Lorccan gave Pratt a dirty look. "You better not be using that tongue of yours with my sister save for talking."

"The custodian, Bryson. It's complicated." Siobhan looked at Pratt and smirked. "Yeah, I really pissed him off. A lot."

"Pissed him off is putting it lightly," Pratt laughed, patting Siobhan's thigh under the table. Then he leaned back, waggled his brows at Lorccan out of Siobhan's view, and mouthed to Lorccan, The snozberries taste like snozberries. Unless Lorccan was adept at lip-reading, he'd probably think Pratt said something much naughtier. That's what Phrixos was counting on.

[Snick]

"Didn't think a janitor can give detentions." Loccran turned his attention to his food, totally missing the tomfoolery of Pratt. After eating a few mouthfuls of food and swallowing, he looks back up at his sister. "You should talk to a real teacher, like Castilla. That punishment Bryson gave you was steep."

Lorccan turned back to his food, thinking.

"Do you? I sort of found something out I shouldn't know, and did something that was perfectly natural under the circumstances, even if it was . . . well, it's complicated, but he said I couldn't tell, and that if I did, he'd do us all permanent spell damage, and he was fine with going to jail for it and that was why the punishment is so harsh. So I can't really see Castilla or Principal Cook . . . "

Siobhan blushed and started laughing all over again. "Lorccan I can't tell you, but I can tell you that what I did was bad, really bad, but it was funny too. But it shouldn't have been funny because I could have caused someone's death if it had gone differently." Despite her words, she laughed again, not feeling repentant at all. "Sweet Mary, I need to go to confession."

Pratt rolled his eyes. He'd gotten worse punishments for much smaller crimes. And Lorccan didn't even react to the snozberries. The boy was looking right at him when he did it, Pratt made sure of that. There was no point of it if he wasn't looking. The entire point was for Lorccan to witness the movement of his lips! What a space case! And it wasn't as if he was hidden, sitting right there beside Siobhan. He merely leaned back a few inches to get out of her peripheral vision so she wouldn't see it.

"I'll see you later, Ginger," Pratt stood, then said loud enough for Lorccan to hear. "In class, in the cafeteria, in the lighthouse, on the couch, in bed..."

As he walked off, he continued to list various places he might see Siobhan as the day wore on.

At any other time Lorccan would have thrown something at the idiot Pratt but right now he was more furious at the thought some teacher was threatening Siobhan and apparently both Pratt and Pat and none of them seem to give a shit.

"That shit scooper threatened to curse you?" Lorccan asked point blank. "Come on, we are going to talk to Principal Cook now. SHe's got to know that Bryson is threatening students with magical harm. That's just insane, for all we know he's the one that tipped off your kidnappers!"

"No, I'm not going anywhere with you. I'm going to finish my breakfast. All punishments go through Cook, so she'll know anyway, and if it has to be increased or decreased, she'll do it. Yes, he threatened us because he was upset and we learned something we weren't supposed to know. I don't think he'd really do anything. But there is more to the story than I can tell you. I have told you that i did something really, really, bad and that I could have killed someone. Let it go, Lorccan. I'll go see Principal Cook myself after lunch, all right?" She got tired of his histrionics, especially when Pratt was being funny and Lorccan was being so thick headed and not getting a single one of his jokes.

"I will let it go only if you promise to tell her Bryson threatened you. It doesn't matter if you don't' take him seriously but obvious whatever secret you found out about him is one he shouldn't have from the Principal." Lorccan sat down again, wanting to finish his own breakfast. "I will feel better Siobhan Cook is aware of Bryson's threat. It'll be up to her if she takes it seriously or not but I rather she know than have something happen to you because she wasn't told."

"Also if I hear Pratt talking about how he'll see you in a bedroom, jokingly or not I am going to punch him. Last thing you want is some shit spreading rumors you two are doing things I know you would never." Lorccan didn't know if Pratt was trying to pick a fight or just being his usual jackass self, either way, he really felt Pratt was such a bore.

"I'll tell her." She took a bite of her cereal. "Don't punch Pratt. He just wants to play with you. If you'd get a little friendly banter going, instead of ignoring him or acting like you're too mature to talk about that kind of stuff, when you know you're not," Siobhan shook her head, maybe her brother didn't even think about girls that way, except to defend his sister. "I know you protect me, Lor, but about other girls, don't you tease a little?"

"He was picking a fight, Siobhan, I am shocked you didn't see that from the get go. He knows i am protective of you so making like he's telling you dirty things while looking at me challenging then saying he sees you around in his bed, that's not funny. That just shows he has no respect for you and doesn't give a shit he's picking a fight with your brother. " Lorccan pushed his food away, having lost his appetite. "I never liked Pratt but once I realized you liked him and want to date him I didn't make any stink about it. I ignored him mostly because otherwise I would be wiping the cafeteria floor with his face. He obviously doesn't give a shit about making friends or getting along with me. Yet you are defending him, making me look like it's my fault he left off in a huff because I didn't break down in laughter or break his face with my fist."

'He didn't leave in a huff, nor did he say anything dirty. And considering his room is across the hall from mine . . . and doors open and close, he might have seen me sometime, but it wouldn't have meant anything provocative or sexual. You look for reasons to be offended, Lor. Just lighten up a little and play sometimes. Stop threatening him and telling Pratt what to do. Please? I'm too young to decide my future, and I'll probably date a dozen more guys before I choose a husband, but one day, I will, and some day you'll have a brother-in-law, maybe Pratt, so you'd better lighten up." She finished the rest of her cereal and chugged down her chocolate milk, then wrapped her chocolate poptart in her napkin. "I've got to get to class. I love you. Don't make me choose, Lorccan." She realized that if Pratt and Lorccan squared off, she might not choose Lorccan.

"Shi...I am not looking for reasons to be offended. But I am not the bad guy here either. You know I don't like being needled and made the butt of somebody else's joke. Maybe he didn't mean his teasing to be seen as trying to rile me up, but considering you scolded me for teasing Zot, when I didn't mean to be hurtful, you should think twice about scolding me for feeling the same way Zot probably did when I teased him."

"I have tried to make an effort to get along with Pratt...I didn't rise to all his taunts so I won't be causing you discomfort by fighting with your boyfriend. Its not like Pratt has made any effort to be friends with me. Did you not notice that? He didn't even acknowledge I was sitting here with you at least not till he decided to tease me."

"I am not the one making you choose Shi..." Lorccan says, standing up and pulling on his backpack so he won't be late for class either. "Just remember that Shi..."

[Snick]

"He was trying to be friends with you, if you'd learn how to play instead of seeing jokes as challenges of war or stupid," she mumbled, grabbing her back pack. "I'll see you in class, Lor. I'm writing Mom today. Is there anything you want me to telll her?"

"If he wants to try and be friends, tell him to stop making fun of me, it doesn't matter if he's just joking around, I still don't like it. Or maybe I will start saying naughty things or pretending I am to his sister, see how much he laughs." Lorccan says then shakes his head. "He's not the worlds most funniest guy, Shi... just because I don't find him funny doesn't mean I have no sense of humor."

"Just tell mom I say hi and love her.." Lorccan murmured in response to his sister's question. "See you in class."

He headed off out of the cafeteria, not bothering to wait up for her to walk with him. Besides, he expected Pratt is likely lurking around somewhere so he can walk with her.