Racing the Storm

Chapter 6

Thalia set her bowl down on the table and sank in to her seat. She weakly greeted the three other girls who arrived, joining her at the small round table.

"I'm so damn tired it is not even funny," Avis groaned. 

Thalia nodded in agreement as she swallowed a spoonful of her potato soup.

"I'm definitely taking tomorrow off," She hummed.

"Did they really have you guys fly all night?" Iris, one of Thalia's teammates, asked.

"They did. Took most of the day to get back too, can you believe that?" Thalia huffed.

"I think that's child abuse," Serena said.

"It sure feels like it," Avis said, "If we take it to court will you represent us?"

Serena nodded, blonde curls bouncing, "Of course, what's your guy's defense?"

"Me, I'm the defense," Iris said deadpan.

The table groaned at the terrible joke. Iris somehow managed to turn everything in to a joke, and it was fun, but only if she really tried. The I'm-a-defenseman was not very high effort in the group's eyes.

"Our real defense is um...I need my beauty sleep," Thalia drank the broth from her bowl.

"Calm down, you sickly victorian boy, the soup isn't going anywhere," Iris laughed.

Thalia glared playfully and wiped the off white broth from her upper lip, "How dare you. I have no food for days; my family is starving. Is this how you treat the poor? the sick? the dying? I thought you were better than this Iris."

"I'm not," she responded.

"Jail! Jail for the heartless wench!" Thalia cried.

Avis slid a pale arm protectively around the purple-haired girl, "Excuse you, you will not send my bitch to the cooler. Not her fault you're starving."

Thalia's hand flew to her chest in mock hurt, "My right hand woman, betraying me?"

"You were always the side piece, boo," Avis grinned.

Thalia collapsed on to Serena, pretending to sob in the girl's shoulder while she patted her back in comfort. Eventually Thalia pushed off and went to set her bowl on the counter for the workers to take. She passed by Noah's table and waved. He returned it and quickly leapt from his seat, falling in stride with her.

"You got any plans for tonight?" He asked.

She set the bowl down and turned to him, "sleeping."

"Oh," he seemed a little bit...dejected?

"Why, what are your plans?" She asks.

"Oh I was gonna go out to the lake and study. Normally I go alone but you know I figured since you're so bad at math-"

Thalia's mouth dropped open as she playfully smacked his shoulder.

"You should respect your elders young man, who says I don't understand math??" She huffed.

"Me. I said that. Were you not listening?" He kept at the bit.

She swatted at him again, this time aiming for his face. He ducked under her hand and laughed. Thalia smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Maybe next time Noah," She walked back towards her table as he did the same.

"Oooo, Thalia bagging the young ones now," Iris teased.