"So what's your roommate like?" Erin asked Linda one day as they got coffee together during a rare moment of free time for the studying nurse.
"My roommate? Well you know about her. Apparently all I ever do is talk about her or your brother.... And Donnie Wahlberg."
Erin laughed, "He was just teasing you. But seriously, your roommate seems super cool. When can I meet her?"
"Anytime, I guess. Thursdays are easy days, maybe then?"
"Sure. I'll stop by sometime."
*********
"And I was just like whatever. He's gonna act that way, then he's gonna have to find another woman." Brie cradled the phone between her shoulder and ear, painting her nails over her school books. She should be studying- but she had all day for that! Her classes were over now, and she was just waiting for Linda to get back from a clinic to go to lunch.
She laughed at her friend's advice on the other end, "pretty sure that's a little too fast paced, but you never know. I've been surprised before."
There was a knock on the door and she groaned, "someone's here. Probably my roommate- always forgetting her key. I gotta go." She hung up, screwed the cap to her nail polish bottle, and stood up. She walked to the door, starting to chastise her roommate.
"Y'know, Linda, one-a these times I'm not gonna be home, and you're gonna be stuck out there with Old Man Jenkins-" she stopped talking when she saw a tall brunette. "Geez, you're tall."
"Hi, I'm Erin Reagan," she ignored the insult and stuck out her hand. "I'm Danny Reagan's sister."
"Yeah, I know you. Fast track to a law degree."
She smiled, "yup. And you're Brie Riley, studying psychologist."
She stepped aside, letting Erin in. "Linda should be back soon. She's at a clinic. I don't know what's taking her so long. Probably unintentionally flirting with someone."
She furrowed her brow at that. Linda was fiercely loyal to Danny. Why would she flirt with someone else? "She do that often?"
"She doesn't mean too. She's just polite and smiley and is always complimenting people. Some-a the guys think she's a tease. But she's just being her bubbly, perky self."
"Oh.... Linda said I could come over any time and finally meet you."
Brie held her arms out to the side, "well, you've officially met me." She didn't let the awkward, first-meeting silence hang for long. "Linda and I are going for lunch. We get all sorts of student discounts at the local fast food joints. Wanna tag along?"
"I am really hungry. I had to skip breakfast," Erin admitted.
"Want something to drink while we wait? We've got coffee, juice, and water. Oh, and chocolate milk, but we absolutely can not touch Linda's milk."
She chuckled, "I'm good, thank you."
"So tell me, Erin," Brie said sitting on the couch and gesturing Erin to do the same. "You've got three brothers, and one of them is Danny Reagan. I'm sorry."
She laughed at that and pushed her hair behind her shoulder, "did you know brothers fight just as badly as sisters fight? Everyone hears about sisters and their cat fights. But my youngest brother tackled my oldest because he was pissed off at always being stuck in the middle of everything."
"Jamie? Little tiny Jamie attacking big bad Danny?" At Erin's nod, Brie snorted and laughed. "I wish I had seen that."
"Mom wasn't at all pleased. Looking back, it's all very funny."
Before Erin could ask about Brie's siblings (Buddy was fine but she couldn't stand Alecia), she asked, "so you got a boyfriend? Maybe even a girlfriend?"
"Boyfriend. His name is Jack, and he's studying to be a lawyer too. I've got a date with him Friday."
"Lemme guess: old money."
"Well..."
"Be careful with those, Erin. They're snobbish and have at least five skeletons in the closets."
"What about you?" Erin asked, slightly uncomfortable. "Do you have a boyfriend?"
"Sort of. I'm thinking of breaking it off. We just don't vibe."
"Sorry."
"It's fine. He's stupid and arrogant and all he wants is sex. I hate that; stupidity and arrogance. Your brother, Danny? He's arrogant, but, I dunno, there's something that makes you forget about that until he says something stupid. And Linda's super super smart; top of her classes, straight A's all the way, but she's incredibly naïve."
"She is," Erin agreed, nodding slowly. "I think that's changing."
"She just likes to see the good in people, and that's how you find yourself forgiving your boyfriend for f***ing a bimbo."
"Um... okay?"
But before Brie could indulge Erin in any more 'words of wisdom', the door opened and Linda walked in.
"Hey," Brie greeted.
"Hi," then, "oh hi, Erin. What're you doing here?"
"You said I could meet your roommate today."
"That's right, yeah. It looks like you two have already met."
"Erin's going to join us for lunch," Brie stated.
"Great! Lemme get changed real quick and then we can get going."
************
"Check out that bartender," Linda nodded her head to the bar. He was cute, but not nearly as cute as her fiancé.
"Mm, God's gift to women," Erin smiled, looking the blond bartender up and down.
Brie turned around and gave a prompt noise of disgust. "Ugh! I hope He kept the receipt."
Linda coughed on her drink, laughing, as Erin cracked up. Brie laughed too, because that was truly brilliant.
"Seriously though, he's super ugly."
"He is not!" Erin argued and Linda bumped her shoulder against hers.
"She likes the brunette over there better," Linda pointed to a short brunette waitress.
Erin wrinkled her brow, "I thought you had a boyfriend?"
"I can have both." Brie stated with no explanation.
After a few beats, Linda explained, "Brie's bisexual."
"Oh."
"You should've guessed that," Brie said what Erin had been thinking. "If it weirds you out than you can't be here."
Erin glanced at Linda, who wore an equally serious face. "It doesn't bother me at all."
"Good!" Brie grinned, "who wants more drinks?"
