Just Tara

"You can't let her get to you..like that." Lorde fussed over an egg sandwich for Tara. It wasn't even dinner. Just an afternoon snack.

Tara looked at it as if she couldn't possibly eat later. She'd get to her studies. Now.

"Sorry, I brought it up." Tara shrugged, but Lorde asked what was on her mind.

"She knows nothing about love." Lorde smiled. "Best time of my life was with a boy four years younger."

Tara did her best to hold in a smile.

"You, aren't making up crap, are you?" Tara found herself asking.

"Heavens, no. He was a delightful lad. I taught him a thing are two." Lorde smiled as if Tara would have to guess.

Tara winced with a smile, not wanting to go down that road of imagination.

"I best eat this, before it gets cold." Tara took the sandwich along with her books. Wasn't long til Lorde trotted down the hall with a cup of tea.

"This be your afternoon tea." Lorde informed her while Tara was getting situated at her desk.

"Its dinner." Tara smiled back. "I have revisions. You, don't have to worry about me at dinner."

"Right then, but a snack before bed?"

Tara only sighed as she went back to her sandwich and tea and of course, the books. She needed to stop obsessing about Emmy and her judgy attitude about everything. It really wasn't worth the time and effort. Tara knew, but it stuck to her mind like a wet noodle that was impossible to get rid of.

Lorde left to go down to the shops. There was a sale on something. Tara didn't quite catch what she meant. Soon afterwards, Jonsey was home. Although, he didn't knock. But she knew he was in his room by the drop of the backpack and the squeak of the floor boards.

As she listened, there was quiet talk. Jonsey was not alone.

Tara sighed.

If that wasn't enough, the giggling persisted. And the noise. A noise that only meant one thing.

Tara winced in concentration. For a moment, she thought of throwing a book against the wall to keep them quiet. But she knew it wouldn't do much good.

She took a sip of tea, but what she heard next made her spew the warm tea against her notebook pages. Now she was in a fine mess trying to recover what she could of her paper. Tara made a face and looked at the side of room where Jonesy's room was next to hers.

She thought of playing some music on the radio, or maybe looking for her earbuds and old MP3 player. She shook her head as she went back to tend to the wet pages.

All she could think of was knocking on his door and having a row with him about this nonsense with his girl Minni. But to Tara's surprise when she cracked open her door as someone was leaving, it wasn't Minni in Jonesy's room.