“How much did you drink last night?”
“A normal amount.”
“You look green.”
“I'm fine.” I grabbed eggs from the fridge and immediately regretted moving that fast. “Coffee's ready.”
She poured herself a cup and leaned against the counter with the particular stillness she got when she was deciding how hard to push something. “You're making breakfast with a hangover.”
“I'm making breakfast because Micah has that early class he's been stressing about and Poppy has a test.” I cracked an egg into the bowl and kept my eyes on it. “You going to help or just stand there documenting my suffering?”
“Both.” She set her mug down and pulled the bread out. “How many?”
“All of us.”
She started on the toast without another word about it, which was as much grace as Talia ever extended, and I was grateful enough that I didn't push my luck. “Micah!” she called toward the hallway. “Get your ass up! Breakfast in ten!”
A muffled groan came from somewhere deeper in the apartment, followed by what sounded like Micah rolling directly onto the floor.
“Poppy!” Talia called, louder. “You alive?”
“No!” came the response. “Dead! Leave me alone!”
“Dead people don't have history tests!” I shouted back, and immediately regretted the volume. “Get up or I'm eating your portion!”
“You wouldn't dare!”
“Try me!”
Talia snorted and grabbed plates from the cabinet. “You know she's just going to show up looking like a disaster and steal all the bacon anyway.”
“There's no bacon. We're out.”
“Soren.” She turned to look at me with genuine offense. “How do you make breakfast without bacon? That's like making coffee without caffeine. It's unnatural.”
“We're broke until Friday. Bacon's a luxury item.”
“Bacon is a necessity. I'm adding it to the grocery list.” She started setting the table with more force than required. “And you're not paying for everything this week. I'm covering groceries.”
“Tal—”
“Don't argue with me. I have money. Let me buy the fucking bacon.”
Micah stumbled into the kitchen looking like he'd been electrocuted, hair sticking up in every direction and eyes half-closed. “Why are we yelling about bacon at this ungodly hour?”
“Because your brother is a monster who tried to make breakfast without it,” Talia said, shoving a mug of coffee into his hands.
“That is monstrous.” Micah took a sip and made a face. “This coffee tastes like despair.”
“That's because it's cheap,” I said, dividing the eggs onto plates. “Drink it anyway. You need the caffeine for that group project you won't shut up about.”
“I hate my group. They're all idiots.” He sat down at the table and immediately face-planted onto his folded arms. “I'm doing all the work and they're getting the same grade. It's a goddamn travesty.”
“Welcome to college.” Talia set toast in front of him. “It doesn't get better.”
“You're so comforting. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“Frequently.” She sat down with her own plate and pointed her fork at him. “Eat. You're not skipping breakfast just because you're having an existential crisis about group work.”
