Pressing Into Territory?

Anna crossed her arms as Nicole left the bedroom and let out a disapproving scoff under her breath. "This is what she does, she always thinks she has all the fucking answers when she doesn't..." Anna muttered with genuine irritation as she moved back into the bathroom to pick up the small mess she and Kenny left behind.

"Nicole hasn't even had a real fucking boyfriend before but she's telling me what I have to do? Pfft, yeah that makes all the sense in the world. Uh, yeah, Nicole, how many times have you broken off and got back with Devin? Hmm? Oh, that's right over fucking ten, so maybe you should back off my relationships and focus on a real one of your own," Anna bitterly added as she angrily tossed the dirty towels into a basket and grabbed the bathing suits, bringing them back into the bedroom and laying them down on the back of the couch.

Anna stopped, took in a long calming breath, and let her anger exhale out with it, "I know she means well, but Kenny and I agreed, taking it slow is good for us. It only makes sense, and I'm not going to let her push me into something again," The blonde firmly said to herself letting all her irritation go, returning to her normally calm demeanor.

Anna tied her wet hair back into a ponytail, gave her teeth a quick brush making sure any hint of Kenny's...seed was off her breath, and then headed downstairs, already thinking of what she and Kenny could get up to. Yet, as soon as she hit the bottom of the stairs her ears perked to the sound of Kenny and Nicole laughing in the den.

"See, like usual Clark, all you need to do is loosen up and you're immediately the funniest guy in the room," Nicole sweetly told the teen,

Kenny let out a short chuckle and looked around, "Pretty sure that's because I'm the only guy in the room,"

"Bah, you don't know what you're talking about," Nicole waved off just as Anna reached the den's doorway, peering in, seeing the pair sitting together on the couch, "You're a player, Clark, and I don't mean in that dickhead sense, I mean that you definitely could have any girl you want exactly when you want them,"

"Think so?" Kenny asked back followed by a denying headshake, "I don't know, I want that to be true, but I just don't think I match up to guys like JJ or Brian,"

"Believe me, you've got it backward, JJ and Brian don't match up to you," Nicole wholeheartedly corrected, "All you need is to tap into your confidence, make a move when you feel it, I can help you if you want,"

Anna's eyes flared, and without a moment's hesitation, she stormed into the room, "Oh Anna! Hey!" Kenny all but exclaimed, his eyes wide and cheeks immediately turning pink,

"Nicole...a word," Anna sharply ordered, her green eyes narrowed and a profoundly agitated expression rested on her face,

"Sure," Nicole simply replied in a chipper tone, jumping up from the couch, "Don't run off again, Ken, I'm not done with you yet," Nicole joked out only to let out a playful yell as Anna yanked her by the arm, pulling her out if the den and into the kitchen. Nicole, did her best to suppress a smile as Anna let her go and glared at her with crossed arms, "Yeeeeeees?"

"What the fuck, Nikki," Anna snapped back, venom in her tongue, "I just told you Ken and I were figuring things out! That doesn't mean you can go and try to make him one of your usual targets,"

Nicole let out a laugh, "Anna, I --"

"It's not funny!" Anna barked out, stopping Nicole's giggling dead, "I like him, Nicole! Just because I said we were going slow doesn't mean he's up for grabs! Don't do the same thing you did with Eric!" Anna finished only to falter, almost surprised in herself for what she just said,

Nicole's eyes widened, "Anna, I never did anything with Eric, why would you say that?" Nicole asked back, sounding genuinely hurt by the accusation before a flow of anger began to fill her voice, "And I wasn't doing anything with Kenny, where the fuck are you getting that from?"

"You were, I heard you flirting," Anna muttered back, her eyes now trailing down to the floor, staying off of her red-haired friend,

"What, in the fucking den just now? Are you crazy? Kenny is my friend, I was talking and joking around with him! He was telling me that --" Nicole began to explain only to hold her tongue at the last moment, "He confided in me and I was trying to pump him up a little, you know, like friends do for each other?"

"Nicole, you can fool a lot of people, but you can't fool me. You're incapable of just being friends with a guy, especially with someone like Kenny," Anna shot back, "You're gonna keep buttering him up, then jump him the second you can. Worse yet, we both know all you're gonna care about with him is one thing, and he in no way deserves that,"

Nicole's brow jumped up and she smirked, "What, is he huge?" She merely asked back causing Anna to let out a loud almost disgusted scoff, "God, calm down, why are even worried about me and Clark, if I wanted to snag him I'd have already done it by now. And, also, fuck you! I can totally have just guy friends,"

"Nicole you fuck everything that moves," Anna retorted, "And I know flirting when I see it,"

"Do you?" Nicole sarcastically asked back as she crossed her arms, "Because all this is sounding like to me is you being super insecure and honestly, pretty fucking mean," Nicole turned and began to leave the kitchen,

"Nicole, hang on, we're far from done talking," Anna hissed as she stormed after the redhead.

Nicole, however, walked nearly carefree back into the den, falling right back onto the couch next to Kenny with a smile, "Girl talk, sorry about that," Nicole apologized as Anna reluctantly followed her into the room and sat down in an adjacent armchair,

"No worries, I get it," Kenny nodded back with a slightly nervous smile, "So, uh, you guys want to do something?"

Anna let out a genuine smile and nodded, "We can still go hot tubbing, or head back to the rec room, I wouldn't mind practicing darts again," Anna suggested,

"Hey, I wasn't done talking to him yet," Nicole interrupted causing Anna to frown and Kenny to look back at her in surprise,

"Uh, Nikki, I'd rather not," Kenny lowly murmured back, his eyes flicking over to Anna for half a second,

"It's fine, I was almost done," Nicole reassured Kenny, "The point I was trying to make Kenny is, you're an awesome person and anyone would be lucky to have you. You've got a stronger character than you know, putting just about every guy I've ever been with to shame," Nicole continued causing a small smile to rest on Kenny's lips. Anna's eyes dropped slightly, a touch of guilt starting to grow as Nicole's words did seem genuinely friendly and nothing more, "Plus, you're fucking cute," Nicole suddenly tacked on causing Anna's eyes to widen along with Kenny's,

"Uhhh, I...I mean thanks but --" Kenny stammered back,

"No, no, I'm being serious here Ken, you've got looks, you're more handsome than ninety percent of the guys back at school. I know I always recognized it," Nicole continued her voice dropping low, to a near sensual level all the while she started to lean a bit closer to Kenny, "I am betting sometime soon someone is gonna grab you up and keep you all to themselves and from the way you carry yourself otherwise...I'd imagine little Ken Jr is quite the impressive guy as well," Anna's jaw slowly dropped and she began to get to her feet, "Who knows...maybe by the end of the week it could even be me enjoying everything you have to offer,"

"Okay! That's quite enough out of you!" Anna exclaimed as she all but ran to Kenny's side, yanking the stunned teen up from the couch and leading him from the den, "I don't want to see you for the rest of the day, Nicole!" Anna yelled out as she brought Kenny straight down to the rec room, slamming the door behind her, then flicking the lock.

Nicole in the meantime kicked her feet up on the table and relaxed with a smile, "That should speed things right back up, that girl is so naive," Nicole laughed to herself, "At least now she knows what flirting really is,"