A new beginning

Ashlyn slept fitfully, tossing in her bed and finally drifting off as watery dawn light condensed through the curtains of her room.

Brian had the box room of the shared accomodation, having joined his sister and her friends so late in the year. He had whined about it at the time, but today he felt glad to have the isolation.

It did not last.

Bree bounded in just as he felt he had drifted off and her refreshed enthusiam cut through his muddle-headed waking.

"Rise and shine, Ashlyn. Rise and shine!" she sang. "You don't need *that* much beauty sleep."

The covers were pulled away and Brian shivered. The close fitting spaghetti top and shorts in pale pink cotton did not provide much warmth. A smell of bacon had followed Bree however and that was just enough encourage to make him slowly follow her out of the room.

His devastation on reaching the kitchen was palpable.

The source of the smell was already consumed. 'The usual' kale smoothie had been lovingly made for Ashlyn.

Struggling to keep the offensively under-filling breakfast down, Brian struggled to follow Bree's chatter as she laid out her latest brainwave.

"Another problem we need to address, Ashlyn, is why a poor college prospect like you is even in this coed house when you've not even applied. And we don't want to get our stories mixed up, right?"

Brian nodded sadly, goosebumps on his arms and legs and his stomach rebelling against the kale.

"Oh, this will help with that." said Bree, pushing a small mixed helping of vitamins and maybe antiacid tablets across the small dining table. Brian didn't have the energy to argue and swallowed.

"So, from now on why don't you tell people that you have had to move in with your wonderful sister and her friends as you have broken up with your boyfriend? Maybe he was a patronising college boy who thought you were too much of a stupid, vapid, bimbo for him? Sounds plausible, right?"

Bree smiled evilly.

"But we will need to make sure it sounds believable so we can practice before we head out. Perhaps you can throw in some details about how you thought you were a good girlfriend as you love giving head? Or you can pout about how you are too smart! You can even work the till at Hooters! Or maybe you can just get distracted and.... It's your truth to embellish, sweetie."

Brian felt as green as his smoothie. He parted his lips to reply and then rememered himself.

"Um, what does 'emblish' mean again, Bree?" he asked, raising his voice and adding a little vocal fry.

"Good girl" beamed Bree. "But we have work to do.