→ ms. mcdaniel ←

「 ms. hadley mcdaniel 」

Full Name: Hadley Grace McDaniel

Nickname/s: Had, Hads, Haddy, HadDog 

Gender: CIS Female

Date of Birth: February 16, 1989

Age: Thirty one

Ethnicity: White

Place of Birth: Tupelo, Mississippi

Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

@tupeloextras || [tw: mention of bullying]

Ayla had decided that it wasn’t her place to bring it up. She hadn’t been the one to do wrong and she’d expected more from her friend. Therefore, she would wait and see if Hadley would even bring it up or continue to keep it hidden. Not that she was foolish enough to believe that Ayla hadn’t seen them. “I’ll pre-heat the oven. What does it need to be pre-heated too?” she asked as she looked over to Hadley, waiting by the oven to fix the temperature. “Let me know how many pots and I’ll grab those too.”

“Uh,” Hadley glanced at the box in front of her, scanning the instructions quickly. “Looks like 375.” She sat the box down and looked over at Ayla. “Hey, before we get too invested in this, can I talk to you about something?” Hadley was usually fairly good at addressing the elephant in the room, knowing she had to tackle things head-on whenever it came to her friends. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she looked down at her hands resting on the countertop. “I’m pretty sure you know what this is about, and I want you to know that I never meant to hurt you in any way. I didn’t even really think about you having dated him when Davis asked me out, and it wasn’t until we were headed home from the Monster Mash that I remembered. Do you hate me?” 

davis chuckled and nodded his head, “yeah, you are.” he agreed. she was worth putting up with a couple of overprotective brothers. sure, davis and hadley were pretty opposite when it came to most of their interests but they still seemed to get along and they still seemed to like each other which was good enough for him. he looked down at her when she ran her finger against his jaw bone and he bit down on his bottom lip, nodding again. “i won’t.” he reassured. he wasn’t doubting them at all but he just wanted this to last as long as possible, especially since he was enjoying his time with her. “well, good. ice cream it is and then we’ll see where else the night takes us. what do you think?” he wanted her to be comfortable with everything they did. he moved an arm around her shoulders after he sat down and she leaned into him. he liked that she wanted to be close to him, it made him feel good. “alright, i’ll be sure to help you cheer him on.”

Hadley was glad Davis thought she was worth sticking around for. It would’e been so easy for him to write her off after meeting not one but two of her brothers on their second date. Usually, Hadley was much less open about the guys she was seeing, but it looked like word was spreading simply because of how unlikely it was that Davis and Hadley would even date in the first place. “I think that sounds like a plan,” she agreed, nodding once in agreement. At the feeling of his arm around her shoulders, Hadley slipped into the natural closeness she’d always had with Davis. Even on their first date, she had wanted to be as near as possible to him. Something about Davis Smith drew Hadley in, and she liked it an awful lot. Resting her hand on the inside of his knee, Hadley’s thumb trailed back and forth as she turned her gaze back to her date. “Is it weird watching baseball instead of playing or coaching? Or is being a spectator second nature?”

davis nodded his head, “yeah but that doesn’t make your brothers any less intimidating.” he replied and then smiled a little. “i’m glad you feel that way. what we’ve been doing has been fun, right?” at least, he was having fun anyways and she had to be too, especially if she kept going on dates with him. “good, i was hoping to get some more time with you.” he told the girl as he squeezed her hand and pressed a kiss against her temple.

“It doesn’t, but I promise it’s worth putting up with them,” she said with a wink in his direction. When Davis asked if she was having fun, Hadley looked at him and tried to read his face, her eyebrows twitching closer together. “Davis,” she said softly before she reached up and ran her finger along his jawbone. “I’m having a lot of fun with you, trust me. These dates have been spectacular. Don’t doubt that, okay?” She hoped that what she said was reassuring, wanting him to know how genuinely grateful she was to have the time they did together. “You know, I was kind of hoping for more time with you,” she said back, smiling as he kissed her temple. She gestured toward the seats she’d saved before climbing up to them. Once she settled in, Hadley slipped her arm around his waist and snuggled into his side. “That’s Justin,” she said, pointing to her nephew on the field where he was warming up with his team, a proud smile on her face. 

rhett could never actually be upset with hadley and she had to know that. he was always soft with her and he couldn’t help it. it was just because they were so close. “come on, hadley. you know i could never be upset with you. i’m just trying to be a good big brother, you know that, don’t you?” he shifed toward her and brought his younger sister into his arms for a hug. “have fun. you know i want that for you but i have to be annoying and overbearing sometimes too.”

“Good,” she replied as she let herself be pulled into a hug. She squeezed him back tightly, hoping he knew how much she appreciated him. “You’re a good big brother, Rhett, I promise. I know you worry about me, and I appreciate it. But you also helped raise me, so I’m as tough as I am smart. If he does anything remotely worth getting punched in the face, I’ll be the first one in line to do it.” 

“i’m hoping that i can get more of my pieces into the boutique instead of ordering product elsewhere but i’m just scared that no one will like it.” she admitted, her shoulders lifting in a shrug. maybe she should just take the leap though. no one had to know she designed them. “but it’s super cute either way. i wish i had a girl group to do a costume with. if i did, i think i would’ve tried to talk them into doing the powerpuff girls with me.” she had close friends but it just wasn’t anyone that would want to do that with her. plus, she couldn’t imagine arty in a skirt. “good.” she nodded. she wasn’t worried about hadley hurting davis. she hadn’t heard anything bad about the girl but davis. he had a hard time keep anyone around. “yeah well, he’s not normally one to chain himself to one girl during a party either so he must like you.” she pointed out. “but no. i came with arty. i usually just latch onto him during social events.”

“Oh my gosh, Dixie, you have to do it!” Hadley turned and placed a hand on the woman’s arm excitedly. “I haven’t even seen your stuff but I know it’ll be perfect. You have such a great eye, I love everything you sell at the boutique.” It was clear to the blonde that Dixie truly was meant to do exactly what she was doing, and Hadley couldn’t help but want to support and uplift the woman next to her. Dixie was the kind of person who inspired that sort of response. “That’s a pretty big compliment, thank you,” she replied at the mention of Davis liking her. She hadn’t wanted to dwell on the fact that him going out with her like he was could mean something so big, but Hadley knew better than to think nothing of it. Whatever it was, she chalked it up to both of them having fun and let the possibility of it being something more slip out of her brain. “Arty? Right, Davis mentioned you guys were close. He seems really nice.” 

davis wasn’t shy in public but he’d been seen in public with hadley more than he’d probably ever been seen with another girl in a long time but he liked her and that was clear, he hoped. he didn’t want her to let his reputation push her away, especially since this seemed to be going pretty well. he’d heard about hadley around town. mostly that she shouldn’t be messed with because of all of her brothers and some of her friends had told him that she was sensitive but he really didn’t have any bad intentions at this point. he liked her and that was that and he was actually kind of curious to see where else this would go. 

“are you sure?” it was clear to him now that her brother’s opinions didn’t matter to her, which he was thankful for. of course her brothers had heard about him around town and he was positive that’s why they all looked at him the way that he did. they were all scared that he was going to hurt hadley, which he understood. if dixie was in the same place, he’d be scared too but at the end of the day, it was her decision to be with him. “yeah, i ran into all of your brothers except ambrose at the party.” he informed her and ran his thumb over the back of her hand. “which means, you’re going to have to let me treat you to ice cream or something after this.” he added as he headed toward the bleachers with her.

“I’m a big girl,” Hadley said, nudging Davis with her shoulder as she led him to the bleachers where her blanket was waiting. “I can make my own choices. If my brothers have a problem with who I’m datin’, then they can just suck it up.” She smiled up at the man holding her hand, grateful again for the way he made her feel like the only girl in the entire world whenever he was with her. “I won’t turn down ice cream, though. That’s one thing I can say I am happy to indulge in regardless of the outcome of tonight’s game.” 

davis normally got bored by now. he didn’t normally stick around this long for any girl but hadley was fun. she was different and she made him laugh. he liked her and as scary as that was for him, he continued to come around instead of deciding to push her away. he was actually genuinely excited to join the girl for her nephew’s game, especially since it’d been a while since he saw anyone but his own team play in person and he liked hanging out with her anyways. on top of that, it wasn’t his responsibility to have to coach the team through the game. this was a game he was allowed to enjoy. he parked once he made it to where she said the game was and climbed out of the car. he couldn’t hide the smile that appeared on his face just by seeing her light up across the parking lot. he nodded her head, “here i am.” he confirmed.

he didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around her in tight hug as she pulled him toward her. his hands rested on her waist as she pulled away and he smiled. “i’m pretty excited to be here too. you think weston will get use to me or will he glare at me forever?” he joked, pinching her side gently. he couldn’t believe how much he didn’t want to be away from her. if he could spend all his free time with her, he would. he laughed, “no, i don’t think so but i’m definitely excited to see my-” he cut himself off. she wasn’t his. not yet. “my date get so excited over something i’m so passionate about.” he quickly corrected. his hand slid from her waist to her hand and intertwined their fingers. “should we sit down or something?”

The feeling of Davis keeping his hands on her waist in front of everyone spurred a real sense of pride for Hadley. It was silly, really, but every time he agreed to go out somewhere public and did things like hold her hand or kiss her, Hadley felt like the most special girl in the world. Everyone in town talked about his reputation, but Hadley knew she had one of her own, and it was far from the ‘knockout girl who could get any guy’ kind of vibe. Guys like Davis Smith didn’t waste their time on girls like her. She was nerdy and buried herself in books. There were days she still felt like the girl who was bullied in high school. 

She rolled her eyes at the idea of her brother glaring at him forever, waving a hand in Weston’s direction. “If he does, then it’s his loss. I’m sure he’ll get over himself soon enough. He’s way less scary than Rhett. Definitely worse than Ambrose, though, he’s practically a puppy.” She looked down at where their hands found each other and gave his a squeeze before turning and gesturing to the bleachers on Justin’s team’s side. “They’re warmin’ up but I told him you’d be coming, so he’s probably watching for us to get over there. Also, I made sure to save us a spot somewhere not so close to my brother. This is a date, after all, we don’t need Wes gettin’ any crazy ideas about ruining things.” 

“well, thank you. i’m glad that you can see how hard i worked on it. i think some people just think i threw it together because it’s a simple costume but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.” she admitted with a light laugh. she pushed some of her dark hair back behind her ear and nodded. “you and my brother seem to be having a lot of fun.” dixie pointed out, just wanting to subtly let the girl know she’d seen them together. “it’s been fun so far. i don’t have any complaints.”

“No way, it’s definitely not something you just threw together,” Hadley reassured her, shaking her head. She gestured down to what she was wearing and looked back up at the woman next to her. “This? This was 90% made of stuff I already owned. It’s definitely something we planned out, but it came together really easily.” She blushed at the mention of Davis, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she looked to the floor really quickly. “I’m having a great time with him,” she said, careful to choose words that wouldn’t completely give her away, but it was written all over her face that Hadley was glad to be here with Davis. “I’m glad you think he’s having fun. I know he’s the kind of guy who can have fun with anyone, but it’s nice to be the girl he’s doin’ it with.” She nodded at Daisy, smiling again. “I’m so glad to hear that. Have you been dancin’ with anyone in particular?”

Ayla opened the door and offered the brunette a slight smile. “Looks like you brought some treats.” Baking. A fun activity to do. “Come in,” The brunette said as she opened the door and allowed her friend in. It hadn’t gone over her head that she’d seen Hadley with Davis which at first had been a little jarring. Not because of any emotional for the male but because her friend hadn’t really mentioned it. She’d expected a sort of conversation. Still, she wasn’t too upset by it. “You can drop those things on the kitchen table. I was just finishing up the dishes.” The brunette said as she passed by Hadley and plunged her hands into hot water, finishing up the last few glasses and plates that were in the sink. “They both look delicious. I’m sure we’ll have enough time to do both.” She said as she looked at the other over her shoulder.

Hadley smiled at Ayla, shrugging a little. “I just figured it could be a fun way to spend our afternoon.” She wasn’t sure how Ayla was feeling, and honestly, she didn’t blame her friend in whatever she felt. Hadley should’ve known better than to spring the whole thing on her at the Monster Mash, but she’d been so caught up in everything moving so quickly that she didn’t even really think twice. Hadley started setting things out on the table, watching Ayla with the remaining dishes before she looked back at the ingredients before her. “You’re right, we can probably squeeze both in. Neither one should take too long at all if we stagger them for oven time.” 

rhett wasn’t exactly stoked that his baby sister was set on dating one of the biggest players in tupelo but he knew there wasn’t anything he could do. he could scold her, get upset, scream, but at the end of the day, hadley was going to do what she wanted to do. “yeah,” he sighed, pushing his fingers through his blonde hair. “i’ll give him a chance but he’s definitely going to have to work a little harder for me to like him. i don’t trust him.” he admitted, giving his sister a look. he was only being like this because he cared. “just be careful.”

Hadley knew Rhett was looking out for her. In fact, if it had been any other brother being so direct with his feelings, she might’ve stuck to her guns and held her ground with the frustration act. However, this being Rhett, it meant she was softer in her response without even really meaning to be. “Bubs,” she said softly, raising her eyebrows at him. She couldn’t stand the thought of Rhett being upset with her, not when he was practically her best friend. “I hear you, I promise. I’m goin’ to be careful, I swear. I won’t get hurt, okay?” Poking out her bottom lip slightly, Hadley used her infamous pout on her big brother. “Are you still upset with me?” 

Nikolai knew that he did have the habit of being too present when people were in the shop. It was mainly because sometimes he got bored to tears behind the register and sometimes there was book or two he wanted to sneak a chapter of in between stocking books, doing orders for new books and ringing up customers. “Ah yeah the new Jennifer L. Armentrout series. Got a lot of girls asking for that one so I just went ahead and ordered it because I figured it’d be a best seller.” he says with a nod. He slides the box a little closer to her so she can look at the other books if she feels like it. “It’s alright, Hadley. I don’t mind.” he says with a laugh. “I’m glad that hop feels like a home to you. That’s really comforting to know that I’m doing something right here. Also you don’t really have to sell books. People always are looking for something read even if it’s just comic books or newspapers. I read all the time during the day.” 

“You have a good eye for those,” Hadley complimented, looking over the books in front of her. If it were up to her, she’d never choose the ones that would be best sellers because she was so overly critical of what constituted a ‘good book.’ She would read plenty of genres, but she never had trouble choosing between the best and ones that were simply entertaining at best. Giving Nikolai a grin, Hadley looked up from the box only briefly before rifling through it again. “I’ve been to many a bookstore and this one is my favorite, you know that. It’s not just because you know me by name, either, it’s really a nice atmosphere.” 

dixie’s drinks were going through her at this time of the night and in the middle of her potty dance, hadley spoke up. she looked over at her, silently grateful for the distraction. it’d been a little while since she’d talked to the girl but she didn’t have anything against her and from what she could see, the girl was seeing her brother now. she didn’t see how the two even connected because from what dixie could tell they were two completely different people but she also knew her brother could get anyone he wanted. she offered the girl a smile, “hey, hadley.” she paused for a moment, “thank you. i worked hard on it.” she admitted. she probably spent a little too much time on the piece. “are you having fun tonight?” she questioned.

“It definitely shows,” Hadley said, looking back down at Dixie’s costume with an approving look. “I love when people put effort into costumes like that. Mine’s mostly just pieces I put together, but yours is like actually worked on and that’s so cool.” She looked back up at the twin of her date with a smile. “I’m having a blast! I mean, I figured I would, so it’s not surprising or anything, but it’s still nice. What about you, how are you enjoying your evening?” 

It was impossible for Sabrina not to be apprehensive of any potential suitor Hadley acquired. It was in her nature to be a little overprotective of those she cared about. Hell, she worked herself into a worried frenzy when Hadley took too long to respond to her messages let alone brought known players to public events. If it was up to Sabrina she’d keep both of her precious loves guarded from every distasteful incident that dared entered their path. She knew nothing about Davis other than the rumors she’d collected from the town’s gossip wheel and what she did know wasn’t alleviating her unease. “Well he better stay respectful if he knows what’s good for him” she grumbled, her glare cutting straight through the crowd to where the aforementioned male was standing. 

“You do know I’m planning on cornering him at some point tonight” she reminded her with a sickly sweet smile. Sabrina didn’t see the point of obscuring her intentions. “And don’t make that face” she didn’t have to look at Hadley to accurately predict her expression of protest. The two of them were linked in a way few understood, it came with the privilege of growing up glued at the hip. “I’ll be polite” 

Hadley knew Brina was looking out for her. She knew that the woman’s protectiveness was out fo love, just like her brothers’ always had been. It still made her laugh, especially because she found herself equally as protective over Sabrina when it came to Travis. “He will,” Hadley reassured her friend, trusting Davis in a way that came naturally when you put a timeline on a relationship. If she only expected him to last for three dates, then he couldn’t possibly screw things up and hurt her, could he? Hadley shook her head at Sabrina’s words, shrugging. “Sorry, babe, you know my face does this all on its own. I mean, how can I even stop it when we all know you being ‘polite’ will take a back seat to you puttin’ your feelings out there for the world to see. Just don’t go makin’ him angry, okay? That’s all I ask. I’m pretty sure he’s gettin’ the third degree from every single one of my brothers tonight as it is.” 

the last thing he wanted was to fight with hadley or to upset her in any way but he wanted her to see where he was coming from. he wanted her to know that he cared and that he didn’t want her to get hurt. he felt like he was maybe the hardest on her and maybe that was because he was so much older and he didn’t have any kids. so, he kind of treated hadley like a kid when he knew she was a grown woman. he knew he shouldn’t but he really didn’t want her to get heart broken. he furrowed his eyebrows as she used his full name and crossed his arms over his chest to protect himself after she poked a finger into him. “i just don’t get it. davis smith has a reputation and i’ve sure you’ve heard the rumors just like i have. you have to know that i’m just trying to look out for my little sister. you get that, don’t you?” he knew she was frustrated and honestly, he’d probably gone too far but it was all due to the fact that he hated anyone close to him getting hurt. at this point, there wasn’t anything he could do. the younger girl seemed set on davis, “alright, fine. i’ll let you make your own experience with him.”

Hadley let out a loud sigh, clearly trying her best to reign in her frustrations. Of all her brothers, Rhett was the one she had always been closest to, and the last thing she wanted was to pick a fight with him. Especially here, in public. “Rhett,” she said softly as she reached a hand up gently and rested it on his arm. “I know you’re lookin’ out for me, and I appreciate it. I promise, I do. I just don’t want you to be so dead-set against him that you don’t even give him a chance.” She squeezed her brother’s arm before dropping it and sliding her hands into the pockets of her jacket, tucking it tighter around her waist. “I know about his reputation. I’m not stupid, Rhett, I’m not goin’ to go gettin’ hurt by anybody. Trust me, okay?” 

Technically, this was the third date. Hadley knew that, and she was doing everything she could to push that right out of her mind. She’d been doing a great job of it, so much so that she genuinely didn’t think twice about inviting Davis to her nephew’s baseball game or the implications of him meeting Justin. Maybe there was a subconscious reason behind it, something that made her want to pursue this beyond the third date. For Hadley, she refused to think anything of the sort, though, and that’s how she found herself standing at the baseball fields waiting for Davis. As soon as she glanced toward the parking lot and saw him, Hadley’s face lit up. “There he is,” she said loud enough for him to hear as she took a few steps toward Davis, taking in the man’s appearance and still wondering just how she’d gotten lucky enough to get his attention.

When she reached him, Hadley lifted her hands up to pull Davis into a hug, letting her hands move slowly over his shoulders when she pulled away and looked up at him. “Justin’s really excited that you’re here. Weston, not so much, but he’ll deal. I’m pretty excited, too.” She pressed herself up onto her toes and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before blushing a little, wondering if the feeling of butterflies in her stomach would ever fade when Davis looked at her. “Did I tell you I get a little too invested in these games?”