poison

Henley was thrown off guard as the woman handed him a rose out of her bag. “Aren’t we all a little special already? Thanks though.” He tried to get a peek in her bag before looking back to the stranger. “Can’t say I don’t feel special anymore. Unless of course you’re handing out one to everyone?”

Angel nodded her head. “I guess so, yeah. We aren’t really that special when we’re the majority.” She laughed a little. “Not yet. You’re the first.”

“Thank you, I know.” Andrea crossed her arms, looked at everyone “You’d think there’d be less hormones but god, no, of course there isn’t.”

“Jeez, you gotta chill,” Angel said slowly before laughing a little. “Are you not getting enough or something? People who complain about hormones are normally mad because they ain’t getting any.”

“Fuck,” he breathed, shaking his head and laughing to himself. Poinsettias. “Nope. Meant the first one. Don’t know how I can fuck up flowers so badly…”

“Stop, not everyone knows their flowers. In fact a lot of people don’t know their flowers. You just happen to be talking to a expert.”

“Yeah, nothin’ wrong with it, just ain’t my first pick, you know?” Really, his job wasn’t bad. He got paid…enough, and food was at a discount sometimes. “Mmhm. And I would, but I ain’t smart enough to get hired and I definitely ain’t smart enough to make my own business. It’s sorta tougher than I thought.” And that was even with the fact he could control the ground. “I’ll figure somethin’ out some day, though.”

“I bet you’re a lot smarter than you think you are.” She hated seeing someone so down on themselves. It reminded her of...her. “I think I know a guy who can help set you up with a landscaping job if you’re interested. I only know him because of my job, obviously. He seems weird but cool.”

“Job-wise? Grocery store, wherever they need me.” He shrugged. It wasn’t exactly where he wanted to be, this far into his twenties, but what could he do when he’d been…well, living through some shit. “I’m thinking I’d be good at landscapin’ or somethin’, but I can’t try it, seein’ as it’s winter and all.”

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with working at a grocery store. I used to work in produce back home.” She raised an eyebrow. “Landscaping, huh? Well, you should go for it. I mean, why not? isn’t this place supposed to be a new beginning for us?”

“I don’t know, but not like one of these. I think I thought they were those Christmas flowers? I have no clue.”

She laughed a little. “Those are Poinsettias. Unless you mean  Amaryllis. Regardless, it was a good guess.”

Tom nodded. “Well, I can say for someone newer to town, you’re doin’ a hell of a lot better than I am, so good job. Nice to see someone’s got a game plan.” Unlike him, the guy who had run off before he had any fucking skills.

“What is it that you do?” she questioned. “I bet you’re a lot better off than you think.”

Danny couldn’t help but chuckle. “True,” he answered. “Oh, for real? I…Thought those were a different thing, for some reason.”

Tom nodded the little understanding that he had, and grinned. “That’s good. People are able to tell if you care.” Again, he looked at the flower, wondering what he was supposed to do with it. “You run that new greenhouse place? Or…whatever it is?”

“Yeah, I do. It’s my own thing. I used all the money I had saved from my old life to afford that broken down house. But it was the only one in town with a greenhouse, so it’s cool. I like cleaning the place up. It gives me shit to do.”

“It’s very hard to love a cactus, they’re prickly bitches.” Much like himself. “But. I will do my best with this one. I think I like it better.”

She snorted. “Prickly bitches need love too.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Right. It’s a hydrangea.”

Snowdrops were fragile little things, white and gentle, and Ben was surprised that she had them in her arsenal. Still, he nodded, paying close attention not to come into contact with her as she handed the little flower off. He took it into his hand, smiling gently until he was hit with a wave of energy, soft and sad, full of chaos and new beginnings. By the time he could see straight again, the flower was falling to the ground and he was glaring up at the girl, squinting. “The fuck’d you do to them, then?”

She backed away, his glare making her feel uneasy. He dropped the snowdrop and she didn’t know if she was more hurt by that or his accusations. “Do to them? Grow them and love them!” She couldn’t even fathom what he thought she did. With the look he gave her she really wasn’t sure. “These plants are special to me..” she whispered. “They are a part of me...I was just trying to be kind...”

Ben had always been happy to know that plants, rocks, dirt - the natural things in the world held any tumult in their histories with grace. It was why his work was what it was; he liked the tranquility that nature held. Even firewood and tumbled stones were peaceful to the touch unlike possessions. “Don’t mind if I do,” he said, looking irritated as always, but who could be a pisspot when they had a flower? “What’ve you got?”

“I got a nice variety. Snowdrops, lilies, roses, daisies, tulips and hydrangeas.” She studied him for a moment. “You seem like the type to not go for roses and lilies. Daisies probably bore you too, no? But Snowdrops....Snowdrops are just your type.” She reached into her basket and pulled one out. “For you, sir.”