𝓅𝑜𝓅𝓅𝓎 ― ❀

Darren was a little taken aback by her honesty, but it managed to elicit a smile from the usually stoic man. “Well I appreciate that. You seem like a nice person too,” he said after a brief pause.

“thanks! i try to be.” she really did, even if a lot of the people around her didn’t always seem quite so concerned about being kind. after all, kindness didn’t pay the bills. “i can’t... promise anything, but i’ll do what i can. he’d rather me spend his money investing in your business, than most of the other things i waste it on anyway, i’m sure.” 

“Why?” Darren asked after a moment’s hesitation. “I mean,” he quickly went on, “I’m not trying to sound ungrateful, at all, but why are offering to help so much?” he finished. He really did appreciate the offers she was making, but he just couldn’t figure out what her motivation was for the generous gestures.

poppy turned to darren, a bit confused by his question. “why not? you guys need money, and i have too much of it. you did me a favor today, by helping me get over here... i figure it’s kind of the least i can do. you seem like a nice person, you know? not everyone would have stopped to help, and... i don’t know. you’re not the only one getting something out of this. i get to feel like i helped someone. it’s a good feeling.” 

“You don’t like Penelope?” Vitaliy asked as he stepped aside so Poppy could order. “I’ve enjoyed making people stumble over my name my entire life. Usually, when places like this ask for a name though, I just tell them it’s ‘Andy.’ I guess Poppy would be more difficult for them to screw up.“

He didn’t want to pry, but he also wanted to keep talking while he waited for his smoothie so he kept up with his questions. “So what’s there to do around here, Poppy? What would you suggest for fun?”

“i like it, it’s just... not my vibe.” poppy corrected with a small shrug of her shoulder, ordering an identical smoothie, before turning her attention back to vitaliy. “andy? like from toy story? why andy?” it was a nice enough name, and she’d always liked the movies as a kid, but the jump from vitaliy to andy didn’t make much sense to her. “i mean, i guess that kind of depends on what you’re into. i like shopping... going to the movies... going out to lunch... that kind of thing.” she rattled off a few of the activities her parents approved of, deciding to keep out the list of things she actually enjoyed doing for some real fun. “there’s an arcade by the boardwalk that’s pretty decent.”

THE SOUND SHE MADE WAS ONE JAQ WOULDN’T FORGET. That was probably part of the reason she’d started laughing to begin with. She was still amused by the time she’d gotten to the car. “Your mom will never know.” Jaq corrects quickly, already having planned to make sure they were both cleaned up and presentable before they would even dream of seeing her. She knows how that judgement used to go for her, she can only imagine how it goes for Poppy. “Not as crazy as I do, I can pinky promise you that. We can go back to my place and dry off, make sure your mama is none the wiser.” 

“you clearly don’t know my mom. you know how there’s people who think they’re the main character of the story? my mom’s like... the narrator.” poppy shivered, both from the cold temperature of the water clinging to her skin, and the thought of the inevitable lecture she was going to receive when she got back home. still... maybe there was a chance it had been worth it. “oh, please. you always look perfect.” 

His lips pursed, pulling down in thought as he shook his head. “Nah, better chance of snow in July.” His sweet tooth, and every other tooth attached to temptation, we’re frequently fed. The devil worked hard, but Asa James Nichols worked harder, you know? A snort escaped then. “You would be a few decades late on wrecking this home,” he said with a shrug, minimizing the weight of the statement. “Maybe even longer than that.” The idea didn’t upset him as much as it used to, but his fingers flexed nonetheless. It didn’t matter, though. Her next words deflated whatever pride he had left. The dry laugh that escaped was a hollow placeholder for the expletives that danced across his vision. “How’s your mom, then?” He turned, brow raising. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten those tennis skirts she used to parade around in.”

“july is winter for some parts of the world, you know, aj. so it totally snows in july sometimes.” poppy pointed out, proud of herself for the argument she’d made, though her smile did fade a bit as aj brought up the sad state of his parent’s relationship. “my mom? she’s great. very happily married.” she quirked an eyebrow at aj, pressing her finger into his chest to stop his train of thought. “and she donated all her tennis skirts, after she stopped playing once she took up sailing instead. the only person in my family who parades around in skirts like that anymore is me, hate to break it to you.” though poppy wasn’t necessarily the biggest fan of the sport, she definitely enjoyed the aesthetics of tennis, as well as lunching at the club after a rigorous game. plus, it was one of the things in life she actually felt more than just moderately decent at, due to the talent she’d been passed down from her mother.  

Darren nodded slowly. Poppy’s tone was somewhat reassuring, which helped him feel a little less on edge about the situation. “Well, even if you don’t manage it, I appreciate the thought,” he told her, giving her a small smile. As much as he wasn’t a fan of the kooks, she seemed half decent. Even if she didn’t really care about the businesses on the lower end of town, she didn’t have to make the effort to try and help, so he decided he didn’t mind her that much after all.

"i’m totally going to make it my next, big project.” sure, it might be a little hard to get her father to give a handout to a pogue-run business, but now that she was back together with her boyfriend that had his approval, maybe there was a chance he’d be willing to give in. “maybe i can even get a makeover budget for you guys, totally spruce up the shop, you know? i’m awesome at decorating, it would definitely drive in more business for sure.” 

 ❝  HAVE  YOU  SEEN  some  of  the  people  on  the  boardwalk  these  days  ?  ❞  it  may  have  been  a  brisk  february  day  with  nothing  but  scattered  clouds  for  the  rest  of  the  afternoon,  but  that  didn’t  seem  to  stop  the  overflow  of  bodies  cluttering  about  the  beach  around  them.  kids  ran  up  and  down  the  boardwalk  in  sandy  steps  with  their  pants  rolled  up  at  the  knees,  locals  roamed  around  in  sleek  wet  suits  for  windy  surf  sessions,  and  fratboy  -  wannabes  /  tourists  hung  around  the  shops  that  lined  everything   together  in  tanks  with  stupid  sayings  like  LEGALIZE  COCAINE  or  BLAZE  IT  UP,  OBX  underneath  their  jackets.  so  if  anyone  was  to  turn  their  head  in  poppy’s  direction,  brandon’s  sure  it  would  be  because  she’s  pretty,  not  because  she  looks  like  a  flamingo.    ❝  wanna  piggyback  ride  to  the  surf  shop  ?  they  should  have  flip  flops,  right  ?  we  could  get  some  and  then  that  way  you  won’t  have  to  worry  about  looking  like  a  ‘mingo.  ❞

“they don’t look any different from usual... why? are you implying they’ve all secretly had their brains replaced with alien ones? because i’m pretty sure i saw that in a movie once.” poppy was pretty sure that had been totally fictional, but hey - who knew what kind of secret, weird stuff had been going on around her, that she had no idea about? after all, she wasn’t the kind of person that had ever really been incredibly in touch with her surroundings. “you won’t drop me, will you? the last thing i need is to get my butt all bruised up.” 

     “  𝐨𝐡,    𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬  𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭  of  you  to  think  of.  ”          her  own  disappointment  is  mirrored  in  the  other,    she  can  tell  —-  and  something  swells  in  her  chest.          “  i  could  probably  have  a  proper  -  sized  garden  up  in  .  .  .    i  dunno,    a  few  days  ?    it’ll  be  a  one  woman  farmer’s  market  and  i’ll  be  damned  -  proud  of  it,    too,  ”          a  soft  laugh  is  exhaled,    hoping  a  cordial  smile  will  put  the  other  at  ease.          “  wanna  come  with  ?    i  might  as  well  pick  out  some  shit  and  get  started.    could  use  the  company  ——  if  you’re  not  doin’  anything,    though  !  ”

poppy was hoping for genius, or the best idea ever, but... she supposed she could take sweet. it was a word that had been frequently used in the past to describe her, though she’d caught on to the fact that it hadn’t always been used as a compliment, like she’d once thought. in this case, though... it was hard to know for sure. “come with? where?” an adventure was just the kind of thing she always seemed to be searching for, but getting a few more details first couldn’t hurt. “are you taking me to a farm? because i’ll totally go, but... i’m not going anywhere near any horses, i’m telling you now.” 

SHE WAS FAR MORE A WHOLESOME FRIEND THAN HE DESERVED, but perhaps that was why they said that opposites attracted. He wasn’t mad about it, though, and arm willingly linked with hers. In fact, he pulled her just a little bit closer, before moving it around her shoulders. “The upside, is that you don’t have to be decisive, so why bother?”  He offered, laughing a little bit as they finally at the car. “Besides, I can’t say I remember you ever wearing one I didn’t like.” 

“i only have so much space in my closet - if i bought every dress i liked, there wouldn’t be any room for me in there.” poppy argued, giving her driver a small smile as she informed him of her plans for the afternoon, sliding into the backseat of the car and patting the seat beside her for ra. “well, sure, but that’s because i spend so much time making sure i’ve picked the right one.” 

HER CONCERN WAS SOMETHING HE APPRECIATED, even though he didn’t say that. She was always so very…different, from anyone else. It was something that he couldn’t put his finger on, but he has always liked this girl, in a way that included a little bit of admiration. A smile ghosted his features, before nodding. “Okay, okay. I do prefer the concealer, a full make over maybe. I think some eyeshadow would really distract from everything else going on. Thoughts?” 

poppy’s face lit up at the thought of a makeover and she nodded quickly, opening her purse to see what she had on hand. “you know, we should really just go to my house, if we’re gonna do this properly. i have tons more makeup there, and i’ll totally have you looking like a total baddie in no time.” 

JAQ HAD ALREADY MADE THE DECISION. Poppy’s logic was beyond what she had decided, which was part of her charm, at least sometimes. There was a moment, she took, to look at the girl before she was pulling her out into the rain unexpected, but then booking it with her toward the car. She was laughing, the entire time, trying to make the best of the whole thing until they were both safely hidden in the front seat. Jaq took a deep breath, still laughing before turning her head that was resting against the seat, to look at the other. “It’s suppose to rain all day, come on. Don’t be mad at me, pretty please.” 

poppy let out a screech when the rain suddenly came pouring down on her as jaq dragged her out to the car, but it quickly turned into laughter when she’d realized what had happened. by the time she was settled into the front seat, totally drenched, she was panting, and shaking her head slowly at jaq. “my mom’s gonna kill me!” despite the tone in her voice, she was laughing, definitely not as annoyed about being tricked as she maybe should have been. “i bet i look crazy right now.” 

              she  is  no  stranger  to  the  hush  hush  of  her  friendships  with  some  of  the  richer  residents  of  the  island,  and  truthfully,  she  saw  no  issue  with  it.  especially  considering  it  was  rarely  her  friends  installing  it  but  rather  continuing  on  their  parents’  nuisance.  she  slips  into  the  house  with  a  sunlight  like  grin.  “  oh,  i  love  lemon  bars.  i’ll  definitely  trade  some.  “  she  nods  and  slips  out  of  her  shoes.  one  thing  she  probably  wouldn’t  get  over  so  quickly,  as  she  has  yet  to,  is  the  size  of  houses  some  of  her  friends  lived  in.  “  we  can  put  it  to  the  test  who  is  better,  me  or  your  cook.  “  the  brunette  chuckles.

poppy happily let aspen inside, shutting the door behind them both, and holding out her hand to lead her friend towards the kitchen. “why pit two queens against each other? why not just... enjoy the delicious treats you’ve both made?” poppy’s sweet tooth was no secret - especially to those that knew her well, and it wasn’t uncommon for her family’s main kitchen to smell like a bakery because of it. “how’ve you been, anyway? i feel like i haven’t seen you in forever.” 

Darren let out a small huff of amusement at the sight of the pen. Bright pink, and of course, bedazzled. He wasn’t surprised in the least. He quickly scribbled down the name and address of the shop, before adding the owner’s name underneath in his messy but legible print. He handed the pen and the receipt over to her. “The owner is probably going to refuse to start off with,” he warned her with a frown. “But if this offer comes with no strings attached,” he said pointedly, “then he might change his mind.”

with a small nod, poppy carefully placed the items back into her purse, making a mental note with the information darren was giving her. “i can be pretty convincing, you know.” sure, she’d still have to ask her dad if he was even willing to make some sort of investment, but that shouldn’t be too hard. he was always looking for ways to at least appear like he cared about the community that surrounded them. “i’m sure we’ll be able to work something out.”

“My absolute favourite thing to draw and paint is New York,” Casey admitted, smiling somewhat wistfully. “But as an artist, if I paint the same scene every time, I’m not really challenging myself to get better.” He paused, pencil freezing on the page a moment before he nodded. It was easier to let her think he was here to draw the beaches. “I heard some of the sunsets were among the most beautiful in the world. I thought I’d try my hand capturing them in paint.”

“you mean the city?” poppy questioned, reminiscing on the trips she’d taken there with her family in the past. it had always been so exciting, but... a little too crowded for her taste. “is that where you’re from? my dad bought a painting in soho, maybe it was yours!” the name of the artist had slipped her mind, but it’d be pretty cool, if casey had been the one behind the art hung up in her home. “i don’t think our sunsets are any different from any other sunset... i mean, it’s all the same sky, right?” 

                  “  yeah,  poppy,  i’m  sure.  “  the  girl  insists  and  shakes  her  head.  brows  lift  and  she  looks  toward  her  friend.  “  we’re  basing  our  social  life  on  an  ancient  musical  now  ?  “  she  questions.  “  plus  it’s  cold  out.  “  she  points  out,  “  but  i’d  totally  be  down  for  drinks  or  dinner  at  port  side.  “    her  head  tilts,  “  or  gilligans.  “  she  would  probably  never  admit  to  liking  their  cocktails  more  than  the  ocean  side  bistro,  but  her  attendance  at  the  pogue  pub  could  out  her  without  words.    she  reaches  for  her  phone  to  scroll  through  various  apps,  checking  who  has  checked  into  where  and  she  flicks  some  blonde  stray  strands  from  her  face.  “  what  do  you  think ?  “  she  asks,  finally  looking  back  to  the  other  blonde.

poppy’s tone was... slightly less than enthused when she answered aubrey’s question, turning to her friend with a small shrug. “yeah... i guess.” going out for drinks didn’t really seem all that exciting, but it’s not like she had any better ideas. well, at least not any better ideas that aubrey would actually go for. “if i get a vote, i’m going with gilligans.” they’d have more of an opportunity of possibly meeting some interesting people there, than they would at port side, that was for sure. “you really don’t want to go exploring?”