#redcoated

( FINALLY finished! Neil and Claire’s end to Opening Day. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll feel frustrated. xD LOL. Enjoy. <3 )

Jump on the first person to your right or left and give them a romantic smooch on the lips! Remember: No trading spots once the game started~!-

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 As Neil sat himself down next to Claire in the dare circle, she grinned, "Okay. Let's do this!" she put her hand into the hat, and the second she read the paper, her face went fully red and she eyed Neil uncertainly. Ooooh boy... 

The blonde laughed uneasily, her heart hammering in her chest as she slowly inched toward him. "I-I'm sorry, Neil.." in one quick movement, she'd climbed onto his lap facing him and gently kissed him on the lips. The second time she'd been the one kissing him. Damnit.

Nothing was going right. The horses were a chaotic mess and going on a walk did nothing to calm her down. She tried, oh boy did she tried, but nothing worked. Gwen would often fall into a slump like this. She never really knew what caused it, but she hated it. The way it made her feel... it was the worse feeling. She even tried to write down her ideas for her dream place but nothing prevailed. It was a lost cause.

So, what did one do to get out of a slump? You talk to someone. For Gwen, that someone was her new found cousin Neil.

[Text] Neil, you are going to this festival, right?

[Text] I’ve.. Decided to try getting a blind date, so I expect that you’ll be there to punch the person if they aren’t a gentleman. Just letting you know.

[Text] See you tomorrow, cousin.

Elise lowered her phone and began perusing her rather large wardrobe in hopes of finding something suitable for tomorrow. Of course, anything she wore would be suitable, surely, but she wanted to look her very best.

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[msg] yeah

Neil scrunched his nose at the next message—his eyes widened, his heart dropped. Wait. What? Not Elise too!?! Though he felt better that his cousin was willing to let him butt in if the man she was going on a date wasn't exactly gentle.

[msg] expect? you should know

Neil sighed. He was going to get a headache for sure in that dumb festival.

[msg] see you

After she’d finished writing in her diary, following her run in with Neil, Claire had taken a quick shower and gotten dressed. She really hadn’t the slightest idea when Neil was going to show up, but she wanted to be ready whenever he did. The fact he was planning to give her money still felt odd to the blonde, who wasn’t used to letting people give her a hand up, even if she did need it. It was a really sweet gesture, it was just... Not what she had been expecting. It was almost like he was trying to take care of her lately, with that and promising to help her if Charles bugged her.

The girl sighed a little, although there was a smile on her face. She hadn’t wanted to still like him, but she had to admit, it was still there, and having him around again did make her happy. She just knew better than to get too hopeful this time.

Since she had no real way to repay him, she decided that she’d at least make him something hot to eat for when he arrived. It was cold out, and since he’d given her his jacket, she was sure he’d be cold and hungry. The stubborn guy. While she couldn’t make him anything with meat in it, obviously, she decided on a vegetarian stew with tofu instead of the usual meat. Hopefully he wouldn’t mind it, she was pretty sure he’d remember she was a vegetarian. 

After getting everything into the pot and starting to simmer the food, Claire moved to turn on the tea kettle. She wasn’t sure if he’d prefer tea or coffee, but if he preferred the coffee, she could always brew some of that, too. It felt odd doing all of this for someone other than her sister, but it actually warmed her heart. It got pretty lonely for her lately, since Rachel was staying in her own place, and now her family was all gone.

“Just you and me, huh, boys.” she sad softly, smiling down at the two dogs that sitting on either side of her, panting as they continued to watch her, waiting to see if she’d drop anything on the floor for them. She shook her head at them with a chuckle, “You have your own food. This is for Neil.” 

As she moved back over to the pot, she lifted the lid and gave a stir before taking a small taste of it. It tasted pretty good to her, but she wasn’t sure what he’d think. It was the thought that counted anyways, right?

Almost as if reading her mind, she heard a knock on the door and felt her heart leap up into her throat. “Coming!” she called out, having to weave between her two dogs. Normally, they’d have gone running for the door, but with food on the stove, neither budged. 

Claire took a deep breath and then opened the door, a big smile crossing her face. “Hey! Come on in!”

Elli was about to head out when she noticed an envelope just beneath her door. Someone must have slipped in under while she was in the other room. Curiosity filling her, Elli picked it up and looked it over. There wasn’t anything written on the outside at all. Perhaps there was a note inside?

But when she opened the envelope she found a whole bunch of money inside! Emptying it all out she still didn’t find any note saying who it was from or explaining why it was under her door. Had it been a mistake? 

She counted through the stack of notes. 3,333G. She couldn’t believe it. Who would have left it for her? Pondering for a moment, Elli though of the possibilities. The only person she could think of was Neil. He did leave a stack of notes on her table without her looking. But why leave it in an unmarked envelope? 

Claire had paused in her steps as it was, hearing a dog barking always got her attention and she glanced around until she spotted her blonde friend rushing towards her. It was enough for her cheeks to flush a light pink, although she hoped he’d think it was from being outside. It’d been raining on and off all day, and she couldn’t seem to avoid it. 

This, however, was a pleasant surprise and she smiled brightly, giving a wave as he made his way over. “Hey! Didn’t expect to run into you here!” As soon as she felt the dog paws on her legs, the blonde was suddenly on her knees, petting the dog with a happy chuckle. “Hey there, Fizzle! Are you helping Neil?”