pxppymcguinness

[pxppymcguinness]

poppy wished that she could do more fore jake. she wanted to help him, to make him feel better too. but she felt like she was underwater and she had just about enough strength to keep herself from not drowning in it. she wished that she had never come back here. why hadn't they all learnt their lesson from last time?

and as jacob spoke, poppy nodded her head. she should've known that, that wouldn't get them anywhere. she wasn't really sure what she expected, anyway. if someone did this, then they weren't going to slip up that easily. not that she believed jacob would be capable of something like that. she absolutely didn't. not in a million years. "you guys argued?" poppy questioned, "why? are you okay?"

"it's an easy situation to freak out about." she shrugged. she wasn't sure that there were many people who would be able to keep their head during all of this. "i don't know." poppy sighed. "i do - i don't have their numbers. do you?" she thought that she might feel better if the two of them tried to call. maybe it would be an easy explanation, she hoped so, anyway.

he nodded, happy that at least being isolated from the group was helping poppy process what was going on and stop from freaking out. it wasn't helping jake, but he wasn't going to let that be known.

sighing, he ran his hand through his hair as he tried to think, eventually starring off into the distance (if only to make sure the pressure in his head stopped). "honestly, i got really drunk last night. i can't remember anything after showing up to the bonfire and... and i think camille and i ended up arguing or something. but it's all blurry. so really, i guess the last time i saw them was when i was unpacking? i got here late so..." he sighed, knowing that wasn't exactly helpful.

"i'm not sure where they went, but speculating isn't gonna help us. it's just gonna make that brain of yours freak out even more. so lets just try to focus on other stuff." looking back at poppy, almost as if an idea came to him, he asked, "has anyone tried calling them?"

[pxppymcguinness]

"oh i should have known that it would be some selfless reason why you'd be here." poppy teased, "thanks for coming to save me." she put her hand on her heart, a real proper smile on her face as she looked across at carter. their friendship had never been perfect but it had overcome a lot - maybe that was why it felt so comfortable despite the fact that they hadn't seen one another in a little while. he was the only person that she could feel like this with, she was sure of that. and although the mood turned a little as they eluded to the last time that they were there, it still wasn't uncomfortable. if there was anyone that she felt okay talking too about all of that, then it was going to be carter. "you think that's it?" poppy asked, tilting her head. "i think that maybe it was because it was the last time that we were all - i dunno - together." she shrugged. and they had been having a good time before everything had gone wrong.

poppy shrugged her shoulders at carters question. "well, if you're as good as you were the last time, i think i don't have anything to worry about." poppy joked. she was glad that the two of them, at least, got to have a little bit of a reprieve from being back at stillwater. it was for that single moment that made coming here worth it.

carter assumed the smile he gave poppy was the first time he had smiled that day. talking to her was a break from the gloom and discomfort of the situation. he hadn't had many opportunities to speak to her since college but talking to her wasn't awkward like the others. he still felt like he properly knew her. "of course i'm here , i couldn't leave you to deal with this on your own." he still would have been there if poppy wasn't there but her presence made it easier. "yeah, i know." he replied, solemnly. carter wasn't the type of person to run from grief. he did everything he could to face it head on. he refused to let it fester. but being back at the place jamie died was a different level of confrontation. it felt like he was transported back to the worst day of his life. he had no idea how he was meant to cope with being constantly surrounded by the night his brother died. "i've been trying to figure out why harper wanted us to come back here. the only answer i can think of is that she thought it would be healing." that seemed like a reasonable explanation. harper had always been one of the most emotionally mature people carter knew even back in college. that was why he gravitated towards her.

the throaty chuckle carter let out made it clear that he was surprised by his laughter. "what makes you think you're going to beat me? maybe i'm a billiards shark now." carter joked with a grin as he went to grab a cue off the wall. he hadn't played billiards since the last trip to stillwater.

[pxppymcguinness]

poppy nodded, "yeah, even i'd take a plane over all of this." she huffed. she would do anything to be able to get out of there, to get away. she just wanted to be somewhere that she felt safe. she was sure that it was the same for miki. poppy nodded, though, as the other continued. because miki was right. none of this made sense and yet poppy didn't stop trying to make some sort of logic out of it. "would they do that after they heard us all shouting them?" poppy retorted. "i mean, if it was a prank, don't you think they'd have come out by now? what's the point in continuing?" people were wanting to hold on to some glimmer of hope and poppy really didn't want to quash that but it was difficult. she couldn't buy into the idea of it being a prank. she didn't think that anyone would do that to them - even if they all hadn't spoke for a long, long time.

miki  let  out  a  shaky  breath,  her  gaze  drifting  aimlessly  around  the  room,  as  if  the  walls  could  somehow  hold  the  answers.  “yeah,  i  mean,  if  i  could,  i’d  totally  be  on  the  first  flight  home,  you  know?"  she  forced  a  light  chuckle  that  barely  covered  the  nerves  coiling  inside  her.  “this  whole  thing  ...  it  doesn’t  make  sense.”  there’s  no  way  they  just  ...  disappeared.  her  stomach  sinking  deeper  with  every  passing  second.  she  was  starting  to  feel  crazy,  like  the  more  she  tried  to  make  sense  of  it,  the  more  the  world  around  her  felt  like  it  was  spinning  too  fast.  “what  if  ...  what  if  they’re  just,  like,  hiding  or  something?  or  ...  i  don’t  know.  playing  a  prank?”  she  let  out  a  breath,  but  it  didn't  quite  clear  the  fog  in  her  mind.  the  pit  in  her  stomach  told  her  otherwise. 

[pxppymcguinness]

It was difficult for Poppy to be around the others that morning. Other than a few, she wasn't sure if she could trust the rest of them. She knew that she needed to stop thinking like that. She needed to stop assuming the worst but it was difficult. This was the second time something like this was happening to them. Surely it couldn't be some sort of big coincidence? But it was that reason why Poppy was still sat in the dining room, even a while after Jacob had left her. She was trying to build herself up, to go out to face the others.

As Leon walked into the dining room, Poppys eyebrows shot up. She hadn't seen him the night before and in the commotion of the morning so far, she hadn't realised that he had arrived. Was that a coincidence? She knew that she couldn't automatically think the worst of him but it was difficult. Her head was spinning.

"Oh yeah, because joking about death right now is really a good idea, right?" Poppy rolled her eyes, though there was a little bit of fondness there. Her friendship with Leon had always been a little ... complicated. He was one of her oldest friends and yet friend was probably not the right word. Companion? Person she knew? One of those was probably better. "Sorry. Didn't realise that you needed my attention so much." She huffed. "I didn't know you were here?"

who: leon + poppy (@pxppymcguinness) where: the kitchen when: january 11, 9:00am

If anyone walked into the mess that Leon left in the kitchen, they would have thought a 20-person street scuffle broke out among the cabinets and pantries. Despite the dilemma their group faced, Leon couldn't function without breakfast and while the guilt from leaving his friends to strategize by themselves might twist knots in his chest after he empties his bowl, at least he would have satiated his rumbling stomach. What might have taken only five minutes in his studio apartment in Chicago took nearly thirty in the oddly fully stocked cabin. Someone must have known he liked pulpy orange juice with his Froot Loops and that alone brought about a wave of nauseous guilt. He stopped speaking to half of the present party and up until a few hours ago, he was intent on completely ignoring the invite to Stillwater- yet someone still cared enough for him to remember his eating habits? He took the full bowl and walked to the empty dining room, except for the lone chair occupied by one of the few people he occasionally spoke to, rather sporadically, in the past ten years. He was glad to see her in person now but he couldn't help notice how she was less radiant than he remembered her to be. " Funnily enough, I thought you were dead for the past two months. It's a shame you're not." Leon knew that the bickering would follow them wherever they went so he might as well start with what the two of them were used to. The two felt unfamiliar with comforting words and faux concern. " Seriously, Poppy, answer my damn texts once in a while." With a roll of his eyes, Leon set down the bowl and took a seat across from the blonde, immediately shoveling in a spoonful of the cereal.

[pxppymcguinness]

"of course." poppy nodded. really, it made her feel better to not just ignore the situation that was going on. it was all that she could thinking about and she liked to know that she wasn't the only one. she sighed, though, as camille continued. she wished that she had a better response for her. "not since last night. or maybe early this morning." she chewed on her lip for a moment before she spoke again, "everyone keeps saying that. that it has to be some sort of joke but...but i don't know how it even could be. i don't think they'd do something like that to us." which didn't make her feel better. maybe poppy should've gone along with it being a joke but she just couldn't. it seemed too dismissive of the peril of this situation. "but i have no idea what happened, either." she stopped what she was doing and turned to look at the other, "do you trust everyone here, cami?"

camille stood there, her mind still reeling from the morning’s chaos. she had always been the one people leaned on—the rock, the calm in the storm—but right now, she felt like she was sinking under the weight of everything. it was like the floor had disappeared beneath her, and she didn’t know how to keep standing. her hands were trembling, even if no one else noticed. she met Poppy’s eyes, and for the first time today, there was a flicker of warmth in her chest. she bit down on her lip, fighting the rising panic, but it was a losing battle. if she couldn’t say something now, if she couldn’t get it out, she was going to shatter the carefully constructed front she’d been holding onto. "if you don’t mind," she started, her voice a soft as a whisper. "do you know if anyone saw them at all? It just doesn’t make sense how they can just be... gone. i find it hard to believe that any of this can be some joke. " the words felt like a raw wound. everything felt too impossible to understand, and she hated that she couldn’t make it make sense.

[pxppymcguinness]

"no, i know. i know." poppy nodded. "i really - i appreciate it." it was a difficult situation. she didn't, really, know how any of them were supposed to act but she knew that jake was trying his best and that was all that she could really expect from him. he was making her feel better - even if she didn't really show it. just by being there, she felt a little better about the whole situation.

athough as jacob continued, poppy shook her head. "i don't want anything to eat." she felt sick to her stomach. she didn't think that eating anything on top of that was going to help the situation. "it's just ... being away from all of that. it's helping." she had no idea how she would be when she had to face it all again but she would deal with that when the time came. she knew that she couldn't just sit around for too long, though. she would have to go and help the others sooner rather than later.

"i just don't understand this." poppy whispered, "i don't understand how three people can be missing and none of us know a single thing. how is that possible? i don't even remember - i can't even remember the last time that i saw them last night. do you?" she had spoke to them throughout the day but she couldn't remember anything specific - and certainly nothing which would help with all of this.

"hey, i'm just trying to lighten the mood." he said, forcing a smile. poppy clearly was really freaked out by what was happening and jake wanted to do what he could to make her feel a little bit better about what they had all witnessed this morning. and maybe if he could get her to stop being scared, he wouldn't feel as bothered by what was going on either.

he nodded at her insistence that she wasn't going to go out spouting theories of someone in the group hurting the girls. good. the last thing they needed was everyone suspecting each other... mostly because he was sure to be on the top of everyone's list. jake had always acted recklessly in the past, and he was roberta's fucking roommate so... yeah, fuck. everyone needed to remain calm.

"don't worry, i'm not this kind of stupid. we're gonna be fine." he fucking hoped that was true. "can i get you something to make you feel better? have you eaten anything or like... i don't know, do you want some tea?"

[pxppymcguinness]

poppy smiled a little as miki attempted to joke. the smile didn't reach her eyes. it was hard to feel anything other than the abject horror that she was feeling. something really bad was happening. she could feel it. and she didn't like it. not one bit. if it wasn't for the snow, poppy was sure that she would have basically ran back home. "i don't know." she sighed, shaking her head. "i have no idea what we do. where we go. it feels - it's impossible." because what could they do outside of what they were already doing? they were searching for the girls but other than that? what could they even do.

"i'm really scared, miki." she whispered. she was sure that the other girl felt similarly and somehow, being around miki made her feel a little better. the idea of having someone around who maybe knew how she was feeling, made her feel a little less crazy. "and i know this isn't about us but i can't stop thinking what this all means, what's going to happen." she chewed on her lip for a second, "the others are trying to stay positive and i get it but i - i can't."

miki  had  spent  the  last  five  minutes  staring  at  the  fire  like  if  she  concentrated  hard  enough,  she  could  just,  like  …  absorb  the  warmth  through  sheer  willpower.  spoiler  alert:  it  wasn’t  working.  she  let  out  a  tiny,  pitiful  noise,  stretching  her  hands  out  toward  the  fire,  wiggling  her  fingers  like  that  would  somehow  make  the  heat  sink  in  faster.  i  swear  to  god,  i  have  never  been  this  cold  in  my  life,  she  thought  to  herself,  like  it  was  some  kind  of  personal  betrayal. 

miki  swallowed  hard,  trying  to  piece  together  something  logical,  something  that  didn’t  feel  so  bad,  but  nothing  she  came  up  with  made  sense.  phones  don’t  just  end  up  in  the  snow  on  their  own.  people  don’t  just  disappear  in  the  middle  of  the  night  “so,  like  …  just  to  clarify  …  we’re  sure  juno  didn’t,  y’know,  drop  her  phone  in  the  snow  on  purpose?  and  then,  um  …  wander  off  for  a  super  valid  reason?”  as  if.  the  joke  felt  flat  the  second  she  said  it,  but  she  didn’t  take  it  back.  what  else  was  she  supposed  to  do?  just  sit  in  the  quiet,  thinking  about  how  bad  this  was?  juno  would  never  leave  her  phone.  not  even  if  she  was,  like,  running  for  her  life.  the  thought  sent  a  shiver  down  her  spine,  one  that  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  cold.  “what  do  we  do  now?”  she  looked  at  poppy,  searching  for  something  ...  direction,  reassurance,  literally  anything  that  made  this  feel  a  little  less  impossible.  because  right  now?  miki  had  a  really,  really  bad  feeling  about  everything.

[pxppymcguinness]

poppy had calmed down a lot from the initial shock of that morning but it still kept going round and round her head. any time she was alone with her thoughts too long, all she could think about was that scene and how bad it really looked. she had no idea if that was just one of them or something to do with all three of them but she hated it. at least sorting lunch was something to get their minds off of everything.

"i know." poppy didn't take her eyes off of the bread in front of her but she could hear the shakiness of her friends voice and she wished that there was something she could do. she was almost comforted, though, to hear a similar level of fear from the other. at least it wasn't just her. "no. don't apologise." poppy shook her head, "you really don't need to apologise." especially not because she thought that she and camille were probably thinking the same kind of things. "do you want to talk about it?" she asked, "or would you like to try and avoid talking about it?" she thought that talking about it could be useful but she also understood if the other needed to think about anything but what had happened.

camille immediately goes towards to the fridge to look for a block of cheese and then a grater. she needed any sort of task to feel useful, instead of fighting back the desperate tears she wanted to break. nothing seemed to make sense and she was just hoping for an answer as to what could possibly be happening. how could she even focus on anything except for the ones who were missing?

"it's just all messed up," she's able to say out loud with a bit of shakiness. it was as if they were doomed and she couldn't understand why all of this would keep happening. especially when they were here for harper. "i just don't get how no one saw anything. people just don't go missing like that..." she wanted to refuse to believe that any harm could come. "i'm sorry...i don't even know what i'm saying anymore." camille looks up, eyes searching for hers, sort of a lifeline. she just needed something, anything.

[pxppymcguinness]

"that doesn't bring me too much comfort, you know." poppy teased. seeing all of the blood as they had come downstairs that morning had been such a shock. whatever happened, it definitely didn't look good. and poppy couldn't help but wonder how long ago it might have been - was there something some of them could have done to help their friends?

maybe bringing up jamie wasn't her smartest move. she and jacob didn't talk about him. she wasn't sure that either of them had really gotten over losing jamie. but, it had brought them closer. while she'd pulled away from most of the others, she'd clung to jacob like he was some sort of life raft. but unlike jacob, while he had been doing anything to get away from thoughts of jamie, poppy had been drowning in them. maybe that was why it was so easy for her to link the two events together.

poppy shook her head, "i know. i know. but i'm not saying it to everyone. i'm saying it to you." because if there was one person that she trusted, it was jake. and she trusted him to look after her but it also scared her. she wasn't sure how far he would go to look after her. he was always doing so many silly things, after all. "i don't want anything to happen to you, jake." she squeaked. "promise me that you won't do anything stupid?"

"yeah, i'd go that far" he said, trying to prove a point. although, perhaps all that was proving is that this was super out of the ordinary. he wasn't sure anyone else in the group would every do something as fucked up as pretend to be missing and lose a bunch of blood for a prank.

the second poppy even began to hint at jamie and how he died, jake felt a cold stillness pass over him. and for a moment poppy's words sounded like a buzzing in his ears. he had never made peace with what happened to jamie, never really dealt with it or got over it. and so far he was doing everything in his being to ignore all the memories this place was bringing back. but fuck... she was right. this was feeling too similar to last time.

"pops, i don't know what the fuck is going on. but we can't just start saying shit like that. it'll freak everyone out. and until we know more, it's not gonna help anyone. maybe the girls went for a walk and forgot to close the front door, and who knows, maybe someone got drunk around the fire pit last night and hurt themselves." squeezing her hand, his voice became more serious. "but if your right and something is wrong, i wont let anything happen to you."

[pxppymcguinness]

how much bad luck could one group of people have? not only had they lost jamie and harper but now three of their other friends were missing as well. "okay, do you want to grate some cheese or something? we could make sandwiches." she shrugged. she had no idea what people were going to want but she felt better doing something, making herself a little more useful. even if it wasn't really anything. she didn't think that she had it in her to do much more, though. she glanced to camille as she spoke again. she felt almost comforted with the other mirroring her own thoughts. "me neither." poppy sighed, shaking her head. she felt similarly to camille. the thought of the girls out there was almost too much for her to bear but she knew that she couldn't fall apart. "i just can't stop thinking about them."

camille’s mind was still reeling from the news of their friends missing. it felt like she was trapped in some surreal nightmare, each passing moment making her feel more distant from reality, as if everything she knew was slipping through her fingers. the fear, the helplessness, it was like a fog she couldn’t shake. it left her pacing, moving in circles, unable to focus on anything but the gnawing dread in her chest. she felt useless, just waiting for some shred of good news that never came. but then, through the haze of her own spiraling thoughts, she heard poppy’s voice, clear and grounding. the words cut through the panic, offering her a small thread of something she could hold onto. she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, and nodded, grateful for the simplicity of the request. "you just tell me what to do, and i’ll do it," she said, her voice unsteady, though she tried to mask it with a smile. making food—how ridiculous it seemed in the midst of everything going on, but at least it was something. she crossed the room to poppy, offering a small squeeze to her shoulder, a silent thank you for offering her a task, something to focus on. "i don’t even know what else to do right now," she admitted quietly, the weight of it all threatening to crush her, but she wouldn’t let herself fall apart. not yet.

[pxppymcguinness]

if there was anyone that poppy wanted to follow her, it was him. even just having jacob there, someone that she trusted, was enough to help calm her down a little bit. she felt safe when she was with him.

"a prank?" poppy repeated. "jake, you saw the blood. i don't think anyone would go that far. and i definitely don't think those three would. you and connor might, knuckleheads." poppy attempted a joke, though even she wasn't too convinced by it. she shook her head, "no. it's not a prank." of that she was certain. this was real and it was scary and their friends were in danger and she didn't know what to do. and, and, and. she couldn't seem to slow down her thoughts.

and it was that moment, when a thought struck her. it chilled her to her very core. "doesn't this all feel like deja vu?" she wiped her face of stray tears before she looked up at jacob. "like last time. he went missing and then in the morning we- he was out there." she looked up at the painting, of the lake at night. it looked so much like the last night they all had together. "i just - i can't shake this feeling, jake. something bad is going to happen." she was scared. she was worried that she might be in danger but mostly, she was worried that her friends were. it had been a big part of why she had pulled away from a lot of them after everything that had happened with jamie.

jacob's head was still spinning, and it wasn't just because of is massive hangover. how the fuck had three of their friends gone missing during the night and no one noticed? jake was drunk, obviously, he wasn't even sure how he got back to his room. but surely someone else had to have been up or seen what happened, right?

he was trying to convince himself this shit wasn't a big deal. that someone was going to come back with a big explanation about where they had gone - we saw it was getting bad out so we got more food - and everyone settle down. but even he didn't believe himself.

noticing poppy go off by herself, jake didn't even bother to excuse himself from the talks of search parties and possible outcomes, he just followed her.

sitting down across from her, jake tried to be a shoulder to cry on, even if he was convinced he was still drunk and not the best person for the job. "hey, don't apologize." he said, trying to come up with something uplifting to stay. "but try not to get too worked up. the girls are gonna come back and it'll all be something we laugh about in two hours. i bet it's a prank."

[pxppymcguinness]

where: living room when: 01 / 11 / 2025 , 10:05am who: poppy & @svgarblush

after going out with some of the others to search for a little while, poppy and miki were huddled around the fire, trying to get warm. though the cold felt like it had seeped into her bones and she wasn't sure that it just down to the snow outside. an unusual silence had fallen between the two of them. because what could they say? they were both thinking the same thing, weren't they? she didn't think that it needed to be spoken outloud.

"they found a phone." poppy muttered as she looked across at miki, finally breaking the silence that had fallen between them. "junos phone. which means she's out there with no way of contacting anyone, even if it wasn't for this damn storm!" she shook her head, tears threatening to spill but poppy was doing her best to blink them back. "who did this?" she whispered, almost like she was afraid of voicing the question. it had been the only question on her mind, though, since they'd seen the blood that morning. surely it couldn't be a coincidence that the last time they were there, they had lost one of their friends and now, it seemed, they were set to lose three more.

[pxppymcguinness]

where: kitchen when: 01 / 11 / 2025 , 11:50am who: poppy & @grlncxtdoor

they had needed a few people to stay behind, in case any of the girls came back but poppy had no idea if that was even going to happen. and if it did, would they even be able to get in contact with everyone who had gone? poppy had volunteered, though. the idea of going out in the snow, barely able to see ahead was too much for her. she was more than happy to lock herself away in the cabin... but the hours were moving too slowly and she was starting to get a little angsty. so she decided to try and make herself a little useful. "hey." poppy smiled slightly as she stepped into the kitchen and looked across to camille. she was glad that it was her there. poppy didn't know if she had it in her to ignore the awkwardness with nearly everyone else - barring jacob and carter.

"i thought i'd get some food ready for everyone when they come back." poppy shrugged. it felt like an age since they had all woken up to the news that the girls were missing. "do you want to help me, cami?" she questioned as she glanced across to her friend. she figured that doing something to keep them occupied was the best bet. she could, at least, feel a little useful this way.

[pxppymcguinness]

where: the dining room when: 01 / 11 / 2025 , 08:15am who: poppy & @rcbellion

as the others started to talk about a search plan, poppy shook her head. she couldn't do this. she couldn't stand there and talk to everyone about searching for three of their missing friends. she could barely even hear anything. it was like her brain was screaming at her and she just needed to get somewhere that was quiet. she needed to be somewhere that wasn't with the rest of them. so while she was sure that they were all distracted, poppy turned and walked away.

she headed to the dining room and before the tears could begin to fall, before he breathing got too fast for her to stand properly. she slumped down in one of the dining room chairs, head in hands. and she stayed like that for a moment before she heard someone coming into the room as well.

poppy wiped the tears from her face and tried to calm herself down in the millisecond it took her to look up and see jacob. "hi." she sniffed. knowing it was someone safe caused the tears to continue to fall. "sorry. i'm sorry. i just - this is - what the fuck?"

[pxppymcguinness]

poppy probably should have expected that sort of reaction from isa. they weren't friends - hadn't even really been back then. she couldn't blame her for shutting down a conversation about jamie. poppy couldn't seem to stop thinking about him, though. she was almost certain that it was the same way for the other. she wouldn't push, though.

"that's true." poppy nodded. she wanted to say much more but it was pretty easy to see that isa did not want to talk about that. so she moved on.

at the others question, poppy shook her head. "we were friends. and i liked her a lot but we were never really all too close." she shrugged. "it was kind of impossible not to like her though, don't you think?" that was the reason why she was there. because harper had asked and even though they weren't the closest, she had always liked her and if this was her last wish, she'd be there. "i keep wondering why she picked for us to all come back to this place, though."

isa found it refreshing that poppy didn't seem too concerned with being forgotten, but that wasn't enough to keep her from shutting down as soon as she was asked a question that required her to examine her emotions. she might have been willing to be somewhat honest with a total stranger, but not jamie's long ago ex.

"just fine," she shrugged instead, setting down her cue. "it's been ten years. tragic things happen every day, and yet we persist."

"terrible circumstances for a reunion, though. were you and harper close?" she continued a beat later. though she desperately wanted to focus on anything else (the now abandoned game of billiards, perhaps?), isa felt it was the least she could do to listen when others spoke about harper. after all, she was the reason for their trip. and, though more recent and therefore more fresh of a wound for some, she was a preferred topic to that of jamie novak.

[pxppymcguinness]

the blonde couldn't help but chuckle to herself a little as isa repeated the names back to her. someone else might have found it offensive that isa didn't remember them but poppy didn't mind all too much. in fact, she found it pretty ammusing.

poppy nodded her head as the penny finally seemed to drop. she should have known that jamie would unlock that certain memory. "yeah...we weren't exactly besties back then." she chuckled. poppy certainly didn't have an issue with isa. she thought that the other dealt with her better than most people would've. they just weren't close.

"i get it." poppy shrugged. "i think we'd all try and forget, if we could." she knew that she would, that was for sure. jamie had been so important to all of them. "how've you been holding up?" she asked, like it wasn't 10 years ago. it was difficult to remember how long it had been, now that they were all back together.

"right. connor," isa nodded. "carter. willa." she was just repeating the names, really, each one shifting her opinion of the girl from one end of the spectrum to the other. connor? the bad end. the one that made her question poppy's taste. who would want to date connor? but then willa... opposite end of the spectrum. willa was sweet and, based off of the fact that they were friends, had great taste.

luckily, the blonde's mention of her connection to jamie clarified things.

"oh, right. you. i remember something about that," she finally admitted, her memory still hazy but the revelation familiar enough. back then, isa would have avoided her, suspicious of the idea that two people who had been together could transition back to being friends with zero issues. she didn't know much about jamie's relationships prior to her, and she hadn't wanted to know. it was better that way.

and as a result, it appeared she'd minimized poppy's existence entirely, claiming ex-girlfriend grief as something unique to her.

"and you were here. before. i remember that too. it's been so long and it was such a nightmare, one forgets." it wasn't an apology, but an acknowledgment, at least.

[pxppymcguinness]

DAVID CORENSWET & LUCY BOYNTON ↪ The Greatest Hits (2024) dir. Ned Benson