♥

(Reply) (Thread)

Hendrix had been excited for apple picking all week and it only got better when he everyone else showed up. He practically bounded over to the girls with a big smile and his hands shoved in his pockets. "Hi!" he said brightly, a little uncharacteristic of himself. "Did you get a good start El?"

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

Ella had still been yawning as they stepped out of the floo but she stopped mid yawn when she spotted Hen and Mack in the distance. This wasn't just a sister thing? As Hendrix came in speaking distance Ella gave him a shy smile. She wished she'd known, then she would have worn something cuter. "Wow, I've never seen you in a sweater before!" she said.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

"Oh yeah," he said pulling at his sweatshirt with a shy grin. His brothers were always picking on him for wearing 'old man' clothes, the thought had him suddenly blushing. "Jenny told me it was gonna be cold," he said. "I see you decked out little Maurey!" he said brightly.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

"She didn't even mention you were coming" Ella said suspiciously, eyeing the back of Jenny's head suspiciously. She turned her attention to Maurey and grinned. He looked up at her in his little coat and she felt like she could burst.

"Isn't it cute? I thought he might get cold since he's so used to the sun" she rambled. It was easier to talk about Maurey. "Ready to pick the best apples?"

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

"I was told it was of the utmost importance to keep the whole thing a secret," he smiled. "Surprise!" Sometimes he was a little too oblivious.

He turned his attention to the little dog and bent down to scratch behind his ears. "It is quite cute," he said. "I'm sure he'll stay nice and warm."

Straightening up again he smiled and offered his arm. "Of course! I've been waiting for this apple picking all week! Well... half the week," he grinned sheepishly.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

"That's so sneaky!" Ella giggled, giving Hen a poke in the tummy. She offered him her hand and practically bounced up and down.

"Let's go find the best tree!"

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

How could he resist that? Taking her hand he bounded off, in search of the best apples. "What about... this one?!" he asked pointing at one of the trees a little further away from where everyone else was milling about.

It was pretty perfect but a little high, he looked at his shorter companion with big puppy dog eyes. "It is too high isn't it?" he pouted.

Almost instantly he had an idea. "Oh! I can always toss you up on my shoulders!"

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

It was a perfect tree. It seemed to get a long of sun and the apples looked heavy and delicious. Stretching, Ella's fingertips hardly brushed the lowest branch. Hendrix's suggestion seemed like a good idea and she broke into a grin.

"Promise not to drop me!" She was used to being hoisted around in cheer, but not usually with a boy.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

He held out his pinky to her and smiled warmly. "I promise, promise."

Hendrix readied himself by getting down on one knee so he could easily hoist both of them up once she was ready. It probably looked like he was proposing, but the thought didn't even cross his mind.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

Ella hooked her own pinky over his and gave it a tug, satisfied. With a giggle she grabbed hold of his shoulders to steady herself as she hoisted herself up, careful not to put her foot anywhere delicate.

"Is this okay?" she asked nervously, clinging to him.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

"Yup!" he said brightly, putting his hands over her knees when she was situated on his shoulders. The very simple motion had his cheeks flushing slightly. Slowly and carefully, he lifted himself and Ella off the ground. "You good up there?" he asked brightly before moving closer to the tree.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

Aside from giggling madly, Ella was doing pretty good. "Wow it' pretty awesome to be tall" she said, stroking the top of his head with affection.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

Stepping out of the Floo, Sera immediately knew she was in Maine. The cool autumn air hit her face, even as she was still regaining her balance and pulling back on her hat and glasses she took off before entering the flames back at school. It was quite a difference from what they left in Georgia.

She couldn't help but take in a deep breath of the fresh New England air as she stood looking over towards Mack and Hendrix who had already arrived, just a short distance away. She really hoped her's and Jenny's plan was going to be a success. She waved over to her two friends but had to stop walking abruptly when she stumbled into Tatum who had stopped moving forward altogether. "What are you doing? Keep walking, your dates waiting?" She urged her older sister, giving her a slight push forward.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

Tatum hadn't really been paying that much attention, inhaling and enjoying the Maine air deeply just as her sister had done. But when Jenny yelled over, and her eyes followed the blonde's gesturing, the redhead froze in place. She just stared, eyes slightly wide and palms already beginning to sweat.

"You didn't," she muttered disbelievingly as Sera rammed into her back and tried to give her a shove. And then dropped the date word on her. She should have known it was a set-up, what else could she expect from the two of them? Turning on her heel, she gave Sera a little push back before stepping around her and stalking back toward the fireplace they had come out of a few moments before. "I'm going home."

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

When Tatum stepped around her Sera reached out and grabbed her sister by the back of her school bag, pulling her backwards until she could get between the redhead and the Floo. "You're not going anywhere." She informed Tatum, calmly, but rather matter of factly.

She should just in front of the floo with her arms crossed, the were back a little ways from the rest of the group now. "Look I should have told you but I didn't think you'd come. I just want us to all have a fun day, I'm not asking you to be her girlfriend." She paused for a second, but continued before Tatum had a chance to speak.

"Just relax and give her a chance, I get it, you're straight and don't worry none of us are going to run back to school and tell people you hung out with a lesbian. So stop being stupid, turn around and lets go have some fun." She huffed, finishing her rant a little out a breath, she planted her hands on her hips, hold in ground between Tatum and the fireplace.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

Tatum didn't have a chance to go very far before she was yanked back by the grip on her back, grunting as she stepped back a bit, Sera coming between her and escape. The redhead narrowed her eyes. "You're right, I w-wouldn't have come," she muttered, Sera cutting her off with her rant right after. She stared blankly at the brunette.

Unless she wanted to shove her, there was probably no getting around her. It always drove her crazy when they fought that Sera had those extra few inches on her. Wasn't she supposed to be the baby? Madeline sure always acted like it.

"Fuck off," she hissed, still glaring. "I wanna go home, just-- leave me alone. I don't know why you even invited me here with like, all your friends. I-I'm not like, your pet project. I don't need you to s-set me up with girls all the time!"

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

"I invited you because you love apple picking, for your information." Sera scowled, her hands still firmly planted on her hips. One foot slightly in front of the other. She looked down on at her older sister trying to stretch her neck slightly to increase the height difference between them even further.

"You like Hendrix and the twins, I thought me and you could spend some time together, it'll make Mom and Dad happy and I don't care what you say you don't hate Mack. You love fighting with her almost as much as I do with Hunter." She informed her, matter-of-factly as if Tatum didn't already know that, and Sera had to be the one to tell her.

"But if you don't want to call it a set up. This is still a date day I don't care but if you don't want to be set up with Mack then you don't have to be no ones making you. "Just be nice to her, she came all this way to spend the day with you." She lowered her voice quite a bit but still sounded quite stern, quite like Madeline. The rest of the group was quite a ways a way but she still didn't want Mack overhearing, she didn't usually do this sort of thing for girls and Sera was pretty sure she'd be even less impressed to sound like some sort of pet project.

"She wants to be your friend. She's just here to hang out." She continued, she really just wanted her sister stop the dramatics so they could rejoin the group and get on with the day, but Sera could see her sister's stubborness shining through.

"If she wanted to just fuck some chick she wouldn't of had to come all the way to Maine to do it. Just give her a chance Tat." She stepped forward and placed a caring hand on the redhead's shoulder. "Come on please, please, please." She pouted slightly, even knowing it wouldn't work on her sister for a second.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

It was hard to stay stern with Sera glowering down at her like that, taking full advantage and then some of the slight height advantage. But Tatum did her best, glaring right back up at her as she spoke. "You're n-not doing this for mom or dad, you're doing it b-because I'm a joke to you, you w-want me to be miserable," she hissed.

Sera had a couple of points though. First of all, Mack could have stayed at school and done whatever she wanted with any random girl. Secondly, Tatum hated to admit it, but she didn't entirely despise Mack. She despised the situations the other put her in, and the ways Sera tried to push them together at every turn, just like this. Then when Mack started acting like she was the baddest bitch in the room, as she tended to do around groups of other people, the redhead could never hold in her temper. It was an endless cycle.

"It's not a date day for me. I'm only here for the apples and nothing else, absolutely nothing else," the older girl finally relented, glancing behind her at the other four in their group. She was glad they weren't waiting around for them, it made bickering a lot easier. When Sera put the hand on her shoulder, the redhead shrugged it off, and stared at the taller girl.

"Only if you owe me.. you owe me big," she whispered quickly, sighing.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

"Okay it's not a date for you, it might not even be one for Hendrix and Ella, who knows? Don't stress about it. Let's just go do what we came here to do and pick some apples." She gave her sister a slight shove in the back back towards the direction of the rest of the group. They had already headed off towards the orchard and Sera wanted to catch up before they got too far ahead.

She started walking, still keeping Tatum in front of her. "Okay I owe you fine whatever you want. Just come on, stop being a baby."

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

"Whatever, you're s-still a bitch," Tatum muttered back, scowling but moving forward as she was pushed. There was really no fighting it, she hated to admit it but her little sister had not only outgrown her, but she was also more athletic. There wasn't a snowball's chance in hell for her to race Sera back to the Floo, and even if she made it, she'd never hear the end of it.

Resigning herself to her fate, she sighed and kept staring straight ahead as Sera marched her along dutifully. "Whatever I f-fucking want.. like, as in anything. You got t-that?"

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

Figuring Tatum was less likely now to just turn and bolt for the Floo Station Sera moved up beside her sister but still in arms length in case the older girl did just try to make a run for it.

"Yes got it! Whatever you want. If you have fun though you owe me. Just give her a chance, as a friend of course."

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

"She's your friend, not my friend," Tatum quickly corrected her, a little defensively. "My friends are back at school, where I should be," the redhead muttered, shoving her hands dejectedly into her pockets as they walked.

"I'm telling Rath you did this to me," she added quietly, scowling. "It's not fair, man."

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

"Just shut up and enjoy being in Maine for the day. It amazing here! You could have brought a friend, you know? or Rath, no one said you couldn't. " She turned, rolling her eyes at her older sister as the continued walking. She turned to Tatum and giggled, huffing out loud rather over dramatically, she stuffed her hands in her pockets to mimick Tatum." Smirking a little at her sister she stomped her feet, she couldn't help but start laughing. "Come off it Tatum that's exactly what you look like, you're acting like such a baby. Do you need to like smoke a joint first or something, cause like this attitude is rediculous, like by means do it. Just be quick about it and like spray yourself or whatever so the farmers don't think were like a group of hoodlums."

"What's not fair? That I invited you to go apple picking with my friends and one person's here who you don't like? ..or say you don't like cause I've seen you looking at her." Sera spoke up, hearing perfectly well what Tatum said. If there was one thing she learned growing up with the redhead it was learning how to make out quiet mumbling.

"Go ahead and tell him. I'll tell him if you want. I did nothing wrong." She really wasn't anymore afraid of him than Tatum, and really what was he going to say.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

"You never told me I could bring a friend," Tatum grunted back. "And I think you didn't tell me on purpose.. at least if I brought Sunny or something, y-you guys are all just going to pair off and then we're like, the left-overs. It's a f-fucking scheme," she added, only frowning further when her sister began to do her imitation. Reaching out, she swiftly punched the brunette in her shoulder. "Fuck off! What I need is to like, be back at school," she hissed, though she was already reaching into her pocket for her cigarette pack and lighter.

She was lighting up when Sera mentioned her looking at Mack, and she hauled her free hand back to give her another whack to the shoulder. "Shut up!" she said, around the joint between her lips. "If it's not a fucking date then w-why do you have to make your stupid c-comments? I don't like her like that, and that's all she wants so, it's not going to work. She's like, some w-wannabe sexy Casanova bullshit and I'm n-not down."

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)