𓈊 A Poppy By Any Other Name

Act XXXVIII

She couldn't help but laugh at the shocked expression on his face, mixed with his cheeks being full of the dessert. "Yeah, it's a recipe my mother taught me in junior high," she managed between laughs. "Though, she made chocolate cheesecake. I just made regular cheesecake and put some cheery syrup on top."

"You should make the chocolate cheesecake," Grian said as he took another bite. "Just sayin'."

Lizzie snickered. "Yeah? I'll have to put that on my To-Do list, then."

Soon, Grian finished his dessert, and Daniel made Lizzie say her goodnights so they could get proper rest that night.

"Since you moved in with Joel, I've had to put the old spare sheets on the bed," Daniel said. Grian frowned at how exhausted he sounded. "I hope it doesn't smell too much like the attic."

Grian shrugged. "I like the way your attic smells," he admitted quietly. "It's a cozy smell."

Daniel smiled softly and sat next down to the boy. "Is that so?" He paused, then took a deep breath and settled a little closer to Grian now that the latter was beneath the covers. "I know it's late, and you're probably exhausted, but, uh... If you want to talk about what's going on with you and Joel, you can." He watched Grian's facial expression for a second before continuing. "I only heard Lizzie's side of the story, so I probably don't have a single clue what's actually happening" - he paused to laugh, and Grian smiled at the joke - "but I'm always here if you need somebody to talk to, okay? And I'm more than happy to house you until everything gets sorted out."

Nodding, Grian pulled the blanket over his nose. "Thank you."

"Anytime, kiddo." Daniel hesitated slightly before kissing Grian's forehead. "Get some sleep, alright?"

At Grian's nod, Daniel got up and turned off the light as he left the room, leaving the door cracked slightly.

It always made Grian want to cry whenever Daniel remembered that he liked the door cracked open.

*   *   *

"Please answer, please answer," Jimmy mumbled to himself, pacing in the hallway as his father made breakfast in the kitchen. "Come on, Scott..."

"Hello?"

Jimmy gasped at hearing that familiar Scottish accent. "Scott!" He cleared his throat. "I- I mean, hey, Scott," he said calmly.

Scott sighed down the line. "Hey, Jimmy," he replied exhaustedly. "Are you calling to call me a whore again?"

"Wha-" Jimmy blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"You know, like you have been doing the past few days?"

What? Jimmy shook his head, utterly flabbergasted. "I'm very confused," he said. "Can you slow down, back up, and start over?"

Scott sighed again, the sound shaky. "Listen, I get it, okay?" he said, sniffling a bit. "You only ever wanted to be friends with me so you could get in my pants. It's not original. You're not the first to do it, and by now I know you won't be the last. Just... please, for your sake and mine, leave me alone, Jimmy."

"I... I don't get it," Jimmy mumbled. "I never said I wanted to... get in your pants." He grimaced at the phrase, knowing full well what it meant. He hated that Scott thought that's what Jimmy thought of him, and he hated even more that he didn't know why Scott thought that way.

"You called me 'princess'," Scott said slowly. The beat of silence that carried down the line was painful. "It's a pet name." Another pause. "Like... how people call each other pet names in bed...?"

Jimmy gasped. "What?!" he exclaimed, startling everyone in the other room. "No, I never meant it like- well, I didn't mean it at all, but God, no, I didn't mean it like that!"

Scott took a moment to respond, though he only muttered a quiet, "Oh," when he did reply.

"That's what you thought I meant?" Jimmy almost couldn't believe it. He never meant to call Scott that in the first place, and he definitely didn't mean it like that, even if he did mean to say it. "Scott?"

"W-well..." Scott trailed off, sighing. "Usually guys just call me things like that to sexualize me, so... you know..." He groaned, then let out a frustrated sob. "I'm so stupid," he whined. "I thought I was being smart by putting the pieces together..."

Jimmy didn't know what to say. 'Usually' and 'sexualize' were two words that did not belong in the same sentence, and the fact that Scott just assumed... "Scott, I would never do that," Jimmy said finally. "I'm really sorry for calling you that. I shouldn't have. It was wrong."

Scott didn't answer.

Jimmy sighed. "I get it if you still don't want to be friends with me," he continued, "but I really am sorry. For what I said about you losing your virginity to a senior, too. That was... that was really awful of me."

"I'm sorry, too, Jimmy," Scott sobbed suddenly, the volume of the cry making the blonde jump. "I was rude, and" - he stopped for a moment to sniffle loudly - "I said mean things to you that I didn't mean..."

"It's okay," Jimmy assured him. "I deserved it anyway." He laughed softly, trying to make the mood a little bit lighter.

Scott let out a cry. "You mean it?"

"Yeah, I mean it."

"Okay." Scott took a shaky deep breath. "Okay."

Jimmy paused. "Are... are you alright?"

Scott let out a breathy chuckle. "Yeah, I'm fine," he answered. "Sorry, I didn't mean to start crying. That was really dumb."

"No, no, it's fine."

There was a brief moment of quiet that Jimmy couldn't tell if he was okay with it or if it made him uncomfortable.

"Jimmy?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you... give me until the weekend?" Scott asked nervously. "Like, for us to be friends again."

Jimmy bit back the feeling of disappointment he felt. "Why do you need until the weekend?" he asked. He tried to make it sound as neutral as possible, but it still seemed to come off a bit bitter.

Scott sighed. "Because I'm going to break up with Zach," he admitted, whispering into the phone. "I just need to wait because he promised to take me to see my sister Friday after school, but I swear we can go back to being friends after that. I just... I need to keep him happy for now, okay? I don't trust that he won't go back to being mean, even if he has been nice to me lately."

"Oh!" Jimmy felt a wave of relief flood his body. "Yeah, of course. I can wait, no big deal."

"Oh, thank you," Scott said. "Thank you so much, Jim-" He gasped softly, and Jimmy heard muffled talking before Scott spoke again. "I have to go, but thank you. I'll see you later."

Jimmy smiled. "Yeah, of course. Goodbye." He waited to hear the tone that signaled the end of the call before jumping up and down with joy.

Fwhip was right after all.

*   *   *

I'm so glad I finally finished that chapter. I can sleep now! Lmao /lh/hj

I hope you all enjoyed. I know I will be enjoying a nice night of rest. <3