𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐋! [𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐋 𝐆𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐆𝐇𝐄𝐑]

HAPPY MEMORIES AND PIANO LESSONS

Sure, it wasn't the classiest, or cleanest, but it was where she had the best memories, because it was where she would always go to hang out with Carl.

She walked up the steps of the Gallagher's front porch and took a breath before she knocked.

"Poppy!" Fiona greeted happily.

"Hi, Fiona," Poppy smiled at her.

"Come in, Carl's in his room, he told us that you guys are together now," Fiona grinned as she led Poppy into the house that she knew all too well, "I'm really happy for you two. It was about time! Between us, I didn't really like Dominique."

"Neither did I," Ian's voice chimed in as the Poppy and Fiona entered the living room, where the other four Gallagher kids were.

"Same. She was annoying," Debbie agreed.

Poppy chuckled awkwardly, feeling bad for keeping what she knew from them.

"Yeah, well... I'm gonna go and talk to Carl, I'll see you guys later," she told them before going up the stairs and into the boy's room.

She came face to face with the door and suddenly felt oddly nervous.

Well, maybe not nervous, just worried that Carl was angry.

Hesitantly, she gave the door a small knock and patiently waited for a response.

"It's open."

And so Poppy slowly turned the doorknob and peeked her head inside the room, seeing Carl laying on his bed, eyes glued to his phone.

"Hey," she breathed out.

Hearing her voice, Carl's gaze flew up and he was standing in an instant.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

To say Poppy was surprised was an understatement. She had expected Carl to be angry- or at least annoyed, but he didn't seem to be, in fact, he seemed to be concerned.

"I'm fine," she told him cautiously, "you're- you're not mad at me?"

Carl scrunched his eyebrows and stared at the smaller girl. Why would he be mad? He chuckled slightly. "No, I'm not."

"W-why not? I was a bitch. I'm so sorry, Carl. I'm just stressed," Poppy sighed.

"Look, I know you, whenever you're upset or mad, you push everyone away. But, the thing is, with me, no matter how many times you try to, I'm always gonna be here for you. We may not be really dating, but right now- and always, for that matter, your happiness is one of my main priorities," he went to her and put his hands on her shoulders, making her look at him, "you're my best friend. I love you, Popsicle," Carl told her, completely meaning it.

Poppy looked at him with a heartfelt smile before wrapping her arms around his neck, feeling him instantly hug back.

"I love you too, Carl. And, I really am sorry about how I blew up on you," Poppy apologized as she pulled away from their hug.

"What was it about? Is everything okay?"

She shook her head. "It's stupid."

"It's clearly not if it has you this upset," Carl pointed out as he sat back on his bed. He pat the spot next to him, telling her to sit with him.

Poppy looked at him for a second before nodding slightly and going to take a seat by him. "Alright... well, it's just that, remember the piano lessons my parents signed me up for?"

"Mhm," Carl nodded, getting an idea to where this was going.

"It's just- I suck at playing the piano. Like, I'm actually awful, I don't think there's anything I'm worse at than playing the piano," she blurted, making Carl smile amusingly.

"You? Not good at something? Outrageous."

"Shut it," she playfully rolled her eyes, "anyway, you know them, they're very relentless, they were just stressing me out a lot about not being good at it."

"It's hard to be good at something you hate, Popsicle."

"I know," Poppy pursed her lips, taking a seat next to him on his bed.

"And about breaking the deal off-"

"Oh, that- it's just that, with my parents being so... my parents, with the whole piano thing, it just didn't seem like my end of the deal was working for me. So, seeing you with Dominique- it kind of made me feel angry that it was working way more with you, while not at all with me."

Suddenly, Carl bursted out laughing.

Poppy turned to him, slightly startled, raised his eyebrows at him.

"You alright, Buddy?" She asked.

"Popsicle," Carl said as he stopped laughing, "you wanna know what Dominique and I were talking about?"

"What?" Poppy asked, quite confused.

"She was going on and on about how much of a cute couple you and I are."

Then, it was Poppy's turn to begin laughing. Carl soon joined in and they both ended up laughing hysterically at something that should not be that funny.

"I'm in idiot," Poppy shook her head as the laughing died down.

Carl shook his head and grabbed her hand.

"Let's go downstairs and make my family happy at the fake fact that we're dating."

i actually don't really like this chapter at all, but i definitely owe you guys an update, sorry it's so awful