![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
priscaTitle: Annie's Garden
Character: Casey Connor, Zeke Tyler
Word Count: 621
Prompt:
Yahtzee 2022, card 1, fill 1
Finished: 14.03.2022
:::
„Casey? Is this you? I can't believe it!“
The young man, wearing a green apron over wide jeans and checkered shirt, jerked around, his eyes wide open. „Zeke?! What are you doing here in Herrington? Are you back?“
„Thankfully, only for some days. I'm selling the house, and there are some last things to clarify which require my presence.“ Zeke pulled his face. „Not much has changed, still the same, boring hick-ass town.“
„It's not that bad when you finally have left Highschool behind.“
„If you say so. But what's happened with your great future plans? Didn't you want to go to College? Why are you jobbing in a garden center?“
Casey smiled, looking around in the small but comfy-looking showroom. Colorful flowers were randomly arranged all over the floor and various tables. The rack with hand-painted greeting cards beside the old, wooden cash desk. The shelf with pottery and some antique flower vases he had found at the flea market last weekend. „Annie's Garden is not a typical garden center; we try to make everyones world a tiny bit brighter. And I am not jobbing here. When Annie had to retire some months ago, she signed it over to me.
I tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted that her children would only sell it, but I will keep her dream alive. So... all you see here is mine."
„Great career, I'd say. Instead of working in a law office, you are the owner of a garden center now.“
Casey's face darkened instantly. „It's nothing wrong with that. I am afraid I never was good enough to comply with my dad's wishes. Just good that I did find out before he paid a shitload of money for an exclusive private college.
Now we are not talking much anymore, and some people might call me a geek, but I am happy like never before.“
„Hey, sorry.“ At least it seemed as if Zeke was honestly rueful. „I never thought that you are a geek, different than most others, yes, but in a good way. Sometimes I even envied you.“
„Oh, c'mon. I was the boy who got bullied every day, and you were the king at school. Tell me one reason why you should have envied me.“
„Your family. Mom and dad, making a fuss about her golden boy. Maybe it was not all sunshine and roses for you, but when you are forced to manage your life on your own with barely fifteen...“ Zeke shrugged. „I did survive, but it was not half the fun that it looked like.“
„Oh!“ Shocked, Casey breathed in deeply. „I didn't know that.“
„Of course not.“ Zeke chuckled slightly, letting his eyes wander over flowers and pottery again. „Obviously, we both have had our secrets. We would have made a great team if we only would have talked instead of sharing the bleachers in deep silence.“
„Maybe we can change this.“
„Hmm?“ Zeke looked at him questioningly. „What are you talking about?“
„Well.“ Casey smiled. „There is this new club in Herrington, the Coyote Ugly. It's probably not as exclusive as the clubs in New York, but they have good live music every Friday night. So, if you don't have anything better to do this evening...“
For a second, Zeke could only stare at him, surprised about the sudden boldness of the boy he could still see rushing through the school's halls in the hopeless try to escape the jocks at least once. Then he grinned. „Why not. If you promise me not to turn up in a green apron and this stupid checkered shirt.“
Casey laughed. „Don't worry, I am not that geeky anymore."
Character: Casey Connor, Zeke Tyler
Word Count: 621
Prompt:
Yahtzee 2022, card 1, fill 1Finished: 14.03.2022
:::
„Casey? Is this you? I can't believe it!“
The young man, wearing a green apron over wide jeans and checkered shirt, jerked around, his eyes wide open. „Zeke?! What are you doing here in Herrington? Are you back?“
„Thankfully, only for some days. I'm selling the house, and there are some last things to clarify which require my presence.“ Zeke pulled his face. „Not much has changed, still the same, boring hick-ass town.“
„It's not that bad when you finally have left Highschool behind.“
„If you say so. But what's happened with your great future plans? Didn't you want to go to College? Why are you jobbing in a garden center?“
Casey smiled, looking around in the small but comfy-looking showroom. Colorful flowers were randomly arranged all over the floor and various tables. The rack with hand-painted greeting cards beside the old, wooden cash desk. The shelf with pottery and some antique flower vases he had found at the flea market last weekend. „Annie's Garden is not a typical garden center; we try to make everyones world a tiny bit brighter. And I am not jobbing here. When Annie had to retire some months ago, she signed it over to me.
I tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted that her children would only sell it, but I will keep her dream alive. So... all you see here is mine."
„Great career, I'd say. Instead of working in a law office, you are the owner of a garden center now.“
Casey's face darkened instantly. „It's nothing wrong with that. I am afraid I never was good enough to comply with my dad's wishes. Just good that I did find out before he paid a shitload of money for an exclusive private college.
Now we are not talking much anymore, and some people might call me a geek, but I am happy like never before.“
„Hey, sorry.“ At least it seemed as if Zeke was honestly rueful. „I never thought that you are a geek, different than most others, yes, but in a good way. Sometimes I even envied you.“
„Oh, c'mon. I was the boy who got bullied every day, and you were the king at school. Tell me one reason why you should have envied me.“
„Your family. Mom and dad, making a fuss about her golden boy. Maybe it was not all sunshine and roses for you, but when you are forced to manage your life on your own with barely fifteen...“ Zeke shrugged. „I did survive, but it was not half the fun that it looked like.“
„Oh!“ Shocked, Casey breathed in deeply. „I didn't know that.“
„Of course not.“ Zeke chuckled slightly, letting his eyes wander over flowers and pottery again. „Obviously, we both have had our secrets. We would have made a great team if we only would have talked instead of sharing the bleachers in deep silence.“
„Maybe we can change this.“
„Hmm?“ Zeke looked at him questioningly. „What are you talking about?“
„Well.“ Casey smiled. „There is this new club in Herrington, the Coyote Ugly. It's probably not as exclusive as the clubs in New York, but they have good live music every Friday night. So, if you don't have anything better to do this evening...“
For a second, Zeke could only stare at him, surprised about the sudden boldness of the boy he could still see rushing through the school's halls in the hopeless try to escape the jocks at least once. Then he grinned. „Why not. If you promise me not to turn up in a green apron and this stupid checkered shirt.“
Casey laughed. „Don't worry, I am not that geeky anymore."