A Boy and A Girl

゜ ✭ ・. Chapter 11

Point of View: Genevieve

Ginny parked her car in the driveway and grabbed the new bag of makeup. She got out, glancing up at the sky. It was mid-fall, yet there was no hint of anything other than green on the leaves of the trees in front of the houses. She shook her head with a small chuckle. "That's what we get for living in the south..." she sighed. "No snow and too much green."

Ginny wasn't ready to go in yet, enjoying the weather despite her complaints, so she thought as she sat down leaned up against one of the white-painted columns of her house, and considered her family's story. It was something she'd been told a million times, but she still loved thinking about it.

Her mother had been born in the north but came down south for vet school. When she did, she lived in an apartment and posted an ad for a roommate since she couldn't afford the rent on her own for long.

And that's how she met Genevieve's father. Marcus Bartley was the only guy who responded to her ad and didn't seem creepy. And to Ashlynn Collins, "not creepy" was good enough. She quickly learned that he was also sweet and funny, with a good sense of humor. His musical talent also helped to make him seem cuter since he was in a band at the time. Not indicative of his future career as a business management assistant, she figured he'd end up being a famous singer. And he could if he wanted.

They were best friends... and it turned into more. Marcus introduced her to two of his other friends, Evan Kain and Emma Turner, and... well, they planned out their whole lives together.

Their weddings, their houses, and their first kids, all planned.

Evan and Emma Kain, Marcus and Ashlynn Collins. Marcus took his wife's last name, something that Evan didn't like... the two of them were in a disagreement for a short time, but they went back to being friends within the month. Who could stop being friends about something so unimportant?

Yet now they hadn't gone out together as friends for some time, ever since Evan and Emma had their second child. Ginny murmured, "Those outings were awkward anyways..." That hadn't always been the case, but ever since Bailey and Ginny had started 'dating' in middle school, every outing felt exponentially uncomfortable.

"But it's different now," she said aloud determinedly, standing up. "Bailey's different now." She slung the makeup bag onto her arm and bent down to grab the house key, which was underneath a loose board in the porch. She unlocked the door and then put the key back where it was before, walking in.

She was immediately struck by the scent of ham and black-eyed peas, mixed with more of her favorite foods. "Huh, mom must be cooking tonight." She smiled. "Mom! I'm here!" She called, walked into the kitchen, and set down her car keys on the countertop.

"Take your shoes off, your dad just mopped yesterday!" The auburn-haired woman scolded. "I'm stuck cooking because he's still at work, so don't blame me if the food turns out awful." She huffed and said, "Pass me the uh... that." She pointed, and Ginny handed her the salt with a small laugh.

"The salt, mom?" Ginny asked, and her mother gave her a sharp glare with her arms crossed.

"You know what I meant, young lady." She rolled her eyes as she shook a tiny pinch of salt into the peas. She never added quite enough for Ginny.