TᕼE GᗩᖇᗪEᑎ // 🥀🥀🥀 //

𝓞𝓷𝓮

🌹

ₕₒw cₐₙ fₗₒwₑᵣₛ ₐₛ bₑₐᵤₜᵢfᵤₗ ₐₛ yₒᵤ ₑₓᵢₛₜ?

Pepper slipped on her bag. Feeling the heaviness in her chest.
"Bye mom. I love you. Please make sure to choose a good house. And dad, don't play games and actually work and help mom..."
Pepper said and kissed her dad on the cheek, and hugged her mom.
"Of course, honey! And make sure Grandma doesn't tell you any of her weird theories.."
Mom said with a sigh, putting a hand on her head. "All she does is tell theories... it's quite concerning."
"Yeah, yeah.. okay. I love you both!" Pepper said and closed the car door, feeling the nice California sun wash over her.

◄░░░░░░►

"Hello grandma!" Pepper said with a slight smile "thanks again for letting me stay. Mom and Dad are having a hard time with this moving situation... so they want me to have fun instead of being cooped up all day in the car.."
"Of course, anything for you dearie! Besides, my favorite granddaughter is always a pleasure to be around. And maybe I could tell you some of my theories as bed time stories..." Grandma said and smiled.
"Mom said your theories are bad, and I'm 16! And I'm in 11th grade... I don't need bedtime stories." Pepper said and rubbed her hair, soothing herself in a way.
"Oh alright..." she said and sat on the couch.
"Phew, I'm been watering the plants all summer... and my knees hurt.. would you mind doing it for me? It's not that hard.. you just have to grab the hose and turn it on." Grandma muttered and leaned back, breathing heavily.
"Sure Grandma! Anything for you." Pepper smiled and went up the stairs.
"Just let me put my bags away!"
She yelled and carried her bags up the stairs, locking her eyes onto a pearl colored door.
"This is probably my room..." she muttered, hoping it wouldn't be one of those childish rooms with paw patrol bed sheets.
Grandma still thought pepper was a kid.
Like on her 14th birthday, Her grandma got her a Peppa Pig coloring book.

She put he hand on the doorknob and her eyes widened when she saw the room wasn't childish.
Sure it was small bit it was stunning..

(Sorry if you don't like how the room looks. 💀)

Pepper happily jumped onto her bed, curling up in the blankets.
"The bed is sooooooo comfy..."
Pepper muttered and put her bag down, carefully taking out her clothes and hanging them on the cold, metal hangers in the closet.
She set down all her crocheting stuff and smiled, as the sun gently draped it's light though the windows.

◄░░░░░░►

Pepper walked down the stairs and left the house. Going to water the flowers in the garden.
The garden was stunning, and it was surrounded by a tall white wooden fence.
Pepper noticed the small wooden swing in the corner.
She gently brushed her hand over the seat, remembering she used to swing on it all the time as a kid.
"..."
She hummed and sighed. grabbing the hose and watering the flowers.
The flowers were stunning, she couldn't lie. It's almost as if the garden was a rainbow.🌹🍂🌻🌿💧☂️

Pepper continued watering the flowers, turning off the hose shortly after.
She grabbed her book and sat on the swing, swinging on it while reading her book.

ₗₑₜ ᵤₛ ₜₑₐᵣ dₒwₙ ₜₕᵢₛ fₑₙcₑ wᵢₜₕ ₒᵤᵣ ₕₐₙdₛ.

Pepper snapped out of her reading state when she heard a noise across the fence.
"It's probably the neighbors.."
She whispered to herself and sat up, putting her book down in the fresh grass.
"..."
She peeked through the small gap in the fence and curled up, becoming small and low to the floor.
All pepper could see was a Boy around her age, picking some blueberries in his own garden.
Pepper couldn't help but admire the boy. Feeling an urge to be friends with him.
"No, bad Pepper... don't let yourself interrupt him, he might be doing something important, or he might be mean!"
She muttered to herself and looked down,
When she looked back up she saw the boy staring at the fence, seemingly curios as to if he heard a noise.
"Oh-"
Pepper covered her face with her hands and stayed quiet, trying to be invisible. But that wasn't going to work...
Imagination couldn't come to life this time.

"..."
Pepper opened one eye and saw the boy sitting on the other side on the fence, looking at her through the little crack.
"O-oh! Oh my gosh... I'm so sorry... did I interrupt you?" Pepper exclaimed, rubbing her head and frowning.
"U-Uhm... n-no.... I just let my curiosity get the better of me... I heard a noise and I wanted to investigate."
The boy stammered and looked away.
Pepper looked away as well, something rare for her.
"I don't remember seeing you in this neighborhood... are you new?"
The boy muttered and tucked his knees into his chest.
"Uhm- yeah... I got here today. I'm staying with my Grandma until my parents are able to find a permanent new home for us to settle in to..." pepper explained, looking at his fluffy brown hair. "My name is Pepper... Pepper Garcia!"
"Oh... your Grandma is Cassidy Garcia? She's... nice. She sometimes invites me over for a cup of tea... but I don't
have to heart to tell her I hate tea..." he whispered and plucked a flower, twirling it in his hands. "My name is... Collin, Collin Declan."
Pepper nodded.
She noticed that he wasn't big on social cues, and he seemed kinda quiet. So she assumed he was shy. Quite the opposite of her.
"Do you want.. a sticker?"
She asked and pulled out a small container of stickers from her purse.
"U-uhm... is that okay? Y'know.. if I had one..." Collin muttered, uncurling a bit.
"Yeah! I give a sticker to all my new friends!" She smiled and started looking through her stickers, trying to find a good one.
"F-Friends? But we only just met..." he whispered and looked away, slightly confused.
"Mm, doesn't matter. My goal is to be friends with everyone on earth!" Pepper said and looked through the crack of the fence, noticing he uncurled.
"Here, take this."
She smiled and handed him an avocado sticker, slipping it through the crack of the fence.
"O-Oh... thanks." He grabbed it and stared at it, observing the design of the sticker.
"No problem!" She exclaimed and dusted a bit of dirt off her skirt.
"Wanna meet again tomorrow? Maybe after dinner?" Pepper asked and tilted her head.
"S-So soon? Uhm.... Okay? I guess..." he whispered and let out a sigh.
She was so happy and energized compared to him...

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow!" She smiled and slipped her hand through the fence, holding her hand out for a Fist-Bump.
Collin shrugged and Fist-Bumped her hand, before standing up and going inside his house.

Pepper smiled as she sat in her room, thinking of her new friend. She liked making friends, it made her feel good.
She laid down in her bed, and watched a few videos on her phone, before falling asleep to the sound of rain.

Wₕₐₜ'ₛ ₜₕₑ ₚₒᵢₙₜ ₒf wₐₜₑᵣᵢₙg ₐ fₗₒwₑᵣ, ₒₙₗy fₒᵣ ᵢₜ ₜₒ ᵣₐᵢₙ ₐfₜₑᵣ?

1221 words.
☕️🥄