protect your head and maybe your heart too

string beans

Think of a cheesy muscle dude who introduces his fists as 'his little friends'. Now picture those fists as two walking breathing thinking humans. No personality. And actually, take away the thinking part.

There's jock 1 and 2.

Absolute bimbos whose only personality traits are their right hooks.

I'm not gonna fill up a whole notebook insulting them, even though I could go on for pages.

They're the brawn of triple H, the brute force.

I've had to face them a couple of times, but Damian was there too.

There was only one time I had to fight them two on one.

It didn't end well for any of us. I'm a petite person. But- you know that.

We don't have much muscle on this body, at least not while i'm writing this.

So to go up against them was an issue. I walk out of there with a concussion, broken wrist, and bloody nose. But Jock 1 walked out with a gunshot wound, courtesy of Regina, so who's the real loser?

Up for debate.

Just, be careful if you ever come across them.

It's May and the flower shop is in full swing.

Just another thing to add to my stress.

I rummage around the stock room and set up new displays, lost in thought.

The plastics were temporarily moved into our guest room (Karen got top bunk in the non sexual way). They all had jobs where the couple work from home ( lucky) and they helped out around our house a lot.

I began placing flower seeds on display. We had received a new shipment of vegetables and flowers. Aaron was across the store setting up a vegetable section.

"Hey, Aaron?"

"Yeah?" He called. I couldn't see him through the aisles.

"You know that area in our backyards where they connect? There's the path and then just grass next to it?"

"Mhmm."

"We should start a vegetable garden there. You think there's enough sunlight?"

"Definitely. I love that idea."

That's how, three weeks later, the eight of us are standing in front of a freshly dug up patch of land. I may work at a store about plants, but Aarons the one who wants to major in botany, so he's explaining everything.

Shane and Damian had some quality time building a proper garden layout with a raised platform. They really just took a wooden frame and stuck it there then filled it with dirt but what more can you expect from the theater kid and photographer.

Despite complaining about dirt, the plastic stood out here too, looking eager to start.

As Aaron finished up, I realized I had not been paying attention at all. Aaron passed everyone out some seed packets and smiled at me knowingly. "Just ask Damian."

"I planned on it." I grin, grabbing the- string beans? Who eats string beans?

I kneel next to Damian and Cady. Cady is chatting with Karen and Regina and Damian is obviously talking to Shane.

I don't want to bother either of them, so I sit back on my heels and begin to read the string bean label.

To say I didn't like string beans as a child was un understatement. I actively avoided the nastey beans and as a baby would throw tantrums if forced to eat them.

But I began planting them anyway. Everyone around me was talking about all different topics but I made no effort to join any of them.

I wasn't sad or anything, just concentrating on planting. I'm starting to see how its therapeutic.

After a while I guess I was too quiet, because Damian is nudging my side, his eyebrows raised in a questioning manner.

"I'm good." I say with a smile. It's genuine, and I mean it. Damian nods, satisfied with my response.

It felt nice, being surrounded by my closest friends, from Sarkisian and Leigh. We were all tucked away in the backyards where a passerby wouldn't be able to see us, and it felt safe from triple H.

I began poking the cursed seeds into the ground, humming contently to myself, surrounded by the people I love.