SHOOTING STAR » TYLER TOWNSEND, sweet magnolias [hiatus]

TWO

Marsilyn glanced over at Tyler as she helped Kyle and Maddie clear the table after dinner. When they had gotten back to their house, Tyler holed himself up in his bedroom while she helped her godmother make dinner.

"Hey, can you go upstairs and make sure Katie brushed her teeth?" Maddie asked her youngest.

"Mhm," he nodded, heading on up.

"Thanks for dinner, Mom," Tyler finally said, getting up and bringing his plate with him.

"Yeah, I'm glad you liked it, Marsilyn did most of the cooking," Maddie informed him.

Marsilyn was standing at the sink, beginning to soak the dirty dishes. She held her hand open for Tyler's plate, but instead, he placed it down into the sink without looking at her. He hadn't talked to her in the car, and said nothing all through dinner.

"You were pretty quiet," Maddie commented.

"Can't get a word in once Katie gets going on Trollhuntters."

"I thought it was because you didn't want to tell me the details of your practice."

"Told you on the way home," Tyler said, walking him way towards the entrance separating the dining room and kitchen from the library. "Practice was fine."

He started to walk away.

"Tyler."

"Mother." There was irritation in his voice as he turned back to her. His eyes shifted to Marsilyn for a moment before looking back at her.

"Coach Maddox told me there was a problem."

Marsilyn began to load the dishwasher, staying silent through the conversation.

Tyler sighed a bit of a scoff, shaking his head. He said sarcastically, "That's great."

"Thought maybe you'd wanna fess up. Tell me the details."

He scoffed again. "Okay. Okay, Jacks is a jerk," he looked at Marsilyn as he said that, as if trying to emphasize it. The girl stopped mid rinse, but stayed quiet. He turned back to his mother. "Coach is a hardass, I ran laps, and as a cherry on top, my best friend was fraternizing with the enemy. Is that enough detail?"

"Hey!" Marsilyn objected while Maddie's eyes widened at the rundown he gave her and fingers being pointed at Marsilyn.

"Watch your tone," Maddie warned him.

"Can I watch it in my room?"

"Tyler, I've had myself a day, and the last thing I need is disrespect from you to ice the cake."

"Yeah, but—"

"Go upstairs before you say something that I will make you regret."

Softly, he said, "Okay." He put his hands up halfway for emphasize, turning to leave yet again.

Maddie sighed and looked over at Marsilyn, as if silently asking her what to do.

"What did he mean by fraternizing with the enemy?" Maddie wondered.

"When he came out of the dugout, I was talking to Jackson," Marsilyn shrugged.

"Oh?" there was a teasing attitude in Maddie's tone, the woman walking towards the sink with Marsilyn. "And how did that go?"

Marsilyn's cheeks heated, and she shrugged again. "It was no big deal, we were just talking. I asked him to be easy on Ty."

"And he said?"

"That he would be for me."

"For you?" there was the teasing tone again. "Ty sure is gonna hate this."

"There's nothing for him to hate."

"He might hate knowing that you want to do a lot more than just fraternize with the enemy."

"Ninang!"

"What?" laughed Maddie. "I'm not the one with the crush on Jackson Lewis."

Marsilyn laughed. "I'm not telling you anything ever."

"Lies."

Marsilyn wiped her hands and sighed, leaning against the counter. "Is it okay if I go up there and talk to him, or should I let him cool down?"

"Go on up, he does owe you an apology for that."

╭-°—✞—˚✧❨✧˚—✞—°-╮

The Bulalacao household was full of plants, a hobby Marsilyn's mother had taken up because of her own mother. Marsilyn's grandmother had been raised on a farm in the Philippines, and when she had Josslyn in America, she had an extensive backyard garden. When Josslyn inherited the house when her mother went back to the Philippines, the fruit trees and vegetable farm stayed, and some indoor lowlight plants also came.

Josslyn liked to say she needed a reason to move around. With a career as a contemporary romance author, she spent a lot of her day sitting in her office just typing away. So, she'd take a break to water or tend to her plants, or just check on the status of them. She had gotten Marsilyn a few plants as well, but now uses them as excuses to go into Marsilyn's room just minutes before her alarm would go off in order to water them.

Marsilyn was surrounded by these whimsical romances that her mother published. She read all about these epic love stories on paper, worlds within her mother's mind, worlds she herself could conjure up easily. She took after her mother in that sense. Writing just came so naturally to her, and it was the only thing she had ever known.

But the one love story that she wished she know was one her mother never talked about. The one between her parents. Had they had an epic romance? Had they been so magically infatuated with one another? Had they tragically crashed and burned? Had they not been in love at all?

How could her mother write love so beautifully if she wasn't experiencing it herself?

Not to mention that Marsilyn now had no idea what an epic love story really did look like. Growing up, the only two examples she had were Ronnie and Dana Sue or Maddie and Bill. Now, she watched as the facade of what she thought love was crash and burn. She watched as it all came to hurt.

Was it really all that worth it when it could seem perfect now, but ruin so much later on? She wasn't sure if loving someone would ever be able to justify the pained looks on Annie, Dana Sue, Tyler, Kyle, Katie, or Maddie's faces ever. If it would ever justify the void Marsilyn felt or the loneliness constantly written on Josslyn's face. Not to mention the pain she knew Helen was in over a love she couldn't even remember.

Was it really worth it?

——

A/N: heyy!! i wanna thank everyone who decided to pick up this lil ol' book about a lil ol' show hehe. Sweet Magnolias brings me sm serotonin that I'm even reading the book series. what's everyone's thoughts so far?

Some book differences:

- Helen and Peggy are both blondes 

- Jackson doesn't exist

- Howie is the name of the mayor, not Bill's partner in their medical practice

- i'm 70% done with book 1 and we haven't even officially met annie, just seen dana sue and tyler mention her a few times

- they didn't buy the corner spa from ms. frances, instead it's an old run down building

- mary vaughn is referred to as an old friend????

- the principal wants to fire cal over his relationship with maddie

- noreen is dense and dumb