𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐃𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒, 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬

TWELVE| a midsummers dream

EDEN knew that she couldn't do anything wrong tonight.

While she'd usually be one to mess around with her mother, to do things that the entirety of Kooks would find rather disrespectful....she knew she couldn't screw around tonight.  If her mother got pissed off when she didn't sit the correct way, Eden didn't want to picture what would go down if she were to do something—she didn't feel like walking away with a bruised wrist or face.

Which is why as Tom Bexley pulled into the Island Club parking lot, Eden put on her best party face.  Was she truly feeling up to hanging around with a bunch of stuck-up rich kids? God no—if it were up to her, she'd be at the Chateau hanging out with John B., or trying to help JJ out for that matter—but for her own sake, she was just going to have to put up with it.

Her entrance had to be one of the more important parts of Midsummers.  You had to walk in with enough confidence to show you were respected, but not with too much confidence to the point that you looked stuck up.  Since she'd been going to the event since she was a child, Eden practically had the walk down.  She'd keep her head high and send perfect smiles to everyone who looked her way, just as she'd been taught.

So, that's exactly what she did.  Her heels clicked on to the parkway of the Island Club, and her eyes scanned around the familiar perimeter. Kooks were filling up the place, flower crowns placed on many of their heads.  Eden had lucked out, and instead wore a flower clip in the back of her messily bunned hair so she still matched everyone else, which she was currently messing with.

Noticing her daughters fidgeting fingers, Isla sent her a look, "Put your fingers down; you're going to ruin it."

Surprisingly, Eden did as she was told and stopped messing around with the flowered clip, placing her hand down by her side.  The other clutched her small bag—the inside only held her phone, why she was bringing a whole purse was unknown to her.   Following in her mothers footsteps, literally, the girl walked into the club, smiling at the people she passed.

On Midsummers, it truly didn't matter whether or not she acted more Pogue than Kook.  She'd still be respected by the crowd. 

Squeezing through crowds to enter the building, Eden looked behind to see that her mother had already started up conversation with some Kook woman, probably starting conversation on what accomplishments they'd managed to accomplish that year, comparing money-wise, et- cetera.  All of the above things she'd rather not bore herself listening too.  So, Eden looked back at her father, who gave a small nod, allowing her to venture off on her own for the time being.

Weaving through the crowd, she suddenly caught the eye of Pope, who was busying himself at the oyster station/grill. Even though he wasn't a Kook, everyone could agree that Heyward never failed when it came to cooking, so him and his father were invited to the Kook based event on grill duty, which was nice in Eden's case.

"Pope!" once she'd gotten close enough, Eden called out his name.  At the sudden calling, Pope searched around, a relieved look taking over his face once he realized it was just his friend and not one of the Death Squad members trying to mock him, or ask why he wasn't locked up yet.  

"Hey, Eds." Pope held out his hand and the two did the familiar handshake that they'd created all those years ago in greeting. "You look nice."

"Thanks, but you and Heyward are really taking the spotlight in your matching attire." Eden joked, looking over towards the older man as she did, "How's it going, Pops?"