The Old Tuck Shop

FIFTY

I sat at the edge of my bed and stared at Ton. He was already fast asleep. I crawled out of bed and made my way towards him. If the Poppy he was referring to was the Poppy I met - my Poppy, then maybe things would've been different.

"Ton? Ton?" I whispered, trying to wake him up in the most polite way possible. He didn't move.

"Ton?" I repeated, shaking him gently. He groaned and turned to face the wall.

I smacked him in the face. "Braxton."

"What the fuck, Finn? You would kill me if I woke you up like this," he groaned.

"That's not the point. I need you to tell me the last name of the girl I saw when I was eleven-"

"What?" he interrupted. "Finn, it's way too early for this shit." He shoved a pillow over his head and tried to fall back asleep.

I grabbed the pillow and threw it on the floor. "Braxton, I'm serious. What was her last name?"

"I can't remember... And I'm being serious... Agatha wasn't too sure herself... It was like four years ago." He sat up in bed and yawned.

"What exactly did you say to Agatha, anyway?" I asked, lowering my eyebrows.

"I just asked her if she remembered a girl staying here for a few days, before leaving suddenly... I gave her a description, and she said her name was Poppy - That's all I know," he replied.

I sighed. Maybe it was just a coincidence.

"Why do you care so much, anyway? It's not like you could've found her," he asked, wrapping a blanket around him.

"Maybe I did... And I let her go," I muttered, but Ton heard.

"What do you mean?" he asked, smirking.

I sat upon his bed. "I mean, I found this girl... And we dated for a while... But we got into an argument, and that's why I left."

"Okay, why didn't you tell me this before?" he grinned. "And what's the significance?"

"Her name was Poppy, and I thought it could've been the same girl... I didn't think you would've cared," I sighed.

"What the hell? You hooked up with a girl, and you never told me?-"

"I didn't hook up with her," I interrupted, rolling my eyes.

He sighed. "Would've been cool if it was the same person."

I nodded. "It really would've."

"What was your argument about?" he asked.

"Oh... It was stupid... We got into a fight, and she mentioned my obvious lack of parents... And I just lost it." I looked down at the floor.

"Well, that's shitty... But I'm sure she didn't mean it... She was probably caught in the moment," Ton said.

"Yeah, but it's too late now, and everything just feels right," I smiled, and made my way back into bed.

I thought for a moment. Then stared at Ton's chest of drawers. Then back at him. I grinned. I pulled out the first drawer and started rummaging through it.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?" he asked, staring at me.

"Don't you still have the keys to Agatha's office?" I asked, searching through small boxes.

"Yes... Why?" he asked, intrigued.

I grabbed the keys and swung them around my finger. I grinned, and Ton sighed.

"Why do I have a feeling this is going to be a bad idea?" he said, cupping his face in his hands.

"Agatha probably kept a file for the girl I saw years ago... If I find it... I can see if it was just a coincidence... There's probably a photo of her in it."

He laughed. "Have fun with that."

"Oh, you're coming too," I said.

"But I just got comfy," he complained.

"But now you're getting up," I joked, pulling him out of bed.

He moaned, before throwing on an old hoodie. We then made our way downstairs.