𝑃𝑅𝐼𝑀𝐴 𝐵𝐴𝐿𝐿𝐸𝑅𝐼𝑁𝐴

margot hughes. thirty. ballet teacher.

[margothughes]

jacobtanncr​:

“As she should” Jacob chimed in. He was biased, obviously, that and he was the apple of his grandmother’s eye, especially right now when he seemed to be the only connection to her late daughter. While he and his brothers all took after their father more when it came to appearances –– dark hair, dark eyes –– Jacob had certainly had more of his mother’s compassionate nature in him. “It’s only as deep as you let it be” He added with the shrug of his shoulders. Besides, he understood why people were so guarded all the time, however, he never lived his life that way, at least not with people he knew. “That last one sounds like the biggest regret considering the look of this wall right now” he said witha. smirk, taking another look at the uneven shelf along with the various holes from the screws put into the wall previously. “Yeah see I never said I was good at this. You’re the one who assumed I was because of my height, so you pretty much fucked yourself on this one” He said, not taking any blame even though he probably should have. “Movies based on semi-accurate lives” he corrected, “Nothin’ just hangin’ around” Jacob offered as an answer. While he had obviously gotten up to a lot over the last twenty-years, there was nothing particularly worth mentioning. He didn’t go to an impressive college like Brennan, or have a family like Andie. All he had was his father and now he was gone there wasn’t much left in his life that was worth anything. 

"God, were you always this insufferable? Oh, wait... Yeah. Yeah, you were," she said as if it was all suddenly coming back to her. She teased, but really she felt a hint of jealousy over his relationship with her. Her aunt wasn't the sentimental type, not in the way her mother had been. Her grandparents lived out of state and made it clear when Margot's parents passed away that they had no interest in raising another child. "Seriously, though, don't mind me. I'm just hopelessly bitter that I don't have someone like her in my life." The brunette shrugged in response to his comment. She kept her secrets mostly to keep him and other people comfortable. No one wanted to hear her sob story and most people wouldn't know what to say about it if they did hear it. "Aren't regrets inherently kind of deep and depressing, though? Like real regrets, not the ones I just made up on the spot." The seriousness in her tone vanished the second she looked at the shelf behind him. She cringed slightly as she approached it, picking up the plant she had planned to put there and gently putting it down. She waited a few seconds to make sure the whole thing didn’t fall apart and turned to him. “Well, it’s not sliding off and the shelf is holding up... I’d call that a success. Everything else about this house is kind of crooked and patched up, so it fits the vibe the whole I-inherited-this-house-and-have-no-idea-what-I’m-doing vibe I’ve got going.” Her eyes narrowed in disbelief, not really buying his nonchalent answer. “You moved to New York for years and just ‘hung around’,” she said with air quotes. “Come on, give me something to work with so I can replace the version of you that called me Maggot that’s stuck in my mind.”

[margothughes]

xaviernavarro​:

             “Ouch.” His twisted display of hurt is more so for her amusement than his. He’s not bothered, or so he wouldn’t be if she didn’t remember him. He barely knows Margot, aside from what sounds she makes in bed. And while in some cases, many would argue that means he knows her pretty well, or more intimately than others, to him: it’s not the same story. “Didn’t think or was hoping?” He wouldn’t be offended either way. It’s not like he expected to sleep with Margot and then build a friendship with her afterwards. She was an itch he needed to scratch and from what he could recall of their minor tussle between the sheets, she scratched it very well. “I only ask because I’m deciding now how I should play this. Coy, like you? Or more straightforward. We could always pretend it never happened, if that makes you feel more comfortable. Although, I have a great memory so that might be a little challenging for me.”

Margot might’ve felt bad about his faking a bruised ego if she wasn’t certain he was actually aware that she was just playing it coy. Sure, she had slept with him mere hours after meeting him, but discussing it in sordid details was not supposed to be part of the deal. “Hoping, honestly. Do you enjoy this type of conversation? Or are you a normal person?” She asked him with a questioning look, only half kidding. Despite her habit of picking up men in bars every once in awhile, she could be... quite a bit uptight. “You can play it however you like, I’m not in the business of telling people what to do. I usually leave in the early morning and am spared of this conversation, so this is new territory. You strike me as more of the straightforward type.” 

[margothughes]

karliozturk​:

                She’s not sure how Margot does it. Even in her attempts to console, she’s utterly graceful about it. It’s truly admirable and causes a smile to stretch across Karli’s lips. If only, she could scrape off a little of Margot’s optimism and bottle it up for herself later, she would. “Really?” Karli sneaks a glance at the glasses she just laid out and has to practically wrestle with the squeal that threatens to claw from her throat. “You can have them. I painted them ages ago and I could always recreate the design if I need to. Of course, I’ll do the nice thing of washing them first before you go. Unless, you’d rather a fresh pair. It’s kind of my job to supply and demand now so I’d even let you make tweaks or suggestions as necessary.” Accepting the glass after it’s full, Karli takes a sniff of the wine - it’s a quirky habit of hers whenever she anticipates anything with a potent smell - then sips, letting the taste linger and dissolve on her tongue with a quiet hum. “Oh, I’m good with nothing dark. I prefer uplifting movies, myself.” Remote in hand, she pulls up Netflix on the telly and browses beside Margot. “By the way, how’s the studio? I think I might take you up on a lesson afterall. But beware, I’m super clumsy.” She laughs, it’s a quiet sound but it manages to shake her whole body.

Margot swallowed another sip of wine before taking another look at the glass and its design. They really were uniquely beautiful, just the kind of thing she usually went for when she was out shopping. “Don’t act so surprised, I can’t be the first one to notice you’re talented,” she said with a dismissive wave. Of course, she hadn’t exactly expected Karli to offer her this set, although she probably should’ve seen it coming. She blushed slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed to have asked for something the way she did. “Oh, please, I shouldn’t have asked in the first place. It was more a way to express how much I love them. And if I do take them, I would love to pay for them. Whatever you would normally sell them for. If not to ease my conscience than to support a friend.” The brunette’s eyes moved to the television screen as her friend scrolled through their options, her attention split between Karli and their choices. “Oh, what about Just Friends? Haven’t seen that one in forever.” She chuckled softly as Karli described herself as clumsy. “Given that I work mostly with children, I wouldn’t worry too much about looking foolish in front of me. Trust me, I’ve seen it all.” 

[margothughes]

xaviernavarro​:

━━━━━━  (  @margothughes​  )

            Believe it or not, Xavier didn’t make a habit out of sleeping with random girls, not in his thirties. He’d had his fair share of hook ups in the past but, these days he devoted his time and attention to more goal-oriented things. Whether that was getting revenge on his dead girlfriend’s behalf, working on his architecture’s license, or fulfilling an almost 12 hour day at the auto body shop. What occurred with Margot was a fleeting thing. It was fun and it helped curb the demons in his head for a little while. He never expected to run into her again afterwards though, despite Magnolia being somewhat of a small town. He wasn’t ashamed of what happened and knew that even if he had run into her, like he did right now, he’d say hello. He was only a dick to those who deserved it. And she didn’t qualify. “It was Margot, right?” He was only asking to be sure, not because he’d forgotten her. He might’ve been drunk but he wasn’t that drunk. “Don’t worry, I don’t bite. Not usually anyway. But, you already know that.” The suggestive look in his eyes referenced all that it needed to in order to get his point across.

After dumping her only serious boyfriend over a decade ago to pursue her dream, only for said dreams to burst into flames in less than a year. She could’ve tried to fix what she had broken with Stratton, but she saw instead her miserable failures as some kind of karmic justice for what she’d put him through and saved what was left of her dignity by staying far away from him. Romance just didn’t seem to be in the cards for her after that. There were a few hookups here and there with long dry spells in between each of them. A few days ago, one of said dry spells had ended when she ran into Xavier had a bar, more than a little tipsy. One thing led to another and, well, the rest was history. The usual guys she picked were from out of town, people she’d never have to see again to avoid the awkward small talk that might ensue, but it looked like she might have fucked up her one rule this time. “Woah, not only do you remember me, but you remember my name? Consider me surprised,” she said with a chuckle. Pink rushed to her cheek at his very suggestive comment. This was exactly why she picked guys she’d never see again. “Should I? Guess it wasn’t that memorable.” Playing coy seemed like the way to go despite there not being anything coy about their previous meeting. Not to mention she did recall something about biting. “Didn’t think I’d see you again, to be honest.”

[margothughes]

jacobtanncr​:

“You think so? I’m gonna tell her you said that” Jacob shot back with a playful glare. Would he actually though? Probably. Family had always been important to Jacob and since his brothers were still back in New York it seemed like the only other person who he could talk to these days was his grandmother. Thankfully she always seemed to give him the benefit of the doubt no matter the issue. “Okay and what’s first on that list of regrets then?” he asked with the raise of his brow. “Pretty sure anyone could put that shit together” He’d seen too many stupid people back in Queens put a coffee table together better than they could put together a string of words into a sentence. “You’re being dramatic” Of that he was sure since he wasn’t a particularly cruel kid, that title had belonged to his older brother hands down. Jacob took another sip of his beer and tried not to look at the shelf now since he was growing embarrassed by it by the second. Still, he wasn’t quite sure what Margot had been up to the last few years. He didn’t ask his grandmother and she didn’t offer the information and he didn’t care enough to pry. Whatever happened she seemed to be doing well. “Alright psycho…” Jacob said even though he knew she was joking. As she told him about her study of ballet, he couldn’t help but be surprised. He wasn’t quite sure what he thought she’d grow up to be but a ballet certainly never crossed his mind. “Okay cool, sounds fun. I mean I saw Black Swan, doesn’t ever end well for the ballet girls.”

“You go right ahead. I’m sure she’ll call me a silly girl and go right back to looking at you adoringly,” she pointed out with a knowing look. His grandmother had always been incredibly lovely to her and her family. Even after she moved away to live with her aunt, she always said hello and asked how she was whenever they saw each other in town. She was just clearly in love with those three boys. “Do you really want to get that deep on such a lovely afternoon?” Margot said with a scoff, knowing immediately she wouldn’t give him her true regrets and keep it light instead. “Not being good enough to pull off that move that destroyed my knee is at the top of that list, not hiding the record player before my roomie got ahold of the new Taylor Swift record and, obviously, not watching enough HGTV.” Dumping her boyfriend when she left for New York because she thought that would help her stay focused on her goals, not telling her parents and brother she loved them enough, stopping herself from living her life properly because of the things she’d lost... Those weren’t things she could share with Jacob who, no matter how long she’d known him, was still essentially a stranger. “Aren’t I always?” She said with a playful smile as she got up to look at his handy work. “Uh, I mean... better than I could have done. A bit crooked, but I guess that fits into the mess that is my life. I thought you said you were good at this, Mr. don’t-you-watch-HGTV,” she mocked, all in good fun. Her eyes narrowed at him at the mention of Black Swan, as if that was any indication of how real life ballet worked. “That’s a just a movie, you dork. Most ballerinas don’t tear their ACL so early in their careers. I just have shit luck. Anyways, what were you up to apart from turning into a gluten-free, vegan hipster?” 

[margothughes]

killianwcde​:

S U N D A Y, OCTOBER 4TH. LOCATION : REPUBLIK with @margothughes​.

          it’d been a hell of a long time since his last visit to Magnolia Springs, let alone being of a legal drinking age, so this was his first trip to Republik. He’d drank himself quite heavily at an Irish bar just outside of town the other night, so since his return to the place his mother called him, he’d not been on the social scene too much. Apparently, he felt like changing that much tonight. Hence his visit to the most frequented bar within the town confines. The owner seemed decent enough, tending to his orders so far this evening, after indulging in conversation, as bartenders usually did for a few moments. Alas, his attention was otherwise stolen by a newfound patron approaching to his left, whether she was just entering the building now, or she’d been here the entire time, he couldn’t be sure. He hadn’t paid much attention before placing himself at the bar; whiskey in hand, no ice. His usual. “You from around here?” He questioned, head turning slightly to face her. “Not a pick up. Just a guy trying to get the lay of the land.” It was obvious he stuck out like a sore thumb, more so when the English accent emulated from him.

Margot was supposed to be meeting Andi at Republik for a quick chat about the studio and, more importantly, some drinks a little under an hour from now. She hadn’t planned to be here so early, but closing the studio had taken significantly less time than anticipated because of a cancelled one on one session and, well, there she was. She made her way to the bar to order a drink while she waited and maybe strike up a conversation with the bartender, a guy she went to school with. Instead, while she waited for her drink to be served, someone she assumed must be a tourist decided to strike up a conversation with her. “I am, actually,” she confirmed with a nod and a smile. She wouldn’t have assumed it to be a pick up line, although she probably wouldn’t have minded in all honesty. The guy was hot. “You, on the other hand, definitely are not. Just visiting or something more permanent?”

[margothughes]

ryanhilarymiller​:

Ryan’s head inched forward, perturbed by Margot’s insinuation about her habits. I mean, she had decided to allow Ryan to move into her parents home with her so really, was this her fault at all? “I mean, you were aware of the unwritten contract you signed upon accepting me as your roommate, were you not?” She followed Margot through the house like a lost puppy because she was, in fact just that. Margot, a compass in the mess of her life. She gasped taken aback again by Margot’s words, though all in good fun. “We are hardly nauseating.” But as she thought about it she could really not deny it because Margot did have a window into their relationship that most did not being her roommate, “Okay. Fine. We do the normal things that all couples do which I can see how that would be nauseating from the outside but–nope, fresh out of excuses.” She admitted as she picked up the bottle to pouring wine into Margot’s glass on autopilot. “You got it.” Ryan nodded as she listened, “Ugh, children. I can’t even imagine how you have such patience.”

Margot tilted her head to the side slightly, feigning confusion over the made up contract she referred to. “I know I would remember if I’d agreed to having Taylor Swift move in with you too. At this rate, the girl should be paying rent on this place too,” she said, glancing over her shoulder to Ryan with a smile. She wasn’t truly bothered by the constant Taylor Swift and had even grown to enjoy it. Anything that made her happy was fine in her book and that included her relationship with Cam, no matter what she may say about it. “Don’t listen to me. You know I’m just bitter because I’ve been single for over a decade. I’m just worried he’ll steal you alone from me. If that happens I’ll be forced to get a cat and really solidify my fate of ending up old and alone.” Margot took a big gulp of her wine, shrugging at the mention of her patience. “Don’t really have a choice, do I? Gonna exploit my only marketable skill and what not.” 

[margothughes]

jacobtanncr​:

“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about. I was always pleasant to be around, go ahead and ask my grams” Jacob shot back, though his grandmother always did have a soft spot for him since he was the baby of the family. No doubt she’d take his side on the matter despite the fact that he had his devilish moments as a kid. Calling the neighbor girl names happened to be one of those moments. “The coffee table? That came with instuctions? And Pre-drilled holes? I’m so impressed” He said sarcastically with a smirk. He had no reason to be grinning like he was considering he was probably just as bad as she was when it came to building real furniture. An IKEA table was easy peasy, but carving wood and forming it into a piece of furniture like he saw people do at the farmer’s market was a skill he could only hope to work at. Setting the beer back down, Jacob took another stab at the shelved and hammered in a new set of nails before resting the board on top. Still a bit crooked. But it would have to do for now. “Yeah, I don’t like muffins. More of a bagel guys. Gotta be gluten free though” That was the New York in him talking now, “Also, I wasn’t the one who gave you that nickname. I’m just the one who said it the loudest” True. Walker had dubbed Margot with that horrendous nickname, and Jacob remembered thinking his brother was so smart and funny at the time, looking back now he should have realized sooner that they were all idiots. “So did you ever even get out of this town or did you wait all these years until I showed up to air your grievances over the nicknames?” he asked with the raise of his brow, still a little too amused at the ordeal.

“Your grandmother is clearly still blinded by that little boy and his deceivingly innocent smile. I saw right through all that from the start, just saying,” she said with a chuckle, although she too believed him to be the good Tanner sibling the first time she met him. “You know, asking you for help is quickly climbing the list of things I regret the most. I’ll have you know the holes may be pre-drilled, but those instructions might as well be in another language. We both know it takes great intellect and skills to pull it off like I did.” She didn’t tell him that this was one of the easier models that didn’t even require any sort of tool. All she had to do was screw the legs to the table and voilà. She gagged dramatically at his requests, judging him openly. “What has New York done to you?” Margot wasn’t there long enough to become fully immersed in the New York lifestyle and, even if she had such a strict diet back then that bagels or muffins were never on her menu. “Which made you the most obnoxious of the bunch. I would beg my mother to keep you away from you. Pretty sure I had nightmares about you.” She was just being dramatic now, that much hadn’t changed. Once a drama queen, always a drama queen. “I’ve been waiting for you all these years, obviously. I can hold a grudge, you know,” she said with a smile, taking another sip of her beer. She hadn’t been over that period of her life in a long time. Everyone here knew what happened to her in New York and they knew better than to bring it up. Same went for her parents and brother’s accident. Except he’d missed all that. “I left for a year or so. Went to Juilliard to study ballet. Obviously that didn’t work out too great. The doctors called it a career ending injury. So, I came back here with my fucked up knee and very little pride left.”

[margothughes]

karliozturk​:

               She was genuinely grateful for Margot and her help. Karli had very little experience with supportive girlfriends. She avoided making them at all costs because she knew she’d just have to leave them eventually. But, the people of Magnolia Springs were hard to keep at a distance. Everyone here was so nice and so hospitable. It was like they were all a part of the same tight knit family even if they didn’t look, didn’t sound, didn’t act, or even relate to each other. “I’m being overdramatic.” That’s one way to put it, as her eyes trail Margot’s movements. She dips into their wine stash and produces a bottle. Karli doesn’t usually drink in the company of others. Alcohol makes her spill things. But, she trusts Margot and that somehow convinces her sharing one glass wouldn’t hurt. Even if she were to unleash a few truths, so long as the conversation didn’t delve too deeply she thought she’d be okay. “I’ll grab us a couple glasses.” Abandoning the mess on her coffee table for a moment, Karli saunters into the kitchen and comes back with two glasses she painted herself. “Should we stop and take a break? We’ve been at it for hours and it’s getting late. I could put on a movie. Do you have a preference?”

Margot shook her head quickly, not wanting to seem like she was dismissing Karli’s worries. It was only natural for her to be nervous about opening a business so soon after an already pretty big life change. “No, you’re not, but I’m here to remind you that I’ll personally make sure everything goes smoothly and that the opening is a success,” she said with a comforting smile, giving her friend’s hand a light squeeze. She busied herself by opening the bottle, fully ready to serve the wine when Karli returned with the two glasses. “I like those. If you’re ever unsure of what to get me for my birthday, those are it,” she commented with a smile while pouring the dark liquid in the handmade glasses. “A break sounds good, yeah. Let’s do a rom com in typical girl’s night fashion. Or a comedy. Nothing dark please.” She sat down on the sofa, taking a sip of the wine. “Clearly the last thing you need is more stress.”

[margothughes]

rebecca-walsh​:

friday october 2nd 2020 at ballet coppélia with @margothughes​

Technically she was breaking the rules. Offering her services to Margot Hughes free of charge, even on a limited basis, was not exactly the sort of behaviour Eddison were likely to look kindly on, especially not when she was logging on and using her privileges undetected. Nor was Rebecca prone to breaking rules herself, she had always been a follower, cowed by authority and prone to simply quietly accepting the rule of order, no matter how unjust. She also had a lot of time on her hands. It was a balance of course, too much time spent online and someone in IT would invariably pick her up, too little time and she would simply go mad. Since they had made the decision to temporarily relocate their lives to Alabama, Rebecca had been clutching at whatever straws of a routine she could find. Putting some time into a job, even a job she wasn’t being paid for was better than rattling around the house, tidying up unnecessarily and trying not to worry about Brennan and Charles. She’d spent much of the previous evening frowning over the mock ups she’d been working on, but somehow she just couldn’t make it work. Margot was no PR whiz kid by any means, but it was her own studio, she had more interest in making the thing work than anyone else.

Which was why she was now sat, cross legged on the floor of the studio, a box of donuts next to them both and hair scraped back as she explained, in detail, the timelines she wanted to work with. She had gone in originally far too professional and polished, and over the days she’d allowed things to get a little more relaxed, to stop using jargon that meant nothing to the average lay person. Margot was have been nice enough, and she wasn’t a multi-conglomerate. She didn’t need to be treated as such. “So?” She asked, pulling back from the laptop screen as she got to the end of the document. “What do you think? It’s not masses of time, but I reckon the sooner we get everything up and running then the sooner you’ll get more people through the door”

Margot wasn’t supposed to be a business owner or a teacher. She was always meant to be a prima ballerina, a renowned dancer. Pliés, arabesques, échappés... That she knew about, understood. Even teaching came somewhat naturally to her. Sharing her passion for ballet wasn’t such a chore and she generally enjoyed the presence of children. The business side of owning her own studio however? Not her cup of tea and that was putting it lightly. She counted her lucky stars everyday that she had met Rebecca when she did. The girl was a literal godsend at this point, sent to her to stop her from running her business into the ground. Up until now, she had counted on word of mouth to get the ball rolling and it had worked well, but not quite well enough. She needed more visibility, to get more kids enrolled in the classes and that’s when Rebecca came in.

The brunette’s hair was tied up in a tight bun and her fingers rubbed the bridge of her nose as she felt a headache coming on. “That all sounds really amazing and I trust you implicitly. It’s just... overwhelming, you know,” she said with a smile, taking a small bite of the donut she’d been nibbling on since their meeting had started. “You think it’s doable? Given the tight timeframe.” 

[margothughes]

jacobtanncr​:

Jacob followed Margot back to her home and once they were in the livingroom, he took a look at the holes that were made previously. It seemed obvious even to someone who didn’t know what the hell they were doing that the damage done was from someone perhaps even more inexperienced than himself. For that, he couldn’t help but walk with a new wave of confidence. Pulling the hammer out of his tool bag, Jacob removed the nails in the wall before glancing over at Margot with an all too amused look across his face. “Let me guess, you ain’t an avid viewer of HGTV?” Jacob said with a chuckle, if only because his grandmother seemed to binge watch the episodes after dinner and maybe he joined her sometimes too. Giving Margot a silent nod to say thank you for the beer, Jacob busied himself by pulling out some more things from the tool bag –– a few nails, a stud finder, a bosch laser. Laying them out on the floor, Jacob scratched his head before deciding on his next move. He placed the bosch laser on the wall to give himself a straight line before lining up a nail and hammering away. After a few nails went into the wall, Jacob granned the piece of board from the floor and screwed it in as well. Taking a step back to observe his handy work, Jacob felt his face grow red as the shelf seemed to be off by about twenty degrees. “Shit” he muttered under his breath. Deciding to give himself an early reward, Jacob reached over and grabbed the beer to take a sip, “I’m not done yet” he added as if anticipating a comment out of Margo on the unevenness of the shelves. “Yeah, welcoming me back would have been somethin’ a nice person would have done” He said, insinuating that she wasn’t all that nice anymore. He was of course only teasing since he remembered they did that to each other a lot when they were kids so he hoped she didn’t take too much offense now. 

Margot was half a second away from thanking him for ignoring her pathetic attempts at putting the shelves up herself when he made it impossible for her to do so. “Ha, ha, ha,” she said with a wry smile, rolling her eyes in the way she did back when he and his brothers would call her Maggot. “Just when I thought you’d grown up to be more pleasant than you used to be when we were kids you go and prove me wrong.This might not be my best work, but I’m not completely useless. I put that together.” She motioned to the coffee table she had gotten from Ikea. Now she just had to cross her fingers that he wouldn’t touch it and see how wobbly it was. The brunette was a proud woman. It took everything she had for her to crawl back to town after her injury at Juilliard and admit she hadn’t achieved her goals. Everyday since then she had tried to salvage what was left of her dignity. That had clearly made her the tiniest bit defensive when it came to, well, everything other skill she had or, in this case, didn’t have. She watched in silence as he worked, frowning when she realized that he may not be all that knowledgable about this stuff as she thought he was. She tilted her head to the side the shelf was now leaning. Her mouth was already open, ready to comment on his work when he assured her he wasn’t done. She nodded slowly, skeptical. “Right,” she said with a chuckle, taking a sip of her beer instead of saying something that would make him turn around and leave the shelves unfinished. “Is it? Tomorrow we can pretend you just moved to town and I’ll show up on your doorstep with a basket of freshly baked muffins to properly welcome back the boy who nicknamed me after a larva.” 

[margothughes]

karliozturk​:

––––––––  ( @margothughes​​​ )

                 “This is actually a lot harder than I thought it’d be.” In the past, when Karli attended or hosted events, it was always with the help or under the surveillance of an actual event planner. She was in way over her head here. So, she decided to enlist Margot for help. Not only were they artistic pals but mutual business owners. If anyone could understand Karli’s dire need to make money in the field she loved, it was the other woman sitting across from her on her couch. Karli wasn’t looking to get rich. Just make enough to get by and not have to settle for waitressing again. The money she was living on now was running out. She had maybe another six months before panic mode activated. If it wasn’t already. On top of that, the pressure to make a good impression here was genuinely surreal. “What do people even do for grand openings? Will just the wine suffice or do you think I should bake something too? And what else do I need.. balloons? Flowers? Flyers? God, do you know anyone who can draft me a flyer by Saturday? Maybe I should just call this whole thing off. Give myself more time to prepare. Margot, I’m losing my mind.” Deep breaths, Karli. Deep breaths. More than ever right now, she just wanted to pick up her paintbrush and go to work. Painting calmed her. Her mom used to say painting relieves all stress. Sad? Paint. Angry? Paint. Heartbroken? Paint.

“Don’t panic, it’s going to be fine,” Margot told her, trying her best to be reassuring even though she understand how nerve racking this probably was for Karli. Not only was this project her baby, but she was new to town and had no idea what to expect from its people. Being from around here, the brunette was familiar with the way things worked in Magnolia Springs and, although coming back here with her tail between her legs after the failure that was New York was definitely... humbling, she knew support would come when she opened her studio a little over ten years ago. “This is a small town, Karli. People are going to show up and we have more than enough alcohol for all of them. I might know someone, yeah, so don’t panic. We’re not calling anything off, it’s going to be great. People will love you and this place, okay? No freaking out.” She grabbed one of the bottle of wines from the boxes they had for the event and dangled it in front of her friend. “How about we open one of these? This is definitely going to ease your mind at least a little.”

[aboutoldfriends]

themartyharper: A FULL VIBE @then0t0ri0usvip on a @miumiu exclusive closing down my #PFW my forever love a full #bardot moment

[margothughes]

jacobtanncr​:

Despite the somber circumstances, Jacob was relatively happy to be back in his hometown. After the last few months walking around the streets he was raised in, Jacob was quick to realize just how much he had changed. Even now, as the knock came to the door of his grandmother’s home –– what used to be his home –– he noticed more changes. This one, however, came from the little girl next door who seemed to be just as grown up as himself now. Margot. The girl his brothers teased and called Maggot, thinking they were so hilarious, Jacob could cringe at the memory as he nodded at her words, “I remember” Jacob said quietly. How could he forget? As distant as the memories were, they were still there. Still palpable and within reach. “So is that the requirement for shelves now? Tall and sort of handy?” He asked with the quirk of his brow and an amused expression across his face. “But yeah, sure, I can take a look…” He said, words trailing off as he stepped back inside to look for one of the tool bags in the closet that the farm hands brought over last week. Thankfully it only took a short moment for Jacob to return with the tool bag, dipping his head back into the home he gave his grandmother a heads up on his plans, “Hey grams! I’m helpin’ the neighbor with some shelves. I’ll be back later.” His words were met with a bellowed laughter which Jacob took as approval. If Jacob wasn’t so insistent on helping Margot out he’d realize he wasn’t quite equipped to handle such a simple task, though his grandmother seemed to know that already given her laughter. Still, that didn’t deter him. Not much ever did. 

Margot almost asked him if he also remembered tormenting her with that terrible nickname he and his brothers came up with, but stopped herself when she remembered she needed him to put up those damn shelves for her. There’d be time to air her grievances with him later. “I mean, pretty much. You’ve gotta be tall enough to put them up at the right height and handy enough to know how to put in the damn nail in the wall. It’s not as easy as it looks, you know. Which leads me to my next request... please don’t laugh when you see my piss poor attempt at doing it myself,” she said with a cringe, leading him to her house and thinking nothing of his grandmother’s laugh when he told her what he was going to do. When they were in the living room, standing in front of her own handy work, she turned to look at him with complete discouragement. “I swear I’m good at a lot of things. Just not this particular thing.” She left him there for a few seconds, heading to the kitchen and fetching two beers she promptly uncapped. “As promised,” she said, offering him one of the two bottles. “So, I guess I should welcome you back to town. It’s been awhile.”

[margothughes]

ryanhilarymiller​:

Her head cocked when she saw it was the other dweller of this home, and owner to be exact coming through the front door. She made a face of confusion before it gave way a deadpan towards her roommate and her lack of appreciation for one Ryan’s characteristic vinyl and wine nights. Ryan did not play along with Margot’s games, giving the phone a good glare of a look before opening the door for her to come in. “Okay listen. You know I’ve been waiting for this record for weeks. And you were definitely given more than a fair warning or did you not get my texts today?” She had honestly tried. “Also, Cam would probably find that picture cute or something, so feel free to send away.” She winked before making her way into the kitchen to grab her wine.

Margot chuckled as the picture appeared on her screen, Ryan’s expression of pure confusion making the whole thing even funnier. “Yeah, I know. It’s not like you’ve been listening to this exact album for weeks already thanks to CDs and Spotify. Oh, wait,” she said thoughtfully before moving past her friend and into their house. “If he does then he’s officially whipped. You two are nauseating.” She dropped her gym bag on the floor before hanging up her coat. Joining her friend in the kitchen, she pulled out another glass and slid it her way. “Fill it up, please. The kids were in a mood today.”

[margothughes]

ryanhilarymiller​:

Ryan had gone home early from work that day. Well earlier than she normally did anyway. She had a date with her music as she continued to take in the glory of Folklore over a glass of wine. But this time she was taking it in through her record player as the vinyl version had arrived. The thrill and excitement of that was enough to lock her office with files yet to be gone over. As soon as she got home, Ryan hopped in the shower and put on her cozy night in clothes. Already the music was starting to go through her as a few moves here and there left her eager body on the way to pouring the glass of wine. And now the moment of truth as she pulled the fresh vinyl from its sheath. Ryan placed it on her record player, dropped the needle and the house began to fill up with that tell-tale very first track of the album. 

Just as she was starting to get into her dancing shoes, which were really one her favorite pairs of fuzzy socks, Ryan heard a knock at the door. Well, she’d have to start the album over now, but not matter. Ryan made her way to the door, sliding on her socks with just the right amount of space as she opened it up to see who might be behind it. “What’s up?”

Margot rolled her eyes as she heard Taylor Swift blasting all the way from the front porch. This was by no means out of the ordinary. It felt like all she did lately was listen to her sing about cardigans. She would’ve usually just walked in and judged all the way to her bedroom, but instead she knocked on the door obnoxiously and waited for Ryan to open. She looked her up and down when she did, chuckling at the sight of her outfit. “Hold on, let me just get my phone,” she said, taking it out of her pocket quickly and snapping a picture before her best friend could protest. “I’m showing Cam this picture when I see him next.”

[margothughes]

Margot stepped back to take a look at the nail sticking out of the wall crookedly, her annoyance with her total lack of handiness skills. With her focus completely set on ballet, this is something that her aunt never got around to teaching her. She inhaled sharply in frustration, already embarrassed by what she would have to do now. She’d noticed that her neighbor was back in town and she hadn’t made much of an effort to reconnect yet, but now seemed like good a time as any. They’d been friend once upon a time, surely he wouldn’t shut the door in her face. Begrudgingly, she dragged her feet to his front porch and knocked a few times. “Hey, I don’t know if you remember me. Margot, from next door? We use to play together back when we were—” She stopped herself before she started rambling, shifting from one foot to another awkwardly. “Doesn’t matter. Hm, I need help putting up a shelf and you look tall and sort of handy, so... Do you have a second? I can provide beer and constant commentary.”

@jacobtanncr​