#cherryfriendsgiving

[merrickwood]

delivered to the lockers of: 

chloe alpin @riversidechlo​

frankie bartlett

bradley crane

connor hughes @con-hughes​

ethan jenkins @ethjenkins​

lulu jenkins @riversidelulu​

gigi king

jack martinez

kit moore @cheerstokit​

logan norris @antagcnisms​

luke price

olivia price

amelia roberts

holly wood @goodgollymisshollywood​

on friday, november 15th ( yesterday )

[merrickwood]

friendsgiving 2019.

who: merrick wood, ethan jenkins, chloe alpin at the beginning, logan norris at the end and a lot of holly everywhere what: merrick throws a friendsgiving to make up for the fact that her life is a mess when: thursday, november 28th, all day 

All Merrick had wanted was a day of peace. A day for her friends to come and celebrate, to forget all of their sadness. A day to forget her own sadness. 

Their parents didn’t even stay for the playoff game; Billy grumbled as they shuffled off to Atlanta first thing in the morning, Whitney talking about how they had to pick up her sister Maya from the airport before they arrived at her parents house. Holly was preparing for the game, her hair in a high pony and ribbons in her hair, so it was just Merrick on the porch, wrapped up in Ethan’s Riverside High Football hoodie and leggings, her expression distant when her father came and sat next to her.

"It won’t always feel like this,” he promised her, but she snorted, resting her cheek against her knees as she pulled her legs closer to her chest. “I know you and Holly are going through some pains, but I also know no one loves you more than her. Not even your mother and I.” 

He said it was a smile, to let her know he was joking, but a couple of months ago, she might have believed him. Now Holly was barely speaking to her, avoiding her gaze whenever they crossed paths, and Merrick had done her part to just disappear whenever Holly was around. She’d found her invitation - the one she’d purposefully left on Holly’s bed instead of her locker to ensure she’d see it - in the trash of their bathroom, which had hurt more than anything. She laughed and joked and mocked Holly’s exceptional scrapbooking hobby, but to know that she had no intention to save her gesture forever - 

They went to the game separately, Holly with the squad and Merrick taking her time and walking to the high school to sit in the stands. It was strange, watching the girls from the sidelines, a small JV girl a few pounds lighter than Merrick being thrown in the air in her place, her sister and friends all cheering, and while Chloe was next to her, hand linked with hers, it didn’t make the sick ball in her gut disappear as the game went on, even as she cheered on her boyfriend, ex boyfriend and closest friends. 

Once the game was over, it was easier to relax; Ethan and her headed to his house to pick up the mac n’ cheese he’d had baking during the morning, the groceries for the rest of the food already at the cabin waiting to be prepared. It was Chloe, really, who made the turkey - Merrick was admittedly a little overwhelmed with it - but she helped prepare the other sides, the potatoes and carrots, corn and stuffing, pies baking in the oven while Ethan tugged on the strings of her apron, kissing her neck and making her laugh. 

Others started arriving in the late afternoon; hungry and starving, a group of teenagers sat down in their nicest clothes, sharing food and smiles and a lot more warmth than Merrick would have felt back in Atlanta with her family. 

For a few hours, it felt like everything was perfect. She sat on Ethan’s lap, feeling his fingers graze the hem of her skirt, laughed at jokes told by the guys and played dutiful hostess by clearing the table and serving dessert when it was needed. It was almost like she could see into the future, when she’d do this with a ring on her finger and a child playing in the corner. 

There was only one thing missing. Two, really - but one had promised to show up during dessert, after he spent his afternoon with his family, trying to make amends for the months they’d been apart. And the later it got, the more she worried he wouldn’t show at all - that he and Holly would be having too much fun playing their own domestic scene at his house, that he’d completely forget any progress that they’d made over the past few weeks. 

( That, once again, she’d been replaced so quickly. A thought she’d been trying to quash every time, but a thought that arose regardless whenever she saw him with her sister, whenever her sister mentioned him, whenever they were mentioned even in passing. ) 

But he showed, eventually, a piece of chocolate cake from Rosie’s just for her, and she hugged him, kissing his cheek, brushing the tips of her finger over it just as she had when they’d dated for over a year. It made her nostalgic, a vague twinge of yearning inside of her, but the truth was, she wanted someone else even more - and even he could tell. 

“She went home,” he told her quietly, and Merrick nodded, taking her cake and walking towards the kitchen, no longer caring about being the good hostess she was supposed to be. And he might have made to follow her if Ethan hadn’t cut him off, noting the slump in her shoulders, the way she disappeared without a smile or apologies to her guests. 

“She didn’t come?” 

“Of course not,” Merrick laughed, the sound hollow in her chest even as she opened the white box, grabbing a fork and digging into the chocolate cake, Ethan getting her a cup of milk before coming to sit with her at the kitchen island, running his fingers up and down her back. 

“You’ll make up,” he promised, but Merrick didn’t know about that. She’d never had such a big divide between her and her sister - never felt like Holly was so far away that she might never come back. “She loves you, Merrick.” 

“Apparently she loves him more,” she whispered, and it was saying the words aloud that broke her apart, her tears pouring down and she buried herself in Ethan’s chest, letting him envelope her in his hold. Replaced and ignored and forgotten and left behind, the worst things that could ever happen to Merrick, and yet two of those who were supposed to be closest to her, who were supposed to know her better than anyone - they’d done just that. 

“Do you want me to send everyone home?” Ethan asked quietly, but Merrick shook her head ‘no’, wiping her tears and trying to take deep breaths to stop herself from crying. “We can just watch shitty netflix christmas movies or whatever.” 

“No,” Merrick answered, blinking back more tears and taking the napkin he offered her to wipe away the smudged mascara. “No. The show must go on, or whatever. I’ll be fine.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yeah.” She nodded, taking another big bite of chocolate cake before hiding it in the fridge, Ethan’s eyes on it as she did - she knew he still worried about Logan, though she didn’t know why - smoothing down her dress and pasting on a facade of a smile that reminded her eerily of her mother. “Now c’mon,” she said, holding her hand out to him, “we have guests to entertain and they will destroy the wine cellar if we don’t tend to them.” 

He didn’t say anything, but took her hand and followed her regardless, his eyes torn between her, the fridge and where Logan had been listening in on them, but she squeezed his hand and walked by - if she had to ignore Logan’s presence to make Ethan feel as safe as he made her feel, well, then she’d start to do just that. 

[merrickwood]

MERRICKWOOD uploaded a photo to instagram

happy #friendsgiving 2019! i plan on eating all of the pies by myself. and all of the mac n’ cheese. actually y’know what friendsgiving is just cancelled i’m eating all of it myself thanks.

[cherryrpg]

     CHERRYRPG EVENT                        friendsgiving 2019.

thanksgiving - the official start of the holiday season, and a time where many are forced to be around family they can barely stand as it is. an american tradition full of food, fights and that one drunk uncle no one wants around anyways, riverside’s teens have endured their family for it for long enough.  hosted by merrick wood, this year there’ll be an alternative option: friendsgiving! on friday, november 15th, she put invitations inside the lockers of 14 of her closest friends to join her for an afternoon of good food, good drinks and hopefully, more fun than they’d have all separated. all are invited to attend to dress up, bring some food, and have a much more pleasant thanksgiving evening than they might have otherwise.  with the amount of distrust between the teens and their parents this year, it seems like the start of a tradition - at least, for those who may stay within riverside’s town lines post - high school.  starting after the game ends until they’re all too full to move or go home, merrick’s opening her family’s lakeside cabin to all - even those who aren’t as close as they might have once been.

important information

                                  date: thursday, november 28th                                                   from 4pm EST - ? ( 11pm EST )

we welcome all forms of communication throughout the night - paras, face to face interactions, texting, etc. and encourage players to think about plots prior to the start of the event. we will not hold an IC discord this time around, as it wasn’t utilized the last time around and the dash was very active instead.  all posts for said event should be tagged cherryfriendsgiving to help differentiate what’s for the event and what isn’t. a much more casual event than the last time, we understand if not everyone is able to attend - thanksgiving can take up time IRL for many people, and for those outside of the US, work and school have to take precedence. we hope that we’ll all be around to dedicate to some fun and debauchery - this time, the event is strictly about relaxing for the teens - no disappearances, arsons or murders during the evening.  as always, if there are any questions, please don’t hesitate to send them in!