#japrilnetwork

[zamyamf1028]

This video highlights the top 10 best Jackson and April moments on Grey's Anatomy!

[plasticsposse]

The Penis Game & Group Projects

(Hi, this is a japril med school au I found in my drafts. For this story I’m going with April’s first reason for being a virgin that she revealed in 7x07, saying she wanted it to be special, instead of using her religion. Hope you guys enjoy)

“I know mom.” Jackson Avery said for what felt like the billionth time into his cell phone. For the entire 10 minute duration, from his room on campus to the library, his mother, Dr Catherine Avery has been scolding him.

“Jackson I know you’re in college but you need to stop sleeping around so much or be more discrete. You’re not in your under grad anymore you’re in med school. More importantly at Harvard where half of our coworkers children attend school.” 

“I’m well aware of it.” Jackson replied while rolling his eyes and striding up the giant concrete steps leading up to the Countway Library

It’s not like he sleeps around that much. In Jackson’s opinion, the fellow “legacies” of Harvard needed to mind their own fucking business, but he would never say that aloud while talking to his mom. 

“Your grandfather and I are tired of your indiscretions being gossip here. So I’m setting you up with a date for the fall fundraiser.” 

“What? No. You’re not.” He grasped the library’s door handle way harder than what was needed and swung the door open as he entered the building. Anytime his mother has tried to “set him up” in the past it was one of the younger staffers or a friend’s daughter, anyone who would be her little spy. Picking up whatever his mother didn’t hear through the grape vine. 

“Want to bet?” 

“You can’t because-” trying to come up with a good lie quickly, while looking for his study group was harder than one would think. The library’s arched ceiling went up to two stories tall and their study area was filled with evenly spaced tables; the way they were lined up made it goes as long as half a football field. Scanning his eyes through the dispersed crowd of people: the guy in the very back corner who thinks he is inconspicuously watching porn, but in reality, everyone has known he does that since the first year of undergrad; the Aryan study group, all of them had blonde hair with blue eyes. Some of them were stupid enough to tweet things with the hashtag #AllLivesMatter or even worse #WhiteLivesMatter; there was an attractive girl studying by herself, and two tables away from her was just who he was looking for. Charles Percy, he was wearing his ridiculous neon yellow shirt. Jackson was pretty sure no one else in Massachusetts owned it. 

“Jackson, I don’t have all day here.” His mother said sounding less impressed than she had throughout the entire conversation. Bringing him back to his need for an excuse. 

“You can’t set me up with someone because … Because I have a girlfriend.” He stuttered out while walking towards his friends. 

“Since when? Who is she? Are you bringing her out to brunch on Sunday? You remembered we’re having brunch right?” 

“Mom we have brunch the third Sunday of every month of course I remember. It’s uh really new and I can’t get into any details right now cause I have to go bye.” Jackson hung up before his mother could say anything else.

“So since when do you have a girlfriend Jackie?” One of Jacksons best friends, Alex Karev smirked. Of course, Alex had to hear his lie. 

“Shut up. My mom was trying to set me up with one of her minions again.” Jackson said while sitting down. 

“What’s this imaginary girlfriend’s name?” Charles asked joining in with Alex.  

“Look it doesn’t matter, I’ll tell my mom it’s too new for them to meet each other and then, both conveniently and tragically, we’ll break up just before the gala.” 

“Dude, you think that will actually work? Your mom is probably stalking your facebook right now looking for your fake girlfriend.”

“This issue is more than a month away, I’m more worried about the fact I have to memorize all of these reading tomorrow, Since Webbers going to grill me.” Jackson sighed. 

Professor Webber was one of the most highly respected faculty members on staff. He taught with such a passion anyone would want to learn from him. But he was a hard ass who loved to pick on his students all the time. Especially with Jackson, and for no apparent reason. 

Almost two hours had passed since Jackson sat down with his group. The three men stopped actually studying 15 minutes ago and for the past ten have been playing the penis game.

“Penis.” Charles whispered, this was one of these more arbitrary choices for a game, but it helped pass the time. 

“Penis.” Alex said at the same octave, completely missing the point of the game. He and Charles were too big of chickens to scream the word in the library, but Jackson was so bored he went with the lengthening the time of the game. 

“Penis.” Jackson repeated less than a decibel higher. Charles and Alex continued following the same tone as the person before them. Jackson was getting ready to get it to a normal noise level. Licking his top lip then proceeding to press it with his bottom lip making the p sound “pe-”

“PENIS.” A very loud, very feminine voice bellowed startling all three men, and the entire library. “There the game is over. Now can you guys please shut up so people can study in peace?” Asked the pretty girl Jackson noticed when he first arrived. 

Although she still tried to sound as assertive as she was screaming, any hardness to her voice was basically gone, replaced by a soft almost endearing tone.

She took their silence as a yes and went back to reading her textbook. Jackson was completely speechless. The only other person he never knew how to reply sometimes was his mother. He was so impressed he wanted to know this girls name. Before he could ask, her phone started ringing and she was gone.

As soon as she left Alex was the first to speak “I don’t think I’ve ever played that game and had a girl win.”

“Have you ever actually played the penis game with a girl before?” Jackson asked.

“Oh God! I knew I knew her from somewhere. Oh no.” Charles mumbled actually looking sick to his stomach.

“Dude, who are you talking about?” Alex asked furrowing his eyebrows, neither he nor Jackson could follow what Charles was talking about half the time.\

“That girl, she was with the one who made out with me at the frat party two weeks ago.” Charles put his face in his hands as he continued, “and now she’ll probably tell her friend I’m an idiot, who plays the penis game in the library.” “Wait which chick did you kiss?” 

“I’ve been trying to find her since the party. Don’t you guys listen to anything I say?” Charles was met with two blank stares from his friends. “The one with the pixie cut and rose tattoo on her arm.”

“Oh yeah, we thought you gave up on her like a week ago.” Jackson said.

“It’s college, and you’re in med school. Women throw themselves at us once they find out. Just move on.” Alex added. - After they were done studying the three boys parted ways from the library. Without any plans and not really in the mood to go back to his dorm, Jackson found himself wandering to the closest coffee shop. 

It was a very comforting place, the smell of coffee beans greeting him as soon as he entered, plush leather couches to rest on, a shelf full of book one could borrow during their stay here, and acoustic songs playing softly in the background. 

Jackson made his way to the back of the line and couldn’t be happier with what he saw ahead of him, the cashier was his mystery girl. She welcomed every customer with a contagious smile and listened attentively to every word they said. Her hair is tied in a high ponytail, that bounced beautifully every time her head moves. By the time Jackson was the next person in line he has studied every inch of her that could be seen above the counter. He knows it sounds weird but she intrigues him. 

“I can help who’s next.” She called out while passing the latest coffee order she took to the person on bar. As she looked up her entire demeanour changed “What can I get for you?” 

“I’ll get a medium americano, and I would like to apologize for me and my friends earlier. We had no intentions of disrupting your studying.”

“That the entire point of the game.” she laughed “And your name?” 

“Jackson, can I get yours.” 

“Your total is $2.58.” She replied

“You never answered my question,” Jackson said to her as he passed a $5 bill. “And keep the change.”

“My name? Nah, I don’t trust people with last names as first names.” This girl amused him more and more with each second that passed by.

“You know that’s quite prejudicial of you.” Jackson told her while giving her the ‘look.’ Whenever he used his eyes he always got what he wants. Out of trouble with adults as a child, teachers giving him extensions on projects, and dates lot and lots of dates. 

“I guess I’m a biased person, you can pick up your drink at the left. I can help whos next.” Correction, Jacksons eyes usually always got him what he wants.

“I have a medium Americano for a uh-uh. Just an uh medium americano.” The male barista called out with a peculiar expression. Jackson picked up the steaming cup, unsure as to what would cause the guys expression. What was wrong with his drink? It looked like an Americano and when he put it up to his nose it smelt like one. Everything seemed perfectly normal. That was until he noticed what was on the side of the cup, with perfect writing “PENIS.” - When Sunday came around Jackson wore one of his favourite suits. A grey Giorgio Armani, with a very tiny pinstripe pattern, that was altered perfectly for him. On more than one occasion, when Jackson went to these brunches people assumed he was going to church. To many Christian girls, he looked the perfect part to be their dream guy. Because of this, he was often given many numbers belonging to girls with crosses on their necks. He even hooked up with a couple of them (on a different day), but nothing more. The one thing that destroyed each and everyone girls fantasy was the fact he’s an atheist. 

He was raised to believe in science and only things that can be proven. That was the entire ironic part to him, so many of the women that wanted him believed in love at first sight and there is only one person they’re meant to be with. Jackson doesn’t even believe in the concept of soulmates, they’re ridiculous to him. How could someone actually believe that out of the seven billion people on this planet you’re only compatible with one of them. And how is it even possible that this one person is even in the same geographical region as their “soul mate.” 

Jackson arrived at brunch right on the dot, at 9 am.  

“You’re late.” His mother greeted him.

“You said to meet at 9 o'clock, it’s 9!” 

“And I also say on time is five minutes early. Now kiss your mothers cheek and sit down.” He did as told, after kissing his mothers cheek he sat down in the seat directly across from her. “So where is she?” His mother asked peeking her head behind him.

“Who?” Jackson questioned turning to face where she was looking, unsure of whom she was looking for. 

“Don’t play dumb, Jackie. Where is your girlfriend?” Oh yeah… He ‘had’ a girlfriend. 

“Mom-”

“Oh c'mon Jackson, it’s not like I’m going to psychology damage her. I just want to meet the girl that’s making my son happy.”  

“We’re still really new and I don’t want to rush it, mom.” Although his mom has meddled with his love life since he started dating, today she looked so genuinely excited. It made him feel awful about creating this lie. He kept telling himself if he didn’t, the night of the fundraiser would be a terrible setup. And as a bonus, when his fake girlfriend (hypothetically) breaks his heart, his mother won’t yell at him for getting lucky with someone at the gala…. And that thought was even worse if he kept this up the title of worlds most terrible son would be his soon. “I really care about her, but I will bring her to the gala.” 

“Oh alright, can I get her name?” The one problem in an otherwise full proof plan.. Jane Doe? Suzy Homemaker? No name?

“No, I don’t need you internet stalking her. You can find out at the gala.” 

“Fine, I’ll meet her then and she will tell me everything about herself. Speaking of the gala, since it’s on a Saturday night, and that function will go until the sun rises, I want to move our monthly brunch. What day is it your classes start later.” 

“Thursday.”  

“Perfect, we will meet the Thursday before the gala. Make sure, you put the changed date in your calendar.” - “Alright everyone, as you know, your Objective Structured Clinical Exams are coming up in the next couple of months. Last class, I gave you all 7 different patients to study, all with different symptoms. Let’s see who actually did their work.” Professor Webber looked down at his classroom list to call on names. “Ms Murphy.” 

“Ugh yes, sir.” A tall girl, with long dirty blonde hair, and very prominent cheek bones replied. 

“Patient four.”

“Uh, patient four.” The girl repeated in a questioning matter.

“Yes, tell your class about patient four.”

“Um..” 

“Do you know what case I’m even talking about?” There was no response to his question, just silence. 

“How could someone not do the assignments Webber gave? That’s like showing up to class naked.” Jackson whispered to his friend, completely baffled at what he is witnessing.

“A complete moron.” Alex replied.

“Mr Karev, tell me about patient four.” Professor Webber said, startling both Alex and Jackson. 

“Patient four is in recovery after surgery and is having respiratory problems.” “What is your diagnosis?”

“Post-op pneumonia, I would have her put on antibiotics right away.” Alex answered, voice full of confidence.

“The drugs have been administrated and nothing has changed over night. She still has shortness of breath what now?” Professor Webber asked 

“I.. don’t know.” He answered truthfully

“Name the causes of post-op fever.” 

“Yes sir..” Alex quickly grabs his notes for reference.

“From your head. Not from a book. Don’t look it up, learn it, it should be in your head. Name the common causes of post-op fever.”   “Uh…the common causes of post-op…” 

“Can anybody name the common causes of post-op fever?” Professor Webber looks away from Alex, asking the entire class now. Jackson felt bad for his friend, usually, only Webber grilled him this bad. “Go ahead,” Webber said looking at someone further back than Jackson and Alex.

“Wind, water, wound, walking, wonder drugs. The five Ws. Most of the time it’s wind, splinting or pneumonia. Pneumonia’s easy to assume, especially if you don’t run tests.” Said a feminine voice, the same one from the library and the cafe last week.

“What do you think is wrong with patient 4?”

“The fourth W, walking. I think they’re a prime candidate for pulmonary embolism.” She replied to their instructor, completely sure of herself. “And how would you diagnose?”

“Spiral CT, VQ scan, provide O2, dose with Heparin, and consult for an IVC filter.” 

“Thank you, ugh, Miss?” 

“Kepner, sir.” She said sounding timider than just before. For the rest of the lecture, Webber tortured other students with these cases. Shockingly he left Jackson alone. 

“Some of you succeeded today while others failed miserably.  Not only is this preparing you for your tests, it’s also the basis of your upcoming project. I’m assuming the majority of you won’t like this but you’ll be in groups of my choosing. I won’t take any complaints because no matter whether you go into research, radiology, dermatology, gynaecology, surgery or any other option you will have to learn to work with your colleagues as a team. You and your partner will have to create a case. Then you will share your case to five different groups and they will show you there’s. I just sent an email with a list of every group.” 

Everyone in the class whipped their phones out to look for said email. Jackson refreshed his phone five times before the email appeared in his inbox. As soon as he clicked it he skipped down to the bottom for the attachment. 

He quickly read every name “Alexandra Grey and George O'Malley” doesn’t know the girl, sort of knows George; a bit of a nerd but he is always kind to everyone. “Isobel Stevens and Ryan Scott.” She’s a part time underwear model while he’s a full-time douche. A bunch of people he barely knows are listed, he sees his best friends name “Alex Karev and Reed Adamson” no clue who she is. Then he notices mystery girls last name, Kepner, and he couldn’t stop himself from smiling at the last name he saw beside hers. “April Kepner and Jackson Avery.” - “Oh God.” April sighed, slouching further into the uncomfortable seat. One would think for the $53,000+ dollars each student in this room is paying to attend such a prestigious place like Harvard, the university could afford seats with some cushioning. April didn’t really care about that right now though, she would sit on a chair made of thorns if it would swallow her up and take her away from this situation. 

“What’s wrong?” Her best friend since under grad, Lexie Grey, asked. 

“Look who my partner is.” April said passing her phone. 

“Oh,” Lexie replied, giving April her phone back. “Well, he doesn’t seem like that bad of a guy. Plus I know you find him attractive.” 

“What? No!” April gasped, sitting up straight. Obviously, she did but he was cocky and ignorant. 

“Calm down anyone with a working pair of eyes would agree.” Lexie smirked. “But with the reaction you just gave now, I know you like him.” That sentenced causes a giant scowl to appear on Aprils face. 

“What on good gods earth makes you think that?” April asked.

“You never get this bent out of shape over a guy.” Lexie laughed while getting out of her chair and collecting her belongings. April was quick to copy her actions but was in no way finished with this conversation. 

“I have no interest in talking to or dealing with some egotistical guy who thinks he can get everything because he’s pretty.” 

“So you do think he’s attractive. While you’re working on this project make sure you get some of that Jackson action.” 

“Never ever say that again.”  April pleaded.

“You better remove that scowl from your face, because your pretty boy is walking right this way. See you later girl, I need to go find George.” 

Once Lexie left the auditorium, April turned around to become, face to face with him. 

“So, April. I’m glad I finally know your name.” Jackson greeted her along with a beautiful smile showing off his perfect straight white teeth, he looked like he should be in an ad for Colgate.  

“I’m glad to know you’re competent enough to read an email.” She knew she was being rude, acting in the complete opposite manner to the way she was raised, but she couldn’t help it, he was so irritating. “It will make it a lot easier to work on this project.” To her surprise this comment made his smile grow even wider, and he even let out a chuckle. 

“You know, I can’t believe I never noticed you were in my class.” 

“Well I am, we even have Bailey and Hunts classes together.” 

“Glad to see you’re keeping an eye on me.” He said giving her the same look in the coffee shop. 

“As much as I hate to cut this conversation short, I need to go to my next class,” April told him, she needed to get away from him because she might do or say something irrational, like try and kiss him or smack him, or even worse, both. In all honesty, she’d probably choose the latter option making her seem even crazier. 

“Well I have a two-hour break before my lab, I’ll walk you there. Then we can talk about our project.”  

As much as she wanted to say ‘no’ it was like she forgot how to pronounce that word. So she picked up her bag and lead the way up the stairs. Unsure of how to start she remained silent for a few seconds. 

“I just have a question.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Did you show up to Thursday’s class?”

“And here I thought you were going to talk about our project.” April rolled her eyes as they entered the hall way. “Yes, I worked an early shift at the coffee shop, it actually caused me to be a bit late. Luckily for me, Webber was so focused on grilling you with a thousand questions, that he didn’t even notice me sneak in.” 

“Yeah, I’m shocked Webber didn’t call on me today. And I’m assuming you were on the closing shift the night before when you so nicely wrote penis on my cup. So why were you opening at the ass crack of dawn, the next day?” 

“Hey, you have to admit that was pretty funny.” April giggled to herself mainly. “I’m usually who they call when they need a shift covered, and ugh sadly scholarships don’t cover everything.” She said uncomfortably, it was no secret Jackson came from money, the majority of this school had wealthy backgrounds. April on the other hand, grew up on a farm in a town no one here would have ever heard of or care to know of its existence. 

“Oh yeah, it was so funny I started referring to you as Penis Girl before I learned your actual name.” 

“What?!??” Penis Girl implies, that she’s either a) a trans woman - which isn’t a bad thing it’s just she recognizes how easier her life is as a cisgender woman - or b) a woman who’s probably been up close and personal with lots of penises. Truth be told the only male genitals April has ever seen with her own eyes are pictures in her medical textbook.  

“I’m messing with you I didn’t actually call you that. When are you free?” Jackson asked, quickly adding. “So we can ugh actually start the project.” 

“I’m not sure, I’ll check my work schedule and email you when I know.” 

“Or you could just text me it.” Jackson said stepping to the side so their forearms grazed. 

“I don’t have your number.” April told him trying to move away from him - she couldn’t think straight when he did that.

“Well, that could easily be changed.” His voice was full of confidence and kind of cocky. It reminded her of when he went to her work. As attractive as he was, there is no way in hell she would let him manipulate her so he could get what he wanted.

“That’s not necessary, bye Jackson.” April chuckled, desperately trying to hide her smile as she went into class. Messing with Jackson brought such a simple easy pleasure to her day. - April laid her body on her plush, floral duvet. Nights like this were her favourite: no makeup, wearing a pair of cosy sweat pants and a pizza to share between her and Lexie. And she couldn’t be happier to see her friend. The only time they’ve seen each other this week was in class, whenever one had free time outside of school, the other one didn’t. 

“So who’s the new guy in your life?” April asked Lexie. This caused a shocked look to appear on her friends face. “It’s kind of obvious when we were getting the pizza you couldn’t stop a smile from forming on your face every time your phone buzzed. Also every time you replied you’d check your phone two seconds later.” 

“Um.. he… he is -uh-he’s older,” Lexie told her obviously nervous, not only was one of her hands playing with her hair, she was stuffing a pizza slice in her mouth - not even chewing, with her other hand. Two tell tale signs April has picked up over the years. 

“So you’ve dated guys older than you before?” Lexie’s lack of response is what worried April. “What is he your dad’s age?” 

“Well, he’s closer to my dad’s age than mine. But-but that’s not the issue.” Lexie sighed grabbing another slice of pizza.

“Is he a convicted felon?” April knew Lexie’s type of guy had always been interesting. They were always attractive but they each had a stereotypical bad boy vibe to them. Maybe she was tired of just having a vibe and went for the real thing, with a felony to match his status.

“What? No April! Why is that the first thing you go to?” Rolling her eyes, making it very obvious how ridiculous April sounded. 

“Well, you’re acting really sketchy.” 

“It’s Mark Sloan!”  She blurted out, both girls were well known to suffer from word vomit, no matter how hard either of them tried to swallow what they said down their throats.  

“Pr-Pro-Professor Sloan? That Mark Sloan?”

“Yes, I’m the girl that sleeps with Professor. I’m that girl.” Lexie said shoving her hands into her face. “But it’s so good, like mind blowingly go-” quickly shutting up to the sound of April’s door opening. 

“What’s mind blowingly good?” Aprils dorm mate, Reed Adamson asked. Reed liked April and vice versa they just ran in different social circles. Both had the type of personality that took time for most people to grow on but for different reasons: April was considered too perky, too by the book; Reed was often seen as a cold hearted bitch. Each of the personalities grew on Lexie, but she’d choose April over Reed any day. Especially with something as personal as the topic of discussion right now. 

“The pizza, you know how much Lexie loves food. Tonight we got pizza with peppers and a pesto sauce drizzled on top. She’s in love.” April lied, well nothing she said was false, it was a conversation that occurred (the previous week). 

“Okay, well I’ll be out of your hair soon. I’m getting dick tonight and have no plans of being back in this room till tomorrow morning. You can sleep in my bed, if you want, Lexie.” Reed said pointing to her bed across the room. After grabbing some stuff including a tube of lipstick and a red lace bra, she was gone.

“So, back to our conversation,” April said wanting to go to the previous conversation before they were interrupted. It’s not like April wanted to hear every detail of Lexie’s sex life, but she wanted her friend to be able to discuss what’s going on in her life. Otherwise, Lexie would blow and have a worse case of word vomit - than what had just occurred, and it would likely be in front of the wrong person.

“Yeah, you want to talk about how I’m the unknown class slut.” 

“Shut up, you’re not a bad person. You’ve always owned your sexuality. Why are you acting any different now?” 

“I think you’re the wisest virgin I’ve ever met. Or did you decide to take my advice and take a ride on Jackson’s di-”

“No!” April blushed.

“Look I know you said you want it to be special, but in all honestly it’s a social construct created by men that think their dick is life changing. Speaking from personal experience, the only guy that’s given amazing sex is Mark. That’s one out of the six guys I’ve slept with. But from the looks of Jackson, and the rumours around campus -although how many of those girls can you actually trust that they’ve slept with him - he’s pretty special.”

“Will you stop with that. He’s a classmate, that I have to do a project with. That’s all.” April huffed, she definitely didn’t want to hear or imagine any of his previous rendezvous.  

“If you say so.” Lexie said picking up the last slice of pizza from the box. - “That went so good.” Jackson grinned as they exited the doors of Professor Webber’s class. After two weeks of emailing back and forth, and all of the previous evenings spent together perfecting their case, it was finished. 

“We were on fire!” April agreed, unable to contain her bouncing from excitement. “I still can’t believe only three other groups correctly diagnosed all of their cases.” Saying that made both of their smiles grow even bigger. 

“What can I say, we are an amazing team.” He told her, truthfully. That statement caused April to jump up into his arms, giving him a big hug. Her action shocked both of them. Luckily, his quick reflexes kicked in, placing his left hand on her lower back for support. 

His hand was dangerously close to her ass, and he liked it. Usually, Jackson is only in this position when he carries a woman to a bed, and they have minimal clothing on. If this were anyone else he would probably crack a joke about it - but it’s Kepner.

While they were finishing the project he realized how innocent she is. Yes, she said penis a lot when they first met. It took until that occasion for him to notice the slight red pigmentation scattered across her face when she says that word. Jackson likes talking to her, and he will gladly be more pg if it means he gets to spend time with her,

“What’s going on here?” Lexie asked startling the two. 

Their denim covered legs stopped touching as Aprils black flats touched the floor again. Jacksons slid his hand across her soft, cotton covered back until he no longer felt her. 

“We, uh we were um-” April tried to form a sentence. 

“We were having a celebration hug.” Jackson answered, ending Aprils stutters. “And now, I’m inviting you both to the Halloween party at Kappa Sigma this weekend.” Right away Lexie’s face grinned, while April looked uncomfortable. 

“Oh, Jackson I don’t really think-”

“It starts at 10:30, make sure you dress up. Anyways, I have to get going.” And with a wave, he was leaving the two girls. 

He felt bad for cutting April off twice, but the first time put everyone (including her) out of their misery. And the second time he knew she was going to turn down his offer right away. He definitely didn’t want that to happen. - “Well, that was interesting.” 

“Huh?” April asked. She heard her friend speak but her attention was focused on the man she was previously wrapped around and his perfect backside. “I said, ‘that was interesting.’” Lexie repeated. “And stop looking at him walk away he can probably feel your eyes.” 

April faced turned and made eye contact with her friend “sorry.” She sheepishly smiled. 

“Oo you’re smitten. So, what are you going to wear?”  

“Nothing.” 

“I like it, but a little bit too risky for out in public - especially at a frat house. Save that for his bedroom.” 

April rolled her eyes “I said that because I’m not going.”

Lexie’s mouth opened and eyes widened in shock “You’re kidding, right?” 

“No, you know that’s not my kind of scene.” April truthfully replied. 

“Which is exactly why you should go. We’re in college for Christ’s sake, this is the only time you get to experience one of these. And I, your best friend, will be there with you.” 

“I guess you’re right.” 

“Of course I’m right. Now c'mon,” Lexie grabbed Aprils arm and started to guide her “go to class. Afterwards, we are going costume shopping.” “I already have a costume.” April pointed out as she was dragged to class. “You’re not going as a velveteen bunny. Playboy yes, velveteen is a big fat no!”

[japriet]

Nobody Else But You

Hey guys! I’m back! I know it’s been a long long time since I have put out a one shot, or ever written anything in general, and I am so so sorry about that! I’ve been kinda busy, kinda lazy, its a terrible combination. But, I have this little japril one I’ve kinda been working on it, so I hope you like it! It’s set right before the boards, because a few of us were talking and we thought there should’ve been more japril screen time! It’s leading up to their moment in San Fran, enjoy! Please leave me a message and quick review of what you think! Thanks!

April stood at in front of the sink with a soapy dish towel in one hand and a small plate in the other. The water sloshed as the walls pulsed from the loud music playing in the connecting room. She gently dried off the plate and sat it on the drying rack beside her before she reached for another plate beneath the water. She repeated her process one after another entering into a daze while tapping her foot to the rhythm.

“Hey.” A voice spoke barely heard over the loud music of the party snapping her out of her daze after a few minutes. 

“Good God, Jackson! You nearly gave me a heart attack!” She reached a hand across her chest over her racing heart, dropping the plate she had been washing back into the soapy water with a splash. She tried to calm herself down by taking deep breaths as she turned to face him, “What are doing in here?” She breathed out still startled.

“I could ask you the same thing.” He chuckled a little, a smirk gracing his face as he walked over to lean on the island in the middle of the kitchen that separated them.

“Oh, uh… I'm just cleaning up. You know me, I can't stand dirty dishes.” She twirled her fingers in the air then turned her back towards him as she quickly dried the suds off the top of her floral dress with a towel. She took a deep breath and picked up the plate again to rewash it. They were silent again but she could hear the music in the background, and she could feel Jackson’s eyes boring into her back. She could hear his light shuffle across the creaky tile floor, letting her know he was approaching her. 

He grinned to himself in adoration of the woman in front of him, knowing she didn't feel comfortable with these type of gatherings, but she went through with it anyway, knowing it's what he wanted. She did it to make him happy, and that made her even more incredible, yet he wished she had hung in there a little longer. She was his best friend after all, and she organized all of this, so he wanted her to have fun too. She clearly wasn't, since she had resorted to washing dishes by hand, even though they had a perfectly good dishwasher to her left. He wasn't able to enjoy it knowing that she wasn't there and having fun right along with him. That's why he suggested a quiet movie night instead. Just the two of them, a pizza and some beer. She refused, of course, telling him that he should celebrate the way he wanted to. ’It's what you deserve, Jackman!’ she had said while patting his shoulder and writing a guest list on a piece of paper along with planning a grocery list for the dinner she insisted on cooking for them. Even though they all should be studying for the boards, and no matter how much people saw her as a bookworm and constant studier, April insisted on throwing him a party. She promised him that it was fine and it would run as smoothly as they planned, however, here she stood in the kitchen instead.

He made his way towards her, propping his elbow on the counter to her right. She rolled her eyes at him and the goofy grin on his face but continued sloshing water around as she washed, rinsed and then dried them.

“Jackson, it's your birthday. You should be in there having fun.” She shooed him away with the towel, but he snatched it from her mid air and tugged on the end to pull her closer. She yanked the towel back and reached for another plate to wash but he picked it up first, capturing her attention once again. Her eyes slowly lifted to match his.

“Dinner was delicious by the way. As always.” He held her gaze, but knew she wouldn't be able to hold it, knowing how she reacts to compliments.

She blushed at his comment and turned her head away from him to focus on cleaning, “Thank you. I know Chicken Parmesan is your favorite. Lucky for you, it's pretty easy to make.”

 “Yeah. I am lucky, aren't I?” He smirked.

 “I guess? So you should go back in there and enjoy your party. Unless there was something you needed?”

 “I just thought you could use some help.” He whispered in her ear while walking behind her and grabbing her waist, pinning her between him front side and the counter they were standing at before he leaned down and kissed just below her earlobe. He continued to slowly trail kisses down her neck, one by one, until he reached her shoulder, causing her to gasp quietly. He slowly pushed the material of her sleeve down over it to expose her bare shoulder, pushed her bra strap out of the way, blowing softly on the spots where he kissed. April could barely hear the music at this point as goosebumps appeared across on her skin, proof of where his lips had been. Jackson had her undivided attention and the party in the room was the last thing she was focused on. All she could hear was his rapid breathing and her heartbeat pounding in her ear.

“Wait, Jackson.”

“Mhm.” He hummed back to her, his lips still attached her neck as his hands wrapped around her waist and stomach to flip her around to face him, “What?”

She leaned away from him as his lips returned to her neck, his hot breath tickling her skin, “We-we shouldn't do this. Not right now. Not here.” She stuttered. She could barely think straight but in the back of her mind, there was a tiny voice that reminded her that they had another roommate, not to mention the room full of party goers next door, whom they were supposed to be hosting. He ignored her and continued what he was doing. He knew she would give in soon and she knew she would melt if he managed to capture her lips so she had to stop it now, or else she would be a goner.

"Jackson we can't." She stated again, a bit firmer this time, and pushed his arms off of her. He stepped back slightly but she could see the mischief shining in his eyes masked behind his pout. 

"Why not?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because we have a dozen of our coworkers here for a party, for you?" “I can make them leave." "You can't be serious!" Her eyes widened as he turned around to make his way to the doorway.

He sent a smirk to her over his shoulder, "Watch me." "What? Jackson! No!" She wrapped her hand out around his forearm and jerked him back to face her once again, “We can’t just kick them out! This is your party! We invited them here!”

“And now the party is over.” He rested both his hands on her shoulders to hold her steady and nodded his head slowly to help her understand what he was saying .

“No. You can’t do that. You didn’t even really get to enjoy it!”

“April, You know I appreciate your efforts and this party-” He gestured to the other room where their friends were still gathered around chatting with the music was still blaring, “This party was amazing, but that's not me anymore. That's what the old me would've wanted. This is the type of party Charles would've thrown. Minus the amazing dinner, of course, that was all you. But this isn't me anymore.”

April scrunched up her face in confusion, going over her mental checklist of everything he had requested his party consist of. She was pretty sure she fulfilled every wish plus some. Nothing was missing, at least, she thought so.

“What do you mean? This is what you said you wanted. I did exactly what you said. I thought I made it perfect, I-”

“April,” he placed his hand back on her shoulder to calm her down and reassure her that everything was fine, “April you did. You did exactly what I said, I know, because I was too scared to tell you what I really wanted.”

“I'm confused. Why didn't you just tell me? Now I feel bad! You know you can tell me anything, I wouldn't have judged if you wanted a guy’s night with like a-a stripper or something.” She sputtered out slightly embarrassed that she basically suggested her best friend needed a stripper party, but she didn't really know what guys liked on their birthdays. She assumed guy’s birthdays generally included women and their “birthday suits”. She wasn't quite ready to give him that herself, with her being a virgin and all.

“No! No. Nothing like that. I swear it's nothing like that.”

“Then what is it Jackson? What do you want? Maybe we can get-” 

“You.”

“What? I'm sorry I-”

“Dammit, April, I want you!” He yelled, hoping no one else at the party could hear him over the beat. He was sure that if the loud music didn’t get them a noise complaint, yelling added into the mix surely would.

“Oh.” April whispered, staring at him with an unreadable expression on her face and range of emotions present.

“I want to spend time with you. I wanted us to just hang out and order pizza or maybe take out and drink beer and watch dumb movies because that's what makes you happy, and that makes me happy. You.”

“I-I don't understand.” She shook her head in confusion at him in attempt to make sense of what he was saying. Had she even heard him right? He wanted her. Her.  

They were both standing in the middle of the small kitchen in their shared apartment just staring at each other. April wondered how it got to this point, because they never did stuff like this. She was never the type to have secret rendezvous, especially with the guy who is also her best friend. The two had been best friends for years, friends for even longer, but this, what they were doing now, was completely new. Neither of them really knew when it started but looking back, they could see the build up. It was bound to happen. They were both trying to ignore the pull, between Jackson dating Lexie, and April being chief resident, but once they were alone together, studying and blowing off steam, it just happened. No distractions and nothing keeping them from it. They were studying one minute, and next thing they knew they were kissing, and Jackson would be lying if he said he hadn't thought of it before. Of course, it was pushed deep down within him because he didn't think he should act upon it. He also didn't foresee enjoying it as much as he did. April didn't either. And neither of them could've seen the desperate desire to repeat it, over and over. Worst of all, Jackson saw himself falling deeper and deeper under her “spell”, yet he didn't see the same happening to April.

“Please let me kick them out and then we can watch whatever kind of rom-com you want. I promise.” Just like that, the tension and awkwardness was gone from the room. He was actually pleading for her to let him kick their guests out. She rolled her eyes at how silly it seemed. Forcing party-goers to leave so they could watch a movie and maybe make out? She’d be lying if she said it didn’t make her giggly and give her butterflies.

“Whatever one I want? My choice?” She quirked eyebrow smugly and bit her lip to refrain from grinning and giving herself away.

“Your choice. Even if it is Pretty Woman for the hundredth time.”

“You're sure?”

“I'm sure.”

“That's what you want? It is your birthday and I don't mind watching your pick this time.” She insisted on giving him the chance to object to his own words, but he stood by it.

“It's my birthday and I said I want you to pick, geez!”

“Ok, ok!” she held up her hands in defense but she smiled, “Are you sure there isn't an ulterior motive here?”

 That caused him to laugh because, of course, he had hoped that stuff could happen, “Well… I may want to mess around a little bit.” she smacked his arm and he laughed heartily, a lot louder compared to her melodious giggle, “But I mostly want to spend time with my best friend, who happens to be you.”

“Fine. I guess we’re gonna have to clear out the living room somehow….” She pretended to think while tapping her finger on her chin.

 “I've got this,” he ran right into the middle of the room and shut off the music. April’s ears rang at the silence before Jackson spoke up, "Ok, party's over, everybody get out!"

"Jackson, really?” She glared at him and rolled her eyes at his blatantness then she looked around at everyone apologetically, “I'm so sorry everyone but it looks like we are going to have to cut this party short. He, uh, he doesn't mean anything by it, um, I think he's just cranky and tired. Thanks for coming!" "Oh. He's 'cranky'. You gonna fix that for us, Kepner?" Mark wiggled his eyebrows encouragingly at her, hinting at their previous conversation and what he thought would be best for his plastics protege. The April-Jackson thing had been going on a bit before Mark Sloan had suggested furthering their relationship beyond friends, but he didn’t know that. April found it inappropriate, yet oddly comforting that they weren’t the only two who saw they were good for the other. He didn’t know that either, and he didn’t need to. "What? Dr. Sloan!" "My boys finally getting laid!" Mark shouted before he shut the door behind him, leaving April and Jackson alone in a silent living room. Streamers were all over the floor, beer cans were scattered everywhere, the ‘Happy Birthday’ banner she had hung was ripped in half, thanks to Alex. April started picking stuff up and tossing it in a pile so she could throw it out in the garbage.Jackson watched her as she cleaned for the second time that night instead of enjoying his birthday. This time it was for her enjoyment too.

“I think Alex left. You must’ve scared him off, too.” She smiled up at him, finally noticing the complete emptiness of the house.

“Yeah, he probably got the hint.” He smirked at her, the feelings from the kitchen returning to her body and she felt her face flush again. She still wasn’t used to him looking at her like that. She’s seen him send that look to a couple other girls, but never her. It was heart stopping.

“Did I tell you already how amazing dinner was?”

“Yeah?”

“Did I tell you how amazing dessert could be, too?”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” His voice going deeper as he walked closer to her, “So, how about it?”

“I think…” She bit her lip and looked fully into his blue eyes as she met him in the middle, “I think, I was promised a movie first.” She grinned and he grabbed her by the waist, tugging her towards him where her neck was positioned with easy access for him. He chuckled lightly into her ear before he kissed her softly. She was becoming quite the tease over their time together. It about killed him every time.

“How about we watch a different movie tonight?” She leaned away from his body just enough so they were face to face.

“Oh, yeah? What?”

“I rented Friends with Benefits last night and I haven’t watched it yet…”

 Oh yeah, she was definitely going to kill him.

 She might not be ready for anything more than kissing at the moment, but he was willing to wait as long as she needed, because he learned from the very beginning, she was well worth the wait.

[japrilnetwork]

THE JAPRIL NETWORK

Want a network to meet other fans who will be shipping Jackson Avery and April Kepner until the end of time, love Sarah Drew and Jesse Williams, and are as huge of Grey’s Anatomy’s fans as you? Welcome to the Japril Network, a positive and welcoming environment where you can meet other people who share a strong love for Japril!

HOW TO JOIN:

must be following shelby and em

reblog this post, likes will be considered bookmarks

complete this form

WHAT YOU’LL GET OUT OF THIS:

a place to share all of your japril edits, gifsets, fanfics, textposts, and other creations, as well as a place to ask for promos, help, or whatever else your heart desires

a spot on the japril network members page

a group chat to talk with all your fellow japril fans 

a whole group of friends who will love and support you, guaranteed

ONCE YOU’RE ACCEPTED:

one of the admins will message you letting you know you’ve been accepted, as well as an invitation to join the blog (make sure to check your emails!)

follow this blog

consider checking out/following the rest of the members as well as putting a link to this page on your blog somewhere 

submit the following for the member page: your name, url, an icon, brief description

start tracking the tag #japrilnetwork to see all the posts and creations made by your fellow members!

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

currently there is no set deadline for when we will be accepting new members, we will reblog this post with more information once the time comes

number of applications will determine how many members we choose to accept

feel free to ask us any questions on here or on the admin’s blogs!

any form of negativity + discourse + hate will not be tolerated on this blog

[japriet]

Celebration

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Easter, or a lovely Sunday! I thought a nice little one shot of the Avery clan, from my OS series A Good Life, would be great today! I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it! Let me know what you think, good or bad things, all feed back is welcome! (Sadly it is not an easter fic, I’m sorry, I did try! It didn’t happen:/)

Celebration - Kool & The Gang Celebrate good times, come on! (Let's celebrate) There's a party goin' on right here A celebration to last throughout the years So bring your good times, and your laughter too We gonna celebrate your party with you

"Thanks again, Meredith, for letting us use Zola's old decorations." April turned to the woman beside her and thanked her. They were both in the living room with the rest of the partygoers, their eyes on the birthday girl. April was taking pictures as her daughter opened her birthday gifts and Meredith sat beside her with a garbage bag, trying to pick up wrapping paper as it was thrown to the floor. The whole room was covered in pink. Pink boas were strewn across the floor with loose pink feathers scattered around, pink party cups, plates and napkins littered the tables, pink streamers hung from the ceiling, pink tiaras on everyone's heads, much to the boys dismay. Michael sat with Bailey and a couple of the dads at the dining room table, frowns displayed on their face and pink boas draped across their shoulders. Jackson joked that their living room looked like a Pepto Bismol Palace. Fit perfectly for their Little Pink Princess.

"No problem! They were just sitting around in a box in the attic. I was just lucky to get rid of them. I mean, what were we going to do with princess party decorations?" Meredith responded to April as they kneeled in front of the couch where their daughters, who were decked out in pink tutus and tiaras, sat as Harriet continued to tear through her . Harriet squealed loudly, causing both of them to redirect their attention back to the girls. Harriet was waving around papers and a little headband and April knew immediately what they were.

"Excuse me," she gave Meredith an apologetic look, "I need to have a word with my husband." April stood up from her crouched position on the ground as soon as Harriet had opened her last gift. She left Meredith's side and made her way to the kitchen where Jackson was standing around the island bar with some of the guys from the hospital.

"Uh oh. Here comes the big bad wife," Alex joked when he spotted April's upset face, "We better go." He patted Jackson on the shoulder for good luck as he exited the room, even though he wasn't sure why April was mad, but he knew that Jackson would need the support.

"April," Jackson started to defend himself, "I know what you are going to say-"

"Jackson! We talked about it and we said we didn't have time for something this big right now! I can't believe you went behind my back!" She crossed her arms and glared at him. Honestly, she wasn't upset with the gift he had given their daughter, she was upset that he went against what they had agreed on together.

"April, look at her! She's so happy!" He pointed over towards the couch where Harriet was jumping and dancing in excitement, "Plus, I'm the head of the freaking board, we can make time!"

April sighed and glanced over her shoulder at the little girl. A grin spread across the little girl's face as she talked enthusiastically to Zola and Sophia about her father's surprise. The scene made a small grin form on her face as well, and she couldn't deny that she was slightly excited herself, never having actually been to this specific destination when she was younger, but always longed to go. She couldn't let Jackson have the satisfaction of knowing that though.

"April, we agreed on taking a family trip! You can't get mad at me!" He justified his actions and the amazing gift he had surprised his family with. It wasn't just a trip for his daughter, it was for the whole family. That was something Jackson had always longed for, so it was a win-win for the both of them. He, of course, knew from his in-laws that April wanted to go to Disney as bad as his daughter did. Growing up, Jackson's family didn't take family vacations, unless it was a fancy gala or something associated with The Harper Avery Foundation, but that wasn't anything fun. He didn't want that for his kids. He wanted memorable moments with his family so they could look back on them and be proud of their upbringing. Not the disappointing, pressuring, boring, nanny-filled one he had.

"I meant to the zoo or something!" she huffed in exasperation, "Not Disney World!"

"Well, she's been talking about it for months! She's having a princess themed party for crying out loud!"

"Jackson, she just turned six!"

"So? Why not?"

She quirked her eyebrow at him in astonishment, "Why not? How about the fact that we both have jobs and patients to take care of! How about the fact that it's in Florida!" He seemed to have forgotten that they had jobs, responsibilities and a life that they couldn't just drop.

"I'm the head of the board!" He argued back. Unbeknownst to her, he already ran it past the board before booking the trip. He wanted it to be a surprise for her as well, and it definitely was, but her reaction was not the one he had been hoping for.

"So? We can't use that as an excuse every time or people will think we are slacking!"

Jackson chuckled softly at her statement, "Babe, trust me. No one thinks you are slacking." He put his hands on her shoulders to steady her, because she looked like she was ready to blow, even though he knew she wasn't actually that mad, "You run that ER practically single handedly and you're the only person who basically never takes vacation. Everyone agreed that you need this." He rubbed her shoulders with his thumb, hoping all of this would butter her up enough that she couldn't refuse.

She sighed and finally gave in to him, "Fine."

Harriet ran over to them, interrupting their conversation. Her tiara was now replaced by her new Princess Minnie Mouse headband, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, mommy and daddy!" She shouted as she launched herself into her father's outstretched arms and she looped her arms around his neck, pulling him tightly to her in appreciation.

"Anything for my little princess!" He winked at his wife while still holding onto his daughter, causing April rolled her eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes," He told her, "besides, if Hattie is the princess, what does that make Mommy, baby girl?" He pulled her back so they were looking at each other.

"The Queen!" she giggled and shook her head at him, "Silly, daddy!"

"Of course," He nodded his head in agreement before he shifted his eyes back to April, "And, you know what most queens are in disney movies, right, Apes?"

"No, what?"

"Evil!"

"Hey!" She smacked his shoulder and Harriet giggled at her parents antics.

"Kidding!"

"Daddy, did you get me a pink magic band?" Harriet butted in, slightly curious for their trip, but also wanting the attention back to her, since it was her birthday.

"Of course I did, sweetheart!" He placed her on her feet and opened one of the kitchen drawers, revealing a box full of five different colored magic bands. Each one was engraved with the name of the family member it belonged to.

"Yes!" she squealed as she took her pink one from the box and wrapped it around her wrist. She ran back into the living room to show everyone her new accessory, whipping it around to let everyone see.

April smiled at her as she watched her daughter's face light up once more, then she turned back to her husband, "So when do we leave?"

"Oh yeah, about that… Our flight leaves tomorrow at 9am."

"Seriously Jackson!" Her eyes widen at the realization that he probably hadn't done any packing and she was going to have to do it all tonight. She suddenly felt overwhelmed and needed this party to end soon so she could get ready. Her mind was already racing while she created a mental checklist of all the things they needed to take, and all the reservations they probably needed to make. She had little faith that Jackson actually knew the amount of planning a family vacation involved.

Jackson only grinned sheepishly at her and shrugged his shoulders in apology, "Sorry."

"There - there is so much to do!"

He smirked at her freak out, "Don't worry, babe, I took care of it all. Tickets, reservations, hotel, all done. Amelia helped me pack for you and the kids, so everything is ready to go. You don't think I'm that stupid, do you?"

"I don't think you want me to answer that question right now."

[japriet]

A Good Life

Hi all! Good morning! This idea came to me literally at 3:30am as I was trying to sleep so I wrote some of it down, and now here it is! I know I’m supposed to be writing my other story (oops) but this is a product of my break!

This is a glimpse of the Averys life five years in the future after their night in Montana!! Enjoy!

Good Life - OneRepublic When you’re happy like a fool Let it take you over When everything is out You gotta take it in Oh this has gotta be the good life

The house was very quiet with everyone else already in bed for the night. April had managed to get all her paperwork done without any disturbances and she was ready to get in bed and call it a night herself. Her phone buzzed from the nightstand and she got up from her desk to check it before she changed into her nightgown. Once she had gone through her nightly routine, she pulled back the covers on the bed and situated herself on her side. She laid in the silence with her eyes closed waiting for sleep to overtake her.

“Momma?” A little voice sniffled from the other side of the bedroom door. April had just found a comfy position and slipped into a light sleep when she heard a tiny knock.

She had only been on the brink of sleep, so the slight noise caught her attention instantly. She sat up in bed to see her daughter’s small form cladded in pink footy pajamas in the doorway, “Hattie? Are you ok baby?”

“Momma, is daddy back yet?” Tears streamed down the little girl’s face as she made her way to the bed in the middle of the room. She crawled up from the foot of the bed to sit next to her mom.

“He will be back soon. I know you miss him. Did you have a bad dream?” April pulled her daughter close and twirled with her curly ringlets around her finger. She soothingly rubbed Harriet’s back in a circular motion. Harriet nodded against April’s chest in response while rubbing her eyes.

“Do you want to tell me what it was about? Maybe that will make you feel better.” April asked as Harriet sat back up to face her mom.

She caressed her daughter’s cheek and Harriet sniffled again, “Um, while Daddy was visit Grandma Cat in Boston, he was trying to-to get home but the snow storm made him not get to.” More tears rolled down her face and April moved her thumb to brush them away.

“Oh, baby, that was just a dream,” she reassured her and kissed her forehead, “Daddy will be home soon, in fact, he called me a few hours ago and told me that he was getting on the plane right now. No snowstorm to worry about, ok?”

“Ok.”

“I could use some snuggles while I wait for him. Do you know someone I could find to snuggle with me?” April pretended to think as she tapped her chin with a small smile on her face.

“Me, Mommy! Can I snuggle here?” The little girl giggled as her mom wrapped her arms around her tightly and squeezed her to her chest. They both closed their eyes and settled under the covers. They both laid on the bed wrapped in each other’s arms. April loved having her daughter to cuddle with while her husband was away.

“Mommy,” Harriet spoke softly into the dark room, “the bed smells like daddy.”

“I know, baby.” April replied as she ran her hand through her hair to sooth her once more.

“Does it make you sad when he has to leave?” Harriet peeked up at her mother and yawned.

“Yeah, it does. But I know he will be back.,” April told her truthfully, “Go to sleep, baby. I will wake you up when daddy gets here.”

They huddled together on one side in the king sized bed and April stroked her daughter’s back to coax her to sleep. When April heard Harriet’s breath even out, she relaxed and drifted off to sleep herself. About an hour later, April woke up to a faint cry drifting down the hall. She slowly untangled herself from her sleeping daughter, careful not to wake her up, even though she knew it wouldn’t bother her since she was a heavy sleeper anyway. Once she managed to free herself from her daughter’s grip, she made her way next door to her one year old son’s room. She walked over to his crib and lifted him. She smoothed his wild hair down and rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet to calm him down. After a few minutes, his crying reduced to whimpering and then he was silent, signalling his loss to the sleep he had been fighting. She placed him back in his crib and tucked his fuzzy blanket around him, making sure to leave room for his stuffed elephant under his arm. She gave him one last glance before she exited the room and left the door open a sliver behind her.

Next, she walked down to the very end of the hallway to the last door that was slightly ajar. She pushed on it lightly and peered inside her 4 year old son’s room, just to make sure the unusual commotion of the night hadn’t disturbed his sleep. His light, curly brown hair fell over his eyes and his arm was slung over his head. He was laying on his back and his covers were tangled at his feet. April guessed that his winter pajamas had been too hot for him to sleep comfortably, but all her children had the habit of moving too much in their sleep. Most of the time, their covers ended up in the floor and Harriet even kicked sometimes. She smiled at him sleeping soundly before she backed out of the room and closed the door back, leaving it open just a crack.

“How are the boys?” A deep voice asked from the dark hallway behind her, causing her to jump. She gripped her chest in panic as she turned around to face the shadowy figure. She let out a breath of relief as she saw Jackson standing behind her. Even though she had instantly recognized his voice, she hadn’t heard him come in, so she had been startled nonetheless.

“They’re fine. Lucas was crying, but he has calmed down. Michael is still asleep in his bed.” April answered. Jackson peeked in both his sons room’s before he went to check on his daughter.

“Where’s Harriet?” He asked when he noticed the door to his daughter’s room was wide open. Usually, they left all of their children’s doors open only a crack, so it wasn’t normal for her to leave it open.

“She’s in our room. She’s been waiting for you to get back.”

Jackson reached out to her in dark hallway and wrapped his arms around her back. He bent down to greet her with a slow, gentle kiss on the lips and then he pecked both her cheeks. They exchanged greetings and a few words about his trip before they pulled away. He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her into their master bedroom. There he saw his 5 year old daughter curled up on his side of the bed, her mop of brown curls spread across his pillow. April walked over to the side of the bed and gently shook her to wake her up, “Hattie, daddy is here.” she whispered softly in her ear.

Harriet stirred from sleep and rubbed her eyes, blinking in confusion.

“Hey, sweetheart.” He whispered as she slowly woke up.

As soon as she realized who was there, she shouted with joy, “Daddy! You’re home!” she leapt up from the bed and into his arms, “I missed you so so much daddy.”

“I missed you so so much, too, Hattie.” Jackson held her tightly to his chest and kissed her cheek. He ran his fingers through her tangled hair and attempted to tame the mess they surely were going to have to deal with in the morning.

“Luke missed you too. He cried and cried last night when you weren’t here. Mommy and I sang your song to him though, and he went to sleep. But he was sad that you weren’t here daddy. So was I.” Harriet held Jackson’s face in her hands and sadness flooded her voice as she spoke.

“Hattie, you know daddy has to go to Boston sometimes to see Grandma.” April stood up from the bed and reminded her daughter of the conversation they have every time Jackson has to leave for a business trip.

“I know. Can I go with you next time, daddy? I promise I will be good and I can go see Grandma Cat.” The little girl’s eyes lit up at her idea and she looked at her father with hopeful eyes.

“Maybe.” Jackson responded as he rubbed his nose against hers. He loved being with his family again and he was going to cherish this little moment with his daughter because he knew that she wouldn’t be his baby girl for much longer. There was something about being away from his family that made him appreciate the little things so much more and it made coming home that much sweeter.

“I love you, daddy.” Harriet murmured as she returned his eskimo kiss and rubbed his slightly stubbly chin. She giggled at the scratchy feeling against her hand. Watching the scene made April’s heart so full of love. Her body was so overcome by emotion that it brought tears to her eyes.

“I love you too, bug.” He responded and gave her little body a tight squeeze, bringing her closer to him.

April watched them embrace for a few more seconds before she decided that she had no choice but to break it up, “Ok, let daddy change into his pajamas, baby. He’s tired too, and you have school tomorrow. You need to go to sleep.” She plucked her from her father’s arms and settled the young girl on her hip.

“Can I sleep here Momma? Please?” Harriet begged her mom stuck out her bottom lip for emphasis. April looked over at Jackson to see if he agreed. She normally let the kids sleep in their room when he was gone. Jackson, on the other hand, believed in making them sleep in their own beds. He always said that it was important that they did, but she guessed he was making an exception tonight. He missed his baby a lot, and this trip made him realize how much time work and the Foundation consumed. His mother even talked to the board into relieving him of some of his duties so he could be more involved at home again. That meant fewer trips to Boston, and Jackson was glad. Harriet’s reaction to his return made him even more grateful for what his mom did. So, if snuggling with her is what his daughter wanted, then snuggling is what she was going to get. Jackson changed out of his business clothes and threw on some sweatpants and a light t-shirt before he climbed into bed. He scooped Harriet up into his arms and reached out for April to join them. April placed her arm over his waist and he squeezed them all together, “Harriet sandwich!”

“Daddy! Mommy! You’re squishing me!” Harriet giggled at his antics and squirmed in between their arms in attempt to free herself.

“I just missed you so much, Nugget. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, daddy.”

[japriet]

Dancing Queen

Hi all! I whipped this snapshot up this afternoon while I was bored at work! It is set in the same time as A Good Life, which I am making a series because so many people requested it! I hope you enjoy!! I just love little Harriet! I hope you all like little Michael and Lucas too! I felt we needed a little Japril love today since Shonda failed to deliver last night!

(Note: Michael’s nickname, Cael, is pronounced Kale)

Dancing Queen - ABBA You can dance You can jive Having the time of your life See that girl Watch that scene Dig in the dancing queen

“Harriet, hold still.” Jackson told his five year old daughter when she wiggled in her chair for the fifth time. He had a tight grip on her curly hair and it made her antsy as he tried to style it to her standards.

“Daddy, you’re pulling too hard. It hurts!” She whined as his fingers ran through her hair again, getting caught in the tangles. He used the spray bottle like April had taught him to tame the mess and smooth it out as he started wrapping it around on top of her head.

He sighed and dropped her hair to squirt a small amount of gel into his palm and lathered it on her ponytail, “I’m sorry, just stay still.” He smoothed it out one more time to be sure the curls would stay in place and then twisted it around to form a bun. He wrapped the ponytail holder around the base to hold it in place.

“There! Perfect.” He said as he finished, looking to his daughter for approval. He smiled at her as she turned around to face him.

She looked in the small mirror that he held in his hand and her smile fell, an upset look taking its place, “No daddy! That’s too messy!”

“But messy buns are popular, right?” He looked at her confused. He didn’t understand the problem with the job he had done. To him, it looked perfectly fine, but to her, it was a wreck.

She stuck her bottom lip out in a pout at him, “Not in ballet, daddy! They have to be perfect!” She whined and puffed out her cheeks in distress.

“Well, I’m not a master of the bun.” Jackson held his hands up in defense. He did not understand what was so wrong with a few loose strands. April’s quick text message instructions to him weren’t very helpful, and the youtube video he had watched didn’t make any sense either. He was at a complete loss with styling hair.

“Because you have no hair.” She bluntly told him, motioning to his hairless head.

He looked at her stunned, “Ok, rude. I don’t know what else to do.” He really wanted to laugh at her for being so frank with him. It amazed him at how similar their senses of humor were. He took pride in knowing that his daughter took after him in that aspect. No offense to April, but he definitely believed he was superior in that area. However, he was epically failing in the hair and all things girl department, and April was striving. He really didn’t know to how to fix the fly away problem, even with all the instructions she left and the use of google.

“Daddy, we need bobby pins.” She rolled her eyes as she slid off the bar stool that she was sitting on. She ran to her parents bathroom, pulled open April’s drawer and picked up a few bobby pins. She came back into the kitchen and placed them in Jackson’s open hand before she climbed back up the stool to sit. He started pushing the bobby pins into her poofy updo in order to tame the frizzy fly aways. Harriet handed him a bottle of hairspray and he took it from her, slightly confused. She lifted her hand and motioned it around the top of her head, her finger curved like she was spraying. He followed her gestures and started spraying all around the bun to hold it in place. She put her hand over her face to avoid getting it in her eyes. Once he was done, he spun her around to view his work.

She sighed and bit her cheek, debating whether or not it looked good this time. She finally nodded her head slightly, trying not to shake it too much, “Mommy does it better.” She determined and hopped off the stool, making her way to the front door.

“Well, right now, you’re stuck with me, kiddo. That’s as good as it’s gonna get.” He told her while grabbing her ballet bag from the hook by the door. She stood in silence while she waited by the door for the rest of her family. Jackson watched her as she quietly stared at her pink ballet shoes on her feet, “Are you ok, sweetheart? I can try to redo your bun if you really don’t like it.”

“Is mommy gonna make it to my recital?” She looked up at him as tears brimmed her eyes and worry filled her voice. This was her first dance recital since she started dance lessons and April had promised she would be there to see her. She knew that sometimes her parents jobs caused them to have crazy hours because hurt people needed help, but it didn’t make it hurt her any less. She had hoped and prayed that the hospital wouldn’t call her mom or dad in just this once.

Jackson bent down in front of her and used his thumb to brush away a tear that had fallen down her cheek, “She is. She will be there,” he reassured her, “She just had an emergency that she needed to go to the hospital to check on. She’s going to meet us there.” April had been paged 911 only 20 minutes before they had to leave to take Harriet to the dance place, leaving Jackson alone to get her ready. April really hated that she had to go, and she might’ve called and told them she couldn’t come in if it hadn’t been about the little boy she had just performed surgery on the day before. The little boy had barely survived the car wreck he was in, then his surgery had some major complications. It struck a nerve in her, reminding her of her own children, so she felt obligated to go see how he was doing and take care of the thing that needed handling. April wanted to make sure he was alright before she headed to Harriet’s recital.  

“Ok.” Harriet nodded and wiped away the rest of her tears.

“Ok.” He repeated and kissed her forehead, “Let’s go get the boys and we will be ready to roll.” He stood up and winked at her causing her to giggle. He walked up the stairs towards his son’s rooms, but before he reached them, Harriet yelled for him.

“Wait! Daddy?” She hollered up the stairs after him in panic.

“Yes, sweetheart?” He called back to her from the top and she popped into view at the bottom.

“What about my pink tutu?” She gestured to her bare torso where her tutu was supposed to sit. She had her pink tights and pink leotard on, but her tutu was missing to complete her outfit.

His eyes widen, “Oh, crap. Where is it?” He had no idea where April had left it, and she had failed to mention that in her text messages.

Harriet shrugged while walking up the stairs towards him, “Mommy said that she left it hanging up. I can’t reach it, though.” She looked at him expectantly.

“Oh, right. The closet.” He walked into her room and opened her closet doors. He scanned the rows of clothing until he spotted it amongst her other pink clothes. He rolled his eyes at his wife. Of course she would color code their five year old daughter’s closet, as if it was going to stay that way. He grabbed the poofy tutu down from the top rack where it was hanging.

“Here, let’s put this on,” He held the tutu up towards her and she grabbed his shoulders to keep herself steady while she stepped into it. He pulled it up to her waist and made sure it was snug before he let go, “Now we are ready! Let’s go get the boys!”

Jackson placed Lucas in the baby car seat in his new family car, which April liked to call his ‘man van’. Harriet climbed into the seat beside the baby and Michael headed to the very back. They all buckled up and were on their way to the dance academy where Harriet was enrolled in ballet classes. When they pulled into the parking lot, it was only 30 minutes until the recital started, so Jackson rushed in with all three of his kids to make sure Harriet was where she needed to be.

“Ok, you wait here with your teacher and do what she says. Good luck, sweetheart. You’re gonna do great!” He instructed her and then grinned, already excited to watch her perform her dance. He had seen it probably a hundred times already with the way she was at home. She ran around and danced to her heart’s content, and April was no better. He could bet that his wife knew all the moves as well.

“Daddy, we don’t say good luck! We say break a leg!” Harriet chastised him. He had no idea what that meant, but he knew it was something performers always said before they took the stage.

To please her, he decided to change his wording before she got worried and thought it was bad luck, “Break a leg! I love you!” He leaned down to her level and reached over to kiss her cheek. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his nose to thank him, but she noticed one thing missing, “Momma’s not here yet.” She noted sadly. Before Jackson could remind her of what he had said earlier, April rushed through the doors right on time, “I’m here! I’m here, don’t worry!” She yelled as she crossed the room

“Mommy!” Harriet unlatched herself from Jackson’s neck and lept into her mother’s arms as she made her way over to them.

“Good luck, baby and I will see you when it’s over! Now, go back to your group before you’re late! I love you!” She whispered in her ear. She kissed her cheek, told her to “break a leg” per her daughter’s request and then sent her on her way with her class.

He took Michael’s hand in his and settled Lucas in his other arm. They made their way into the auditorium and sat in the very front row. April wanted to take pictures, and refused to sit anywhere other than the front row. Lucas sat in April’s lap, mesmerized by the camera she was holding. He reached for it and April let him play with it for a few minutes while they waited. Michael sat in between them with her phone in his hand to keep him occupied before the performance. The lights blinked to signal that the show was about to begin and April placed Lucas in Jackson’s lap so she could get a clear shot of Harriet as she danced. The lights dimmed and 10 little girls dressed in identical pink leotards and tutus walked out in front of the crowd. April lifted her camera as her daughter took the stage, front and center, as usual. April leaned over and made a joke about their daughter’s need for attention coming from Jackson. She laughed, he did not. The music started slowly and their attention went to the 10 little girls. As five year olds are, it was very hard for most of them to keep up or keep interested in the dance, but then there was Harriet. She knew every move and position, granted she wasn’t perfect, but she didn’t even need to look to the teacher for help. Some of the girl’s just stood there, but not their daughter. Amongst the chaotic mess of little girls, she was dancing her heart out, and Jackson even thought he saw her humming along. The whole auditorium was giggling at the adorable mess on stage as the classical song came to an end. All the little girls posed at the end beat of the song, and Harriet sassily stuck out her tongue at her dad before she took a bow. April giggled and rolled her eyes while Jackson clapped and cheered loudly. He always thought dancing ballet was boring to watch, but his daughter made it much more interesting.

“You two are too much alike. I don’t think I will be able to handle it when she gets older.” April smiled as the five year olds exited the stage and their daughter skipped off behind the curtains. They watched as the rest of the groups took the stage one by one and showcased their dances to the audience, but Jackson barely paid attention. He was focused on keeping his sons occupied. They were getting restless from all the sitting and the ballet dancers were not capturing their interest. After the last group performed, all the girls came to the stage and everyone bowed. The audience gave a standing ovation and Jackson and April stood up and cheered.

“Yay, Hattie!” Michael hollered out for his sister and clapped along with the crowd. Lucas giggled at his brother from Jackson’s arms and tried to clap as well.

Harriet saw her family and gave them a big smile and waved at them. They waved back and she blew them a kiss. The girl’s were ushered off stage and went to the lobby to meet their families.

“You did such a good job, baby! I’m so proud of you!” April scooped up the little girl into her arms and gave her a tight squeeze. She set her back down on the ground and reached into her purse. She pulled out a mini bouquet of roses to show her how proud of her they were.

“You got me flowers? Mommy! You’re so sneaky!” April laughed at her daughter’s statement but couldn’t help the pride that filled her when she watched her nail all the dance moves on stage. She had never felt more proud of anyone ever before. Not even herself, or Jackson.

“That’s why I was running late, silly. You were so worried and I was just out picking up your flowers!” She explained and Harriet grinned. Jackson gave her a hug as well and congratulated her. Lucas patted her bun from Jackson’s waist when he bent down to hug her.

Michael went up to her after their hug was over and his small hand grabbed hers, “You did so good, Hattie. You danced pretty.”

“Thank you, Cael!” Harriet hugged him, her cheek pressed to his and her arms wrapped around his shoulders. He grimaced slightly as she gripped him tighter. He started to wiggle to get away from her but April noticed the moment and thought it was too cute to not capture.

“Oh! You two stand there and let me take a picture!” April exclaimed. She got her camera from her purse and pointed it to them. They both smiled and Michael tried to pull away from her as April took the picture.

“Excuse me, ma’am.” A lady tapped April on the shoulder.

“Yes?” She politely asked the lady.

“Would you like me to take a picture of all of you?” The lady offered causing April to smile.

“Oh, that would be great! Thank you!” April grinned at her and then showed her how to work the camera. The lady nodded in understanding and pointed it at them.

“Ok, Jackson, you stand on the left and I will stand on the right. Hattie and Cael stand in front of me and daddy. Jackson, put Luke in between us,” April moved everyone to their places, “Ok, we’re ready!”

“Ok, everybody, say cheese!” The nice lady snapped the picture and handed her the camera back. They all thanked her for the picture. Harriet was bouncing on her feet, still buzzing from her performance. She could barely stand still. She began twirling around as April and Jackson looked over the pictures they had taken throughout the night.

“Harriet Marie Kepner-Avery! Your eyes were closed in this picture!” April said when she saw the picture they had just taken. Her daughter’s eyes were barely open, but her smile was still wide in delight.

“Sorry! The flash was too bright!“ She stopped twirling and apologized, pretending to not be able to see very well while blinking her eyes.

“Mommy, can we go get dinner? Please?” Michael interrupted their exchange when his stomach growled.

“Oh, please mommy!” Harriet begged along with her brother.

“Please mommy!” Jackson imitated his children and April giggled. It was already dark outside and they hadn’t eaten anything before they came.

April sighed, “Fine! How do waffles sound?” She asked, giving in to her family. They all cheered, exiting the building to the parking lot.

“Who’s riding with me and who’s riding with dad?” April asked as they made it to their cars. Jackson took Luke with him, since the carseat was already in his car and hard to move. The older two kids grabbed their booster seats and rode with April.

They ended their night at their favorite diner, The Waffle Stop, eating various types of waffles. They all sat together eating waffles, and baby food for Luke. April smiled as her family chattered and joked with each other. Harriet danced around in her seat to the music playing over the sound system. When they all finished, it was getting really late and it was already passed everyone’s bedtimes. All three children were on the verge of falling asleep in their seats.

“Ok, my little dancing queen, let’s go home! Time for bed!” April picked up Harriet from her chair and carried her outside, while Jackson took care of the boys. They got settled in and they started their way home. The car ride was rather quiet and she assumed both children were fast asleep.

Michael coughed, startling her and ruining the silence, but Harriet snoozed on. He couldn’t go to sleep as fast as his sister so he spoke to April instead, “Mommy? I wanna do stuff too!” He complained from his spot in the backseat.

“Like what, baby?”

“I wanna play basketball! Like daddy!” April’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. She hadn’t expected another one of her children to take interest in something so soon. Especially something that took up that much time. Time they didn’t have. They would have to make adjustments, but they could make it work, if that was what he really wanted. All she could think was how time consuming everything was going to be. Great. Another event to take up time. She guessed that would be their life now, running children place to place, but she would do anything if it made her kids happy. Their happiness was the most important thing, seeing they were the most important thing in her life. She had a feeling that Jackson would agree.

[japriet]

Met You In The Summer

Big shout out to @thearcanachronicles for this wonderful AU idea! Also, HUGE THANKS TO @doctorkepner for helping me edit this mess of words! Hope you enjoy this story!!

Summer 2012

It was finally summer. No more school, no more homework, no more annoying people, and no more nagging teachers. Just free time, the great outdoors, fresh air, summer breeze and sleeping in. Two whole months free of farm responsibilities and irritating sisters. Goodbye farm life and middle school, hello summer vacation and high school!

Lexie bounced up and down in her seat beside April, causing the whole car to shake. April stared out the window, watching the trees pass by and the rolling hills disappear in the distance behind their moving vehicle. The further they got from their home in Ohio, the further she got from her worries. She could practically feel the weight of the world being lifted from her shoulders.

Lexie’s long brown hair was tied up in a ponytail that whipped around as she continued to bounce in excitement and the car drove deeper into the woods. Meredith and Cristina quietly chatted from the middle seats, while April and Lexie were stuck in the tiny back ones. Meredith was only a year older than Lexie, but since she and Cristina were in high school, they insisted that they get the seats with more leg room. Apparently, just graduating the eighth grade ‘doesn’t count’ as being a high schooler yet, much to Lexie and April’s dismay.

Lexie’s tone-deaf dad sang along to the 80’s music that blared throughout the car speakers and her mom occasionally chimed in with the familiar tunes. Currently, April was regretting her decision not to replace her broken headphones.

After three agonizing hours of being crammed in the stuffy SUV, they finally rolled to a stop beside a gravel road that led into the woods. Lexie’s dad got out of the car and started unloading the girls’ luggage onto the side of the road. April waited as the other three got their duffel bags before she moved to pick up her backpack and suitcase, and then waited by her bags as Lexie and Meredith said final goodbyes to their family. They all stood together at the beginning of the gravel walkway and waved as the SUV pulled away and eventually vanished from their sight.

The four girls grabbed their bags and turned around to start their long trek to the end of the path, and Lexie laughed as April struggled to pull her large bag along the bumpy road. The wheels got a gravel piece stuck in between them and the suitcase rolled on its side, which caused April to lag behind the others.

“That thing is as big as you are, April!” Meredith snickered, before she and Cristina left the two younger girls behind.

Lexie waited until her sister was out of earshot before she teased April herself. “Why do you have so much stuff? What did you pack?” she asked.

April huffed and let go of her suitcase to take a short break as she stood in the middle of the path. She rolled her eyes, turned to her best friend and said, “I packed everything you put on the list!”

“The list said to pack clothes, not your whole closet!” Lexie joked as she grabbed one side of the handle of April’s extra large suitcase and offered to help her carry it to the gates. It took a joint effort from both of them, but they eventually managed to lug her heavy bag to the front gates where all the other kids had gathered. Lexie immediately went to the front of the group to find her other friends, leaving April by herself to stand awkwardly to the side with her luggage piled at her feet. This was the first time she got a chance to look around, and she noticed the big wooden sign above her head that read CAMP ECHO. She smiled to herself, hardly able to contain her excitement of what the summer might hold. She was going to get to spend the next two months with her best friend, doing some of her favorite outdoor activities, and most importantly: be free of her family.

“What are you smiling about, weirdo?” A puberty-ridden voice tore her from her thoughts and her smile fell as she came face to face with a gruff looking, brown-haired boy. She looked the boy over and automatically noticed his already dirty clothing. He was a rather tall boy for his age, which she assumed was around 14 like her, and he was slightly more muscular than most boys at her middle school. Her gaze zeroed in on his arms, where he held a scrawnier boy in a headlock. Surrounding the two, more boys were engaged in more serious roughhousing, which explained their muddied and torn clothing. The tougher boy released the younger one and made his way over to where April was standing at the edge of the large group. He took one glance at her large suitcase and backpack before he reached across and snatched it up.

“What did you pack in here? Did you bring your whole house?” he tormented, as he held her backpack high above his head, out of her reach. Choosing to ignore his comment, April didn’t say anything back. Instead, she jumped in attempt to reclaim what belonged to her. Her petite body, however, was no match for his tall stature as she tried everything to reach over his head. The annoying brown-haired boy laughed at her failure and slung the bag across the yard where it hit the ground right at Lexie’s feet.

“Alex, you jerk! If you just tried to hit me, I swear!” she yelled at the boy as she walked over to her friend with the backpack slung over her shoulder and a scowl on her face. “And leave April alone! If I find out you’re messing with her again, I will kick your butt into next week!” She threatened him before she gave him a shove, hinting him to leave.

Alex scoffed at them and rolled his eyes, “Whatever, Little Grey.” Then he spun around and headed back to the group of boys wrestling and messing around in the middle. They watched him jump right back in and grab another boy into a headlock.

Lexie huffed in annoyance at their idiotic behavior as she turned back to April to apologize. “Sorry, I was just going to see some of the girls that would be in our group! I didn’t realize Alex would be over here and not with Meredith and Cristina.”

“Attention Campers! May I have your attention, please.” An older man stood up at the front of the very large group of teens with a megaphone held to his lips. The chattering amongst the circle stopped immediately as he continued with his announcement. “Welcome to Camp Echo, everyone! I am Richard Webber, Camp Director. Our staff has been working very hard these past few weeks to ensure you all have a great summer. We have so many activities lined up for you, and Mrs. Bailey-” He paused to gesture to the shorter woman at his side. “Is our coordinator here at Camp Echo, and she has all your cabin assignments, where you will sleep, and what activities your groups will participate in. Take it away, Bailey.” Mr. Webber handed Mrs. Bailey the megaphone and she stepped up onto a chair so she was able to see everyone.

“Now, I have organized all campers into their specific age groups. Cabins are determined by birthdays, so you will be with people around your same age. Age groups are determined by the grade in school you previously completed. These groups will be co-ed, and you will travel with them for every camp activity, including meals. This is to ensure safety for all our campers. You can see the list of cabin assignments on this sheet when you come check-in with me in just a moment.” She held up a clipboard full of papers to let everyone see before she continued with her speech, “Now, I must talk about rules.” A large portion of the group started grumbling and groaning in response, “Quiet down now. I know rules are no fun, but they are mandatory. To save time, I won’t go over all of them, but there is a list of our basic summer camp rules posted in every cabin. You are required to read them and every camper must sign the bottom of the sheet. Failure to do so will result in consequences. I, however, will go over the most important rule to ensure that you all understand it. Absolutely NO boys in the girls’ cabins, and NO girls in boys’ cabins. Ever. Do you understand? If you are caught breaking this rule, it will result in immediate removal from camp. No negotiations. We are not here to babysit a bunch of horny teenagers.” She gave the group a stern look to show them that she meant business before she smiled again, “With that said, let’s have a great summer filled with lots of fun! Everyone get your stuff and let’s get this summer started!” Everyone started cheering and rushing into the camp as she finished her whole spiel.

Lexie barely gave April time to pick up her belongings before she grabbed her arm and pulled her into the sea of people. She lead April to the long line that had formed right inside the gates into Bailey’s office. They waited in line to check-in for several minutes, and April took this time to look around the camp and take it all in. Right inside the front gate was the main building, where Bailey and Webber’s offices were located as well as the infirmary and the staff’s housing. Next to where they stood in line, there were signs with arrows pointing to all camp locations. The girls cabin arrow pointed to the right and April followed her gaze to the right side of the main building where she saw two rows of small wooden cabins. The boys cabins were located to the left, mirroring the girls side. As the line slowly progressed forward, Lexie further explained the layout of the camp. The dining hall was directly behind the main building that overlooked Echo Lake, which was where the camp got its name. Lexie continued to point out places that April surely wouldn’t remember, until they finally reached the front of the line where Bailey greeted them from behind her desk.

Once they were signed in, Bailey handed them their camp schedules and their cabin assignments, “You two are in Cabin 5. Lexie, can you show her the way?” Lexie nodded to her and, once again, dragged April along with her.

“Sweet! We are with Arizona!” Lexie shouted as she skimmed over their cabin assignment. April looked confused, not recognizing the name, “Oh, you’ll love Arizona! She’s ah-mazing!“ Lexie said in a sing-songy voice as she skipped along side April. Her skipping jostled her pink Lily Pulitzer duffel bag off her shoulder and it hit the dirt. The zipper popped open as it came into contact with the hard ground, causing all her clothes to tumble out all over the place.

Alex appeared seemingly out of nowhere as Lexie frantically picked up her clothes from the ground. Lexie swatted Alex’s hands away as he reached for some of her clothing, but Alex managed to snag a couple items, one being her brand new training bra that she got on her 14th birthday. Alex held it up to himself and snickered, “Look, I could wear this bra because you're just as flat chested as I am.”

Lexie stomped in frustration as she tried to get her bra back from him, “What is with you and stealing people’s stuff?” She yelled when he didn’t give her back the plain white, padless bra. Her face turned red in anger and embarrassment as he waved it around for everyone to see. Luckily, no one was paying attention as they were too busy to care. Suddenly, Alex took off towards the boy’s camp and Lexie hollered after him, yet made no effort to follow him.

Just before he reached the main building, Alex turned to face them once more. He held up the bra and used the straps like a slingshot, flinging it back at her as he ran away, “Don't worry, you're not THAT flat-chested!” Lexie ran forward to catch her bra before it landed in the dirt like most of her clothes. As she snagged it from the air, she let out a huff in annoyance. She picked up the rest of her clothes and shoved them back in her bag and held it closed as best she could.

She noticed April smirking at her and she glared at the redhead for not helping her, “What?”

“I think he likes you, Lex.” April teased and Lexie’s face got even redder than before.

“Who? Alex? No way. You think? No. Definitely not.” Lexie stuttered in response to April.

“Of course he does! Who wouldn't? They do say that boys tend to pick on the girls they like! Plus, he noticed your boobs.” April giggled and Lexie rolled her eyes, irritated with her friend’s suggestion.

“Oh hush. Let's just get settled in so I can wash my clothes. I can't believe I already got them dirty!” April and Lexie walked the short distance to their cabin. They stopped as they reached their with a rusty wooden Cabin 5 sign hanging off the door.

“I call top bunk!” Lexie shouted as she raced past April and quickly climbed the ladder of the last bunk in the back of the open room.

“But Lexie! You always get the top bunk, anywhere we go!” April whined as she slowly made her way over to the bunk Lexie had claimed next to the window, her luggage dragging behind her. April passed the first set of bunk beds and noted that both beds had already been made up.

“I got here first, Apes! You snooze, you lose!” Lexie grinned down at April from her perch on the top bunk. April grumbled as she let go of her suitcase and plopped down face first on the bottom mattress. The stiff cot sank slightly with the new weight and April looked up to see Lexie had joined her on the bed.

“Looks like the other girls already dropped their stuff off. Guess we will have to meet them later tonight after the campfire.” Lexie stood up and motioned for April to get up to. April sighed and followed her friend’s lead. They both began unpacking and making up their beds. They shared the dresser next to their bunk, and filled it with their clothes. Lexie tossed her dirty garments in a laundry bag she had set up in the corner of the room. April looked around as they were finishing up and realized one of the most important things was missing, “Uh, Lex?”

“Yeah?” Lexie responded without looking up from what she was doing to see April’s puzzled face.

“Where’s the bathroom?” April chewed on her cheek as she peered around the one room cabin. She quickly realized that there was absolutely no place for a bathroom to be secretly attached. There were no doors except for the entrance, and she desperately hoped they didn't have to dig holes outside.

“Oh, we use the latrine,” Lexie replied nonchalantly as she busied herself with unpacking.

April’s cheeks flushed, “What?”

“Yeah. We have a bathhouse in the middle and two latrines at each end.” Lexie never mentioned outdoor, public, dirty restrooms to April before they came to camp, until now. She knew April definitely wouldn’t have joined her this summer if she had known about these arrangements.

“Lexie!” April gasped in exasperation at the newfound information.

“April, don't be like that. It's honestly not that bad,” Lexie told her honestly. She knew that April would make deal about it, then eventually get over it as she got used to it. That's what Lexie did, and every other first year camper.

“I can't believe this! That's disgusting!”

“April, you live on a farm! It's not as bad as you think and you'll barely notice it after a week,” Lexie reassured her, “Now, let's go to dinner. I'm soooo hungry!”

Lexie and April followed their camp schedules and arrived at the mess hall right at 5:30 to avoid a long line. Once they went through the line and got their food, Lexie led April to a smaller table at the left side of the room by a huge window, giving them a clear view of the gorgeous lake below. They were both quickly joined by a short, blonde girl and a pale, skinny boy.

“April, this is Arizona,” Lexie pointed to the blonde girl, “and this is George.” She gestured to the boy and introduced them. They made small talk throughout dinner and before they knew it, it was nightfall. The whole camp gathered on the lakeshore around a huge bonfire. They were squished together on little wooden benches that surrounded the campfire. The camp director made a few announcements and the counsellors introduced themselves. Each counselor was assigned an age group and had a nickname they went by instead of their real names. April listened as her counselor, who was nicknamed Chief, introduced herself with a short, spunky monologue. Lexie and April giggled to themselves at their counselor and ignored the other introductions. Once the last one spoke, they were dismissed back to their cabins for the night.

April and Lexie got ready for bed alongside the other two girls in their cabin, one being Arizona and the other being a tall girl named Reed. They all walked together to the bathhouse and April shuddered at the thought of using the dirty, outdoor bathrooms. Lexie picked up on April's hesitation and reassured her that they were clean for the third time that day. April showered, changed into her pajamas and brushed her teeth before she deemed herself ready for bed.

“See, it wasn't that bad, was it?” Lexie teased her friend when she came out of the shower stall beside April's and joined her by the sinks.

“No, I guess not. Just weird having to wear shoes in the shower.” April motioned to her flip flops that were now her shower shoes. Lexie giggled and gave April’s shoulder a light shove. After they were all ready, they headed back to get in bed for the night. Once they all climbed in bed, Arizona turned off the light since she was closest to the switch and they all fell asleep to the crickets chirping outside, but they barely noticed as their exhaustion of their first day at camp set in.

Read the whole thing here!