She squinted at him, unsure how to respond. "He almost always apologizes afterwards," she said quietly. "It's just an accident."
She looked down at her hands as her fingers intertwined with themselves so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "It's fine," she said quietly. "It's fine."
She was silent for a moment, not looking at him. "It is," she said eventually, although her voice sounded uncertain. "This happens in relationships."
She was quiet, and didn't say anything more, although it was clear that their conversation had left her unsettled. She returned to her book, her brow furrowed and her lips slightly pursed.
The bell rang, and Poppy stood up quickly, stacking the books, obviously a little uncomfortable. "So... uh.. I'll see you after school, okay?"
Poppy entered the lab and frowned when she saw Evan, looking away from her. "What are you doing here?" she asked, setting her bag on the counter. He turned to look at her. "Oh. Hey, Pops." She crossed her arms over her chest. "What are you doing here?" He hesitated and walked over to her, his arms extended welcomingly. "Look," he said. "I didn't like... how we left things yesterday." "You hurt me, Evan," Poppy said, her eyes accusatory. "I don't think I want to talk about it." "Pops," he began, sighing as he looked up at the ceiling. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? You just... you know how to push my buttons. It's like you like to mess with me." She backed away, the hurt reflected in her eyes. "How could you say that?" she said, cocking her head. "I would never do that. I'm your girlfriend, Evan. Why would I try to make you feel badly?" He shook his head, crossing his arms. "I don't know. I don't know. It's just... You try to irritate me. How else am I supposed to react?" "People don't hurt their significant others, Evan," Poppy said, remembering Francis' words. "This isn't normal." "See? You're doing it again," he replied, frowning. "Trying to make me feel badly. That's manipulative, Poppy." "This isn't right." "Poppy, baby, listen," he said soothingly, stepping forward and embracing her. Poppy stiffened and did not return the action. "This happens in relationships. People fight. Okay? People fight. Let's just agree that I shouldn't have shoved you, and you shouldn't have tried to make me feel badly. Okay?" "This isn't right," she insisted again, but her voice sounded hesitant, probably from the slight guilt that had settled in. "Shh. Trust me, okay? This is normal. Just don't try to manipulate me again, and we won't have this problem."
(Yeehaw) Poppy's bug pulled up to his house, and she put the car into park before taking the key out of the ignition. Taking her bag out of the passenger seat, she stepped out of the car, locking it with a small beep behind her.
Poppy slung her bag over her shoulder, and walked up to the door, tucking her hair behind her ear self-consciously as she looked up at the large house. She knocked lightly three times, and waited, crossing her arms over her chest.
There was silence before annoyed arguing became noticeable. It was Francis and someone else, most likely his brother. Their words weren't discernable, but he opened the door in moments. "Hi. Sorry."
