Poppy took his hand under the table, content with the moment. Kellen began to serve the food, reaching for various plates. "Francis, you want one?"
"Oh, no thank you. It looks delicious, though," he commented, waving it off politely with his free hand.
"Oh, thanks," he said, sliding a plate under Bee, kissing the top of her head. A tall boy came around the corner with long strides. He was quite handsome, with floppy brown hair and golden brown eyes that grinned at the group. Various cries of greeting came from the table, and Poppy rose to hug him. "Hey, Pops," he said, kissing her cheek. "It's good to see you." He noticed the cinnamon roll, and raised an eyebrow. "I want to talk to you, but I'm going to steal one of those cinnamon rolls." Poppy rolled her eyes, and rejoined Francis with a small grin. "Francis, George. George, this is Francis."
Francis turned to look at George, a small smile on his face. "Nice to meet you. I hear you play soccer?" he asked, extending his hand.
He broke out in a grin and sat down at an available chair. "Thank God!" he said. "Eve is the only other one here who can play, and as fun as one-on-one slaughter is, we've been really trying to make a team." He jutted a thumb towards Bee. "We've been trying to train this one. But she's a little young."
"She asked me for a little," he said, his expression turning playful. "She said wanted to be able to beat you."
"Traitor!" he exclaimed, kissing Bee on the cheek, where she seemed to be determined to smear the roll on her entire face. "You up for a game later, Francis?" he asked with a cocky smile.
George's brows raised and he grinned wickedly. "Ooh. Pops, I like him. Or, at least, I like him while he's not suffering from the inevitable humiliation he's going to endure."
"Inevitable humiliation? My apologies, but I think the only thing I'll 'endure' is glorious victory," he replied smoothly, glancing at Poppy.
Poppy laughed lightly and kissed his cheek. "Francis, you know I'll stand by you no matter what," she said. "But my brother is really good."
"I have very few things that I doubt your capabilities in, and this is not one of them," she replied with a small smile. She paused with her head cocked. "But... my brother is very good at soccer."
"My soccer team was one of the best in the country. I think it might be an even match, with the way you talk about it." He rubbed the back of his neck. "We'll have to see." (Will it just get to the point where they both give up because they can't get past each other? Or will George win??)
(I think tie, maybe? Or Francis could win if you wanted. Up to you. Also, I was thinking about our whole Operation: Break-Up. I'm worried that Poppy probably won't believe him if he just tells her that he didn't cheat on her because she has photographic proof. So, what if Vivenne and Evan had made up photos of Evan and Poppy together, but decided that it would be too obvious coming from both of them, and so once Poppy and Francis are broken up, Francis finds the pictures and realizes what happened? If that makes any sense? Just an idea.) George stood up and dusted his hands of imaginary dirt. "Are you game now? You don't look like you're eating."
(That sounds reasonable! I'm actually pretty excited for this! Also, let's make it a tie.) "Right now? Sure, I'll play now." He stood up, pushing in his chair. "Should we play till certain points?"
(Alrighty! So PUMPED for despair!) "Points?" George asked, his eyes bright. "Points?! No, Francis, this is until someone cries for mercy."
(Well when you say it like that it makes me feel bad D: ) "Is that how it goes?" he asked, his tone challenging. "I can work with that. You got the ball?"
