Okay, so I've been thinking nonstop about Ashley having a crush on one Chris Hackett ever since you joked about it, and I think (hope) that I reached the same plane of existance that you did because I'm obsessed now. Cause while the rest of the hacketteers are confused, you know poor Caleb and Kaylee are downright horrified because 'oh my god, that's our dad what is WRONG with you??????' dhdjskshsks
And, just because I think it just makes things even funnier for me, I also like to think that while og Chris is still completely oblivious to the crush she has on him, he manages to clock the one on Mr H in *seconds*. You know that he would spend the entire summer sulking and wondering wtf chackett has that he doesn't and resenting him even more for it. Which makes the whole being terrified that Mr. H is a vision of his future even more confusing cause apparently Ashley is into that? And what the hell does he have Chris doesn't?
Basically it's the most confusing and insane summer that they've ever had. Ashley with the weirdest and most confusing crushes (to anyone else), and Chris with the weirdest and most confusing identity crisis (to himself). Meanwhile, Josh spends the entire summer face planted onto a picnic table wondering what on earth he did to deserve having these two complete absolute morons are his best friends AHDJDLSNSHD
"This is the weirdest fuckin' thing that's ever happened around here," Kaylee said, and without bothering to check whether anyone else was looking her way, she turned and very pointedly caught her brother's eye before adding, "and I'm countin'...everything."
"Oh come on, don't be such a fuddy-duddy," Emma laughed, giving Kaylee's hair a tousle. Her smile faded when she turned back towards the general store, though, turning into something a little closer to a grimace as she continued, "I'm sure...lots of people have crushed on Mr. H in the past! He's..." She tilted her head to the side, trying to get a better (or at least different angle on him), "...non-threatening."
Emily made a noise at that, her eyes coming distressingly close to rolling all the way back into her skull. "That's definitely a word, I'll give you that."
"Yeah!" agreed Abi, nodding maybe less enthusiastically as she might've, had they been talking about...literally anything else. "And I mean, um...I mean...it makes sense, doesn't it? Because...him and Chris are like..."
"The same person?" Echoing Abi's nod, Sam smiled. It didn't quite come off as friendly as she'd meant for it to be, not when she already sensed Josh plotting. "Yeah. Yeah, they are. Sort of. I get the feeling Mr. H wouldn't lie down and die if he found himself lost in the middle of the woods, though. Or, y'know. A public park. Chris might."
"I think you mean would," said Jess. "Chris would die in the middle of the woods. Pretty sure we all freaking saw the proof of that." She held her hands out and, as she'd known they would, the rest of the Blackwood kids nodded and made sounds of agreement, remembering exactly how miserable he'd been during their ill-fated night on the mountain. "But at least he's not always wearing khaki, blech. Like, the 1950s called, Mr. H. They want their whole deal back."
"No one," Kaylee interrupted amid a full-body shudder, pulling her legs up onto the picnic table bench with the rest of her, "not a single person on Earth has ever liked Dad. Ever."
"Bad news, pipsqueak. Guy's got two kids. That means someone liked him once. Someone liked him a whole l - ow!" Jacob whirled around with an indignant "Dude!" but Matt just shook his head, chopping one of his hands across the air in front of his throat to get him to cut it out. "I'm just saying."
It wasn't often Caleb said much, not around the rest of them anyway, but when he did, it usually packed a hell of a punch. This was no exception. "Nah, Kay's right. This is...I don't know what it is, but nah, no one's ever had a crush on Dad. No one except Ryan, maybe."
Kaitlyn choked on her drink, giving Sierra Mist a whole new meaning as she sprayed Jacob with a mouthful of soda. Dylan wasn't much better off, rocking on his seat as though someone had hauled off and slapped him across the face. He recovered quicker than she did, his usual mask of nonchalance slipping back over his face as he snickered, "Uh huh. Sure. Riiight. Because Mr. H is totally Ryan's type."
The laughter that overtook the table - the perplexed, uncertain, uncomfortable, strained laughter - fell to perfect silence when Ryan opened his mouth.
"I mean..." was all he got out.
The table erupted again, though that time, uh, not in laughter. You'd've thought someone had whipped a dead chipmunk out onto the table, so impassioned were the "Oh God!"s and the "No way!"s and the "Holy shit!"s as arms were flung into the air and people stood from where they'd been sitting and hell just sort of genuinely broke loose.
The only one who didn't seem to react much (if at all) was Josh, who continued to sit with his chin in his hand and a glower on his face. He was getting too old for this shit.
(please don't count, this is definitely JUST) six sentence sat(or)sunday!!!
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