Radke Family dinner with Bee & Cassidy

[Beatrice Reynolds]

Beatrice didn't think that there was anything more intimidating in the world than meeting the family of your ... well what was she to Finn? They weren't dating or at least she didn't think that they were but they clearly weren't just friends considering that she had feelings for him and kissed him and he must like her back if he let her, right? She knew that they'd eventually define the relationship but she was so scared that he'd tell her something that she didn't want to hear like that he couldn't possibly date someone like her. She couldn't imagine someone actually loving her for who she was. She couldn't even bake a batch of freaking chocolate chip cookies! She'd decided that she wanted to make something delicious for Parker, Finn and their mother to enjoy but it was a giant failure.

She still brought them in a plastic Tupperware container but she didn't think that anyone would even remotely enjoy them. She had worked really hard on them and she was only bringing them to show that she had tried desperately hard to impress everyone. It took her over an hour to get ready and find something to wear. What was she suppose to put on? A dress? A gown? Jeans? Heels? No heels? She finally decided on something and curled her hair so she looked just a little more put together. She actually looked really nice for someone who was literally having a panic attack at the wheel over what she was about to do. She'd never done this before.. She had never had someone invite her over like this.

What if they took one look at her and thought that she wasn't dressed modestly enough? That would be insane.. She was wearing jeans and a blazer! It wasn't like she walked in wearing anything revealing and it wasn't her fault that clothes looked sexy on her. It was her damn body! She wasn't trying to dress like a cheap whore! It was just burgers.. She could handle going to see him and eat a burger though food probably wasn't the best idea considering that her stomach was in literal knots.

She finally arrived at the house after driving around for what felt like an hour though it was at most ten minutes. She stayed in the car for a couple of minutes just to give herself a little bit of time to calm down. She swallowed hard as she walked to the front door. She was even more intimidated when she noticed how nice that the house was... All she could hope was that Finn answered the door and not Parker or their mother.. What was she even suppose to say?

[Finnick Radke]

Honestly, Finn was really nervous to have Bee over. He didn't know that Parker was going to be having Cassidy over, so he figured that might have been the reasoning behind his worries. Just being in a house full of people, which was only two extra people, was making him have a little panic attack. He had been laying on his bed, so he stood up and went to the bathroom where he kept his small collection of prescriptions. Pulling out one bottle, he opened it, dropped the little green klonopin in his palm and chased it down with water from the sink.

Now that he knew he was going to be able to stay calm the whole night, he returned back downstairs and fired up the grill on the back porch. Parker was elsewhere with Cassidy, which was fine with him because he loved grilling. "Hey honey," His mom said as she walked out the back doors and onto the deck. "Hi, mom." Finn replied with a little smile. The two conversed about Parker and Cassidy for a little while, and then his mom asked when Bee was going to be there. He wasn't sure exactly, but he guessed within the next half hour.

With the backdoor open, he could hear the doorbell dinging. He hurried inside and saw his brother going to answer it. "Parker, no, that's for me. Put Tyga outback or something." He hated that Parker's new pit bull puppy barked whenever someone was here or he snuck out and in through the front or back doors which ultimately started him just going through his window. Finn straightened out his blue flannel shirt and black jeans before running his hand through his bangs and opening the door.

"Hey, Bee!" He greeted cheerfully. He was dumbfounded when he saw her in this new black outfit. He had even raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips; she was looking fine. Finn blinked a few times and shook his head, "Uhm.. Come in, come in! You look amazing." He said, putting his hand on the middle of her back and walking with her. Tyga, even only being six months old, had a vicious sounding growl that she was giving to Bee upon entry. She was wagging her tail though and Parker had scooped her up and was telling her it was okay. He had also greeted Bee.

Finn removed his hand and placed it on the back of his neck. "You know Parker, Cassidy.. I'm out back grilling if you want to come outside with me." He said before headed back to his little station. His mom was sitting at the picnic table with a fresh Corona, but she stood when the unfamiliar face appeared. "Bee, this is my mom, Carolyn." Finn introduced. "So you're the famous Beatrice, I hear a lot about you." She smiled and offered the girl a light hug. She wasn't about hand shakes are formality.

When they had exchanged greetings and all the works, his mom smiled and looked to her son. "I'll just.. leave you two alone then. Better get dessert up and going." She smiled, grabbed her bottle and headed into the kitchen. She left the glass door open, but shut the screen so the puppy inside wouldn't get out. Finn had returned to the burger patties, hot dogs and grilled chicken breasts that were cooking. "So this is where I live." Finn snickered and flipped a patty.

[Cassidy Simmons]

So, maybe it was a bit of an overreaction by Cassidy to have packed up and scurried over to the Radke home just to stay away from some guy who hasn't done a thing to her -- but she definitely wasn't going to stay in her dorm and wait until he did! Besides, the Radkes were practically a second family to her and she felt completely safe knowing Parker was around. Nobody there would let her get hurt, and she was incredibly appreciative of them letting her stay there until she felt like there was nothing out there to hurt her.

She'd only been there a couple of hours after Parker had stopped by to help pack up some of her things and his mom picked them up, and now she was laying on the couch with him in their living room with 50 First Dates playing on the tv. They were just on the part where Lucy and Henry meet for the second time and Lucy doesn't remember him, when Cassidy overheard her name indistinctly from the kitchen, and she turned her head for a second then looked back to Parker, "Are they talking about us?" She half-laughed.

Before she could get a response, the doorbell had rang, and Parker had gotten up to answer it, so she just propped her legs up on the couch, leaning back and sighing, taking hold of the remote and raising the volume of the tv slightly. She smiled when she saw Parker coming back and then Finn walking in with Bee, waving politely at the girl, curiously, "Hi, Bee!"

Once the couple was out the door, she looked to Parker, "I didn't know they were dating?"

[Parker Radke]

Parker was thoroughly enjoying having Cassidy over and being able to sit on the couch with her and her feet propped up on his lap. Just about the time she had turned her head, he peeked over the top of the couch to see where exactly his mom and brother were and if they were talking about them. Just as soon as he opened his mouth to answer her, the doorbell was ringing and his puppy going ballistic at the noise.

He excused himself from Cassidy and headed to answer it, but was stopped by Finn in the process. "Tyga, shhh." He ordered and he lifted her up under her front legs and brought her back to the couch. He told her to lay down and stay which she did but forgot as soon as Bee had come inside. Parker sighed but let her go. He gave a little head nod to Bee and slunked back down on the couch, putting Cassidy's feet back where they were.

"I don't actually think they are yet." He replied in a lower voice. He could hear their mom getting all excited because she was finally meeting the girl Finn hardly ever stopped talking about. Hastily, he looked for the remote turn turn up the volume as his loyal little puppy came up to them. She had taken such a liking to Cassidy, whom hadn't met her yet, and it made Parker feel happy.

His mom came back inside and told him to turn the t.v down, which he did, and then asked why he wasn't helping Finn with dinner. Parker turned his head around to the kitchen where his mom stood, "He said he didn't want any help. I made the glaze for the chicken though." He turned back around after she nodded to him and leaned in towards Cassidy, his arm inbetween her and the back cushion and supporting his head. "I'm glad Finn has someone that makes him happy.. I just wish he'd shut up about her." He giggled, "But yeah, she's alright. Do you like her?" He asked, turning his face towards hers.

[Cassidy Simmons]

Cassidy had already felt so at home there, Parker had such a way of making her feel so comfortable and at ease that she really felt there was nothing for her to worry about. She watched the tv intently for a second as she watched Henry building a waffle house for Lucy on the screen, a smile forming on her face, then looked down at Parker's puppy, petting Tyga in between the ears for a second and then leaning into Parker again, "Really? I would've thought, by the way he looks at her and all." she shrugged it off, scooting closer so that their shoulders were touching.

She shifted her eyes to meet his and nodded in understanding, "It's always nice to have somebody that makes you feel that way," she nudged him, "we all just show it differently." Cassidy half-laughed, looking down for a second then tilting her head to the side, "I like Bee," she insisted, "and I'm sure there's plenty reason to like her if Finn does, too." Cassidy raised an eyebrow, matter-a-factly, then scooted slightly closer, even though they were pretty much sitting as close as they probably could be without things being awkward, "I think everybody deserves to experience that kind of happiness."

Cassidy turned to Parker again, "So, do you mind telling me why your mom has a picture of us on your fridge?" she giggled, "I wasn't going to say anything, but I noticed it earlier, and I'm still sure they were talking about us a second ago."

[Parker Radke]

Parker had decided that he and Cassidy would be making waffle houses in the morning, it was a guarantee that he just wasn't going to tell her about. She mentioned that was that Finn looked at Bee which he hadn't really noticed before now, probably because he'd never actually seem them together before tonight. Parker then recognized the look, it was the same look that he, himself, gave to Cassidy. He smiled at the thought and felt a little tingling inside him like he always got when he thought about her.

She hit his ticklish spot when she nudged him which made him jolt slightly away before he moved back. He wasn't at all unwelcoming of her scooting closer to him. Hell, she could be sitting on him and he wouldn't be uncomfortable. He nodded along with her, not even paying attention to the movie at the moment. However, his heart felt like it dropped right out of his ass when she mentioned the picture on the fridge.

Parker's jaw fell slightly open and he was sure his cheeks were flushing a bright red. "I.. Uhm.. I-dunno.. weird." He didn't recall a picture of them on the.... oh.. that one.. "She thinks.." He paused and had a confused expression before he turned towards the kitchen to see if his mom was in there. "Mom!" He partially shouted. "Why's there a picture of us on the fridge? Cass wants to know.." She stopped what she was doing and put her hand on her hip. "You know why, you're the one that gave it to me." She laughed and resumed her work. "You two are just too adorable, I couldn't resist. I don't know why you aren't together yet - opps."

Parker sat, staring wide eyed at his mom who had mouthed 'sorry' and went about her business. He melted back into the couch, his face even more red than before. He didn't move or look at Cassidy even though he desperately wanted to but he was scared of her reaction. "Well then.." He started after a second.

[Beatrice Reynolds]

Beatrice knew that she was blushing like a cherry tomato when Carolyn said that she'd heard a lot about her. What had Finn possibly told his mother? She assumed that it was nice stuff since she hadn't called her a whore or a bitch or threatened her to stay away from her precious son but you just never know. The only thing that was keeping her from panicking too much was the fact that nobody had ever looked at her the way that Finn was looking at her when he saw her... She had never felt so beautiful in her entire life and his hand on her back as they were walking was an odd comfort like he was trying to tell her that he was there for her somehow. Did he realize that she was mildly scared of dogs? She certainly didn't know what she was suppose to do when she'd heard one that sounded like it wanted to eat her.

She was a little relieved when his mother went inside to leave them alone. It wasn't that she didn't want to get to know her because she definitely did but she couldn't exactly kiss Finn when his mother was watching and that was something that she wanted to do since she walked in the door. She placed her thumb on his chin and gently moved his face to face her's so she could plant a tender kiss on his lips. Couldn't friends do that to friends? It didn't mean that she wanted to be his girlfriend or anything necessarily, right? Right! She could just keep telling herself that all night if she wanted to but that didn't mean that it wasn't true. "I just couldn't resist the urge to do that even though we're ... just friends." She hated having to say that and it showed in the way that her voice cracked like she was about to cry.

She hated that a month long relationship with Bo Costello was ruining her chances of being with the guy that she really wanted. She hated that she couldn't openly talk about her feelings for Finn because she had been dating Bo. She was single now! Why couldn't she be with someone new if she really wanted to be? She had been a faithful girlfriend to all of those guys who screwed her over with other women well mainly her sister, Esme but still. She let out a heavy sigh and moved a little closer to his body than a friend would be to another friend... She was basically hanging all over him like a girlfriend.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" She blurted after about five minutes of just standing snuggled at his side. She reluctantly pulled away and reached into her bag to grab the small container of oh so very burnt cookies which made her want to curl into a ball and cry. "I'm sorry... I kind of ruined the cookies and I wanted to make you something delicious but I just... I suck at baking and recipes confuse me and I don't know the difference between an egg with a baby chicken inside and an egg with an egg in it and I just... I'm sorry."

She held them out for him but she didn't think that he was really going to take one or try them.. He'd probably just throw them at her and call her a mean name.. Who would want to date someone who couldn't even bake?

[Cassidy Simmons]

Cassidy was sure she and Parker had watched 50 First Dates together about a billion times before -- she couldn't get over how cute it was that the pair in the movie just fell in love over and over again, despite the conditions they were in, how Henry kept on going after Lucy regardless of the fact that he knew she would always forget him. He wanted her even if it meant going the extra mile to take care of her, and that kind of love, despite it being in a movie, is what gave Cassidy even the slightest ounce of hope inside of her that somebody did or would love her even if she couldn't do the same things she used to be able to do, being in a wheelchair.

She couldn't help but keep smiling when she saw Parker's cheeks turn red, and her smile turned into a grin as she laughed at how nervous he was getting, it was cute, really. She pursed her lips as she called after his mom, raising her eyebrows in interest when she saw Carolyn turn to them and explain that Parker had given the picture to her, turning back to the boy, "Oh, really?"

Cassidy was about to continue on, until she heard her say, I don't know why you aren't together yet. Now was the time for her to be blushing, and she reached over to fiddle with the ends of her hair, giggling slightly and scrunching her eyebrows. She couldn't possibly think that-- Carolyn had known her for years, she didn't really-- Cassidy bit her lip and looked at Parker to see how he was reacting, only to see that he was seemingly more nervous than she.

"Heh, um," she scrunched her eyebrows and tried to brush it off, leaning against Parker again, "has she always thought that?" She fake coughed, still fiddling with her hair, "That's..." her voice trailed off and she looked down, unable to find the right words, then turned to Parker again, "I mean, you and me, we are pretty cute, 'adorable' people, I suppose I can... see... that." Cassidy nodded, starting to feel a bunch of her nerves gather up along her arms.

[Finnick Radke]

Finn had just flipped a burger when he felt her soft hand on his chin. Out of reflex, he kind of pulled back like the last time, but he realized that he was in a safe place and that Bee wasn't going to hurt him. Instead, she was leaning up to kiss him so he met her halfway, bent his neck down and met her lips with his. It was a longer kiss than the last time, and it felt, at least to him, that there was something more behind it than her just being upset.

He didn't want her to pull away, and wished she hadn't because he felt a little empty when she said that they were just friends. He almost immediately turned back to the grill before their food caught flame. He didn't mind that she was still hanging onto him, didn't that mean something in itself? Maybe she wasn't completely friendzoning him? Whatever it meant, it replaced the hollow feeling he had just felt with something warm and fuzzy.

He flicked his head and watched as she went to retrieve something from her bag. When she returned, she was holding out some.. interesting looking cookies that she seemed really hung up about. He smiled at her thoughtfulness and took one, not even hesitant to take a bite. They weren't, really on any level, the worst thing he'd ever tasted and she was lucky that he had a taste for burnt things.. Like the one burger patty that he was purposely burning because he wanted it a little extra well done. All the others he'd just taken from the grill and placed on the serving platter along with the hot dogs and chicken.

"You're so cute." He smiled as he ate the rest of it and grabbed the plate. "And so thoughtful." With his free hand, he wrapped it around her ribs and pulled her in for a quick kiss, "Come on, let's head inside." He said before letting go of her and opening the screen door with the platter of hot food. "Guys, dinner's ready. Come on." He said, putting the thing down on the table that Parker had set earlier in the night.

[Parker Radke]

Parker was so embarrassed sitting there and he could feel his face only getting hotter and hotter. He tried not to think about everything that he had told his mom. Like how Cassidy was so awesome or how he loved the way she laughed or the way she played with her hair. Or the little fuzzy feelings he got when she leaned on him or used him as her pillow.

He slowly looked over at her, feeling his cheeks starting to dim down even though he probably resembled a tomato or someone with a third degree sunburn. He tried to hide his smile when she said that they were two adorable people. She was, most definitely, especially to him. Parker simply replied in almost a whisper as he, too, leaned into her. "I think my mom has this weird fantasy that her son gets the pretty best friend-" Shit. That didn't at all help the situation so he was overly excited when he heard Finn coming in and informing that dinner was ready.

"Let's get some grub!" He said, quickly changing the subject. He almost went straight for the table but then stopped and turned around to help her get her chair within reach. Parker was always wanting to help, and he did to a point, but he wanted her to do things on her own which was also helping her get stronger. Nevertheless, he was always willing to help.

His mom had moved the end table around and scooted the oversized chair over so she could easily get in and out of the living room without problems. When she was settled, he headed for the dining room table where Finn, Bee and their mom were already seated. "You did an awesome job, Finn." He said, as he looked over everything. "Except that one. That one is crispy." He laughed and poked his fork at the burnt patty. Finn has said something about how it was his as he put in onto his bun and dressed it. "You're weird. You like burnt things." Parker laughed.