•─────────•❋•─────────•
[ POPPIES ]
LESTER AVERMAN ─── on the offensive
" i know that you want to be happy, lorelei, but you won't be, and I am truly sorry for that. "

" it turned into something bigger
somewhere in the haze,
got a sense i'd been betrayed
your finger on my hairpin triggers
soldier down on that icy ground
looked up at me with honor and truth
broken and blue,
so i called off the troops
that was the night i nearly lost you
i really thought i'd lost you...
we can plant a memory garden
say a solemn prayer,
place a poppy in my hair
there's no morning glory,
it was war, it wasn't fair "
the great war
taylor swift

•─────────•❋•─────────•

─── A YEAR AFTER THE JR. GOODWILL GAMES CONCLUDED WITH THE DUCKS TAKING HOME THE GOLD, RORY GETS OFFERED THE DEAL OF A LIFETIME. A full scholarship, including room and board, to a school like the prestigious Eden Hall Academy is a big deal. Their hockey program feeds directly into the programs of schools like the universities of Michigan and Minnesota, their test grades are through the roof, and, though this was less than a second thought to most, their cheerleaders wind up working in the NFL. None of that interested Rory when she was discussing the merits with the family lawyers, though. She was just happy for an opportunity to see her friends for the first time in the seven months since her sweet sixteen.

The only problem is that it just, unfortunately, came at the worst time.

Her grandfather is ill, there's a major business decision over the horizon, and there's something to this too-good-to-be-true deal that nobody but their family knows, and Rory finds, quickly, that she might be the cat that got the spoiled cream...

•─────────•❋•─────────•
TABLE OF CONTENTS

→ POPPIES
→ BEFORE YOU READ
→ EPIGRAPH
→ PROLOGUE: THE END IS HERE
→ CHAPTER INDEX
→ ACT ONE: WILTING
→ ACT TWO: DECAY
→ ACT THREE: REBIRTH
→ EPILOGUE
→ [REDACTED]

•─────────•❋•─────────•

CAST

•❋•

MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG as LORELEI MYRTLE
─── the heiress to a billion dollar fortune
" i don't need anybody in my life who doesn't want to be there. "

•❋•

MATT DOHERTY as LESTER AVERMAN
─── the son of a teacher
" i don't even recognize you anymore. "

•❋•

CHRISTOPHER ORR as RICHARD RILEY
─── the great-grandson of an oil baron
" c'mon. let's skip-- you look like you need it, ror. "

•❋•

ANNA PAQUIN as AUGUSTINE BUCKLEY
─── the principal's daughter
" i think things are just really rough all over, lester. "

•❋•

RACHEL BILSON as RACHEL RILEY
─── the great granddaughter of an oil baron
" you need to take a deep breath and remember who the fuck you are, lorelei myrtle. "

•❋•

JOSHUA JACKSON as CHARLIE CONWAY
─── the waitress' son
" you're burning out, rory. plain and simple. "

•❋•

VINCENT LARUSSO as ADAM BANKS
─── the son of a lawyer
" you guys need to leave her out of it. "

( ALSO FEATURING. )

THE CAST OF D3 as THEIR CHARACTERS
HECTOR ELIZONDO as JOE RIVERA
ANA DE ARMAS as KIM CABRERA ᴿᴺ
KERRY WASHINGTON as OLIVIA OAKES

&&&. THE FULL MYRTLE DYNASTY CONGLOMERATE

BRIAN COX as ELIJAH MYRTLE
DANIEL CRAIG as OLIVER MYRTLE
CAITLYN FITZGERALD as KRYSTAL MYRTLE

LEÁ SEYDOUX as JANIS LEWIS
ALAN RUCK as KNOX LEWIS
RYAN PHILLIPE as CONNOR LEWIS
LEIGHTON MEESTER as TARA LEWIS

JAMIE LEE CURTIS as MARGARET BANCROFT
DON JOHNSON as RICHARD BANCROFT
CHRIS EVANS as CHARLES BANCROFT
NICHOLAS BRAUN as GREGORY BANCROFT

TONI COLLETTE as EVELYN HIRSCH
MICHAEL SHANNON as NEIL HIRSCH
ANNE FRANCES MURPHY as EMILY HIRSCH

JAMES CROMWELL as EWAN MYRTLE
KIERAN CULKIN as ALEXANDER MYRTLE

POPPIES
©️ 2021, -punisher
TROPES -- friends to enemies to friends again, love triangles, love squares, crushes, some too late love confessions, exes to lovers, and miscommunication.

•─────────•❋•─────────•

•─────────•❋•─────────•
NOTES
•─────────•❋•─────────•

↳ DISCLAIMER(S): MATURE THEMES; drug and alcohol use (by adults and minors); mentions of sex; physical and verbal child abuse; character death; classism; drama; more than canon typical violence; discussions around mental health; so much drama; teenagers being who they are; and many more potentially triggering things. please be cautious going forward. reading is not worth risking your mental health!
↳ I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE FOR ALL THAT WILL HAPPEN IN THIS BOOK. but, in reality, I'm super excited.
↳ THIS BOOK WILL HAVE MULTIPLE ENDINGS. I will let you decide which one is canon <3.
↳ DISCLAIMERS: whilst i made the cover and any media made for this story, the pictures/videos used belong to the people who made them. the lyrics/quotes are credited. i also only own any original characters, plot lines, and dialogue, everything else belongs to the creators of the original media.
↳ A WORD OF WARNING FROM YOUR AUTHOR: feedback is welcome and encouraged. i want to hear from you guys, even if it's just constructive criticism-- i'm a content creator and you're the consumer, your opinions matter to me. that being said, i want my page to be a safe space for all people. if you are coming here to be hateful or just downright mean to others, you'll be reported and blocked. please respect my boundaries.

( you are not required to do anything, but please read with the awareness of how much your interaction and engagement can help a writer out. not only does it help boost the book in the algorithm, but it makes all of the work i do so much more worth it. we authors do this for free out of passion and/or love, but we also do this for you, too. voting and commenting comes at no cost to you, and it makes me want to write more, so please show your support if you're enjoying the book! )

•─────────•❋•─────────•

started on: oct. 12, 2021
finished on: dec. 11, 2021
word count: 70, 884
rewritten: aug. 12, 2023 - july 2, 2024
new word count: 103, 533