Flora Molina was on Cloud 9. She couldn't stop thinking about her picnic with Reggie last night. She knew that it was just a friendly gesture that he and the others had put together to make her feel better, but she was kind of hoping those weren't his only intentions. Something about last night felt...romantic? Intimate? There had to be a reason only Reggie was there. Did he like her? Was the picnic a date and she just hadn't realized? Was she reading too much into things? Who fucking knows. Certainly not Flora.

"Dang, girl. You are glowing." Flora rolled her eyes as Alex flopped on her bed next to her, but the smile remained plastered to her face. "So...I'm gonna take a guess and say you had a great time with Reggie last night, huh?" He raised his eyebrows at her suggestively, causing her to toss a pillow at him and frown when it passed right through him.

"It was...pretty amazing, actually. Thank you, by the way. I know you and everyone helped so...thanks."

"No problem. It was all Reggie's idea, actually." Alex shrugged, lounging back as a smile crossed Flora's face at his words. "Ooohhhh," Alex said in a high-pitched voice as he observed her smile, "Flo, are you blushing?"

"Shut up," she mumbled, hiding her face with her hands as Alex laughed at how flustered just talking about Reggie made her. "Remind me why I let you in my room?"

"Because I'm fun to be around. Duh," he says in an obvious tone, making her laugh. "You also wanted to show me some app...uh...I think you called it Tic-Tac?"

"TikTok," she corrected with a laugh as she got her phone out, opening up the app. After a while, Flora realized there was no stopping the boys from learning pop culture, so she figured she'd help speed along the process. She was especially excited to show Alex TikTok after hearing about him crashing Dirty Candy's performance the other night. She wasn't super good at the dances, but she figured he'd have a fun time learning them. "The app is super addictive because it tailor's to your tastes and interests." She scoots closer to him on the bed as she shows him the screen. He chuckled to himself as he noticed the first video was about someone making pottery in the shape of plants.

"I'm guessing yours is all about plants and art?" His eyes flickered from the screen to her face and he laughed as she rolled her eyes jokingly.

"No.....not "all" about plants and art. I'm on many different sides of TikTok."

"Sides? How many sides are there?" His eyes widened as he took in this new information.

"Oh, young Padawan," she sighs as she glances at him, "I have much to teach you. Brace yourself."

Alex was not prepared for how overwhelming TikTok could be. Flora tried explaining to him all the different sides, the amount seemingly infinite. She focused more on the sides she was on, trying to avoid a deep dive, but it was inevitable.

Flora took a lot of time explaining GenZ culture to Alex, and he was very delighted by the open display of Queer pride. As soon as she revealed to him she too was part of the community, and she was quite offended that he assumed she was straight, Alex couldn't stop asking questions. She proceeded to explain and show him how much the community has grown and evolved. Thirty years had made a huge difference in the way LGBTQ+ teens and young adults expressed themselves, and he was utterly fascinated. She had promised to show him some of her favorite Queer t.v. shows and movies another day, making a mental note to also invite Luke and Reggie.

"Oh!" he exclaims excitedly and all of a sudden, catching Flora by surprise. "Maybe we can go to the parade together next year!"

"Oh, that would be great, Alex, but...I'm not really a big fan of crowds and it tends to get really loud and packed and I start to feel claustrophobic-"

"Oh, don't worry, I totally get it. Maybe we can have our own little pride party, right here! We could decorate the garage, dress up..." he trails off as they both smile at the idea.

"Yeah, I would love that actually. But," she hesitates, not wanting to bring his mood down, "do you...do you really think you guys will stick around until then? Not that I don't want you guys to stick around!" she reassures him after she notices his smile drop along with his shoulders. "But...I don't know. I guess I just figured you guys would be tired of us after a month."

"Us? Tired of you? If anything, I'm surprised you're not tired of us yet! We can be a bit of a handful," he says with a laugh.

"You got that right," she joins in, smile returning to her face.

"Hate to break it to ya, Flora, but you're stuck with us," he says with a nervous smile. In all honesty, he wasn't too sure himself. The very weird and very painful jolts they kept experiencing were only getting worse. He didn't quite know what they meant yet, but they could only mean bad news for him and the guys.

"Good." They sile fondly at each other, glad they had some alone time to hang out without the other boys interrupting. "Now, come on," she says to him as she stands up. "Time to teach you those TikTok dances."

"So, let me get this straight," Luke says as he paces around in Flora's room, the girl silently observing him as she sat on her bed. "You went on a picnic with Reggie...you showed Alex those TicTac-"

"TikTok-"

"Whatever. Those TikTok dances...starting to feel a little left out here, Flo!" he complained, plopping down on her desk chair as he gave her a pout.

"Sorry! But in my defense, you've been hanging out with Julie a lot lately," she defended, raising her eyebrow suggestively as she mentioned the other Molina girl.

"What are you doing? What's with that face? Stop that," he demands, pointing to her smug expression with furrowed eyebrows.

"What face?" she feigns innocence, only further annoying him. "It just seems like you two have gotten awfully close."

"Strictly band business, Flo," he grumbles, annoyed by the same topic the guys have brought up too. "Not like you and Reggie," he says with a smirk, effectively wiping hers off her face.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she denies.

"Sure..." he draws at, still smirking at her much to her chagrin. "How was that little picnic of yours, by the way?"

"It was actually amazing. Thank you, by the way. I know you helped out."

"It was my pleasure. You were so upset the other day..." he smiles sadly as he looked at her and around her room, now devoid of the paintings she destroyed, "You deserved it."

"Thanks," she smiled at him gratefully, wanting so bad to reach out and give him a hug. "I know I need to work on believing it more, but I do a lot, and never ask for anything in return. It was really nice having something nice done for me, completely out of the blue."

"Well I, for one, think it should be a regular thing. Flora Appreciation Day, except it's actually every day." She laughed at his words, excited to finally, hopefully, be appreciated for all she did. She always drove Carlos to baseball practice when Dad had work, and she never received a thank you from the boy. She was the one who tutored Julie after her grades started slipping when Mom died. No thank you. It was really, really nice to be appreciated. To finally have her efforts noticed.

"I just wish I could give you guys something in return," she thinks out loud, eyes widening as she springs up from her spot and over to her desk. "Move!" she shoos Luke away like a pesky fly, making the boy scoff in offense.

"Okay, rude," he mumbles, but observes her as she moves things around her desk, pulling out supplies. "Uh...what are you doing? You're not having one of the freaky visions, are you?" he asks in slight panic, ready to poof away and get Reggie or even Alex.

"No, no, don't worry. I just have an idea," she reassures him as she finishes getting out all her needed art supplies, smiling up at him in anticipation. "Remember that time you guys were snooping in my room-"

"We said we were sorry!" he exclaims, but she just waves her hand dismissively.

"-and you were upset because I'd drawn a picture of Reggie but not you?" she asks, seeing him nod his head in confusion. "Well, I think it's about time that you, Luke Patterson, get a portrait of your very own."

Luke could barely contain his excitement, practically shaking as he was all smiles. "Dude, seriously?! That would be totally sick!" he yells, jumping a bit in his spot. "I wonder how I should pose..." he thinks out loud. "Maybe with my guitar. Should a change my clothes? Get a haircut. Wait, I'm a ghost. I can't get a haircut-"

"Actually," she interrupts him before he could go on anymore. "I was watching that video of your performance that Flynn sent me. You know, the one you went to instead of my art show..." she says, giving him a pointed look that had him looking anywhere but her.

"We said we were sorry?"

"Anyways, I was thinking I could just use that video as a reference. I don't want to make you stand and pose for a picture, and any photo I take would feel too unnatural."

"Okay, awesome. I hate standing still," he admits with a laugh. "Well, I'll let you do your thing. I think I'm gonna go bother Reggie. Maybe he'll tell me more about your date than you did." He gives her a wave, which she distractedly returns as she started the painting, and phases through her door. After a long silence, Flora lets her pencil clatter on the desk as she looks up abruptly to where Luke had just left.

"Wait a minute.......Did he say date?!"

a/n: uhhhh yeah so it's been several months. cue the "where the hell have you been, loca?" comments lol. i decided to rewrite this chapter and i'm working on rewriting the other chapters i had planned but left unpublished. this isn't quite my triumphant return yet, but just a reassurance that i do actually plan to continue this story and haven't completely abandoned it.

anyways, i know this chapter is short, but i hope you enjoyed it all the same! please vote and leave comments! they really help motivate me.