Disclaimer:
I do not own Trolls or these songs. I have looked at all the song requests in the comment section in Lone Concert and I will do what I can to not only add those songs but maybe even more. Hope y'all enjoy!
It was the day of the picnic and Poppy was so psyched she and Suki were getting ready in the Royal Pod along with her parents who Ozzy had also invited to the family event; with them being such close family friends. Poppy wanted to wear something cute but casual so she remembered the flannel Branch had first given her and she found a pair of white wash denim shorts and she chose not to wear her crown today but her old flower headband that her mom had given her when she was younger. Branch had replaced the small headband with a larger one so she could wear it again. He was so sweet. Satisfied with her look she walked into the living room and waited for her parents to finish getting ready. Suki however was really anxious about the whole upcoming event. Suki had her usually white crop top but decided to switch for lime green shorts for the outdoor event. "You ready?" Poppy acked excitedly. She had already spent much time with the family and was eager for the picnic. "Yeah, but Poppy I know technically I have met Clay's family but this is the big meet the family get-to-know-them event for me. What if they decide they don't like me?" Suki asked, looking at her thumbs twiddling them.
Poppy gave her a sympathetic smile before grabbing the rose troll's hands and looking her in the eyes. "They are going to love you. Also if there is anything you want to know beforehand I will do my best to answer." Poppy suggested trying to help Suki's anxieties. Lucky for her it did seem to be helping a bit. "Well I know the siblings are Holly, John Dory, Spruce, Clay, Barb, Flyod, and Dixie. Oldest to youngest. Holly is their step-sibling and Dixie is their half sister from their dad's second marriage to Delta." Suki started off, but Poppy was a little confused and stopped her. "Wait, you forgot Branch." Poppy said sheepishly. Suki went wide-eyed realizing her mistake. She let out a breathy laugh before digging herself a deeper hole. "Um. Yeah, um." Suki did not want to lie to her friend but she promised the Timberlake family. "Um. What are the names of all of Spruce's kids?" Suki said, trying to change the subject. "Seriously I only know Bruce, Branch, and Spruce Jr." But Poppy was not going to let this go much to Suki's disappointment.
At this point Viva and Peppy were watching the two they both knew about the secret. Ozzy was not happy at first at how irresponsible John Dory and Val were and what they were going to do about the new baby. The two royals played along with the lie. Peppy mainly because he did not want to hurt Branch anymore than he already was. How could he tell the grey troll that his father had left him and it was his grandfather who was lost in the first escape. That his parents had left him with intent. He would not do that to the boy. Viva knew because for so long they all had thought Branch to be dead. Val was a mess and Viva was mourning her own daughter and husband she took the girl in and helped her through it along with John.
"Don't change the subject. Why did you leave Branch out?" Poppy did not want to think the worst but she was going to defend her boyfriend. Viva saw her daughter getting upset and she knew why Suki left out Branch. "You know, don't you?" Viva asked calmly. Suki looked at the elder queen and nodded her head. "Know what? What's going on with Branch?" Poppy was now worried. Viva was about to make her way to her daughter when Peppy stopped her. "We can't. It's not our story to tell." Peppy said in a whisper. "She needs to know. No more secrets." Viva said before sitting next to her daughter. "Am I right in thinking that Branch is still unaware of this information." Suki nodded towards the queen. "But I promised not to say anything to let them tell him." Suki explained. "Well I did not make that promise." Poppy was so worried now by all the secrecy. "What is going on, what is wrong with Branch?" Poppy asked, feeling like she couldn't breath due to panic. "Oh sweety nothing's wrong with Branch. I promise." Peppy said, placing a kiss on his daughter's forehead.
The queen solemnly before turning to her daughter and kissing her forehead before speaking again. "What the big secret about Branch is that when John Dory and Val were younger, much too young at the time, they had a baby." Viva said to her very concerned daughter. "That baby was Branch. Now I will not say too much and I will let Branch fill you in when he finds out. But if John Dorry and Val are planning to tell him then we must let them do so." Poppy felt like her heart was about to beat out of her chest. No this was not right. JD and Val were Branch's parents?
A few new thoughts were now flooding Poppy's mind. Branch didn't know. She now knew. She could not tell Branch. She had to lie to him again. If she did tell, she could ruin his family relationship. If she didn't tell, she could ruin their relationship. This was not fair. Finally she needs to talk to John and Val. NOW! Poppy got up and rushed out of her pod not listening to the crys from her parents and Suki. This was an unfair situation she was now put in. Why would her mom put her in this? Wait Poppy breath and think. You were getting upset at Suki over something she promised not to say and Suki didn't like to lie. Her mom was probably trying to help their friendship. Viva was still getting used to being a mother and when it came to letting her daughter figure things out. Poppy really wished that this was one of those times. Now that Poppy was calmer she started heading towards the bunker and saw that Spruce was setting up the cooker, Brandy, Floyd, and Riff were setting up the lights, the tables were already set up from the day before and there was so much chaos going on that Poppy's head started to hurt. "Poppy." She heard someone say her name; she jumped a little. Poppy turned to see Branch smiling at her. She gave a weak smile back at him. "You ok?" Branch asked, a little concerned. "I." Poppy started to say but didn't want Branch to worry. "Forgot the cupcakes." Branch let out a little chuckle. "Don't worry about it, I am sure that we have more than enough food here." Poppy just nodded.
She never thought she would say this but she was so relieved when someone called for Branch and he had to leave to go help with something leaving her. "Hey what up Poppyseed." Poppy heard the voice of the troll she was looking for. When she turned to she had a very serious and angry expression on her face that made a shiver go down John's spine. "We need to talk." She said before walking off to a secluded area. John knew better than to argue with a mad woman so he just put down what he was holding and promptly followed her. "What's wrong?" He asked nervously. Poppy let out a shaky breath. "I know. About you, Val, and Branch." Poppy said.
John felt like he had been hit by a truck. "What?" He said try to nervously laugh it off. "I know you are Branch's father. My mom told me and I won't tell him." Poppy said. Once John had heard those words he felt like he could breathe again. "But I will not lie to him. You and Val need to tell him now! Today." Poppy said, forcfully. She was about to walk away when John grabbed her arm. "Wait, not today. We were going to ease him into the idea." John tried to explain but Poppy was just angry. Angry at the lie. Angry that she couldn't do anything. About it. Angry at all the pain that her boyfriend has been through and will go through again. Angry that all of his hard work to heal will be undone in one fell swoop. And the longer they took to tell him the worse it will be for him. She just knew it. "Wait. You want to wait?" Poppy asked aggressively. John slowly nodded. "The longer you wait the worse it will get. He will have the support of his family if you tell him today. John, when were you planning on telling him?"
John did not have an answer. Poppy shook her head in disbelief. "Either you tell him or I will." Poppy said ready to walk away. "Wait a minute. No you don't get to make that call. Ok this has nothing to do with you. This is a family matter and you are not part of that family." John said angrily. Upon seeing the look on Poppy's face he immediately regretted it. "Poppy. I." John tried to apoligize but Poppy cut him off. "You're right I'm not part of your family. But Branch IS my family. And I am not going to risk that by lying to him." Poppy told him. John was starting to realize what this was all about. "So you don't want to jeapordize your relationship. Why not you've done it once before." John sniped back. It took Poppy a moment to understand what he was talking about. "You know." Poppy said, ashamed.
"Yeah we all know. So don't act all high and mighty when you are just as bad at hurting Branch." John said too angry to care if he meant his words or not. He just wanted to hurt Poppy because he was angry that she was right and he just didn't want to admit that this girl knows his son better than he does. "I have regretted that. It nearly destroyed me when I realized that I had hurt Branch like that. I nearly ruined everything we had. I was so lucky that Branch forgave me. Which is why I can't do that again. I love him too much to do that. I learned from my mistakes and I just didn't want you to make the same ones I did." Poppy said storming off. John took a moment to let all of what had just happened sink in. He really messed things up this time. He just sat there wishing he could take back all of what he had said. But he had a quick temper. It led to the band breaking up . To their siblings to be so strained. To Branch being a lone like he was. And who was there to pick up the pieces of the aftermath that had affected so much of Branch's life? Not him. It was Poppy. She was his support. They had all seen that. She would fight the world for him and they all knew that he would do the same for her. Maybe that's why he was so angry at the pink troll. The two of them had this bond that he knew he would never have with his own son.
Back at the picnic Poppy was trying everything not to cry. John knew just what buttons to press and how to hit all of her insecurities when it came to her relationship with Branch. She was trying to wipe her tears away and steady her breathing. She hated not being able to go to Branch about this and she didn't want to ruin the picnic. This meant so much to Branch and his family, so she was just going to have to put on her big girl pants, put on a smile, and get through it. And when she got home she was just going to have to do something. Scrapbooking did not feel like it would be enough to take the edge off. Unknown to her Barb had walked up behind her. "Hey Popsqueak? Hey what happened?" Barb may not be the most sensitive one but she knew how important this troll was to Branch. Poppy explained what had happened with JD and Barb was more than just a little mad at her brother. "Don't listen to a word he says Poppy. You are part of this family and we all know that you would never try to hurt Branch. Ok John was out of line." Poppy just nodded, wiping away a final tear. Poppy then noticed Suki and her parents arrived. "Go talk to your rents. I need to handle some things." Barb told Poppy who just nodded.
The picnic seemed to be going well. Poppy's parents remembered the strawberry cupcakes that she had made the night before. The kids were playing yard games like cornhole and lawn bowling. The adults were having fun talking about whatever and catching up. Branch looked happy, Poppy thought. When her mom got there she had apoligized to her about telling her the secret, not realizing until later the pressure she had unknowingly placed upon her daughter. Poppy smiled and gave her a hug saying that it was fine even if she still felt like she was going to explode and wanted to just curl up into a ball. Suki slowly walked up to her friend, still a little nervous about everything that had happened this morning. "Hey." She said solemnly. "Hey." Poppy said back. "Poppy, I am so sorry." Suki started to say. "Hey, we will deal with it tomorrow. Today we are just going to enjoy the picnic ok." Poppy told her with a smile. Suki nodded. Soon she felt a little tug on her shorts. "Aunt Suki, can you play a song for us?" Spruce's daughter asked her. Suki wanted to say Gretal? She wasn't joking when she said she didn't know all of Spruce and Brandy's childrens' names. "Sure." Suki left the tense situation with Poppy and started to play some beats and the other thirteen kids came and joined in the music while the adults ate the food.
I heard that you were talking bad
And you didn't think that I would hear it
People hear you talking like that,
Getting everybody fired up
So I'm ready to attack, gonna lead the pack
Gonna get a touchdown, gonna take you out
That's right, put your pom-poms down,
Poppy was trying her best to have fun but she felt a pit in her stomach and she just wanted Branch to tell her everything was ok and it would get better but she couldn't. She hated this. She hated lying to him. She had promised never to lie to him again and here she was breaking that promise. She felt like she was going to throw up. Branch had been keeping an eye on Poppy all day and tried to talk to her about it all day but he kept getting pulled in a million different directions so he has not been able to talk to her about anything. He knew that even though Poppy was smiling and getting into the games, chatter, food, and music she wasn't happy and just putting on a face. Something was wrong and he wasn't able to get to her to help through it like she has done with him more than once. He figured he would have a chance to talk to her when he walks her home.
Getting everybody fired up
So that's right, dude, meet me at the bleachers
No principals, no student-teachers
Both of us wanna be the winner, but there can only be one
So I'm gonna fight, gonna give it my all
Gonna make you fall, gonna sock it to you
That's right, I'm the last one standing
Another one bites the dust
All the girls stomp your feet like this
Let me hear you say,
The kids were having so much fun and the picnic seemed to be a success. Everyone was having fun. Ozzy and Delta were having a lively conversation with Viva and Peppy. Brandy, Carol, and Riff were hanging out watching their spouses. Play cornhole with Clay and laughing at how bad they were at this game and how competitive they were too. JD was manning the grill and everyone was grabbing food here and there just having a great time. Holly was taking pictures of Dixie and her niece and nephews dancing and singing along with Suki. The parents where loving the sight before them and Poppy couldn't help but smile too.
This bit is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S
This bit is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S
Again this bit is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S
This bit is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S
Few times I've been around that track
So it's not just gonna happen like that
'Cause I ain't no hollaback girl
I ain't no hollaback girl
Ooh, this my bit, this my bit
The kids loved the same and the adults except Poppy, John, and Barb were laughing at the endearing scene. Barb was going to talk to all of their siblings about meeting in her pod later and just John a beat down. Or a talking to. She really wanted to hurt her brother physically after what she heard what he said to Poppy. They were all grateful to the pink royal for everything she had done for Branch. He was happy and gave them a chance because of her. They owed her so much already and what John Dory Birch Timberlake did today was not only extremely rude but downright cruel and it just made Barb's blood boil. Now that the picnic was ending and Branch was helping walk Poppy, Peppy, and Viva back to the Royal Pod with a bunch of leftovers. While cleaning up the mess and Brandy putting the kids to bed with the help of Ozzy and Delta. Barb started to inform her siblings about John's mess up today. They were all ready to take on John for that. He had really taken things too far. They all knew how John got when he was angry and got into a fight. When he feels cornered or like he is about to lose he would take cheap shots and hit the weak spots burtally. And he would continue to do it until he just hurt you enough for you to back down. It no longer was about winning the fight, it was about him finishing it at any means possible. They all knew that they could get mad at him for it and when he does take it too far but they knew that even if it did hurt he most likely didn't mean it. It wasn't right and they tried to keep him in check when he did this. But they also learned how to phrase things so he wouldn't lash out like this. Poppy didn't. John, you really did it this time.
Branch was walking Poppy home and they were a few passes behind her parents. Before they knew it they had reached the royal pod and the elder royal couple entered their home. Branch had quickly stopped Poppy by grabbing her hand gently. She turned to look at him a little apprehensively. "Hey I noticed something was off with you and I wanted to come check on you but I kept getting dragged in every other direction. I'm sorry. Do you want to talk about it?" Branch asked. Poppy's heart hurt at that moment. She was really that Branch knew her so well but at the same time she wishes he hadn't. She could exactly tell him why. "What I'm fine." Yep, Poppy just lie to him, she thought with a frown on her face. "That's usually my line where you typically follow with a you know you can be real with me and if you are feeling something you can let me know. That goes both ways. Let me be here for you." Branch said, hold her hands so lovingly. Poppy could not take it anymore. She rushed to him and hugged him letting out a quiet sob that Branch still heard. "Hey it's ok. Whatever it is, we can get through it together." Branch said in an usually optimistic tone.
"I want to tell you everything and I will but not right now I. I am still processing everything myself." Poppy said. Branch smiled before giving her a chast kiss on the cheek. "And I completely understand that and will not push, but if there is something you can tell me now I'm just. Worried." Branch said. Poppy loved him so much. She loved how he was one of the only trolls in her life to never push her to share things until she felt ready. She took a deep breath before speaking again. "I might have had a fight with your brother John. And It really just trough me. We both said things we probably shouldn't have. I talked to Barb about it and I felt a bit better after that. She said she would handle it. I don't know how. But that was one of the reasons I was a little off today. I just. Never fought with someone like that before." Poppy explained. She did not like lying to Branch and knew that the tension between her and JD were now a bit strained. "John has a way of making people fight with him. Whatever he says, don't listen to him. Half the things he does say when mad are just him trying to hurt you. I'll talk to him when I get home. It wasn't ok for him to hurt you like that." Branch told her. She smiled at her boyfriend feeling much better for the most part. "Barb said the same thing. Thank you." Branch just pulled her into a hug before letting her go into her pod. Branch was really mad at John for making Poppy cry. What did he say to her?
Back at the bunker, Barb had punched John in the arm pretty hard. "Ow. I can't believe she told me?" John mumbled to himself. But that was not helping the mood in the bunker. "Dude, you need to be better, you can't just do crap like that." Spruce yelled. "I know I know." John tried to say. "What would possess you to even say something like that?" Floyd asked angrily. John was taken back for a second. "Wait, she didn't tell you?" He asked. They all looked at one another confused. "Tell me what?" Barb asked. "She knows I'm Branch's father andshe was demanding that I tell him soon. Like soon, soon. Things just got out of hand after that." John sighed. The others were beginning to understand what had caused John to snap like he did and were silent for a while. "She's not wrong." Clay mumbled out. "I know she's right. I hate that she is right." John snapped back before placing his head in his hands. The sound of the lift cut off any further conversation they might have had and an angry Branch was lowered into the room.
"Oh great." John moaned. "What did you say to Poppy?" Branch asked, angrily. "Branch before you say anything I know I messed up." John said. "You did more than mess up. She was crying trying to hold it together. What did you say?" Branch demanded. John would only look at his hands. The bunker was silent before Barb spoke. "Tell him or I will." John looked angrily at her, but still didn't say anything. "Ok then. He basically said that she was not a part of this family and was not better than us because Suki told us that she had broken your trust and hurt you in the past." Barb said quickly. John does not remember much about what had happened next except for Branch launching himself at him and had slugged him in the face. Next thing he saw was Branch being held back by their siblings and muffled sounds telling Branch to take a deep breath and calm down. Then black nothingness.
Well this ended up being a heavier chapter than I originally expected. I was listening to Mayday Parade's cover of Somebody I Used to Know so I feel like that helped set the mood just a little bit. But I am not unhappy about it. I also feel like this will help move the story forward without hitting a runt. I have felt like maybe the last few chapters felt a little off. I mean I liked them. I would never post something unless it was good enough. I was trying something new and exploring more than just Poppy and Branch but the family as a whole and more of the time they had spent apart from Branch. A story is more than just the sum of its parts. I will also try to add more of the Snack Pack and read back to make sure I am keeping to the storyline because let's be honest a lot has happened. I don't believe in the quick solving of problems and just airing out once and done no that's not how that works so we still have somestuff to work out. I might pump out another chapter soon. I was not expecting to write a chapter until Saturday or Sunday but here we are. We have roughly maybe fifteen more chapters to go. I am guessing that if more than the songs I actually have planned so we are all in for a surprise. Also I am not sorry for how I incorporated Hollarback Girl. Like I said, I like this song. I also had to make some edits to make this kid friendly. I know it is rated Mature but a requested song was SexyBack and that chapter I am censoring and it still has a ways to wait before we even get there. Just wanted to explain that bit as to why the story may not have matched the rating also it is just safer this way. Well I hoped y'all have enjoyed this chapter as much as I did writing it. Until the next time. Bye. Bye for now.