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Chowder lounged on the green couch, absentmindedly flipping through the tv channels. It was a gorgeous October day, but Cait was at an away volleyball match against Brown, and couldn’t enjoy it with him. Alas, there was nothing for him to do. The team didn’t have practice today, and he was ahead with all of his assignments. Thus, he idly flipped through the tv channels, waiting for something to catch his eye.
He stopped at SportsCenter, which showcased a replay from an NHL game the night before. He winced as he watched Kent Parson of the Aces score backhanded against his beloved Sharks. It was a good goal, but he wished it wasn’t scored against his favorite team.
The front door bursting open caused Chowder to sit up. Whoever it was didn’t say anything, but the frustration was evident based on how loudly the door closed. “Oh, ah, everything okay, Bitty?” he asked as his favorite upperclassman stomped down the hall.
“Oh, Chowder!” he exclaimed, peeking his head into the living room. “Are you doing anything today?”
“Uh… not really?”
“Want to go on an adventure?” There was a manic gleam in his eye.
“...To Murder Stop-and-Shop or something?”
“Or something,” the blond agreed.
Chowder stood up and nodded enthusiastically. “Sure!” Hanging out with Bitty was better than wishing he could be texting Cait. Plus, he was 75% more likely to have first dibs on whatever Bitty decided to bake.
“Great! I’ll meet you outside in a few minutes! Wear shoes you don’t mind getting dirty.”
With no more of an explanation, Bitty turned and continued down the hall. Chowder could hear him climbing up the stairs and calling out, “Ransom? Holster?” Meanwhile, he went to the front hall closet to dig out his sneakers. Once on, he went out onto the front porch and waited for Bitty to reappear.
Alas, that was not the next teammate he saw. Instead, Nursery and Dex were both making their way towards the Haus from opposite directions. When he noticed them, he ran down the front steps and stood on the sidewalk, waiting for them to arrive.
“Did you want to hang out?” he asked Nursey once he was closer.
“Sorry, Chow. I actually came here to help Bitty with something.”
Dex scowled at Nursey’s remark. “Why can’t he accept that we aren’t going to be like Ransom and Holster or Ollie and Wicky? Not every single d-man pair needs to be best friends!” His ears were beginning to turn red, and he appeared more than ready to continue his rant.
“Bitty asked me if I wanted to go on an adventure too!” Chowder blurted out, hoping to diffuse the animosity brewing between his two best friends. “What did he text you anyways?”
“It was pretty chill,” Nursery replied with a shrug. “If you’re free right now, report to the Haus.” He spread his arms out wide. “And here I am.”
“You didn’t even ask him what we’re doing?” Dex exclaimed incredulously.
He shrugged again. “I trust him. Did you ask Bits where we’re going?”
“Of course I did! I have scheduled study groups this weekend!”
Nursery crossed his arms. “Fine then. Where are we going, oh wise one.””
“I don’t know.” Nursery opened his mouth to say something– most likely to either gloat or annoy Dex even more– but Dex continued speaking before he could start. “But Bitty promised me that we would be back before four.”
Speaking of, the blond baker exited onto the porch of the Haus. “Nursey, Dex, I’m so glad you could join us!” he told them as he made his way down the front walk.
“Is this some sort of Frog bonding event?” Dex asked.
“No. Holster and Ransom are also joining us. They’re just pulling the van around.”
“Ah, Bitty,” Chowder began. “Doesn’t Ransom have a huge exam that he’s studying for this weekend? Didn’t he ask to not be disturbed at all?”
Bitty waved an arm dismissively in the air. “Holster agreed with me that he needed a study break to prevent him from entering coral reef mode. And I promised to bake him an individual batch of those chocolate cherry brownies he loves so much. All we have to do is dedicate 15 minutes an hour to Ransom’s flashcard review.”
“So you and Holster bribed/kidnapped him to be here?” Nursery summarized.
“And where is the ‘here’ that we are going?” Dex asked.
“It’s a surprise!” Bitty exclaimed as Holster’s 10 year old silver Honda Odyssey pulled up to the curb in front of where the group stood. “Now, let’s get in and get on the road!” The Frogs obediently filed into the van once he threw the door open. Nursery and Dex went to the back, Chris sat behind Holster, who was in the driver’s seat, and Bitty took the other seat in the middle section of the van.
Holster turned around in his seat as everyone got settled. “Who’s ready for an adventure?” he boomed.
“Do you know where we’re going?” Dex asked in response.
“Of course I do!”
“Don’t listen to him. He’s a liar.” Ransom stated petulantly from the passenger seat
“Ahh, Rans, don’t be like this. You know you need to take a break.”
His face softened as he let out a deep breath, turning to face Holster. “Yeah, you’re right. But I also know you don’t know where we’re going. You would’ve started driving by now.”
Bitty was apparently all settled, as he began giving directions. “Head towards Main Street, and turn left onto Samwell Avenue.”
“Aye-aye, Bitty!” Holster agreed as he threw the van into drive and pulled away from the curb.
Bitty continued giving out directions, shouting them out over the playlist booming through the speakers. Chowder welcomed the music, as it kept Nursey and Dex from being able to argue about anything. Plus, there were some great songs.
By the time they were on I-495, Chowder had an idea of where they were heading. “Are we going apple picking again?”
“It’s too late in the season for that,” Bitty told him dismissively, too focused on typing on his phone.
“Ooh! Are we going to a pumpkin patch?” Nursey asked from the back seat. “That would be chill.”
The baker acted as if he didn’t hear the question, instead telling Holster, “Get off at the next exit and turn right.”
“Looking for a new pile of leaves to fall into?” Dex snickered behind him.
“That was one time, bro!”
“I watched you sit in a leaf pile at Lake Quad twice last week!”
“Sitting in a leaf pile is different then falling into one. I meant to be there.”
“And do what? Make friends with the local squirrel population?”
Nursey let out a huff. “What’s wrong with making friends with the local wildlife?”
Chowder turned around in his seat. “Are you hoping to have a Gandalf sighting?”
“Who’s dressing up as Gandolf and running around campus?” Dex asked. “Also, wild animals can have rabies,” he said with a roll of his eyes.
“Did you not see the Daily article last week?” Dex shook his head and Chowder practically vibrated with excitement. “There’s an albino squirrel on campus named Gandalf. He appears every so often and he was photographed last week! Everyone loves Gandalf. He’s a local celebrity!”
“Rumor has it if you see Gandalf before an exam you’ll get an A. Even if you didn’t study,” Holster chimed in from the front seat. “There’s multiple accounts of this phenomenon over the years.”
“Remember how Berger offered up his room to anyone who could get a picture of them feeding him?” Ransom reminisced.
“Too bad Coach Hall shut it down once he caught wind of it. I’m sure we would’ve found him eventually. What squirrel can resist peanut butter covered acorns?”
“Again, rabies?” Dex exclaimed.
“Chill, Poindexter.”’
“I will not chill, Nurse. If you get rabies, you die. It’s a valid concern!”
“Holster, turn left at the next stop sign,” Bitty began giving off more directions. “Then our destination should be about half a mile up the road on the left.” It was effective in stopping the fight brewing in the third row.
Chowder turned back around and recognized where they were. They were going to the same farm all the Haus residents went a few weeks ago for apple picking. “So, Bitty, what fall-tastic activity are we doing today? Is it a corn maze? Or, oh, is it a hayride?”
“I’m allergic to hay, so I hope not,” Nursey said from the back as they turned onto the gravel entrance of the farm.
“How do you know that, city boy?” Dex chirped with no heat.
“Don’t tell me you finally forgot I went to prep school outside of Boston. And we weren’t sequestered on campus 24/7. But to answer your question, I found out on a haunted hayride sophomore year.”
“Okay, no hayride for Nursey. That’s fine though, as we’re going to the pumpkin patch to pick out some pumpkins,” Bitty told the group as Holster pulled into a parking spot.
“We could’ve picked out pumpkins at any grocery store,” Dex grumbled.
“I think we’re going to have fun! I haven’t gone to a pumpkin patch in years!” Chowder exclaimed, unbuckling his seatbelt and opening up the van door. He hopped out and took a deep breath. “It’s such a nice day outside.”
Dex sighed next to him as he exited the van. “Yeah, you’re right.” He closed the door and they walked around to the other side to meet with the rest of the group.
Once they were assembled, Bitty began pacing in front of them. “I noticed today that the LAX bros have pumpkins on their front porch. And although they aren’t carved yet, I know it’s only a matter of time.” He paused and looked each of them in the eyes. “I will not have them be better than us when it comes to fall decorations. I’m sure they got their pumpkins from the pallet in front of murder Stop ‘n Shop.” He gave a full body shudder before waving his pointer finger in the air. “We will show we have the best decorations on the street, and that starts with us picking the best pumpkins directly from the source. There are six of us here today, and I expect each and every one of us to find a perfect pumpkin to be displayed and eventually carved on our porch. I hope you are up for the challenge.”
He didn’t wait for any of them to agree before striding towards the entrance of the barn. The group was quick to follow him. Bitty could speedwalk like a pro when he wanted to.
“Yo, C,” Nursey began as he fell in step with him. “Bitty wasn’t like this when you went apple picking, was he?”
“Not really. He wanted us to get certain types of apples, but he bought his own bags.”
“And I don’t remember him being this intense about fall last year,” Dex added from his other side.
Chowder couldn’t help but shrug. “I was still adjusting to college last year. I didn’t visit the Haus enough to know what everyone was doing on the weekends.”
“Maybe he’s stressed. Midterms are next week.”
“So is the beginning of the season.”
“I think the team’s pretty solid this year.”
“Yo, Bits!” Ransom exclaimed from up ahead, where they were quickly losing sight of the blond baker, “Wait up!”
By the time everyone caught up to Bitty, he had acquired a metal wagon from the collection near the entrance to the pumpkin patch. “We can all carry our own pumpkins,” Holster insisted.
“I’m happy to hear that,” he replied. “But I plan on getting a variety of pumpkins, including some sugar pumpkins for pie filling. I can’t carry half a dozen pumpkins at once. Y’all are more than welcome to use the wagon though. Now, let’s find the best pumpkins we can!”
Since it was mid-October, and thus nearing peak pumpkin-carving season, the patch was filled with families making memories. The hockey team, following Bitty’s lead, went towards the farther end of the patch, where fewer people were located. Holster and Ransom immediately peeled away to see which of them could find the biggest pumpkin they could carry. Bitty, meanwhile, was looking at something on his phone and smiling softly. Maybe Beyonce posted a new video to Instagram.
Chris wasn’t going to wait for his two best friends to start bickering. He started walking down one of the rows and waved for Nursey and Dex to follow him, which they did. Once they were out of Bitty’s earshot, he asked, “What kind of pumpkin are you looking for?”
Nursey shrugged and placed his hands in his pockets. “I have no clue. I don’t even know what I want to carve on mine.”
“You don’t have to know what design you’re doing to pick out a pumpkin!” Dex exclaimed with a roll of his eyes.
“Ch’yeah, I do. What if I want a vertical design? Then I can’t choose a stout pumpkin.”
“Oh, I didn’t even think of that!” Chris said, hoping to mitigate the fighting. Nursey did bring up a good point.
“I’m going to cut a face into the pumpkin and call it a day.”
“Don’t tell me you do a basic and boring triangle eyes jack-o-lantern.”
“And so what if I do?” Dex crossed his arms over his chest. “There’s nothing wrong with the classics.”
“Of course not!” Chris was quick to agree.
“I just thought you would do something epic since you're so good with your tools.”
“Are you seriously making dick jokes right now?” Dex asked Nursey incredulously.
“No! I just meant you’re good with your hands!”
“Still not helping.”
“You have a lot of dexterity… Haha Dex, dexterity, get it?” Dex didn’t look amused at Nursey’s new joke. “I’ve seen you use a pocketknife before. I think you could do a really intricate design and do it well if you wanted to.”
“Oh…” Dex stared down at the ground as his ears turned red. “Thanks, I guess. I’m going to stick with triangle eyes though.”
“Well, I don’t know what design I want to carve in mine, but I do know I want to get the roundest pumpkin I can find!” Chowder declared, stepping farther into the patch.
“You know that statistically one side is likely to be flat due to how pumpkins grow,” Dex called out from behind him.
“Yeah, I do, but I don’t care.”
“I think I want a tall one with a flat side,” Nursey declared to his right. “It’ll make it easier to carve.”
Chris bent down to inspect a pumpkin. Pushing aside the browning vine, he found the perfect pumpkin. He picked it up from the ground and held it in his arms. The was a good size, and he slowly turned it around to make sure there were no blemishes. The best part, of course, was that it was as round as it was tall, with a short stalk. It would be cute with a cat face carved into it. Or maybe a bat with fangs so it can be a vampire! He’d have to text Cait after her game to get her opinion.
“Hey, Chowder,” Nursey called from the next row over, “have you seen any pumpkins that have a bit of green on them?”
“No, not yet. Why?”
“I have an idea.”
“I thought Bitty wanted perfect pumpkins.”
Nursey waved off his concern. “If he doesn't like it, then it can live on the back steps.”
Chris walked over to him carefully. He didn’t want to drop his pumpkin. “Why do you want a green pumpkin?”
“One word: Elphaba.”
“Who?”
“Defying Gravity.”
“You want to launch it off the reading room or something?”
“What? No!” Nursey shook his head forlornly. “That’s the Wicked Witch of the West’s name. You know, from the musical Wicked.”
“I thought she was from the Wizard of Oz?”
“Chowder, you don’t know Wicked?” Dex approached them, carrying his own pumpkin.
“How do you know Wicked?” Nursey questioned his d-man.
“I have three younger sisters. Annie does theater and loves musicals. Dylan and I got her tickets to a local theater performance in Portland for her birthday last year. I thought she was going to faint on the spot.”
“That’s chill,” he said with a shrug. “Nice pumpkin,” he told Dex. It was tall and had a long stalk that curled towards the left.
“Thanks.”
Nursey turned towards him. “I forgot you don’t appreciate musicals.”
“I’m sure Holster would love to hear your grand vision for your green pumpkin,” Chris told him with a smile. “...Or Dex.”
The man in question shook his head. “Holster cannot find out that I know what Wicked is. I don’t need to be dragged into his next sing-a-long.”
Chris let out a laugh. “You can explain the importance to me as we search for your green sided pumpkin.”
“Deal.”