Feeling defeated and resigning to the idea that maybe she was coming down with something, Poppy fell into bed after taking some medicine to combat her fatigue. Only seconds passed before her snores filled the small bedroom.

Poppy’s body slowly slipped further into the lukewarm bath water, her head sinking below the bubbles. Penny, who always kept a watchful eye on her beloved owner, yipped and barked in alarm until finally Poppy sprang up out of the water, gasping for air.

She scrubbed her body until her skin was on fire and soaked in an oatmeal bath to ease her discomfort. The rash did disappear, but her frantic scrubbing only left her feeling more drained.

As nice as her newfound independence was treating her — outside of the inconsistent unemployment — Poppy couldn’t shake the feeling that something else was wrong. She nearly cried when she woke up to a mysterious rash all over her body one morning!

Plus, Poppy and Finn have been doing better than ever! While they may not live together, Finn spends more time at Poppy’s apartment than he does at his own home. He is her peace.

Despite the job situation and the Marci drama, Poppy was feeling lucky that things were looking up from her rough high school experience. Now she could lounge around in her towel, watch trashy television, and eat ramen noodles whenever she wanted!

However, some of the jobs she took on proved to be harder than she’d expected. She blamed it on just feeling down and distracted from the Marci drama, because the alternative - the thought that had threatened to plague her mind since graduation - was much, much worse.

But with independence comes plenty of responsibility and pressure. Unable to find a full-time job right away, Poppy started doing odd jobs to try and save up some money for college! She’d decided if she could afford it by the time the fall semester started, that was her sign she belonged there.

And then of course, we’ve got Poppy, who’s also moved out of her parents’ home! Instead of moving in with Finn, however, she decided to find her own apartment in Newcrest so she can finally have a little independence!

Over in Brindleton Bay, Georgia and Isabella have rented a house and adopted a cat named Lemon! While Georgia sorts out her next move regarding university, she’s started working for a conservation foundation, and Isabella joined the military!

Meanwhile, Crew joined the school’s Computer Team summer program, which helps him hone his programming skills. At home, he spends hours playing video games and hopes to start streaming soon… if only he could convince his parents to get him a nicer PC.

Coral has been hard at work during the summer months, earning enough badges to move up in the ranks in Scouts! With her free time in the mornings, she helps her parents out at The Hive.

Yall… my bad for only posting once 😂 I decided to go be social and completely forgot lol I’ll post more tomorrow!

Aaand cue the time jump! It’s the middle of summer and there have been some big changes for the Kirbys! Starting off with Cam and Tatum — they bit the bullet and bought a new lot to grow their business, now rebranded as The Hive!

The Kirby feed has been updated! New posts coming your way later today❣️

Tay 💟@thehungrysimmer.bsky.social · 2y ago

The Kirby Legacy 🩵

Goooood morning, beautiful people 🩵

Almost too late, but I didn't really find anything I wanted to do today until @simmerianne93.bsky.social released her pride pack! Happy pride from all my boys!

Congratulations to the Class of 2026!

High school may have been hell for Poppy, but as she looked out and saw all her family rooting for her and Georgia, a feeling of hope rose up within her. Everything would work out how she wanted if she just kept a positive mindset. She refused to let her fear win out.

As their names were announced, the graduates rose from their seats and lined up on the stage to the sound of thunderous applause and enthusiastic cheering.

“Without further ado, it is my honor to recognize these remarkable students for all they have accomplished and will strive for in the future,” Principal Ginger said before reading each graduate’s name.

“Yes, success can look like an athlete winning a championship game. It can look like a student earning a grade higher than a C for the first time. But it can also look like a couple raising a loving family or it can look like someone who’s so tired, and yet finds a way to keep pushing.”

“However,” Principal Ginger continued, “these endeavors are not only academic or professional. I have no doubt that each of these graduates will succeed in all that they pursue.” He glanced at Poppy. “That’s the thing about success — it looks different for everyone.”

A short while later, families, friends, and soon-to-be graduates were seated in the school auditorium. “Today is a celebration of not only an incredible milestone, but the qualities needed in order to succeed in future endeavors — hard work, perseverance, and growth.”

The words tasted awful as they left Poppy’s mouth, but at this point it was better than admitting what was really going on to Marci. Poppy couldn’t stand to see the pained look in her eyes, so she brushed past Marci, leaving her alone in the bathroom, fighting her own tears.

“Why does it feel like you’re only here for me when something goes wrong? Do you pity me or something?” Poppy snapped. “I’m fine, Marci. It’s just nerves. Maybe if you stopped worrying so much about me, you’d have other friends. Don’t pin your loneliness on me.”

“I know we haven’t talked much lately,” Marci rambled on in response to Poppy’s silence. “Things seem to be going really great with Finn now, and I’m happy for you. But I do miss you. Both of you. Maybe we can hang out after the ceremony? Talk things over? I want to be here for you.”

“Pop?” Fighting off the nausea that had tormented her for weeks now, Poppy turned her back on the familiar voice’s owner. Tears slid down Poppy’s cheeks as her friend tried again. “Poppy, what’s wrong? Whatever it is, we can figure it out,” Marci assured her. “We always do.”

The door closed behind Poppy, reducing the buzzing chatter outside to a low murmur. It didn’t matter though. All she could hear was the thud-thud-thud of her heart in her ears; all she could feel was a prickling heat erupting across her body. ‘This can’t be real…’ she thought.

As Poppy hurried into the restroom, Marci noticed the panicked expression on her face. She hadn’t seen much of Poppy in the last few weeks, not since things had improved between her and Finn. She was happy for them, but felt a bit isolated. Maybe this was her chance to reignite their friendship.