Sweet Apple Acres, home of family, family values, apple goods and friendship. Usually, the orchards and the people who live on (and own) the land give off a nice and calm atmosphere. The Apple Family, the owners, are some for the most honest, kind and sincere people one would ever meet. But behind closed doors, things aren’t always as they appear.
The family loves to be competitive with each other. At times, their competitiveness can get a bit heated. So heated, one would have to exit the home for a few moments so they don’t do something they would regret.
Lately, it’s been the middle Apple sibling, Applejack, often leaving the house to cool off for the past several weeks. Her older brother and younger sister have been driving her up a wall as of late. Their competitiveness and bragging are driving her to the point of insanity. Constantly hearing them boast is very annoying to the farm girl. By this point, she would rather talk about that trainwreck of an election. To her, that seems to be a more favorable topic to discuss.
Right now, Applejack is putting some clothing away in her dresser. Letting out a somewhat defeated sigh, she pats the dresser and leaves her room. Feeling she could go for a glass of apple cider (nonalcoholic), she makes her way to the refrigerator in the kitchen. Arriving to her destination, she takes the cider out and puts it on the counter. She then opens a cabinet and grabs a nice sized glass.
She unscrews the cap of the cider jug and pours its contents into the glass. She places the jug back on the counter and brings the glass to her lips, letting the cool liquid move down her throat. “Ahh,” she says as she brings the glass away from her lips. “That’s some darn good cider there.”
“Hey AJ,” a male voice says, him entering the kitchen and opening the snack drawer. The one in question is the eldest Apple sibling, Big Mac.
“Howdy there Mac,” Applejack says, not super pleased to see him. Big Mac, as of late, has loved boasting to Applejack. Her being miffed is practically music to his ears. In fact, half the reason he came into the kitchen is to push her buttons.
“We dem b-”
“Don’t say it!” Applejack exclaims, slamming her glass on the counter. “Don’t, you dare say it.” Her tone is almost deadly. So deadly, she sounds like she is on the verge of homicide. All Big Mac does is raise a hand with a smug grin on his face.
“...boys,” a younger, female voice says at the other end of the room. The two turn to see Applebloom, both having different expressions. Big Mac has pride written on his face and Applejack looks like she is ready to murder someone. “Sorry AJ,” the youngest Apple says with fake innocence as she walks up to her big brother and high fives him.
“So how’s you’re Texans holding up without Watt?” Big Mac asks in a teasing manner.
“Mac, I am this close to my lid flying off.” Applejack brings her hand closer to her face, index finger and thumb just a millimeter apart from each other. “We’re, at least, at the top of our division, and we’re in the wild card. Even without Watt, we’re doing alright.”
“But are you one of the top three teams in the nation?” Applebloom asks, smug. “And we’re thirteen to three, with rookies, might I add.”
“Just wait, Dak is gonna choke, and it’ll be big. And, you have to remember, if something happens to Dak, you’ll have Sir Choke-alot and Mr. Butt-fumble to back you up.”
“You’ve been sayin’ that all year,” Big Mac points out, “and it has yet to happen.”
“Oh, it’s gonna happen,” Applejack retorts with confidence, folding her arms. “Just you wait.”
“Sure Jan.”
For the life of Applejack, she can not fall asleep. She’s all cozy in bed, comfortable sleepwear is on, but her brain doesn’t want to shut down for the night.
What’s keeping the farm girl up is the conversation she shared with her siblings earlier. Her prediction is repeating in her head over and over again: “Dak is going to choke. Dak is going to choke.” But the more she says it and thinks about it, the less she believes it.
Is Dak Prescott capable of choking like Tony Romo? Will Dallas end up in the Super Bowl?
To Applejack, it’s looking likely that Dak won’t choke and the Cowboys will go to the Super Bowl. She doesn’t like it.
Groaning, she tosses in bed, emotions and some distress raising. Her team is going against the Patriots in this next step of the playoff season. Though cheaters, Applejack can’t deny that the Pat’s are a great team. Almost superior even. This feeling, knowing she may loose, feels like a dagger in her heart, it upsets her immensely.
Looking over her shoulder, she looks back at her dresser, remembering what she put away earlier. Something is drawing her to it, but what that something is, she doesn’t know.
Throwing the covers off her, she gets out of bed and walks over to the dresser. She places a hand on a middle drawer and somberly looks at it. Taking a breath, she opens it up and pulls out an article of clothing, looking at it with some remorse.
The clothing in question is, in fact, a blue Texans, JJ Watt jersey. Feeling sadness fill up inside her and needing some comfort, she brings the jersey close to her, almost hugging the article of clothing.
“Please...I pray for something,” Applejack whispers. “Please, just something to shut up Big Mac and Applebloom.”
Sitting in front of the TV, Applejack sighs in despair and defeat. There, on the TV, the final score reads thirty-four to sixteen, Patriots. Her Texans lost. They’re out of the playoffs.
“Man…” Applejack whispers. She looks down at her Watt jersey and wraps her arms around herself, having the fabric balled in her fists, despair rising. “Next season...next season,” she tells herself, trying to subside these negative feelings.
But she is aware of what’s to come: getting an earful of bragging from Big Mac and Applebloom. The best thing now is to just go outside now and just avoid them. If she avoids any conversation now, she doesn't have to risk murdering someone.
Getting off the sofa, she beelines for the front door that leads to the outside.
“Hey AJ,” she hears Big Mac call from the other side of the house. He sounds like he’s ready to rub in the Texans loss in Applejack’s face, and she isn’t having it.
Applejack quickens her pace and exits her home, stepping outside into the cool night. She wants to put some distance between herself and her brother, so she heads to the orchards for some quiet time to herself.
Not taking too long to get there and seeing that she’s well deep in the orchard, she stops walking and sits down in front of a tree, leaning back against it.
Taking a deep breath, she brings her hands together and looks up at the sky. “Dear lord,” she prays, “give me the strength to deal with my siblings. I’ve been a good girl, I pray for some help. Heck, maybe have Dallas lose tomorrow, just so they know my pain. Please. Amen.” She puts her hands down by her side and lets out an exhale. She doubts anything would help her situation, but a little prayer is some consolation for her.
This has been, by far, one of the most intense games of football the Apple family has seen. So much passion and energy from Dallas and Green Bay, players and fans alike. The Apple siblings are at the edge of their seats, watching with anticipation. Applejack hates to say it, but the Cowboys are putting up one heck of a fight against Green Bay.
There’s a couple seconds left in the game. Cowboys and Packers are tied at thirty one points. Green Bay is going for a field goal attempt at the fifty one yard line. Applebloom and Big Mac have so many emotions running through them: frustration, stress, hope and worry, just to name a few. They want them to miss so bad so that way, there’s a chance to go into overtime and try to win this thing.
Applejack, on the other hand, wants this field goal more than anything. That way, the game is over and Dallas loses. She also wants this win so she can rub it in her siblings faces, payback for how they’ve been treating her this football season.
On the television, the three see the kicker, ready to make or break this game. “Here we go,” AJ whispers.
The ball is snapped and is put in the placers hand. Quickly, he vertically places the ball on the ground and the kicker, with as much might as he could, kicks the pigskin off the ground. The ball goes high in the air, leaning to the left a little.
“It’s good!” AJ shouts.
“It’s not!” the other two shout.
“It is!”
“It isn’t!”
“IT’S GOOD! PACKERS WIN!!” the TV announcer shouts with excitement.
“NO!!” Big Mac and Applebloom shout in despair and defeat, cupping their hands over their faces and falling off the couch.
“YES!!” the farm girl proclaims, jumping out of her seat with a fist in the air. “YES! YES! YES! WHO DEM BOYZ NOW!?!” She points to her brother and sister, feeling high and mighty, relishing the the fact that they feel pathetic for talking all that crap. “Thinking Dak and Zeke will give you a ring. HA! ALL HAIL AARON RODGERS!!” She points her index finger up and extends her thumb, hand looking like an L. “Here guys,” she says, extending her hand, “hold this L.”
“Oh shove it,” Bic Mac mumbles through sobs, miffed beyond belief. Applejack didn’t even hear her brother’s response, she’s too busy celebrating the Cowboy’s defeat.
The farm girl rushes outside, almost bursting through the front door, and shouts to the night sky, pounding her chest: “PACKERS NATION BABY!!” Never before has she felt so happy. All thanks to Aaron Rodgers and his team.
In the midst of her celebrating, she feels something vibrating in her back pocket. Her phone must be receiving a text message. She pull the device out and sees a text from Rainbow Dash, it reading: “Some game, huh?” Applejack is quick to reply.
“You know it. I’m enjoying every last moment of it. My siblings can suck it! PACKERS NATION!” She sends the message and is met with quick reply.
“LOL. Next week, they’re against my Falcons. You gonna be rooting for Matt Ryan, or stick with A. Rod?” Applejack doesn’t even need to think about this one.
“Rodgers all the way. But I’m gonna wager that my siblings will be bandwagoning you’re team since they want Rodgers to go down more than anything by now.”
“That’s pretty likely. Ulg...support from Cowboys fans.” After that message has been sent, Rainbow shoots another one. “AFC, who you got?” Once again, AJ doesn’t hesitate for her response.
“Big Ben. No way, no how, I’m rooting for Tom ‘Cheater’ Brady.”
“Rofl. Well, good win for the Packers tonight. Gonna head to bed. ‘Night AJ.”
“G’night dash.” With that AJ, locks her phone and puts it back in her back pocket. Sighing contently, she looks up at the night sky and mouths: “Thank you”. Applejack can now rest easy. Jerry Jones and his dumb Cowgirls are not advancing and that brings a huge amount of joy to Applejack.