From: porcelinaofvast	Date: June 13th, 2011 03:13 am (UTC)		(Link)

Despite her undeniable interest in the world of healing, Tatum had only ever been to St Dymphna’s twice. Once to get her own wisdom teeth out, and the second time when Sera had cut her ankle open while they were swimming last year. They had both been too young to use magic off campus at the time, and she felt just as nervous in the parking lot tonight as she had on that afternoon. Granted, her sister wasn't bleeding beside her, but Mack was curled up in that seat and trembling beside her, and that was just as worrying.

She hoped that Mackenzie's family would be there, that they would band together and handle this. She could stand aside and wring her hands until Mack needed her again. Maybe she'd sit outside of the room and stare at the vending machines or something. Was she going to have to see the dead body? Or did they collect that already? She was probably going to have to get used to dead bodies if she was going to be working in a hospital, but this was different. It was too weird.

She had never formally met Craig, and she didn't think she wanted to see him just.. laying there. It would be hard enough to meet anyone else living who was around.

The redhead's brain had no idea how to prepare her, or even dream up what could be waiting. She'd just have to roll with it, and listen to Sera's advice; try to be helpful, do whatever Mack needed. If the blonde said jump right then, Tatum almost assuredly would have asked 'how high?' without hesitation.

"No problem babe," she replied easily, glancing at her friend. The pet names were slipping out between them more and more, from both directions. It was just something else that scared her with how it just.. happened. "Not my thing, but I'll survive," she added, her eyes going wide for a moment and regretting the choice of words as soon as she said them. That was so bad. This was why she couldn't be in high pressure situations like that. What if she had let something dumb like that slip in front of Mack's mother? Or her sister? Oh god.

She slumped back into the seat further, still holding her latte in one hand and smoking a joint quickly in the other, trying to finish it off so they could go inside already. She had some body spray tucked into the pocket of her jeans, she'd at least try to cover up the stench. Sera had told her not to get high before this, but it was too much pressure to be sober. It would loosen her up, and distract her from all of the craziness. She had been using it for just that purpose for years, and especially in the last week.

She couldn't really think of a time when she hadn't been rolling up or actively smoking since the break up. Being permanently fried made things a lot less traumatic.

"Y-You can do this," she assured Mack quickly, head tilting to look at her more closely. She felt a little nauseous herself, wondering what was going to happen tonight. Especially when Hunter showed up, as Mack had said she might. Tatum wasn't sure she was really strong enough to keep them from killing each other. She needed to at least be strong enough to hold Mack back from ripping Hunter's arm off and beating her with the wet end.

She was a little peeved at the blonde herself, but she knew Mack would regret getting kicked out of the hospital if something transpired. She'd just have to beat Hunter's ass on school property instead.

Reaching over to put her drink down, she laid her free hand onto Mack's closest shoulder, squeezing. "I'll be with you every step, okay? It's me and you, lady."

	From: notonyourteam	Date: June 13th, 2011 07:06 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Mack couldn’t help but smile slightly at the use of the pet name, they had become more and more frequent lately. She liked it a lot, it made her heart skip a beat and her stomach flutter. Right now it was the most comforting thing she had ever heard, and as the redhead reassured her that she was here for her even if it wasn’t her first choice of Friday night entertainment helped tone down the feeling of panic in her chest. Just hearing the redhead’s voice helped, in the end they could just go back to the parking lot at CCI and curl up. She wouldn’t have to say anything if she didn’t want to, and if she did the girl would be there to listen quietly. It went a long way in her book to have anyone who was willing to stick around and deal with the disaster that was her family. She’d have to remember to thank Tatum profusely later when things had blown over.

She heard the redhead shifting in her seat and jumped slightly as the girl squeezed her shoulder. She was all kinds of jittery, but relaxed into the girl’s touch after her initial shock had worn off. Tatum believed she could do this, it was worth more than all the money in the world to hear that from the redhead. She uncurled slowly from the ball that she had been in and smiled weakly at the other girl.

“Us against the world, right?” she asked, reaching up and squeezing the girl’s hand, pulling it gently from her shoulder and tangling their fingers together as she waited for Tatum to finish her joint. She knew getting out of the car was going to be a problem, now that she had her lifeline, she really didn’t want to detach from it. Maybe she would just climb over the center consol and go out Tatum’s door. That sounded like a good plan.

She felt warmer already, with the redhead's reassurance and the girl's hand in hers. She had stopped shaking, although she still felt a little weak. She ran her thumb over the back of Tatum's hand absentmindedly as she composed herself. She took a deep breath and glanced over at Tatum.

“I’m ready when you are,” She said, her grip tightening slightly on the girl’s hand unintentionally. She was worried, worried about the state of her mother, worried about what would happen next, worried about Hunter showing up. She knew that it would comfort her mother immensely to see the tall blonde girl, and in all honesty Hunter was pretty much one of the family. She was still livid with the bitch though, and wasn’t sure if she could control her anger if Hunter decided to be a dick about the whole thing. “Or, I guess as ready as I’ll ever be.”

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: June 14th, 2011 03:40 am (UTC)		(Link)

"Us against the world," Tatum confirmed, smiling slowly as her hand was taken, and she gave Mackenzie a reassuring squeeze back. It was all she could really offer to her friend, a little smile and some confidence. She didn't have anything else for her, even on a good day, which this certainly wasn't. They were both so emotionally drained, and while sleeping in the car was safe, it was a bit cramped. They were in no shape to take on a night like this, but they would just have to make due.

She took another hit from the joint, turning her head to exhale, and letting Mack's thumb rub over her hand, absently calming her down and giving her back some of the confidence she had been giving away. Despite what she told her friend, she was most worried about herself. She couldn't fuck this up, she had to just chill out and do whatever Mack needed.

"I'm ready," she agreed soon enough, rolling the window down half way and throwing the roach out into the parking lot before rolling it up tight again and glancing at Mack. She looked like hell, and Tatum wished she could do more. Her own mother had died, but long before she had a chance to even know her. Craig was only Mack's step-father, but she knew there was more there than the blonde let on. This was hurting her, and Tatum was having a hard time ignoring that fact, even if Mack was.

She glanced out of the window, as if expecting to see Hunter's truck roaring up behind them. The parking lot was gigantic, maybe she was even already here. That brought her worries about a fist fight to the front of her mind. They were going to kill each other if Hunter gave Mackenzie even the slightest prodding, and Tatum knew it. Sighing a little, she unbuckled and gently pulled her hand back from Mack's, picking up her latte from the cup holder instead and holding it in both hands.

"Just like.. t-tell me if I'm acting retarded. Or like, if you n-need something. I can go get stuff!" she suggested weakly. That was what Sera had told her to do, but it sounded sort of dumb out loud. What was she going to get for them? You really couldn't do much about a dead dad.

	From: notonyourteam	Date: June 14th, 2011 04:40 am (UTC)		(Link)

She was sad to see the redhead’s hand go, her own hand growing instantly cold in its absence. She chewed on her lip again, her fingers tapping anxiously on the steering wheel before pulling the keys out of the ignition. It was time to go, time to face the music, she couldn’t really stall any longer. She rested her hand on the door handle, and glanced over at Tatum. It was kind of nice to know that she was at a loss for what to do as much as the blonde was.

“Just, hold my hand for a while, okay?” She said quietly, not looking the girl in the eye. “And don’t listen to my mother, whatever she says. She’s…unstable on good days, and I’m sure she’s going to be a handful tonight. Just…don’t take anything she says to heart.” She was worried about what Kate would say about Tatum, she wouldn’t give up or hide any part of their relationship from the woman. She would hold Tatum’s hand because it would keep her calm, and she would act how she normally acted. Kate would just have to deal with it. “You’ve already done a lot by agreeing to come with me,” She said smiling at the redhead reassuringly. “You’re doing fine, okay? You’ve done everything right so far. Kia is excited to see you by the way, don’t know why. But she sounded happy to hear that you were coming with.”

Or as about has happy as someone could be when they lost a parent, Kia had been in and out of the hospital the last few days as Craig’s health had gotten steadily worse. Being a mediwitch had it’s advantages like that, they were always transferring files between hospital’s anyway. She had sounded very stoic on the phone, Mackenzie was sure that she knew that Craig wasn’t going to make it long before he had actually passed. She had a suspicion that her sister was just happy that the two of them were back on speaking terms, she had filled her in briefly on what had transpired but not in full detail. Kia knew how important Tatum was to the blonde and she also was thankful that Mackenzie had someone like that to look out for her at school.

Opening the door, she hopped out of the Rover, circling around to the passenger side to wait for Tatum to join her. She scanned the parking lot, wondering if Hunter had already made it here. Part of her hoped that the girl had, she knew that Jessica was the favorite daughter and she always seemed to distract Kate from whatever was making her sad. Then again, she always did stuff to get under the shorter blonde’s skin and she was already under her skin. For everyone’s sake, she had to try and keep her temper tonight, something that she was awful at. She would do it for Craig though, his only wish in marrying into their messed up family was that they all try to appreciate each other and not take their love for granted.

She felt another jerk of nausea thinking about her step-dad again, he had been a really great guy. Always patient with Kate, kind and supportive to Mackenzie and stable for Kia. What was going to happen to their family now that he was gone? It was going to be hard, it was going to be different, and Mackenzie wasn’t sure how long it would take them to get it right, if the every got it right.

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: June 14th, 2011 12:42 pm (UTC)		(Link)

It was sort of a heavy warning, but it had been what Tatum expected, and she nodded her head obediently. There had to be a reason that Mack had kept her away from her mother, after all of the time they had been friends. She had no problem letting her meet Kia, but their mother had always been an off-limits thing. Tatum didn't even really ask about it. She knew the blonde had her reasons, and clearly what her mother thought about her life-choices were at least part of those reasons. She wasn't particularly thick-skinned, and hoped Kate wouldn't say anything too harsh to her, not this week. But she would deal either way.

She could just find a bathroom or something if she needed to cry. It wouldn't be the first stall she had ever locked herself in. "I can do that," the redhead agreed slowly. She would hold Mack's hand and be there for her, because it was what any best friend would do. The fact that her palms were a bit sweaty, and her heart was hammering in her chest, was entirely her own fault. She had to get over herself. Everything would be fine, and then they'd go back to the car, and maybe just lay around in silence. But it would still somehow be contenting enough to keep them there, and keep them wanting to be there. Even when they didn't talk, Tatum felt better beside her.

Despite herself, she perked up a bit at the mention of Kia, smiling nervously. "Uhm, really? She is?" she asked. She hoped that the older blonde didn't know the whole story of the last couple of weeks, but she had a feeling that she just might. She could only hope she wasn't going to get a scolding or something, but Kia didn't seem the type. It was hopefully only something good, sounding happy was a good sign.

Tatum climbed out a few moments after Mack did, carefully balancing her drink and trying not to spill any of it. She had removed the lid to cool it off, but had barely drank very much of it at all. She just wasn't that thirsty, and warm drinks did nothing to provide any kind of comfort for what they were dealing with. It just wasn't enough. Making her way around to the back of the Rover to meet the older girl, she offered out her free hand immediately, waiting to Mackenzie to take it and lead her inside.

	From: notonyourteam	Date: June 14th, 2011 07:30 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Smiling in thanks at Tatum, she grabbed her hand, tangling their fingers together quickly and giving it a squeeze. Leading the girl across the parking she continued to scan the parked cars for Hunter’s truck, she still hadn’t seen it when they emerged into the drop off zone at the front of the hospital. She wasn’t sure if she felt relieved or upset by this, granted they had parked on the first floor out of seven. There could have been a ton of different places the taller blonde could have left her car. She wouldn’t have even put it past Hunter to just drive it through the emergency room doors and hop right out. She’d probably even toss the keys to one of the trauma nurses and tell them if they scratched it, they were dead.

“Yeah, Kia’s weird sometimes,” Mackenzie said, finally answering the redhead as they waited for the cars to clear from the drop off zone. It had been one of the first questions that Kia had asked after telling Mack about Craig. The first was, when will you be here? And the second was, Is Tatum coming with you? She had told her sister about Leon’s journal, told her how they had been staying in Tatum’s car, she knew pretty much everything, even if it wasn’t in detail. “Kia likes to be a big sister I guess, I’m sure she’s just glad you’re here to keep me in check. It means she can focus more on keeping Mom in check, and taking care of all the necessary motions. Lower body count at the end of this lovely family reunion.”

She tugged at Tatum’s arm in indication that it was time to cross and lead the girl to the glass sliding doors of the hospital once she had deemed it safe, she took a deep breath and walked into the hospital’s waiting room. Mackenzie looked around the waiting room, biting her lip nervously, she half expected Kate to pop out of no where and throw herself on the blonde, sobbing. She wrinkled up her nose, it smelled like sanitizers and flaky skin, the air was dry and there was a slight undertone of death. God did Mackenzie hate hospitals, she could feel her skin crawling a little as she pulled Tatum along behind her, wandering further into the waiting room.

After confirming that there were no family members waiting to accost her, she shuffled up to the main desk, clinging to Tatum’s hand. The stark whiteness of the desk’s design was making her anxious, she was afraid that if she touched it, she might leave dirty finger prints. The older nurse behind the counter greeted the two of them, eyes flicking down to their conjoined hands for a brief moment before looking back up at their faces. “What can I help you girl’s with?” She asked, her tone just as sterile and stark as the hospital.

“Um…I’m here for Craig Peterson,” Mackenzie said, a slight scowl on her face. She didn’t like the way that this lady was eyeing the two of them, maybe she was worried they might leave handprints on the desk as well. “I’m his daughter.”

“I see,” The woman said, typing something into her computer and scanning the screen until she found what she wanted. “Room 278, take a left once you get off the elevator and the room should be down the hall on the right.”

Mackenzie just nodded and pulled Tatum towards the elevator, she was already starting to get irritable and they hadn’t even encountered Kate yet. Once they had reached the correct floor, she stepped out of the elevator and looked down the hallway frowning. This was actually happening, she wondered if Craig’s dead body was still in the room. She opened her mouth, wanting to ask the redhead, maybe she would know something about hospitals, since she wanted to be a mediwitch and all. Tatum would most likely get anxious though trying to answer her question and she didn’t wan to freak the girl out more than she already was, so she thought better of it, closing her mouth and continuing down the hallway. As they neared the room, she saw two very familiar looking gentlemen having a quiet conversation outside of a closed door.

	From: notonyourteam	Date: June 14th, 2011 07:30 pm (UTC)		(Link)

“Alex? Roger?” She asked, a small smile on her face now. She was glad to see that her step-brothers’, they hadn’t seen each other since Christmas. She lead Tatum over to the two men, never letting go of the girl’s hand, even as they both hugged her in turn. “I’m so glad to see you guys,” She said quietly, stepping back to stand beside the redheaded girl.

“It’s good to see you too little sister,” Alex said, smiling sadly at the blonde. “I just wish it was under happier circumstances.”

Roger nodded silently in agreement, Mackenzie could tell that the younger brother had been crying. There was a little bit of red around his eyes and he looked like he hadn’t slept much. He shook her head at her when he saw her staring, as if warning her not to ask.

“Kia is with mom right now,” He said, clearing his throat, tilting his chin in indication towards the door. “Along with that crazy tall bitch, what was her name? Jessica? Kate practically had a hernia when she showed up. I had no idea our mom was southern.”

Mack just rolled her eyes, and clenched her free hand into a fist, at least that solved one of her unanswered questions. Hunter was probably all over her mother right now, and her sister for that matter. The idea of it was causing her to grind her teeth angrily. She wanted to tell the both of them off for allowing her in there without proper supervision when Alex interrupted her rage.

“Uh…Mack? Would you mind introducing us to the lovely lady whose hand you’re currently crushing?” He asked, smiling kindly at the two of them. Roger stifled a small laugh at the completely bewildered look on his step-sister’s face. “I’m sorry, she can be a bit rude at times, as I’m sure you know. I’m Alex, her older brother. This is Roger, also her older brother.”

“Now you tell us who she is Mack,” Roger said, winking at the blonde girl.

“Fuck off,” She pouted, rubbing the redhead’s hand gently in apology for gripping it so hard. “This is my best friend Tatum Donnelly, Tatum, meet my asshole step-brothers. Who decided to end my state of calm control by leaving Jessica alone with Kate.”

Both men just smirked at each other as she said the phrase “best friend” and both looked towards their joined hands. But neither of them said anything, they had no idea about the daytime drama of their sister’s life but the did know their sister. They also knew what it looked like when she was head over heels for a girl, they had each known Abigail back in the day.

“It’s a pleasure Tatum, thank you for bringing our dear sister to the hospital,” Alex said, completely ignoring Mackenzie’s complaints about Kate. He extended a hand to the redhead, winking at her in a silly way. He felt slightly bad that his sister had decided to expose the girl to their family, they were a different kind of family to be sure. They all loved each other though, even if Mack would never admit to it, and they were all close in their own way. He was sure that this girl must be something special for his sister to want to bring her around them.

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: June 17th, 2011 03:01 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Tatum squeezed Mack's hand right back, just looking a little timid as she crossing the parking garage with the older girl. She shrugged off the comment about Kia, following Mack's glance and once again beginning to worry about her running into Hunter. She knew the two would probably make up in the end, she didn't think Mackenzie stood a chance of getting by without Hunter as much as she drove hr crazy, but she didn't know how violent it would have to get before her friend would be willing to let things go for good.

She actually felt a little bit better inside of the hospital, the seemingly canned air smell of staleness and sanitized surfaces. It was clean and stale, and she didn't have any complaints. People around her had always been weirded out by hospitals, but she was weirded out by things a lot worse than that. Hospitals were for healing. When Mackenzie spoke to the receptionist, Tatum kept totally silent, staring down at her sneakers as if they were the interesting thing in the whole room.

Looking up just long enough to catch the slightest weird look they were getting, Tatum almost groaned but held herself back, just biting her lip and staring down even harder at her kicks. She was extremely glad when they got their information and were able to go, feeling the grip that panic had on her beginning to loosen. She actually felt like she could breathe again, and she simply gave her friend's hand another gentle squeeze as they got onto the elevators.

Of all of the things to be afraid of in hospitals, she thought elevators were it. They were more dangerous than a few weird smells and a stark whiteness. Elevators could like, cut you in half and shit. Hadn't any ever seen that first Resident Evil movie? Campy as it had been.

Relieved once they were able to off on the correct floor, which it had seemed to take ten years to get to, Tatum was relaxed until they got close enough to notice two people standing outside. She tensed up despite herself for a moment, but quickly instructed herself to just calm down. She saw the hint of a smile on Mack's face, and that brought her more comfort. It was good people, someone to actually be excited over. She had a feeling when she had to meet Mackenzie's mother, the smile wouldn't be present like it was now. That would be the time to tense up and maybe shut down, if it came to that. She still hadn't written off the possibility of having to go and break down in the washroom if it was a particularly harsh night.

Tatum stood obediently, managing a nervous little smile of her own as Mack hugged her brothers. She only half-listened to what they said to each other, caught between wanting to be there for the blonde and feeling a bit like she was eavesdropping or something. She didn't really know Craig at all, and these were his sons, and the rest of his family would presumably be along. She didn't really belong her, but she wanted to be for Mack, and she squeezed the blonde's hand a bit when her brother mentioned Hunter being in the room.

It was hard not to crack a smile at the southern comment. She knew how much it got under Mackenzie's skin when Hunter was around her mother, let alone influencing her. She really hoped this wasn't going to turn ito a full out brawl. She rubbed her thumb over the top of Mack's hand absently, trying to comfort her, when she realized that Alex was talking about her. The redhead's face immediately flushed and she fought the urge to take a step back and hide behind Mackenzie. It was definitely a hard action to push down, especially with how high she was still. Were her eyes red? She always worried about that, she never remembered to bring drops.

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: June 17th, 2011 03:02 pm (UTC)		(Link)

She hoped she didn't look or sound as stupid as she felt, numbly lifting up her free hand to to Alex's and giving it a weak little shake. Her father had always tried to teach her and Sera how to give a proper handshake, but it always came out weak and unsure, timid. Unlike Sera, who would tear the arm off of a bodybuilder with the firmness of her shake. But then again, Sera wanted to do work where she would do a lot of hand-shaking. It was all part of her life plan or something. Politicans needed to shake hands and kiss babies.

"Uhm, hi," she finally managed, her voice cracking a bit and making her quickly clear her throat, looking embarrassed. "She uhm, really took me, but I uh.. well, y-you know how it is. She needed m-me," the redhead rambled, quickly regretting it. That sounded stupid, she lowered her eyes, still trying to keep up a little smile. They both should have known this was a bad idea, she was just too awkward with strange people. How was she ever supposed to be a doctor, meeting new people every day? She was an idiot.

	From: notonyourteam	Date: June 17th, 2011 09:47 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Alex smiled warmly at the redhead, noticing how nervous the girl seemed to be. He couldn’t really blame her, it was kind of weird to be brought along to deal with someone’s family. Especially when it involved the death of their father, she seemed to be determined to be there with his sister though. He was actually kind of shocked that Mackenzie had brought anyone along, she usually kept to herself about these things. She didn’t do weakness very well, the whole family knew that it usually just got vented as anger. She had broken almost every dish in the house when the whole Abigail thing had gone down.

“Either way she’s here now, and that’s what matters,” he said smiling, nudging Roger to shake the girl’s hand as well. Roger had always been the shy one, reserved just like Mackenzie, it was almost funny how similar the two were sometimes despite not being blood related. “I’m actually impressed that she trusts you enough to bring you with her when she might cry. She’s not exactly the best at expressing her emotions around other people.”

Mackenzie was horrified as her brother kept talking, her eyes flicking between Tatum and the older man. She had been incredibly touched by what the girl had said and had to resist the urge to just attach herself to the girl in front of her brothers. That would only lead to more teasing however, and she had just given the girl a gentle squeeze with her hand.

“Hey! I…don’t cry!” She protested, glaring daggers at Alex as Roger just shook his head in silent laughter. She knew that she was probably going to, but not right now, it would be later, probably when they were back at the Rover and it was just the two of them. She couldn’t let it go in front of her family like that, especially in front of Hunter. It was just too hard, too many people who were counting on her to keep together. Kia would most likely cry and she had to be the strong one for everyone. “Whatever, come on Tatum.”

She tugged the girl with her as she pushed by the still snickering men, who both gave Tatum a knowing wink as she walked by. Gripping the door handle she took a deep breath and glanced at the shorter girl for reassurance. “Ready?” she asked, not sure if she was really asking the redhead or herself. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

A small scream issued from the bed and she saw her mother launching herself away from where she had been practically in Hunter’s lap. “Oh sugar muffin!” She wailed, as she approached the two of them, seeming to be oblivious to the fact that Tatum was standing right next to her daughter. “I’m so happy you’re here! It’s awful! He’s g-gone!” She threw herself on Mackenzie, burying her face into her daughter’s shoulder and sobbing. Mackenzie just patted her mother awkwardly with her free hand, never letting go of Tatum’s. She was a bit frozen in place, scanning the room for signs of Kia to help her detach her mother but all she saw was Hunter sitting on the bed. Her eyes narrowed and she glared angrily at the taller blonde, squeezing Tatum’s hand. “T-they just took him to the m-m-morgue, I’ll never s-see him a-again!”

“I’m sorry mom,” she said quietly, rubbing the older woman’s back, eyes never leaving the cold look that she was giving Hunter. “It’ll be okay, alright? We’ll get through this.” She glanced over at Tatum, mouthing the sorry in her direction.

“I j-just wish you had b-been here to say g-goodbye,” her mother sniffed, looking up at her daughter. She was frowning, and Mackenzie was waiting for the bomb to drop. “Jessica was here for me, what took you so long to get here? You both live together don’t you?”

	From: notonyourteam	Date: June 17th, 2011 09:48 pm (UTC)		(Link)

“Mom, where’s Kia?“ She asked, her voice shaking in anger. She was trembling, of course her mother would start being a bitch to her. She wasn’t sure why she was so surprised, it wasn’t like her mother was ever appreciative of her. She shrugged the older woman off of her, clinging to Tatum’s hand even more now, chewing furiously at her lip.

“She’s taking care of paper work, she should be back shortly,” Her mother sniffed, returning to the taller blonde by the bed. “Aren’t you even going to introduce me to your,” her mother paused, her gaze finally falling on Tatum. Mackenzie could feel her body tensing up, glaring at her mother as if daring her to start in on the redhead. “Friend?” Kate finished, her expression unimpressed. “You can be so rude sometimes Mackenzie. And in front of Jessica too.”

“Fuck Jessica,” Mackenzie muttered under her breath, gritting her teeth. She was trying extremely hard not to launch herself at the blonde and kill her. This was just becoming too much for her to handle. “This is Tatum mom, she’s my best friend. Tatum, this is my mother, Kate.”

Kate frowned as she gave Tatum the once over, no wonder Mackenzie dressed the way she did. She could see this little redhead’s influence all over it. Although, the girl didn’t look like she could influence someone as pig headed as her daughter, or anyone for that matter. “Tatum sounds like a hippy name,” She said in a tone of disgust. “She looks like a fifteen year old boy. Is this who you’ve been hanging out with instead of Jessica? I bet she‘s a lesbian too. She reminds me of that Abigail girl.”

Mackenzie was pretty sure that she was seeing red, she could feel all control snap in her. “Fuck off Kate, or you’ll be joining Craig in the morgue pretty soon.” She knew her voice was too loud, she was sure she was probably screaming. She had dropped Tatum’s hand in order to ball both of her hands into fists, but she was almost to angry to even move. She stood there, her body shaking in rage, staring down the older woman. “I hate you, you’re always such a fucking bitch. Can’t I be happy for once in my fucking life?”

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: June 20th, 2011 03:07 am (UTC)		(Link)

Tatum mostly kept her head down, still fighting that urge to just stand behind Mackenzie and avoid being seen. It really didn't work as well when people had already started talking to you. She lifted her hand again to shake Roger's next, only cracking a bit of a smile when Mack insisted that she didn't cry. Though it usually killed her to see it, she had definitely seen it a few times lately. More often than she had ever wanted or intended to. If being here kept the blonde from having to cry again, she'd stay the whole night or whatever it took.

She offered no protest, letting herself be led to the door by Mack and trying ignore the way her sneakers seemed to squeak so loudly on the hospital floor. She gave a sort of nervous half-nod when she was questioned about whether or not she was ready, and then they were launched into the room and Tatum felt panic rising in her chest immediately as the scream from Kate hit her ears. She tried not to shrink back, just take a small step as the woman came and attached herself onto Mackenzie. From the bed, the redhead noticed Hunter smirking a little.

Watching Mackenzie's weak attempt at comforting her mother, Tatum felt just as uncomfortable as she thought her best friend did. She had no idea what to say, and mostly just avoided making eye contact with anybody around her, staring over at a spot on one of the walls instead. It was her usual tactic for avoiding having to look at people when a moment was awkward. Just pick something else and stare blankly at that until the panic subsided.

She almost jumped when Mack squeezed her hand, it broke her concentration and she briefly looked to her friend before looking away again. She watched Hunter instead, noting the way the taller blonde seemed to be faltering a little under Mack's glare. Maybe she realized she was in deep trouble with her this time? Tatum wasn't sure. Mack was always saying Hunter was the thickest person she knew. Maybe the girl didn't even know what she did wrong or.. something, though Tatum figured that unlikely. She knew well enough to sell the details. She had to know what it was worth.

Only shrugging a bit as Mack tried to apologize to her, Tatum almost cringed at what the older woman said to her daughter next. Comparing Mack to Hunter right on a day like today was far from the best opinion, and it renewed Tatum's worries about having to get in between the two jocks if things went sour. Good God, she'd be trampled. Trying to calm herself, she just held Mack's hand tighter right back. She watched as Hunter stood from the bed, walking over a bit closer and standing with her arms crossed, watching the exchange. Her little smirk was back, and Tatum realized she almost wanted to back-hand her just a bit.

She had been preoccupied with these thoughts when Kate finally turned on her and noticed her presence, and she felt her eyes go as wide even as she tried to stop it. She felt high and stupid, a look of dumb confusion on her face as Kate and Mackenzie spoke. She felt the blonde squeezing her hand more, and she winced a bit, swallowing thickly before trying to speak up. She didn't really get a chance before Kate was speaking again, and she shrunk back a little at the tone. Not to mention the words, which also caught her off guard. She even saw Hunter's eyes go momentarily wide from behind them.

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: June 20th, 2011 03:08 am (UTC)		(Link)

Did she really look that gay? Maybe Sera was right about all of the flannel. With her cheeks brightly blushing, the redhead adverted her eyes quickly, stammering her reply. "I-I uhm.. it's a-actually.. old E-English. I t-think, not h-hippy?" she managed, shocking even herself and immediately regretting it. Had she really just said that? She should have just kept her mouth shut and stayed out of it.

She winced when Mackenzie snapped, and she pulled the blonde girl's arm a little bit, hoping to hold her back or calm her down, anything. When Mack dropped her hand, she tried not to frown, just taking a couple of steps back, and doing exactly what she had wanted to do earlier. With Mack standing there and shaking, arms and fists at her side, Tatum stepped behind her; grabbing the back of her shirt in both hands and holding on, essentially hiding most of herself behind the older girl. With the extra nearly foot that the blonde had on her, it wasn't hard. It was comforting, she had hidden behind Mack so many times before, but it was also a bonus that she had a hold of her friend, should she decide to lunge at either Hunter or Kate. She didn't know which one the other girl would want to kill first.

Seeming to sense her time had come, Hunter moved forward and unfolded her arms, holding them up into the air as she approached both Mackenzie and her mother. "Ladies, ladies," she called out, raising her own voice to match Mack's. It would be lucky if no one came to see what all of the shouting was about. "Come on now, it ain't the time to be fightin' about stupid shit," the taller blonde insisted. When she was trying to impress Kate was about the only time Hunter ever thought with a level head. If it had been her own mother, she knew she'd be screaming right in her face, just like Mack was doing now.

She was pretty sure the shorter blonde was going to slug her, but at least it would distract Kate from picking on the freshie for a bit if she did. Plus she could maybe get some sweet lady kisses out of it from Kia or something. That would be good.

	From: notonyourteam	Date: June 20th, 2011 03:29 pm (UTC)		(Link)

“You,” Mackenzie seethed, turning her attention to Hunter as the taller blonde spoke. She had already been dreading seeing the taller girl because of what had transpired over the last week at school, but having to deal with her plus Kate was only making her angrier. She could feel Tatum gripping her shirt from behind, taking the edge off her anger slightly. She knew how much the girl hated fighting, and how much she was probably freaking out right now, especially after what Kate had said. “Stay the fuck out of this, you’ve done enough damage for one week.”

She really wanted to launch herself at the girl but she didn’t know how much of a grip Tatum had on her shirt. It could turn out badly if the girl was actually hanging on well enough, if Mack really leapt at the taller blonde, she’d be taking Tatum with her.

“Mackenzie Dubinksy, you take that back,” Kate screamed at her, stepping up beside Hunter and sending the blonde girl a cold look of her own. “You are such a loud mouthed brute, Jessica was just trying to help. How dare you talk to either of us that way? I am your mother whether you like it or not, and I will not put up with your insolence!” She stepped forward and slapped the blonde girl across the face, the sound echoing in the sterile white room.

Mackenzie just stood there, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. Had her mother really just slapped her? She was in slight shock, her face smarting where her mother’s hand had connected with her face. She had no idea that her mother had it in her to deliver such a blow, but she could tell there might be a faint bruise. She wasn’t really that angry anymore, she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, making her feel like she might throw up right there on the floor. Her hands unclenched, arms going limp, she had no fight left in her after that. She wanted to just turn around and walk out of the room, she couldn’t handle this any longer.

There was a soft knock on the door and moments later Kia popped her head into the room, her eyes widening a bit at the completely frozen scene in front of her. She wasn’t sure what exactly was going on but she could feel the tension in the room. Tatum was gripping Mackenzie’s shirt, Mackenzie was standing there looking lost and her mother was in front of her with her hand raised, breathing heavily. Sighing tiredly, she fully entered the room and shut the door.

“Well, I see that we’re all here,” She said calmly, walking over to her mother and lowering her arm. She ushered her mother back to the bed, seating her there before looking pointedly at Hunter. “Jess would you mind keeping my mother seated on the bed? She doesn’t need any extra stress right now. Her blood sugar is high enough as it is.”

Trusting that Hunter would do as she asked, she crossed the room to her sister and smiled at her sadly. “Hey, why don’t you go take a walk around the building?” She suggested, squeezing her sister’s shoulders gently. “I’ll take Tatum and we’ll go get some drinks and food for everyone, okay?” She peered around the taller blonde, smiling kindly at Tatum. She had met the girl on several different occasions, and had always thought quite highly of her. She had noticed a definite change in her sister’s attitude since the girl had befriended the redhead, and she was happy that they had each other. Even with the events of the recent couple of weeks, she knew they would make it through okay.

“Come on,” she encouraged the redhead girl, nodding her head slightly to the door. Grabbing the handle and holding it open for the two of them. “Bring that meat headed jock with you and we’ll send her off. Then, I’ll show you the nurses way to the kitchen, you were the one who wanted to be a med witch, right?”

	From: itsnotjessica	Date: June 20th, 2011 03:56 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Hunter had been expecting to meet with the bad side of Mackenzie's attitude, and she had her mouth open and ready for a cheeky retort all of her own, but Kate stepped in before she had a chance. She had been intending to play off Mack's warning, she knew if she started off joking she stood a better chance of joking her down. But Kate seemed genuinely angry, not a hint of a joke. She was practically screaming, making Hunter flinch back a bit, it was as loud as a pack of screeching banshees in the tiny room. The blonde even saw the older woman lifting her arm, and her eyes went wide. She attempted to make a far too late grab to stop her from swinging, but it was over before Hunter could really react.

The slap echoed for what seemed to be forever through the room, and the tall blonde was actually stunned into silence. Her lanky arms hung limp at her sides, and she couldn't believe what had just happened. From behind Mackenzie, she could see the freshman still clinging on, though she looked like she was shaking now. It'd be lucky if she didn't piss herself or something. She didn't even really know what to say, especially to the look on her best friend's face. It wasn't as if her own mother had never slapped her before, and it did bring up a slight uncomfortable feeling for her.

She was extremely relieved to see Kia arrive back to the room, and she knew the situation would be taken care of. She was off the hook slightly for a little while.. wrangling Kate was no easy task, and Kia had a lot more years of experience, even if Hunter had the older woman basically wrapped around her finger. "No problem babe," Hunter agreed easily enough, trying to stay cocky and deny the fact that she did actually feel pretty bad now, even worse than before. It had been a hard week for Mack, and even if the other blonde was a bitch, it was still partially Hunter's fault that things had gotten so out of hand. And she could still hear that echoing slap.

Moving over to sit down on the edge of the bed beside Kate, Hunter slid an arm around the woman's shoulders easily, pulling her closer and leaning her head onto hers. "Chill out ma," she instructed her simply, her best attempt at a grin on her face. "Breathe deep and shit, find yer center."

From behind Mackenzie, although Kia had entered the room, Tatum continued to shake. Her grip on the blonde's shirt had increased ten-fold, and she might have been danger of actually ripping it if she had been stronger. Like her handshakes, her hands were weak. She hadn't looked up to see it, but had heard the slap, felt Mack rock back against it. She wanted to cry, her eyes closed as tightly as she could get them, and her teeth biting furiously at the inside of her cheeks, willing herself not to break down.

Like Mack, she felt she needed to get out of there. She couldn't take anymore of it.

When Kia came over to them and spoke, Tatum finally tried opening her eyes, squinting over Mack's shoulder at her as she spoke. Drinks and food, she could do that, and she gave a weak little nod of her head to show that she could do it. She didn't really want to be separated from Mackenzie, but the older girl could probably use a few minutes to clear her head. Otherwise, she might be beating Hunter and her mother to death tonight. She wanted to reassure the blonde, and she gently ran her hand over her back, just wanting to let her know she was still there.

She tried to smile back at Kia, though it was rather half-hearted, and she took a few moments of working herself up the courage before actually letting go of Mack's shirt finally. She immediately wanted to grab it back, but forced herself to walk out of the open door instead, looking back at the blonde with big slightly terrified eyes. Once Mack went her own way, she didn't know if she could do this. What if Kia was mad that she had basically been the reason Kate and Mack had gotten so worked up? Maybe she was going to yell at her or something. She was always nice before, but the redhead's paranoia was running rampant.

"Y-Yeah, uhm. I do.. a-actually, yeah," she finally managed in answer to the older girl's question, swallowing thickly and still staring at Mackenzie, still wanting to cling onto her.

	From: notonyourteam	Date: June 21st, 2011 01:37 am (UTC)		(Link)

Kate allowed herself to be directed to the bed, folding into the tall blonde girl when she sat down next to her. She started sobbing once Hunter had wrapped her arm around her, wailing hysterically as Kia continued to delegate to the rest of the room. Her mother’s wailing brought Mackenzie out of her state of shock and she looked around frantically once she noticed that Tatum wasn’t attached to her anymore. She had felt the girl’s hand on her back briefly while Kia was talking to her but she hadn’t been paying attention. Finding the redhead not far away, she immediately grabbed the shorter girl’s hand, shooting a glare at Hunter before exiting out of the door.

Kia followed the two girls out of the door, a small smile on her face, she could tell that getting the two of them to separate for a little while wouldn’t be easy. She also knew her sister however, and knew that for Mack to really calm down and let go of her emotions, she needed to have a few moments by herself. Even if Tatum and her sister were really as close as the younger girl claimed, she still knew that old habits would die hard. She moved a few feet down the hall to give them a few moments of privacy, still close enough to remind them that she was there though, and what she had said was law.

Mackenzie pulled the redhead close to her once she was sure that the door to the hospital room was closed securely, wrapping her long arms around the girl and burying her face into the crook of her neck. She breathed in the usual sent of the redhead, although she couldn’t quite determine what today’s body spray was. It didn’t matter though, it was still familiar and comforting. “I’m sorry you had to see that,” she whispered quietly into the girl’s neck, her voice muffled. She had to bend over considerably to hug the girl the way she was but it didn’t matter to her, she couldn’t feel any safer than right where she was.

Clearing her throat lightly, Kia walked over to the two girls, gently squeezing Mackenzie’s shoulder again. “Alright kiddos, time to go for a bit,” She said gently, nodding when Mackenzie’s head shot up from where it rested. “Go on Mack, you need to go cool off. I’ll take good care of Tatum, I promise.” She gently detached her sister from the shorter girl and took the redhead’s hand in her own, tugging her away from the blonde.

Mackenzie just nodded and gave Tatum a reassuring wave before turning on her heel to go find a dark corner to sit in for a little bit. She wanted to burst right back into the hospital room and tear Hunter limb from limb but she knew that Kia would find out somehow and probably kill her after that.

Kia lead Tatum towards the service elevator, noticing that Mackenzie had shot them a look over her shoulder as she strolled off to do whatever she was going to do. She didn’t drop the girl’s hand, leading her gently down different corridors until they reached a little elevator tucked away down a side hallway. She pulled her onto the elevator once it arrived and dropped her hand once the doors had shut.

“So Tatum,” she said, giving the girl another smile. She could sense the girl’s anxiety and wanted to make her feel as comfortable as she could. “You and my sister are pretty cute together, you know? It’s nice to see Mackenzie care about someone again. You‘ve really tamed the beast, I‘m seriously impressed.” She leaned over a little and nudged the redhead playfully. “How’d you do it? I’ve never been able to figure that crazy girl out.”

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: June 21st, 2011 04:26 am (UTC)		(Link)

Tatum felt numb as they finally left the room, and she felt her heart stop pounding a bit as soon as the door was shut behind them. It drowned out the majority of Kate's sobbing on the other side, as well as Hunter's cooing attempts to calm her down. The redhead didn't think she could have listened to it a moment longer, and she gripped Mackenzie's hand tightly even outside of the room, watching as Kia backed off a bit from them.

She didn't have much time to consider anything furthere really, before Mack was pulling her close, and she was immediately clinging back. Her own face pressed into the blonde's shoulder, and she told herself that it still wasn't time to cry. If she start just wailing as bad as she wanted to, Mack would never leave her side, and she knew that the blonde did need the few moments by herself. She had been in the same situation earlier in the week, deciding to try to run away. Being alone sometimes was all that worked.

Just sniffing lightly, Tatum gave her head a little shake. "N-Not your fault," she whispered back quickly, pressing herself closer to the older girl as she heard Kia approaching them. She knew their time was up and she still didn't know what Kia really wanted to talk to her about. She was feeling panicky all over again, and leaving Mack's arms was the last thing she wanted. She considered holding on, but decided against it. She had to be mature, it was what Sera would tell her.

Letting herself be removed from her best friend's grip, Tatum only pouted a little at the blonde, trying to keep her expression neutral as she could. She wasn't shaking anymore, but she felt like she might as Kia began to lead her off in the opposite direction. She watched Mackenzie wave, and wanted to lift her hand to wave back, but just frowned instead. She watched the tall blonde practically until she was out of sight, before turning to face Kia again as they navigated the hospital and finally reached the service elevator. She had to face her fate now, whatever it was going to be.

Avoiding talking with people in an enclosed space like an elevator was almost impossible. Kia's hand on her own felt sort of reassuring, it made her figure that the older girl didn't have plans to kill her or anything. She seemed content enough, smiling with no detectable signs of malice. Maybe she had been working herself up over nothing. When the doors to the elevator closed and Kia dropped her hand, Tatum actually felt a little sad all over again. Her hand felt like Mack's, just a bit softer and smaller. It had been nice.

She immediately felt her cheeks flushing as Kia spoke. She was glad she had saved this talk for the elevator. "W-What? We're not-- we.. she's c-cute, I mean. I t-think so, anyway but we're not like.. a t-thing.. really. We're just like, uhm, c-chillin.. you know," the redhead managed to stammer out lamely, feeling her face only getting hotter and dropping her head a bit as Kia nudged her. Despite herself, there was a nervous smile on her face. "She just.. d-does whatever, I dunno, she just.. a-always did whatever. She w-was like, sorta pre-tamed. I guess. N-No real discipline necessary."

	From: notonyourteam	Date: June 21st, 2011 11:44 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Kia immediately noticed the flush in the girl’s cheeks, and grinned wickedly, not unlike her younger sister when she saw an upper hand. “So you think my sister’s cute huh?” she asked, nudging the girl again. She was honestly a little taken aback when Tatum said that Mackenzie did whatever. “Are we talking about the same girl? Because I don’t know who this pre-tamed Mackenzie is that you’re talking about. You know she destroyed every dish in our kitchen once? I used to get calls at least twice a week about her being in trouble for various violent acts against other students. Then one week, I didn’t get any. The week after that was the same, as was the week after that. I was honestly shocked, I thought maybe she had run away or died and no one had called me yet. But instead, I called her and I couldn’t get her to shut up about this red headed kid that she had just met. It’s been like a one-eighty ever since, I only get a call a month now. Sometimes they’re even from Mack herself.”

She bounced on the balls of her feet slightly as the elevator came to a stop, and walked out the doors, waiting for Tatum to join her. “You know, I’ve gotten a few calls from Mack in the last week.” She said, not making any moves to continue on from the hallway with the elevator. “It’s really none of my business but please, take care of her.” Kia looked the shorter girl in the eye, not trying to be intimidating in the least but she was protective of her little sister. She just wanted to make sure that the girl wouldn’t get hurt, she had already been in the past. “She might act tough but she’s only human. Deep down she’s just a lost little girl wanting someone to love her. I’m not asking you to save her or anything, she’s quite capable of saving herself but just, try not to break her.”

Kia smiled at the redhead and held out her hand again to show the girl she wasn’t threatening her but rather asking her a favor as a friend. “Now, let’s go get some food, I’m sure everyone is wondering where we are.” She lead the girl to the kitchens, chattering about different patients she had in the past, always asking if Tatum had any questions.

“And here’s the kitchen, they usually have pretty decent food, but it’s hit or miss.” She said, waving at a few people who were bustling around. She had gotten to know the staff pretty well over the last few weeks and was thinking of transferring to be closer to her mother and sister. Kansas City was a far reach away, even with magic. “What do you want kiddo? You can have anything you want, I’ve got connections down here.”

Mackenzie had been wandering around the halls for a few minutes before finding the spot she had been looking for. It was a small alcove, a little dark dead end hallway with a few vending machines in it. It was quiet and empty, it was almost like they had forgotten to make it a functioning part of the hospital. It was a bit eerie, but she supposed it was what some people needed when the white walls started closing in. She walked over to one of the lit machines and leaned her forehead against it, the hum of it‘s refrigeration system soothing her slightly. She had kept relatively calm since Kate had slapped her, she couldn’t let anyone know how much it had really shaken her, especially Tatum. The redhead was already freaked out enough as it was, she couldn’t put more burden on the younger girl.

She supposed she had deserved it, she should have never threatened her mother the way she had. Although, Kate should have never started into the redhead like she had, Mackenzie couldn’t let that fly. She had to stand up to her mother for the girl, Kate could say what she wanted about Mack but the blonde would never let her say anything but positive things about her friend. Lifting up her hand, she ran it gingerly over her cheekbone where Kate had struck her. It was already tender, and she winced a bit as she applied pressure. A hot tear ran down her face, and she felt all of the emotion that she had been holding back since they arrived break free.

	From: notonyourteam	Date: June 21st, 2011 11:44 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Mackenzie reacted in the only way she knew how, growling angrily she slammed her hand into the drink machine, her finger’s curling into a fist. There were more tears running down her face now and she slammed her knuckles into the painted plastic, ignoring the pain in her hand upon contact. Physical pain was easier to handle than the sadness that she felt in her heart. She continued to beat at the humming box, screaming obscenities and even giving it a few kicks for good measure before collapsing against the wall that stood across from the vending machines. She cradled her hand, already seeing some bruising on her knuckles, sitting with her back pressed against the wall. Her knees were drawn up as close as they could get to her body, and she rested her forehead on them, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

She had to pull it back together, they weren’t done here yet, as much as she wanted to be. She probably needed to apologize to her mother, even if she didn’t want to. She knew Kate probably wouldn’t apologize but when did she ever for what she did? After sitting against the wall for a while, Mackenzie pulled herself to her feet. She wiped her face, digging her sunglasses out of her pocket before heading back towards the hospital room to wait for Tatum and Kia to return.

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: June 24th, 2011 01:14 am (UTC)		(Link)

Tatum's cheeks lit up quickly as Kia teased her, and she lowered her head, glad to at least have the brim of her hat to slightly hide under as they spoke. "Y-Yeah, I mean. She is, r-right? I think she-- lots of girls t-think your sister is cute. She's not e-exactly ugly!" the redhead practically squeaked back, immediately feeling stupid. She only felt stupider as Kia kept talking, telling her the story about Mackenzie. "You don't.. I didn't i-influence, I mean.. s-she probably just settled in," she managed to murmur out.

She knew that Mackenzie did loads of things she shouldn't have done around school, that was part of being so close with someone like Hunter Sommer and those girls she hung around with, but Kia was probably right. Each year as they had progressed, it seemed like Mack got less and less detention, less trouble. She had just.. mellowed out. When she was around Tatum anyway. They had fallen into an easy routine together, and trouble was something Tatum tried to avoid most of. Trouble meant attention, and laying low was her style. Had Mack really changed herself to adjust to her? It was sort of silly, but it also sort made sense.

When the doors stopped, Tatum stood there numbly for a few awkward moments, before her head snapped up and she quickly followed Kia out into the hall. That sterile hospital scent was still all around them, and it was actually calming her down a little. It was the smell of a controlled environment. Recycled air and purification.

It was impossible for the red-haired girl not to tense up when Kia began to imply what she knew about their previous week, and she felt her head dropping down again, staring at the tiled floor under their feet. She didn't know if she could make a promise like that, with everything going on. It might not be directly her fault, but what if she caused the thing that finally made Mack snap? Fighting people off at school could only go on for so long. It could happen, and she didn't want to think about it. She let the conversation drop, just chewing her lip.

She kept up the small talk, trying to input where she could, and ducking away mostly whenever Kia waved at anybody. She mostly still felt numb, and she couldn't stop thinking about Mackenzie, where she was, or what she was doing. Maybe she had already gone back to the room and killed Kate and Hunter already. Who knew, really.

When Kia asked her what she wanted, Tatum turned on her with slightly wet eyes, before looking away and down the cafeteria a bit. She almost didn't even feel like eating. Her stomach, normally rumbling with the munchies by now, just felt sore and tense. "I'm r-really.. bad for your sister," she murmured, belatedly voicing her thoughts from earlier. She felt stupid for sure, it had been forever since they had even spoken out loud about Mack, but the blonde had never left her brain. "People are g-gunna-- I just a-am not good. I'm i-in a lot of, like t-trouble."

	From: notonyourteam	Date: June 24th, 2011 03:01 am (UTC)		(Link)

When Kia saw that the girl was tearing up, she felt slightly horrified, she hadn’t meant to prod at the girl that much. Mackenzie would probably bite her had off if she sensed that there was anything wrong with the young girl when they got back to the room. She knew how her sister felt about Tatum and she also knew that she had promised Mackenzie she wouldn’t pry about the current situation of things. Now Kia was slightly thrown off and had to figure out a way to give her big sister speech and also not be on the list of deceased by the time the blonde girl walked out of the hospital. She waved away a few of the kitchen workers who were watching with interest and dragged the teenager into the giant walk in pantry that was hanging out just to their left. She sat the girl down gently on a large drum of ketchup and kneeled down so she was eye level with Tatum.

“Tatum, don’t you ever say that, okay?” She said seriously, taking both of the girl’s hands between hers and squeezing them. “You’re like, the best thing that ever happened to that stupid blonde. I thought I was going to have to send her to muggle military school or something. She was so close to being kicked out of CCI when she met you, she hated it there. I’m pretty sure she was doing everything she could to get kicked out. Just to spite our mother for what she had done.” She assumed that Mackenzie had told Tatum about Abigail, and she wouldn’t hesitate in clarifying for the girl if her sister hadn’t. She knew that her sister had let down her walls for Tatum though, and even if Mackenzie had never talked extensively to anyone but Kia about Abigail, she figured it would have been something the younger blonde would share.

“She’s so stubborn and pig headed, I used to have to have a screaming match with her every time I would suggest anything. She would turn everything into a fight when she was home, I was almost glad to see her go back to school after breaks. It meant someone else had to deal with her. But now? Now she actually talks to me, she listens like she never used to listen before. Sure, she still fights with me because she’s still a little shit deep down but it’s almost like our dad is back, the way she smiles when she talks about you. I haven’t seen her that happy in a long time.” Kia wiped a few tears away, laughing a little. She knew she was being a little over emotional, her and her sister shared that trait, probably from their lovely mother.

“Now, I don’t know exactly what kind of trouble you’re talking about, but you have to remember, life is very short. You only get so many chances to go out and live it, and while today this might seem like the end of the world, tomorrow is a new day, okay? You wont even talk to half of these people ten years from now, and even if you do, they can’t hold this one little thing against you. If they do then they obviously need to find a hobby.” She stood up, pulling the redheaded girl up with her, dropping one hand to mess with the redhead’s hat, ruffling up her hair a little. “Just keep your chin up kiddo, if things ever get out of hand you give me a call, okay? I know my sister can handle most things but even she snaps every once in a while, as I’m sure you know.”

Kia laughed as she saw one of the kitchen staff tapping on the window to the pantry before holding up a large paper sack. “Look at me just rambling on, I’m sure that everyone is wondering where we’ve gone! We should head back and make sure Mackenzie hasn’t murdered those two idiots in the room.”

Leading the girl back out of the pantry, she thanked all of the staff that had helped her out and waved at them cheerily. Handing Tatum one bag, she grabbed the other, stopping at the doors and smiling at the redhead. “Last chance to get whatever your little heart desires.”

By the time they got back to the room, Kia saw her sister leaning against the wall next to the door, sunglasses on, looking sullen. "Buck up kiddo," She whispered to the redhead, dropping her hand as Mack glanced over in their direction. "Looks like she's going to need you now, I'll take the food inside, you two come in when you're ready, okay?" She plucked the bag of food out of the younger girls hand and sent her sister a little smile before disappearing into the hospital room.

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: June 24th, 2011 03:17 am (UTC)		(Link)

While Kia spoke to her, Tatum was still mostly numb. She stared nervously at the blonde, occasionally cracking little smiles, but mostly just nodding her head obediently. She didn't know how to word what she wanted to see, and most of what the blonde said came out without Tatum getting a word in edge-wise. She just didn't have the words ready. Listening to everything the older girl said, Tatum did feel much better.

Mackenzie had never told her that her sister was so deep. Despite how upset she still felt, even down into the pit of her stomach, Kia's words did cheer her up a little. Tomorrow would be a new day, and next week would be a new week, and surely the school would find someone else to torture by then. Maybe Leon would find someone else to out to the entire campus. She immediately regretted the thought though; it was wrong to wish that on anyone. She knew it was the worst feeling, and she knew that first hand.

Before Tatum had even had a chance to formulate her thoughts, they were on their way again, and she was quiet and shy as she accepted the bag from Kia. Even on their way back to the room, the redhead didn't know what to say. She wanted to say something, anything, to show she had listened and not just stared and let it go right through her ears. But her social skills still failed her.

When they were close enough to see Mackenzie again, leaning up against the wall, Tatum immediately felt her chest loosen up. Even her face lit up just the slightest bit, and when Kia took the bag out of her arms and sent her on her way, she nodded obediently again. "Okay. Uhm, thanks," the younger girl finally managed to get out, her voice cracking a bit as she quickly cleared her throat.

Once Kia had fully disappeared back into the room, door shut behind her, Tatum didn't waste any time in closing the distance between herself and Mack. Practically running up to the older girl, she hung on for dear life, her arms wrapping tightly against the blonde's waist and her face immediately burying against her collarbone and shoulder. "Y-You're okay right?" she asked, concerned as she clung on. She didn't want to freak her out, being all crazy and clingy, but she felt so emotional after everything Kia had told her, on top of everything else going on.

Reaching down, she grabbed one of Mackenzie's hands, tangling their fingers together and squeezing. She didn't lift her head, just happy to be there, inhaling the familiar smell of her friend. It was surprisingly even more calming than the hospital smell itself.

	From: notonyourteam	Date: June 24th, 2011 09:31 pm (UTC)		(Link)

The blonde felt the weight on her heart lift a little bit when she saw Kia and Tatum round the corner, a small smile forming on her lips. She left her sunglasses on but gave them a little wave as they approached. She didn’t want either of them to see how red her eyes probably were, it was just too much exposure for one day. Nodding to her sister as she shot Mackenzie a concerned look, she waited for her sister to finish whatever it was that she was saying to the younger girl and make her way back into the room before pushing off the wall and shuffling a few feet towards the redhead.

Mackenzie almost felt the tears start flowing again as she watched the redhead run to her, and wrap her arms around her. It made her heart swell with happiness to know that Tatum had missed her almost as much as she had missed the redhead. She was starting to feel a little bit better already, although she still felt incredibly raw and vulnerable. It was okay though, especially with Tatum pressed up against her the way she was, she felt safe again. Wrapping her arms around the girls shoulders and doing her best not to sniffle a little bit, she squeezed the redhead. “Y-yeah I’m okay,” She said hoarsely, attempting to sound convincing. Her voice was rough from her break down earlier, and she sounded like there was gravel in her throat. She cleared it a few times before speaking again, “How was things with Kia? She didn’t like, say anything to offend you, right?”

She had dropped her bad hand to her side, running it down Tatum’s back before the redhead tangled their fingers together and squeezed. She had almost forgot that she had worked her hand over so badly until she felt a shooting pain up her arm, jerking slightly in surprise. Hissing in pain, she buried her face in the redhead’s hair, a few stray tears leaking from her eyes. She knew that Tatum was going to scold her for not fixing it, she had her wand poking out of her back pocket after all but Mackenzie hadn’t really thought about it when it had happened. The way the blonde figured, it would be a distraction from the anger that would most certainly return once they entered the hospital room again. If her hand hurt, she could focus on the pain instead, it would help her keep control.

“S-sorry,” She mumbled, rubbing her thumb over the girl’s hand. She was sure that it had startled the redhead the way she had jerked, and she didn’t want to Tatum to think that she didn’t want the contact they had right then. “I…hurt my hand while you were gone. You just surprised me.”

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: June 25th, 2011 03:33 am (UTC)		(Link)

Tatum didn't buy for even a second that the blonde was truly okay, and she didn't make a move to pull away from her, just clinging on as the older girl cleared her throat and spoke to her. She felt her heart breaking for her friend a little, knowing that they had to go back into that room. It would be bad for her, but worse for Mackenzie. "I-It was fine," she assured her, smiling weakly against her. "She was.. r-really nice. I like her," she added quietly.

She found it sort of sweet, that even with her own sister, Mack still found it necessary to ask her questions like that. If she wasn't looking out for her, the blonde probably wasn't breathing. It made Tatum's heart swell immensely as she realized for, not the first time, that her friend would always have her back.

Snapped out of her happy thoughts when Mackenzie jerked away from her and hissed in pain, and she fixed the blonde with eyes that were incredibly wide. "M-Mack?" she managed to stammer out weakly, before the other girl's face was buried into her hair, and she quickly lifted her free hand to rub the blonde's lower back briefly, hoping to bring her some kind of comfort. She didn't know what she had done to hurt her, but she felt terrible.

When Mack admitted to her injured fist, Tatum took a step back but still held the hand, lifting it up to squint at it and inspect it closely. "H-How'd you do this?" she asked, though she could sort of figure the answer. It was either from Hunter's face or an inanimate object of some kind. Maybe there was a hole in the wall somewhere of the hospital now. Lips quivering a bit, she very gently kissed the nearest bruised knuckle, before grabbing her own wand from her pocket without hesitation.

Casting a quick healing charm, one of her stand-by spells for Mack's usual bumps and bruises, she was relieved to see the bit of swelling start to go down almost right away. Smiling just the tiniest bit, she lifted her eyes to meet Mackenzie's, trying to look at her seriously. "Don't.. do that s-stuff, okay? Talk t-to me."

	From: notonyourteam	Date: June 25th, 2011 05:58 am (UTC)		(Link)

“I’m glad you guys got along alright,” the blonde said, smiling a little. She knew that Kia had been a little wary of Tatum after Mack had told her about their fight, and she had given the blonde a few choice words when she had told her about what had happened after her and Hunter had left the hospital the last time. But she knew her sister was only being protective of her, she more than anyone knew that Mackenzie really caring for someone they way she did about Tatum had the potential to break down the blonde girl. Kia had told her that she really liked Tatum though, and that if Mack was going to decide to actually date anyone, she was glad that it was her. Kia hadn’t always been totally happy with the different girls Mackenzie ended up rolling around with. She always referred to them as floosies. “Kia likes you, you know. She thinks you’re pretty cool for wanting to be a mediwitch. I think she’s just excited to have someone to talk to about all her nerdy hospital stuff.”

“I got in a fight with a Coke machine,” Mackenzie mumbled, smiling as Tatum kissed her knuckles. It sounded pretty stupid now that she admitted it, punching her fist into the solid plastic repeatedly didn’t get her anywhere in the end. It helped her feel better, it helped her keep her anger in check but it only really hurt her in the end. “Pretty dumb, huh?”

She allowed Tatum to heal her hand, thinking better of protesting. It always ended with the redhead getting what she wanted anyway, she just couldn’t say no when Tatum wanted to take care of her. It was nice, having someone to heel your injuries and kiss them, someone who cared enough to scold her for withdrawing into herself. It wasn’t something she was used to, someone telling her to talk to them, to open up to them when she was upset. She returned the redhead’s smile, feeling a few tears escape from her eyes again, knowing that she could trust someone to have her back made her feel safe.

Mackenzie leaned down a little and kissed the redhead softly on the lips, barely brushing her cheek with her good hand. She pulled back, pulling off her glasses to wipe her eyes . “Okay,” She agreed softly, wiping a few more tears that managed to escape from her already red eyes. She wrapped her arms around Tatum again, pulling her close and breathing in the girl’s sent. It made her feel stronger, made her feel like she could handle this without going off again. She needed to handle this without going off again, this wasn’t about her and her mother, it wasn’t about her and Hunter, it was about Craig, who they all loved.

“I…I just can’t believe she hit me,” Mackenzie whispered, burying her face in the girl’s hair again. She sniffed a little bit, mostly done with crying after her breakdown but her nose had started running again. Her fists tightened on the girl’s t-shirt and she gripped the girl as if she might slip away forever if the blonde didn’t hang onto her tight enough. “She always pulls this kind of shit on me, always. Why? What did I do wrong T?”

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: June 25th, 2011 04:20 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"She's nice, I'll talk t-to her anytime," Tatum assured the older girl, smiling weakly as she kept a grip on the blonde's hand. She returned her wand to her pocket, and slowly lowered their tangled fingers back to their side again. She looked at the blonde sympathetically, sighing just a bit. "Kind of d-dumb, yeah.. but I get it, like just.. b-be more careful. You don't have to h-hit it as hard as you can, you know," she informed her softly.

Watching Mack looking at her through her glasses, she was surprised when she saw a few tears running from under them. She had been about to comment, but found herself kissed instead, her eyes closing briefly as their lips met. It was over pretty quick, and she watched Mackenzie pull her glasses off and wipe her eyes. Lifting her free hand, she did the same, wiping one away from the older girl's chin. "O-Okay," she agreed back, before being pulled into the embrace.

She wrapped her arms back around Mack, face burying against the front of her shirt, and just breathing a little shakily. They could do this, even if it was going to be brutal. They had each other to get through it. When she listened to what the blonde said next, Tatum was pretty sure she felt her heart break, immediately tightening her own grip around Mack. "Babe, she-- I know, I c-can't.." she began, trying to find what she wanted to say, and struggling.

"Y-You didn't do anything, y-you didn't I won't.. I w-won't let her hit you again, o-okay? I won't l-let her," she whispered back hoarsely. She didn't know what she could do to stop it, probably nothing, but she would try anything. Scared as she was, she couldn't let Mack get hurt again right now. No one was going to look after her if she didn't, it was just the two of them. "I don't know w-why, but she.. we'll go s-soon, okay? Really soon."

Turning her head a bit, she pressed a kiss against the side of the girl's face, exhaling shakily. "P-Promise."

	From: notonyourteam	Date: June 25th, 2011 06:55 pm (UTC)		(Link)

“W-what’s the point of hitting it then?” She asked, only partially joking. What was she supposed to do with her anger if she didn’t take it out on an inanimate object? She would probably explode if she had to hold it all in without hitting things. It was just the way the blonde worked, she got mad, she hit things, she moved on with her life. Destruction had always been something that had come hand in hand with her emotions, she didn’t really know what to do with them otherwise.

Mackenzie felt like a scared little kid as Tatum hugged her back, she tried to bury her face deeper into the girl’s hair, wishing to just disappear. She felt like she was going to cry all over again, something that she had thought wouldn’t happen after her fight against the vending machine. It was just killing her all over again, having to admit that she was kind of scared of her mother. She always had been, always looking for her mothers approval but never getting it. She had stopped trying to impress Kate as she got older, instead rebelling against her but the feeling was still there. Kate have never told her she was happy with anything that she had done, and her mother hitting her had just made things worse. Kate had never hit her this hard before.

“You promise?” she asked quietly, a small sob bubbling out of her. She really hoped that Hunter wouldn’t open the door right then, she couldn’t deal with being this emotionally vulnerable in front of her friend. Tatum’s lips felt cool against her heated cheek, and she felt what little restraint she had break down as another quiet sob fell out of her mouth. She needed to know that Tatum wouldn’t let Kate hit her again, she needed to know that the redhead would protect her, she couldn’t protect herself right now, things were too much. “Please don’t let her hit me again,” she whispered, almost too quietly for anyone to hear. Her hands tightened on the girl’s shirt again and she sniffed loudly, trying to stop her tears. “I…c-can’t…not again.”

She just wanted to leave, to go back to their little club house in the parking lot and be held by her best friend. She wasn’t cut out for this family thing, especially when her family was so messed up. She wanted to scream at her father for making things this way, at Kate for being an incapable mother, at Hunter for not stopping the woman before she hit her. Hunter knew what it was like, Mackenzie had seen her and her mother go at it before. She had seen the bruises on the taller girl’s cheek, they talked about it sometimes but it had never gone too deep. They just couldn’t admit to each other how much it really hurt them. She couldn’t count on Hunter right now though, things weren’t solid between the two of them, and that only made the shorter blonde feel worse. She needed her bro right now too, Hunter understood how she reacted to things like this. She would probably fight with her a little, punch her around a few times and then everything would be okay again. But Hunter wasn’t on her side right now, and Mackenzie would just have to deal with it the best she could.

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: June 25th, 2011 11:38 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"Maybe t-there is no point," Tatum whispered back, swallowing hard. "Maybe that means y-you just shouldn't do it at all if it's pointless," she added. Until the last month or so, Tatum had never really used violence to deal with her emotions. How many fist fights and shoving matches had she gotten in lately? More in the last few weeks than her entire life combined before that point. Physical altercations just weren't her style. She wanted them to stop, and she kind of wished they would stop for Mackenzie too. Though she knew it wouldn't; the blonde needed the physical, needed that outlet, as much as it hurt her.

It was unfamiliar to Tatum that someone could have such a relationship with their mother. She had never known her own mother, beyond pictures and stories, and although she and her step-mother didn't always see eye-to-eye.. well, she wasn't afraid of her. Irritated by her sometimes, but not afraid of her. She'd never laid a hand on her, or any of her siblings. Neither had their father. It had shocked her to see Kate strike Mack, as if she were the one being slapped instead. She couldn't understand how a mother could treat their own child that way. Was it because Kate knew Mack was gay? Would that be enough to change her own mother's ways, if she found out? Maybe that would be enough to get her slapped, too. Tatum felt her stomach drop at the thought.

Trying not to think about that, or let herself crack, she tightened her arms around Mackenzie as the girl sobbed. "I-I promise," Tatum whispered back quickly, turning her head a bit to kiss the side of the blonde's head as she assured her. It broke the redhead's heart to hear her friend begging her and crying like that, and although she had just sworn away violence, she felt it rising in her. She wanted so bad to hurt the people who had hurt the girl in her arms. They had no right.

"I promise she w-won't touch you again, okay? Let's just go, we're-- w-we should just go, okay? Come on," she suggested quietly, sniffling a bit herself. She really wanted to go away from the hospital right then. If Mack agreed, she'd make them disappear in a heartbeat. She didn't think she could face Kate or Hunter again, not after the way Mackenzie was shaking in her arms, clinging to her so sadly. It was a struggle not to cry, and at least if they got back to the Rover, they could just let it all out in private, the both of them.

Tatum was about to speak again, confirm that she was dead serious about escaping if Mack would get behind her, when she heard the hospital door opening quietly behind them. She tensed her arms around the blonde girl, and turned her head a bit, looking back to see who it was. She hoped, if anyone, it would be Kia. But it was Hunter, her head down a little as she ducked out of the room. Spotting the two of them, the tall blonde straightened up, her arms hanging at her side and hands shoving into her pockets. "Hey," she began slowly, mostly waiting to see what the pair would do.

	From: notonyourteam	Date: June 26th, 2011 12:25 am (UTC)		(Link)

Mackenzie just nodded mutely in agreement, the younger girl had a point. It was pretty pointless in the end to be violent, it had never really made her feel better in the long run, if anything it had caused more problems for her. Kia had once told her she needed to go the therapy but Mackenzie had scoffed at the idea, therapy meant sharing her feelings with some random person she didn’t know. There was no way in hell she would ever do that kind of thing, it would just end with her sitting quietly until her time was up. Punching things was as good a method as any, it was self soothing.

Hearing the redhead tell her that she wouldn’t let Kate get to her again made the blonde feel a little bit better, she was able to take a deep breath and relax her tensed muscles. She hadn’t realized how ridged her body had been as she clung to the girl but feeling all of that tension seep out of her made her realize how incredibly tired her body was now. Mackenzie slumped against the redhead a little, taking a few more deep breath to try and gain composure once again. She placed a soft kiss on the girl’s cheek, nuzzling in a little bit. She wasn’t sure what she would have done without Tatum here to reassure her and comfort her. It would have been a disaster. “Thank you T,” she croaked, her voice thick from crying. She squeezed the girl gently, her fingers slowly releasing from their death grip on the girls shirt and rubbing small circles in her back. “I-I love you. You…I just…I don’t know how to say it, but you’re amazing.”

She wanted so badly to let the girl take her back to the Rover and go home. This whole day had been incredibly exhausting and she was pretty sure she was going to sleep for several years after the whole thing was over. She wasn’t really sure what they were waiting for even, Kia had taken care of all the paper work and the funeral wasn’t going to be for several days. The only reason she had come was to be here for her mother, her brothers and for Kia. She wasn’t sure if she could face her mother again after what had happened, Kia would understand if she left and she had no idea where her brothers had gone off to.

She was about to agree that they should just go at this point when she heard the door to the door open and someone shuffle out. She hoped immensely that it was Kia, she trusted her sister to see her like this, but instead it was Hunter. Her body tensed up all over again, and she bit her lip as she felt her anger building inside of her again. Releasing the younger girl from her arms she straightened up, her hand finding the redheads almost instantly. There was no way she could hide the fact that she was crying from Hunter, and it was just going to have to be something she wore proudly. Puffing out her chest a bit, she stared at the other blonde, glaring slightly. “What do you want?” she asked, trying to keep her voice from wavering too much.

	From: itsnotjessica	Date: June 26th, 2011 01:01 am (UTC)		(Link)

Gnawing her lip slightly, Tatum kept her face tucked close against Mackenzie's. She could have sworn her heart stopped for just a moment when those three words left the other girl's mouth. She thought to question how she meant them exactly, but she felt she already knew. "I l-love you too, okay? We'll d-do this, we can d-do all this shit together," she whispered back quietly, hoping Hunter couldn't over hear them. She just needed the blonde to know.

She had been content with the circles being rubbed onto her back, and she frowned a little when the blonde let her go and straightened up. It bothered her immensely to see Mack tensing up, closing herself off all over again, and Tatum felt a distinct wave of dislike for Hunter washing over her. She kept her back turned to the taller girl, gripping Mack's hands gently as her own were taken, tangling their fingers together again and stroking her thumbs against her. She just had to be strong and be there for Mack, whatever was going to happen next.

Hunter frowned slightly at the less than pleasant greeting, but she held her ground, hands still in her pockets and her shoulders dropping a bit as she tried to shrug it off. "Well, I kinda wanna talk, I guess?" she suggested absently, trying to be as casual as she could be about it. She couldn't just go and admit that she really wanted to talk, and to apologize about not grabbing Kate sooner before things had went to shit. She had managed to calm the older woman down, and had handed her off to Kia for the time being.

Glancing over her shoulder and down the hall for a moment, Hunter returned her attention to Mackenzie again. "If your uh, lady friend there will let you go for a few.."

	From: notonyourteam	Date: June 26th, 2011 04:28 am (UTC)		(Link)

Mackenzie’s heart practically stopped as she heard the girl say those four words, the words she had always wanted to hear from her. She never thought she would actually see the day that Tatum would return her feelings like that, she almost started crying all over again. It was like a weight had been lifted off her heart, it wouldn’t matter how bad things got because she would have the redhead’s love. She almost asked the girl if she really meant it, but right now wasn’t the time. Hunter was standing right there, and it was already bad enough that the girl was seeing her this vulnerable. She couldn’t fag out anymore then she already was by having the love conversation with Tatum, it would have to wait for another time. “Together,” she echoed quietly, smiling a little. “You jump, I jump.”

The shorter blonde’s eyes narrowed slightly, she wasn’t so sure that she really wanted to talk to Hunter now that she saw her standing there. She really wanted to just turn on her heel and drag Tatum out of there, but she knew that she would have to face Hunter sooner or later. She was torn between being furious with the blonde and jumping on her and actually listening to what she had to say. Frowning, she glanced at Tatum slightly, she didn’t want to have to leave the younger girl either. Not after what had just gone down, she felt like she might fall off the edge of the earth if she had to be separated from her. She didn’t want the redhead to get involved in what would probably go down between her and Hunter though. Even though working things out was inevitable between them, she knew it would come with a bit of violence. It always did, there was no way it could happen any other way. The blonde deserved a fist to the face for what she had done anyway and Mackenzie intended to give it to her.

“I don’t know,” She said warily, her eyes flicking between Tatum and Hunter. Her grip tightened slightly on Tatum’s hand, and she bit her lip nervously. She supposed that if they made it quick then there would be no harm done, Tatum understood how the two of them worked, even if she didn’t really get it. Then again, Tatum was a part of what had happened. If anything, Hunter‘s actions had effected her the most. Mack had already been open about her sexuality, it was no news that she was gay. Tatum however hadn‘t been fully out, and now everyone knew. Mack knew that part of this was between her and Hunter but the other part was about Tatum too. “You know she’s kind of a part of this too Hunter, your little stunt ended with her being outed to the whole school. I think you owe her an apology.”

She stared down the taller blonde girl, “You apologize to her, and we can go have our little chat, sound good?”

She turned to face Tatum closely, and took her other hand in her free hand, squeezing both hands that she now held lightly. “Ten minutes,” she said, looking into her eyes, searching them for any sign of hesitation. If Tatum didn’t want her to go, she would have the conversation right here. “I’m going to go talk with her for no more then ten minutes and then we’ll go, okay? We‘ll be just around the corner.” She gave the girl a small peck on her lips and turned back to the taller blonde, looking at her expectantly.

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: June 26th, 2011 05:22 am (UTC)		(Link)

Tatum listened to what Hunter said, and tried not to tense up as she heard it. She didn't want Mackenzie to go, but knew it would probably be better that way. She didn't want the blonde to get in trouble, but she also knew there was no other way for her and Hunter to sort all of this out. If they were going to take off, then Tatum would rather she just get her closure with Hunter for the day and get it over with. She wasn't exactly gung-ho on being around the Rienzi girl, but there wasn't really much she could do but hope for the best. Mack knew how to handle herself around her own partner in crime, Tatum just hoped she had the restraint right now to keep herself under control.

"I jump, you jump," she whispered back simply, knowing their conversation on the subject was done. She met the blonde's eyes though, not wanting to break the contact, squeezing her hands. She watched the other girl's eyes flicking, moving between herself and the taller blonde, and she tried her best to not look too pathetic. She didn't want Mack giving up the chance to set things straight with Hunter just because of her.

Mad as she was at Hunter in her own right, Tatum did feel like she owed her a little. It had been Hunter who had taken Mack in while Tatum herself had been being a complete asshole. She could relate to fucking things up once in a while. Her hands certainly weren't clean of hurting the blonde either.

Her eyes went wide when Mackenzie demanded an apology on her behalf, and she tensed her hands in the older girl's grasp. She didn't think the blonde was going to do that, and she doubted even more than Hunter was going to agree to the terms. She couldn't see the other girl's expression, but she could only imagine.

Mostly, Hunter looked genuinely puzzled at Mack's request. Really? Hunter supposed that maybe her friend had a point. She had sort of screwed over the little freshman over pretty bad, and she felt more guilty about it the more Mack continued to stare her down. She kept expecting her friend to close the distance between them and just lunge for her throat. She'd probably do that once the little redhead was out of sight and out of mind.

"Uh, sure, guess so," the blonde replied, blinking a bit. She didn't bother waiting for Tatum to turn around, wasn't sure that she would. Reaching up, she rubbed the back of her neck a little. Her expression was one of painful awkwardness. It wasn't like she went around saying 'sorry' to people very often. Apologizing was bordering on admitting that she was in the wrong. Which, really, she was. She usually acted without thinking of the consequences, but it had never gone as bad as this. "Sorry, kiddo. My bad."

Tatum's face looked equally as awkward as the Southern girl spoke up from behind her, making her furrow her eyebrows a little bit. She didn't know what to say, really. Was she supposed to thank her? Or tell her she was forgiven? She didn't exactly feel like forgiving her just yet. She would when Mack did, she supposed. What happened next would be decided by the blonde.

"Ten minutes," the redhead repeated in agreement, nodding a little. "I'll, uhm.. go get a drink. If you didn't break the machine," she suggested, smiling weakly. Leaning into the brief kiss, she smiled just a bit wider, before reluctantly pulling her hands away from Mackenzie's.

	From: notonyourteam	Date: June 26th, 2011 04:49 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Mackenzie smiled as Tatum returned the kiss, despite all of the drama of the last hour or so, it wasn’t turning out to be such a bad day. “I didn’t break it, it should still work,” She said giving the girl a goofy look. She nodded to Hunter, indicating she was ready to go, the blondes apology had been enough for her. She knew it was probably the most sincere the girl was going to get and it made her feel slightly less angry now that Hunter had apologized. Most of her anger towards the blonde was for Tatum’s sake anyway, she didn’t really give a rats ass if the school knew who she was sleeping with. It wasn’t like that information hadn’t been spread around in the past, she found it kind of interesting really. She didn’t think that her sexual life merited that kind of gossiping but apparently being the schools token playboy lesbian was front page material.

She placed her hands on the girl’s shoulders, turning her around so she was facing the right direction and walked her a few feet towards the vending machine. She released the girl’s shoulders after a few steps and gave her ass a playful slap to get her going, a wicked grin on her face. “Go on, we’ll just be down there,” she pointed down the hall in the opposite direction, still grinning madly. “If we aren’t back in ten minutes, then we’ve killed each other and I leave all my belongs to you,” She joked, giving the redhead’s shoulder a quick squeeze before turning to Hunter.

“Alright bitch, let’s get this over with,” She said, all cheeriness gone from her face now. Even though Hunter had apologized to Tatum, she was still pissed at the taller girl. She honestly couldn’t believe that Hunter had sold her out like that. It wasn’t even like she had been being held at gun point, she had happily sold her friend up the river for a measly fifty bucks. It had been an incredibly dick move, she supposed she did owe Hunter for the week she stayed in her room but that would have come in the form of letting he live at the Dubinsky house in New York all summer. Mack had been preparing herself to have to put up with both Hunter and Kate for the break, but she was okay with doing it for her friend.

She started walking without even waiting for Hunter to say anything, she knew that the girl would fall into step with her soon. She kept glancing over her shoulder quickly to make sure that Tatum hadn’t decided to follow them anyway, she didn’t think the girl would but stranger things had happened this week. Tatum had also been very protective of her in her own way today and while it made Mack feel a million different wonderful emotions at once, it caused the girl to be a bit unpredictable. Once they had rounded he corner of the hall and Mackenzie was sure that the redhead was out of ear shot, she turned to the taller blonde and shoved her against the wall.

“You have ten minutes to convince me why I shouldn’t beat your face in Sommer,” She said, the calm of her voice waving with anger. She fixed the girl with a cold glare, she wanted Hunter to know this was serious. This wasn’t just some stupid little thing that they could joke each other down from, she really didn’t need this shit right now. “What the fuck were you thinking telling Bekka? Did you not understand what “do not tell anyone“ meant?”

	From: itsnotjessica	Date: July 2nd, 2011 08:58 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Tatum nodded slowly in agreement, her eyes only wandering briefly over Mack's shoulder to inspect Hunter again. What was the girl's angle? She really hoped that whatever the blonde was planning, it didn't involve working Mackenzie up any further. Tatum still desperately wanted to just take the older girl and run, but Mack was turning her around by her shoulders and pointing her in the direction of the drink machines before she had much more chance to think on it.

"O-Okay, cool," she relented softly, barely containing a squeak as the blonde girl gave her ass a little slap. Eyes narrowing playfully at her, the redhead did as instructed and made her way down the corridor, a hand moving to the pocket of her jeans to feel around for any change she had laying around.

Once Tatum was out of sight, Hunter immediately noticed how Mack's expression did a total flip, and she inwardly sighed a little. She couldn't just let the redhead's presence rub off on her and make this a more enjoyable experience for both of them. Leave it to Mack to turn things harder than they needed to be. She always had to act like such an ungodly bitch. "Whatever man," the taller blonde shrugged back. Her hands shoved into her back pockets, as she began to follow Mack as she walked off.

Hunter had been pretty content, walking along absently a few paces behind and fooling herself into thinking that maybe Mack had calmed down. Before she had much time to convince herself, however, the shorter girl had her roughly shoved up against a wall. Hunter grunted a little, her eyes narrowing at Mack as she held her back against the wall and spoke harshly to her. It was hard for Hunter, even knowing she sort of deserved it, to keep her cool.

"You couldn't beat the broad side of a barn. Your head if too far up your ass," she murmured, glaring right back. She honestly didn't know what to offer her friend by way of excuse. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, and so she had just done it. That was the way with most schemes that Hunter came up with. She needed money, it was convenient, it was funny, nobody really lost. Leon finding out had been an unfortunate side effect, but totally wasn't her fault.

"I didn't think-- I assumed you meant like, her girlfriend. I don't talk to that bitch. How was I supposed to know Bekka was gunna go an' blab to Leon of all people? I didn't even know they talked 'bout shit! Especially not gay shit. What would he care for anyone? What you want me to say? I'll beat him up? 'Cos I will, if you'll just get your panties out of your ass crack."

	From: notonyourteam	Date: July 2nd, 2011 10:58 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Mackenzie growled slightly at Hunter’s comment, her fists tightening on the taller blonde’s shirt. Hunter always knew how to get under her skin, and right now she was already on edge. She wanted to pull her fist back and hit the girl square in the face, every emotion she had been feeling in the last week had come to a head today. Tatum had told her time and time again that dealing with her issues by hitting people wasn’t the right way but it always helped so much. Maybe she should just get a punching bag to keep in her room instead of using Hunter. “Fuck you,” She spat, giving Hunter a little shake. “I could fucking kill you if I wanted to.”

She was honestly slightly shocked by what Hunter was telling her, she couldn’t believe that the taller blonde could really be that thick. Then again, she shouldn’t have been surprised, she had known the tall girl for years and she should have known the girl would blab to someone. She had wanted to tell someone though, someone who she could gush to in her excitement. Hunter was her best bro, they told each other everything that wasn’t deemed to gay. Usually her sexual exploits were on the list of things to talk about, but this time it was a little bit different. There were feelings involved this time, it wasn’t just someone that Mackenzie didn’t plan on ever calling back.

“I’m not even going to begin to try and understand how the fuck your mind works,” She seethed, glaring intensely at the taller girl. She could feel her body shaking slightly, her anger starting to get the better of her. Deep down, she knew that most of the anger she was expressing to Hunter wasn’t even really about the blonde girl but she was an easy target for it right now. “You shouldn’t have told anyone! If I didn’t care I wouldn’t have said don’t tell anyone but you fucking went, and sold me out to some bitch for fifty dollars! It shouldn’t have mattered if you knew Bekka was going to tell Leon or not, because I’m your friend and you fucking sold my personal life for cash.”

She was yelling now, positive that most of the occupants of the hospital could hear her now. Mackenzie couldn’t help it though, she was pissed to say the least. She released the taller girl with a little shove and stepped back her arms falling to her sides, fists clenched. “You really fucked me over man, I know you always tell me not to get gay about shit but, really? I don’t even know what I want you to say, it…just fucking sucks.”

Mackenzie’s shoulders slumped slightly, some of the fight draining out of her. She had been ready to fight the blonde when they had arrived at the hospital earlier, but now she was too tired. It had been too much of an emotional roller coaster the last week, and she just didn’t have the emotional capacity anymore to fight the taller girl. She just wanted to go back to Tatum’s car, let herself be held and comforted and fall asleep. “You didn’t even try to stop Kate from fucking hitting me dude, like, you of all people should have been able to do that.” She muttered, not meeting the taller girl’s eyes. She knew that it had been to quick for anyone to really stop but if she didn’t have the energy to physically hit the blonde, she was going to lash out with what she had.

	From: itsnotjessica	Date: July 4th, 2011 12:25 am (UTC)		(Link)

"Hey!" Hunter shouted back as she was released with the shove, her back and shoulders thumping heavily against the wall behind her. She had been hoping that maybe the blonde would just let this slide still, get a punch or two in and let it go, but she just seemed to be keep dragging it out. Why did she have to go and get all upset? It made Hunter feel bad, and feeling bad wasn't something she wanted to feel when it came to her friends. Even one like Mack, as emotionally awkward as they were toward each other. It was still her best bro.

"It wasn't personal, don't go and take it all personal.. I just needed cash, I figured most she was gunna do was rip on the kid, all right? I figure, she'll come home, wash the sheets, throw her little tantrum, whatever.. this wasn't personal, I just-- fuck off, c'mon!" the blonde insisted back. She glanced up and down the corridor, making sure no one was coming to see what they were doing. If someone caught them fighting in here, even Kia probably couldn't save them from getting thrown out.

"Y'all really think I'd do that to hurt you? Goddamn, Mack! I was jus' fuckin' around and then shit got outta control, it was outta my hands!" she went on, watching the shorter blonde clenching her fists at her sides. Hunter quickly did the same, long arms hung loosely beside her as she chewed briefly on her lip. "I'm sorry, man, fuck! What do you want me to say 'bout it? It's done and over with, you got the wench, what could be better? I hooked you up!"

Trying to put a positive spin on this was about the only chance that Hunter stood. She doubted Mack was going to buy her excuse right off the bat, but maybe she could convince the other girl to look on the bright side. It was really the only way. This bullshit happening with Craig had been an unfortunate additional complication, and Hunter felt pretty bad about everything falling apart at once for the other blonde, but there was nothing she could do now. Especially not if Mack decided to kill her or something. She seemed pissed enough.

"Life sucks, get over it," Hunter grunted back sullenly, straightening up and leaning back against the wall as she watched Mack winding down a bit. She looked so dejected, Hunter would have given her a hug if she had been anyone else. Between them, that just wouldn't fly unless it was a special occasion. She doubted Mack would accept a hug from her right then anyway, no matter how much she needed it. When Mack accused her of not stopping Kate, the taller blonde shot forward from the wall, giving Mackenzie a light shove.

"Fuck you! I was-- she was too damn quick! I wouldn't let her do that," she muttered right back. "You think I didn't wanna stop her? You think that I think moms should be hittin' their fucking kids? Cause they fuckin' shouldn't be!"

	From: notonyourteam	Date: July 4th, 2011 06:07 pm (UTC)		(Link)

“I would have fucking given you cash, you dumb shit! You think I wouldn’t hook you up if you needed it?” She yelled back, not even caring if anyone heard. Getting kicked out of the hospital wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, she was pretty sure she didn’t want to see her mother again before she left. She had shown up for Kate, because she knew that even though her mother was a tyrant in her eyes, she needed her family. Now however, the blonde girl didn’t care anymore, her mother could go rot in hell for all she cared. “I don’t care if it was personal or not! I just wish you would have fucking stopped for a second and used your god damn head for once!”

Mackenzie wasn’t really sure what this argument was about anymore, Hunter had said she was sorry, she had even apologized to Tatum. That was the part that Mack cared most about anyway, it had hurt the redhead the most, she didn’t care what everyone thought of her. She was pretty sure that the school hadn’t thought highly of her to begin with, she was notorious for sleeping around and she knew the kind of gossip that circulated. She wasn’t sure why she was dragging this out so much, maybe it was her lack of sleep, or perhaps the amount of emotion she had felt in the last twenty four hours. Why couldn’t she just let it go?

The blonde was brought out of her thoughts when she felt the taller girl shove her, her eyes instantly snapping to the taller girl to fix her with a cold glare. Out of reflex she pulled her hand into a fist and decked the girl across the face, her anger instantly draining out of her as she listened to Hunter’s muttered response. They both knew how they felt about their mothers, they both could sympathize with each other. They were the train wreck twins after all, two little blonde jocks with a slew of mother issues and a passion for causing trouble. They might not hold each other while they cried about how little love and sympathy they got from the women in their lives but they were there for each other.

“Fuck, I know that,” She muttered sheepishly. She felt bad now for accusing the taller girl of not trying to stop Kate, she knew that Hunter of all people knew what it was like to get hit by their mother. She knew that even if the girl was a complete idiot most of the time, she always had her back, even if they didn’t do all that gay friendship stuff. Hunter was practically her sister, and she knew that the blonde would always be there for her. “Look…sorry, okay? That was fucked up, I know you would have stopped Kate if you could have. I…it’s just been a while since she’s pulled that kind of shit on me. It caught me off guard, and she’s always liked you better. This whole fucking thing is fucked up, I’m losing control of it Hunt, I don’t know what to do.”

She bit her lip anxiously, instantly regretting letting out too much of her feelings to the other girl. This was the kind of shit she was supposed to talk to Tatum about, not her best bro. “Sorry for punching you,” she mumbled, running a hand through her hair and staring at the ground. It was probably the first time she had ever apologized for getting rough with Hunter, but she did feel bad. It wasn’t like their usual fights, they didn’t have any anger behind them usually, but this was different. She couldn’t recall a time she had been this mad at her friend, usually Hunter would piss her off about something petty, and they’d bicker and punch each other before ending up laughing it off. What had happened to her life? When had it become such a melodrama? “I shouldn’t have…you know, my bad okay?”

	From: itsnotjessica	Date: July 5th, 2011 12:26 am (UTC)		(Link)

Hunter had been riled up with a reply, but she was cut short and a little surprised as Mack's fist shot out and slammed into her cheek. Wincing just a bit as her head thumped back against the wall behind her, the blonde fixed the short girl with a little glare. "When have I ever used my head for anythin' besides breaking my fall?" she half-joked, turning her head and clearing her throat before spitting pink onto the hospital floor. Somebody would mop that up, they dealt with gross stuff all of the time in hospitals.

She was genuinely surprised when her friend apologized, Hunter's brow furrowing a bit as if she were confused. Once she realized that the other blonde wasn't kidding around, she adverted her eyes slightly, only looking the tiniest bit sheepish. "Everybody likes me better," the taller girl sighed, crossing her arms lightly over her chest. Her cheek was throbbing, but it was sort of nice. She deserved it, and it sort of made them feel even.

"You know I got you whatever happens.. you and your lil' freshie. I didn't mean to go an' make this happen to y'all.. jus' supposed to be a joke," she sighed, lifting her hands for a moment to scrub them over her face before they crossed over her chest again. "I dunno what you can do, just gotta ride it out.. but y'know, people forget shit pretty soon. Somebody will make a sex tape or something next week, you'll be old gay news," she added, smirking slowly.

It was weird to exchange apologies and awkward looks, and the banter of a good joke kept Hunter in line. It kept her from cracking under the pressure of emotions. It was hard to keep emotions from getting involved when they spoke about their mothers especially, a subject they usually avoided unless they were venting. If they were venting, calling them bitches and selfish whores, it was different than these moments of doubt. They were both just girls who wanted their mothers love, no matter how tough they wanted to act to each other and everyone else.

"Forget it, I knew you would," Hunter muttered, smirk still on her lips as she spit a second time. It was still a little bloody, but nothing close to some of the punches they had laid on each other in the past. "I'm lucky I still got all my teeth, pretty sure you just made me bite my tongue," she laughed, watching Mack running the hands through her hair anxiously. It was weird to see her friend so worked up, but she supposed she had every right to feel a little fucked up right then. It was almost as weird as hearing her say 'sorry' to her and meaning it.

"You should head home. You look like shit, man."

	From: notonyourteam	Date: July 5th, 2011 08:17 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Mackenzie watched Hunter’s spit fall to the floor with a light splat, scrunching up her nose slightly. The taller blonde was absolutely disgusting sometimes, she felt slightly bad for the hospital staff. They probably dealt with things that were worse on a daily basis, but she knew Kia would yell at them if she found out. She snorted at the blonde’s comment, she was pretty sure that not everyone like Hunter better. “Bitch, I can name several people off the top of my head who would disagree,” She shot back, a small smirk sliding onto her face. She just couldn’t help it, that was just how they had to act around each other.

The shorter girl was surprised when Hunter told her she not only had her back, but Tatum’s too. She always knew the tall blonde had her back, even if it was rarely said between them. She was honestly a little touched that Hunter would do her a solid like that, even more that she would admit to it out loud. Mackenzie nodded along as the taller blonde continued talking, she had known deep down that Hunter really hadn’t meant any harm by it. The blonde might have been an idiot but she had a big heart, she even sometimes had good intentions. “Yeah, I know,” Mack sighed, standing awkwardly and watching the other girl scrub at her face. “Thanks though Hunt, you having our back…it means uh, a lot.” She punched the girl playfully in the shoulder, smirking at her. “You’re totally a dick though, T’s a junior. At least don’t say it around her, she’ll be sad.”

The shorter girl felt better already, the normal flow of banter resuming between the two blondes. It was one less thing for Mackenzie to worry about now, and it was a huge relief. She grinned goofily back at the taller blonde as she watched her spit again, she wouldn’t trade her best bro for anything. “You’re so nasty sometimes,” She chided the taller girl, scrunching her nose once again as she looked a little too closely at the spit. She nodded at Hunter’s suggestion, now that the tension between the two of them was all gone she could really feel how exhausted she was. The fist that she had used to hit Hunter with was the same one that had taken the brunt of her vending machine assault earlier, and it throbbed slightly from hitting the girl’s face.

“Yeah, I’m over this,” She agreed, running her hand through her hair again. She was starting to develop a small headache, maybe Tatum could drive them back. “Haven’t been sleeping that great lately, T’s car is way to fucking small for anyone over four foot three.” She held out her fist for a fist bump, giving the taller girl a small, exhausted smile. “We solid now? I should go find that ginger hooker, I’m pretty sure we’ve been gone longer than ten minutes. I don’t want her thinking she’s getting all of my shit.”