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.”