From: porcelinaofvast	Date: May 13th, 2011 01:56 am (UTC)		(Link)

"I was thinking that, but they-- they're going to ask me details, and I'm just gunna.. stammer and fuck it up and sound like I'm a moron. They aren't gunna take me seriously, I can't even like, look people in the eye," Tatum muttered, pouting some as the cigarette was yanked from her possession. "I don't even have proof, I don't know what they could possibly do. But what if I don't say anything and it like, eats a kid?"

The red head was chewing at her lip again, looking extremely nervous. There was only a crack in the tension when Mackenzie leaned close to her ear, Tatum immediately leaning away at a little with a shy smile. "Screw off, I'm serious. If I stay over, no.. silliness."

Even if she knew that Mackenzie was joking most of the time, or at least seemed to be, having it seen from another point of view sometimes looked entirely different. The last thing she wanted was Frankie, or someone else, getting the wrong idea. But it was impossible to really resist, the joking between them just flowed, no matter how physical it got. It was just Mackenzie.

"I might have to take my chances with your grabby hands and Russian fingers if my room doesn't get unterrifying in the next twelve hours or so," she sighed, tilting her head a bit to look at her friend, offering that weak smile. She was sick of being afraid of her room, ducking outside all of the time. And it would be rude to impose on Frankie and Rowan even more than she usually did. And Mackenzie was offering. They were just friends.

"If Frankie can sleep over at Gray's, I guess I can.. hang out for a night or two. If you won't be a complete asshole."

	From: notonyourteam	Date: May 13th, 2011 02:41 am (UTC)		(Link)

Mackenzie returned the cigarette to Tatum’s hand and, frowned slightly. The teachers never believed her when she told them things, but granted, she was usually telling them a lie to get out of trouble. They were supposed to believe students about these kind of things right? That was their job, to teach and protect the kids that had enrolled in their school. The old headmaster got that.

“Tater, you should tell Simmons,” she pressed. She knew she shouldn’t push the girl but it worried her. If this thing turned out to be dangerous, she wanted to make sure that Tatum wouldn’t get hurt. “It’s the staffs job to worry about stuff like this, they’ll believe you. If they don’t, I’ll just make them.”

Mackenzie flashed Tatum a coy smile and winked, she just couldn’t help it. It was one of her absolute favorite past times to make the girl flustered. “Babe, I promise you my frisky digits wont disappoint. I’ll take you to a whole new world.”

She was trying really hard not to laugh at this point, it was just getting silly. She would have said something else but she didn’t want to freak Tatum out. The poor girl was already stressed out enough, and Mackenzie laying down the heavy seduction would probably only make it worse. Even if she would still be kind of joking, it would cross the line she had drawn for herself with the red head. After all, they were just friends.

“Awh, Tater Tot! I wont be an asshole I promise!” She said, pouting slightly. “Does cuddling count as silliness? Because I can’t help the fact that I latch onto cute red heads in my sleep. And if you tell anyone I actually enjoy cuddling, I will end you.”

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: May 13th, 2011 02:59 am (UTC)		(Link)

"You promise you'll make them? If they won't, like.. listen? Cause I'm being honest, so they should listen in the first place, but I.. you know I suck at explaining. I couldn't even tell you without beating around the bush for ten minutes first," she murmured, frowning a little as she took a last drag off of the cigarette before tossing it to the ground with their others.

"Will you come with me?" she asked seriously, looking more closely at Mackenzie now, and sort of straightening up some. If she was going to do something crazy like this, she might as well get her courage up. "After I'm not so baked," she added, after a moment of thought. She could already feel herself squinting, as per usual. Her eyes were probably as red as everything else.

"I'm pretty partial to this world," she added by way of response, shaking her head and rolling her shoulders casually in her best nonchalant display. "I'll survive just fine without your digits all up in this."

Scooting over closer, she leaned her head against the older girl's, sighing heavily. "Am I like, gonna have to wear full body pajamas?"

	From: notonyourteam	Date: May 13th, 2011 03:25 am (UTC)		(Link)

“Of course, I’ll make them listen Tater, its my job as your protec…I mean friend.” Mackenzie gave the red head a genuine smile, she would probably cut a bitch if she had to for this kid. “I will go with you and probably end up yelling at Simmons if there is any doubt that what you say is true. We can go whenever you are ready, just tell me when.”

Mackenzie had to admit she was a little disappointed in the lack of flustered response from Tatum. Giving up wasn’t really part of her vocabulary however, and just because she had missed one opportunity didn’t mean she couldn’t find another. She did feel bad sometimes when flirting with Tatum. It wasn’t because the girl was taken, although she respected the fact that Frankie seemed to make Tatum happy. She did feel bad however when she felt like she had made the girl feel uncomfortable. She wasn’t entirely sure herself what her intentions were beyond pushing a few of the red heads buttons because the reaction was so cute, but she did know that she didn’t want to scare away the red head.

She shifted slightly when she felt Tatum scoot closer and let her head rest on the smaller girls. It was nice having friends like this, it was a lot more satisfying than just hooking up with people.

“Jesus Tatum, I’m not going to rape you or anything!” She huffed, poking the other girl in the leg playfully. “Only if you consent to sexy girl time in my bed will it happen. I just happen to be the kind of person that latches onto the nearest heat source in my sleep and I didn’t want you to wig out about it in the morning. Because I know you would.”

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: May 13th, 2011 03:47 am (UTC)		(Link)

Tatum lifted her head a bit, looking at Mackenzie as if to see that she was serious in everything that she said. Seemingly satisfied with what she saw in the other girl's face, Tatum smiled broadly and relaxed again, letting herself lean back onto her hands on the rock. It was starting to hurt her butt a little. How long had they been sitting out here? She had been there for a while before Mack even joined her. Numbness was definitely setting in.

"I never said rape. I've just seen you in action. But still, those were both the answers I was pretty much dying to hear," Tatum informed her, smiling still. It would be a lot easier to tell the teachers if she had Mackenzie backing her up. They would tell the staff, she'd crash for a couple of nights, the teachers would catch whatever it was, and they would be back to normal in no time. It seemed like a flawless plan. If it worked out.

"One more thing," she added after a brief moment of thought, chewing her lip again. "Well, two things. One, we have to tell them not to hurt it. Whatever it is, I.. they shouldn't have to kill it. And two, I don't wig," the red head continued, her cheeks only slightly flushing. "I'm not like, a total virgin. I don't freak out every time a girl touches me. Not if she, uhm, has clothes on anyway."

	From: notonyourteam	Date: May 13th, 2011 04:18 am (UTC)		(Link)

Mackenzie felt a weird tingling in her cheeks as Tatum turned that mega watt smile at her. She looked away quickly, messing with a loose thread on her hoodie and hoping that Tatum hadn’t noticed anything. Jesus, if Tatum figured out that she maybe, kind of, was possibly a little bit flustered then she’d never hear the end of it. Plus it would totally ruin her “cool” persona that the red head seemed to think she possessed. And honestly, what the hell? Mackenzie Dubinsky didn’t blush, especially not because she made some girl smile. Maybe she was getting a fever.

“So are you admitting that you couldn’t resist me if I tried to seduce you?” Mackenzie asked, composing herself enough to smile flirtatiously at the red head. She hopped of the rock and turned to face the girl, her hands on her hips. “I’ll make sure they understand not to kill it,” she promised. “Although I don’t know why you’d want to spare its life, it sounds dangerous to me. If that’s what you want though, that’s what you’ll get.”

Mackenzie smirked and leaned over so she was invading the younger girl’s personal space. She leaned past Tatum’s face, bringing her mouth centimeters away from the other girls ear. “You totally wig. And I never said anything about me wearing pj’s to bed.” She straightened up, trying not to laugh. Tatum had totally walked right into that one.

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: May 13th, 2011 04:40 am (UTC)		(Link)

If Tatum noticed any blushing on her friend's cheeks, she didn't say a word about it. Seeing the tables turned between them, with Mackenzie as the victim of the ever present flustering, would pretty much have been Tatum's idea of the Twilight Zone. It might have broken her brain to even see it.

Instead of noticing her friend's blush, Tatum's own simply intensified as the senior smiled at her like that. It got her every time, and Tatum found herself tipping her head back and covering her eyes with one hand as she laughed. "Can you go for five seconds without hitting on somebody? Sexual harassment is like your oxygen," the red head joked.

When Mackenzie jumped off of the rock, Tatum straightened up to do the same, but immediately froze in place as the older girl leaned over her. She couldn't even suppress the little shiver that passed through her body as the blonde spoke so close to her ear. Her breath a little warm against her ear and neck, and Tatum noticed it immediately. She leaned away from her friend, scowling at her.

"Shit like that is why I wig! That's just-- what am I supposed to say to that!?" she protested sullenly. "Normal girls wear pj's at their sleepovers. I was pretty much under the impression that lesbian sleepovers only went topless and beyond on the internet. And God bless the internet."

	From: notonyourteam	Date: May 13th, 2011 05:23 am (UTC)		(Link)

“Of course I can go for five seconds without hitting on someone!” Mackenzie protested, crossing her arms. “I hang out with Hunter all the time and don’t hit on her!” She knew that Hunter really didn’t count because that shit would just be weird. It made her feel better though, she did have a bad habit of hitting on most of the girls at the institute. She was about to say that Tatum was special and that’s why she hit on the girl as persistently as she did, but she stopped herself. That would just end up sounding bad.

Mackenzie just smirked as she observed the other girls reaction to the whole ordeal. It gave her a sense of power to have that effect on someone, and it went to her head way too quickly. Maybe that was why she hit on so many women, it just made her feel so damn good. When it came to Tatum however, it was slightly different. She found that getting a rise out of the girl was not only validating but endearing and fun. It was just how she showed her affection for the other girl. At the moment, she was trying very had not to appear too amused at the girls ranting.

“I told you that you wigged,” She laughed, she just couldn’t hold it in anymore. “And I don’t know T, what would you like to say about it?”

“Do you and Frankie wear pj’s at your sleepovers, hm?” Mackenzie wiggled her eye brows suggestively at the red head. “And what have you been getting up to on the internet young lady? Because last I checked the only place that lesbians go topless and beyond are on porn sites.” Mackenzie couldn’t help the catlike grin that was slowly forming on her lips.

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: May 13th, 2011 05:51 am (UTC)		(Link)

"I will quit smoking weed for a week if you can go a week.. no, a day without hitting on a single chick. Including me, even though I'm not really a chick," Tatum challenged her, finding herself unable to hold in a laugh as well. They knew each other too well to play games. She could deny it until she was blue in the face, but there was no escaping the things that Mack had on her. Mackenzie knew about her wigging out even better than most people.

Finally standing up from the rock, Tatum groaned a little as she stretched, feeling a satisfying crack in her lower back. It felt better already, although the feeling returning was less quick. "My ass is asleep," she lamented, rather than admit anything further under the subject of wigging. Blushing again, the younger girl bit at her lip as Mackenzie questioned her. "I don't- I-I don't want to say anything about it," she managed, cheeks practically on fire.

She couldn't even keep a straight face when Mackenzie pulled that face, waggling eyebrows and all. Tatum burst out laughing again, reaching up to rub her face, pinching the bridge of her nose with thumb and forefinger. "The shit that comes out of your mouth sometimes," she laughed, although clearly still embarrassed, probably just as Mack wanted. "Yes, we wear pj's. Uhm, usually. I mean. Like, underwear count as pj's, right? They sure seem to on the internet," she relented, grinning.

"Too bad you'll never know what I have on my computer. Chinese water torture couldn't get that password out of me."

	From: notonyourteam	Date: May 13th, 2011 06:17 am (UTC)		(Link)

Mackenzie, for once in her life, was at a slight loss for words. No hitting on any girls for a whole day? That just didn’t seem possible, what the hell was she supposed to do with her time? If she agreed the red head’s challenge, Hunter would never let her hear the end of it. But if she refused, she would only be proving Tatum’s point, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to be seen as someone who breathed sexual harassment oxygen. Even if it was probably ninety-nine percent true.

“I…well…how long do I have to go without hitting on someone?” She managed to stutter out. “And you’re totally a chick Tater, I don’t know what you are talking about. Because if you aren’t a chick, then Frankie and I are going to feel extremely stupid.”

She grinned maniacally as she watched Tatum work herself up into a flustered mess. It was just too cute how even the slightest mention of any thing sexual made her all embarrassed and stuttery.

“I could wake up that ass for you,” Mackenzie purred, winking at the girl. She decided to let the topic of what (or rather what she didn’t) wear to bed slide for a little while. “And yes underwear counts you dork. Although, that doesn’t help you much seeing as now you’re the one who doesn’t wear anything to bed.”

She was extremely interested in what kind of things were lurking on Tatum’s computer, but she knew that the red head would be true to her word. There would be no way to force the password out of her, but Mackenzie had other plans.

“Well now I know it’s something worth my time or you wouldn’t deny me the password. I’ll just have to ask Frankie,” she shrugged. “I’ll bet she’ll tell me what’s on your computer.”

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: May 13th, 2011 07:13 am (UTC)		(Link)

"Twenty-four hours. We'll start and end on the same hour of your choice," Tatum suggested coyly, enjoying a taste of the upperhand for once. It didn't happen often, and she had to take what she could get. It didn't take a genius to know the spot Mackenzie was caught between. Tatum knew how she acted around Hunter and other people. "Unless you don't think you can handle it, I like.. understand."

When Mackenzie winked at her, Tatum did her best disapproving frown, giving a quick roll of her eyes in response. "See? It's been ten seconds, and you're already back at it," she teased. "You know, you rip on me more than like.. any other dickhead in this whole school, when you really think about it. And you're still like, my best friend. What's up with that?"

Tatum seemed pretty pleased with herself on the subject of passwords, but when Mackenzie unveiled her back-up plan, the red haired girl's face faltered for just a moment. "What makes you think Frankie knows my password?" she asked slowly, trying to play it some sort of cool. "She's not really into like, technology. Maybe she forgot. If I ever told her at all. Maybe I'll take it to the grave?"

	From: notonyourteam	Date: May 13th, 2011 07:55 am (UTC)		(Link)

Mackenzie swallowed thickly, she felt kind of bad that she thought that a Tatum with an upper hand was kinda hot. Now she couldn’t exactly say no, especially with the challenging tone that Tatum was using. Damn little red head, and her scary secret manipulating ways. She was probably the only person who could manage to back Mackenzie into such a corner.

“Ugh, no! I can handle it,” She protested weakly. “Let’s start it now, you are so loosing this bet!”

Mackenzie pouted slightly at the red head, they so hadn’t even started the bet yet when she had said that. It was just too easy to make those comments to the girl, she was practically dangling them in front of Mackenzie’s face. “Tatum! I do not rip on you, I flirt with you. There’s a difference!” She whined, “It’s endearing when I do it, right?”

“Wait,” she paused for a moment in thought. “You think I’m a dickhead?”

She tried not to laugh as Tatum tried deter her from approaching Frankie on the subject. She just smirked, a mischievous glint appearing in her eye. “I never said that she had to tell me the password, just that she probably knew what you were hiding and might just tell me if I ask her.” Her smirk got wider, she knew when she won a battle and right now she was winning. “Based on your excuses as to why I shouldn’t ask her, I bet she knows a lot.”

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: May 13th, 2011 08:12 am (UTC)		(Link)

"We'll see," Tatum replied confidently once Mackenzie agreed, a goofy smile crossing her face as she watched the older girl. If she did end up losing, she wasn't sure she'd be able to last the whole week, but she'd still be pretty proud of her friend for making it the whole day. It would pretty much be a small miracle and all.

Stuffing her hands into the pockets of her jeans, mostly for something to do with them, Tatum began to walk back toward the school a bit slowly. She figured Mack would followed. It was usually how they worked. "Okay, okay. It is kind of, uhm.. endearing. I guess. If that's the word you wanna use," Tatum replied, smiling slowly. "And when I call you a dickhead, I mean it with the utmost like, affection and shit. You're a dickhead, but you're my dickhead."

She tried to keep up her best poker face as Mackenzie prodded her further about Frankie, offering just a shrug of her small shoulders in reply. "What makes you think she'll just sell me up the river for you?" she asked, genuinely curious. She was pretty sure Frankie had her back, but it was always wise to see what angle Mack was coming in from. Just to be safe. Especially with the amount of mockery riding on the line if she ever got that laptop unlocked. Tatum didn't even want to imagine it.

	From: notonyourteam	Date: May 13th, 2011 08:47 am (UTC)		(Link)

“Yeah,” Mackenzie grumbled under her breath. God what had she gotten herself into? That goofy smile was killing her very slowly and painfully. “We’ll see you loose.” She would not allow herself to let Tatum down by loosing this bet, she wasn’t even sure why she cared so much. Hunter would massacre her if she ever got this information out of her. She made a mental note to never mention it to the Big Cheese.

She obediently followed the little red head back towards the school, shoving her hands in her sweatshirt pockets as they walked. Falling into step with Tatum she let a small smile of contentment slip onto her face. She never felt awkwardly tall around the other girl, even though she kind of towered over her.

“That’s the word I wanna use,” Mackenzie stated, grinning. “Because it’s totally the truth. I’m glad that I’m your dickhead though. I’d hate to think that you thought I was just a dick head. My life has purpose now.”

Mackenzie thought for a moment, stroking her chin dramatically. She knew what she wanted to say to get a rise out of the girl but now she couldn’t. It was such a waste of a comedic moment, and now she had to throw it away because it would be considered flirting. Damn, how much time did she have left?

“Uhm…well I can’t tell you,” Mackenzie said, smiling. “But I have my ways of persuasion.”

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: May 13th, 2011 06:58 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"I don't know about that," Tatum replied quietly, lips twitching at the edges into a little grin. She could really only beat Mackenzie at a game where she got to set the rules. It was basically this, or challenge her to a video game. Other than that, her opportunities were limited. "I don't think I'll lose. You can't keep your pants on till dinner, guaranteed."

She shifted the hands in her pockets, fiddling absently with her loose change and lighter as they walked. Tatum was feeling a little better already, and not even too stoned anymore. They had been out a while, there might not even be time to do much before dinner came around. After that, maybe she would let Mack take her to Simmons. What choice did she have? It was probably best to just do it and say something before it was too late. and whatever she couldn't handle, Mackenzie would be there to make up for. It was tonight or never.

"You're my dickhead, but still definitely a dick," she assured her, watching the older girl stroking her chin. Never a good sign in Tatum's book. "I know what you're thinking, you don't have to say it, and I don't-- I don't think she would fall for that. You're not God's gift to women, if no one informed you yet," the red haired girl joked, freeing one hand in order to reach over and give Mackenzie's side a poke through her sweater. "Dickhead."

	From: notonyourteam	Date: May 13th, 2011 08:18 pm (UTC)		(Link)

“You make me out to be some kind of womanizer!” Mackenzie gasped, feigning outrage. She knew that she was, and that was just fine with her, but she didn’t really want Tatum to think that. “I can keep my pants on just fine until dinner thank you very much! And after dinner, and tomorrow until this little bet is over!”

Mackenzie was dying to retort with, “But I am gods gift to women, more specifically you.” She had to use every ounce of personal restraint to stop herself from saying it. This was surely going to kill her, she was going to explode from keeping it all in. This had to be a public health issue, she was sure of it.

She opted instead for sulking, crossing her arms over her chest and mumbling “not a dickhead,” under her breath. “I’ll get it out of her one way or another, I can be really obnoxious and charming you know. I don’t always have to rely on my skills of seduction to get what I want!”

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: May 13th, 2011 09:57 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"Imagine that!" Tatum gasped back dramatically, bursting into laughter practically right after. Both hands were out of her pockets now, and her arms stretched high above her head as they walked. "I'll believe that bullshit when I see it happen. Britney Spears basically wrote Womanizer about you," she informed her friend, before quickly correcting herself. "Not that I listen to Britney Spears. Sera does."

Glancing at Mackenzie as she sulked, Tatum found herself grinning all over again. This 'poor me' act was priceless and turning the tables was amazing. For once, she was the one getting the laugh, not the one with the pout. "Cheer up. You're totally obnoxious, and I'm sure you can use it to torture whoever you need. You're kind of hilarious when you can't make gross jokes," she mused, tapping a finger against her chin briefly.

"This is just like House of M. Except you've been more or less stripped of your dirty mouth instead of.. awesome mutant superpowers. But still hilarious. For me, anyway!"

	From: notonyourteam	Date: May 14th, 2011 12:13 am (UTC)		(Link)

Mackenzie smiled broadly at the small girls laughter, she very much enjoyed making the red head laugh. She had to beat down the sappy side of her brain before it started drawing comparisons between the girls laugh and beautiful music.

“Dude, Britney is hot, she knows talent when she sees it.” Mackenzie said almost instantly, her eyes glazing over a bit as she thought about Britney Spears. “And I totally know that you listen to her Tatum, don’t lie to yourself.”

Mackenzie stuck her tongue out at the red head, and pouted a little bit. Sadly, she didn’t know what to say if she couldn’t make gross jokes and it kind of bothered her. Not that she didn’t have depth, but she was afraid she might say something to revealing if she couldn’t deflect with her usual jokes and flirting. Tatum had no idea that she just used those to keep herself from saying something stupid.

“I’m so glad you’re entertained by the fact that this bet has already started to kill me,” She deadpanned, continuing to sulk. “When I die from withdrawal, I hope you cry into my grave and become a mute to honor the loss of my life. I’m sure Hunter will find this whole arrangement equally as hilarious, if not more

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: May 14th, 2011 12:58 am (UTC)		(Link)

"I really don't," Tatum insisted, shifting her eyes away for a moment as she smiled goofily. "Much, I mean. I'm much more into Gaga right now. Or Dev. She needs an album of her own.. but I don't even care what songs she sings, that girl is fucking gorgeous," she added as a second thought, nodding.

It was sort of funny. There was Mackenzie, twisting in the wind and totally unable to make a pass at anybody, but she could talk about chicks all she wanted herself. She knew it would pain the blonde not to join in, but that as all the more fun right then.

"I'm incredibly entertained. I don't know about all of that honoring your death non-sense.. if keeping it in your pants for a day kills you, man. It's time to look at your life," she teased the older girl, turning to look at her more fully as they walked. They were almost back now, but Tatum hung back a little, not quite ready yet. "When are you going to settle down already? We could like.. uhm, go on double dates and shit," she suggested, shrugging.

	From: notonyourteam	Date: May 14th, 2011 01:36 am (UTC)		(Link)

“Uh-huh, I’m sure you don’t Tots, what ever makes you sleep better at night.” She shoved her hands in her back pockets, biting her bottom lip. Tatum was just playing dirty now, she knew that Mackenzie would want to comment on Dev’s hottness. She knew how big of Dev fan Mackenzie was, sneaky little red headed devil. “Dev is awesome,” She said lamely.

Mackenzie stopped walking at that point and rubbed the back of her head awkwardly, a small blush making its way onto her face. Tatum really had no idea, or if she did then she was playing a dangerous game with the blonde. How the hell was she supposed to answer that question? She couldn’t really tell the girl how she felt because she was in denial about it, but she didn’t know what to say otherwise.

“Uhm…I don’t know?” She asked, chewing her bottom lip nervously. “This is going to sound really stupid, and if you tell anyone I said this I swear I’ll never talk to you again. Like seriously, don’t laugh okay?” She ran her hand through her hair and sighed, “I’m…kinda waiting for the right girl.”

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: May 14th, 2011 03:15 am (UTC)		(Link)

"She sure is," Tatum grinned, indeed knowing the exact pain she was causing her friend. All in good fun, of course! It was only fair when she considered the amount of time Mackenzie spent torturing her. She knew that the other girl got an incredible rise out of it, and now she could sort of see why. For someone always on the butt of the joke, this was quite nice.

"I think we should go back to my room so I can roll a blunt, and then we go and watch music videos in your room. You've seen her in the video for Backseat, right? That's a good one, man."

She watched Mackenzie more closely once they were stopped, her eyebrows furrowing a bit as she saw all of the nervous energy radiating from the older girl's fidgety movements. The blushing, the rubbing, the lip chewing; she could relate to it all. But it wasn't something she and Mackenzie of all people ever had in common before. She almost felt bad for getting the blonde so worked up with her teasing. "That's not stupid at all," she assured her. "I would never laugh at that."

Crossing the few feet of distance between them, Tatum stopped just half a pace in front of Mackenzie, standing before her and reaching out to pat both of the older girl's shoulders awkwardly with outstretched hands. She could have hugged her, but Mack was already embarrassed enough. "I think that's totally like.. it makes sense. That's what you're supposed to do. I think. If you're not a player like you," she joked.

"Everybody finds the right girl eventually. I mean, uhm.. I waited like, seventeen years for Frankie. She's been like.. I don't even know. She's the first girl I ever kissed, the first time we went out, and then I just.. I knew that was it. Even when we broke up," she paused, biting her own lip. "I tried to forget about her, but I just felt like.. I dunno. I needed her back. It was the right girl. It's just a feeling. You'll know when you feel it. It's like, almost like indigestion. Your whole chest feels kinda tight and your hands get all sweaty, and when she laughs, it's like.. beautiful music, man. Or maybe that's just me. I bet it's a little different for everybody."

	From: notonyourteam	Date: May 14th, 2011 05:34 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Mackenzie was at a slight loss for words, she never knew that Tatum had this confident, devilish side. For someone who seemed like a dork most of the time, she knew how to press Mackenzie’s buttons. Which shouldn’t have surprised her, Tatum knew her better than anyone, besides maybe Hunter. The girl knew exactly what would get a rise out of her, Mackenzie should have realized how screwed she was.

“Uh…Yeah, okay,” she swallowed. She did not want to watch Dev videos while Tatum could make any comment she wanted. She was pretty sure the girl was trying to kill her. “It’s a good one alright.”

Mackenzie felt her body tense up as Tatum walked up to her, her heart was pounding in her chest. As strange as it sounded, she wasn’t used to other girls initiating physical contact. She was usually the one who invaded other peoples bubbles, but this was something that she wasn’t entirely comfortable with. It didn’t help that it was Tatum, and she couldn’t really read the girl as well as she wanted to.
To Mackenzie’s relief, and slight disappointment, Tatum just patted her on the shoulders. She listened as Tatum talked about Frankie, her stomach seizing up as she continued to talk about the girl. Where was this jealousy coming from? She never got jealous like she was right now. Her hands were starting to get clammy as she clenched them by her sides. A small glimmer of realization hit her and she could feel the panic rising in her chest. All those things that Tatum listed sounded exactly how she felt when around the red head, for god sakes it was happening right now.

“Well fuck,” she said weakly, freaking out a little when she realized the had spoken out loud. “Ahh…uh…Well I’m glad you uh…found the right one.” She stepped back slightly, to put a little more space between them as she tried to compose herself. “Well uh, yeah that sounds about right,” She nodded, trying not to make eye contact.

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: May 14th, 2011 06:46 pm (UTC)		(Link)

One look at Mackenzie told Tatum that something wasn't sitting right with her. She had no idea what it was, but she had a feeling it didn't even have to do with their stupid bet. It seemed more serious than that, and Tatum hated the small awkward silence between them, the tension briefly occupying their air. She opened her mouth, about to ask if Mack was okay, but she quickly stopped herself.

Hassling the girl with questions would be useless. If Mackenzie wanted to tell her, she would. Trying to get in her face about it would never work, especially if it was something seriously bothering her. The last thing Tatum wanted to do was make her shut down about it, but it was always so hard to navigate situations like this. She was shit at picking and choosing her words, tip-toeing around subjects.

Taking her best bet, the chicken shit's way out, Tatum just nodded her head. "Yeah. I'm really glad, too.. I never thought a girl that pretty would want to go out with me, you know?" she mused, watching Mackenzie as she stepped back, spacing them out. Tatum lowered her hands to her side, sliding them back into her pockets again.

She had a feeling she was embarrassing her friend now, and decided to back off, avoiding eye contact herself as she turned to start walking the rest of the distance to the school. "You'll know when you find her. I bet you'll make that girl feel the same way I do," she assured her friend, the best she could come up with, her cheeks blushing a little as she said it. "If any girl feels like I do about Frankie, she's definitely in love. Or whatever.. you know."

She usually tried to avoid getting all mushy, but sometimes it just came out. Especially when she was high. She always got so overly emotional; it usually just made her cry at things on tv or movies, but it could come out in all sorts of awkward ways when other people were around.

	From: notonyourteam	Date: May 14th, 2011 07:28 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Mackenzie followed Tatum quietly, mulling over what the red head had said to her. She had always kind of known how Tatum felt about Frankie, but she had hoped that the Valentine’s day fiasco might have changed her mind slightly. It just kind of hurt to hear her say it out loud. Mackenzie wasn’t used to this kind of attachment, she was always the one that broke hearts. It was easier that way, she couldn’t get hurt if she didn’t let feelings get involved.

She really didn’t want to face the fact that Tatum was describing everything she felt, because it scared the shit out of her to think that she may have fallen for her best friend. Tatum had always been there since she had started at the upper academy, and vice versa. She really wanted to tell Tatum that she wanted to be the one who made her feel that way and not Frankie. That would only ruin everything though, and Mackenzie wasn’t really sure she wanted to face those feelings. It was better just to shove them into the back of her mind and ignore them. That way it wouldn’t hurt when Tatum still picked Frankie, because she knew she always would. She stopped walking suddenly, grabbing Tatum’s sleeve to stop her.

“I don’t know why you’d think that a girl wouldn’t want to date you Tatum,” She said quietly, looking at the ground. “You’re beautiful, smart, funny; there’s like a whole list of awesome things that could describe you. You’re like, perfect.” It was like word vomit coming out of her mouth, she wasn’t sure what had possessed her to say it but now that she had she couldn’t stop. “Don’t sell yourself short, okay?” She finished weakly. God she was in trouble now, there was no way to back peddle from that. She just hoped that Tatum didn’t catch on to what was really going on.

She let go of Tatum’s sleeve and crossed her arms over her chest, looking up at the school buildings that rested a few yards away. Now that things were incredibly awkward she just wanted to crawl in a hole and die. Or go rough house with Hunter or something. But she still had offered to let Tatum stay with her and it would look extremely suspicious if she just ditched her after all of that.

“So,” She said awkwardly, rocking back and forth on her feet. “How about those Dev videos?”

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: May 14th, 2011 08:00 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Tatum was actually at a loss for words. It wasn't often that Mackenzie came out with an affection declaration like that. It was an entirely different animal than any of the passes that the blonde made at her each day. She, for a rare moment, didn't seem like she was joking down. Which made it even more embarrassing. Tatum felt her cheeks heating up without any hope at a chance to stop them.

She wasn't sure how she was supposed to react. Things generally were so chill between them, it felt like they could say anything. But it didn't mean they always did. Even when they did get sappy and sweet, it was usually Tatum on the delivering end. Was this a test? Maybe she was supposed to react like Hunter did. She saw the way Mack acted with the other blonde. Maybe it was a joke.

But something in the seriousness of her friend's expression told her that it wasn't. She was flattered, honestly. She knew that Mackenzie was her friend, but it had never really occurred to her that the blonde would think that about her. As much as she had never said it, she always assumed she was a bit of a charity case, still a loser, really no different than any of the other nerds Mack stood up for; she just happened to be a more clingy one. But Mack thought she was beautiful? Or smart? That was something she would have never believed if she didn't hear the other girl blurt it herself. This was just like when she had gotten all emotional with Apple at Mardi Gras. What was up with her this year? She was like a feelings magnet.

After a moment of silence passing between them, the red head managed a weak smile. "Thanks man," she replied, equally weak. Deciding that if this was some random test of her bro-ness, she didn't want to fail, and so she did what she thought was probably the right idea. Reaching out with a loose fist, she gave Mackenzie's upper arm a little shove. "Don't be a fag," she joked, cracking a smile slightly. "Let's go watch some sexy bitches on Youtube."