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."

	From: notonyourteam	Date: May 14th, 2011 08:30 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Mackenzie stared at Tatum with her mouth slightly agape, she wanted to loose it at the girl. She wanted to tell her exactly how she felt because this oblivious Tatum was going to be the death of her. Since when did Tatum talk to her like Hunter did anyway? Stupid not being able to hit on girls bet, that was the reason that this all happened. Had she been able to just flirt with the girl like she usually did she wouldn’t have had to dredge up all these unwanted feelings. She didn’t want to admit it but she didn’t want to ruin the closeness she had with Tatum. Because she couldn’t imagine trying to get though things without her and if she fucked this up that is what she would have to do.

Swallowing thickly she took a deep breath and tried to put on a convincing smirk. She reached out to pull Tatum into a gentle head lock, much like she always did with Hunter.

“Shut your face,” she teased, “I told you not to laugh at me. Have you been hanging around Hunter? Because that could be dangerous for your health.” She grinned at the red head, she honestly wouldn’t give this up for anything. Even if it meant dealing with stupid mushy feelings that liked to rear their ugly heads every so often. “I suppose I’ll let it slide though, because I really want to go watch those Dev videos and I can’t do that if we aren’t talking.”

“Speaking of talking,” She continued, tilting her head in thought. “When were you going to talk to Simmons?”

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: May 14th, 2011 08:51 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Tatum laughed as Mackenzie grabbed her, squinting her eyes closed as she was held down in the headlock. "Your locks are softer than my brother's at least," she informed the blonde, grinning up at her from her awkward angle. "He's an asshole sometimes though. Did I ever tell you he put me through the coffee table after we saw the first Jackass movie? Accidentally, but still a dick move."

She tried her best to shrug at the question about Hunter. "No way dude. I know the rules, she's a bad influence and all that shit," she assured her, laughing a bit. "I just.. I dunno. I see how you act around her. Sometimes I think I'm too nerdy for you, we can't like.. wrestle or punch each other or whatever you guys do. I don't even get it, but you guys seem to like it," she admitted, cheeks flushing yet again, much to her dismay.

"I'm down with Dev, just release me so I can feel my neck," the red head joked, only frowned when Mackenzie brought up Simmons again. "Uhm, I.. I dunno. Soon, I guess? After dinner? That's probably the best idea. If you still really think we should go."

	From: notonyourteam	Date: May 14th, 2011 09:55 pm (UTC)		(Link)

“Well you’re kind of a delicate flower, I didn’t want to unleash my super strength on you.” Mackenzie grinned down at the red head, “Remind me to give him a shove next time I see him.”

She hoped that Tatum and her never had a relationship like the one she had with Hunter. “Good, because Hunter would corrupt you,” she warned. “Hunter and I have a special relationship, I don’t think it would work with anyone but her. We’re like, men in women’s bodies when it comes to each other,” she explained shaking her head. “I don’t want that kind of relationship with you Tats, I enjoy your nerdiness, even if I don’t get it sometimes. It’s kinda cute, you know?”

“That’s not me hitting on you, okay?” she said quickly, realizing what she had said. “Its just my opinion, your nerdy behavior is very endearing. I was just making a point that I wouldn’t want you to change.”

“Sorry, I get carried away sometimes.” She released Tatum from her head lock, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. She felt bad for killing the mood with asking about Simmons again but it had to be done. “After dinner works just fine with me, I do think we should still go. It’s important, especially if this thing turns out to be dangerous. But I’ll be right there with you when we go okay?”

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: May 14th, 2011 10:17 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"I could make you lose the bet for that one," Tatum warned with a smirk, lifting a hand to point her index finger sternly at the older girl. "But I'll let it slide because you're just being like, so gosh-darned cute!" the red-head teased, totally unable to keep herself from laughing right after.

"Kidding. It's kind of nice to know someone appreciate my nerdiness.. it has to be good for something, right? I've come a long way since I deleted my WoW account. It's been like, two months, and not a single relapse so far!" she insisted, smiling a little as she was released from Mackenzie's grasp.

"If you're coming with me, I guess it won't be like.. the worst. You can fill in the blanks when I fail to make any sense," she agreed, sighing heavily. "Will you hold my hand?" she joked, sticking her tongue out.

	From: notonyourteam	Date: May 14th, 2011 10:37 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Mackenzie was half tempted to pull the girl back into another headlock so she wouldn’t see the mad blush that was on her face. Even though Tatum had been joking, it still made her stomach clench up in a good way. Like how when she made the red head smile those huge goofy grins. She opted instead to shake her head laughing, effectively covering her face with her hair.

“Thank you for letting it slide oh great one,” she joked, smiling at the red head. “I owe you one.”

She couldn’t help but burst out laughing when the girl started going on about her WoW account. It was just too adorable and hilarious, even if she didn’t really get the whole video game thing. Although, she enjoyed watching Tatum play them when she did, there were interesting. “Oh my god, you are such a nerd!” She laughed, poking the girl in the side. “I forgot about that time in your life! Do you remember the time I had to practically rip you from your computer and carry you to the bathroom so you could shower? God Tat, it had been like three days! You smelled like cheese.”

“Of course I’ll hold your hand if you want,” She mumbled, giving the girl a light shove. God why did Tatum have to make those kind of jokes? “I will go with you and if you want me to chime in, just tug at your ear or something okay?”

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: May 15th, 2011 12:47 am (UTC)		(Link)

"Dude! Gross!" Tatum practically squealed, giving Mackenzie her best example of a shove. She pouted at her for telling that story, taking a quick glance around to make sure no one was listening in. "That was different. I.. I was sick, why would I leave my room with the flu? And that cheese smell was not me. I smelled delicious, like Vick's vaporub and bubblegum flavoured Tylenol," she assured her, still pouting.

"I guess I'm better off without WoW though. I already play enough of everything else without that occupying the other half of my time," she lamented, sighing. "I'm just glad it gives me more time to spend with Frankie. It was really cutting into dancing in our underwear time before," the red head half joked.

"I'll try to remember that. But I might get too nervous and just tear my ear off, I must warn you.. cause, uhm.. this shit is gunna be stressful."

	From: notonyourteam	Date: May 15th, 2011 01:29 am (UTC)		(Link)

Mackenzie just laughed and shook her head. “You totally smelled like cheese dude, I hate to break it to you. That’s what happens when you cake Vick’s on your chest and play WoW in bed. Definitely not delicious,” She teased. “There were other times too Tat, seriously, thank god you joined the living.”

She tried not to make a face at the thought of their dancing in their underwear time, it made her slightly angry. She furrowed her brows and looked off in another direction for a second while she calmed down. There had to be someway for her to keep her emotions in check around the red head in the next twenty four hours. “Yeah, I could see how that might get in the way,” She managed to say, letting out a forced laugh. “I mean, I’ve seen you play that shit, and it’s pretty addicting. I don’t know if I’d play them myself but I could definitely sit and watch you play them all day.”

Mackenzie poked the girl in the arm lightly, “You can actually hold my had you know, I don’t mind. Then if you want me to say something, you can just squeeze it. So you won’t like, rip off your ear.”

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: May 15th, 2011 01:41 am (UTC)		(Link)

"Dude, you're so embarrassing," Tatum sighed, shaking her head back. "Thank god I don't need you as like, a character reference or something. You make me sound like some basement dweller. Which I totally am not anymore," she insisted, frowning. "I go to parties now, I might as well be a popular kid," she joked.

When Mackenzie suggested actually holding hands, Tatum raised an eyebrow at the blonde. "You think they're going to listen to my story if you need to hold my hand the whole time? Maybe I should just man up.. but manning up is scary."

It had to be getting even closer to dinner now. Staring up at the campus buildings, Tatum reached her hand up to chew the side of her thumb nail. "Let's eat and decide from there. I'm so starving."

	From: notonyourteam	Date: May 15th, 2011 02:58 am (UTC)		(Link)

“You were a basement dweller,” Mackenzie agreed, grinning at the red head. “That’s what you get for knowing me forever! And I wouldn’t go as far to say a popular kid,” she teased. “But you are much better than you used to be.”

Mackenzie shrugged and shoved her hands into her jeans pockets. “It shouldn’t matter, I was just offering cause I know how freaked out you get. Sometimes having someone to ground you helps, you know what I mean? As always, it is up to you Tots.”

A loud growl came out of the tall girls stomach as if to agree with Tatum’s statement. Mackenzie wasn’t sure when the last time she ate was but she hadn’t realized how very hungry she really was until Tatum mentioned dinner. “Well I would have to say that dinner sounds like a great idea!” She laughed, rubbing her aggravated stomach. “If you couldn’t tell, I’m starving!”

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: May 15th, 2011 11:48 am (UTC)		(Link)

Tatum laughed, shaking her head. "Okay, you're probably right.. popular kid might be a bit of a stretch," she admitted. "But the basement dwelling is past tense, right? I'm leaps and bounds from where I used to be. I haven't even gone to the comic shop to pick up anything new in like, a month and a half. Even if some of that I was home, and I went to that comic store.. that's different."

She watched Mackenzie's hand disappear into her jeans pockets, before lifting her head to look more closely at the blonde as she spoke. "I might take you up on your offer. Maybe," Tatum agreed. She laughed as Mackenzie's stomach growled, and she reached out to prod it gently. "What else is new? You put my munchies to shame. I don't know how you look so damn good, must be all that sport playing."

Taking a few more steps toward the school, Tatum stopped long enough to glance over her shoulder at Mackenzie and continue speaking. "All of that anonymous sex probably helps too," she teased.

	From: notonyourteam	Date: May 15th, 2011 02:54 pm (UTC)		(Link)

“Hey now, comic books are different,” Mackenzie protested. It was probably the only thing that she could out nerd Tatum about. “Those are like literature.” She nodded, her expression border lining complete seriousness. She didn’t joke about comic books because she probably owned close to every superhero one on the market. “And yes, it is past tense.”

Mackenzie just laughed as the girl poked her stomach, and watched her start to walk towards the school. She was about to follow her when she saw the red head stop and glance over her shoulder. Her mouth fell open slightly when she heard what Tatum had said. It just wasn’t fair, she was like a helpless little duck or something. Couldn’t defend herself what so ever.

“Hey!” She yelled, catching up with red head and scowling. “They are not anonymous. They all had names you know!”

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: May 15th, 2011 03:07 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"That's what I say about video games! They're like, art. But no one listens to me when I say that either," Tatum sighed, laughing a bit as Mackenzie protested and caught up with her. "I know that feel," she assured her, reaching over to pat the older girl's back.

They were basically at the door to Sonnier now, but Tatum stopped them a few paces away, seeming intent to get one more dig in before she let them get to dinner. "Name six, and I'll admit that I'm wrong. Not even last names, give me six first names. Preferably from the last six months," she insisted, raising an eyebrow at her friend.

"Prove me wrong, dude."

	From: notonyourteam	Date: May 15th, 2011 03:34 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Mackenzie smirked at the red head, “You assume that there were multiple women in the last six months. Maybe I was only sleeping with a few of them multiple times.” She had to admit it all sounded kind of bad, she did sleep around when she felt like it. Spring break hadn’t exactly been the trip of chastity or anything, or the trip of sobriety either.

“Uh…Well there’s Quinn, Marina,” She began ticking off the names on her fingers. “Jessica, and I don’t mean Hunter, that’s gross. Kim, Rachel and Heather. There, six names of six women.” She stuck out her tongue, but then sucked it back in quickly.

“That just makes me sound like a slut,” She said, pouting. “No fair Tatum.”

	From: porcelinaofvast	Date: May 15th, 2011 04:23 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Tatum watched her listing off the names, a small smile creeping onto her face. Listening to things like this only made her more sure that a girl like Mackenzie would never really be interested in her. No matter how much the blonde flirted with her, Tatum was sure she'd never be up to par with the girls her friend usually spent time with.

Sighing happily as the blonde pouted, Tatum moved over to slung an arm loosely around the taller girl's neck. It wasn't easy, and it forced Mack to hunch a bit, but Tatum didn't seem to mind. "Slut is like, a relative term," she mused, leaning her head against Mackenzie's as they began to walk toward the house building at last. "I think you're lovely. Let's have dinner," she added simply.