It had been almost a week to the day since Tatum had last seen Mackenzie in person. It had been even less time since yet another blowout with Frankie. That showed her what being honest got her; nothing but more bullshit. And now she wasn't even supposed to be around her own best friend. She loved Frankie, loved her desperately, but being away from Mack was like torture. No matter what else happened between them, all awkwardness aside, they would always be best friends.

Every time she thought of something stupid to say, she'd remember they weren't talking. She would pick up her phone to text her a silly picture she had taken, and then hesitate and stop. Posting that stupid video had been ballsy, and even from that little outstretching, they had barely spoken.

She had more or less begun restricting herself to her room all over again. With Bekka gone now, it was even more lonely than ever. At least the cats had each other for company, but Tatum herself was wasting as much time as she could online, smoking joint after joint in between. Sometimes she would forget what she was doing, or thinking about, and sometimes she would just lose herself and not think about anything at all. Those were the most blissful and rare moments.

It was hard to find anyone to kill time with. Rowan and Apple both had their mothers still missing, and to compare her sadness to theirs was incredibly petty. She and Frankie were on the rocks, and she was in no mood for Sera's know it all attitude about the situation. She clearly couldn't keep her mouth shut anyway. Hanging out with Jackie would just pull him more into the middle of herself and Mack. The more she thought about it, most of her bros were also pretty tight with Mack, and she felt bad about bringing their awkwardness around them. It was easier just to chill out by herself and let it all blow over, or blow up in her face. Whichever came first.

The afternoon of escape to Maine had been all she allowed herself, and although it had chilled her out significantly and taken her mind off of some of the shit going down, it seemed like no time before it was back to the panic game. Mack wanted to come over. Something was wrong with Craig, and although she knew the blonde would be trying to hide it, she would be hurting. She needed her, and although she had made a promise of her own choosing to Frankie, had sworn to stay away from Mack, how could she say 'no'?

She needed her, and Tatum needed her too. She couldn't deny the light butterflies in her stomach when the older girl had asked her if she would be home.

She changed into her pajamas early, and tried to keep herself from pacing the floor while she waited to hear from her friend. She could just show up at any time, and it was making Tatum's palms sweat, her heart beating in her throat. What was wrong with her? It was just Mackenzie. But she had missed her so bad.

Managing to distract herself with online shenanigans eventually, hours flew by and when Mack knocked on the door Tatum had been slumped over her desk, half asleep. Her chin was in her palm, elbow on the desktop, and half of a joint smoldering idly in the ashtray. The knock quickly woke her up, and she knew immediately who it was as soon as she looked at the time. She didn't bother to turn any lights on, ambling across her room in the darkness illuminated by her laptop screen, and got to the door.

Although she was knew it was Mack, she pulled the door open and peered out cautiously. She tried not to smile when she saw the blonde, seeing how down she looked, but she couldn't help herself. It didn't take long for her worry and panic to take back over though. "Get in here before someone sees you," she murmured, reaching forward and grabbing Mack by her arm, pulling her gently inside and shutting the door behind her. "It's after curfew," she added.

Or Frankie might see, she didn't add.