and i love her ▸ tate langdon ✓

11. i think that i would die

She lost all her innocence
She said, "I am not a feminist!"

-

Marceline felt nervous.

It was weird for her to feel nervous around a guy. She was never interested in dating but suddenly, with her date only an hour away, she couldn't calm herself down.

She told her dad she was going out with a friend even if it was a lie. She couldn't say she was going on a date. Correct that- it's not technically a date, she just inferred it was a date.

Dressed in an old Black Sabbath tee shirt and some basic jeans, she does her hair and makeup before putting on her combat boots. Her phone rings from her desk and she answers it. "Yes?" she asks.

"Hey, it's Tate," Tate says into his phone, a smile on his lips as he heard her voice. "What're you up to?"

"I'm actually about to go on a date," she tells him, evident excitement in her voice. Tate felt his smile immediately drop when he heard her words. He didn't feel sad or upset. He felt angry. It was like this tension in his body that made him want to do something bad.

"With who?" he asks anyway, almost afraid of her answer.

"This kid from my history class, Daniel,"

Tate knew Daniel only a little bit. He used to have geometry with him. He was a nice guy. A real hoot.

"Good for you," Tate seethes out but Marceline didn't pick up on his negative tone. "I should let you go. See you at school," before she could even reply, Tate had already hung up. Marceline just sets her phone down, confused by the abrupt hang up.

Hearing a sharp honk outside, Marceline scurries downstairs, mumbling a quick goodbye to her dad before leaving the house. Daniel sits in his car, a smile on his lips as he sees her. "Hi," he greets her as she gets into the passenger seat.

"Hey," she replies, a girlish smile on her lips as she buckles up and he drives off down the road.

Meanwhile, Tate angrily throws his phone across his room, careless as it clangs against his wall. Running his hands down his face, he groans. It wasn't like he truly thought he had a chance with her, he liked to think he did, though.

The feeling of knowing she was on a date with some guy right now was killing him. Why couldn't it be him? Why couldn't she let him love her?

With a heavy exhale, Tate grabs a small bag of coke and snorts it up quickly off the back of his hand. He was better than Daniel. He had more to offer than a fancy car and some money. Tate was just... better.

The coke Tate inhaled didn't help to do anything but make him angrier. Grabbing the half-empty water bottle beside him, he throws it across his room as well. Addie comes into his room, her eyes landing on the distressed Tate.

"Are you okay?" she asks her brother. Tate exhales softly, nodding in response. "I'm fine, Addie," he assures. She nods before backing out of his room and closing the door behind her. Fixing his hair, Tate calms himself from his little moment.

"Fuck," he mutters.

-

The date with Daniel went amazing. He was kind, caring, a good listener. Everything a girl would want. And everything a guy would envy.

At the end of the date, he leaned in and kissed her.

This wasn't Marceline's first kiss. She had a boyfriend in eighth grade and again in freshman year so she had kissed before. He pulls back, his blue eyes scanning her face. "I guess I'll see you in History on Monday, then," he says.