and i love her ▸ tate langdon ✓

25. awful

And they rob the souls of the girls like you
And they break the hearts of the girls

-

"Which one is your favorite?" Tate asks Marceline in reference to the starry sky they laid under. They laid on the sand of the beach, using the dark spot to advantage so they could actually see the stars.

"Probably... that one," she answers, pointing up at one of the brighter stars in the sky. "I like that one," Tate says, pointing to a star near the perfectly crescent moon.

"That one is pretty," she comments, her warm body pushed into Tate's side just how he liked it. It would soon be sunrise and the stars would soon go back into hiding within the blue sky. They had decided to skip school the day after Valentine's since her dad and stepmom wouldn't be home.

The water crashes gently against the shore, the tide low and the water a safe distance away from Tate and Marceline.

"Did you enjoy your Valentine's day?" he asks, having got in his head that she didn't have fun. "Yeah. It was my first one with an actual boyfriend," she replies, glancing up at him. He smiles softly, his thumb tracing random shapes onto her hip.

They stay on the beach as the sun rises, only leaving once the time read seven a.m. Arriving back at Marceline's house, they go to her living room and watch the rerun of Jurassic Park since Tate had never seen it.

-

Marceline had noticed an abrupt change in Tate the next day.

She wasn't sure what had caused it, but she knew it had to have been something big. He became more quick-tempered and aggressive. Every little thing ticked him off.

They sit outside of the school, the silence heavy as Tate smokes his cigarette. Marceline studies his completely stoic expression, trying to figure out what he was thinking. But of course, it was no use.

"Can I ask you something?" she finally speaks up.

Tate turns his head to face her, his eyebrow raised in question. "Is something wrong? You've been really irritable lately and kinda distant," she asks, taking a short puff from her cigarette as she awaits his response.

"I'm fine," he excuses, not even his tone convincing her.

She sighs softly, her eyes falling down on the concrete she sits on. "Fine. Don't tell me. But don't act like I didn't care," she comments angrily before standing from the ground.

Tate watches as she walks back into the school, not making any attempt to stop her or go after her. Instead, he takes his time to finish his cigarette before getting up from the ground and going into the school.

He finds her easily, locating her in the library at a table with her head already buried in a book. It was something about a murderer.

Sitting down across from her, she ignores his presence and continues reading her book. Tate stays quiet, watching her as her eyes scan over the words. He rests his chin on his palm, keeping with his silent analysis of Marceline.

"Larry keeps trying to act like my father. And Addie is buying it," Tate finally speaks, his voice flat. She looks up at him, her brows furrowed. "How?" she asks.

"He just... sits in dad's spot at the table and brings us to stupid plays and does all the things a father would," Tate explains, the topic clearly a sore spot with him. "I can't stand him. Not even my mother can and she's the one dating him,"

Marceline closes her book, her eyes meeting Tate's. "You're so pretty," she compliments randomly. Tate smiles, a soft blush spreading his cheeks.

"Stop trying to distract me from the real problem here," he says, knowing her tactic in these situations. She shakes her head, chuckling softly. "I'm not. You're just really pretty and I don't think I say it enough," she justifies.