endlessly

4

It's Sunday when Tatum is officially moved out of the dorms and into the house. She will start classes tomorrow at the Academy of Dramatic Arts and although she would like to begin work right away, the girls insisted she take two/three days to get acclimated to classes.

Tonight is her first night out of the dorms and in the house with all four girls. To say she's extremely nervous is an understatement since Tatum is perpetually nervous all of the time. Except for when she's acting. Tatum grew up in a small town in Nevada. She's always had anxiety but found a safe space within the arts.

She can dance and sing, along with acting, which will make for a triple threat in the acting world. She feels like she can forget all of her anxiety through acting because she doesn't have to be herself, she can take on the form of a character, at least for a little while.

"So, we're gonna order some pizza for dinner so you can just relax," Jenna says as Tatum finishes putting up some decorations in her new room, "What should I get for you?"

"I'll eat anything really," Tatum answers.

"Okay, but what would you like?" she asks.

"Uh... Pepperoni?"

"You don't want anything else?" Jenna asks. Tatum is quick to shake her head, "Okay, I'll put it on the list."

Jenna retreats down to the main floor where the other girls are. She wears a concerned expression that Mikey immediately catches onto. Mikey, although only one year older, takes on a caring role in the house. She's always there for the girls when they get burnt out or ill. She can read anyone like a book and sometimes comes off as bossy. Although the people who truly know her, the other girls, for example, know that she is a natural leader and sometimes it just seems like she's bossy.

"Is something wrong?" Mikey asks Jenna in the kitchen. Jenna walks over to the notepad to write down Tatum's order.

"I think she's nervous and I feel bad," she says quietly. Sadie and Emma perk up.

"Nervous because of you?" Emma asks.

"Just nervous to be here," she answers.

"Just give her time," Sadie suggests, "Change can be scary for people."

Jenna takes a deep breath and nods, "You're right. I'm just overthinking."

Jenna, although confident and absolutely stunning, is actually pretty introverted in person. Away from the cameras, she likes to spend quality time with the girls and just relax. She finds comfort in the girls and knows that she can be vulnerable with them, which is something she can't do for the press.

Emma walks over to Jenna and gives her a hug from behind. The blonde is very clingy and a little more outgoing than Jenna behind the cameras. Although their personalities change when they are in front of cameras with Jenna being the one to calm Emma's nerves.

"I'm gonna go call and order," Mikey says, taking the notepad from Jenna. She walks out of the kitchen. Sadie sets the dining room table. Jenna and Emma join the redhead and help her set out the plates. Sadie is naturally introverted and is most similar to Tatum. Although Sadie likes to be busy all the time and that gets in the way of her body, which needs rest sometimes.

The girls are always there to help her when she gets burnt out and although Sadie's working on letting herself take rests, the burnouts happen quite frequently. Especially in high-stress situations.

"I'll go get Tatum," Emma announces once the table is set. Jenna and Sadie sit down at the table while the blonde disappears toward the stairs. Tatum's room is at the end of the hallway. The door is open but Emma stops and knocks on the frame, "Can I come in?"

Tatum looks up and smiles, "Yeah, of course."

The brunette is putting up a picture frame of her and Lilah.

"Who's that?" Emma asks.

"My old roommate, Lilah," she answers, "She got me this before I left."

"Do you miss her?" the blonde asks.

"I mean, it's only been two days."

"I know, but this is a lot of change to go through in two days," Emma states, "It's okay if you have weird emotions or feelings about this. Or if you are having second thoughts ab——"

"No, no," Tatum cuts her off, "I want this job. I do, I ——"

"Okay, okay," the blonde chuckles, "I didn't mean to freak you out. We just don't want you to be miserable here."

"Oh... thanks," she answers, "I guess I just feel nervous... because you guys are so famous... I just don't want to mess up."

Emma nods, "Well, even if you make one mistake, we're not gonna fire you on the spot."

Tatum smiles.

"Unless it was murder. I don't think you should murder anyone," the blonde jokes. Tatum bursts out laughing, "But a small, not life-threatening mistake won't get you fired."

"Okay."

"Mikey ordered the pizza and we'd love to get to know you more if you wanna come downstairs," Emma states as she stands up.

"Oh, yeah, of course," Tatum stands up and follows her back down to the dining room. Jenna smiles when she sees Tatum now smiling with Emma. Emma sits next to Sadie and Jenna across from Sadie, "Uh... where should I sit?"

"Anywhere you'd like," Mikey comes into the dining room. She touches Tatum's shoulder softly, in a loving manner. Mikey takes her place next to Jenna. Tatum boldly takes a seat at the head of the table, "So, tell us about yourself."

"What do you wanna know?" Tatum asks.

"Anything," Emma says a little too eagerly.

"How about home? Do you have brothers or sisters?" Sadie suggests.

"Oh, no. I'm an only child," the brunette answers, "And I'm from Minden, Nevada. It's a small town."

"Do your parents know about you taking this job?" Mikey asks.

"Uh, no... I don't really talk to them much. I should probably do that though," the girl laughs.

"Are they nice? Your parents?" Jenna asks. In today's day and age, there are a lot of young adults with trauma that stems from their parents.

"Oh yeah, my moms are great, I'm just kind of independent," Tatum answers.

"What's it like having two moms?" Emma blurts out.

"Emma!" Mikey scolds.

"What? It's just a question," she answers defensively. Tatum chuckles.

"It's okay, I don't mind," she explains, "It's great. I was adopted out of the foster care system, and both of my birth parents were killed in a car crash when I was young. My moms have always been really chill and they've supported my interest in acting."

"That's awesome," Sadie says, "You'll have to let us come to your final performance at the end of the semester."

"You want to come see me?" Tatum exclaims. The girls all nod.

"We want to support you just as much as you'll be supporting us by working for us," Emma explains. Tatum's eyes are wide, "Don't worry, you'll get to see us mess up on set anyways."

The doorbell rings and Mikey stands up, "There's the pizza."

"What do you like to watch?" Sadie asks.

"Uh, I like Grey's Anatomy, Stranger Things and Wednesday, of course, Criminal Minds, Euphoria, On My Block, there's a lot more that I watch, but I can't remember off of the top of my head," Tatum explains.

"No, that's fine. Right now we are binge-watching Survivor when we aren't filming," the redhead explains.

"Oh! I love Survivor! And Dance Moms," she adds, "But only because it's so dramatic for no reason."

"Of course," Jenna laughs.

Mikey brings the pizzas back in and sets them on the table, "Bone apple teeth."