doomsday. [ yellowjackets ]

quatre.

xxx.

chapter four.
quatre.

xxx.

Tara's unruly blonde hair stuck out like a vertical halo, irritated by the humidity as she slammed the truck door shut behind her when she slid off the seat, hand cupped over her mouth. The Yellowjackets striker stumbled back towards the party, a cup in her free hand that was really useless; it was almost empty except whatever she had just spit back into it after attempting to kiss Vincent Hall, a boy from her AP Literature class? Or was it biology? It didn't matter. The point was that he was not at all what she had been anticipating, and she was going to pretend like it never happened.

After practice and, more traumatically, Allie's injury, Tara had the unfortunate experience of having to tell her parents about her college rejection letter. It went the opposite of well, which was exactly what she'd been expecting. Her mother was so disappointed, and maybe if she had spent more time studying her historical empires and governments instead of 'fooling around' at soccer practice and spending her weekends at games, she would've had the grades to be accepted. Her father's reaction was on the same level, just in a different light.

He'd not said a word at first and stormed out of the kitchen, they heard something loud, like the thudding of slamming your fist into the wall. Her mother flinched but acted as though she agreed with his response, and Tara just rested her chin against her hand. She stared at the decorative wreath on the wall, some dumb saying written on the plaque across it with little cherubs surrounding it, and watched as it even twitched with fright from the sound of her father's yelling from the other room.

There had been many words about what she should've done, or how it had been expected that this would happen. Heaven forbid their only child be a failure and bring such shame to their family and, most blasphemous, in front of God. If Tara was a little more careless and had a death wish, she would've mentioned that if God wanted her to get accepted, he should've bribed the Dean.

So, when Tara had left later that night under the guise of staying with Laura Lee (her parents adored Laura Lee, because what better company could their daughter keep than the rule-following, always smiling, walking prayer wagon that was Laura Lee), she had already subconsciously decided that tonight would be a Godless night. Allie had snapped her leg, her future was 'ruined', and it felt like they would be destined to lose at Nationals as soon as they step on the plane, so she decided that God must not be paying too much attention tonight.

If her parents weren't giving her their blessing, he was.

And really, she wished he hadn't. The least he could've done for her was give her a better option than Vincent Hall. And a better tolerance for alcohol. Tara had never drank anything more than commune wine, and she really never had an interest in it anyways, not after Alexandra Platt had shown up on her doorstep nursing a hangover and couldn't go home with that sort of evidence. They happened to be neighbours, so Tara had lots of experience seeing what it was like to be drunk and had no plans on doing it herself.

She also didn't have any plans on drunkenly kissing a boy that she really didn't even like all that much though, so 'here, here!' to disappointments for herself to match her parents.

Tara thought she could hear Vincent calling after her but she ignored it, forcing down the bile that was climbing up her throat. She shook her head and tried to flatten her flyaways uselessly when eyes caught a different car with a couple standing outside of it. The closer she got, she recognized Dana and Tommy, and plastered a big smile on her face.