Normal Things (Tate Langdon FanFiction)

Chapter Six:

Mom and I had fallen asleep on the couch, my head in her lap, the TV nothing but static. I checked my phone, looking at the time. It was 9:32 and I was late for school. Frantically hustling to my room, I threw on a pair of jeans and a sweater and scooped up my pair of oxfords.

Mom was awake in the living room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, smiling dopily at me from the couch. "'O morning, swe—heart!" she yawned, stretching upwards like a cat. I smiled, pulled a breakfast bar from one of the cabinets in the kitchen and stuffed it in one of the front pockets of me jeans.

Throwing a kiss and a Good-Bye overmy shoulder, I hurried outside and into my old Chevy, slamming the door as Ishoved the key into the ignition.

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I'd eaten half the breakfast bar as I pulled into the parking lot for school nearly two hours after the first bell. Scrambling out of my truck, hustling across the lot to the front doors, I slipped inside and went to the front office, the last of my breakfast bar sticking out of my mouth as the secretary sighed and went in search of a late slip.

"I'm sorry, Miss Paten," I said around my bite of breakfast. She mumbled to herself and opened a drawer, pulling out a pad of blue.

She wrote me out a late slip and ripped it from its brother, holding it out to me. I took it, swallowed, and turned around, walking out into the hall. I'd made it to my locker when the third bell rang, signaling third period.

"My little bird is late," said a voice from behind me. I looked over my shoulder and smiled; Tate was behind me, smiling a stupidly giddy smile, all teeth. He put his hand on the small of my back, and leaned in, kissing the back of my ear.

"Sorry," I said as I turned with my textbook, "Mom and I fell asleep on the couch a—" I didn't finish my sentence; Tate moved around me, kissing me on the mouth. His lips tasted like pancakes and syrup.

"Pancakes?" I said once he pulled back. With a smile, he nodded and stepped back from me, letting me close my locker with my shoulder. Together, we walked down the hallway, his hand around my waist, his fingers taut against my hipbone. People were staring, watching us as we walked by with suspicious glares and their mouths shaped like 'o's'. I kept my head down.

"Don't look down," Tate whispered to me. "You have nothing to hide from them. Don't be ashamed." I slowly looked up, and just in time too; Finny was watching from her locker, her mouth agape, her eyes narrowed. Her eyes were full of fire that nearly melted the soles of my shoes to the center of the hallway, stopping me in my tracks.

Tate's arm pulled me closer as we passed her.

After we passed and the people in the hall seemed to break out of their shell casings and move about, going to class, Tate loosened his grip, letting out a sigh that matched my own. We were standing in front of my third period class, and a few boys stopped halfway in and out of the door, staring, their eyes raking up and down my body.

With a snap from Tate, the boys shuffled away and I let out a breath, "Thanks."

Tate nodded, looking at me."Always." I smiled; he kissed my forehead which set my heart to spinning andwalked away, vowing to see me at lunch. I waved weakly and walked into myclass. 

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Uncle was waiting for me when I walked into his classroom for lunch, chewing on a pretzel stick with childish pleasure. "Mem," he cooed, talking past his pretzel. I smiled and pulled a chair to the front of his desk, sitting down with a heavy thud.