Tatum's Tears | On Hold

Chapter 11 - ❝A First Time for Flirting.❞

        Chapter 11 - "A First Time for Flirting."

Tatum felt stupid.

She knew it was extremely uncharacteristic and not to mention, way too nostalgic of her but she couldn't help it.

What was so stupid, you ask?

Her waiting outside Angier's last class for the day to go to the first day of audition together.

All because of what? Some stupid ritual they'd made up back in middle school when both of them had been super into the Drama club and had performed so well that they were continuously cast as the leads in almost all the plays.

They'd made up this pact to meet outside any one of their classes every day before rehearsal, walking together to the theatre room to discuss their parts and how well-versed they were with their lines. They also liked to go over mini-rehearsals of their own, telling each other what they thought was the best way to carry out a scene.

Of course, their then drama teacher, Mr. Evans, loved to tell them to shut up and act like they were told to. Obviously, that didn't stop them from trying to make their suggestions, though.

Tatum felt a smile pull at her lips at the memory.

The door to the classroom opened just then and people started pouring out. Tatum straightened from her slouched, leaning position on the wall, her fingers nervously fidgeting with the strap of her cross-strapped, leather bag of their own accord. Her eyes flitted over the entryway briskly as she awaited the exit of that mop of familiar dirty blond hair that was always styled carefully in that 'just-rolled-out-of-bed' way.

Almost all the students had exited the room by now, and Tatum was slowly starting to worry and slightly regret her split-second decision to come there. Just as she decided that she'd stick around just a couple of minutes more and leave if he still wasn't coming out, Tatum heard some footsteps nearing the door of the empty room, and then her best-friend appeared.

With an arm around Francesca Blythe, who was twisted around him like a pretzel.

Alright, not really. It was just that they were walking way too close.

Oh, and both their hair was completely messed up. Their faces were flushed a telltale shade of red and not to forget, their lips were also kind of swollen and pink-looking.

Fuck, I should've known. Tatum twisted around in her heel to flee the crime scene that was yet another destruction of her fragile hope, but luck was not on her side.

No dear, it definitely wasn't.

Because if it was, Angier wouldn't have realized it was her with just the back of her head and yelled out her name. "Tatum!"

Tatum sighed exasperatedly as she came to a halt, hurrying to try and think of some kind of an excuse as to why she was in this part of the building. Unfortunately for her, her brain was drawing a blank. Crap, she thought as she exhaled slowly once again in an attempt to calm herself—failing miserably because her heart was not cooperating—finally turning around with a smile pasted on her face, "Hello, kissing couple."

"Hi." Francesca grinned and the way her smile was wide and free, instead of the slightly reserved way she always was around everyone, surprised Tatum. A second later, she realized that she was all loose-limbed and bright-eyed probably because of the fact that the two of them had just been snogging each other's face off.

Ew, disgusting.

Angier's cheeks turn a shade of red deeper than the one that's already staining them, at her comment, "Tell me you didn't see that."