She brought the item of clothing to her nose, sniffed it, then frowned. It didn't smell clean enough to be worn again.
She has been telling herself for weeks that she should do her laundry before she completely ran out of clothes. But with work and school and now the tutoring there was just no time for it.
This was all Bo Dennis's fault, she didn't know how exactly, but it was.
''Tamsin, hurry up. Betty is going to be out of pie by the time we get there.''
Tamsin rolled her eyes.
To hell with it, she picked the top and sprayed some deodorant on it, whoever thought she smelled bad would be standing close enough to have themselves punched.
''Finally,'' Bo said sounding every bit like the suffering martyr, ''I honestly don't get how you take that long to look like a hobo.''
''Ha ha, you're a freaking riot, let's go.''
She picked her pills from the table, her keys, considered for a second taking the garbage but then reconsidered, she'd do that later.
''Come on Tamsin, I really want pie today.''
''Alright, God.''
...
In this small town that Tamsin found herself in, Betty's was the dinner that everyone frequented.
It had the whole small town vibe thing going. Everyone greeting everyone by name, the waitress, who was flirty as hell, knew everyone's order and everyone's business too.
Tamsin hated it.
'' Stop scowling, '' Bo chastised sipping on her coffee, ''that's just Betty being Betty.''
''And this is just me being annoyed. Is she trying to burn a hole in my head?''
Seriously, the woman had been staring at Tamsin since they entered the diner thirty minutes ago, it was starting to get on her already frayed nerves.
''Forget her. So...'' Bo said waving Tamsin previous comment off and staring at her expectantly.
The blond tilted her head and regarded the brunette with a hint of amusement and a whole lot of teasing in her eyes, ''I love how you're crazy enough to believe I have any idea what the fuck it is you're talking about.''
''The tutoring session Tamsin. Christ you can be so annoying.''
''And you can be such a nag, I told you, nothing special happened, I went there, she tutored me, I went to work.''
''First, you did not tell me that. Second, something must have happened.''
''Something like what?'' Tamsin was getting annoyed. She was honestly in no mood to deal with whatever it was Bo was trying to make her deal with right now.
''I don't know, just something.''
''Well nothing happened, unless you count me realizing that I know shit all about cosines and whatever else that other thing is as something then yeah, something happened a lot.''
''Really?'' Bo sounded deflated.
Tamsin didn't care. ''Yes really, God,'' she looked towards the kitchen, ''is that food coming from Rome on a snail, it's been forever since we ordered!''
''You can't be serious.''
''I actually am, it's been like twenty minutes since¬''
''I mean in regards to the tutoring session!'' Bo cut her off. Tamsin frowned.
''Who the fuck says in regards to during normal conversation? And what's your obsession with this damn tutoring thing?''
''I don't have an obsession with it, I just..'' she fidgeted a bit, ''I just think you should have told me that before I practically bought you half the food in Canada.''
''Uh..first of all, fuck you, second of all, you offered to buy me breakfast, no one put a gun on your head and forced you to and third, fuck you, again. Now where the hell is that woman with our food!''
...
She had a hangover, it was second period and she had a hangover. Also, she was going to vomit, which was Bo's fault for buying her food and no alcohol. Honestly, who does that?
''Miss Sarksten, are you okay?''
The teacher who no matter how hard she tried Tamsin couldn't for the life of her remember her name asked, sounding genuinely concerned.
''Uh,'' she cleared her throat, ''yeah, I'm fine.''
''Are you sure?''
What was it with people and nagging her?
''Yes.'' She said trying hard to keep the nausea down. She started drinking when she was ten, dealing with hangovers was almost like breathing to her.
She felt a weird taste in her mouth; but a little air couldn't hurt either.
She raised a hand, the teacher sighed, ''go.''
''Thank you.''
...
She had been standing on the hallway for almost five minutes, trying to decipher a poster that was hanging in front of her although she knew full well she was never going to ¬it was in Latin¬ while simultaneously dealing with her nausea the only way she knew how; ignoring it until it took a hint, when she saw her walking down the hallway.
Should I smile? Would it be weird if I smi¬ ''Tamsin, Hi.''
''Uh, hello, I mean, Hi. Hello.''
It was the hangover talking, honest.
Lauren smile, her brown eyes shining and her hair looking like Tamsin never thought hair could look.
''Are you okay?''
''Yeah,'' she shrugged, ''just a little hangover but that's nothing.''
That sounded totally badass. Totally. Right?
''Oh, I have something that could help with that,'' she reached into her bag and produced a banana, ''here.''
''A banana.'' Tamsin deadpanned.
''Well, it has vitamin B6 which contains¬'' she seemed to suddenly realize what she was doing and smiled sheepishly, ''it's good for you, believe me. Also you should drink some water.''
''Okay, thanks.''
''No problem. So,'' she adjusted her bag, ''will you still be coming this afternoon or would you like to sleep off your hangover. That helps too.''
''No, no. This will have passed by then, I'll be there. Is four okay with you?''
Lauren nodded and gave Tamsin that smile that lit up her eyes again, '' Four is fine. I'll see you then.''
Tamsin watched her go and for some reason, she just couldn't stop smiling.
...
Since Lauren wasn't expecting her till four and she had gym class as her last period, Tamsin decided to skip and maybe grab some sleep before heading out to Lauren's. She had just gotten under the sheets when she heard a knock on her door.
''Kill me, kill me please.''
''Tamsin, I know you're in there. Open up.'' Bo yelled from the other side of the door. Tamsin practically stormed to the door, cursing all the way.
''Are you on some mission to make sure I get no sleep today?''
''Don't be melodramatic.'' Bo said with a roll of her eyes as she walked right past Tamsin and into the two roomed house.
''By all means, come right the fuck in.'' She banged the door closed. Something cracked, God, Mrs Perkins was going to be pissed as hell.
''Why are you even here? I thought you weren't the type to skip.''
She asked the brunette who was already comfortably seated on Tamsin's couch.
''I heard you were sick, so as your friend and only person who gives a shit about you in this town, I decided to come make sure you're not drowning in your own vomit. You're welcome.''
''This isn't my first rodeo, Bo.'' She said as she made her way to the fridge before she recalled that it had practically nothing in the morning and unless some elves or whatever had come and stocked it with food and beer while she'd been away, it probably still had nothing.
She sighed, whether it was from exasperation that Bo just wouldn't let her get some bloody sleep today or from suddenly realizing she was so hungry she could cry, she didn't know.
''Besides, I already drank a shit tone of water and Lauren gave me a banana earlier. She said it will help me somehow. Now if only you'd let me sleep, I'm pretty sure I'll be fine in no time.''
Bo suddenly looked more alert, ''exchanging hangover remedies already? I'm impressed.'' She said her voice sounding anything but.
Tamsin frowned, ''what's your deal with Lauren Lewis?''
''What do you mean?'' She fidgeted.
''Why do you hate her so much?''
''I don't hate Lauren Lewis, I just don't care much for her existence.''
The blond in the room raised a brow, ''really? Is that why you talk about her after like, every fifteen seconds?''
''I...you know what, fuck this, I have places to be.''
She sounded upset and Tamsin almost cared enough to stop her from walking out the door so they could talk about it, there was more to this than Bo was letting on and Tamsin wanted to get to the bottom of it. But then she remembered her interrupted sleep and she decided to let her walk out.
There's always later.
...
Later turned out to be an hour later in Lauren's kitchen that resembled some sort of detergent and bleach commercial set.
They'd been going through some mathematical concept or the other ¬the drum playing gorillas in Tamsin's head didn't allow her enough concentration power to be certain¬ when it slipped out of her mouth, ''what's up with you and Bo.''
For a moment, Lauren looked like she wasn't breathing and Tamsin almost slapped herself.
Honestly, her absolute lack of tact even took her by surprise sometimes.
''Bo?''
''Yeah, Bo Dennis, she's kind of obsessed with you.''
There was utter silence for a minute and Tamsin felt herself tensing.
''I'm sorry I just¬''
''Are you friends with her?''
Well, she'd never been asked that before. Was Bo Dennis her friend?
A month ago she would have said no. She honestly just started speaking to the girl because she was the obvious queen bee in town. Her father practically owned half the businesses in the place and her mother was one of the people who were important for no apparent reason. It also didn't hurt none that the girl's grandfather owned the biggest bar in town, a bar in which Tamsin had asked for a job. Really, it was more than convenient to affiliate herself with the brunette.
But now, now she kind of genuinely liked Bo. When she wasn't cheating in drinking games or knocking on Tamsin's door when the blond needed sleep or being an entitled little bitch, she was okay.
''Yeah,'' she nodded, '' I am.''
Turns out, that wasn't the smartest thing to say.
''Is this whole thing some sort of trick? Are you two trying to trick me because I'll have you know¬''
Okay, uh, the fuck?
''Lauren.'' She said to catch the other girl's attention, ''I have no idea what you're talking about. Honest. Look, let's just forget I said anything, okay?''
Lauren let out a small breath and nodded.
Tamsin smiled ,a little nervously and a lot had just stumbled onto her first rule of getting along with Lauren Lewis; do not, under any circumstances, mention Bo Dennis.