''So,'' Tamsin placed her books neatly in her bag although she didn't know why, she'd never really been one for neatness, ''are you going to Bo's party?''
Lauren kept pouring juice into the two glasses in front of her and for a moment Tamsin thought she was going to ignore her. Over the past five weeks she had learnt quiet a lot of things, one of them being that Lauren Lewis had a tendency of pretending not to have heard questions that she did not feel like answering.
''No.'' She placed the jug on the island.
They had reached an unspoken agreement some day, neither of them knew when, that Bo could be brought up as long as the context by which she was mentioned did not imply that she and Lauren had any sort of relationship.
(It was a crazily complicated thing, being friends with Lauren Lewis, maybe that's why Tamsin liked it so much.)
''Okay. Just seems like the whole town is going.''
''I'm not the whole town though, '' she said a cheeky smile making way to her lips, ''cookies?''
Tamsin had to smile, ''please.''
''Are you going?'' Lauren asked, making her way to the table.
Tamsin was a little surprised at the question. Usually when it came to Bo, she asked the questions and Lauren gave vague answers or sometimes gave no answer at all. She'd never outright asked anything concerning Bo.
''Yeah, she's my friend.'' Also, Tamsin had spent the better part of her previous weekend helping Bo search for the perfect dress all around town as her whipped boyfriend followed them around like some annoying puppy. Tamsin had made Bo promise to supply her with unlimited alcohol on the night of her birthday and there was no way Tamsin was going to slack on collecting.
''I'm sure you're going to have a lot of fun. Bo's birthdays are usually a really big affair in town.''
Tamsin was intrigued but this was the most Lauren had ever spoken of Bo and Tamsin didn't want to mess things up now. She was already convinced that there was a whole of a lot of history between Bo and Lauren and although she had decided she was never going to go digging for it, she wasn't going to turn away when it presented itself.
''Yeah? I thought it was only this year that it's a big affair since she's turning eighteen and all.''
Seriously, Tamsin had never in her life seen so many preparations being done for a person's birthday before. At some point during the week she'd even asked Bo if she was sure she wasn't getting married instead of having a birthday. Bo had just smiled and told her it's not everyday that a girl becomes an adult, 'you should know, you went through this.'
That's the thing though, Tamsin didn't know. She'd been an adult since sixteen when she'd emancipated herself from her alcoholic mom and his stupid abusive brute of a husband. In fact if memory serves her right, she'd been in hospital getting stitches on her eighteenth birthday after fighting a man twice her size because he had groped her ass. But Bo didn't need to know that, such things didn't exist in her world.
''No, this year is just the biggest so far, the previous ones were pretty big too. Like her twelfth for example, they brought this ladies from the zoo and so many animals and they had candy machines and a live performance by some pop star with a stupid name and a stupider haircut... '' She smiled, her whole face lighting up so bright Tamsin actually felt the room getting warmer. Then slowly it melted away and she sighed, ''it was a lot of fun.''
''you were there?''
So Bo and Lauren had been friends once. Tamsin couldn't say she was very surprised.
'' I didn't say that.''
''But you didn't deny it either.'' Tamsin couldn't help the bit of smugness in her voice.
''Eat your cookies, Tamsin.'' And Tamsin knew they weren't going to pursue that conversation anymore.
''So what will you be doing while the whole town is celebrating Bo Dennis's eighteenth birthday?''
She shrugged, ''experiments. Or maybe I'll be asleep. I plan on spending the whole of tomorrow night watching Sherlock since my father will be out of town so maybe I'll compensate for tomorrow's sleep on Sunday.''
''Sounds lonely.''
She shrugged again.
''I could...come over, if you like. Cause you know, we're friends and friends don't let friends watch Sherlock alone so...I could come over. If you'd like me to, of course.''
Where the hell did that come from!? Honestly sometimes Tamsin wished she could divorce her mouth. Really.
''I'd love that.'' There was a smile playing on her lips and her eyes were twinkling with mirth and Tamsin couldn't help but smile back.
Sometimes she really liked her mouth. Really.
...
She looked at herself in the mirror and frowned a little. The shirt still looked creased, even after she'd spent like twenty hours ironing it. She smoothed it with her palms then practically growled when the creases still showed. The thing is, she wanted to look nice. Not like all made up or anything, just nice. Today was the first time she and Lauren were doing a 'friends' kinda thing and although she didn't know why it felt like such a big deal to her it still did and she wanted to look nice for it.
''Tamsin,'' Bo called her as she barged into the house and walked straight to the bedroom.
She scowled, ''how did you get in here?''
''Through the roof, did you not see me fall in?'' the brunette deadpanned.
''Fuck you,'' Tamsin returned her attention to the mirror, ''this isn't a church, you don't just walk in.''
''Whatever,'' Bo slumped on the bed, ''I have a huge problem.''
''Judging by your tone I assume you think I care.''
''Will you quit being a bitch for a second, I'm being serious.''
''So am I.'' She turned around, ''can you see creases on this shirt?''
''Only like one million of them. Haven't you ever heard of an iron box?''
''Fuck off. What's your emergency anyway.''
''My dress,'' Bo whined like she had just remembered that she had a predicament, ''it's ruined.''
Tamsin arched a brow, ''therefore you came to me, Tamsin the great dressmaker, to get it fixed?''
''Tamsin!''
''What, it's a genuine question.'' She chuckled.
''Just finish whatever it is your doing so we can go get another before stores close.''
''I can't,'' she shrugged and removed the shirt. She had to have another clean one that didn't have creases somewhere around here.
''What do you mean you can't?''
She rolled her eyes, ''it's a two word sentence, figure it out. And also, move your ass, I need to find a clean creaseless top.''
''Why?'' The brunette asked incredulously.
''To cover my nakedness.'' She answered simply, ''God, do I honestly have no cool, creaseless...'' her eyes landed on a blue one that she hadn't worn in a while. It was clean and creaseless. Not as cool as the one she'd had on but it would have to do.
''to cover your...what's going on here,'' Bo's eyes widened, ''are you going on a date?''
''I'm not sure whether or not to be offended that that thought surprises you, but no, I'm not going on a date. I'm going to Lauren's for a movie night.''
She looked at herself again and nodded in satisfaction. Not too bad.
''Bo?'' the brunette had been quiet for too long.
''Are you guys dating?'' her voice sounded odd to Tamsin's ear.
The blond rolled her eyes and started scanning her room for her bag, she really has to start being more organized. Seriously.
''What part of I'm not going on a date did you not comprehend?''
''So what, the two of you are girlfriends now?'' she asked in her bitchy voice that Tamsin had only heard her use once on some guy in her grandfather's bar.
''The fuck crawled up yours and died? I thought you were over the whole Lauren hate thing.''
Bo rolled her eyes, ''I told you, I don't hate her.''
''Then what's with the bitch act?''
''Nothing, it's just,'' she stood up, ''you're one of my best friends now. I mean, next to Dyson, You're the person I spend most time with. You're part of my world and if you and she get close, then she's going to be part of your world and this is a small town, Tam. If she's part of your world and your part of my world then they're part of my world and I just...''
''You just what? What happened between the two of you that made you hate each other so much?''
''I don't hate her.'' She said quietly, her voice sounding more sincere than Tamsin had ever heard it sound. ''Just, don't go out with her,'' now she sounded on the verge of crying, ''anyone but her. Please.''
''Bo¬''
''I need to go.''
Then she practically bolted.