The first week of the summer before tenth grade, Tatum Riley and Sidney Prescott spent nearly every day and night together. They walked to get ice cream downtown (Sidney's idea), read out loud the dirty parts of books from the local bookstore (Tatum's idea and main participatory action), and sunbathed in their back yards (an equal parts plan, though Tatum's pale skin required copious amounts of sunscreen). Mostly though, they hung out at each other's houses, watched endless amounts of trashy TV and newest rentals from the video store, and talked about everything and everyone that crossed their minds (though Tatum's mind crossings were far more widely spread than Sidney's). By the start of week two, they (mostly Tatum) had started to get bored of the small offerings of Woodsboro. Though she still preferred staying at Sidney's house over her own, mainly because there was no chance of an annoying, dorky older brother snooping on what they were doing, Tatum did find her only child existence to be rather quiet sometimes, all the more so when it was nearly midnight. With Mr. Prescott out of town and Mrs. Prescott presumedly long ago asleep, the girls had already watched their latest rental, and now Tatum fidgeted beside Sidney on her double bed, knocking her shoulder against the other girl's.

"I'm bored. Should we do prank calls? We can pretend to be a porn star calling Randy up to star in the latest action shot. Or we can see if anyone off the football team wants to sneak over and go streaking. Truth or dare, team style!"

Almost as an afterthought, she added, "Do your parents have any booze laying around?"

It was funny, because Sidney, sometimes, would have preferred a life slightly closer to Tatum's - at least in the sense of having an older brother or sister, despite the flaws - to that of an only child even if she, uncharacteristically for a teenager, felt she couldn't have done better when it came to her mom who hadn't minded Tatum constantly staying over and then staying up until the crack of dawn watching tapes. Someone was always home that way and had to admit she liked the noise that Tatum and Dewey's squabbling made. It made things feel livelier and their house fuller than her own ever did. Her dad was a quiet guy, reserved, always out of town or in his office. Her mom usually was but sometimes she went to bed early or had to run errands and would be gone for a good amount of time. The house got quiet when it was just her awake or by herself, it felt too big, too empty.

Sidney's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden shoulder knocking into her and she glanced over. She then softly knocked her own shoulder against Tatum. She was used to this. Tatum always got fidgety when there was little to do. They weren't old enough to drive and leave town and even if they could it was much too late for a change of scenery to solve.

At Tatum's first suggestion she couldn't help but smile and softly chuckle. Randy was the kind of guy who they could convince of something that outlandish. He was always talking about getting out of town and making something of himself - a filmmaker, he seemingly decided - once they finished high school. This was always met with eye rolling and shaking heads. Though, Sidney couldn't judge him too harshly. She had wanted to go to school away from town herself. She wasn't sure if she wanted to be the reason that her dad couldn't get through because of an emergency, though. Her face falls quickly.

But at the other idea Sidney managed to choke on air. Then almost in the same breath, Tatum asked her if her parents had any booze around. They did. Everyone's parents did. But Sidney wasn't sure why she would want to know. They never needed to drink any before.

"Booze?" Sidney found herself starting with, coughing really, she looked a little stunned by the sudden jump of Tatum's from prank calls and daring football players to streak asking about booze, "Why? I mean, I think they do… but why do you ask?"

Tatum shrugged again, reaching for a strand of Sidney's hair and starting to braid and unbraid it. This too was characteristic of her, to frequently play with Sidney's hair whenever they were alone and sitting or lying close together. It kept her hands busy without requiring a lot of thought or effort. "Why not? We'll be getting asked to parties soon, we aren't freshmen anymore. I'm allowed to date once I have my license, that's just a few months from now. Don't you think drinking is gonna come up soon? We should practice."

Sidney, normally, didn't let people touch her hair without having asked for help with something involving it or because it needed trimmed, but Tatum was an exception and had been for as long as she could remember. There had been plenty of times during indoor recess after finding a quiet spot away from their shared classroom or at sleepovers Tatum would start to reach for her hair and either undo a braid or a ponytail or twirl strands around a finger. She often did that when she was restless and compared to most people her hands were gentler and more careful with hair so Sidney obliged. Without thinking the other teen positioned her head to make it easier for Tatum to undo her braid and listened to her reasoning.

"I don't know," Sidney found herself saying, "I mean I guess these things are true…"

She knew that people were beginning to get their licenses and people were beginning to seriously pair up with each other. There weren't many places to go on dates in town so they would likely end up at a party eventually. She frowned and then remembered that even she had begun to notice someone's eyes falling onto her recently.

Tatum continued to run her fingers through Sidney's hair, letting the strands fall through her hand and then picking them up again to rebraid and repeat. She nodded in response to Sidney's answer, her voice picking up some animation. "Yeah, of course they're true. So we don't want to look like idiots and be sloppy falling around everywhere and puking. Totally not hot. We should practice drinking so we know what our limits should be." Again almost as an afterthought, she added, "Also, you need to practice kissing."

Sidney frowned at Tatum's response as she sat still next to her and thought about it. It would be bad if she did somehow end up drinking and becoming drunk enough to be falling around and getting sick. But she hadn't considered drinking that much or really at all, maybe a few sips and only that.

"But my parents… you know they might notice if something goes missing or is used up." She tried to quietly protest.

Then her face goes beet red and she moves her head away and glances down at her feet.
"Tatum," she could only manage, "why? I'm not dating anyone. No one has even asked me out yet."

Tatum saw no such barrier in Sidney's posed protests. She shrugged one shoulder, still twirling Sidney's hair. "Haven't you ever paid attention to teenagers in movies? We should top the bottles up with water, they won't notice." She glanced up slyly at Sidney's red face, nudging her shoulder with a grin that brought dimples to view in her cheeks. "Don't you think you should know how before you do date? It's always better to be prepared. Besides, don't think I haven't noticed how Billy Loomis is looking at you lately. He's not bad looking. A little Greaser-looking, but I guess the 70s look is in again."

"There's no way topping the bottles up with water actually works," Sidney found herself arguing, "They'd have to notice if it's water. Wouldn't they? Movies aren't real life."

Then she tenses and sits upright when Tatum nudged her shoulder and she caught a glimpse at her friend's sly expression and grin.

Sidney had been nervous about the prospect of having to kiss someone once she was asked out. The idea of even having to do more was something that felt like a nightmare especially considering the student body seemed to live for all the stories of when someone turned out to be "bad" at any of those things.

Then Tatum mentions the name Billy Loomis and she glances away again, turning her head away from Tatum entirely as she mutters, "There's no way he likes me. I mean, he's glanced at me a few times in study hall and in class, but… usually it's after I answered a question or dropped a pen or something."

"Sure it does, especially if it's something clear like vodka. Why would they notice?" Tatum argued. "A lot of stuff in movies is based on reality, how else would they get the idea?"

Tatum had no experience of either drinking or topping up bottles, but she was sure this must be right. Kissing, however, she did have experience with. She had first kissed a boy on a dare in the third grade, and she had had the kind of "boyfriends" that amounted to not much more than holding hands and giggling over with occasional, fast pecks on the cheek or mouth since she was 12. She had even made out with a few people, even though her mother and Dewey (especially Dewey) would have been appalled by this. To Tatum, they weren't dating if they were still on school grounds. Technically she wasn't breaking her family rules.

"Sid, please," she snorted now, grinning at her best friend with knowing eyes. "He stares at you all day when you aren't watching. Like some kind of adoring puppy, only mote intense. It's a bit like a psycho killer but with more blinking, actually. No way he doesn't like you."

"Tatum," Sidney found herself starting, pausing, then continuing, "Wouldn't it taste either watered down or like plain water? Can't people tell the difference? I would think they could."

Sidney had no experience with kissing or topping up bottles. She was, minus the occasional small kid things like skipping a study hall or putting on makeup once she got to school in the seventh grade (with Tatum's help), a relatively good kid. She wasn't afraid of toeing the line but she also just never felt particularly interested in those things. She shut her eyes and sighed. If anything, she felt like her role was to try reeling her best friend back a little bit when she began to cross a certain point and in turn, Tatum, pushed her a little onto the line or a little over when the time was right.

At the mention of Billy, her eyes snapped open and she quickly began to protest but with a shake of her head as her words failed her. She eventually managed a "There's no way. He probably is looking at me like everyone else sometimes does..."

People did look at her in the hallways or the classrooms sometimes in not particularly pleasant ways. More like they are trying to figure her out or out of curiosity rather than out of trying to approach her. Sometimes they whispered and as soon as she noticed they would awkwardly stop and disperse into the crowd of students around them.

"Also," Sidney found herself adding, "even if he did. He would probably move on pretty quickly... I can't kiss or do any of that and don't guys... generally... that's what they want, right?"

Sidney never told anyone but she never particularly felt that urge. She couldn't recall a time when she saw a guy and thought of anything other than "Oh, he has nice hair" or "His eyes are nice" and she did happen to think Billy looked attractive, she did see the appeal, but the idea of kissing someone or anything like that made her uneasy, nervous, like she was going to be judged on technique or given notes once she was done like when she was in a play or on a project for school and the teacher gives them the grade sheet back.

"Also, I don't think saying someone looking at me like they are a psycho-killer is..." she starts before stopping.
"Nah," Tatum dismissed again, shaking her head. "It would still have enough alcohol in it that they'd just think it was cheap or bad quality. They won't notice, no one ever does."

This was again based off movie information rather than real life, but it sounded right to Tatum.

She grinned, mischief sparkling in her dark eyes as she reached out to playfully pat Sidney's cheek when the other girl protested. "No way in hell, Sid. He looks at you like he wants to take a sample bite. I haven't decided yet if it's creepy vampire esque or kinda hot. But he's looking. Also, half the other people looking at you are looking because you're hot, just FYI. You are completely oblivious but that doesn't make you any less so."

Tatum grew more serious at Sidney's admission of not having kissed. She nodded, reluctantly resigned to confirm Sidney's question but also unable to tell her it wasn't true.

"I mean, yeah, guys want you to kiss. But you can totally do that, Sid. Just because you haven't doesn't mean you can't. It's easy."

"That feels like it's something way too good to be true to me," Sidney finds herself arguing, biting her lip for a moment before continuing, "I mean, maybe, someone's parents might think that but I can't see my dad falling for it."

Then Sidney noticed Tatum grinning and the telltale spark of mischief in her eyes and she could only stare at Tatum with a raised eyebrow as her friend reached out and playfully pat her cheek. She quickly glances down at her legs when Tatum begins to explain to her why she thought that Sidney's thoughts were incorrect. She stays quiet. None of it feels particularly reassuring. Sidney never understood vampires or why someone staring at her that intently would be considered hot. She also knows that people tended to shy away from her when Tatum was around. She was one of those girls in school who everyone knew it was best to not piss off or grab the wrong kind of attention from. She heard enough of the rumors that got tossed around in the bathroom about her to feel reassured. Someone had described the blonde as a "guard dog for that girl Prescott" before. People kept their glimpses at her to a silent or muttered minimum.

She kept quiet but her eyes were caught by Tatum's nodding and she sighed. That would only figure. Of course, they would. Why wouldn't they? Why wouldn't just spending time with her ever be enough?

After a moment, Sidney can't help but shake her head, "It's... it's not for me. At least I don't think it would be."

"My mom and Dewey wouldn't notice," Tatum rolled her eyes. "Mom never drinks unless it's like, New Years, and Dewey doesn't know the difference between boxed wine and something older than the Titanic. Worse case, we can always just hide the bottle in your closet and play dumb if he notices it's gone."

Seeing Sidney's worried, downcast expression as she sighed, Tatum's brow furrowed. She rested a hand on Sidney's arm, leaning towards her as she searched her eyes.

"Why not? I get you're shy, but if you're in the moment it usually works out. You just have to take the plunge. Or let someone else start off and take the lead."

"Tatum," Sidney sighed, "I really don't think it's still a good idea. What do we do if my mom goes into my closet and finds the bottle? Besides what if it's disgusting? Or we get too drunk and get caught with it?"

Sidney glances at Tatum's hand as she places it onto her arm and then feels Tatum's gaze looking for her eyes and eventually locking onto her own. Sidney tries to look away but she's never been able to when Tatum goes this far to get and keep her attention.

"I… I don't think I'm "shy" as much as…" Sidney starts, trying to protest her friend's description of her, "I just… I don't get the idea of kissing. Like even in the movies it usually seems sort of awful with some of those guys. Like what do I do if he starts jamming his tongue down my throat?"

"How can you honestly stand it? And then what happens when they push for more?"

"Okay, I'll put the bottle in my duffle bag and throw it out somewhere," Tatum shrugged. "If it's disgusting we stop drinking it. We won't get too drunk if we're careful. You're so overthinking this."

She listened carefully to Sidney trying to explain herself, trying to understand her point of view. She looked puzzled, even a little troubled at Sidney's questions.

"Well, maybe not shy, but you do always worry about getting in trouble and you definitely don't give yourself enough credit for hotness points. And I don't know, some guys kinda suck at kissing so you sort of have to show them how. If you don't like how he does it, pull back and tell him to stop slurping like a dog."

She reached her free hand to gently twirl Sidney's loose hair. "It's fun when they're willing to learn. And if they push for stuff you don't want, tell them to fuck off, that's why they have hands."

"Alright, alright, fine," Sidney sighed, almost feeling herself deflating when Tatum tells her that she's overthinking things, "We grab one bottle and we're careful. If we don't like it we stop drinking it."

But at Tatum listening to her questions and explanations and merely looking puzzled and even a little troubled, Sidney begins to regret saying anything at all about her concerns.

"And what if-" she starts, sort of regretting not keeping quiet but it just starts to spill out, the words start to spill, as Tatum starts to gently curl her hair, before she says, "I suck at it or suck worse? What if they don't listen to being told to fuck off?"
Tatum grinned, her dimple coming into view in her chin. She loved when she could manage to talk Sidney into something, and this was a triumphant moment to her.

"Yes! Let's go get it. Lead the way. Alcohol Amateur Adventurers!"

She stilled her hand briefly in Sidney's hair, instead fingering its locks as she met Sidney's eyes, confident she has the answers to her worries. "There's no way you could suck worse, you don't have as big of a mouth and tongue as a guy. And if they don't listen, kick them in the balls. And then tell me, and I'll kick them in the balls and the teeth."

She would, too. Tatum might not break past 5'3, but she never let that stop her from attempting to be threatening or physically protective.

Sidney could only attempt and fail to glance away when she notices Tatum's dimple coming into view as she grinned. That was always a telltale sign that she knew she won whatever disagreement they were having and it happened a lot over the years. Sidney's stomach dropped and made her think of a drop tower at the amusement park they traveled to for school trip in middle school with how sudden it was.

"Fine," she quietly whispered before holding her finger up to her lips, "We don't want to make my mom up."

Not that Sidney remembers a time when she had woken up or had been woken up by anything but her alarm clock. But Sidney can't remember the last time she had to leave her room in the middle of the night off the top of her head.

When Tatum's hand stilled and the twirling turned into fingering the locks of hair on her head, Sidney could only glance downwards especially when she realized how confident Tatum still looked.

She mumbles, "Of course I'd say something but you shouldn't get in trouble kicking someone in the teeth for me."

Sidney doesn't doubt that Tatum is capable of doing either of these things. The problem is that she wonders if it would even be worth it. She could only see her friend being the one to catch any sort of blame and not the person refusing to respect boundaries.
"What if I don't want to kiss anyone?" She then asks.

Tatum has never had excellent whisper control. Her version of a whisper is a fairly normal volume, maybe even carrying slightly more than her usual voice, so she didn't bother to try. "You can get it, you're a better tiptoer. Not that it's necessary, even if you fell down the steps your mom wouldn't get up, and if she did, she would just worry that you need glasses, not that you're drunk."

She rolled her eyes, her smile affectionately annoyed as she jostled Sidney's shoulder against her own. "Why not? It would totally be worth it. And it would be fun." Her smile dimmed at Sidney's follow up question, and she released her hair, moving to sit directly across from her on the bed, cross legged, her knees touching her friend's. "Sid, you don't have to kiss anyone if you're not ready for it," she said seriously. "Or if you don't think it sounds like something you would like. I'm just saying, don't knock it without giving it some real thought or maybe an effort or two before making up your mind forever, and don't just dismiss yourself as not being good at kissing or someone anyone would want to kiss. Hell, I'd want to kiss you, why would anyone not want to?" As though the idea just occurred to her, she brightened. "Oh! I could kiss you!"

"Fine," Sidney sighed when Tatum points out that her mother would likely not notice and would likely not assume she's drunk if she fell or made noise, "I'll go and get it. I think my parents have a fridge in the garage with a fair bit of things in it. They might not notice something missing there right away."

She makes a small sound when Tatum jostled her shoulder and can only shoot her a tired look. When Tatum releases her hair and sits up directly across from her and her smile dimmed as she answered Sidney's question, Sidney's face fell slightly.

Her eyes fell onto their knees as they touched before they moved back up to Tatum's face as she seriously answered her follow up questions, then she softly said, "I feel like I have to, though. At some point I will. But… I really don't think…" but then Tatum starts to brighten.

Sidney can only raised her eyebrows at this and she can't help but brace herself and give her friend a face that is nervous and pleading for her to think for a moment before saying whatever idea she knows her friend just thought up. Then almost as quickly Tatum suggests kissing her, she can only jump somewhat upright. Her face turns bright red and begins to protest, "Tatum, I can't do that. We can't."

Tatum gave another victorious grin, giving a little bounce on Sidney's bed. "Well go get it! Come on, hurry. You and your overthinking...I swear, every time I want you to go get something accomplished fast, you protest and take your eternal time."

She stayed close to Sidney, leaning in without quite realizing it, knees still in gentle contact. "You don't have to do anything," she emphasized, her tone soft but firm. "Ever. Even what I want you to do. Don't forget that."

Of course, even after she said this, and meant it as well, Tatum couldn't help but push at Sidney's resistance to what she saw as a brilliant and obvious solution. Tatum pressed on, reaching out to touch Sidney's bicep. "Of course you can. Anyone can, it's not like this isn't a thing. Girls practice kissing for boys with other girls so they're ready when the time comes. I know how to kiss, so I'll teach you and you can rest assured you won't suck. I'm good at it, so you won't have to worry about someone else sucking, and I'll totally stop when you tell me to. Come on, Sid, this is an awesome plan! Everyone does this anyway!"

Tatum didn't actually know this was true, but it seemed reasonable to her. Why wouldn't girls want to kiss their friends?

"Alright, alright," Sidney sighed at Tatum's telling her to hurry and grab them something as she bounces on her bed, but then she frowns at Tatum mentioning how everything she wanted Sidney to accomplish something fast that she would protest and take her time, "What do you mean I take my eternal time?"

Sidney could only sit still as Tatum's knees still gently touched hers and she leaned in as she spoke. Then she finally could glance away and she shifted as if debating if she was going to stand up and go looking for a bottle of wine or whatever it was her parents had. She sat there and decided that would grab whatever the first thing she found in was, preferably something that looked open but not too empty.

"Tatum," she tried to argue but her words fail before she could continue.

Tatum doesn't seem to notice as she continues on about how girls practice kissing their friends for boys and right before she starts explaining and sounding so, so confident that this was just a normal thing that everyone did at one point or another, Tatum reached out and touched Sidney's bicep causing the other girl to blush, to turn bright red.

"Everyone does this?" She managed, "Including you? With who?"

"Well, you do," Tatum shrugged, nonchalant. "You drag your feet and need talked into it and you do it in exactly the timing you want. Which is never fast. Hence, taking your eternal time."

She barely registered Sidney's speaking her name. Sidney said it so often in mild protest to Tatum's many schemes that she had become practically deaf to it. Still resting her hand on Sidney's arm, Tatum nodded emphatically in reply to her question. "Sure. I mean, I haven't yet, but I also didn't need to be taught to kiss or worry about it, so it wasn't necessary. Plus you've always been my best friend, and you're the one that needs to learn and feel comfortable, so out of the two of us you would be the who needs the practice with a friend."

"Pardon me," Sidney started to softly say, face turning bright red, while slightly grumbling, "for not wanting to look without leaping."

At Tatum's answer to her question, her expression flickers to something besides resignation or protest. It's almost a little sad but not quite. She goes to try getting off the bed, as she softly says, "Of course, you didn't need to worry about it."

Sidney then finally gets up and off of her bed. She then starts towards the door, "I'm going to go see what there is."

"It would be cool if you would look without leaping, but since you never do, I assume you meant the other way around," Tatum shrugged.

She frowned as Sidney got an oddly subdued look to her face, concerned. Something about her demeanor seemed off, not just worried or hesitant. She waited until Sidney returned to the bedroom before saying quietly, "Sid, I'm your best friend, worrying about you is part of my job. I don't want you to have shitty first experiences."

"You know what I meant," Sidney quietly said.

Sidney found herself carefully walking down the silent hallway and wincing when she thought she heard one of the steps leading downstairs squeaked. She froze instantly and braced for someone, mostly her mother, to be opening her shut bedroom door but when no sound followed, she carefully started down the rest of the stairs and cautiously towards the garage which was filled with a fridge and boxes of decorations for Christmas and other holidays. She starts to rummage around in the fridge once she makes it over to that part of the garage and makes a note of what's stocked inside. She finds a lot of beer and three or four bottles of wine - two appear to be the same kind - and grabs the already opened bottle before hurrying back upstairs with it.

She set the bottle down on a bedside table and climbed up back onto the bed, her back turned towards Tatum for a moment before saying, "Did you? Have a shitty first experience?"
Tatum didn't know what Sidney meant, actually. She frowned, making a puzzled face at her back as Sidney left the bedroom. When Sidney returned with a bottle in hand, Tatum gave a triumphant fist pump and scooted forward to read the label, hanging over Sidney's back so her blonde hair brushed her shoulder.

She looked up when Sidney asked her question, making a face. "I mean, depends on which experience you mean and what counts. My first kiss was when I was five and I was me pecking a boy on the cheek and he surprised me by laying one on my lips. I got pissed and punched him, but it wasn't bad in hindsight," she chuckled. "Hm, first kiss that counted I was 12, it was a "we're dating so we should do this" thing in the closet by the bathrooms at school, and that did suck. I almost fell into a mop bucket and he practically ate my face, and people laughed and catcalled when we came out. Hm. First time with sex was last month, with that guy Devin Sanders I was dating."

Tatum shrugged, considering. "It was okay, I guess. I didn't really plan for it, it just sort of happened. He had a condom so I guess he planned on it," she rolled her eyes. "It was in his car, and it was kind of uncomfortable because the buckle of a seat belt was digging into my back and I was kind of scared some cop would come up. Can you imagine if it was Dewey?! God!"
"I think this is a sweet wine," Sidney softly said, the sight from corner of her eye blocked by blonde hair as Tatum leaned over to read the label, "But I don't really know. I think that's the kind my mom tends to keep around. There's at least another bottle around so maybe she won't miss it much…"

Sidney frowns. She supposed that there were times that people universally counted and times they would say the opposite about. She can't remember having any experiences like that. Maybe the first "date" she ever had which really didn't count. They had gone to the ice cream shop after school and brushed hands but nothing ever came out of it. It's hard to say that could even be that when both their moms had to pick them up and they looked at each other warily. She gently bites her lip in thought as Tatum goes on about her first kiss, the real kind, and Sidney remembers that. But she can't help but snap out of her thoughts by Tatum mentioning her first time having sex. She knew that she had. But she realizes that Tatum never told her the details.

Sidney found herself quietly saying, "That… that sounds awful, if I'm being honest."

"Oh, good, sweet stuff probably tastes better," Tatum decided, sitting back on her heels. "Did you get a corkscrew? Or is this the kind that twists off the top?"

When Sidney frowned, seeming to be taking in what she was telling her and finding it troubling, Tatum realized that perhaps she was underselling the effort at reassuring her that kissing and sex weren't that big of a deal or something to worry about too much. Tatum hurried to attempt some damage control, taking Sidney's hand and giving it a comforting squeeze.

"Hey, it wasn't awful. It was okay, just not like, a rom com picture perfect sex scene with bottles of champagne and a dozen roses and bubble baths and flower petals on the sheets. I mean, I didn't even have sheets. But there's a downside to that stuff, probably. Bubble bath makes me itch, flowers just die, and who knows if champagne is even good. It's over with now anyway, so now my next time can only get better because I know what it's like and I can, like, make demands."

She studied Sidney's features carefully, tilting her head. "I still think I could at least show you what kissing is like. That's one less thing for you to obsess over."

"Oh, I forgot," Sidney muttered and started to stand up but was stopped by Tatum taking her hand then squeezing it, she pauses, then tries to quickly add, "I can go downstairs and get one. I think I know where they should be…"

At Tatum's attempts at damage control, Sidney's expression lightens but only a little bit, she shakes her head and tries to argue, "I know it won't be like in rom coms. I know that's just fantasy, it's a pipe dream… but I just… I don't know… a car where I feel the seat belt buckle digging into my back and being afraid a cop was going to find us doesn't sound appealing…"

But then Tatum tilts her head and suggests that she could, if nothing else, she could show Sidney what kissing was like. Sidney glances down, her expression twisting, as she nods but she softly asks, almost inaudibly, "What if I don't like kissing at all?"
Tatum got distracted from the prospect of drinking at Sidney's referencing her first sexual experience. With anyone else she would think they were judging her, but with Sidney she knows it isn't the case. She keeps her hand on her as she answers again.

"It isn't your style, honestly it wasn't mine either. You deserve better and you'll get it. You aren't me, Sid. And you don't have to be."

When Sidney nodded, almost agreeing to her suggestion, Tatum started to smile, but her expression softened at her final question. "That's okay," she said gently. "You might just not be ready. Or maybe it needs to be with someone specific, or you just don't like it. That's all okay."

"If it wasn't your style then why have sex with him like that? You could have refused." Sidney finds herself asking, not judging but it would be a lie if she said she wasn't both confused and made curious by Tatum's answers, "And why would I deserve better but not you?"

At Tatum's smiling, Sidney glances down and feels her face getting warm. "It doesn't feel okay…"

Then Sidney gets to her feet and says, "I need to get a corkscrew…"

Tatum averted her eyes, for once slightly uncomfortable by Sidney's question. She shrugged, not entirely sure of the answer herself.

"I don't know, I figured I wanted to get it over with, see what it was like. I didn't know if I waited for butterflies and rainbows if it would happen, you know?"

She shrugged again at her second question. "I guess I do, you're right. It's okay though, I didn't really mind."

She got far more adamant when it came to Sidney. "It is totally okay. Seriously. Why wouldn't it be? ...fine, get it but be quick!"

Sidney muttered a soft apology when she noticed Tatum's eyes averting from her. She then glanced away herself and at Tatum's answer softly added, "I guess that makes sense…"

But then she looked back up at her friend and her eyes narrowed slightly, "You guess? You do, but I mind that you feel like you guess you do."

But at Tatum's adamant tone towards her, she can't help but taken a back and struggles to think of something to say back to her and only can say something in response to her telling her to be quick getting the corkscrew, "That's not how it works with me. Eternal time, remember?"
Tatum rolled her eyes lightly, giving a still uncomfortable but genuine smile in response to Sidney. She let her head rest against her shoulder briefly.

"Fine, I deserve better. It was my fault though, I was impulsive and impatient, so it is what it is."

She snorted at Sidney's comeback about the corkscrew. "Okay then slothy, go do that. I'll wait. I might be asleep or wandering down the hall to visit your mom, but take all the time you need."

"You did and do," Sidney pointedly said, "And you honestly should have waited… Devin was a jerk."

Sidney then glanced towards the door and stretched slightly as she started towards it.

"I'm not going to take that long," Sidney grumbles in response to Tatum's snort and calling her "slothy" as she opens the door and steps into the hallway, "I'm not that bad."

Tatum shrugged again, exhaling dramatically, but her eyes were soft. "Yeah. Devin was a jerk. I don't think he even liked me. He didn't even ask if I was okay after. That's sort of what they're supposed to do on your first time even if you wanted it, right?"

For the first time she lost her usual overly confident demeanor, sounding much like the unsure fifteen-year-old that she was.

She waggled her fingers in response to Sidney leaving in a wave. "Byeeee!"
"You're giving Devin too much credit by just calling him a jerk," Sidney muttered, then she went quiet feeling her face growing slightly warm when she noticed Tatum's eyes growing soft. She looked disgruntled by what her friend followed up with next.

"He really should have asked you if you were ok," she sighed, "I honestly think that everyone should check on their partners afterwards and ask…"

Sidney shook her head at Tatum's wave and quietly shut the door to her bedroom. Getting to the stairs and down them felt easier this time. She didn't worry so much about squeaky steps or the sound of her footsteps. Once she got to the kitchen was another story. She had thought the corkscrews had been kept in the drawer closest to the fridge and remembered seeing her mom pulling them out of there around Christmas but she was greeted by everything but them when she carefully pulled it open. Then she tried the drawer under it and beside it and rummaged around them before finding one. She felt herself sighing with relief as she shut them and started up the stairs.

"You can call him a needle dick asshat if you want," Tatum said brightly. Her effort at lightness didn't last for long though when Sidney continued to take her details seriously. She shrugged again, unsure what to say and not wanting to get sad.

"Well, better luck next time, I can be as picky as I want."

She fidgeted on the bed as Sidney left, swinging her feet and eventually standing to pick up and fool with her stuffed animals. When Sidney finally reentered, she practically grabbed the corkscrew from her hand.

"There we are!" She examined it doubtfully, then picked up the wine. "So you stick the curly thing in the cork and...pull? Somehow?"

"Needle dick?" Sidney could only manage, she has to cover her mouth to keep from laughing only able to stop herself because she saw the look in Tatum's eyes, as if she was trying to not feel sad, "I feel like there's a detail or two you're keeping to yourself. But also, you should be as picky as want in the future. Maybe even more so…"

But when she comes back into the bedroom, she comes close to shrieking at Tatum essentially grabbing the corkscrew out of her hand.

But at her question, Sidney frowned and looked at the corkscrew with raised eyebrows trying to remember how she had seen her mother use it.

"I think that's right?" She managed, "I think…"

Tatum grinned back at Sidney, giving her a sly smile. "No, I don't have to hold back if you don't want me to, I'm totally cool about sharing about his scrawny, practically bald little penis. Do you want to hear moreee?"

As Sidney returned, with Tatum still snickering to herself at her horrified response, Tatum set the bottle of wine down on Sidney's desk, messing with the corkscrew until the circular screw part had its tip stuck in the cork. She tried to pull it, but only succeeded in pulling it out of the cork. She tried again, wedging it in deeper, and twisted it, resulting only in scraping out some of the cork from the bottle's neck.

"Ugh. Why do they make this so stupidly hard? People who are really drunk cannot operate this thing, it's like a childproof cap for adults."

She jammed the corkscrew in aggressively, twisting hard, and then yanked- only to both break the cork further and also the corkscrew. Staring at it wide eyed, she startled to laugh.

"Oops."

"Wait," Sidney found herself exclaiming, she covers her mouth and then tries to lower her voice, "His… was what? Did you really just say 'bald'? How is that possible? Isn't he just really, really blonde?"
At watching Tatum messing with the corkscrew a few times, Sidney could only start to cringe anxiously. She hadn't really expected opening bottles of wine to be this hard. Then she carefully walked over to Tatum just in time for her to describe the cork as a childproof cap for adults and to watch her jam the corkscrew in and yank at it to cause the cork to break.

Sidney could only blink and then glance at a now laughing Tatum with widened eyes.

"What are we going to do? There's no way we're going to be able to open it never mind put it back and pretend nothing happened…"

She took a look at the bottle wondering if there was a way to get the rest of the cork out.

"I said practically, not totally," Tatum snickered, her dark eyes glittering with relish at her revelation. "No, he barely had hair, it was totally weird. It was like when a guy tried to grow a beard and it's just peach fuzz."

As she held the bottle, still giggling at the mess she had made of its cork, Tatum shrugged, unbothered.

"We can still pretend it never happened, just put the corkscrew and bottle in the trash in the garage and play dumb if your mom asks. Say your dad might have had it. And we don't have to open it!"

Energized, her eyes lit up. "We can go in the bathroom and break the bottle in the tub so it doesn't spill and catch some in a cup! And then throw out the glass and bottle in the garage! We can get a plastic bag to put the pieces in and no one will ever know!"

Sidney could only wince as Tatum clarified what the penis in question had actually been life and somehow, in her opinion, there was something worse about it being closer to having peach fuzz than entirely without hair.

"That honestly… that might be a dealbreaker for me, honestly." Sidney softly admitted, "There's something… I don't know but that actually sounds worse than bald."

As she watched Tatum shrugging with her bottle in her hands, she could only sigh, "My dad hasn't been home in days…"

Before Sidney could think of when the last time that her mom had even gone into the garage to grab wine Tatum had already started to jump to another idea, something much more haphazard and over the top.

"Tatum," Sidney started to protest at her second suggestion, "That absolutely makes no sense. We're just going to make a huge mess AND wake my mom up. Also what if we cut ourselves on the broken bottle or miss a piece and someone else gets hurt?"

Tatum shook her head, determined. "No, no, I got this, Sid. You run water in the sink like you're washing your hands and I'll go smash the neck of the bottle against the sink faucet. It will only break the top off, there won't be a lot of glass. Then we can pour it in cups and throw the bottle and corkscrew away. This will totally work, don't worry."

As usual, she sounds totally confident in spite of having no actual experience or evidence to back herself up.

"Tatum, that sounds completely insane and like a great way to get caught. Someone might get hurt, possibly you, and there will likely be wine all over the sink and the tiles…"

Then another reality hits her and she argues, "Or we end up drinking shards of the bottle…"

She frowns and then mutters, "Maybe hiding the evidence while we're ahead would be smarter…"
Tatum ignored Sidney, already headed the two doors down to the bathroom with the bottle of wine in her hand. There was an empty glass of water in the bathroom sink, used to rinse out mouths after gargling, and Tatum rinsed it out and chose it, considering it a perfect opportunity. Going over to the bathtub, she turned on the faucet full speed, then took careful aim, smashing the bottle against the metal faucet as hard as she could. The bottle did break, spraying wine in a heavy gush and a shower of glass shards. Tatum caught what wine she could in the cup, breaking into a grin when she managed to get about three quarters of the cup full.

"See, it worked, I knew it!"

She glanced down at the glass littering the sink and tossed the rest of the bottle in the bathroom trash. "We can sweep this all up and dump it in the trash, then throw the bathroom trash in the big trash. No one will know a thing."

Sidney could only attempt to keep up with Tatum as she raced out the door and down the hall to the bathroom with the wine bottle and the aura of determination as she charged ahead. She barely made it in time to watch as Tatum rinsed the glass that was kept on the sink out and took the few steps needed to reach the bathtub, turning the faucet on, and as the water flooded out and filled the bathroom with sound carefully aimed the bottle and smashed it against the faucet as hard as she could. Sidney felt herself going pale as she watched the shards of glass shower and the wine spray as the bottle broke. She barely even registered that Tatum has managed to fill three quarters of the cup before tossing the bottle aside in the bathroom trash.

After a moment and hearing Tatum saying that they could sweep the mess up and dump it all in the trash, Sidney softly said, "Before we do anything else, I think we should take care of the mess..."
With shaking arms, she started towards the door. She knew where her mom kept a broom and dustpan for the upstairs and with any luck she didn't notice or stir during the commotion.

"Turn the faucet off while I get the broom..." She told her friend.

Tatum was still beaming with victorious pride in herself as Sidney went about the practical business of cleaning up. She turned off the faucet, inspecting the cup for any shards of glass, and used a spoon to stir the cup, making sure none turned up on the utensil each time she swirled it around. "See, it's fine, no shards. We're safe."

As Sidney returned with the broom and dustpan, Tatum took the bathroom trash can and held it for her to dump the dustpan contents inside. She let Sidney carry the bag, tied, downstairs to the larger trash bag and to retrieve a fresh one to replace with, going back to Sidney's bedroom with the cup of wine to wait for her. When Sidney finally returned, Tatum made an impatient gesture for her to come sit beside her.

"Come on, time to get your drink on!"

Sidney sighed at Tatum's impatient gesture after a moment started to make her way over to her bed. It was still, well not early, but she was exhausted now especially after lugging the trash downstairs and putting the broom back in its place. She sat down carefully to prevent from disturbing Tatum too much as she sat with the cup of wine in her hand. Then she looked at the cup and found herself saying, "You know I never exactly pictured my first drink being drunk out of the cup I use to rinse my mouth with… or that we needed to smash a bottle of wine in order to drink…"

Then sighs and reaches for the cup, "Alright. After all the trouble we just went through to get this… I hope it's at least good."
Tatum rolled her eyes at Sidney, good natured but a bit exasperated too.

"Sid, the fact that we had to fight and struggle for this wine makes it all the sweeter to possess it. It's a victory and it will be amazing."

She wiggled a little in her seat, leaning forward to watch Sidney's face as she took her first swallow. "Well? Is it awesome? Is your head spinning? Does it taste like bubbles?"

Sidney sighed at Tatum's argument and then she carefully lifted the glass to her lips and took a small sip of the wine instead of it. She paused at the taste, unsure if she liked it or if she found it awful and took another larger taste, before handing it back making a slight face that she tried to hide.

At Tatum's questions, she could only manage to wince and quietly say, "It… has an interesting taste. I guess it's sort of sweet? What do you tastes like bubbles? Wouldn't that be champagne?"
Tatum, with her sharp gaze aimed Sidney's way, didn't miss the faint grimace. As she took the cup back, she said, "You don't like it. You made a yuck face. But you also make that face over suicide drinks which are delicious, so I don't trust your judgement."

She threw her head back and took a long, gulping swallow of the cup herself, choking a little and dribbling some since it wasn't exactly meant to be chugged. Wiping her chin, she said, "I like it! It's just a little unexpected!"

"I did not," Sidney quickly argued, her face growing warm, "I don't dislike it but I don't know if I like it. Suicide drinks were just awful…"

She then noticed Tatum's chin and had gone to reach to wipe it before Tatum beat her to the punch.
"A little unexpected?" Sidney asked, "I don't think I've ever heard something you're supposed to drink described that way before."

"Did too," Tatum giggled, the chug of wine going straight to her head and making her break out in a rather silly smile. "You made the yuck face!"

She made an exaggeratedly disgusted face back at Sidney and giggled again, leaning into Sidney when she reached for her. "Well what do you think I should say? Come on, drink more!"

"I did not!" Sidney managed, her voice raising a little higher than it normally ever did, her face flushing, "I didn't make any 'yuck face' or any face at all."

At Tatum's face, Sidney glanced down at the floor and put her hand down as her friend leaned into her.

"I don't know," Sidney admitted. "I don't really know what you're supposed to say."

"Did too!" Tatum countered, sounding about five, and far more practiced in the art of silly arguments. Having a brother, this was true. "You made such a yuck face!"

She nudged Sidney again. "You're not drinking. It's your turn. You don't like it? I'll drink the rest if you don't."

"Did not!" Sidney mumbled starting to feel as foolish as she knew she sounded then Tatum nudged her and she quickly half-mumbles, half spits out, "And I'll…have another drink."

Then she goes to take the glass out of Tatum's hand.
"it's not that bad, honest. I'll drink more and I'll like it…probably."

Tatum just giggled again, her dimple in her chin prominent with her smile. She gave Sidney the glass and watched with anticipation, drinking in her every move and expression.

"So go on then. Probably."

Sidney looked flustered when Tatum started to giggle wondering what she had just gotten herself into and it takes a moment before she can take the glass and hold it up to her mouth. She then takes a drink, one a little too large for what she's drinking, and she winces at the taste before putting the glass back down. She then swallows it and manages a half-hearted, "It's better…"

Tatum didn't fail to notice the wince. She rubbed Sidney's back, sympathetic now. "You don't have to drink more if you don't want to. It's okay, you tried it."

She took the cup and took another long swallow. "I like it though! It's better than beer!"

Sidney felt her face burning and she wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment that she didn't care for the wine or because Tatum was saying that it was okay and didn't need to drink more. She thinks it might be more the latter because it sounds like something her mom would have said to her when she was small and trying solid foods for the first time. Sidney felt Tatum take the glass from her hand, and watched her take a long drink.

She found herself going, "Wait, how do you know you like it better than beer?"

Tatum licked her lips, taking a second drink, and set the cup between them, dangerously balanced, before answering. She was definitely a bit buzzed now, the change evident in the brightness of her eyes.

"I've tried beer. It tastes like dirty water with bubbles. I tried it when no one was looking before, when my mom or Dewey left it sitting out for a while. But I guess I have to get used to it soon if we're going to party more this year."

She turned towards Sidney, giving a little bounce on the bed that threatened to spill the cup. "So are you going to let me show you how to kiss?"

Sidney found herself grabbing at the glass when Tatum bounced and moving it onto the bedside table hoping that would be a safe enough place to keep it. But even if it did end up falling, it would be easier to clean up on the floor than her blankets and bedsheets. Then Sidney turned back to face Tatum, making a cautious, nervous face at her oddly bright eyes. It was obvious that the wine was beginning to have some effect on her and Sidney wasn't sure what to make of it.

"Beer," Sidney finds herself saying, "I've heard it doesn't taste great… but it might taste a little better if it wasn't sitting out for a while first…"
She remembers hearing her dad say something about that once. That nothing tasted worse than warm beer. It must taste even worse if it was opened for a while too, like flat soda.

Then Sidney thinks about her last question and she shifts in place for a moment, "Are you sure you're… up for it?"

Tatum noticed Sidney move the cup but dismissed her as overly cautious. She nodded in response to her comment on beer, making a yuck face of her own as she scrunched her nose and crossed her eyes.

"I hope it tastes better than that usually. It was like..." She tried to think of another way to describe it than her previous effort. "Water a dog just got bathed in with some tea flavor."

She bobbed her head enthusiastically at Sidney's question. "Of course! Why wouldn't I be? You need the knowledge and I have it!"

"That's very specific," Sidney found herself saying in response to Tatum's description of what beer tasted like, "There's also different ones so maybe it was just whatever ones you had? My dad complains about cheap beer so maybe the more expensive stuff is better? I don't know…"

At Tatum's head bobbing, Sidney pulls back she said, "I mean… I think the wine is hitting you a little bit… maybe we shouldn't until you feel a little less…"

"I'm a Pacific girl," Tatum shrugged, before realizing she had misspoke and bursting out laughing. "Pacific...it's true though! We live on the Pacific coast, I am a Pacific girl!"

When Sidney pulled back, continuing to demur, Tatum sat up straight and widened her eyes, trying to be as sober seeming as possible. "I'm totally good, Sid. Promise. We can totally do this."

"Tatum," Sidney started, she frowned at Tatum's sitting up straight and her other attempts at trying to be, to appear sober as possible, "I think you might be a little buzzed…"

She had to try to stifle a laugh at Tatum's misspoken words before looking at her with a serious, as close to stoic expression as she could muster despite things.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Kissing while buzzed?"

Tatum rolled her eyes at her, but still smiled. "That was the point of the wine? To get a little buzzed? Come on Sid, obviously. And kissing while buzzed is fine, you'll do it at a party eventually. Isn't is better to do it safe at home with your best friend instead of at a party with some guy you might regret later? Shouldn't this be a better way to break your first kiss in?"
Sidney frowned at Tatum's words. She couldn't think of an argument against her friend's reasoning. It would be better to have some of her guardedness taken away, would have been better, but she hadn't liked the wine she had stolen from the garage fridge. Sidney also couldn't have argued against it being better to have her first kiss, a practice kiss, with her best friend - one of the people she knew she trusted most of everyone in the world - in her own house than with someone she barely knew or didn't trust nearly as much in the middle of a party or alone in some odd place.

Then she sighed and said, "Fair…."

Tatum gave a little fist pump of victory, breaking into a grin. She shifted a little closer to Sidney, clearing her throat. "Okay, you need to take a deep breath, relax your shoulders and your face. Close your eyes."

She pushed a piece of Sidney's hair back gently behind her ear, her hand lingering on her cheek. Her breath was warm against the other girl's skin. "Just relax."

Sidney glances down at her lap at Tatum's fist pump but her head jolts up when Tatum shifts closer and clears her throat. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath, but her shoulders remained tense.

Sidney shuddered and tensed more when Tatum pushed a piece hair behind her ear. At being told to relax and the feeling of warm breath against her skin Sidney could only think: "How?"

Tatum's thumb stroked Sidney's cheek, rubbing at the tension of her jawline. She used her other hand to run a hand through Sidney's hair, caressing, and then let her hand trail through Sidney's hair down her neck and shoulder. She rubbed her shoulder, not really massaging, just touching gently, and then leaned forward, closing her eyes right as she pressed her lips very softly to Sidney's. She moved them lightly against Sidney's, not trying to push them open, just caressing her mouth against the other girl's.

Sidney felt herself shiver as Tatum began to stroke her cheek with her thumb. Then Tatum began to use her other hand to trail through her hair and then on her neck and shoulder, her touch gentle, before she leaned forward, eyes closing, and pressed her lips softly against her own. Sidney's eyes widened and she tensed for a moment, unsure of what to do.

In the movies it felt like kisses were more sudden, rougher, forceful. They honestly looked… sort of awful in some odd way. She hadn't liked the idea of someone grabbing her tight enough to leave finger marks or imprints of their nails in her skin. She loathed the idea of someone forcing her mouth open. But she had expected that. So this was some sort of… surprise. Tatum was being gentle, slow.

It takes a second more before Sidney starts to feel her body relaxing slightly and then her eyes start to shut.
When Sidney finally relaxed, Tatum let her hand rub further down her back, pressing a little harder, her thumb digging into tight knots she found to loosen them. Tatum's other hand continued to lightly cup Sidney's cheek, and she kissed her a little more thoroughly, with slight more pressure against her lips, still not seeking tongue.
At Tatum's hand rubbing further down her back and Tatum pressing her thumb into some of the tight knots that Sidney knew she got there, she felt almost like melting at the pressure disappearing and the only thing keeping her upright was Tatum's other hand cupping her cheek. Sidney could barely move until she felt herself being kissed with a little bit more pressure. She felt her face flush and she opened her mouth unsure of what else to do.

Tatum ended the kiss softly, her lips slowly, almost teasingly dragging away from Sidney's. She kept her eyes closed for a few more seconds, her features soft, her hand on Sidney's cheek still now, and when she opened her eyes, her voice was hushed when she spoke.

"So that was your first kiss. What did you think?"

Sidney had felt a little, a tiny bit, disappointed when Tatum had ended the kiss. She felt that feeling grow when her friend teasingly dragged her lips away from her own. But unlike Tatum's eyes Sidney's eyes opened as suddenly as she felt the pressure lift off of her lips. Her eyes moved down to the hand still cupping her cheek and her breath hitched until Tatum's eyes opened and she spoke with a hushed voice.

"It," Sidney started, looking surprised by the question which had felt sudden and then she glanced down, her cheeks feeling as if they were burning and the rest of her feeling as if "It was…"

What was a good word to use? Nice? Good? Safe? Better than she thought it would be? Sidney glanced at her hands which now moved into her lap.

Tatum's pupils were bigger than usual as she stayed close to Sidney, feeling the flush of her cheek under her palm. She didn't fail to notice her friend's failure to find words to describe the experience of their kiss, and rather than tease her too much, more than Sidney could probably take, she pushed her gently backwards on the bed, locking her arm around her neck to pull Sidney close against her in a half hug.

"Awesome? Amazing? Mind blowing, wondrous, life changing, the best experience you ever had because it came from me?" she teased. "Or, you know, good?"

Sidney felt herself going backwards and onto the bed and then Tatum's arm locking around her neck as she was pulled in and very close to her in a half hug, Sidney's dark hair spilling over her arm once she finished pulling her forward.

She made a soft sound of surprise and then she realized she could see Tatum's eyes, see that her pupils were bigger than usual but she decided not to point it out.

At Tatum giving a full list of descriptions for what the kiss could be, Sidney felt her face growing even hotter. All of those, she quickly realized, would work and even then didn't feel quite right to use.

Sidney's gazes shifts downward shyly and she opens her mouth trying to pick one but she can only manage a soft, "Good. It was good."

Tatum smiled, pleased with herself, but the smile was softer than before. She gave Sidney a gentle squeeze, resting her head against the other girl's so their blonde and dark strands of hair intertwined like swirled soft serve ice cream. She started to twirl a strand of Sidney's hair idly between her fingers again, satisfied with this near non-answer. "I knew it would be. I know what I'm doing. Not that I'm a kiss slut, but I'm just, you know, good at it."
Sidney's eyes shut when she felt Tatum's head being placed against her own. They remained that way when she felt the familiar sensation of Tatum twirling her hair between her fingers.

"A kiss slut?" Sidney found herself asking, trying and failing to hold back a chuckle at the terminology her friend had obviously created herself, "What would that even be? Like someone who kisses everyone all the time? Indiscriminately?"

Tatum giggled back in harmony with Sidney's chuckling, her chin dimple deepening. "Well, yeah. Duh. A kiss slut goes around and kisses everyone, all the time, like, a kissing free for all."

She thought about it, her voice becoming almost serious, though the twinkle in her eye betrayed her. "Actually, that wouldn't be such a bad thing. It would be like an act of service. Spreading love and joy to the less fortune and less kissed around the world. Maybe I should experiment with the part."

"Tatum," Sidney started to say but her chuckling turned into full laughing and she needed a moment to attempt to collect herself that quickly failed, "That sounds more like a kissing fairy than a kissing slut."

Sidney started to feel a tear come to her eye as she kept laughing.

Tatum beamed, thrilled with herself at her ability to make Sidney laugh. It was pretty rare to get more than a snicker or two, and a full on laugh, this hard, was a triumph for her. She rolled over and half straddled Sidney, leaned over her mock threateningly as her long hair fell forward.

"Oooh, what a good idea. I'm gonna be a kissing fairy. Should I start with….you?!"

She started planting feather light kisses all over Sidney's face, on her forehead, cheeks, nose, everywhere but her lips.

Sidney's laughter came to a sudden stop as she realized Tatum was rolling over and had pulled herself into a position that meant she was half-straddling her. Her posture was something that would, possibly, have been threatening if it had been anyone else but Tatum, but it was enough to make Sidney's eyes widen as she felt her friend's long hair falling forward and gently brushing her face and blocking her vision.

"With…" Sidney found herself attempting to ask, her words feeling as if they were sticking to the roof of her mouth, "With me? Why?"

But they came too late as Tatum had started to place kisses that were soft, almost impossible to feel besides a slight brush, an even slighter tickle, all over her face - her forehead, cheeks, she lost track of where other than her lips were left alone - and she felt her breath catch as it went on, herself growing dizzy. It was overwhelming but she didn't want it to stop but she didn't understand why.

Her hands moved from her sides and towards Tatum's wrists.

Tatum giggled again, but although she was smiling, still a little tipsy as she looked down at Sidney, her words came out sincerely. She was still sitting on top of Sidney, her face inches away as she spoke.

"Because. Kissing should be fun…it should feel good. And it should be with someone you love, or at least someone you like a lot, and someone who loves you. And I love you, so…why not?"

Tatum said this as if it was an inevitable conclusion. Leaning forward, she gave Sidney a final soft, open mouth kiss on her lips, not waiting for her to kiss back, before sliding off of her and snuggling against her, arm around her waist.
"Tatum," Sidney tried to start as her friend had started to giggle, but she lost track of her thoughts as the other girl started to answer.

It was… a very Tatum answer. Something reserved for someone with a very unique kind of logic. In her eyes, of course, kissing would be fun and something with someone who love or liked a lot and felt the same way back. It wasn't just an obligation or something you were supposed to do because that's what everyone said you did. It was much simpler than that to her and it made the idea sound pleasant.

She still wasn't sure how she felt about it overall. So far with Tatum it had been… well, nice. Like if this was what kissing was supposed to be, maybe it wasn't going to be so bad, but based on Tatum talking about her first time and all… she still felt anxious because it felt like this was going to be a rarer feeling than it should be.

As suddenly as Sidney came to this thought, Tatum had leaned forward, placing her mouth onto her lips but just as quickly as she had she had slid off and moved to snuggling her. Sidney could feel her arm around her waist.

"You love me?" That was all Sidney could manage after a moment passed.

Tatum looked over at Sidney with genuine surprise at her question, her dark eyes wide. "Of course," she said, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. "You're my best friend, Sid. Don't you love me?"

Sidney blinked in response at Tatum's reaction to her question. She felt her face turning warm as she softly answered, "Yeah, of course. You're my best friend."

"Well, then why act surprised?" Tatum raised an eyebrow. "We love each other, it's a thing."

She yawned, pillowing her head against Sidney's shoulder. "You sleepy? I'm sleepy."

"Because," Sidney started to say, "Because it just feels weird to hear someone who isn't my mom say it…"

But then Tatum yawned and Sidney felt the weight of her head against her shoulder before nodding. She wasn't sure if she could fall asleep now, but it was easier to just go along than to keep talking right now. She carefully started to grab for the covers after turning the light off.

Tatum was the sort of girl who could fall asleep easily, in any hour, in any position, if she had to be still long enough. Aided by alcohol, even a small amount, she was out like a light in minutes, her breathing soft and even against Sidney's shoulder.

Sidney wasn't surprised by Tatum suddenly falling asleep. She always had been the type to fall asleep anywhere and at any time. So, once she felt the other girl's soft and even breathing, she could only pull the covers as best as she could over them both. Then she tried to shut her eyes but they popped open just as suddenly and Sidney found herself staring at the ceiling, her mind blank but still unable to let her fall asleep.

In the morning, Tatum awakened as she usually did, with reluctant grumpiness to face the light of the day. She burrowed further under the blankets and into Sidney's shoulder, cursing daylight and consciousness, and made no mention of their kissing or semi drunken experience of the day before. To her, it had been just that, a fun experience, and it was nearly out of sight, out of mind. She didn't realize that to Sidney, it wasn't quite perhaps the same. Their morning continued like any other, as did their day, and when Sidney began to date Billy Loomis, Tatum encouraged her, albeit reluctantly, genuinely assuming that Sidney was interested and attracted to him. Of course, she couldn't know the truth, and even Sidney couldn't have told her- how could she, when words like sapphic, asexual, and even bisexual were so little known to teenagers in 1996?

End