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The evening had fallen flat when Luke's high-pitched "Dad?" echoed through the small kitchen, catching the attention of everyone within the vicinity and effectively ruined the fun. Luke's words were followed by a strange voice and a rush of excitement and kisses, which was eventually accompanied by a strange man striding through the kitchen and placing a big fat kiss on Ms. O'Neil's lips.
Kate felt the pang of disappointment hit her in the face almost as quickly as it had her father's. The dumbfounded look on Luke's face confirms that this is as unexpected to him as it is to them. Ms. O'Neil pushes the videographer away with an almost half-ass prodding. "Leroy?! What the HELL?" She demands.
They're prompted to leave then, and it's Kate that has to force her bumbling father out the door to let the quarreling exes decide what they want to do with themselves.(She does make sure to give Luke a hug for good luck before she leaves, squeezing him extra tight and whispering to call her in the morning).
She drives them home, eyes wandering to her quivering father every once in a while. He's a notorious back-seat driver, but he's eerily silent and the only sound in the car is the hum of the engine and the sound of a random empty can of soda rolling around in the back. The silence almost makes her cry for his pain. "Dad?" She asks, and doesn't even get a hum in response. She leaves him in the car, faintly she can hear his rageful screams as she enters the house.
It's been almost an hour later now and she's in the bath, water up to her chest as she tries to decipher what the hell was even happening in her life. The day had been so spectacular, and now.. it was just shit again. Well- no, most of it was shit, but the movie? Emaline? They were totally not shit. One of them was.. probably the best thing to ever happen to her, and the latter only even happened because of said thing..
Her lips tingled at the thought of the kiss, and her chest felt so.. heavy at the very thought of her blonde beauty. Is this how Luke felt around her? Because if so, she felt so totally sorry for him.
There was a faint knock at the door, followed by chatter in the front hall. "Ms. Addario are you- oh, yes of course- KATIE! SOMEONE'S HERE TO SEE YOU!"
Shit! What was Emaline doing here? Kate hadn't even actually washed herself thoroughly, she'd mostly just sat and thought. Quickly she moved to pull the plug and start the shower to rid herself of the day's filth.
Ten minutes later and she was giving herself a pep talk in the mirror, hair still wet from the shower and teeth just brushed. Breathe Kate, you can do this.. I don't know why she's here but.. It'll be fine..
Wrapped only in a towel, she left the bathroom and entered her room to meet the site of Emaline at her open window, sitting on the windowsill with some sort of cigarette in between her left hand's index and middle finger. Her face is red and puffy, tears streaming down her face as the Incubus' Stellar plays from the large Crosley stereo on her dresser.
"You ever smoke one of these before hon?" Emaline asks as Kate closes the door behind her, still clutching the towel around herself like a lifeline. "I- uh.. no. I haven't," she rushes out awkwardly. The actress moves her legs to make room for Kate. Nervous, Kate awkwardly shuffles over to the window and tentatively sits down. Emaline's eyes meet hers, and although she looks sad there is still so much wonder in them. Kate felt the urge to kiss her right then and there.
"Suck in lightly since it's your first time, then inhale to move the air into your lungs," she instructed, taking another puff from the cigarette herself to show in example. Kate gulped, hesitantly reaching out to take the cigarette from her... girlfriend? Was that a thing? Were they a thing? She looked to the cigarette. Oh fuck it, and put her lips to the end, doing as she was told- lungs instantly regretting it and a cough sprouting from her lungs. Emaline tilted her head back to laugh, "Oh you are so cute, I love it," she teased, taking back the cigarette and finishing it off.
Kate watched the smoke leave her lips, and suddenly yearned for such lips, free hand reaching out to cup the side of her face. Her face was warm and wet from crying, Talking now, kissing later. Kate decided, using her thumb to stoke the side of her face. "Why don't you let me get dressed and then we'll talk, alright?" She hummed, leaning forward to kiss Emaline's forehead awkwardly before getting up.
Kate stood, moving to her dresser and feeling eyes on her back. "No peeking!" She teased, picking out a pair of loose boxers and a long sleeve 'Boring High' shirt. "I'm not peeking, cutie," assured Emaline from her spot. Kate dressed quickly, but when her eyes moved to her mirror to look at herself, she met Emaline's ggaze within the mirror. She turned abruptly, "I said no peeking!"
Emaline, as if in a trance, chose not to say anything, instead rising from her spot and walking towards Kate, hands instantly finding her shoulders as she rose on her tip toes to meet her lips with hers, starting a kiss unlike nothing Kate had ever felt before. Her first kiss with Luke had felt.. nice, but ultimately wrong. Her first kiss with Emaline? It was gentle and asking.. it was nervous and short, but tasted like Emaline's cherry lip-gloss and made Kate feel as if her heart was going to beat out of her very heart. And then the ones that followed were that of passion and exploration.
As Emaline kissed her now, she could almost taste the emotion behind her lips. As she kissed back, she hoped she was reflection even a fraction of what she was being given, her hands falling to her hips as she leaned down to level the playing field for her small lover. Kate had always admired her hips, her figure in general was just.. wow. Her lips which were like two pillows and how she always smelled just so good.
But suddenly it was wrong, suddenly it was too fast and her hands were being directed to her breasts and oh god had she fantasized about this moment millions of times but the timing was all wrong. She swears Emaline is crying because the warmness of her cheeks has increased and when Kate pulls back gently, seeing tears and whispering "No," into the silence between them, she notices just how beautiful she looks when she's sad, and how fucked up that sounds.
Emaline spews into a rage, "Oh so you don't want me? Is that it? Am I not good enough or- or cool enough for Kate Mess-" she's sobbing now and Kate doesn't know where to begin to pick up the pieces. "It's not right Ems.. I want.. I want my first time- our first time, to be special. Not while you're upset.." She tells her, "I'm sorry it came out the way it did."
The blonde looks at her, before wrapping her arms around herself and sitting down on Kate's bed.
She begins to speak in what is practically a whisper, eyes downcast and to the floor, "Oliver would never just hold me and hear me out unless I'd.. unless I'd-" her voice cracks. "He would make me wait until he was done and half asleep before I could tell him my problems."
Kate frowns, kneeling on the floor and grabbing the blonde's hand to capture her attention, "That's... so fucked up. Emaline, I would never do that to you- I like you, because you're you. I want to.. hear all of it y'know?" She lets her cry for a moment more before moving to wipe away her tears. "If you would let me.. I'd love nothing more than to just hold you and listen." Emaline nods, and Kate doesn't really know how to move from here, all the braveness inside of her seemingly spent. She seems to realize this as she stands, making Kate stand as well. She guides her to lay on the bed and instantly Emaline finds herself with her head on Kate's chest legs tangled between them.
Kate presses a kiss to her temple and Emaline sniffles into her shirt. Its silent for only a moment before she begins, "My mom came home early from.. her honeymoon. She's been gone for two months.. and the place was a mess because.." She breaks mid sentence and begins to well up again, "I didn't take the whole Oliver thing well. You know.. she didn't even ask me how I was.. she just started yelling at me. No hug or kiss.. and when I tried to explain.. she made it my fault. Oliver left because I didn't deserve him.. because I tried to anchor him to Boring. Because I wasn't lovable.. and you know.. I was so happy after today. Being with you just.. makes me feel so good because yeah, life sucks, but.. you make it better." Her eyes meet Kate's nervously, squeezing her tightly.
Kate's throat is dry as she coughs out a strangled, "I-I know what you mean, I feel it too. When I'm with you I just feel so... empowered,"
Suddenly Emaline's talking again, "And then this new husband.. Hank or.. Henry.. or some shit.. he's got three god damn kids. And we don't have any room because all of mom's old shit from previous marriages are in the spare rooms.. so they have to sleep in my room and she's making me take the couch! She's just such a bitch! It's my god damn room and I wasn't prepared for any of it. So when they went in my room they found some of Oliver's old shit and.. my mom went nuts and then she- and then she-" She's still crying, although her tears are beginning to cease by just shear lack of tears.
Kate inspects her face and for the first time can see that the redness that's outlining her cheeks is not from crying.. but it's a hand print. "Oh sweetie," she coos, attempting to console her to the best of her abilities but she has nothing to say to Emaline. So instead she just holds the crying junior and makes her presence known to the best of her ability.
When Emaline wakes up in the morning she finds herself under the covers of a strange bed, in a strange room. She doesn't remember changing but her pants are off and she's wearing a shirt that's easily a size or two too small for her. What the hell? She thinks as she notices the long arm wrapped around her, and it isn't until she spies a particular freckle on the inside of the arm's wrist that she actually realizes where she is.
She rolls onto her right side to find herself face to face with a sleeping Kate, although now she's on her stomach with an arm lazily slung around Emaline's midsection. Her face is facing the blonde's and she can't help but marvel at how cute the sophomore is.. beautiful really. Suddenly there's a thundering up the stairs and the door to the room opens and Principal Messner steps in.
"It's time to get up swe- oh, hello." He finishes softly, "I'm sorry I didn't know you were still here Mrs. Addario, my apologies."
"It's alright Mr. Messner," the father looks between his daughter and the actress contently, "Well, I was just about to start making breakfast- are pancakes okay?"
"Pancakes are wonderful," Emaline smiles, propping herself up with her elbows. "Great! Well if you'll wake my sleeping-like-the-dead daughter, you can eat breakfast with us in about twenty minutes." And with that he closes the door slowly and retreats down the hall. 'Awkward, but nice,' Emaline decides happily.
Now to wake up Kate. She smiles wickedly, scooting closer to her lover and placing her lips on her nose to peck.
Nope. No reaction.
Emaline trails her lips down the girl's face and down to what she can reach of her neck and jawline. She places a kiss behind Kate's ear which sparks a smile from what Emaline presumed was a sleeping sophomore but turned out to just be a lying lover. She smiles and holds in a giggle, trailing her lips to finally meet Kate's and instantly feeling a reaction from the younger girl. She pulls away quickly, and opens her eyes to meet Kate's, both chuckling lightly. "Good morning beautiful," hums Emaline sweetly as Kate moves to mirror the girl on her side.
Kate's arm reaches out and hooks around Emaline's waist, "Mmm, Good morning," she replies groggily, placing her head back down on a pillow. "Oh no you don't Sweetie, you need to get up, your dad is making breakfast and I refuse to sit at a breakfast table with my principal completely alone."
Kate shakes her head, "Nope, too tired, can only be woken up by.. more kisses."
Emaline rolls her eyes, "Well alright Sleeping Beauty," she indulges, leaning forward and capturing Kate in a sweet chaste kiss. "Now come on, I need something to wear that doesn't make my boobs look like a damn video game character's."