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It was some guy in our math class. He walked up to Mac who sat only 2 seats in front of me and it was clear what he was saying. Mac hadn’t changed her look much when we “moved” to 2019 only growing out her hair somewhat and attempting to be “more with the times” if that made sense. It was hard to tell if he was actually flirting with her as she continued to pay more attention to her work, nodding along as he said a date which he seemed to take as an agreement.
I didn’t, knowing Mac. I mean she didn’t like anyone, neither did I. Next period was English which we didn’t have together sadly so when we left class, I couldn’t ask her more questions and would have to wait til lunch. Only one class to deal with then. The class was overwhelmingly loud I’d noticed soon into the school year which didn’t improve anything as the teacher trying to calm them down didn’t even make a dent in what was happening.
The preppy girls sat right behind me, I presume the teacher thought it would help the kids be more like me cause I hated talking in class. I knew they were talking about me which I tried to ignore as I did my work. Their voices slowly fading into the background as I did so. That didn’t stop them, even if we had left the class room, moving to the halls and going to our lockers. It was almost lunch I repeated to myself as I then think back to what had happened in math.
Sliding into a seat beside Mac and the others when I see them in our regular spot. Mac and Tiffany complaining about something idiotic that people were doing in their last period.
“Weird.” Erin mumbled as Tiffany looked over at her “it sucks I have to deal with all of this, most of the people here are well unaware to say the least” Tiffany’s eyes glancing over the other people in the cafeteria as I notice a guy moves to sit by Mac. Everyone turning to look at him. Tiffany being the first to start asking questions about him as Mac seemed to listen in. Maybe she’d been more interested than I initially thought.
I wasn’t jealous though, I mean he’d been seeming to be annoyed with Tiffany already as she continued to ask questions for all of lunch. Erin giggling as he walked off at the end of lunch, frustrated.
“Mac, are you actually going to hang out with him?” Erin asked before I had the chance to, going into my classroom as they talked and I couldn’t hear her answer. Fuck. Maybe it was just a big miscommunication on my part but how could that be miscommunicated? Thank god it’s Friday.
Tiffany talked throughout all of our last period which we had together, being a good break from what happened in 5th with me thinking about Mac the whole time. Mac looking at me after school, immediately going to talk to me but being generally dry when it came to that. Erin got picked up by old Erin already who had sort of become her guardian at this point while Mac just stayed with her brother, who I drove home with even though me and Tiffany stayed with old her (who was surprisingly taking the time travel thing okay, who would’ve guessed? But this is also Tiffany)
Dylan stared at us the whole drive with a somewhat fond look, appearing at their house which wilder was already inside with Alice when we’d gotten there. Alice walking over to Dylan and starting to talk to him about her day as Wilder scoffed, walking upstairs. Both me and Mac already in the schedule of watching a show or something while pretending to do our homework which Dylan seemed to pick up on but not comment on.
“So, what did you think of that guy?” I ask, finally, after getting a moment to ask. Her shrugging her shoulders and not really thinking much more than that. Huh. I thought.
I leave right before we could finish the movie, Mac looking at me the whole time as I rush out the door to Old Erin’s car. Erin and Tiffany sitting in the backseat already when I got in. They looked at me as if they had some form of inside joke they weren’t willing to fill me in on. Old Erin asking some cliché questions as we get to her house, only me really giving her some form of response as she smiles softly at me before unlocking the doors so we can go inside, the drive already being over.
Erin immediately asked me what seemed to be an important question to her.
“No, I don’t like him.” I say in response to asking about the guy who supposedly liked Mac. Tiffany asking some other, seemingly trick, questions to me. Then, finally, they stopped and looked at me as if I was proving their point (what point? I don’t know exactly) and they said to me something odd. But not in their normal odd way.
“Hey, KJ, have you ever thought you might like Mac like I get that that’s like an insane concept in the 80’s but it’s 2019, you can like her, pretty sure she feels the same anyway.” Erin said, almost matter-of-factly as the words settle in. All because I didn’t like a guy.
“I don’t like Mac though.” I say it response as Tiffany looks at me like I’d said the funniest joke.
“You literally risked your life and future or well past for her like 2 years ago.” Tiffany used as evidence, Erin looking at her phone as she scrolled through it “Seriously she’s just a friend, plus Mac is well Mac” hoping they’d get what I meant by that last bit.
“Sure.” Erin nods, walking out of the room for a moment and putting her phone away as Tiffany changes the topic to school. My thoughts slowly fading of the original topic, until I see Mac the next morning. Her moving towards me as she goes to tell me about something Wilder had done that Mac considered incredibly idiotic. She considered a lot of stuff that.
That guy (I feel like I was told his name but it probably wasn’t important enough for me to remember) started trying to move to sit closer to Mac during math class, the teacher didn’t really care seeing as we were doing a group assignment that day. Me and Max did most of the work while he just sat there copying. It wasn’t that bad I suppose.
As the day progressed, I thought more about the concept of liking girls since the others brought it up last night. It didn’t seem out of the question I guess, but with Mac?
Mac was talking to Erin when I went to see her after school while we waited for a ride. Mac then noticed me and stared intently at me then back at Erin. Did Erin say something like what happened last night? Fuck. Although, when Mac greeted me, she seemed normal around me. I’m just being weird.
I’m always being weird.
“What are the chances we can stop and get slurpees before someone comes?” Mac says, leading me out of my thoughts.
“Fuck no.” Tiffany says as Erin shrugs, choosing to stay with Tiff as I follow Mac to the gas station across the street. I notice she grabs something and slides it into her pocket, but don’t mind to mention it after we pay for our slurpees. When we got back they were still standing there, waiting for us.
Something’s telling me that they’re going to not quit with this.
Finally, we were picked up. Me going with the others as Mac leaves with Dylan. Erin and Tiff constantly talk about all of us hanging out in the group chat together while we were on our way home and summer was coming up so it made sense. We planned a date and everything soon in the future to go to the park together.
It only took me and Mac getting there for both of them to have cancelled. That definitely wasn’t a sign of anything. I mean it’s not like the park is overtly romantic or anything.
“Weird they both didn’t show.” Mac says, looking over at me as she shrugs her shoulders, starting to light a cigarette.
“I thought Dylan was helping you quit, how the hell did you get your hands on those” I ask, sort of concerned but sort of knowing the answer already.
“I have my ways y’know, plus it’s not like I’m going to fucking die because I smoke a single cigarette.” She answered, no one really liked the jokes even though we all knew they were her way of coping.
We continued to walk, ending up near a pond with ducks. The ducks started begging for food as we passed them which I presume was due to people always feeding them. Maybe I’d have to come back here to do that. And after awhile, the ducks started ignoring us and we sat down at a bench.
Mac was the first to say anything.
“Did Tiff talk to you too?”
“About what?”
“Oh uh,” moving further away from me “us I guess? Unless they didn’t talk to you about it in that case ignore that.” Mac said, her face reddening as she looked at me.
“Oh ! Yea-“ getting cutting off by her kissing me but then immediately pulling back and looking worried “shit, sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorr-I like you back I suppose,” I scoffed, glad at the fact she liked me “didn’t think you would return it”
“I thought me liking you was obvious, I mean Tiffany even noticed and she isn’t normally the type to care or pick up on that.” Mac said as she started to cry laughing, our lips meeting again as I started to giggle. Thinking about the fact I’d really missed all the signs.
“Wow, insulting me already? And I really thought we were getting somewhere.” I say as she asks me if I wanted to be her girlfriend which I nodded in agreement to.
“Wait, does this make Tiff and Erin right?” I ask, Mac nodding at me.
“Fuck.” She sighs, looking down at her phone as she sees text from Tiff which she promptly ignores and I do the same.
Until we have to deal with them later since they just do happen to have felt better after canceling plans. They continue to point out our obliviousness all night after that, or whenever they felt like it. It didn’t completely suck, at least we were together and they weren’t pointing it out to us in secret.