13Piece 2: "Hate"
(during Ch. 13 of GS&M)
Rub, rub, rub, thud.
Rub, rub, thud.
Rub, rub, rub, rub, thud.
It hadn't been more than ten minutes into detention and Mackie had already resorted to occupying herself by attempting to balance her pencil on its eraser. After every failed attempt at the impossible task, she would furiously rub the end of her eraser across the surface of her desk with the belief that leveling it out would actually allow it to stand. All her efforts did, though, was just produce a rhythmic soundtrack to the otherwise silent room.
Reese stared amusedly from across the room at the sight of Mackie so engrossed in her task. Shoulders hunched, eyes level with the surface of the desk, and one cheek sucked in in concentration, Mackie was the epitome of focus. Reese was certain she was completely unaware of the way his eyes has been glued to her every action or of the way the jaw of the girl who sat a few desks across from her would reflexively clench at every thud of her pencil.
But that was one of the things that he liked most about Mackie. She approached everything in her life with such blind determination, ready to prove to the world that the impossible was possible. More often than he probably should, Reese could almost believe her. That was essentially why they had found themselves in afternoon detention, after all.
Despite knowing full well that her plan to steal Drew's lucky dog tags and plant them with Mandy could end no other way than in complete disaster, Reese still gave into Mackie's request for help. He had been right to initially deny her help since he could foresee the fallout that could have occurred between all parties involved. But knowing that Mackie was going to try to carry out her plan whether or not he was going to assist had him almost feeling left out. If he was being completely honest, he liked being needed by Mackie. Besides, he was glad his presence this morning allowed for a more reasonable explanation for Mackie's whereabouts than if she had been caught alone. Reese knew that Mackie felt guilty for landing him detention with her, but he preferred this to the alternative. If Coach Lorentz had caught Mackie alone in the boy's locker room, she would have been placed under much more scrutiny. Mackie probably would have found a way out of the mess but at the very least, it would have resulted in Mackie being stuck here in detention for more afternoons driving additional students up the wall with her determination to stand a pencil on its end or whatever other silly activities she would inevitability devise to keep herself entertained.
Almost as much as Reese loved watching Mackie try to execute her crazy ideas, he loved trying to challenge them. It wasn't out of malice that he often found himself trying to convince her out of her insane ploys. It took much more than some carefully thought out logic to even put a dent in Mackie's miraculously unwavering resolve. But he loved watching the way she would deflate briefly before puffing up once more, seemingly more determined to prove him wrong. And that's why it didn't take him long before sneaking his phone out of his pocket to send her the following text:
I'd hate to burst your bubble, but the pencil will never stand. Never.
Reese watched intently for the nearly imperceptible flinch Mackie made at the buzz of his text. He waited as Mackie glanced up at Mrs. Tanner, who was too preoccupied with her laptop to notice Mackie pull out her own cell phone and glance down to the new message awaiting her. Suppressing a grin, Reese watched for the downturn of Mackie's lips as she read the words on her phone. Reese squared his face into a look of nonchalance, ready to greet Mackie's annoyed glare she shot his way. Mackie's frown deepened further before her head snapped right back to the phone in her hands as her fingers quickly danced across her screen to send a message back.
Just watch i'll prove you wrong
Just the response that Reese had been expecting from the unfazeable girl. Reese gave Mackie a few more tries of her pencil stunt before sending another reply.
I'm telling you, it's a hopeless cause, so you might as well put the rest of us out of the misery of watching you try.
Upon reading his text, he saw the way that Mackie's head swung around to survey the entire room, stopping once it reached the girl who continued to shoot pointed glares towards Mackie. From his vantage point, Reese could just make out what seemed like a very cute sheepish grin that Mackie shot back at the girl before she angrily tapped at her phone once again.
Great. I could have distracted myself with that for at least another 5 min. If i now die of boredom here, i'm blaming you
Reese had his phone ready for a quick reply.
Do I need to remind you that you were the one who landed us detention in the first place?
Mackie quickly stuffed her phone into her pocket after reading that last message from Reese. Crossing her arms, she snapped her body up so that she her back was straight as a plank, completely facing forward in her chair. Reese knew he had struck a nerve. One that he probably shouldn't have plucked at. She already was feeling some guilt for their current situation, but a part of him couldn't resist doing his part to elicit the little flush of anger that now tinted Mackie's cheeks. As she kept her attention directed towards the front of the room, Reese knew that if he didn't do something soon, his own favorite detention pastime would be slipping from his fingers.
So with his cell phone still hidden in his lap, he began to punch in random letters and sent them to Mackie in a fevered frenzy. Keeping one eye on her, he could see the way she'd subtly fidget at the vibrations from his text messages as she tried her very hardest to keep her head turned away from him and her hands away from her pocket where her phone sat. He didn't relent, wanting to see how long she could hold out from the persistent buzzing of her phone. Reese had to give Mackie credit, though. It took nearly one hundred messages before she finally pulled her cell phone out to hazard a glance at what he had spend all this time sending to her. The deep furrow of her brows was all he needed to know that she was not pleased with what had been waiting for her on the screen. A satisfied smile remained on his face as he noticed the conspiratorial grin that grew as Mackie planned her return attack.
Slowly, Mackie's reply came one word at a time:
I.
Absolutely.
100%.
Cannot.
Believe.
How.
Much.
I.
So.
Deeply.
And.
Devotedly.
HATE.
You.
Reese could tell early in the series of texts where Mackie was probably going with this, so he couldn't say that he really felt disappointed for her particular choice of words. He'd be lying, though if he said he wouldn't have liked her to change just one of the words in the message.
So much for suspense. I knew exactly where you were going with this from your first text.
And I also know how to read between the lines. I "hate" you too, Mackie.
Mackie shifted in her seat, fully focused on the cell phone in hand as her mind probably churned with how best to respond to his message. Before she was able to finish typing whatever she had planned, though, Mrs. Tanner cleared her throat from the front of the room. "Mackenzie, no cell phones during detention. Next time I see that out, I will confiscate it."
"Sorry, Mrs. Tanner," Mackie said, quickly stuffing her phone into her backpack. Once Mrs. Tanner's attention returned back to the laptop in front of her, Reese received an angry glance from Mackie, which he returned with a shake of his head in mock disappointment. Though, not faltering from sending her a look of utter disapproval as Mackie stuck her tongue out at him before lying her head down on her desk in defeat, Reese was disappointed he wouldn't be able to see what response Mackie was trying to send back to him.
Perhaps it was for the best, though. He knew Mackie would consider the message as his way of just teasing her and would have likely returned his feigned declaration of love with one of her own, but the truth was, there wasn't much feigned in Reese's words. He knew as he continued to stare at a pouty Mackie, head still resting on the table, twirling a lock of her chestnut hair in boredom, he really wasn't far from falling in "hate" with her.
AN: I know, this is not what you guys were looking for, but this is my little peace offering for the time being. At least it's a newish scene, yes? Maybe? Forgive me anyways? Mackie's POV of this scene has been sitting on my very empty blog for quite some time, so some of you may have already encountered it, but I felt it actually lent to being told from Reese's POV quite well, so here it shall resurface.
As for Gossip, Set and Match, I'm working on it. Slowly, but surely. I can't get anyone's hopes up yet as to when the chapter will finally come to be, but I'll let you know as soon as I know.