CONFUSION OVER TAXI CLEARANCE CAUSES CONFLICT BETWEEN B757 AND CRJ700 AFTER LANDING ON RUNWAY 10 AT ATL.

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WE LANDED ON RWY 10 AT ATL BEHIND A B757. WE EXITED THE RWY ON THE FIRST HIGH SPD TXWY WHICH PUT US HEAD-ON WITH THE B757 AS HE WAS TAXIING UP ON TXWY SG. THE B757 PLT ASKED TWR IF HE SHOULD GIVE WAY TO US AS WE WERE COMING OFF THE HIGH SPD AT TXWY SG12. THE TWR WAS SLOW TO RESPOND; SO HE ASKED AGAIN AS WE WERE BOTH IN A STALEMATE NOT KNOWING WHO WAS GOING TO GIVE WAY TO WHO. FINALLY THE TWR TOLD ACR TO GIVE WAY TO US; THEN TOLD US TO TAXI VIA TXWY SC AND HOLD SHORT OF TXWY R. MY FO REPLIED WITH 'TAXI VIA TXWY SJ; HOLD SHORT OF R7.' THE TWR RESPONDED 'HOLD SHORT R ON TXWY SC.' BY THAT TIME I HAD ALREADY TAXIED ONTO TXWY SJ AND WAS PLANNING ON HOLDING SHORT OF R ON TXWY SJ; BUT STILL UNCLEAR IF TWR TOLD ME TO BE ON TXWY SC OR TXWY SJ AT WHICH I ASKED MY FO IF TWR SAID TXWY SC OR TXWY SJ AND WE WERE BOTH STILL UNCLEAR. THEN TWR TOLD US TO TURN L ONTO TXWY SC AS WE WERE PASSING SJ2. I WAS UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT TWR WANTED ME TO HOLD SHORT OF R BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE TFC COMING DOWN R TO TXWY SC TO TAKE OFF ONTO RWY 10 BUT ALL THE TWR WAS TRYING TO DO WAS TO GET THE B757 BACK IN FRONT OF US AS HE LANDED FIRST. THE FO READ BACK THE INSTRUCTIONS THAT ARE ALMOST ALWAYS GIVEN BY TWR AT THAT POINT AFTER LNDG ON THAT RWY AND WASN'T PREPARED TO HEAR SOMETHING DIFFERENT. ALSO; THE TWR; BEING PREOCCUPIED WITH SOMETHING ELSE WHILE WE WERE EXITING THE RWY AND NOT CLRING UP THE CONFUSION BTWN THE B757 AND US QUICKER; COULD HAVE AVOIDED THE PROB. THEN TO TRY AND REALIGN THE B757 AND US WAS UNNECESSARY I THINK OR HE COULD HAVE TOLD US THAT HE WAS REALIGNING US AT WHICH IT WOULD HAVE MADE IT MORE CLR ON WHAT HE WANTED US TO DO.