Beautiful Somehow

Chapter 9: "No, Not That It. I Mean, the Kiss It."

A/N: So I know it's tooootttaalllyyy more than a bit late, but Happy Holidays/New Year! I've gotten so many reviews demanding this chapter be put up, I decided I had to kick off and write it. Here you are my wonderful (and impatient) readers! Chapter nine, at your service!

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It had been an eventful day for Marris. Save the Citizen had turned out to be a bust, and collapsing in front of her best friends after fleeing the arena hadn't been her ultimate plan for the day. Then of course she'd got home with a buzzing Zack and Layla to find her Auntie and Uncle waiting impatiently for her. She'd answered their questions, settled their complaints, then went up to her bedroom with Layla to try and relax. Several hours later they were still sprawled on the floor, looking at the old picture albums Marris had taken out for old times sake and talking idly about the subject. Layla had made them both flower crowns and Marris had lit some candles here and there while Paramore played quietly in the background. It was her form of a cleansing ritual.

"Oh hey! Do you remember this day?" Marris' eyes flickered towards the colourful scrapbook Layla was flipping through. The page was filled with pictures of kid versions of her, Zack, Will, and Layla as some sort of picnic. Marris felt a smile tug on her lips and she glanced up at Layla, letting out a chuckle.

"Do I remember that day? Of course I do! How could I not?" It had been the first grade family picnic at their elementary school. Her parents hadn't been there, but her Auntie and Uncle had been, along with Zack and everyone else that mattered to her. She'd been too young to be upset that her parents were off in Rome fighting evil occurrences. "Remember when Will got the watermelon seed stuck up his nose?" Layla's laugh immediately reassured her that she did remember. "And you had to get it out for him with your supa powers!"

"He didn't understand how even then," Layla giggled, shaking her head. "He just thought it magically fell out and that me waving my hand in front of his nose had nothing to do with it." Marris' stomach began to ache from laughing as Layla shut the books, rolling onto her back once she had. "You know what we should do?"

"What?" Marris asked while collecting the dusty black scrapbooks. She kept them underneath her bed in a huge pile for whenever she felt like reminiscing on old times. She even had one from Greece before Brandon had happened. Layla's grin was huge and evident in the way she spoke to her.

"We should call Will and get him to call Warren, and get Zack to call Maj and Ethan, and we should have a huge party or something," Marris' eyebrows raised at her words as she pushed the stack of books underneath her bed. The idea was nice, but her guardians were going out to a banquet and probably wouldn't like the idea of their teenage son and niece throwing a house party in their absence.

"You can talk to my Auntie about that one, okay Lay?" She laughed, hopping to her feet. "I don't see how we're going to be able to throw a house party-"

"No, no, not that kind of party," Layla tisked, sitting up and turning to face Marris. Blowing a piece of long red hair out of her face, she continued to smile while explaining. "I mean like order a few pizzas, get out some movies and old board games, stay up until one in the morning type of party! You deserve one after today."

"Oh," Marris felt her cheeks go red as Layla sat there smiling at her like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Well...I guess they'd be okay with that-"

"Great! I'll call Will and you go tell Zack!" Before Marris could protest, Layla had jumped up from the floor and grabbed her cordless phone from its receiver on her bedside table, leaving her no choice but to go talk to her cousin.

oooooo

"But Zack, just think about how nice it'll be to get everyone together," Marris sighed. She was still in Zack's room ten minutes later, trying to convince him to say yes while he charged her iPod. She'd used the fact it needed to be recharged as an in before presenting Layla's idea to him. The blond looked back at her from his computer chair, the look on his tan face being exactly the opposite of what she was hoping. "Please?"

"Marris..." He whined before turning back to his computer. "It's not that I don't like the idea, I just don't want to bother mum when she's getting read-"

"I already asked her," She quickly interjected, widening her eyes for the effect of a puppy-dog expression. "Come on Zack...it'll be so much fun! And I think I deserve it after the day I've gone through. Please?" Zack turned to glare at her, and Marris had to stop her frown from faltering when she saw his eyes melt. "It'll give us all a chance to...relax."

"Are you sure you want to have a bunch of our rowdy, loud friends in our house? Bothering you and pestering you all night?" Marris bit down on her bottom lip, observing her cousin. She had thought about that clearly after Layla had gotten off the phone. The last thing she wanted was her best friends worrying over her and asking her to explain the situation in detail.

"Layla made a rule that no one is allowed to talk about what happened today," She sighed, crossing her arms over her stomach. "We're just going to have fun and act like nothing happened." The look Zack was giving her wasn't one she liked to see on the faces of people she loved. Pity. Marris rolled her eyes before turning her gaze from her cousin to his room. Although he'd begged his mother to let him paint it bright yellow, he'd had to stick with a plain white and mustard yellow. Truth be told, everything in his room was a fairly bright colour. She had never personally liked Zack's room. She felt that it's only purpose was to be made to make her feel like she was stuck in a room that required her to be in a straight jacket.

"Fine," The quick remark took him more than seconds to ponder, but it brought a huge smile to her face. Though it hadn't been her idea, the idea itself suddenly seemed a very bright prospect to her. And one that she liked. "I'll call Maj and Ethan...and tell them not to mention it." His look hadn't changed, but it had become more protective by his last word. Marris smiled as she took a step towards his chair and bent down to hug him, giving him a quick kiss on the forehead.

"Thank you!"

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"Doorbell, doorbell, doorbell! Man with the pizzas at the door!" Will's entrance didn't go unnoticed by anyone, as it usually did when it came to his friends. He carried five huge pizza boxes in his hands when Marris opened the door for him, laughing at his obvious struggle. Warren came in behind him with a large brown bag more than likely containing dessert. "Finally! Someone hears my cries for help!"

"You've been here for like, two seconds Will," Marris giggled, rolling her eyes. Warren felt his stomach churn at the noise and forced a smile. I love it too much when she laughs. He shook his head to make the thought disappear while he waited for Will to actually get in the door. "Do you need help with those?"

"No! No...I've got them," Although Warren was thankful to have a kid like Will for his best friend, the reason why he hadn't liked him in the first place kept on popping up. No, no, not the whole father-battle thing. The entire, slightly annoying factor that came with Will Stronghold.

"Will, just...give...me...the...boxes..." Marris muttered as she struggled to take them from his hands. Will obviously protested...until Layla fortunately came running down the staircase with Maj. "Layla, tell your boyfriend to...let...me...take...these!"

"Will, let Marris take the pizzas," Layla sighed. Warren was surprised when he immediately let go of the pizza boxes and almost made Marris topple over in his quick effort to see his girlfriend.

"Oh my gosh Will!" Her annoyance was obvious when she rolled her eyes and turned to go to the kitchen without a smile on her face. Warren sighed as he let himself in. She was still frustrated and angry. He had known that this "party" was a bad idea from the second Will had determinedly convinced him to come.

"Warren?" Layla's voice made him look up from his focus on the sea blue wall. "Why don't you go help Marris with the pizzas and stuff?" The look she and Will were both giving him was almost identical, and Warren knew exactly what they were trying to push. Sighing, he only rolled his eyes before kicking off his shoes and following Marris into the kitchen. If she snapped at him, he could always use the ice cream in his hands as an excuse to talk to her.

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"You know, it's alright to yell at the kid sometimes," Marris almost dropped the pitcher of strawberry juice she was pouring when Warren's voice interrupted the silence she had going for her in the kitchen. Setting the glass down, she let out a sigh as she felt his eyes on the back of her head. This was the last thing she needed...Warren Peace, mystery man extrordinare, trying to give her life advice. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

"Yes you did," She mumbled to herself before picking up the pitcher again, refusing to look at him unless she had to. "And I don't yell at people unless I have a real reason to be angry at them. Not just because they won't give me a few boxes of pizza to take into the kitchen." Marris finished pouring herself a glass of her favorite homemade juice when Warren slid a brown paper bag onto the table before he leaned against the counter beside her. He was trying to be sympathetic but failing miserably. Keeping her eyes on the shining counter in front of her, she asked him a question without actually looking at him. "Do you want some strawberry juice?"

"No thank you," He said stiffly. "Look, Marris, I know you don't want to talk about it, but you've got to understand tha-"

"Warren," Marris cut him off sharply, finally looking up at him. His dark smoky eyes were observing her widely, an eyebrow arching when she suddenly interrupted him. "I know you're just trying to help me with my whole healing process, but I don't really feel comfortable talking about what happened when I got raped, okay?" His mouth dropped open lightly and he shifted his weight to his other foot. He was wearing a tight black shirt and black jeans...she was making a guess that he had left his signature leather jacket near the door. But even without his regular appearance, Warren looked perplexed at what she was saying.

"Actually...I was talking about what happened the other day between us in the janitor's closet," Warren mumbled quietly, his cheeks lighting up only seconds before hers did. "I figured you'd turn me into a daisy or something if I tried to get you to open up about that." Her grip on the handle of the pitcher had only gotten tighter within the last few seconds, and Marris could have sworn she was giving off steam from the way she was blushing. How stupid can you get!? Of course he was talking about that!

"Oh," Was all that managed to come out of her mouth as they stood in an awkward silence, Marris desperately trying to come up with something to say. "Well...what is there to talk about?" His head jutted forward a bit as he narrowed his eyes at her. She could almost feel his mind scanning his memory to figure out exactly what he'd missed earlier.

"What do you mean what is there to talk about? There's quite a bit to talk about and I know you know that Marris, so don't play dumb with me," Warren's tone sounded more than just a little frustrated. She felt her stomach clench as her mind jumped to one foremost conclusion.

"Well it was a mistake, wasn't it?" Marris asked, watching his face for a reaction. The utter expression of frustration and anger left his face for a minute as it fell in disappointment before he shook it off and regained his composure. "That's what you want to talk about, isn't it? The situation was just a mistake and you had no idea what you were saying. You didn't mean any of it, did you?" She hadn't meant for it all to come out, especially in the tone and the way that it had, but she had always had a problem with saying too much or too little. This time, she'd gone one way and then ran back to the other.

"Actually, - "

"Marris! Bring the pizzas in! We're starving in here!" Zack's loud yell cut Warren off and Marris felt her cheeks light up for the second time that night. Finding a quick out of the already sufficiently awkward situation, she quickly took a step for the pizza boxes, grabbing her juice with the other.

"Warren, could you please grab the plates and the napkins? Oh, and the glasses. Layla already put the drinks out on the table," She surprised herself with the level of ignorance in her voice and instantly regretted it. The look he was giving her was more than sad and less than angry. It was a mix between hurt and confusion that she'd never seen before, and all he did was nod and mumble "fine" before taking the stack of plates, plastic cups, and napkins that she'd already put out and leaving the kitchen quickly.

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They were halfway through the movie Inside Man and finishing the last box of pizza when Marris felt Layla's elbow nudge her right side. Glancing towards her best friend, she inwardly sighed at the look of expectation that Layla had written on her face. How was it that she couldn't go one hour without someone finding out about what had most recently happened between her and Warren.

"What happened with you and Warren?" She whispered as quietly as she could, leaning over to say it in Marris' ear. Marris bit down on her bottom lip, resting her back against the edge of the couch. In a coin toss, the guys had won the couches and armchairs (Zack had argued that it was only fair seeing as his gender had the majority of bodies there) while the girls had been treated to the rug over hardwood flooring. It wasn't the fact that her back, legs, and rear were now screaming at her, but the fact that Zack had gloated for several minutes afterward that annoyed her most.

"Nothing really," Marris lied, whispering back into Layla's ear. "We just talked about what happened the other day in the closet and started to argue about it before Zack called us." Layla leaned back to raise her eyebrows at her, her round brown eyes only growing wider.

"Are you sure that's it? He seems more moody than he usually is," Marris leaned forward after listening to Layla to glance at the armchair to the right wing of the couch. Warren sat stiffly in it, his face hard and his eyes giving off the obvious. There was no way he was paying attention to the movie. Leaning back, she let out a sigh, turning back to Layla.

"I might have accidentally accused him of not meaning anything he said, and that the entire kiss was just a mistake," Marris knew it took a lot for Layla not to scream and slap her arm, but seeing as they were sitting in a room full of people who would immediately jump to question them, she restrained herself from doing so.

"Marris!" Layla hissed, standing up and grabbing Marris' hand. This generally caused a roar of complaint from Will and Zack who seemed to be the only people still engrossed in the movie. Ethan and Maj were asleep in their seats. "Sorry...I just wanted...the ice cream! We still haven't eaten that. Marris, come with me."

"Oh...okay," Marris hesitantly got up, knowing she was in for something that would be in short a large lecture. Smiling as best she could at the others who were wrapped up in the movie, she made her way past her friends, her eyes falling on Warren last. He didn't look her way. Great... "I don't know what flavors they brought."

"Whichever flavors should be great..." Layla trailed off as they entered the kitchen, her large brown eyes becoming wide instantly. "I can't believe you told him that!" Marris' mouth dropped open and she felt herself go doe-eyed again, the expression she usually wore when she felt ashamed.

"I didn't know what I was saying," She finally managed to say, her eyes downcast as she got out spoons and ice cream bowls. "Honestly. I was so embarrassed by what happened today and what he was saying-"

"What was he saying?" Layla inquired, lifting the cartons of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream from the brown bag. Half-Baked, Phish Food, Chunky Monkey,and Cherry Garcia suddenly sat in twos on the counter. Marris felt her mouth water. There was nothing like Ben & Jerry's. "You don't get ice cream if you don't tell me." Layla's face was completely serious, and Marris let out a sigh before speaking.

"He wanted to talk about it."

"But we said that we weren't talking about it," Layla was obviously confused, something Marris' quick patience and hunger for ice cream was not accepting.

"No, not that it. I mean, the kiss it," She corrected, waving the handful of spoons in front of her. Layla's mouth formed an 'o' shape as she stared intently at the counter top. "Yeah. Exactly."

"Marris..." Layla sighed, looking back up at her best friend. "You still said some pretty harsh things to him. Especially with Warren. He basically told you how he felt, and you went and trampled all over him." Her cheeks got hotter with every word Layla said, and Marris pretended to be busy looking for a tray to carry the ice cream out on. "Don't be mad at me, please."

"I'm not mad at you Lay," She said quietly, finally finding the big wooden tray she was looking for. "It's just...Brandon was a big deal...and I'm taking a longer than expected time to get over what he did to me." A minute of silence passed with only the distant sounds of the movie and the buzzing and humming of the kitchen appliances. An arm crossed her shoulders and Marris felt her frown lighten as she turned to try a smile with Layla.

"I know. This is really unfair to you. But Warren...he's so great. And he really likes you. And I'm pretty sure you have some sort of feeling towards him too," Marris nodded her head quietly. Of course she had feelings for him. He hadn't been the only person kissing in that janitor closet. "Maybe you could just give him a shot? Or at least let him know."

"Yeah, yeah," She mumbled, leaning into her best friend's embrace. "I've just never been good at explaining things like that. You heard me today." Layla laughed lightly, squeezing her shoulder before sneaking the tray from her hands.

"You weren't half bad, actually," She giggled, a bright smile back on her face. The expression was too much for Marris not to smile. "I think you're just scared of what you think he's going to say. Well, I've got news for you Marris Revora. You already know what he's going to say, and how he feels about you. Trust me. You've just got to try."

"Hey!" Will's overly chipper voice came from the door way to the kitchen, and both girls looked back at him. "Where's the ice cream? I thought you guys said you were bringing it or something." Layla turned to face him, holding the tray up with one hand.

"If you would just be patient, we're coming," Marris felt her stomach twist funnily as Will and Layla made puppy eyes at each other. She'd never gotten to do that with anyone, not even Brandon. And she hardly thought Warren was the kind of puppy eyes person. But that didn't mean he wouldn't be everything else she needed, and possibly more. She let herself sigh, lifting her hands and running her fingers through her hair. How could she try after she'd potentially screwed up everything?