Hi, guys! First of all, I would like to say that I am so, so sorry this chapter took so long to upload. Life has been kind of hectic this past week and I also had some writer's block on this chapter. It's mostly due to the fact that the second episode of 3A had maybe five minutes of the pack at school and the third episode had no place for Marlee. So, I had to come up with a lot of original material and I still don't know if it turned out okay. I'd also like to thank everyone who has favorited, followed, or reviewed this story! All of you are so great!
I'll be posting some of Marlee's outfits on Polyvore today so if you search for the member "earthdiva" on there, you should be able to find me.
Inspiration for this chapter came from "Amsterdam" by Imagine Dragons and "Scars" by Allison Iraheta.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for Marlee, Virginia, Ron Burgundy, and Colin Decker (portayed by Gerard Butler). Everything else belongs to the respectful owners.
The next morning, Marlee was up long before her alarm went off; the insufferable beeping noise had been replaced by "Fight For Your Right". After a lenient Virginia allowed her to go home yesterday following the incident in English, Marlee had alternated between sleeping and watching TV. She woke up at three in the morning and found she couldn't fall back asleep, already well rested from her periodic napping the day before. With all of the extra time she had before even considering getting ready for school, Marlee had spent those few precious hours listening to music and scrolling through Tumblr. This wasn't something that she was unfamiliar with. For most of her middle school years, Marlee had suffered from chronic insomnia. She considered it a good night when she got five hours of sleep. It eventually stopped for a while after her parents forced her to stay in bed until six in the morning and attempt to sleep, instead of letting her get up and read a book or watch TV like she had been. Less than a year later, she was back to being a creature of the night. She felt more energized at night and was a light sleeper, making for a bad combination all on its own. Paired with all of the "What ifs" and memories, it was a recipe for disaster. Some nights just happened to be worse than others.
When the Beastie Boys started to blast from Marlee's phone, she unlocked it quickly and heaved herself off of her bed to get ready. She tried to keep today's shower playlist more upbeat than the day before, an attempt to maintain a positive attitude. She could tell her mother was worried about her, especially after the "day of dead crows". Marlee had thought the name was catchy but she had only gotten a concerned frown from Virginia in response when she had mentioned it at dinner. It was like she thought Marlee would have an emotional breakdown over what had happened. Maybe she would have if this was a year or so ago but Marlee had toughened up a bit since then. Now, she just had to remind herself whenever things went sour. I've seen worse. I've been through worse.
After she had finished her routine, Marlee went downstairs- using the steps, as she had been scolded just last night for trying to slide down the banister- to meet her mom in the kitchen. A couple of boxes full of cereal sat on the table, along with a gallon of milk and two bowls. Virginia sat in her chair, looking like the ideal lawyer: reading the newspaper while sipping coffee out of her mug.
"Morning!" Marlee kissed the top of her mother's head as she passed her on the way to her spot.
"Morning, honey. How'd you sleep?" Virginia closed her newspaper and set it off to the side so she could give Marlee her full attention.
The teenager shrugged and kept it vague. "I got a few hours in."
That answer apparently did nothing to ease any maternal worries as the older woman sighed at that.
"Hey," Marlee defended herself, "I took a few naps yesterday. Of course my sleeping schedule was going to be all out of whack."
Before this subject could go any further, a ding came from Marlee's jeans. Pulling out her phone, she quickly scanned over the email before rolling her eyes and shoving it back in her pocket.
"What is it?"
"Ugh, just the school telling us that we're meeting in a different classroom for English today. Like we all thought we were going to go into the classroom with broken windows. That's a lawsuit waiting to happen.
"Speaking of lawsuits," Marlee continued before Virginia could cut in, "how was your first day of work? We didn't really get to discuss it last night."
An unspoken agreement was made between the two women: they wouldn't mention any concerns about the young blonde's well-being for the rest of the morning. They could always come back to it later but right now just wasn't the time.
Virginia started to talk about how everyone was so welcoming and excited to have her there. She talked about her new office space and about the way she was going to decorate it, professional yet not totally impersonal. It wasn't until the sheriff was mentioned that Marlee was forced to talk about herself once again.
"The Beacon County sheriff came in and introduced himself. Made a joke about how we'd get to know each other pretty well with all of the commotion lately. He said he has a son about your age who goes to Beacon Hills High School too. Have you met a Stiles Stilinski?"
Marlee's eyebrows raised at that last part. Who would name their poor child 'Stiles Stilinski'? What kind of a name was that?
"Um, maybe. I don't know. I was only really there for one class."
"Oh, that's right. Well, did you meet anyone nice?"
Virginia was smiling, full of hope that her daughter may have met potential friends. Marlee remembered the way her mom had looked at her the day before. She wanted both of them to be happy in Beacon Hills so badly. There was no way Marlee could snuff out that little spark again. So, she found herself fudging the truth a bit.
"Yeah, I did actually. A couple of girls in my English class named Lydia Martin and Allison Argent. I also met this guy, Scott McCall."
Okay, she wasn't totally lying. Allison had introduced herself and she had dragged Lydia with her. Marlee just happened to know Lydia's name as well. Plus, she had technically met Scott before, just not in the way she made her mother believe.
"Ooh, a boy?" Virginia wiggled her eyebrows.
Oh God, no.
"Mom, it's not like that! I barely know him! There is absolutely nothing going on there. Trust me."
She honestly could have fallen out of her chair at that exact moment when Virginia literally started to pout. This woman was seriously more invested in her daughter's life than Marlee was herself.
"Oh my God. Mom, if something happens with Scott or any other guy, I will tell you right away. Okay? Are we good? I will tell you all about my non-existent love life whenever you want. Which means until something worth telling you about happens, don't expect me to gossip with you about boys."
Her mother gave her sly smile in return, letting Marlee know that she was going to hold her to that.
"On that note, I'm going to go to school and get myself an education. Learn mathematics and other knowledgeable things. Alright, maybe not math because I suck at that but you know what I mean."
As she went to walk out the front door, Virginia stopped her to give her a kiss on the cheek, leaving a lipstick mark on Marlee's face.
"Ewww!" They both laughed as she wiped her cheek off with the back of her hand.
"Have fun at school, honey."
"That's a good joke, Mom. You should really become a comedian."
Walking in to the temporary English classroom, Marlee noticed that the desks were in a different layout than the ones the day before. It looked like Ms. Blake might not have to worry about getting an extra desk for Marlee at the moment. She made a beeline over to the window, preferring to be able to gaze outside whenever she wanted and away from the rush of students streaming in through the door. It didn't take too long for other kids to start making their way into the room. She was zoning out a bit, watching the door but not aware of what she was seeing. It was only when two particular students walked through the door did she clear the fog in her head.
The talkative guy she had sat next to yesterday was chatting animatedly with Scott McCall when the latter suddenly placed his hand on his friend's arm and stopped them in their tracks. Marlee was aware of Scott's eyes momentarily resting on her form for a second before he turned to whisper something to his companion. Not wanting to get caught staring at the two, Marlee turned her head to look out the window. Just because she wasn't looking at them, that didn't mean she couldn't hear them.
"That's the girl?!" Earthquake kid half-shouted.
"Stiles!" Scott snapped at his friend in a whisper-shout.
Well, that solved that mystery. I'll have to tell Mom that I have, in fact, met Stiles Stilinksi. Well, she hadn't officially met him but she might as well have. The only other puzzle that remained as of now was what they were talking about and Marlee would bet good money that it was about Scott saving her ass.
The bell rang as everyone else took their seats. Marlee faced forward and found herself looking at a mane of fiery red hair. Stiles- still need an explanation for that name- sat in the seat between Marlee and Allison Argent. Sitting in front of Stiles, kiddy-corner to Marlee was- oh God. This boy was almost impossible to escape. It was like the universe had decided to just keep throwing this kid in her path whenever it was possible.
"Good morning, class."
Ms. Blake strolled into the classroom, looking just as chipper and full of bullshit as she had yesterday. Actually, that was a bit of an over exaggeration. There was almost a nervous energy when she entered the room, like the crow incident had shaken her. Virginia had worried about Marlee being affected by it all when she should have been worried about her daughter's English teacher. This class would prove to be nothing but a waste, at least for the day. It was doubtful that anyone would be able to keep their focus on Charles Marlow when they could be discussing theories behind the mass bird suicide-
Marlee jerked herself out of her thoughts just in time to hear roll call. A few names were called off, one by one, followed by confirmations from the students.
"Marlee Decker?"
Marlee half-heartedly raised her hand while answering, "Here."
She caught the slight turn of the head sitting diagonal from her, glancing at her. She had found out his name and now he knew hers. It seemed so insignificant at the time but it would only be later on that Marlee would realize it was a turning point. Sometime after the woman up front had stopped listing off names and had started to talk about Heart of Darkness, Marlee propped her head up by resting her chin on her hand. She began to lose herself in her thoughts as she kept her eyes on the world outside, unaware of the brown eyes watching her.
Later, when she walked into her Economics class, Marlee wasn't even surprised that Scott and Stiles shared this class with her as well. She had accepted that once again, The Powers That Be were working against her. Walking across the room, making sure to look straight in front of her, she moved to take a seat by the window again. As soon as Marlee sat down, the guy sitting behind her leaned forward.
"Hey," he grinned at her "you new here?"
Marlee kept her gaze fixed on the front of the room as she answered, "Now, what would give you that idea?"
"Trust me, I'd remember a face like yours."
Turning around to face the flirt, she raised an eyebrow.
"I bet you say that to all of the girls."
The boy's smile grew even wider.
"Only the pretty ones."
"Greenberg!"
Marlee watched as a piece of chalk flew across the room and nailed the guy talking to her square in the forehead.
"Stop bothering the new girl!"
A wild-eyed man was the culprit, presumably the teacher, as he was way too old to be in high school. He seemed to glare at the teenage boy for a minute before letting his eyes sweep over the class.
"Well, another summer has come and gone, so wipe those smirks off of your faces. This is school, school isn't supposed to be fun."
Is he being serious right now or…?
"Now, on to today's lesson- the stock market."
He slammed a book down on his desk.
"The stock market is based on two principles. What are they?"
Of course, without fail, Scott's hand was the only hand that went up.
The teacher waved him off, "Yes, McCall, you can go to the bathroom. Anybody else?"
Scott lowered his hand before hesitantly answering, "Uh, no- no, Coach, I know the answer."
Coach- Coach? –started to cackle for a moment until he registered Scott's straight face.
"Oh, you're serious." Coach said, sounding surprised.
"Y-yeah. It's risk and reward."
"Wow!" The teacher started to move towards Scott. "Who are you? And what have you done to McCall?"
Scott smiled and gave a chuckle at their teacher's antics.
"Don't answer that. I like you better." Coach pointed a finger at Scott for emphasis and whispered, "I like you better."
He moved back towards the front of the room before asking, "Does anybody have a quarter? A quarter."
As this went on, Marlee's eyes wandered to the corner of the board to see the word "Finstock".
Huh, I guess that's his name. Good to know, seeing as he's my teacher and all…
"Yep." Stiles suddenly piped up as he reached into his pocket to grab a quarter. He fumbled for a second before pulling something out of his pocket. Almost as if it was happening in slow motion, a condom slipped out of his fingers and started to fall to the floor. Everyone's eyes followed it to the ground before placing a hand over their mouth or biting their lip to hold back bouts of laughter.
Coach Finstock approached Stiles' desk with raised eyebrows and bent over to pick up the condom.
"Stilinski, I think you, uh- you dropped this."
As he handed it back, he gave his student a smirk. "And congratulations."
At that, bursts of giggles could be heard throughout the classroom.
Proceeding as though nothing had happened, Finstock carried on with the lesson.
"Risk and reward. Put the quarter in the mug…" taking a mug off of his desk and setting it on the floor, "win the reward."
Kneeling down, the coach looked at the mug with intensity.
"Okay, watch Coach."
Sure enough, the quarter went in and the class broke out into a brief round of applause.
"Huh? Huh? That's how you do it!"
He turned to a good-looking guy near the front.
"Okay. Danny. Risk, reward?"
Danny caught the quarter before asking the magic question, "What's the reward?"
"You don't have to take the pop quiz tomorrow." Finstock responded with a flourish.
"Uh, Coach, it's not a pop quiz if you tell us about it."
"Danny, you know I really expect more from you at this point. Really."
Marlee held back a snicker at her new and unusual teacher.
"McCall- risk, reward? The risk- if you don't put that quarter in the mug, you have to take the pop- the- the quiz and- AND you have to write an essay. Risk, more work. Reward, no work at all. Or choose not to play."
Damn, that's harsh. Marlee frowned. Just because Danny pointed out that it's not an actual pop quiz now, Scott gets punished. Damn, Danny…
"But isn't this just chance?"
"No. You know your abilities, your coordination, your focus, your past experience- all factors affecting the outcome. So, what's it gonna be, McCall? More work, no work, or choose not to play?"
Scott gazed at the quarter for a moment, rolling and examining it between his fingers before setting it down on his textbook with finality. Marlee felt like there was a lot more going on in the boy's head than just an Economics lesson; this wasn't just a decision about a quarter and a mug.
"No play. Okay, who's next? Who wants the quarter?"
Stiles tapped out a drumbeat on his textbook as he eagerly stood up.
"There you go! There's a gambling man! Come on! Step up, step up." Coached clapped as Stiles got into position. "Alright, Stilinski."
The classroom door opened and two men wearing police uniforms stepped into the room, looking concerned.
"Stiles…"
"Yeah, Coach, I got it."
"Stiles."
The boy finally looked up and locked eyes with the officer that spoke for a moment before leaving the room.
For the rest of class, Marlee stared out the windows, no longer caring enough to pay attention.
As Marlee walked into the lunchroom, she could feel her nerves practically buzzing. This would be her first lunchtime at her new school and she was anything but excited about it. Sitting alone in a room full of socializing people did not appeal to her at all. Her eyes went from table to table before landing on a table that contained four familiar faces. Scott and Stiles sat on one side with Allison and Lydia sitting across from them. Marlee bit her lip and stared at the guy who had saved her life without any thought of his own well-being. She had never gotten the chance to thank him. As much as she didn't want to talk to anyone and though she was still suspicious of the group, she knew she had to show Scott some gratitude. Marlee took a minute to compose herself before squaring her shoulders and making her way towards them.
As she walked up to their lunch table, the group got noticeably quieter, turning to gaze up at her. Marlee did her best to keep her focus on Scott, wanting to get this over without much incident. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath at that moment, waiting for the accusations and the questions.
"Hey, Scott, right?"
He paused for a second before responding, "Yeah?"
Marlee gave him a nod as she continued, "I just wanted to say 'Thanks for the save the other day.' I probably would have been roadkill if you hadn't pushed me out of the way."
The teenagers sitting at the table waited for her to add on to her statement, demanding to know how Scott had walked away relatively unscathed. All they received was an odd look from the blonde.
"Okay then… bye."
Marlee turned around, glad to have that over and done with, when a voice behind her called out, "Hey, wait a second!"
She faced the table once again to see Scott had risen from his spot, about to walk after her. She quirked an eyebrow at him, silently asking him what he wanted. Only for Scott to ask her what she wanted.
"Do you want to sit with us?"
Stiles smacked him on the arm and hissed, "Scott!", only to cry out a second later as Lydia kicked him in the shin under the table.
"Stiles," Lydia snapped at him, "don't be rude!"
Marlee narrowed her eyes at Scott, who was still looking at her, a friendly and inviting expression on his face.
"I don't think that would be a good idea."
"Why not?" He tilted his head a bit in confusion.
Crossing her arms, Marlee kept her glare steady as she spoke, a hint of annoyance in her tone, "First of all, I don't know you. Second, it seems like your friend isn't too fond of your offer."
He wasn't backing down that easily though. Looking as confident as ever, he countered her argument.
"Well, you know my name is Scott and I know that your name is Marlee. Allison and Lydia told me what you did yesterday in English. That took a lot of guts. Stiles here," Scott clapped his pale friend on the shoulder, who shot him a look that said 'Don't drag me into this', "would be happy for you to join us. Isn't that right?"
"I guess so." Stiles said.
"Yeah, the answer is still 'No.'" Marlee retorted.
Once again, she turned to walk away from the table and again, she was stopped by one Scott McCall. Except this time he went for a more effective tactic.
"You owe me one."
She spun around, the epitome of the saying 'If looks could kill.'
"What?" She spat out at him.
He didn't waver as he repeated, "You owe me one. Like you said, I saved your life. Sit with my friends and I, the two of us can call it even."
Marlee had to admit it was pretty clever. Why he wanted her to sit with his friends, she had no idea. As much as she was opposed to the idea, she had a feeling that Scott wouldn't give up until her butt was firmly planted at a seat around the table.
"Fine," she replied through gritted teeth, "but that doesn't mean I have to like it."
Scott simply smiled at her and sat back down, leaving room between himself and an affronted-looking Stiles. Marching her way over, Marlee set her backpack down on the seat before walking to the lunch line to get some food. The entire time she waited to get her mystery meat or whatever this school served, her eyes would wander back to the group that was holding her captive. Stiles seemed to be lecturing an amused Scott, complete with spastic hand gestures and furrowed eyebrows. Allison and Lydia were talking amongst themselves, looking more at ease than their hyperactive friend.
After getting her tray of cafeteria food (that actually looked edible), she reluctantly made her way back to the quartet. Shoving her bag onto the ground, Marlee plopped down in her seat with a frustrated sigh. There was an awkward silence that no one knew how to break but to everyone's surprise, Stiles took the lead.
"So, where did you move here from?"
"Wisconsin."
Allison perked up at that and gave Marlee a smile. "I was born in Wisconsin."
Despite her best efforts to make her annoyance with everyone known, Marlee's lips twitched up into a smile just as quickly as it disappeared. Not quick enough for Scott to miss though.
The beta knew he had been right to have Marlee sit with his friends at lunch. Sure, the girl sitting next to him was a bit rough around the edges but he could see there was more to her than that. He had watched her periodically in English and Economics, curious about the girl who had shown up just as the Alpha pack had made their presence known. She didn't smell like a werewolf, so that possibility was off of the table. Scott had still noticed little things about her, things she probably didn't even know she was doing. Marlee would use her pencil to tap out a rhythm on the edge of her desk or wrinkle her nose a little bit when she glanced at the clock and found time wasn't passing fast enough. She was doing these actions habitually but what had caught his attention the most was something that maybe no one else had ever noticed before. When Marlee would look out the window, the expression of indifference she would have on display dropped; for a moment, she had the face of someone who felt the weight of the world on their shoulders. Like someone had ripped the rug out from underneath her and turned everything upside down. Scott knew exactly what that felt like.
"So, you're a Brewers fan then, right?" Stiles questioned.
Marlee shrugged. "Yeah, kind of comes with the turf."
He snorted at that, mumbling something about Ryan Braun under his breath.
"Oh yeah," her look of offense was almost comical, "what are you, a Dodgers fan?"
"Nah, I'm a Mets kind of guy." He looked proud as he said that, only to have Marlee give him a condescending smirk in return.
"Oh, you mean the other New York team."
In that instant, the two engaged in a verbal battle, debating whether or not the Yankees were superior to the Mets. No one could even begin to comprehend how this had happened so quickly. The argument went on for a couple of minutes until she asked him how many times the Mets had won the World Series. Stiles had sputtered before muttering "Shut up."
Marlee looked particularly smug as she turned back to the rest of the table.
"I'm not even that big of a baseball fan. I just like to watch him get all flustered."
The redhead and brunette sitting across from her started laughing as Stiles' jaw dropped a bit.
"You- I- what the hell- evil…"
For the rest of the time, Marlee tried to contain herself a bit more, already feeling like she was losing her control. Later, she would probably sit alone in her room and curse herself for being so fucking stupid and sitting with them. At the moment though, if someone asked Marlee if she was enjoying herself, she'd lie.
The next day started out without any major event and Marlee assumed it would remain tedious. It wasn't until she sat down at her desk in the replacement English room that things seemed to get interesting. Lydia Martin took her seat in front of Marlee and turned around to face her.
"Hi," The redhead smiled at her.
"Hi…?" Marlee replied, wondering what exactly the girl in front of her wanted.
"Listen, I know this is kind of an awkward thing to ask but I, um, was wondering if maybe, possibly, you could give me a ride home after school. See, a deer ran straight towards my car so it's at the mechanic's and Allison has an errand to run after school and I'll totally pay you…"
"Lydia," Marlee cut off the ramble, "I'll give you a ride after school. Just stop with the babbling. I'm going to be in the library during lunch, catching up on some reading. Give me your number and I'll text you when I'm ready to leave."
The two girls exchanged phones to enter their numbers before Ms. Blake started class.
All throughout the day, Marlee couldn't help but question why she had agreed to give the other girl a ride. She certainly didn't want or need more human interaction than was absolutely necessary. She wasn't looking to make friends or grow attached to anyone.
I just did it so she would stop talking. That's all. If I hadn't agreed, she would've went on and on and on. It doesn't mean anything.
When school was over, Marlee got what she needed out of her locker and went to wait out front. She sent Lydia a text saying 'Hey, at the front of the school. Ready when you are.' Shoving her hands in her pockets, Marlee offhandedly watched as students piled into their cars.
"Hey!"
Lydia walked up to Marlee, looking just as immaculate as she had that morning. Whether the redhead had fixed her makeup and hair sometime throughout the day or if it was just that cooperative, Marlee didn't know.
The two made their way across the lot to Ron Burgundy, Lydia stopping to admire the certain quirkiness that the car held.
"Nice car."
"Thanks."
Placing their backpacks in the backseat, the girls got in and Marlee silently prayed that the engine would start without a hitch. The universe was obviously screwing with her again because the engine turned over twice before the car came to life. Marlee could feel Lydia's gaze and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.
"So, who did you move here with again?"
"My mom."
"What does she do?"
"She's a lawyer. She heard about some other guy who moved his family out of Beacon Hills and thought she could fill the position."
"The Whittemore family." Lydia said this with a wistful smile.
Marlee glanced over at the girl before bringing her attention back to the road.
"You know them well?"
"I dated his son, Jackson, for a couple of years."
"I'm sorry. That must have sucked."
"Eh, it's okay. We mutually broke up but we're still going to try and remain friends."
The rest of the ride was filled with chatter about this and that. Marlee found herself surprisingly enjoying Lydia's presence. There was something radiant about the young woman in the passenger seat. She gave off a vibe that said she had been through a lot but she wasn't going to let it keep her down. Marlee could vaguely empathize with that, as she wanted to have that kind of attitude but struggled to gain it.
Eventually, they reached their destination. Lydia's house was pretty big for just being her and her mother- not that Marlee could really talk- but there was something almost depressing about it. It was a house but it didn't seem like a home, it looked too cold and empty. The fact that Lydia's mother didn't seem to be home didn't help matters at all. Lydia sighed before reaching for her bag.
"Thanks for the ride," she gave Marlee an attempt at a smile, "I appreciate it."
Acting on impulse, Marlee stopped Lydia from leaving the car.
"Lydia, wait!"
It was silent for a moment until Marlee continued, "Do you want to come over to my house for a little bit?"
The redhead slowly nodded before sitting all the way back in her seat and shut the passenger door. Music filled the vehicle as the two girls didn't speak to each other. They didn't need words to convey what had just happened. For whatever reason, Marlee had decided to bring Lydia Martin into her clusterfuck of a life. She was growing strangely fond of the girl sitting next to her and as much as she wanted to fight it, she found that maybe it would be easier if she didn't.
When Ron Burgundy pulled into the Deckers' driveway, Marlee couldn't help but compare the Martin house to her own. While she and her mother hadn't been living in Beacon Hills for that long, there were still homey touches to the house. Virginia had hung a stain glass decoration in one of the front windows and there was a ding in one of the wooden porch steps from Marlee dropping a microwave on it. (Only to find out after Marlee had brought it in, that there was already a built-in microwave.)
"My mom isn't home yet but she should be in about an hour or so. She'll probably invite you to stay for dinner."
Lydia looked a bit surprised at that.
"I wouldn't want to intrude or anything."
Marlee snorted in response.
"Please, she'll be more offended if you don't stay for dinner. Besides, I, um- I already kind of told her that I met some nice people. I didn't want her to worry about me being a total loser so I mentioned you, Allison, and Scott."
"I suppose you didn't tell her exactly how you met Scott." Lydia teased.
"Oh God, no! She probably would have sent me to the first day of school covered in bubble-wrap."
The duo made their way into the house and Lydia got the grand tour of the place. When they entered Marlee's room, the blonde didn't hesitate to dump her bag on the floor and throw herself onto her bed. Her companion was quietly assessing the room, taking everything in. If there was one way to find out who a person really was, you just needed to take a look at their room. Marlee had only moved in a couple of weeks before so it wasn't exactly a permanent setup but it was close enough to being one. One of the things that caught Lydia's eye was the large bookcase against a wall. Various books, movies, and knick-knacks filled the shelves, clearly something that Marlee took pride in. Upon further inspection, she noticed an object that seemed to be quite special, as it had an entire shelf all to itself.
"Who's this?" Lydia questioned as she picked up the picture frame sitting on the bookshelf. Marlee sat up straight to see what Lydia was referring to and almost immediately, a feeling of hollow nostalgia bloomed in her chest.
That photograph was one of Marlee's favorites. Her father was present, in every sense of the word. It was taken a mere few weeks before everything had happened. Colin had been washing his truck in the driveway when a mischievous Marlee had ran by with a bucket full of water. She had stopped to take a minute and laugh at her soaked father, only to be sprayed with the hose. After the two of them had finished acting like children in a water fight, Virginia had insisted on a picture. Colin had Marlee in a loose headlock and both were grinning brightly at the camera, their eyes full of mirth.
"That's my dad," Marlee answered, subconsciously playing with a lock of her hair.
When Lydia's eyes met Marlee's, the redhead's gaze softened.
"When did he die?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Marlee's entire body jolted with shock. How had Lydia known? Most people who didn't live in her small hometown would just assume her dad had left or that her parents were divorced. How she wished it was that simple.
"How- how did you know?" Marlee's voice shook a bit as she spoke, much to her displeasure. She couldn't afford to show weakness.
"I just got this feeling when I saw the picture but it was mostly your eyes that told me."
"My eyes?"
"You've got this look in your eyes that reminds me of Stiles and Allison. It's kind of a combination between the two. You sort of have that soft, faraway look that Stiles will get when he talks about his mom. There's also a bit of Allison in there, this mix of different emotions. It's like even though it happened a while ago, it's still fresh to you."
"Like an open wound." Marlee whispered.
Marlee was quiet for a moment, taking everything in for a minute. This wasn't going the way she thought it would at all. She was supposed to move to Beacon Hills, remain a cold-hearted bitch, survive the last two years of high school, then get the hell out of dodge. Yet here she was, sitting in front of a girl she willingly invited over to her house after giving her a ride home. To top it all off, Marlee had actually offered to drive this girl. It was like she had entered The Twilight Zone or something. Whatever was in the water here in Beacon Hills, she didn't want any more of it. This shit was ridiculous.
Despite all of that, Marlee found herself wanting to confide in someone. Her former friends back home had heard the gist of everything through the news and the grapevine rather than from her. They had been offended that she hadn't told them what exactly had happened. As if that was something she really wanted to talk about.
Marlee made a compromise in her mind. She wouldn't tell Lydia everything just yet but she would divulge some information.
"He died a little over two years ago. So, yeah, it's kind of a touchy subject still but time has passed."
Lydia Martin may have been known as a queen bee at one point, wanting all of the gossip and information she could get her hands on. Over the past few months, she had gone through a bit of a transformation. This Lydia was more understanding and considerate of others. She knew when she shouldn't push her luck. So, she didn't ask for any more information about Marlee's father after that. If Marlee wanted to tell Lydia any more, then it would be when she felt like she was ready.
"So, it's about time for you to show me to your closet. I want to see what I have to work with."
I'd really appreciate it if this chapter could get some reviews, just to see how people are liking the story so far.