𝐇𝐀𝐙𝐀𝐑𝐃 │ 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐘𝐋 𝐃𝐈𝐗𝐎𝐍 ¹ [✔]

[39]: guilty lullaby

It was silent again, as our small laughter died down.

I thought about not lying to Shane; and telling him the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

I could lie to others all I wanted, but Shane - I could tell him everything.

I could say that I wasn't fine, that I was seeing Jimmy, I could tell him what happened to me, I could tell him about my brother, and hope to everything in hell that he wouldn't leave me like the rest.

People who knew all there was about me to understand me never really stayed too long.

Shane was my opportunity to let it all go.

"I was a stripper before all this," I whispered, hoping no one curious was walking by.

I looked away from the wall and to his eyes. He looked shocked, but thankfully not disgusted.

"I would have never thought," he said simply. He didn't seem bothered at all.

"My parents died on my birthday," my words broke at the end, my throat starting to confine itself. "It was snowing, and my brother never came back."

Shane turned his body, facing it more towards me, his hand letting go of mine since I squeezed it too tight. I started wringing my hands together, tears threatening to spill over.

"Shane, he never came back and I don't know where he went."

I slid upwards on the wall, Shane following me as my legs carried me from wall to wall.

"Marl, you need to calm do-"

"No!" I squealed, staring him down. Neither of us looked like we were going to back down. Him more so than me.

"Calm down Ariel."

"My name is Marley!" I all but yelled. "Stop coming here and calling me that!"

Shane grabbed my shoulders, and unexpectedly pushed me backwards until my entire back roughly hit the wall behind me. My head made a knocking sound as it came into contact, and my hair flew in front of my face.

"Get your shit together!" Shane hissed, his hands curling into fists around the collar of my shirt.

We both breathed the same air as his gaze burned into mine.

"You first," I dared, ripping his hands away from me.

"I got my shit together Marl," he pointed an accusing my finger towards me. "Neither of us can afford your... whatever this is." He gestured around my head.

I felt extremely offended and turned off by Shane's abrupt turn in behaviour.

To be completely honest... I wasn't better.

"No," now it was my turn to point a figure at him. He towered over me, my tiny frame almost being comical as we had the argument. "What we did; no sane person comes out that. Despite you thinking that you have mastered this titanium persona, you really haven't."

"At least I got one. At least I can lie without looking like the guiltiest person alive."

"I've had to put on a show my whole life, but this fuckery needs some getting used to." We both now stood strongly, our shoulders parallel, our stare as deadly as a knife.

"No shit!" he tried to back me up to the wall again, but I only wavered in my balance. "We just can't have everyone knowing that."

"I'm not stupid, Shane!"

He brought his hand up to his forehead as our bickering died down a little.

I was going to try something.