Marley tried to be discreet about tapping people back from the ground. There was also the plan to have fake doctors who would also wake up to the person on the group and they'd tap at the same time.
But her peers were right, seeing her with the other doctors had the other team hesitating. They'd move to throw it like normal, but take a second or two to consider before they did.
They were doing well, too. Aiden and Leo have both been targeting each other since the start, and being football players, throwing snowballs so fast if they actually ended up hitting each other it'd knock them unconscious.
That's why Aiden's been down a little more often than the others, because he's so focused on his best friend that the others can toe the line and hit him when he's not looking. Marley made it to his side, holding a hand on his shoulder for probably the tenth time while Leo was grinning victoriously, tossing a snowball back and forth between his hands, dodging incoming ones at the same time.
"Do you guys have to be this competitive?" She asked him, watching him jump to his feet.
He was quickly dropping back down though, when he slid in front of her to block a snowball that would've hit her on the chest.
"It's fun to fuck with him," Aiden replied, already snatching a snowball off the ground and winding up to toss it at probably 50mph (60 kph) towards Leo.
"Marley!"
She turned around to see someone unfamiliar, far from the main fighting in front of the ditch. The other doctors that were hanging by trailed behind her, but most of them were hit. She stopped to help them but they said to go and get the guy, assuming she'd be safe that far away.
She watched her surroundings as she made the trek, watching the guy smile in relief, "Thanks for coming out here."
"How'd you get all the way over here?" She asked as she circled around to his side, touching his shoulder.
He sprung to his feet after she did, his eyes taking in the fighting behind her and seeming calmed by something. She turned around to see what he was looking at.
"Jordan wanted me to be."
It was so quick that she had no time to react. This guy, she'd barely seen him for under a minute, barely spoken a few words to him.
But still, he grabbed her by the shoulders, spun her around, and threw her into the ditch.
She didn't even scream, that's how surprised she was as she careened towards the hard terrain, mud, and rocks. The pain flared immediately, the wind knocked out of her and her entire being coated with mud. She coughed and choked for air, groaning at the pain pricking in every inch of her skin.
"Jordan wanted me to be."
Why would Jordan do this to her? Why would he go out of his way to physically injure her?
Marley's head spun as she took in her torn jeans, cuts on her legs and on the palms of her hands. She slowly slid upwards, chattering with the cold mud seeping through her clothes.
The ditch was deep too, so there was little chance she would be able to climb out on her own with her muddy, slippery state. She wasn't sure what to do, given she'd make herself dirtier by touching her injuries or moving too much.
Her head was still spinning as she heard an unfamiliar voice calling her, "Marley! There's like ten people down!"
"I'm here!" She shouted back, groaning again when she felt the soreness of her chest.
"Wait, where?! I'm literally standing-"
"Look lower," she advised calmly, leaning her head back against the edge of the ditch in total fatigue and resignation.
Her hazel eyes were half open as the face appeared over the edge of the ditch. The girls' eyes widened at seeing her probably sitting at an odd angle, covered in mud.
"Holy. Shit. What the...MRS!!!" The girl shrieked in panic, almost instantly trying to find a way to get to Marley, "MRS WEISS!! HELP!!"
Marley winced at the scream, lifting a hand to wave the girl off, "I'm okay! Just don't come down here. I'll...I'll be okay."
But it fell on deaf ears as the girl skidded down a less steep edge of the ditch, luckily wearing boots as she dashed over, "Are you okay? Holy shit! Let me help you. MRS WEISS!"
After a couple more seconds, their teacher was the next person to pop her head up over the ditch. And after, Gabby.
Her green eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in shock, "Marley!"
She made the same trip down the ditch as the girl tried to grab Marley by the upper arm, "Thank you," she breathed out to the girl beside her, "Thank you for helping me."
"Ohmygod, of course! Did you fall?"
Marley nodded tiredly, not hesitating for a second to say so. She'd decide what to say later, if it was even worth it to say anything.
The toxic cycle would just continue.
It was then that more and more students began to approach what probably looked like a interesting thing to see. Gabby came up on Marley's other side shaking out of her jacket after seeing her teeth were chattering.
"Want to tell me how," she began shakily as she wrapped it around Marley's muddy shoulders, seeming unbothered by how she was ruining it, "you ended up across the ditch and seriously injured like this, if you fell?"
Marley turned to lock eyes with Gabby and shake her head discreetly. She'd have to tell her best friend the truth, Gabby is too smart in physics be fooled by the fall excuse.
"Marley?! Marley?! Move!"
Her body sagged at the familiar voice, the students parting for him. Aiden momentarily froze at seeing her there.
"Hi," she murmured.
"What the fuck?!"
He made his way down the same path as Gabby and the girl attempted to get her to her feet.
She stumbled, teeth still chattering, "I fell into a ditch, Matthews. Keep up."
"I got her." Aiden told Gabby and the girl, instantly taking her in his warm, muscular arms.
"Don't ruin your jacket," Marley scolded, "I happen to like it."
"You're covered in mud, cold and injured, and you're worried about my jacket?"
She shrugged as he brushed her muddy hair away from her muddy face. Everything is muddy right now.
"It feels nice and it accentuates your bad boy image."
Aiden let out a loud sigh, holding her tighter, "Can we just get back to the fact that you're hurt? Can you walk?"
"I'm okay, Aiden," she promised quickly, "I didn't hit my head, and the rocks are all small. Just landed on my hands."
"Ms. Hoover? Do I need to call an ambulance?" Mrs. Weiss asked from above, and Marley felt like she was a celebrity caught by TMZ leaving a rehab facility. All eyes were on her, whispering to each other.
For a second, her eyes locked with Jordan's. He was in the back of the fray, wearing a tiny, victorious smile at her before he disappeared quickly.
"I can walk." she looked away and said to Aiden, twisting her ankles around and standing still under his arm, but able to carry her own weight.
"You're all scraped up, Marley," he stressed breathlessly, "Fuck. How did you even end up over here?"
"I don't need an ambulance," she told Mrs. Weiss as Aiden helped her walk towards the same edge he, Gabby and the girl walked down from, "just a first aid kit, maybe?"
She purposefully dodged his question, but Aiden hadn't picked up on it much to her relief. He was too worried about her, scanning her over and seeming to get more infuriated by the second.
"Take my hand, Marley." Leo approached the edge where Aiden was helping her walk uphill, and she quickly did.
It was easier to get her out with Leo helping from the front and Aiden pushing her up from the back. As soon as she was out of the ditch, Mrs. Weiss was at her side and looking her over.
"I already called the councillors, they're trained in first aid, but a shower would be the best place to start."
"I-" Marley squeaked when she was suddenly swept off her feet - literally.
Aiden took her in his arms bridal style, holding her tightly to his chest, "I can walk, Aiden," she whispered breathlessly, watching his eyes lock on hers and narrow.
"I. Don't. Care."
There was also the fact that his jacket was now coated in mud too, but it didn't seem to bother him at all, just like carrying her didn't seem to strain him.
Mrs. Weiss looked towards Aiden, "Make sure she showers and I'll tell the councillors to wait at her room. You two are both excused from class for the day."
Marley smiled and nodded, "Thank you, Mrs."
"Now go get cleaned up, everyone else! We're done with the snowballs for the day! Pack it up!"
"Marley! Are you sure you're okay? I can come too." Gabby grabbed Marley's hand, mud and all.
She smiled reassuringly while Aiden responded, "She's in good hands."
Marley leaned her head against Aiden's chest as he started to make the trip back to the girls cabin, "It's a fifteen minute walk, Aiden," she pointed out smartly, "Put me down. I only have minor skin abrasions."
"Carrying you strains me as much as carrying a football does," he deadpanned calmly, "Besides, you're cold too. Just relax okay? What happened, Marley?"
She finally decided to surrender, it was his sore muscles tomorrow anyway. Curling up in his hard chest, she rested her forehead on his neck, relaxing at his deep, even breathing "I just fell. I slipped on the edge."
"What were you doing all the way over there? It was so far away from the game? And close to that ditch? Jesus you could've been more hurt, hit your head, sprained your wrist or ankle-"
Aiden stopped abruptly when she leaned in closer to his neck and placed a kiss there, applying pressure for a few seconds. It was just impulsive, and at this point she didn't care about the stupid line between them.
Marley snuggled back to her original place, secretly smiling at his now shallow breathing, the stumble in his walk, and the way his arms tightened around her.
"Just calm down Aiden," she murmured, "I'm going to be perfectly okay after a warm shower."
"Y-yeah," he replied, clearing his throat loudly, "Right. I'm glad you weren't more hurt."
Her secret smile widened further. The idea that she affected him as much as he affected her made her feel so warm inside that even with the mud she was covered in, her teeth had stopped chattering.
Marley washed her hands at the sink in her en-suite bathroom, while Aiden grabbed one of his sweaters that she had in her room and a pair of her grey sweat pants.
When she reappeared from the bathroom, his hands were moving to her undergarments drawer before she was swatting him off and grabbing what she needed herself, with the cover of the armoire to keep him from peeking.
Typical Aiden Matthews.
He carried her to the shower rooms despite her adamant protests, setting her down outside of the doorway.
"I can come in."
Marley turned around to whack his arm with her toiletries bag, cheeks flaming immediately, "Aiden!"
Instead of his typical cheeky smile, his face was still flat with seriousness, "I'm not joking. If you need me, I'm here. It wouldn't be about that Marley."
She placed a hand on his arm, her blush fading at how he was just trying to help and appreciating that he put his own feelings aside, "Thank you, Aiden. But I'll be okay. Once I'm out you'll realize that I'm not even that injured, it's just the mud."
He took a deep breath, and she felt his stiff body relax before she dropped her hand. Instead of letting her go, he strode up in front of her and cupped her cheeks.
Rubbing with his thumbs reminded her of the day they decided to take a break, making her feel more emotional than this moment called for. Her eyes locked on his.
"It doesn't matter if you walk out of there with a single cut. I hate seeing you hurt, spitfire. In any capacity."
She felt like she could finally breathe when he let her go and took a step back. His eyes were still locked on hers as he leaned against the tile wall and crossed his arms, "You fell?"
For a second, just a second she saw his eyes narrow as if he didn't believe her. As if he could see that there was something off about her story. Her heart began to pound behind her ears. If Aiden found out she was pushed into a ditch, injured on purpose - he'd lose it.
He'd be reminded of Violet and break his promise again. He'd hate himself, again.
So Marley promised herself right then, that Aiden would never find out the truth. Even at the sacrifice of Jordan winning this time. She could take that.
This wasn't anything major. It was the actions of a schoolyard bully, not a total psychopath who plans to continue striking again and again with worse and worse physical violence.
Marley gave Aiden her most reassuring smile, "Yes. I fell. Don't worry anymore, okay?"
Before she could possibly expose herself or make him suspicious, Marley turned around to head inside.
It felt weird being in the girls' showers alone, used to the loud chattering and the slamming doors of the individual stalls. The long counter covered in makeup, the sound of hairdryers whirring and flip flops smacking against the white tile. Alone in here, it felt...eerie.
She chose the first stall closest to the door, setting her stuff down on the bench in front of it but not entering the stall yet. Opening the garbage bag she brought, she began to peel off her shirt and make sounds of disgust at how soppy it was. Marley sighed in disappointment at how ruined one of her favourite bras was as she tossed her shirt in the bag and wincing at the soppy sound.
Flicking off the buckle on her jeans, she noticed a shadow moving in her peripheral that had her at a standstill. Shooting her head upwards, heart in her throat, she laid wide, hazel eyes on two people sauntering in from around the corner where they had hidden.
The one on the right's eyes fell to her exposed chest, "Marley."
"Jordan?"
***
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