Marley has never really had friends. She did once, but that was before Maria. And that felt like a different lifetime for Marley. Or maybe even a dream. Completely made up in the middle of an unconscious aberration of shapes and colors somehow threading itself together into that distant memory.
And Marley played it off as if it had been simply that. A dream.
But with that came the uncertainty of how to handle a certain boy's persistence to be her friend.
And damn was he persistent.
"Why do you insist on being my friend?" Marley asks as they walk to their third period art class one day. "You're so charming and outgoing, it's not like you can't make other friends."
She meant to sound more snarky, like her usual tone with this sort of questions. But her voice betrays her. It spills some kind of vulnerability that Marley didn't even realize was there. At least, not until she heard it ring through her own ears.
Harry hears it too. But says nothing.
"Because most girls fall all over me," He shrugs, "You're different. It's nice to have a female friend who doesn't."
"So I mean as long as you like me for me..." Marley jokes with a small laugh, earning yet another protest from Maria in the back of her mind. But at this point it was somewhat halfhearted.
Oh, yes. Harry Styles' charm was even wearing on the cold, head-strong Maria.
Because Marley is all cold fingers and half-crazed minds and crystal blue eyes that remind a certain boy of icicles and frost-bitten noses.
He laughs. "Well, there's that. And you're just so approachable."
"Yeah I'm sure that's what you got out of my death stare on the first day." Marley says as they reach their next class.
"Most definitely." Harry smiles, playing along in their sarcastic banter as he holds the door open for her to walk through.
And, damn was he persistent.
Marley rolls her eyes. But as she steps through the doorframe, Harry places his hand on her back.
Only for a second, a gentleman-like gesture simply to guide her inside. But it wipes the smile right off of Marley's face.
Because no one touches her. Ever.
Maria goes off on her tangent of slurs and curses at Marley for letting him think this is okay. And Marley gets lost in her inner dialogue as she finds an empty seat toward the back.
Harry follows and sits in the next open seat near the girl with crystal blue eyes that remind him of icicles and frost-bitten noses.
Sitting in the seat directly in front of her, he can easily see her sudden, distant expression as she stares at her notebook when he turns around.
And he wonders yet again what goes on through the mind of Marley Parker. Those thoughts that make her phase out into these episodes of distant silence.
And he realizes the true answer to her question from before.
He likes her because she's different and interesting. But also because somehow he knows that she's broken in some way or another.
And all he wants to do is fix her.
_________________________________________
"No." Marley says immediately.
Is he crazy? Are you crazy? I told you not to let him get close to you! This is what happens Marley!
"Why not?" Harry asks, smiling despite the freshness of her rejection weighing on his chest. He didn't expect her to agree right away, but he also didn't think she would reject it so quickly either.
"Because I already told you. I don't make friends. You're lucky I talk to you in school. I'm not going on a date with you." Marley shoves more books into her locker, trying Something is different about Marley as she walks into school Friday morning. to focus on what she needs to take home with her and what she can leave.
With the distraction of Maria's constant ranting in her head and the ever so entrancing boy leaning against the locker next to hers, she finds this task very difficult.
Because Marley is all cold fingers and half-crazed minds with crystal blue eyes that remind a certain boy of icicles and frost-bitten noses.
"It's not a date. I invited you to study with me. That's not a date." Harry insists. "But, if you want it to be a date—"
Marley slams her locker shut and starts walking toward the exit.
Because, damn was he persistent.
"Marley, wait. I was kidding!" Harry runs after her, reaching out and taking her hand to stop her.
Marley flinches and quickly pulls her hand away.
Because Marley is all cold fingers and half-crazed minds and crystal blue eyes that remind a certain boy of icicles and frost-bitten noses. And she may or may not be a little too broken for fixing.
"Look, Harry. You're a nice guy, but I'm not the kind of girl who has a social life. Especially one outside of school. I just function better that way." The bell rings, telling them they have two minutes before the buses leave.
"Just think about it. You said yourself you don't know how you'll pass the History test next friday. Plus, I guarantee studying with a partner is more fun."
Marley sighs. He has a point.
And, damn was he persistent.
Marley, I've said it a million times and I'll say it again. NO.
"I'll think about it." Marley promises.
Harry beams as if she had just told him the best news he heard all day.
And, it was, really. Because the girl with the crystal blue eyes that remind him of icicles and frost-bitten noses said she'll think about it—which wasn't a no—and it gives the boy with a troubled kind of green eyes a sliver of hope. And, damn was he persistent.
They walk out of the front exit just in time to see the buses pulling away.
"Fuck." Marley curses under her breath.
"So she curses, too." Harry smirks. Thinks it's kinda hot. "C'mon I'll give you a ride."
"No, I'll walk."
"Don't be ridiculous. Stop being stubborn and get in the car." Harry laughs as he unlocks the doors to his black Range Rover.
Marley eyes the expensive-looking and shiny black vehicle as Harry pointedly opens the passenger door for her with a wide grin.
Simply because she doesn't have the energy to walk the few miles to her house, she climbs inside. But Harry's childlike grin may have had something to do with it. Maybe.
Seriously? Are you trying to give me a fucking heart attack? Next thing you know you'll be eating pizza like there's no tomorrow and not burning any of it off!
Marley watches as Harry walks around the car to the drivers side as she says. "Are you trying to give me a headache? You know it's hard enough to keep up with more than one conversation at a time. You could at least respect that I'm—"
"So, Marley, I'm gonna need to know where I'm going." Harry says, a hint of his joyous smile still on his pink lips as he opens the door and slides in.
And Marley suddenly pales at the thought of him seeing her run down, shabby home.
I told you, so.
"Marley?"
"Umm... yeah I'll direct you. Take a right out of the parking lot." She says softly.
She decides to have him simply drop her at the other side of the neighbourhood she lives in, where the houses are better kept and the grass isn't overgrown.
But the houses are still pretty shabby. None of them would have Range Rovers in their driveway. Maria just has to remind her.
"You can just drop me here." She says once they've gone far enough. "I'll walk the rest of the way."
"Are you sure? It looks like it's about to rain."
"I'll be fine. Thanks for the lift." Marley says, flashing him a genuine smile before catching herself and climbing out.
As she starts up the road, Harry is only more confused about the girl with the crystal blue eyes that remind him of icicles and frost-bitten noses than ever before.
_________________________
"I'm home." Marley calls out as she shakes the rain from her hair and clothes.
There's no answer, and Marley comes to the conclusion that her brother must either be too high out of his mind to answer. Or not home.
Because he looks like deception and smells like addiction, but Marley is used to that, and is fine with either of those options, so she says nothing.
Because Marley is all cold fingers and half-crazed minds.
So she climbs the stairs to her room, deciding that tonight she doesn't want to stay home. Which means she's going to need cash.
Throwing her bag onto her bed and crossing the small room, she pushes her bookcase over until a medium-sized hole in the wall is exposed. She kneels in front of it as she pulls a shoebox out. Opens the lid.
A small stack of bills sit inside, totalling no more than twenty dollars.
"What the hell? Where is all my money!" She yells at no one in particular.
A heroin addiction is very expensive, dear. What do you think happened to your money?
Marley lets out a strangled sound between a groan and a scream before leaping up from the floor and running down the stairs to her brother's room.
Throwing the door open, she finds him with his eyes closed, earbuds playing so loud she can hear the screaming vocals.
Wasting no time, she steps into the room and pulls the headphones out of his ears before slapping him across the face. Hard.
"Ow, what the fuck!?" He yells.
"I should be asking you the same question, you fucking thief!" Marley screams. "You are the reason I was hiding my money in the first place! And let me guess, you found my stash and spent it all on your fucking drugs!"
"What the hell are you going on about?" He rubs his red cheek as if it still hurts.
Marley doesn't fall for it. "Don't. Lie. To. Me."
He stands, moving past her toward the kitchen.
"Don't walk away from me before you explain why you stole nearly a thousand dollars from me, Jax."
He sighs and faces Marley. "Alright, fine. I took your goddamn money and spent it on drugs. Happy? Maybe next time you'll find a better hiding place." He opens the fridge that's almost always empty and pulls out one of it's only contents. A bottle of beer.
"How do you plan to pay the bills now, Jax? You think about that when you were getting high?" She yells as he pops it open and takes a large gulp.
Marley feels tears pricking her eyes, but refuses to let them overflow.
"Just babysit another rich fucking family's kids, give them a sob story and ask for more money. You've done it before." Jax shrugs. Knows what he did was wrong on so many levels. But all he cared about at the time was getting his next fix.
"I've already been working my ass off at school and babysitting while you sit on your ass and get high! That was all the money we had to pay for everything! I'm not conning money out of another family simply to pay for your addiction."
"Then do whatever you fucking want to get more money. It's too late now." Jax says before turning and walking back into his drug cave, beer in hand.
Marley lets the tears roll as soon as he slams the door behind him. In her frustration she grabs the closest thing at hand. A cheap glass vase filled with fake flowers. And hurls it at the wall.
The vase shatters into millions of pieces on the floor along with Marley's resolve.
Tears stream down her face as she looks at the broken shards of glass that make a bed for the almost-beautiful fake flowers and thinks maybe that's what she looks like.
A big mess of something not worth much in the first place, which wasn't even beautiful to begin with.
Stop pitying yourself and do something. Do you want to end up sleeping in a gutter? Because if you don't pay the bills—
"That's enough, Maria! I've had it!" Marley yells, not caring that Jax probably heard her and thinks she's crazy.
Because Marley is all cold fingers and half-crazed minds who is tired of being a broken mess of cheap glass and fake flowers on the floor of her kitchen.
She marches into the room to see Jax had already shoot himself up and passed out. High out of his mind.
A pile of the drugs sits on his desk next to him.
Take them.
"What?" Marley feels able to respond since Jax is too far gone to hear her.
The drugs. Take them. Teach him a lesson. Sell them. Get your money back.
Marley wipes at the drying tears on her face. "Fine."
Before she can convince herself not to, she grabs a random plastic shopping bag from Jax's messy floor and throws all of the small packets of heroin into the bag.
"I hope that hit was great, brother." Marley says to unconscious Jax. "Because it's the last one you'll have for a very long time."
I'm proud of you, honey.
Marley shuts off the light, closing the door to her brother's room behind her.
"Thanks, Maria."
_________________________
"Harry, dinner's almost ready." His mum peeks her head in his room as he's doing his homework.
He doesn't respond more than a heavy sigh.
"Are you okay, honey?" She asks, stepping fully into the room.
He runs a hand through his hair and then down his face. "I-I don't know."
"Bad day?"
"No, just... there's this girl. Her name is Marley..."
"Is she nice? Why don't you invite her over for dinner sometime?" His mother smiles.
Harry thinks of mentioning that most likely will never happen, but decides to just let it go. "Okay, maybe I will."
"Good idea." With a nod, his mum stands and walks to his door. "Come down for dinner."
"I will, just let me pack up my homework."
With another smile and a nod, she leaves the room.
_____________________
As soon as Harry walks through the doors of the school, he's surprised to see Marley nearly running toward him.
He smiles. Can't help it.
Because as soon as he walked through the doors of the school, Marley is running toward him. The girl with the crystal blue eyes that remind him of icicles and frost-bitten noses. So whatever she wants, he will give to her in a heartbeat.
"I need your help." She says.
"Anything." Harry smiles.
"Follow me." Marley turns before quickly walking down the hallway. She peaks her head into the girls bathroom to make sure there's no one in there before pulling him behind her and down to the largest stall.
He tries not to focus too much on how her cold fingers feel against his.
"My guess is you're not suddenly going to start making out with me so why am I in here?" Harry asks as Marley locks the stall door.
She takes her backpack off her shoulder and pulls out a plastic shopping bag, ignoring his comment. "I need you to help me sell this."
Harry takes the bag from her outstretched hand, looking inside. "Holy shit, Marr. Where did this come from?"
Marley closes her eyes and sighs.
He can tell she doesn't want to say. But he wants to make that crease between her eyebrows ease back to her happy smile and the sadness in her crystal blue eyes that remind him of icicles and frost-bitten noses to go away.
"I'm not helping you unless you tell me how you came across this much heroin." Harry whispers despite the vacant bathroom, but knows even if she doesn't tell him, he will help her anyway.
Because as soon as he walked through the doors of the school, Marley is running toward him. The girl with the crystal blue eyes that remind him of icicles and frost-bitten noses. So whatever she wants, he will give to her in a heartbeat.
"It's my brother's, okay? He stole money from me to buy this and I need that money back." Marley speaks quickly. Doesn't want to focus on the thought or she'll start crying again. "Now, will you help me or not?"
Harry stares into her wide eyed expression for a moment, contemplating both how one person could be so beautiful and if he should risk expulsion to help her. "On one condition."
"Anything." Marley promises without thinking.
"Have dinner at my house this Thursday."
Her face pales. Because Marley is all cold fingers and half-crazed minds who is tired of being a broken mess of cheap glass and fake flowers on the floor of her kitchen.
And maybe, just maybe, this boy would be the one to glue her back together.
____________________________________
PLEASE VOTE / COMMENT! ILY!
-Lena xx