Don't Tell A Soul

About the time I get to lunch, the food makes my stomach start to turn. I don't know why-half the time I'm pretty hungry around this time-maybe it's because I don't want to have to sit with Michael and his friends.

I decide to skip through the line and just lunch all together. I turn around and head towards the library. No-one ever goes there so I'm assuming I'll be in the clean. I find a nice plump bean bag chair in the corner of the room. Now if I only I knew why the school would keep bean bag chairs in a library full of teenagers, I'd be a genius.

I sit and sit comfortably alone, pulling out my phone to send out a few texts to pass the time by.

Marley to Dad: Hi Dad. How's mum?

Marley to Max: If you have free time before lunch is over, come to the library.

I sit there and wait for a little bit, but no-one replies back to me. Sighing, I inspect the rom and find no teachers in here either. I mean people could literally come in here to fuck and no-one would know.

"Marley?" I hear Ashton's voice tower over me.

I look up from nothing and meet his confused gaze. "So you know my name."

"Why are you here?"

"I could ask the same thing." I say, diverting my eyes away from him. Fiddling with my thumbs.

"So I take it you're mad." He rhetorically states, but me being me I answers him anyways.
"Wonder why you'd think something like that." I roll my eyes.

Ashton sighs and sits on the floor. "Makes you think when you see a bean bag in a high school library huh?"

I huff and look elsewhere. Anywhere but to him. I hear him blow out air again. "I could understand why you'd be mad. I get it. But trust me, it's really not as bad as you think."

I actually laugh at how pathetic he sounds. "How could joining a fucking gang not be so bad? Do you realize how pathetic you sound?"

I look over to meet his not so friendly face. "We're not pathetic, Marley. And you know if you gave it a try it wouldn't be so bad. All you'd be doing is recruiting people with Luke and Calum."

"All you'd being doing is blah blah blah." I mock him. "Thank you Ashton. You just ruined my lunch time."

"It's not like you were eating anyways. You've got thirty minutes left still."
"And you want me to stay here and talk to you?"

"Yes." Ashton blankly states.

I groan and stay silent, trying to decide if I really wanted to stay and talk with him. After moments of not talking I turn to him and vaguely smile. "How are you, Ashton?"

Ashton copies my movements, "I'm great, Marley. How are you?" I drop my smile and snicker a little bit. He nudges me and grins, showing off his dimple and not making his tattoos look so intimidating. "Made you laugh."

"You made me snicker there's a difference."

Ashton playfully scoffs and looks away into nothingness. Soon after he turns back with a serious expression. "You should make up with Michael you know. It could make this all better."

I shake my head. "None of this will go away until I join your gang. And I really, really don't want to Ashton. Plus things are kind of awkward between Michael and I."

"Why's that?"

"He uh you know... kissed me." I rub the back of my neck and squint my eyes.

"What?!" Ashton exclaims. "He knows that you have a boyfriend right? Or-did you kiss him back?"

"Shut up. No I didn't. Almost."

"You got a thing for Michael?" He cringes.

"What would be so bad if I did? Not that I do, because I don't."

"Michael doesn't do relationships. He doesn't like the whole 'I love you' and romantic shit. He's not able to feel that way for other people."

"So he does the uh-what's it called? No strings attached?" I comment, raising and eyebrow.
Ashton slightly nods. "Something like that. But it's normally a one night stand and nothing more."

"Isn't this a little personally to be telling me?" I choke, feeling uncomfortable with the topic.
Ashton opens his mouth to speak, but the lunch bell rings and we gather our things to head to the last class of the day. As we're walking out, we bump into a very familiar someone.
"Hey Mike." Ashton clasps his back.

"Marley, hey." Michael puts on a smug look, ignoring Ashton.

I roll my eyes and try to hide my blush. "See you Ash." I wave him bye and walk off.

~~~*~~~
After class, I'm met with Max standing by my locker. "Hi." I smile to him.

"Yeah hey." He monotonously speaks. Looking clearly annoyed.

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong is that you almost got me in trouble during committee. What we're you doing in the library anyways? You know teachers aren't there during lunch. We're-"

"No!" I exclaim cutting him off, knowing that he was implying sex in the library. "I'm sorry I-"
"You know what, Marley?" I get cut off by Michael coming up behind me. "I was actually kind of wondering what you we're doing in the library too."

"What the hell?" I scold him, trying to push him away with my eyes.

"Well like he said teachers aren't in there and you did walk out with-"

"I met him in the hallway when I was walking out. I didn't take him to the library with me." I cut him off this time, turning back to Max.

"Who?"

"Ashton, but I ran into him in the hallway." I lie, as Michael stands there watching me.
"Well alright. What are your plans for tonight?"

I instantly light up with expectations and scenarios playing out in my head. "Not really."
"Okay we'll I'll come over later then and we'll hang out." He winks and kisses my cheek.

"Where are you going?"

"To plan ways to save the environment." He smiles and nods me off.

The aching feeling I get pains me all the way down to the bone. I try to cover that up though by thinking about him coming over tonight. First night in a while we'll get to hang out. First night since we had sex we'll get to be with each other.

"Forget something?" Michael calls.

"Oh forgot you were standing there." I shrug and begin walking again.

"Okay but how do you plan on getting home? Your boyfriend is off saving the Earth so.."

"Right.." I breath out, pursing my lips. "I'll just call my dad."

"I'm right here. I can take you." He waves his arms in my face as if I was blind of him.

"I'm not taking a ride with you. You'll probably just take me back to your shack or whatever it is."

"Really, Marley?" Michael questions looking really hurt. "Shack?"

"Sorry. I shouldn't have said that." I look down at my shoes.

"I know how you can make it up to me." Michael grins.

"Oh my gosh. Fine." I growl and follow him to his black mustang.

~~~*~~~
"I can come stay until Max gets here." Michael offers.

"I don't think so." I shake my head.

"Please. I really want you to stop being mad at me and the only way we can fix this is if we talk about it."

I think for a minute and raise my eyebrows. "Be prepared to meet my father." I say looking down at his tatted arms.

He follows my gaze down to his arms and pulls down his sleeves, then winks. "Ready?"

We walk up the stone path to my door and we're greeted with Dad and mum watching T.V. together. "Hi guys."

Dad snaps his head around and his happy expression soon fades into confusion. "I'm Greg. Marley's dad."

"Michael. Marley's friend." Michael extends a hand to him and his sleeve comes up some, reveling a small piece of ink.

Dad dismisses it though and we walk off to the room. Mum actually never said anything which I found out later that she was zoned out from her meds. "You didn't fuck Ashton did you?" Michael abruptly says as soon as I close the door.

"Of course not." I grimace.

"Okay." He nods and sits in the chair in my room.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have asked you to do something that you weren't comfortable with. I shouldn't have kissed you either. Sorry that I'm a dick."

"I can't believe I'm about to say this but, it's okay. I forgive you." I genuinely smile to him.

"I like your smile. You should do it more often."

"So should you."

"Tell me something." Michael starts as I nod, switching positions on my bed. "Have you ever took a chance before?"

"Meaning..?"

"Meaning have you ever done something dangerous before? Like took a chance and risked something just to see the outcome?"

"No." I shake my head slowly.

"Why not?"

I shrug. "I just don't want to lose everything over something that could be temporary."
"But what if it wasn't?"

"I'd probably psych myself out of it."

"Everyone should try to find their pot of gold, Marley. And sorry to tell you this, but it includes taking risks. Everything you do in life includes taking risks."

After everything that happened today, I've realized that nothing went my way today. I didn't want to forgive Michael. I didn't want to talk to Ashton. I didn't even want to make Max upset and have him stay after school to most likely avoid me. But hey at least something happened my way...
Dad: Your friend has tattoos.
My dad acknowledged my text..

Notes