skinny || h.s. au [Rewrite Now Up!]

twentyone

Marley is feeling a bit better by the time Vivian leaves. And Harry's cheeks are bright red. Which sort of makes her happy.

She only drinks about half the glass of water before her subconscious says enough, enough, enough.

But Marley is feeling better and drank about half the glass of water. Which sort of makes Harry happy.

And they both are thinking about their kiss the other day. Marley runs her fingers across the condensation on her glass, remembering the sweat on her forehead and his hands on her waist. While Harry pinches his lip between his pointer and forefinger, remembering what hers felt like against them.

"Sorry about Viv." He says. For the third time. Or maybe four. Marley has lost count.

"No, she's really cool." She says.

And they both are thinking about their kiss the other day when Harry realizes they have the whole house to themselves. So the hormonal boy with troubled kind of green eyes thinks of all the things they could do. Blushes even deeper when she catches his gaze.

"What?" Marley asks. He's smiling at her, and it makes her heart flutter and her cheeks warm.

"N-Nothing." He looks down at the countertop, smiling wider and blushing more fiercely.

Harry has never blushed this hard in his life. And it's all because of her. Its all because of the girl with crystal blue eyes that remind him of icicles and frost-bitten noses.

He's a good actor, I'll give him that.

"So your sister seemed adamant about me going on this camping trip. I don't want to upset her by saying 'no.'" She says. Wants him to tell her she should go and he would, too.

But Marley can only communicate silently with Maria.

"You don't have to. Vivian won't be mad if you don't go. She's just trying to bait me into going." He explains.

But all Marley can think is ouch. Because he just said his sister doesn't really want her to go, she just wants her brother to.

Ouch is right.

"I should be going." Her chair makes a loud noise as she stands up too fast. The backs of her knees pushing it across the hardwood.

"Wait, Marr, what did I say?" He goes after her as she walks toward his front door.

But she keeps going. The door slams behind her before being thrown open again by hands that remember what it felt like to cup freckled cheeks and tuck nearly blonde hair behind her ear. And now all that they feel is empty space and the girl in his first period English class slipping through his fingers.

"Marley!"

Her crystal blue eyes are rimmed with red from tears that she wish wouldn't spill. Her cold fingers are clamped into fists from emotions she wish had never escaped from their hiding place. Her feet move forward despite the crack each step creates in her heart.

And thank goodness Harry can walk faster than her because she needs this boy far more than she will ever know.

He grabs her by the waist before stepping in front of her. "I didn't mean it like that--"

"Let go of me!" Her voice is shaking with fury, hurt, jealousy, self-pitty and a whole rainbow of feelings that tangle up like string in her head. In her heart. In her veins. In her mouth. Until she's choking on them.

But thank goodness Harry can walk faster than her because she needs this boy far more than she will ever know. So when he doesn't listen and pulls her into his chest and wraps his arms around her like he will not ever let go, she doesn't fight it.