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

fortyone

Fairy lights. That's all Marley can think about. Because they hang from the walls and bleachers of the school's gymnasium. And they remind her of fireflies.

They're the kind that twinkle every few lights or so. And Marley can practically smell the woods again when she thinks about the camping trip.

And it's all sort of magical.

But of course those thoughts remind her of early morning walks to the bath house. And the sight of Harry in nothing but a towel with long hair dripping onto his shoulders.

Her fingers tightens on his without much thought. And he smiles down at her.

She hasn't let go of his hand. Afraid she'll fall over due to her shoes. But also maybe, possibly, probably, because she likes keeping him within arm's length.

It's not long before Dorrit drags them both to the dance floor. The song has changed, and everyone is jumping up and down to the beat with their hands in the air.

It's all a bit overwhelming but also not as much as Marley previously thought. Acacia and Troy are nowhere in sight. And no one is really paying attention to her. Everyone is just having fun. The dark lighting makes that easy. It's like everyone is the same. Just a half-blurry shadow dancing to the beat that vibrates the floor and brings a smile to Marley's cheeks.

She sort of just stands there for a minute. Unsure how to mimic the way Vivian sways her hips, since she can't really jump like everyone else in her shoes.

Dorrit laughs. And when Marley sees that she's laughing at Harry, she feels a bit better about her inability to dance. Because he really can't either.

He laughs when he sees her expression. And wraps his arms around her waist just as the beat drops. It feels like the air stills for a second. Everyone around them stops. And waits for the music to come back ten fold.

And it's kind of magical.

Because their eyes meet. And the music is back. And the lights attached to the DJ's speakers strobe in different colors. And everything around them is all blurry madness while they're all giggly smiles and locked gazes.

Harry can't get over how different she looks with makeup. Her eyes look bigger with the dark eyeliner and wispy false lashes. Her eyelids glimmer an icy grey. Her lips look fuller with the red lipstick. Her skin looks smoother, but he can still sort of see her freckles which dot along her nose and cheekbones.

And he thinks she looks beautiful. Not better, but beautiful. Always.

He wants to kiss her. Boy, does he want to kiss her. But she beats him to it.

She slides her hands into his hair. And kisses him. Even though they're right there in front of his friends. Even though her lips are painted a deep red that wouldn't look good on Harry. Even though the entire school is dancing in a blur of moving bodies.

Maybe it was the music or the low lighting or the way the booming music shook the floor and made her smile.

But she kisses him.

And he kisses her.

So they kiss.
_________

Halfway through the dance, they announce they will be choosing the homecoming court soon. Marley doesn't really care. She's taken off her shoes. And forgotten the nagging voice in her head that she can't really hear over the music anyway.