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

sixtyone

Crisp white bedsheets. Marley wakes up in crisp white bedsheets. The bed is warm but it would be warmer if there was another body next to hers.

But she's alone.

Marley sits up. Her eyes scanning around the room. It's not the familiar room of the boy she loves. Or even the cold room she has learned to know with it's frameless bed and nearly bare bookshelf.

No. This room is entirely different. So unfamiliar, yet now, somehow, it's hers.

A shrilling sound suddenly goes off beside the bed. And she slams her hand down on the snooze button. Marley groans. And pulls herself out of the warm covers.

Her clothes hang in the closet. Far more spread apart that her previous one. It makes her things look sparse and drab and minimal. Already her father has promised to buy her new clothes, though she has only been staying here since Friday.

Today is her first day at the new posh and private school she will be attending. With which comes a uniform that Marley wouldn't be caught dead in at her old school.

She misses Harry as she nuzzles deeper into his hoodie, which she wore to sleep. She won't be allowed to wear it at school. And that's sort of the worst part.

Bet he doesn't miss you.

Marley dresses quickly in the plaid skirt and polo top that look like they're straight out of a teen angst movie. Grumbles at the black tights before signing and pulling them on, too. It's winter, after all. And Marley is already cold all the time anyway.

And she can't wear Harry's sweatshirt at school. Which is kind of the worst part.

Ten minutes later, Marley is walking down the stairs. Polo tucked into her  pleated skirt and definitely feeling the teen angst seeping into her skin. Maybe, she thinks, it will poison her enough to not have to go to school today. But that's probably a far shot.

"Good morning, Marley." Fiona is sitting at the kitchen table, her brown hair pulled into a ponytail.

Marley can hardly manage a half smile and a mumbled "morning" in return. Her angst has turned into an emptiness.

An emptiness only a boy two hours and too many miles away can fix.

"Cheer up," She says, "I heard dad got you a present."

Marley picks up an apple from a bowl on the counter. Inspects it. But doesn't bite into it. "It's not my birthday. Not that Don would know that."

Fiona smiles. Still too happy to have a sister to feel offended by Marley's off tone. "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, either way."

With a shrug, Marley sighs. Wishing she could be in Harry's car right now, holding his hand as he drives them to school. Or maybe they wouldn't have left her driveway yet. And her back could be pressed against the driver's side door. His body close to hers and the rest of the world unimportant.

Marley can practically transport herself there. Loving the way his hands hold her cheeks as they kiss. The way the cool wind blows his distinct scent around them in a whirl.

And her heart aches. Because she isn't sure when she will have that again.

"Good morning, girls." Don comes down the stairs. Breaking Marley out of her slight trance.

And long behold, he has a small gift bag in his hand. It's pink with white tissue paper. And he sets it on the counter next to Marley.

He says nothing. Just sends her a wink.

"What's this?" She asks. Bites into her apple. Maria yells but I mean, come on. It's a fucking apple.

"Just a little something from Loraine and I," he says, "as a 'first day of school' present. I noticed before that your phone is quite old..."

"No way." Fiona says. Stands up. Her smile wide for her sister. "You got her a new phone?"

But Marley isn't quite as ecstatic. It just feels like another thing she will owe him. And she doesn't want to rely on anyone but herself.

"Well, go on," Don says, his smile as wide as Fiona's, "open it."

Marley sets down her apple on a napkin. And reaches for the present tentatively. Maria calms as soon as the food is out of her grasp.

Carefully, as if it may bite her, Marley pulls a small box from within the bag of tissue paper.

"Oh my gosh! The new iPhone!" Fiona says, "That's so awesome!"

"I..." Marley shakes her head, "I can't accept this."

Of course you can. Just fucking sell it if you don't want it.

But that's not the point, Marley thinks.

"Please, it's the least I can do." Don says.

And Marley thinks he may be right. If somehow a phone can bridge the gap of how horrible he must feel, maybe she can. It doesn't make her feel a lot better, but she at least decides to consider it.

Marley nods, "Okay." Smiles. "Thank you."

"C'mon, you can set it up while we're in the car." He says. patting her once on the back before grabbing a coffee and walking toward the front door. Fiona not far behind.

Marley picks up her new backpack, which she hopes won't feel so abnormally light by the end of the day, and follows after them. New phone in hand.

Fiona calls shotgun but Marley doesn't mind. Even when Don insists Marley should maybe get to sit up front, she declines. Sitting in the back gives her a bit of an excuse not to get involved in their conversation.

As they drive, Marley pulls out her new phone. It feels strange in her hand and it takes a moment for her to find which button is for the power. She's never had a smart phone before, and worries that she won't really know how to use it.

Wonders if she will even use it very much at all. And worries if that will upset Don and Loraine.

She also finds it strange to touch the screen instead of pushing buttons. But Fiona in the front seat is texting faster than Marley thought possible on hers, so she thinks maybe she will get used to it.

As soon as everything is set up, the first thing she does is open her contacts, pull out her old phone, and add Harry. No one else.

Just Harry.

She suddenly realizes that she doesn't have the phone numbers of anyone else except her mother's old one and of course Jax's, too. But neither one seems important enough to put into her new phone. Her mother is gone and as far as Marley knows, her brother could be too. And even if he isn't, who's to say he even still has his phone?

"Is texting included on this phone?" Marley speaks up, unintentionally cutting Fiona off mid-story.

She smiles despite the interruption. "We have unlimited. Everything is included." Marley just nods. But Fiona continues. "So even if you want to go on twitter or something, you can as much as you want. Actually, I should follow you on twitter. What is yours?"

"I don't have one." Marley shrugs. She never thought she needed one. Or even wanted one.

"Oh," Fiona shrugs, too. "That's cool. Abstaining from social media is admirable."

Marley isn't sure how to feel about Fiona's idolization of her. It's strange in the least. And Marley can't help but think she's not a good role model to have.

She feels unsettled. Now with a phone too big for her small pockets and an itchy uniform, Marley is nauseous. She doesn't like change.

And this feeling won't leave her for the rest of the day.

____________
THIS IS SHITTY I'M SORRY.

Next update will be better. I'm hoping to update more now that I have the plot better figured out so we'll see.

Love yous!

-Lena xx

.