SILVER LINED DOUBT. [JESS MARIANO]

TWO.

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"YOU'RE FUCKING WHAT?" The question that Courtney Burke posed to Marley was at a volume that was way too loud for the hour that it currently was. Marley felt like crying. She'd only gotten two hours of sleep last night and had awoken with one of the biggest headaches she'd ever had.

"Can you not yell at me at eight in the morning?" Marley asked.

She didn't have to look at her friend to know that she was gaping at her. "I'm sorry, you tell me that you've been working with Tyler Durden for two weeks and you expect me not to freak out?"

"You did not just compare that asshole to Brad Pitt in Fight Club."

Courtney shrugged. "Maybe not my best reference. Should have gone with Rocky."

Marley glanced at her, pointing in her direction. "Better."

"Marley," Courtney whined. "You can't just shut me out like this. I need details. This is the most exciting any of our lives have been since Alyssa tried to set Doose's on fire."

"That wasn't exciting, that was arson," Marley corrected. "Don't put me working with the antichrist on the same plane as a felony."

"Who's committing felonies?" a voice asked from beside her. Marley stiffened as she realized who it was, trying her hardest to refrain from putting her head inside her locker and having Courtney slam it as hard as she could.

Marley shut her locker door softly, revealing Jess Mariano with a smirk on his face. "Alyssa Williams. I think you two would get along well."

"She cute?"

"I can have her parole officer get her number for you if you want."

A ghost of a smile graced Jess' lips. Marley thought she was seeing things. It was gone quickly though, as he noticed Courtney looking staring intently at the two of them.

"You going to introduce me to your friend, Acosta?" he asked, nodding in Courtney's direction.

Marley gave him a sarcastic grin. "Nope," she replied, hugging her books tighter to her chest.

"Well, that's not very polite."

"As if you know what that word means."

"Is my intelligence really being questioned by someone who doesn't like Kerouac?"

"You just made my argument stronger by bringing him up. Thanks for that, Mariano."

Courtney then inserted herself between them, recognizing that if the two of them got any closer, she was sure that Marley would start throwing punches. "I'm Courtney," she finally said, sending a warning glance back at Marley.

Jess looked away from Marley to raise his brows at the blonde in front of him. "Glad to see you're not as awful as her," he told her, lips moving up slowly at the sides. "Tell me, is she always like this or is it just for me?"