2. New Town& Him

Marley stepped out of a cab, shifting her vision to a small house that stood in front. It was small but looked cozy. It was painted cream and had its roof covered with red bricks. A big casement was placed just below its roof. The house was fenced by the vertical black metal beams lined together, just inches apart from each other. Inside the metal boundary, there was a small tree, like a small Christmas tree, surrounded by green grass. Just beside this small lawn, a pavement was constructed leading from the black gate to a mahogany front door.

Suddenly, the front door of the house burst opened revealing a middle-aged woman. Her brown hair fell till her mid arm, her hazel eyes glowed under sunlight, and pink lips curved into a welcoming smile. She, for no doubt, looked marvelous for her age.

"Oh honey, I just had a chat with your mother. She told me that you'll be here soon. I hope you had a comfortable journey." She said with a smile plastered on her face.

"Yes, Mrs. Sherman. Nice to meet you." Marley greeted, trying to match the lady's enthusiasm but failing miserably.

"Let me help you with your luggage." Mrs. Sherman offered, grabbing the bag out of Marley's hold.

Marley didn't even have the chance to object when Mrs. Sherman walked inside with the luggage. The young girl felt uncomfortable at this gesture, she didn't want an adult picking her heavy bags when she was perfectly capable to do so.

As soon as Marley stepped her foot inside the house, her eyebrows raised. Seeing the interior she instantly knew it would be a perfect place to home her. A small table surrounded by three wooden chairs was placed in a small kitchen, perfectly complementing the hard wooden floor. A two-seater green-colored couch adorned the living area. Just beside the kitchen, there was a flight of stairs.

"The house is small but perfect for a bachelor like you. Upstairs is your bedroom and an attached bathroom," Mrs. Sherman said noticing the expressions of Marley.

"It's perfect, better than what I had imagined. Thank you for trusting me with your house, Mrs. Sherman. I'll do my best to take care of it." Marley said still looking around. She was a shy child and mostly refrained from using words around new people. In most circumstances, she would mutter a simple thank you and get over it, but she really liked the house and wanted the lady to know that.

"I'll let you get settled. If you need anything, drop by my place. I just live next door. I also cooked you some food, it's in the refrigerator. You'll be tired from the long journey."

Marley was just about to interrupt her, when Mrs. Sherman continued with a smile.

"I know you are vegetarian honey. I just cooked some vegetables."

All Marley could do was thank her even though she felt a little guilty for making her go through all that. She was a nice lady.

"You are not a talker huh?" Mrs. Sherman chirped with a little smile.

Marley nodded, shyly like it was in her habit.

"Good, now I'll finally have someone to listen to my meaningless chatter." The lady said with a big grin on her face. Marley responded her with a nod and a smile. Although she wasn't talking much yet she already felt comfortable in her company.

Soon, Mrs. Sherman left, leaving Marley to explore her new place.

She went upstairs to discover her bedroom. It was a small room and had a big casement just at the front, revealing the street outside. Her bed was located beside the window, and on the other side was a small table, holding a study lamp and a chair. There was another door on the left wall, which probably was a bathroom.

The words like shy and introvert fitted Marley. Her 5ft. 6inch frame complemented her curves which she avoided showing, covering them with baggy clothes. Her shoulder length black hair gave her a bit childish look. She had black eyes and pink lips. She didn't have a perfect body or a perfect face but they admirably fitted her together.

Marley laid down on her bed recalling the past events that led her to this new town, Marshville. For an eighteen-year-old, she was quite intelligent and had good scores in academics. Her mother felt that she wasn't reaching her full potential because of the neighborhood they were raising their daughter in. Soon she addressed this to her father and together they decided to send her here. They adored their child and didn't want anything to hold her back. Unfortunately, they couldn't leave their hometown as it provided them with a stable income.

Mrs. Sherman was her landlady, who generously offered not only to take Marley in but also to look after her. She knew her mother would be keeping an eye on her through Mrs. Sherman but it didn't bother her, it only reassured her that she was safe.

Mrs. Sherman was a widow who was left with two houses after her husband's death. He died due to a brain tumor. It had been 9 months since his death. She had a daughter who was in New York for higher studies. Mrs. Sherman wanted a tenant to avoid taking care of two houses and also to get rid of devouring loneliness.

Mrs. Sherman had decided to drop Marley for her first day of school. Marley was nervous as she was going to be the new girl, and she wasn't used to that. In her hometown, she spent her life being surrounded by people she knew and was comfortable with. This was going to be hard.

"You are going to be fine. People here are friendly," Mrs. Sherman said, sensing her tensed state.

"I guess I'm not used to this whole moving to 'new school' thing." Marley tried to give her a cheerful smile.

"You'll get hang of it."

With a nod and a thank you for the ride, she got out of the car.

Marley looked at the building standing in front of her and a board on it that said Marshville high. She took a deep breath and walked inside with her head down. She could feel the stares as she walked down the hallways. Beads of perspiration appeared on her forehead, and she quickly wiped them with the back of her hand. She asked one of the students for the direction to the receptionist desk, got her timetable, and managed to find her classroom. Somehow, the simple tasks made her sweating heavily.

Marley was sitting at a desk placed at the back, when a girl approached her. The girl had long wavy blonde hair falling to the sides of her freckled cheeks, her blue eyes stood out due to her small face, and her figure was what you'd call small and petite.

"You're new," girl said, her lips quirking up in a smirk.

"Yeah."

"Hi, I'm Kiara. We don't get new people here often, so I thought I say hi to our new lamb."

"Ahh.." Marley spluttered, a bit confused wondering if she was being nice or mean. "I-I am Marley."

"We got a shy bean." Kiara beamed, finding Marley cute. "I like it."

"Thanks. I guess." Marley blushed. She wasn't good with interacting with new people, her crippling shyness always won.

Seeing her flustered, Kiara patted her shoulder. "I hope I'm not scaring you."

"I didn't see you here before," a guy joined them, and stood in front of her desk.

Marley looked up and found a sturdy, tall guy with ginger hair looking down at her curiously. His aura and large body reminding her of some people back in her town, who she always avoided. He had those same vibes, and Marley knew she had to stay clear of him. It was a hunch, she and meek people like her always followed.

"Good, it'll be better if you don't see her at all." Kiara glared at the guy.

Not that Marley was fan of unneeded hostility, she didn't mind Kiara because she also didn't want to mingle with him. In fact, on some level she admired her boldness against a guy like him who could crush her within a second.

"I'm Mark," he introduced himself, completely ignoring Kiara.

"Marley Seyfried." She muttered, avoiding looking into his eyes.

"Seyfried?" Mark's brows knitted in confusion, before recognition flashed in his eyes. "Mrs. Sherman's new tenant?" He asked suddenly.

Marley nodded, surprised and afraid.

"Don't worry, I'm not a creep. We know Mrs. Sherman. She's a family friend, so we already knew you were coming." Mark reassured her. He then glanced at Kiara, and Marley noticed his demeanor softening slightly. "I guess I'll be leaving you ladies."

"Please." Kiara rolled her eyes, and he left without another word. "Asshole," she said, when he was out of earshot. "One word of advice: stay away from him and his circle of jerks."

"You don't like him, do you? Did he do something?" Marley asked, but she was already planning on following her advice nevertheless.

"Let's not discuss that jerk." Kiara was back to smiling. "Where are-" Their teacher entered the class, cutting her off. Kiara gave a pout. "I'll see you at lunch." With that she left to sit at her desk in the middle row of classroom.

---

Sitting in the cafeteria, Marley looked around, studying the new atmosphere and munched on her apple. The room was filled with jocks, popular girls and geeks all segregated by different tables. She considered herself to be one of the nerds.

'"Hey, mind if I join?" She heard a familiar voice from behind. She turned back and found Kiara with another girl. Her frame was similar to that of Kiara but she had brown hair and hazel eyes in contrast to her friend's features.

"Yeah sure." Marley didn't really expect Kiara to sit at her table, however, she felt grateful. It was better than being a loner.

Soon, the chit-chat at table ensued. Other girl was Rachel, she and Kiara had been friends since middle school. Both interrogated Marley at first before their talks steered to celebrities, hot gossips of the school, clothes, and mostly other 'girly' stuff. It was Kiara and Rachel who were having the conversation, Marley still too shy to give her inputs, so she only listened and nodded occasionally. Somewhere between their random talk, Kiara advised Marley to dress better to which she shrugged. She admired Kiara's bluntness but was caught off guard with a sudden remark.

Suddenly, a loud thud echoed throughout the cafeteria. Every face turned to the source of sound.

A boy was lying on the floor, his nose dripping blood. He was surrounded by two other boys, staring down at him. Marley could only see their backs. They had big built and muscular frame. One of them had black hair while the other one was blond. Her eyes shifted to the table beside them. There sat three more guys and two girls. All of them were seeming to enjoy the show that was put on by their friends.

Everyone at that table looked like the peak of human beauty, including the guys who were hovering above their poor prey. She recognized one of them sitting there as Mark, and Marley knew her hunch was right.

Her eyes caught the guy sitting beside Mark. He was looking at the victim with blank expression. On seeing him, her heart skipped a beat. She could stare at him all day. Even from far, Marley could see his face had sharp features, complimented by those short spiked black hair, which she somehow knew were smooth. He was wearing a simple t-shirt, which did a great job at highlighting his muscular arms and lean torso. He looked unaffected by his surrounding, and that made him even more dashing.

Suddenly, the guy caught her staring at him. Marley turned around quickly, her cheeks burning red with embarrassment. She mentally cursed herself. She was supposed to stay invisible to those people, not gawk at them. But looking at that handsome boy gave her a warm fuzzy feeling inside her chest that she never felt before.

It was weird.