Oh, love, let me see inside your heart

All the cracks and broken parts

The shadows in the light

There's no need to hide

-Ross Copperman

M A R N I E

Fucking hell.

It was raining and I had to wear the crocs that I had from when I was 13 years old. I never really grew after that.

Don't get me wrong, I love crocs. These are just green. A bright green. It was hard to put an outfit together with this but I did.

A green tank top and pink skirt with a pink jacket over it and the green crocs.

"Arthur Walker," I called out as I spotted her in the hallways.

"Marnie Bennet." She grinned, she had driven me to school this morning but we had a different order of class today so I hadn't seen her after the drive.

"I have a break now, do you?" I asked hopefully.

"No." She sighed pulling my body close to hers by hooking her finger through the belt loop on my skirt.

"Not fair," I muttered, her dark eyes stared down at me and I stared back. Her lips were lined with brown liner and a sparkly gloss was slathered over them.

Her ochre skin was dewy and full of life, her eyes a dark brown almost black, they were blithe. Her cheeks were rosy and dotted with a couple of freckles here and there. Her neck was slender and at the very top of her chest, you could see the beginning of her tattoos.

"I'll meet you after school?" I asked hoping that she would be the one to drop me off.

Arthur did keep a spare skateboard in her car that when I questioned about she simply said 'if you ever feel like using it', to which I melted.

"Of course, love. Did you bring any lunch with you?" She asked and when I shook my head she grabbed my hand and pulled me toward her locker.

"Have mine, just please don't eat the food at the school cafeteria, some guy got food poisoning last week." She explained and I nodded as the blood rushed to my cheek.

"What will you have then?" I asked and she shrugged.

"I have a shit ton of snacks in my car, I'll eat something." She grinned before leaning down and kissing my forehead as a warning bell rang. I kissed the tip of her nose and watched her face scrunch with a giddy grin on her face as she walked off.

•

"I need to go see Mr. Shaw about the project, you want to wait outside the classroom or stay by my car?" Arthur asked just as school was over, I saw Jackson waving at me and I waved back as I replied.

"I'll wait by your car." I shrugged and Art fished her keys out before tossing them to me.

"I'll be right back." She said and I nodded as Jackson approached me.

"The crocs are a statement." He pointed and I laughed slapping his chest.

"Bitch." I said as we walked towards Arthur's car.

Something must've taken Jackson off-guard as he stopped in his tracks and started at Arthur's car.

"Who's car is that Marnie?" He asked and I raised an eyebrow before replying.

"Arthur's why?" I asked and he continued to stare.

"I saw this car outside Mr. Bonham's house the other day Mer." He muttered, my eyebrows furrowed as I approached the car slowly.

"He taught her math maybe that's why." I tried to shrug the eerie feeling off of me.

"No, after his death." He muttered standing still and not approaching the car.

I looked back at him and then at the car before unlocking it and throwing my bag in the back seat.

"Maybe she was offering her condolences." I rolled my eyes at his dramatics, he nodded slowly but his eyes showed me that he wasn't buying it.

"Also on the day of his death Mer, after the police were called, I saw this exact car outside the house. I- I don't understand." He was tripping over his words and I grew uneasy by the second.

"A lot of people have the same car." I shrugged as I tried to push the feeling away.

He shook his head before taking large strides towards the car, he went towards the back of the car and bent down. He looked at something before stepping away from the car as if it was made of fire.

"Not every car has a flower on its mud flaps, Marnie. That is a huge coincidence." His eyes were full of disbelief.

I stared at him as my thoughts took a 360°, what the fuck? Arthur's cold eyes and her dead stare, the way that she seemed so unbothered.

Something is definitely off.

Before I could even say anything Art jogged up to us.

"Hi love, hey Jackson." She waved politely and he waved back.

"Do you have a ride back home?" She asked pointing at him and he shook his head.

"Want me to drop you off?" She asked rounding the car and opening the door for me. I got in staring at Jackson who stood right in front of my window.

"No, I'm taking the bus." He said his voice thick. Art shrugged before Jackson bid goodbye to us and left.

"You were acting nice," I stated softly and she shrugged before tossing her bag in the backseat and sliding in.

"You like him he's your friend. Of course, I have to play nice." Art said putting her hair up and bringing the cars engine to life.

"Did you visit Mr. Bonham's family?" I asked casually hoping that she wouldn't catch on.

"No, why?" She asked and I shrugged fiddling with my jacket.

"Wondering," I answered and she nodded before humming a familiar turn.

I was made for loving you.

The song we had first danced on.

"It's raining." Art muttered looking at the road as silence had settled upon us.

I nodded looking outside and hearing the small patters the raindrops left.

Art pulled into an empty street before looking at me.

"You want to dance?" She asked and I simply stared at her with a surprised face.

"What?" I laughed, confused.

"Come on let's dance." Her grin was feline and full of mischief. Art grabbed the aux cord and connected her phone before turning the volume to max stepped out and I laughed as I did the same.

"Lord, it's cold." I grit my teeth smiling as she grabs me by the waist.

The music is loud as we dance, our feet were the opposite of the water droplets falling, slow and light. There was no noise other than Arthur whispering the words to me. Her face is tucked right next to mine. The sides of our faces brushed.

And if the whole world was watching I'd still dance with you.

"Would you?" I whispered back and she pulled back.

Her fingers were tangled in mine as she spun me before pulling me to her. My body crashed as I smiled. Maybe, just maybe I could forget what Jackson was implying for a moment.

"I'll dance with you whenever, wherever, however, as long as you'll have me." She said her lips brushing against mine. My heart was thumping so loud and it was full of the eclectic feeling that she never failed to fill me up with.

"I'll like to have you forever then," I whispered before slowly leaning forth and kissing her, we only pulled away so that she could spin me and our lips crashed again.

I would like to have her every moment after forever too.

I think that Art potentially moving away would ruin me, but I'd visit her, and she'd visit me. We would be as happy as anyone.

The next song started playing as Art spun me again, I knew the next step she would take as I parted away from her and then back at her with my hand resting on her shoulder and the other hand in hers. She held my hand so softly almost as if she was scared to touch me.

One look and I can't catch my breath.

I know Art loves music, flowers, big coats, her cat Lenon, photography, and traveling. She loves pasta, whenever she ate pasta she would dart her tongue out just a little bit and then eat the spoonful. She had this habit of blowing air on food in case it's too hot, it is a habit buried so deep in her that she blows on spoonfuls of ice cream too. It is not very noticeable, if you saw her you would think she was simply eating ice cream.

Two souls into one flesh.

Arthur is the type of person to remove her headphones when someone walked into the room, she pinched her lips between her thumb and index finger a lot. Whenever there was music playing she had to tap her fingers or create intricate patterns on surfaces with it, as a way to connect music with drawing. She had this thing where she subconsciously moved her body when music played.

When you're not next to me, I'm incomplete.

Arthur loved the dark too, her curtains will always be pulled close and if she truly felt like it, she would pull the black-out curtains. She loves poetry but despises Shakespeare.

Cause I'm on fire like a thousand suns I couldn't put it out, even if I wanted to, these flames tonight.

I parted from Arthur for one second before she pulled me back in and we crashed into each other. Our feet were light as Art and I spun under the now pouring rain and darkening skies.

Look into my eyes and say you want me too, like I want you.

•

It was finally the last show in Cameo. The last three shows of the month had gone by very smoothly, this show was the one I was alarmed about.

Arthur had decided to let me know that some people from Sicily would be here. My heart was racing as I dressed.

I layered a couple of skirts before sliding into the new dress that I had brought specifically for this show. As I zipped it from the side and ran my finger over the fabric I sighed looking at myself.

"Good lord," I whisper, this dress was the most precious thing ever.

I put on my pearls and then slid on my socks and my heels over them.

Val was going to be meeting someone at Cameo for drinks and I guessed that it was some cute boy.

"Marnie come on! I'll be late I need to be there at 9." Val yelled out and I panicked as I reached for my blush.

"I'm just putting on my heels, hold on!" I yelled back as I sat in front of my vanity and started with my makeup.

Fuck.

I did my makeup at the speed of light before spritzing on my perfume and running down the stairs. Arthur stood patiently need the stairs as she looked up at me in awe.

She was wearing a black version of my dress except for the ribbons and puffy sleeves were replaced with chains and lace. I smiled mouthing a 'so pretty' to her and she bowed mouthing back a 'not more than you'.

"You look so pretty, let's take a photo." Dad said and just as I was about to say 'no' but Arthur chimed in.

"Of course." Her sly grin widened as she stepped closer to me.

Dad brought out his polaroid camera and took photos of me and Art. Her arm was around my waist. Val joined us, dressed in a pink two-piece.

"Bye ma, bye dad." I kissed them on their cheek as they talked to Arthur about how great her show would be.

Over the last 3 weeks Art had grown closer to my family, she would join us for dinners and breakfast sometimes. She and Val were much more civil now too. It was crazy. And joyful, seeing her blend in with my family and enjoy herself.

Multiple times I would be sitting at the outdoor dining table and watching as Art and Dad joked, talked about F1 races, football, cricket, they explained some stuff to me when I didn't understand it.

Last weekend Art was over helping my dad pick out the oranges at the very top of the tree. She helped him fix the 20-year-old radio that my dad was exceedingly emotionally attached to.

When it rained, we danced. When it didn't rain, we danced. We danced when it was sunlit and cloudy. When it was day or night. We danced when shit hit the fan and when it was peaceful.

It was our love language.

We walked outside to her car before climbing in. Val was in the back and I was obviously the passenger princess. Arthur's hand pulled taut on the steering wheel as she tried to carefully back out of our driveway and not hit the pots.

One of her hands was resting on my thigh as I tried not to blush while Val stares at us carefully.

"Thank you for dropping me off, Arthur," Val said curtly, Art obviously had a shit-eating grin plastered on her face.

"No issue Valerie." We were cruising through town as I asked her about her show.

"So after this, Cameo will be over?" I asked, quite honestly I was upset that this would come to an end. I mean she will play at different clubs but Cameo was where I got to know her much better.

"Oh no, our contract with Cameo will renew but we would also be playing at many different clubs. People like our music and shit a lot. So hopefully this can lead to little one-room concerts and maybe into something bigger. Fingers crossed." She explained, of course, how would Cameo be over. Their boss, Alexander owns it. It's basically a camouflage for all this shit.

"That sounds exciting." I grin and she nods smiling. Her fingers tightened on my thigh. Val raises an eyebrow.

"What about Nate?" Val suddenly asks, I tense and so does Art. I look over at her and suddenly she isn't so full of life anymore.

Her expression is the same as when we first met. Nonchalant, rude, cold, somehow her eyes went dead.

"What about him, Valerie?" She raised a question her voice unbothered but the rigidity in her body language said otherwise.

"He is going to get out next year, what then? You'll start the stupid shit that you did with him again? That got him sent to jail." Her voice was charging. I turned in my seat and gave her a 'not the time' look.

"He treated you like shit Val. I would say he got what he deserved." Art shrugged and Val gibed leaning back in her seat.

"You are one to talk." Art's hold on my thigh tightened.

"I treat Mer very well, watch your mouth." She said, her tone full of warning.

I thoroughly stared at Val wondering what the hell she is up to right now.

"I'm talking about the people around you, other than her. What about them?" Art raised an eyebrow and Val simply raised her voice as she went on.

"I was your friend Arthur. And you fled town after Nate got caught, hell it didn't even take you a second to pack up your life." Val continued and Art simply chuckled. What the hell is going on?

"I wouldn't consider two conversations under friends." Art shrugged keeping her gaze on the road as we swerved on the road.

"What about Nate then? Was he not your friend?" Val asks softly, at this point she simply wants answers. I stare at Arthur as she continues to look at the road.

"He brought drugs from the wrong person and decided to hide them in my house Val. The police came and his fingerprints were found not mine. I did a drug test it came back negative. I went out of town for work, I didn't run away. You know, when you don't have a family to provide for you, you work." Art said her voice dripping with venom.

I gulped looking at the road, it truly must've been hard. To not grow up with a family. I had spoken to hear about Nan's proposal about her moving to Enna but I was voracious too.

Her moving to Enna meant us being hours away, I didn't want that. But I needed to put her first, Nan is all she has.

I will speak to her about Enna. Again.

Val was silent as Arthur put her foot down and shut the topic. My sister's face was filled with guilt and embarrassment. I understood why. She had gotten the answers she was entitled to but not the ones she wanted to hear.

"We're here." Art said curtly. Val was immediately out the door.

"I'll talk to her. I'm so sorry about that." I whispered looking down at my dress.

"Go." She gestured and I nodded before running after Val.

"Val! Val! Wait!" I yelled and she stopped right before we could enter the club.

"What?" Her voice was sharp but her eyes were lined with silver.

"Val." I sighed before putting my arms around her.

"I'm sorry," I whispered as she relaxed and hugged me back.

"I was madly in love with him Mer." She whispered placing her cheek on my shoulder.

"I know and if he was any good and if he treated you well I would've helped you find him. But he didn't, I do not wish for you to end up with someone who did not love you as much as you loved them." I whispered and she nodded.

"Ouch," she whispers and I gulp.

"I'm sorry but it's been a long time and you need to hear that Val. Maybe after Nate dating won't be easy, but you should give love another chance." I said and she nodded.

"I love you Mer." Val smiled as she pulled back and I grinned.

"Everybody loves me." I flipped my short hair over my shoulder and she rolled her eyes smiling.

"Fuck off." Her smile was bright. It was what she needed to hear.

Sometimes we fall in love with the wrong people and it's so fucked.