and i love her ▸ tate langdon ✓

08. jennifer's body

And I know it, I can't feel it
Well, I know it enough to believe it

-

// Summer of 1977 //

Marceline's mother had begun to get fed up with the constant crying of her baby. Her mother rubs her eyes, staring into baby Marceline's crib where she whines. With a tired groan, her mother picks up Marceline and bounces herself to lull the baby to sleep.

It didn't work.

In defeat, her mother puts Marceline back in her crib, still crying, as she turns to leave the room when she had gotten an idea. Gathering all of the baby supplies in a bag, her mother goes to the phone and dials Marceline's father's number.

He picks up after a few rings, a sigh leaving his lips. "Hello?" he asks flatly. "Sam, you have to take this child," the mother says, desperation in her voice. Sam, Marceline's father, huffs. "I'm in college to be a doctor, Melissa. I can't take the baby. I didn't even want her in the first place," Sam says.

Melissa, Marceline's mother, groans as Marceline continues crying in the background. "I can't do it, Sam!" Melissa bursts. "She never stops crying and I don't even know what she wants anymore. You need to take her or I'm dropping her off at the fire station,"

"I don't want her,"

"We do a lot of things we don't want to do," Melissa bites back. Sam stays silent and for a moment, Melissa thought he had hung up. "I'm going to the fire station on sixth. She'll be there if you change your mind,"

With that, Melissa hung up the phone and grabbed Marceline, putting her into a baby carrier before leaving the house. Carelessly putting Marceline into the backseat, Melissa quickly drives off to the fire station.

Once there, Melissa puts the baby down at the door of the building, putting the bag of supplies and a note she wrote beside the carrier. The note said to call Samuel Vera and his number was under it.

Melissa drives away from the fire station, a smile on her lips as she basks in the new silence. Later that day, Sam got a call from the fire station saying there was a baby with his number on it. Reluctantly, Sam agreed to take the baby.

Sam was in his last year of medical school and couldn't take care of a baby so he gave Marceline to his parents to be raised. Marceline was raised by his parents until she was two and Sam could finally support a baby.

Marceline was happy living with her grandparents. She liked it there. They were nice and had good food. Her dad never told any of this story except the part where Marceline was dropped off by her mother.

She doesn't know about the entire being raised by her grandparents for two years thing since he got rid of all photos they may have taken and hid them in the attic in a box labeled "Files".

It was better she didn't know. It was better she didn't know her father never really wanted her and was only guilted into doing it. It was better that she didn't know that her mother didn't have postpartum but just really didn't want a baby.

It was just more convenient she didn't have to deal with the rejection.

-

// Present Day //

It was finally Halloween and Tate and Marceline had planned on staying at her house since her dad and stepmom were going out on a date.

Christian had asked her to the Halloween party at his friend's house but she said no. She didn't do house parties and more importantly, she didn't want to spend any time with Christian.