Miss Marley |The Outsiders|

01. A Quarter For Your Thoughts

Leaving was harder than she anticipated.

Her heart drummed rapidly in her chest as she snapped her suitcase closed. Her mouth went dry as she crossed the house and wrapped her fingers around the bronze doorknob. For a moment, she hesitated.

The last time Marley stood in front of a door with no intention of ever returning, all that followed was heartbreak. There was only one thing different now. As she stood in front of the door, her breaths shallow and forced, Marley knew it was the right decision.

Anxiety burned in her veins as the ugly yellow suitcase thumped against her thigh. Clenched in her right fist was a quarter. The smooth metal was leaving an indent in her palm, as were her nails. They would leave a mark and would probably draw blood before she reached her destination. Not that it mattered, of course. The only thought consuming her mind as she pushed forwards was getting as far away from him as possible.

She almost felt excited as the bus station came into view. Her escape had been in the planning stage for nearly three weeks now. A knot of guilt tied itself in the young girl's stomach as she slipped into an empty seat, her suitcase at her side. The word escape implied that she had been kidnapped or enslaved, rather than leaving on her own free will in the dead of night. That wasn't the only reason Marley felt guilty.

Fifteen months had passed since she vanished. Fifteen months since she let his devilish smile lure her out of the safety of her familiar home and into the passenger side of his red mustang. Since she felt the cold night air whistle in her ears and run through her hair as his hand slowly climbed up her thigh.

"This is right," she told herself. "This is love."

It wasn't. It had taken fifteen months for the ugly truth to finally come to light. A shadow of doubt crossed her mind as Marley eyed the payphone to her left suspiciously. This was the only chance she may ever have, she would be a fool to miss it. Still pushing the metal coin into her palm, Marley pushed herself out of her seat, not caring to wipe the wrinkles from her skirt. With trembling hands and an aching heart, Marley pulled the phone off the hook and held it against her ear. The coin slid into the slot silently as her finger found the dial. She repeated the number soundlessly in her mind, all while trying to ignore the beads of sweat forming under her collar.

The familiarity almost made her cringe. Guilt twisted in her stomach again, making her face gray. "Why'd it take you so long to call? They're still your family, aren't they?"

Their faces flashed in her mind as she listened to the telephone hum. The sky began to darken as countless cars darted up and down the road, frantically searching for the quickest way home. 

In a way, Marley was doing the same thing.

WIth each obnoxious hum coming from the telephone, her heart pounded a little harder. It was nearing six in the evening, meaning the streets would soon be filled with people rushing to and from their jobs. As each car or person sped past, Marley's chances of being discovered increased tenfold. When the line finally connected, she was so shocked she nearly dropped the telephone against the cement. Ignoring the curious eyes following her, Marley quickly held the phone against her ear once more. "Hello?"

"I swear Two-Bit, if this is another prank call- It's Sodapop."

Marley's immediate reaction was to hang up. Her hands ached to slam the phone back onto the hook and pick up her suitcase while her sore feet repeated the steps she just took. If she walked fast, maybe she'd be home before he was. The boy on the other line sounded so much like his eldest brother, it nearly startled her. He sighed into the phone deeply, threatening to hang up. As if his words shocked her, Marley sprung to life.

"Sodapop? It's Marley, Marlene. Listen-"

He gasped excitedly. In her mind's eye, Marley could see his eyes widen as he gripped the phone tighter and pushed it towards his face, just like when they were little.

"Marley? Are you okay? Where are you? Tell me where-"

"I'm okay," she promised with a sad smile. Her eyes stung with tears as a few managed to slide down her cheeks. Marley had no choice other than to let them run. One hand was holding the phone to her ear, the other held onto the side of the booth, allowing her to stand with shaking legs. "I got a question to ask you."

"Yeah? What is it?" He asked giddily. 

"I...I need to come home, Sodapop. C-can I?  I know it's been so long, I'm sorry. You gotta believe me when I say I'm so, so sorry-"

Her apology fell on deaf ears as he hushed her. "Hey, it's alright. Really, Marley, it's okay. Do you need a ride? Where are you, anyhow?"

Sodapop had always been the most understanding of her brothers. Now that she was finally hearing his voice after all this time, she couldn't think of a more perfect person to talk to. Ponyboy would have been fine, but he was still young. The whole conversation probably would've been too much for him to comprehend.

The thought of Darry answering the phone sent a chill up her spine. He was her big brother, but there was too much tension between the two.

"I can see the bus at the end of the street," Marley assured her brother. "I'll be in Tulsa by seven, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. Jeez, it's good to hear your voice, Marls. I- we miss you."

"Just a few more minutes, okay? I'll be home soon, I promise."

"Alright, I'll see you soon?"

"Yeah, real soon. Love-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the phone cut off. An eerie silence was her only response as Marley placed the phone on its hook and grabbed her suitcase. The bus doors flew open in front of her while a kind-looking man welcomed her aboard. With a tired smile, Marley passed him her ticket from her pocket. He smiled again and gestured towards the countless seats behind him.

The seats weren't very comfortable, but they would do. Her suitcase fit snuggly underneath her seat, leaving Marley with nothing but her own thoughts. Across the aisle from her, a young man, the same age as her older brother, brought his dark brown eyes up from the magazine in his lap to the girl.

If Marley had turned her head even a fraction of an inch to the right, she would have realized the magazine was about cars. Her heart would have pounded painfully in her chest as she thought of her brother and how she betrayed them. All of them. If she looked again, she would have noticed the man sitting across from her on the cover, shaking hands with another.

And if she looked closer still, Marley would have realized he was standing with the man she had just barely escaped.

Tada, the first chapter of Miss Marley! (Rewritten)

If you read Miss Marley roughly six months ago when I was new to Wattpad, you should know the *basics*. Honestly, that story was soooo bad and I'm excited to re-write it :)

As always, please feel free to vote and comment, I love hearing your thoughts on the story.

I know it's only the first chapter, but how do we feel so far?

A Curtis Sister story? (I know, stereotypical).

What's the tension between her and Darry? :(

Uhhhh I don't really know what else to say

Love ya! <3