Miss Marley |The Outsiders|

10. Just Like Old Times

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough."

Keeping a scowl on his face was harder than Darry anticipated. He'd seen Marley climb the old wooden porch steps too many times before, her head hung and waiting for the lecture she knew she'd get when the door opened. Now, she was chewing on her lip nervously while walking toward him. "How was work?"

That's when the facade crumbled, and she laughed. "I swear," she started, "it ain't anything bad."

"Then you better tell me what Tim was doing in my parking spot, Marlene," Darry grumbled with fake annoyance. Marley rolled her eyes and swatted her brother's hand playfully as he pushed her up the stairs. On the other side of the door, both siblings could hear their friends arguing, as well as a mess of piano notes being played. "I don't gotta tell you anything, Darrel," she teased. With her hand resting on the doorknob, Darry scoffed as Marley pushed the door open.

"Would you stop bangin' on the keys like that? You know Darry said-" Ponyboy was cut off by Two-Bit running his fingers over the keys again, completely oblivious to the pair behind him. "Who cares what Darry says? I'm just tryna play ol' Johnny here a song!"

Johnny stood in the doorway between the living room and kitchen, hands in the ragged pockets of his jean jacket. Ponyboy stood next to him, a teasing smile on his face. "I appreciate it," Johnny started, "but my birthday ain't for another week." Behind Marley, Darry was pulling off his boots. "Besides, do you even know how to play the piano?"

Still with his back to the door, he shrugged lazily. "Well I still don't know how to do long division, but I figured it out."

The redhead turned to face the group, a lopsided grin on his face. Sodapop and Steve must have been busy wreaking havoc in the kitchen, they were the only ones missing. Dallas was on the couch, twirling a cigarette between his fingers. Behind him, Marley rested her hands on the back of the couch, unable to tear her eyes from the piano.

The wood was worn and splintered in places, easily one of the most dangerous places in the Cutis household. If it weren't for its gargantuan size, it would have collapsed on one of the rambunctious children years ago. The piano with it's dark oak wood and coffee stained keys was nothing important to Sodapop and Ponyboy, but the eldest Curtis kids could remember the nights they'd spend on the couch, wrapped in thick quilts and the smile on their parents' faces. How the bench creaked and papers fluttered to the floor as Dad sang out, serenading his children when they should have been in bed. Momma had never been much for singing and dancing, Dad was always in the spotlight and pulling her to join him.

"Fine then, if I'm so bad, why don't you show me how it's done?"

Before Marley could make sense of what was happening, Darry walked past her and pulled out the piano bench. "Come on, Marls. When's the last time you played?" She chewed on her lip, anxiety and excitement bubbling in her veins. Darry was the first to sit down, carefully running his fingertips over the old, stiff keys. Once she sat next to him, Marley immediately straightened her posture, just as her grandmother reminded her constantly. Hovering her fingers an inch from the keys, Marley smiled. "It's been a while. What about you?" He nodded silently in response, a small smile pulling at his lips. Without any warning, he began to play.

Marley hummed along for the first few measures, taking the time to rest her hands on the keys and remember how to play the song. It was a duet from their parents' time, a song they played at their wedding. As they grew up, there was rarely a time the song wasn't being played, sung, whistled, or hummed. Just as Darry started to play the next measure, Marley joined it. "Heart and soul, I fell in love with you, heart and soul-"