Lynn Loud Jr. had never thought about Marley Sterling. Sure, she had heard her name thrown around. Often times from her older sister when Marley would play with Luna's band if they needed an extra member for gigs.
All Lynn truly knew about Marley was that she was Royal Woods' top student, and that she occasionally played the guitar at the nursing home for its senior residents. She had seen her around school hallways, and she couldn't deny her beauty, but never had a reason to speak to her.
They had completely different social scenes. Marley hung out with two close friends, yet she somehow made friends everywhere she went. She had this sunny demeanor about her that attracted everyone around. Marley never had a bad encounter with anyone, she only had kindness to spread, walking in hope and curiosity everywhere she went.
She was a soft spoken girl—only choosing to voice a message when need be. Lynn wondered if that was why she resorted to music, maybe that was her outlet. Still, she never actually heard any of Marley's songs, only the praise that often came with it.
On the contrary, Lynn didn't have very many friends. She's made many acquaintances with teammates, sure, but she's never made friends outside of sports. Yes, she had Margo and Paula, but would they really be friends had it not been for the common interest of athleticism? Probably not, but Lynn was okay with that. She wasn't too focused on making friends, her real focus was her future as an athlete. Athletes didn't need friends, they just needed to be the best.
Contradicting her past statement, Lynn had, in fact, thought about Marley. In a sense of envy, that was. Part of her believed Marley wasn't what everyone made her out to be. I mean, she was smart, a musician, friendly, and seemed to attract every boy she encountered. Could somebody be so perfect? Lynn seriously doubted it. So when her counselor approached her and proposed Marley as a tutor, Lynn decided she would find out the truth about Marley's seemingly perfect facade.
She would break through the surface of the golden girl, and unfurl her true self.
Marley has thought about Lynn loud, she would be a liar if she said she hadn't. Being Royal Woods' number one athlete of course brought its silent admirers—Marley being one of them.
