Hush (A Colby Brock Fanfiction)

Chapter One

-Marley's POV-
     I never wanted this summer to end, yet I looked forward to my senior year. My last year of high school couldn't possibly be as bad as the others. I was finally going to get out of this place and move on with my life. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do yet, or where I would go, but I knew I didn't want to stay here in New Hampshire. Many of my years here were spent fantasizing about where I would be once I was old enough to live on my own, and my childhood was finally nearing a close.
When my mom told me we would be moving, I was expecting somewhere in Virginia, where my grandparents lived. I wasn't prepared to hear the word 'Kansas' come out of her mouth. I was excited to be somewhere other than New Hampshire, but I wasn't sure how much better Kansas could be. I was going to be a senior this year and I was not looking forward to being the new girl.

"Marley!" I heard my mom's voice bellowing from downstairs.
"Yes?" I paused. Nothing. Mom's always leave you hanging. "YES?!" I repeated, storming out of my unpacked room.
"This kind boy offered to show you around town," she nudged her head toward the door.
That's when I saw him. I didn't know at the time that he would be a real part of my life, thinking he was only a neighbor I was forced to follow around.
"Who are you?" I asked the brown-haired boy standing in the front doorway.
"Colby," he stood up confidently.
"Okay," I sighed awkwardly, "just give me a second." I went up to my room, grabbed my phone, slipped on my old vans, and gave myself a quick inspection in the mirror. I flipped myself off and smiled sarcastically before making my way downstairs where the brunette boy waited.
     He directed me out the door with a wave of his hand and closed the door behind him.
"So?" I looked at him expectantly. That was the first time I noticed his eyes. They were a silver-blue with a hint of green if you looked at them from a certain angle. I loved the eyes, but I wasn't sure yet about the boy attached to them.
"So?" He mimicked my questioning tone. "I'm going to show you around, make you comfortable." I nodded with his words. He grabbed my wrist and started leading me down the sidewalk toward his car. He opened the passenger door and I stepped inside, hoping he couldn't see the blush invading my cheeks. He walked around to the driver's side and gracefully dipped himself through the door.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"Well, I was thinking we would drive through town and I would point out the relevant things," he looked over at me. "Like a mini road trip."
"What's our destination?" I raised one eyebrow in mock-question.
"That's a surprise," he grinned. "It's my favorite place." He started driving now, and after a few moments of silence, he asked what kind of music I listened to.
"Well, I don't listen to all the pop shit everyone else listens to. I'm more of a punk rock kind of person, I guess. Most of the music I listen to is considered 'alternative.'" He sighed, and I waited for the judgement.
"Good."
"Good?" I asked, confused.
"Yeah, good." He smiled over at me. "Pop music sucks." I noticed his smile now, it was contagious. He smiled with all of his teeth, not holding back. It was a real, genuine smile, and I looked forward to seeing more of it.
We drove for a while, CTE playing as loud as our ears could handle. Every time we would near a place Colby thought I should know about, he would turn the volume down and point out the window to give me a quick explanation. We had about an hour until sunset and only one place left to go. We stopped at a field, and there was nothing there. He got out of the car and walked around to open the door for me. I got out before giving him a questioning look.
"This isn't it," he stated. "It'll take a bit of walking." I nodded and he lead the way. We walked quietly, and it didn't take long before I saw it.
"This is it," Colby gestured toward an abandoned warehouse.
"Why is this your favorite place?" I didn't sense anything special about it.
"Quite a few of my most adventurous stories have taken place here. It's a place for me to get away from everything." He led me into the building. I had to admit, it was a cool place. The walls were covered in graffiti and there was a lot of empty space. Colby showed me his favorite parts; things he'd written on the walls, places he and his friends would escape to run from the cops. We made our way to the roof and sat down. We watched the sunset and talked about adventures we'd had that had gotten us into trouble. By the time we left, it was nearly eleven. We had to walk back to his car in the dark, which was a bit of an issue for me. I know it's a dumb, childish fear, but I'm afraid of the dark. I held onto Colby's arm and when we made it back to the car, he opened the passenger door for me.
We made it to my house a while later, and he again opened the door for me and walked me to my front door.
"So?" He asked.
"So?" I mimicked him this time. "That was pretty fun."
"Good," he smiled his genuine smile.
"Where do you live anyway?" I asked. "Next door?"
"Across the street, actually." He pointed to his house, directly across the street from mine. "I'll invite you over sometime."
"Cool. Well, uh. I'll see you later."
"Yeah, see you later." He outstretched his arms for a hug, and I looked at him for an awkward moment before I processed what he was doing. The hug lasted a few seconds, and during those few seconds, I thought about how I was glad to meet him. He seemed like an honestly good guy, and I was excited to learn more about him.