For the Love of Justice

Chapter Fifteen | You Got It Bad

We are all somewhat damaged - Unknown

* 

I couldn't resist taking a detour on my walk home from school later that afternoon. Aria had to stay at school longer for some sort of meeting, and I had decided to walk home, considering how beautiful the day had turned out to be. 

The little park that I passed every day greeted me happily as I crossed the road to walk through it. Rimmed with trees, they cast a pretty shadow over the cobblestone pathways, and the grass was a bright green, a colour that reminded me of healthiness. Around the other side was a childrens playground, an outdoor basketball court and two tennis courts adjacent. There was children already running around in their school uniforms, parents and older siblings lingering around in the sun as well. 

I smiled to myself as I thought back to lunch time. 

The football trials had gone well, judging by what I had seen. Not being the biggest football fan, but not hating it either, I had figured it out pretty quickly that Marley was probably one of the strongest players that had been out there. 

Or maybe I was biased. 

Either way, he'd trialled amazing. 

"Told you." Was all that Stella had said once the bell had rung, signalling lunch to be over. And she said told me. He had surpassed her expectations, too. 

"I think he's gotten better during his break." 

"Was he secretly training this whole time?"

"God, their lucky he's back." 

"Championships is ours this year for sure."

These were the comments I'd heard through the hallways for the rest of the afternoon, and although he hadn't been there to hear them, it was refreshing that the student body were talking about Marley positively for a change. 

The giggling of child's laughter made me look up, and I grinned when I saw a cheeky little blonde girl racing away from what looked like her annoyed older brother, skipping around the park and running off towards the playground again as the boy groaned and chased after her, his backpack slung over his shoulders whilst he ran with hers in his right hand.

The innocence in that young girl, it put a smile on my face. Sometimes, it would be nice to be that naive to all the bad things in life again. 

I wished Marley could be naive like that again. I'd never known what he was like before the accident, but he was certainly not who he had been before.

But I guess traumas did that to you, didn't they? They shaped you into someone who could cope with the grief. They changed you. 

I just wished I'd met the Marley before, too. Not that it would change the way I saw him, because if I was to be honest with myself right now, he seemed to be the person who was taking up most of my time in my head. 

I cared about what he thought. 

I cared about his opinion, and his feelings, and everything to do with him. 

I cared about him. 

While this didn't seem so startling to admit it to myself, because come on, I had always seen this coming, it was when I looked up and almost walked straight past the very guy I was talking about when I jumped in fright.

All I could think was please, please don't let this be one of those times where I was thinking out loud without realising. 

"Hey." I called out automatically, but Marley didn't look up or stop. He was so far gone in his own head that he was basically directly beside me before he glanced up and paused, realising who it was. Stopping with a surprised jolt, he frowned before staring down at me, halting my breath and thought process.