mary jane | stuart twombly ✓

chapter 7

After the sporting incident, which Graham's team had unfairly won, the interns were given a few days off. This was great for Mary Jane, because she still had a bruised abdomen to attend to and wasn't in the mood for another stupid challenge.

"Mary Jane!" The moment she heard Graham's voice, the red head bolted. She couldn't face him right now. The girl still couldn't believe that he would do what he had done to her. "Mary Jane, wait!"

Graham's hand wrapped around her wrist, and she resisted the urge to shout out 'damnit!' "What do you want, Graham?"

His brown eyes roamed over her. Her flame red curls were up in a very messy ponytail. She wore a red tank top and black leggings with a pair of Jordans on her feet. The girl had been planning on going for a run, but, clearly, her ex boyfriend had other ideas.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry about the other day. You know, about your stomach?"

"You mean when you viscously hit me?", Mary Jane asked, raising her brows. "Fuck off, Graham."

Graham stood in front of her as she turned to leave, shaking his head. "I let my anger and need to win get the best of me. And I understand if you never wanna speak to me again, but the truth is I miss you, Mary Jane. I want you back in my life."

The one thing that Mary Jane had begun to learn about Graham was that he was fake. He told you everything you wanted to hear in order to get what he wanted, but they were just pretty lies. She shook her head, backing away. "Come find me when you actually mean that."

As she started her run, starting at a slow, jogging pace, Mary Jane put in her headphones, tuning the rest of the world out. She briefly wondered if she had told Graham no for another reason. Hazel eyes framed with thick rimmed glasses came to mind. "What have you done to me, Stuart Twombly?", she mumbled.

~G O O G L E~

Once she finished her run, Mary Jane practically collapsed onto a bench. She was sweaty and out of breath by now, but at least she was staying in shape. A few moments later, someone sat next to her. She looked over to see Stuart. Her heart began to pound, and not because it was working double time.

"Stuart, what's up?", she asked, removing her headphones.

"Just sitting", he shrugged.

"The Stuart Twombly, Mr. Dark and Stormy, is willingly sitting with me again? How did I get so lucky?"

Stuart shoved her shoulder when she began to laugh. "Maybe I just enjoy your company, Mary Jane Hiegler."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it", she smiled.

"Sooo... tell me something about yourself", Stuart said randomly said after a moment of silence had passed by.

"Like what?", Mary Jane asked, raising a perfectly arched brow as she looked over at him.

"Anything, something interesting", Stuart shrugged. "Something you would never want the rest of the team to find about."

Mary Jane let her head fall back against the bench, squeezing her eyes shut to protect them from the bright sun. "Hmmm..." She couldn't really think of anything interesting or embarrassing about herself, which was honestly a bit pitiful. "When I was a little girl, I watched the 1990 Disney version of Annie. You know, with Sarah Hyland being adorable as Molly? Yeeeah, I got a little obsessed with it and even played Annie in a play at our town's theater."

Stuart's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "No way, I don't believe it!"

Mary Jane sat up, resting her hand in her chin and putting on a slightly depressed look. "When I'm stuck with a day that's grey and lonely, I just stick out my chin, and grin, and saaaaay: 'The sun'll come out tomorrow. You can bet your bottom's dollar that tomorrow, there'll be suuuun. Just hold on till tomorroooow."

"Oh my God", Stuart blinked, leaning back against the bench, slouching down like he always did. "Totally calling you Annie now."

"Yeah, yeah", Mary Jane grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"Tap dance." The red head gave him a flat look before shoving him off the bench. "Whoa, violence! No need to get feisty."

She rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything when he sat next to her again. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Fire away."

"What's with you and the phone and this whole", she gestured around him with her hands, "Disconnected, 'I don't care' attitude? You're so... dark and broody all the time."

Stuart's face fell a little before he sighed, looking straight ahead. "Kids are just... jerks. In school, people used to tease me all the time. Nerd. Freak. Four Eyes. Geek. But on the phone, over social media, I can leave that Stuart behind. I can be whoever I wanna be, no questions asked."

Mary Jane frowned at that. She couldn't believe that kids would do that to Stuart — that it would turn him into this. She reached out and touched his shoulder. "Well, sometimes, when he's not too busy being a jerk, I happen to like the Stuart Twombly that's right here in front of me."

He gave her a friendly smile, one that clearly said 'thank you.' But Stuart hated people seeing him as weak and vulnerable, so he immediately changed the subject. "You're named after Ms. Mary Jane Watson, but I've never once heard you do an impression of her. So, hit me with it. Give me your best Mary Jane impression — channel your namesake."

Mary Jane bit her lip before leaning in close, her minty breath fanning Stuart's face. Thank God for toothpaste and that gum she had earlier. His hazel eyes met he chocolate brown ones as she tried to pull off her best serious voice. "Face it, tiger, you just hit the jackpot."

Stuart Twombly was officially weak for Mary Jane Hiegler.

February 25, 2019