Girlfriend On Mars

25. "Words from the heart"

Twenty Five.

"Words from the heart." 

Marley climbed into the empty passenger of Stephen's car, face bright and pink, still fumbling with the backs of her white pearl earrings. It was the night of Jen's party, a slightly humid Friday night, and Stephen was giving her a lift out of kindness. She was wearing a dress, the nicest one she owned, knee-length, pale pink almost cream.

"How do I look?" She asked, holding up her hands.

Stephen smiled softly. "Very, very beautiful." And with that, he comfortably leaned across the seat and kissed the corner of her lip-glossed mouth.

But she was thinking of Jen, wondering what Jen would think of her dress, whether she'd look out of place. "Thanks, Steph. It doesn't look too much for a house party, right? I wouldn't know."

"No, you look great, I promise." Stephen said, starting up the car and driving off Marley's street.

The blonde looked down at her phone to text Jen, Marley: I'll be there in 5-6 minutes, see you soon :)

Jen: I'll be stood in the front yard, see you soon.

Jen was stood out front, hands in the pockets of her black trousers. When the car slowed to a stop in front of the house, her head whipped up to check for Marley. The older girl saw her, sat in the passenger seat, the back of her fluffy blonde head, then a boy hugged her and Marley opened the door to get out.

Jen felt strangely inferior seeing at how well Marley had dressed up. She smoothed her hand self-consciously over her long sleeve top at the waist, watching the younger girl walk towards her. The moon was high in the sky, so bright and round that it shone down on the pair like a dull flashlight. Marley smiled widely as she neared. Her hair was half clipped back, half free so you could see the small, silvery pearls in her ears.

"Hi." She said, peering around Jen at the house.

"Hi." Jen replied, eyes roaming over Marley's dress then back to Stephen's car. "Ugh, what a creep"

Marley looked around quickly at Stephen in his car and raised her eyebrow. "Huh? Steph?"

"I bet her drools over you like a weirdo—look at him!" Jen called to him irritably, leaning around Marley to talk into the car. "What're you still doing? You can go! Go on!"

Marley couldn't help but feel giddy as she laughed, both hands pressed against Jen's torso, hiding her face in her shirt. "Jen! Stop it."

When the car finally pulled off, Marley lifted her head from Jen's chest and giggled up at her with flushed cheeks. Immediately a grin appeared on Jen's face and she laughed as if she'd never been annoyed in the first place.

"Right, yeah, you ready to go in?"

Marley nodded. "It doesn't look that bad actually, I was expecting louder and crazier."

"I've been in for a bit already, it's just my college friends and a few people they know. You might like them." Jen nodded towards the door and put her hand on Marley's shoulder, easing her towards the house. The sound of muffled music was soft behind the front door, a low vibration under the girl's' feet before the pushed inside.

Marley felt safe beside Jen, knowing she wouldn't let anything happen to her, knowing that she would listen if it was too much. She was holding Marley's shoulder lightly, guiding her over to the room her friends were sat in. It was the room the music was mainly coming from. People hung sparsely in the hallway, talking quietly under the cover of the loud jazz, smoke blanketed against the ceiling.