Marley's Twisted Arranged Marriage

“Marley! You have to wake up! Mom said to shower and wear something nice?” I hear my seven year old sister’s voice echo in my brain. Her last sentence ends in a questioning way that also makes me confused.

"Why do I have to dress nice?" I say groggily and sit up to prevent myself from falling back asleep. She shrugs her shoulder and skips out of my room.
I glance at the clock next to me which flashes the number 9:37.

"Ugh she better have a damn good reason to be waking me up this early on a Saturday." I make my way to the bathroom and slide the shower curtain to turn the faucet all the way to the right, on full heat.

I wait a few moments before stripping down and stepping into the water, letting the heat engulf my mind. I shampoo and condition my hair, shave my legs,and scrub on some scented body wash then step out into the cold air. I dry myself off and wrap the towel firmly around me then go to my closet.

I wonder what my Mother means by dressing 'nice.' Does she mean girly or sophisticated?
"Oh, sweetie, I don't know if your sister told you or not, but I want you to wear a dress today." My Mother says. She has a fake smile plastered on her face and is using her I-need-you-to-do-something-for-me voice

"Alright, Mother, cut the crap. What do you want?" I'm a straight forward person. My Mother sighs and relaxes a bit.

"We're having company over today. They have a son around your age and I want you to be nice to him. Please, Marley." She's practically begging me to be nice to him. She knows nice isn't exactly my fuertes with people I don't know.

"Sure Mother.... For 100 bucks." I smirk triumphantly as she plucks out a crisp new 100 dollar bill out of her apron pocket. I take the bill and grasp it in my hand as she leaves the room.

After about 6 dress changes, my Mother had finally approved on one that was dark blue and had floral print all around it. Not my first choice, but whatever floats her boat.

As she put it, the dress "Highlights my curves and brings out my light brown eyes." I couldn't exactly disagree since it did. And the dress isn't terribly dreadful....

I dry my auburn hair and curl it into soft ringlets. I then apply a thin and soft layer of dark blue eyeliner and slip on some black flats. I make my way downstairs for approval from my Mother.

"Marley, you look absolutely beautiful." My Mother comments and gives me a warm smile. I smile back and look at my Father, who's trying not to crack a smile.
"I think this boy is gonna like you a little too much." I chuckle along with my Father and call for Grace, my little sister, to come downstairs.

She prances down the last steps before stopping in front of me. She's wearing a white dress with dark blue flowers on it, matching it with a pair of white flats with a strap across the middle. Her dirty blonde hair is pin straight and she has a blue headband, that has a little blue bow on it, in her hair.

"Grace, you look adorable." I say and she smiles a toothy smile, which is even more cute considering she's missing one of her front teeth. I grin and hug her lightly as the doorbell rings loudly through out the house.

"Oh! They're here!" My Mother squeals excitedly and neatens herself up as she makes her way to the door.

The door opens and I hear rustling and hushed voices. They turn the corner and I'm instantly greeted by the most beautiful family I've ever seen.

The Mother is somewhat tall with light blonde hair that goes a little past her shoulders. Her teeth are blindingly white and her skin is a nice peach color. She has emerald green eyes that are so intoxicating, I could stare into them forever.

The Father is taller than the Mother, by about 3 or 4" and has dark brown, perfectly coiffed hair. He has dark blue eyes that contrast against his peachy skin and pink lips.

The son is about the same height as his Father and has dirty blonde hair that's wind swept and covering one eye. His eyes are ice blue and pop out from his ivory skin. Even through his long sleeve shirt, I can tell he has muscle. His full lips are a light and soft pink.
I blush when I realize they're eying me.

"Uh, Marley, this is Caroline," My Mother says, pointing to the blonde woman.
"And her husband is George, and their son's name is Conrad." My Mother gives me a look that says introduce-yourself-or-give-back-the-$100

"My name is Marley, and this is my little sister Grace." I take the liberty of introducing her too since she won't do it herself. She's so painfully shy, and my Mother and Father have probably already forgotten about her.

I stick my hand out to shake theirs but Caroline just stares at my hand before engulfing me in a giant hug. I just stand there awkwardly since I had only just met her. She finally pulls away, a wide grin on her face. I offer a small smile and we make our way to the living room.
There's some hushed whispering behind me, between my Mother and Caroline and it takes every ounce of me not to turn around and ask what they're talking about.

I sit down on the love seat and Grace sits on my lap as my Father sits next to me. Conrad sits across from me, on the chair and my Mother, Caroline, and George sit on the couch. Conrad just sits there, silently, but he's also looking at me and smirking. Once he notices I see him staring he winks at me.

Oh goodness, I think I should've asked my Mother for 200 bucks....
My Mother and Caroline are still whispering to each other and I finally catch a glimpse of their conversation.

"Oh my gosh she's grown so much since we last saw her! She's beautiful!" Caroline says and glances toward me.
"Well it has been awhile. And I had to make sure she looked absolutely perfect for today." My Mother says in a bragging voice.
"Well, you've done well. Marley is going to make a wonderful bride for Conrad!"

My jaw drops and my eyes widen at the thought of marrying someone I don't even know.
"Uhh is there something you aren't telling me, Mother?" I butt into their conversation and try to keep my voice steady.
They look surprised I had heard what they were saying, but then again it's called whispering for a reason.
"Oh, heh, you heard that?" My Mother asks sheepishly. I nod and she turns to face me, the room goes unbearably silent.
"Marley, Conrad, you're in an arranged marriage to each other." Caroline says.

I was waiting for someone to yell 'Gotcha!' or for Ashton Kutcher to run out from somewhere with a bunch of hidden cameras, but it never came.
"WHAT?!" Conrad jumps up to his feet, furious.
"Marley what's an arranged marriage?" Grace looks up at me.
"I'll explain it to you later. Why don't you go upstairs to your room and play with your dolls?" She pouts at first but then goes running upstairs.

"Well, you guys have actually known each other since you were both about 3 years old. You both got along like crazy, you just meshed well together. All of us thought it would be a good idea for you guys to be arranged to be married so you wouldn't lose the amazing friendship you had. You haven't seen each other in about 10 years because they had moved to a different state." My Mother informs us. When she's done I turn and look at Conrad at the same time he does and we end up staring into each others eyes. I tear my eyes away from him and glare at my Mother.

"That's a load of crap! Mother, I know when you're lying." She sighs and looks away from me.

"When you were young, our family was going broke. We were struggling to get food on the table and fighting to keep our house. We had been close with Caroline and her family, but you and Conrad weren't actually close friends, you only played with each other when Caroline and I were together. Anyways, Caroline and George had offered to give us the money to get back on our feet for one thing in return.... You marry Conrad. They knew you were going to have potential and that Conrad was going to be handsome and most likely, play with girls' hearts. They wanted to have a plan for him to be able marry someone and settle so he could take hold of the family business." My Mother finishes.

"So I have absolutely no say in this? I just have to pretend like nothings wrong and plaster a fake smile on my face and marry him?" I point at Conrad who's currently sitting in the chair and looking like his brain is about to explode because he's thinking so hard.

"I'm sorry, Marley. I really truly am. We had to save this family or we could be living out on the streets right now." My Mother says in a sympathetic voice.
"Marley I think you should go and pack your stuff. You're going to be moving in with us so you and Conrad can know each other better." George speaks for the first time since being here and looks thoughtfully at his son.

"I'm moving in with them too?!" I direct toward my Mother. She starts shedding silent tears and nods. I sigh loudly and make my way upstairs to my room.

I grab a few suitcases and only pack the things I'll need like clothes, shoes, makeup, and just in case, hair products. I place my other accessories in the bags and go back downstairs to find my Mother, Father, and Caroline, but no George or Conrad.

"Where are George and Conrad?" I ask. This startles them since they didn't hear me enter the room in the first place.
"They went for a walk so they could talk about things. Are you.... All packed?" My Mother asks hesitantly. I look to the floor and nod slightly.

"Well, Marley, we booked a hotel to stay overnight. We'll all leave tomorrow afternoon. It gives you some time to say bye to friends and family.... And explain things to your little sister." Caroline says. I nod and head off upstairs to let Grace know what's going on.