‹ Prequel: Chasing The Laughter
Shooting Star
0011.
“You’re a handful,” Matt smirked over at his daughter.
Small curls hung down from Marley’s pony tail around her face as she smiled innocently, “No, I’m an angel.”
He chuckled and shook his head, “Whatever you say, Monster.”
Two days. That’s how long it’s been since Matt started watching Marley while Layton worked. From seven in the mornings to four thirty in the afternoon was how long they spent together. The first day Marley was introduced to Val, and to be honest, it didn’t go that great. Marley just didn’t seem to like Val, but Matt could only hope that when they saw each other again in the near future that things went better, because whether Marley liked it or not, Val was there to stay and would soon be her step mom.
On the second day, Matt took Marley to lunch and then to the beach, hoping it would keep her occupied. Layton had only taken Marley to the beach twice since she was born, and that was back when she was just a toddler, so the beach was a very new thing for Marley to experience. Matt hadn’t expected her to be so distracted by the water, but he was happy that she had enjoyed herself.
Now on the third day, the guys were coming over to Matt’s place to hang out and finally meet Marley. Val was gone for the entire day to visit with her family, leaving Matt and Marley alone until the guys arrived. Matt was nervous about Marley meeting the guys, but knew everything would most likely be okay. He just hoped Marley could behave around them. The small little girl sure did have a mouth on her and really knew how to talk back, and he wasn’t sure what to do about that just yet. He was convinced he needed to talk to Layton about it when he dropped Marley off later that evening. It wasn’t that Marley had said any bad words; she just simply knew how to talk back and do it in a very sarcastic way, which reminded Matt of him and Layton as kids.
“Who am I meeting?” Marley asked curiously.
“Just some friends of mine,” Matt replied as he handed her a small plastic cup with some apple juice in it.
“What kind of friends?”
Matt licked over his lips and raised one eyebrow at the little girl, “What do—”
“Mommy says that people have different types of friends. There’s your best friends who are the best, duh, and then there’s just your plain friends who aren’t the best and you don’t really like as much,” Marley explained.
Matt cracked a smile, “Is that what your mommy taught you?”
Marley nodded as she tilted the plastic cup back and took a sip of her juice.
“What else has mommy taught you?” He questioned as he leaned back against the counter and folded his arms across his chest.
Marley looked up at Matt and shrugged, “Lots of things.”
He laughed, “Okay, like what?”
“Did you know that there's 5,000 different species of ladybugs all over the world?”
“Is that so?” He smiled.
“Yep!” Marley grinned a wide stretched grin.
“Do you know anything else about ladybugs?”
“Obviously,” She rolled her hazel eyes.
Matt smirked at her attitude, “Alright, well tell me then.”
“They can live up to a year, maybe more if the weather conditions are just right,” The six year old explained.
Matt shook his head in disbelief. The more time he spent with his daughter, the more he realized that her brain may have been small but it held a lot of information. He could tell that she really observed her surroundings and absorbed new things everyday easily, and it wasn’t something he expected. Then again, it’s not as if he had really been around many six year olds lately.
Before he could respond to his smart little girl, he was saved by the bell. Literally, the doorbell rang.
Sucking in a deep breath, he turned to Marley who practically had the word ‘trouble maker’ written across her forehead. “That’s one of the guys.”
Matt then made his way out of the kitchen and to the front door. Marley slowly but surely followed behind him, curious about the person at the door. She stood back a few feet away from the door watching as Matt pulled it open and greeted his friend. A smile slowly made its way across her lips when she realized just who was at the door. She recognized him almost immediately. It was Synyster Gates or Syn Gates as she liked to call him since she couldn’t pronounce the word Synyster very well just yet.
“Hey!” Marley made herself known as she ran towards the two older men. “You’re Syn Gates!”
Brian glanced at Matt with a small smirk before looking back at the little girl, “That would be me, but you can call me Brian.”
“I like Syn better,” Marley simply smiled.
“Oh, okay,” Brian shrugged, “You can call me Syn, I guess.”
“Will you play for me?” She asked.
“The guitar?”
Marley’s eyes lit up just at the word before she nodded furiously.
“Maybe later, kid,” Brian smiled.
Marley pouted, “But.”
“Marley,” Matt stepped in, adding a firmer tone to his voice than normal like Layton had taught him when Marley was pushing her limits.
She let a dramatic sigh pass through her lips before folding her arms across her chest.
“Why don’t you go dance for a little while?” Matt suggested.
“We forgot my music this morning, remember?”
Chewing on his lip for a moment, he nodded, “Right. Well you can always go watch some TV.”
Marley scrunched her nose up and shook her head, “I don’t like TV.”
Brian snorted a laugh, “What kind of kid doesn’t like TV?”
“Me,” She stated.
Brian held his hands up in defense once he heard the attitude in Marley’s voice, “Okay, sorry.”
Matt knelt down to Marley’s height, “Why don’t you take Bella and go outside in the backyard to play until the other guys get here? I think she would really love the company.”
“You’re just trying to get rid of me,” She accused, putting her hands on her small hips, “But okay.”
Matt sighed out in relief as he watched Marley turn around to go find Bella. “Be careful with your arm,” He called out, reminding her.
The little girl quickly disappeared out of sight and Matt rose from the floor. He turned towards Brian and shook his head, “I need a beer.”
Brian chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder, “I think you’re gonna need more than one before the day is over, man.”
Small curls hung down from Marley’s pony tail around her face as she smiled innocently, “No, I’m an angel.”
He chuckled and shook his head, “Whatever you say, Monster.”
Two days. That’s how long it’s been since Matt started watching Marley while Layton worked. From seven in the mornings to four thirty in the afternoon was how long they spent together. The first day Marley was introduced to Val, and to be honest, it didn’t go that great. Marley just didn’t seem to like Val, but Matt could only hope that when they saw each other again in the near future that things went better, because whether Marley liked it or not, Val was there to stay and would soon be her step mom.
On the second day, Matt took Marley to lunch and then to the beach, hoping it would keep her occupied. Layton had only taken Marley to the beach twice since she was born, and that was back when she was just a toddler, so the beach was a very new thing for Marley to experience. Matt hadn’t expected her to be so distracted by the water, but he was happy that she had enjoyed herself.
Now on the third day, the guys were coming over to Matt’s place to hang out and finally meet Marley. Val was gone for the entire day to visit with her family, leaving Matt and Marley alone until the guys arrived. Matt was nervous about Marley meeting the guys, but knew everything would most likely be okay. He just hoped Marley could behave around them. The small little girl sure did have a mouth on her and really knew how to talk back, and he wasn’t sure what to do about that just yet. He was convinced he needed to talk to Layton about it when he dropped Marley off later that evening. It wasn’t that Marley had said any bad words; she just simply knew how to talk back and do it in a very sarcastic way, which reminded Matt of him and Layton as kids.
“Who am I meeting?” Marley asked curiously.
“Just some friends of mine,” Matt replied as he handed her a small plastic cup with some apple juice in it.
“What kind of friends?”
Matt licked over his lips and raised one eyebrow at the little girl, “What do—”
“Mommy says that people have different types of friends. There’s your best friends who are the best, duh, and then there’s just your plain friends who aren’t the best and you don’t really like as much,” Marley explained.
Matt cracked a smile, “Is that what your mommy taught you?”
Marley nodded as she tilted the plastic cup back and took a sip of her juice.
“What else has mommy taught you?” He questioned as he leaned back against the counter and folded his arms across his chest.
Marley looked up at Matt and shrugged, “Lots of things.”
He laughed, “Okay, like what?”
“Did you know that there's 5,000 different species of ladybugs all over the world?”
“Is that so?” He smiled.
“Yep!” Marley grinned a wide stretched grin.
“Do you know anything else about ladybugs?”
“Obviously,” She rolled her hazel eyes.
Matt smirked at her attitude, “Alright, well tell me then.”
“They can live up to a year, maybe more if the weather conditions are just right,” The six year old explained.
Matt shook his head in disbelief. The more time he spent with his daughter, the more he realized that her brain may have been small but it held a lot of information. He could tell that she really observed her surroundings and absorbed new things everyday easily, and it wasn’t something he expected. Then again, it’s not as if he had really been around many six year olds lately.
Before he could respond to his smart little girl, he was saved by the bell. Literally, the doorbell rang.
Sucking in a deep breath, he turned to Marley who practically had the word ‘trouble maker’ written across her forehead. “That’s one of the guys.”
Matt then made his way out of the kitchen and to the front door. Marley slowly but surely followed behind him, curious about the person at the door. She stood back a few feet away from the door watching as Matt pulled it open and greeted his friend. A smile slowly made its way across her lips when she realized just who was at the door. She recognized him almost immediately. It was Synyster Gates or Syn Gates as she liked to call him since she couldn’t pronounce the word Synyster very well just yet.
“Hey!” Marley made herself known as she ran towards the two older men. “You’re Syn Gates!”
Brian glanced at Matt with a small smirk before looking back at the little girl, “That would be me, but you can call me Brian.”
“I like Syn better,” Marley simply smiled.
“Oh, okay,” Brian shrugged, “You can call me Syn, I guess.”
“Will you play for me?” She asked.
“The guitar?”
Marley’s eyes lit up just at the word before she nodded furiously.
“Maybe later, kid,” Brian smiled.
Marley pouted, “But.”
“Marley,” Matt stepped in, adding a firmer tone to his voice than normal like Layton had taught him when Marley was pushing her limits.
She let a dramatic sigh pass through her lips before folding her arms across her chest.
“Why don’t you go dance for a little while?” Matt suggested.
“We forgot my music this morning, remember?”
Chewing on his lip for a moment, he nodded, “Right. Well you can always go watch some TV.”
Marley scrunched her nose up and shook her head, “I don’t like TV.”
Brian snorted a laugh, “What kind of kid doesn’t like TV?”
“Me,” She stated.
Brian held his hands up in defense once he heard the attitude in Marley’s voice, “Okay, sorry.”
Matt knelt down to Marley’s height, “Why don’t you take Bella and go outside in the backyard to play until the other guys get here? I think she would really love the company.”
“You’re just trying to get rid of me,” She accused, putting her hands on her small hips, “But okay.”
Matt sighed out in relief as he watched Marley turn around to go find Bella. “Be careful with your arm,” He called out, reminding her.
The little girl quickly disappeared out of sight and Matt rose from the floor. He turned towards Brian and shook his head, “I need a beer.”
Brian chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder, “I think you’re gonna need more than one before the day is over, man.”