Like Nobody Else

The next three days were what Marley considered hell. Sure, she had dealt with Rhia all throughout the summer—when she had first come to take care of her—but she was hardly ever home during that time. She was either at a local studio up the street owned by Emma's dad or at Emma's house. As for the weekends after school began, there were three places she could be—the library, studying, the studio, or Emma's.

When she was suspended from school for three days, she just had to get her period. Making her complain about cramps, blurt out things that were TMI for Marley, and anything other than hate had completely evaporated from her being.

"Where's the fucking Midol?!" Had been yelled far too many times for Marley that she had bought an unnecessary amount of boxes—twenty-eight to be exact, stocking Rhia's bathroom cabinet with them personally.

Rhia returned to school on Thursday, and it was the first time Marley had any peace and quiet for the past seventy-two hours.

Heaving a sigh, Marley sat on the living room's white leather couch as early as seven o' clock, holding her coffee mug in both hands. In Australia, she refused to drink coffee, claiming that caffeine wasn't good for her diet, and she relied purely on protein drinks and water...but since she was in America, she thought "fuck it" and used the coffee maker the first time she had been down here after Emma picked Rhia up for school.

Turning on the large plasma screen television, she immediately browsed through the channels until it came to one in the upper eight hundred's—the surfing channel. A scowl had set on her face the second she realized who was surfing.

Auden Conner. Her ex-fiancé. Once he finished his run, an interviewer had stopped him to ask a few questions. His sandy blonde hair stuck to his forehead, wet, though he shook it out of his hypnotizing green eyes within minutes. He flashed Kasey, the woman, a dazzling smile, showing off his perfect, white front row of teeth.

"So, Auden, your run was pretty amazing, but from what I've heard, the judges have been saying you've lost your edge. Does this have something do with the alleged break-up between you and former surfer, Marley Luna?" Kasey asked professionally, though the wicked smirk on her lips was caught on camera as Auden's eyes cast downward and the smile slipped off his lips.

"Mate, it isn't alleged. She left my arse, and for a damn good reason. Don't bother her, either." Auden responded in his thick Australian accent, sounding harsh in a way that didn't seem normal for him. "And assuming that she's watching this right now—"

Marley cut the television off before Auden could finish what he had to say, and she blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. She refused to cry over him; she hadn't when she caught him in bed with her old friend, Ashley, and she wouldn't start now. The phone rang in the kitchen, and as she rolled her eyes, getting up to answer it, she knew there were only a few possibilities as to who could be calling.

Fallon, Marley's best friend that was still back in Australia at the moment. She wasn't Australian—actually, she was from Italy, and it was easy to tell the moment you heard her accent. While she would call on Marley's cell phone, she knows how much her best friend hates using it so after Marley gave her the home phone number, she resorted to calling on that only.

Zeke, Marley's agent, who had been calling nonstop, desperately trying to get Marley to hire a babysitter for Rhia so she can return to the surfing world. "Everybody loves a great comeback," Marley heard any time she ever talked to Zeke.

Or it would be the school calling to report another "incident" that Rhia had to be involved in. Marley couldn't help but think it was option number three.

Checking the caller ID, Marley wasn't shocked to see HBHS—standing for Huntington Beach High School—lighting the small screen up. The only thing that confused her was the C120 at the end, and the number she wasn't familiar with. "Hello?" Marley answered the phone after the third ring, leaning against the kitchen counter as she did so.

"Hi, is Mrs. Luna in?" A masculine voice responded through the receiver. Whoever it was sounded...manly, and Marley couldn't help but wonder what he looked like.

"Yes, but it's not Mrs. Just Miss." Marley attempted to ignore the tug at her heart and the sting of her eyes, pushing the thought of 'I would've been Mrs. Conner next month if I hadn't caught him cheating' to the back of her mind.

"Oh, well, excuse my mistake. I'm Matt Sanders, your sister's Art teacher—" He paused to see if Marley had any comments to make, and was pleasantly stunned when she didn't. "She's in my second period block. Rhia's typically quiet in my class, and focuses on her work only—believe it or not." A hearty chuckle came through the phone, and Marley found herself laughing lightly as well. "And even though I'm aware of what occurred a few days ago with Josh Leeway and Bethany Parker, and while her brashness is admirable, it doesn't make up for a few very unnecessary comments she made today. I was calling to request a teacher's conference—if you have the time that is."

"Yes, of course I do. When would you like to have the conference?" Marley pinched the bridge of her nose before running her unoccupied hand through her hair.

"Today, if you could work it around your schedule. Rhia told me of her tryouts today, and since I don't have a sixth period, you could come in from twelve ten to one o' clock. The conference itself will roughly last a half hour. If this doesn't work for you, we can have it tomorrow at two." Matt explained, waiting patiently for Marley's reply.

"Today would work out just fine, Mr. Sanders. Thank you for taking time out of your day to call me." Marley bit back a sigh and rolled her neck, staring at the ceiling.

"Please, call me Matt. My classroom can be difficult to get to, so stop in the office and ask Mrs. Hoy or the secretary, Darla, how to get here. I look forward to meeting you, Miss Luna."

"If I have to call you Matt, you have to call me Marley." She couldn't wipe the smile off of her lips, and she found it odd to have any sort of flirtatiousness in her tone. His laugh came through the phone, and Marley decided then that she liked it.

"It's a deal. I'll see you in a little while then, Marley." And that was the end of the conversation.

Five hours later, Marley was standing in front of her closet's full length mirror examining her outfit with a slight smirk. She hadn't gotten this "glammed up" for as long as she could remember; she even went as far as to wear lipstick, something she hadn't done in a long time. She also decided it was a must that she tucked her white tanktop into the skirt, and was overall happy with what she had chosen to wear.

When her eyes reached the 'dream' necklace hanging above her collarbone, her smirk grew into a full blown smile. It had been a present when she was just in middle school from her mom; back then, it hung way lower, but now it was practically a choker. Her mother, Lucille, had never given up the price of the jewelry, but Marley knew it was expensive. It was the last present she got from her mother before she died in a fatal car crash, leaving her to live with her father, his then-girlfriend, Rachael, and a young Rhiannon.

The shark tooth necklace that hung a little lower than her mother's last present made her smile fade. It had been her first anniversary present from Auden, and that was three years ago. The stack of rings that adorned her left middle finger were a present from Auden too, given to her one year ago; 'tu es pulchra' was engraved on every single seperate ring, and it was Latin for 'you are beautiful'.

With an eye roll, Marley ran a brush through her wavy locks before heading out, putting her aviators on as she grabbed her car keys and unfortunately, her cell phone.

On the way to the school, Marley listened to the local pop station before she couldn't take it anymore, and popped an old cassette tape from Sublime in. She never updated her Jeep, because as said before, she didn't see the need for electronics.

Once she arrived at the school, she parked her car in the row where the teacher's were supposed to park, pulling into a space beside a brand new black Challenger; she dropped her sunglasses into the cupholder before climbing out of the Jeep with a sigh. Marley took her time walking into the school and entered the office with a smile. "Hi, Darla, can you please give me directions to Mr. Sanders's room?" At that moment was when she remembered Rhia's comments about him the day she was suspended—she had taken his parking spot the other day.

"Uh, sure, honey. Here. I'll just highlight it on this map. As long as you have a map, it isn't that hard to find." Darla grinned as she took one of the school's map and highlighted his classroom with a green highlighter. "Have fun, he's pretty easy on the eyes, if you know what I mean," Darla winked as she went back to typing on her computer.

It took Marley all of twenty minutes to find his classroom—Rhia wasn't kidding when she said it was on the other side of the school. Although the door was open, Marley still knocked on the door since she didn't want to intrude uninvited. The only person in the room had their back to her, but it was obvious it was a man...a well defined man, that is. Muscles flexed and rippled underneath the white t-shirt he was wearing, and broad shoulders moved as his hand led a lone paintbrush all over a canvas.

He was tall—what Marley would estimate to be six one—meaning she wouldn't dwarf him at her height of five ten like she did with a lot of people. Tattoos covered his arms, though they looked rather attractive on him. Marley could tell his ears were gauged, but she didn't know what size they were; his dark hair was just long enough for somebody to grasp onto—not that Marley had thoughts like this in her head or anything...

"Uh, hello." Marley finally cleared her throat, breaking Matt from his concentration as he whirled around. He hadn't heard her when she knocked—he had been too focused on painting.

Finally, I can put a face to a voice. Marley thought, and she decided his voice fit with his image well. To put it lightly, he was hot. The lip ring only added to his sex appeal, and Marley nearly melted when she locked eyes with his hazel orbs.

"Hi, please, come in." Matt smiled, showing off dimples that Marley decided made him even sexier.

How could such a perfect specimen of man be created? Marley questioned herself mentally as she moved into the room, taking a seat where Matt gestured for her too.

Matt was trying to keep his eyes from staring at Marley's long, tanned legs. She was beautiful, and there were a few things he couldn't resist about a woman—legs that went on for miles, an accent, and dark green eyes. Each of which she had.

"So, what is it that my sister said?" Marley asked with a sigh, hoping that it wasn't anything that would get her suspended...again.

"Well, she's always been pretty bold, but this morning, she openly hit on one of the other students. This would have normally been acceptable, since I really don't care, but then she began to get...what's the word? Uh, raunchy. Again, I could care less—how my students talk is a way to express themselves, so they can cuss as much as they want and make dirty jokes—like I said I don't care. But Rhia took it a little far when she began insulting other students about their beliefs and religion. Normally, I'm supposed to report something of this nature to the office, but I asked Rhia to apologize, and since she did—whether she meant or not—I decided only to call you to discuss this." Matt scratched the back of his neck as he leaned against the side of his desk.

"I apologize on behalf of my sister." Marley looked up at Matt, seeing him with a lopsided grin on his lips.

"No need too. Rhia stayed after class and gave me a sincere apology. Even though she may not have meant it when she talked to the girl, I know she meant it when she said it to me. My students have always known that they can come talk to me if anything is wrong, and they often times to come to me. I hadn't known of Mr. Luna's suicide until Rhia told me this morning. It's the first time she mentioned you, too. She, uh, has a lot of respect for you—even though she may not always show it." Matt tossed a glance at Marley, smiling slightly.

"Thank you for that. It means a lot. I was the only person who could take care of her after our dad committed suicide." The words sounded weird coming out of her mouth—Marley had never once said it out loud. "Her mom is off in Africa somewhere—saving children when she couldn't even take care of her own." Marley scoffed with a shake of her head as she wrung her hands together multiple times; it was a nervous habit of hers. "Rhia didn't have any family left but me, and while I know she probably hates the situation, I don't." She finally stopped fidgeting, though it seemed that she had suddenly become interested in the floral pattern of her skirt.

"You're brave," Those two simple words made Marley's head jerk in Matt's direction, only to see him smiling at her. Before she could say, "for what", Matt was explaining why, "You're what—in your mid-twenties? And you're taking care of a shameless, brutally honest seventeen-year-old teenager. That's one of the most courageous things you can do," He smirked lightly at the faint blush that rose on Marley's tanned cheeks.

"Uh, thank you, again. You really have a way with words, Matt." Marley said before adding, "And I'm twenty-seven, by the way. So I'm actually in my late-twenties."

"I couldn't tell. You look younger, twenty-four or twenty-five. I'm twenty-nine." Matt finally rounded the desk to take a seat on a paint stained, beaten up, black leather chair.

"Thanks, I'll take that as a compliment." Marley chuckled lightly before commenting, "You look like you could be a bit younger too."

Marley hadn't realized how off topic they had gotten until just then, and she found herself blushing furiously, causing her to look out of the windows that lined one portion of the room.

Although it was silent in the room, excluding the talking coming from down the hall in another classroom, Marley found that it wasn't as awkward as she thought it would be. Then again, she never thought she would go to a teacher's conference either—at least for another fifteen years when she would have had kids of her own with Auden.

"Anyways, I also wanted to show you some of Rhia's work, and talk about her future. She's got the most talent that I've ever seen, and I can see her making something of herself as an artist." Matt broke the silence, pulling out a manila folder from one of the drawers.

"Has Rhia talked to you about college?" Marley suddenly questioned, knowing better than to feel upset that her sister didn't come to her on the matter.

"Yes. She's said if she had to stay in state, her first choice would be UCLA, but she dreams of attending Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Missouri." Matt responded without hesitation as he opened the folder and began to pluck certain pieces of paper out of it. "These are only sketches, because Rhia takes most of her work everywhere with her, but you know that mural on the wall as soon as you walk in the school?" Matt raised his eyebrow in question, and when Marley nodded, he smiled brightly. "Rhia did it," He concluded before passing her the pieces of papers.

Marley was amazed by what her younger sister could do. Some of the sketches were abstract while others were portraits. There was even one of Matt, and at the top, it said 'to Mattie'.

"These are great, really. I've never seen her stuff before," Marley couldn't find the right words to describe what she thought of Rhia's work; it was all gorgeous—but she found herself speechless, actually.

"Yeah, I know," Matt grinned like a proud brother or father would as he began to put all of the papers away, flicking through the papers once again when they were all in place. "Uh, here, take this. She drew it for you." The twenty-nine-year-old handed one of the papers to Marley, and when she saw it, it nearly had the ability to bring tears to her eyes.

It was more of a full sketch of Marley, standing in front of an ocean with a surfboard under her arm.

Maybe she figured it out after all. Marley thought as she smiled at Matt, silently thanking him.

"Please, let me escort you to your car. I think time slipped away from us—the students will be getting out of class in a few minutes, and you'll be trampled in the halls, trust me." Matt chuckled lightly, standing from his seat.

"Or you just want to walk me to my car." Marley didn't know the words were coming out of her mouth until after she heard them, and she was mentally slapping herself. "I did go to high school at one time." Marley added, smiling at Matt as a blush rose in his cheeks.

"Well then, I'd like to walk you to your car if you don't mind," He rephrased with a smirk, and when Marley nodded, the pair proceeded to walk out of the Art room.

"So, where were you living before you came to take care of Rhia?" Matt asked as they walked down the hall slowly. Certain classroom doors were open, and the students were able to see "the hottest teacher in school" talking to the young woman. Rumors were beginning to start, and gossip was going to be flooding the halls in less than three minutes—when school ended.

"Australia, thought you would have caught onto the accent by now, eh?" Marley smirked, giving Matt a harmless shove that hardly made him move as pink tinted his cheeks once again.

"You could have came from somewhere else, though." Matt muttered, somewhat embarassed.

"Yeah, that's true."

When the bell rang, Matt sighed with an eye roll, grinning slightly at the woman beside him as students began to pile out of classrooms and fill the halls.

"Hey, Sandy!" A boy that was roughly five eleven with shaggy, brown hair and shocking blue eyes bumped fists with the older man before nodding suggestively at Marley.

"Damn, he gets all of the ladies." A random student mumbled as he walked by, shaking his head in obvious agitation.

"I assume you're popular around here." Marley said, looking over at Matt as the two maneuvered around a group of blonde girls who were all talking at a speed Marley couldn't comprehend. They all stopped as Matt wiggled by them, and they all giggled, waving at him in unison before glaring at Marley.

"You could say that, I guess." Matt shrugged, tossing a smile over his shoulder at Marley before taking her hand and lacing his fingers with hers without thinking as he began to weave them through sets of people, ignoring the students' that were staring.

Less than fifteen minutes later, they were out of the school and walking towards the parking lot, and Matt began to laugh at the sight of Marley's Jeep. "So you're the one who stole my parking lot the other day!"

"Yeah," Marley muttered sheepishly, realizing that their fingers' were still locked tightly together before she awkwardly pulled away.

"No hard feelings if you let me take you out to dinner tomorrow." The words rolled off his tongue smoothly, and when Marley looked over at him, her eyes widening a fraction as her jaw opened—unnoticeably, she hoped—to see him smiling charmingly, she didn't know if anyone could ever say "no" to him.

"Okay, that sounds good to me." Marley returned the smile, feeling the heat of the sun beating down on her face.


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