They're Just Girls

Marley's POV

"You were walking around downtown with your pants off?!" I squealed covering my mouth to drown out my laughter.

"Yeah, not my best moment." Michael replied, chuckling slightly.

It was after school and we had decided to hang out. So far we had gotten along well, he was funny and a bit sarcastic but nice, I was suprised he was even in this program at all, but then again doing bad things and being a bad person are two diffrent things. We were in my room, my parents not yet home from work, they probably wouldn't be until Michael was long gone anyway.

My parents and I had a weird relationship, they were always working so I only saw them occasionally during the week and on Sundays, when they forced me to church, not that they followed any rules of religion, they definitely loved their money more than anything and took too much pride in their ranking in the disgusting aristocratic society they called their friends, because all that really matters in this world is money and status. The way my parents saw me was merely as bonus points on the image they were trying so hard to create, I had to wear the right clothes, get the right grades, hang out with the right people, and it was tiring, all too keep up with their county club socialites, I hated it.

"What about you? Any terrible drunken tales?" He spun around in the chair at my desk.

"Well, there was this one time, I don' t drink or party ever really, but my parents dragged me along to this dinner thing at their country club and me and this guy, Andy, who I've known for like my whole life, we kind of share the same views on all of this banquet, money, stuff, anyway, we stole a bottle of champagne from the kitchen and ended up drinking nearly all of it on the golf course, which was definitely not a good idea," I glanced up at him to see if he was paying any attention to my story to see his eyes trained on my in interest listening intently, "long story short, we ended up in our underwear, butts pressed against the banquet room windows, yelling 'Canyon Springs can kiss my ass!' It was really embarrassing and I got in a lot of trouble for that one."

He laughed loudly clapping his hands together, "Oh my God! That's hilarious!"

"I was forced to take cotilian classes for that one!"

"So your parents are up tight?"

"Yeah, they're definitely hard to get along with, but I try stay out of trouble, and they're gone with business a lot so it's not too bad."

"I bet they would kill you if they saw you hanging out with someone like me." Michael let out an airy laugh.

I nodded, hesitantly, not wanting to hurt his feelings, "Only, because they're shallow."

"Marley dear, are you home?" There was a knock on my door.

"Yeah, I'm here."

She opened the door, her eyes going wide at the sight of the blue haired cutie.

"Who are you?" She glared icily at Michael, not even trying to hide her distaste for him. I felt bad, and could practically see him shrinking from across the room.

"Hello ma'am, I'm Michael." He stood nervously, obviously intimidated by the string of pearls around her neck and she sharp angles of her pant suit, unsure if he should offer her a hand shake or keep his distance, ultimately deciding to keep his distance.

"Oh, the project kid." Her voice was condescending, making Michael's face fall.

"Mom!" I'm sure she would get on to me for correcting her but I didn't want her to degrade Michael the way she did me.

"We'll talk about this later." She warned marching out the way she came.

"Don't mind her, she doesn't like me either." I told him, patting the spot on the bed next to me for him to sit.

"Why not?"

I shrugged, not sure what to say, it's not that she didn't like me, "She just treats me more like an object than a person I guess."

He looked down at me, a sad smile on his lips, "I hate that, parents, they can say and do whatever they want deeming being "older and wiser" as an actual reason, as if that makes it okay to completely degrade their own flesh and blood. It's angering." He said hotly, getting more frustrated with each word, more emotionally invested in the conversation than I would have ever imagined.

I nodded, agreeing with him, getting angry myself, thinking about all of the things I had been forced into against my will, all of the mean terrible things that had been spouted at me during arguments, but no one ever takes me seriously, approaching my every problem with the mind set of "poor little rich girl". Michael was different.

"Do you want to go somewhere?" I asked after we had been silent for a while, tired of being trapped inside this house that wasn't really a home, only four walls designed to hide the imperfections of a seemingly perfect family.

"Where?"

"Anywhere." I shrugged.

"Sure." He smiled.

The two of us crept quietly down the stairs, sneaking past my parents closed bedroom door and finally out the front door. The sun was beginning to set, and it would probably be dark soon, but still we walked without destination.

"My family and I, we don't really get along either." He spoke softly, hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans.

"Why is that?"

"Well I'm obviously not a model child." He laughed, and I joined him, feeling stupid for asking.

"I used to be a lot more bothered by it, but I figured out that blasting angry music can be a better therapist than anything." He glanced down at me, the edges of his lips curled up in a smile.

"I'll have to try that sometime."

Cleo's POV

"He's beyond frustrating and he barely talks which only makes this more difficult! Plus he's got an attitude and, oh, yeah, he'd killed someone!" Locklyn ranted pacing back and forth in my room, where we were currently "studying".

"It's only been two days just give it time." I tried to comfort her, hoping I would take some of my own advice and find some kind of peace with the way things were between Luke and I.

"Marley and Michael are already like best friends! Why can't Ashton just be easy?" She whined, throwing herself face down on to my bed.

"She's got it easy, that's for sure."

"How are things with Luke?"

"They could be better." I told honestly, "He's such a perv, I wish he would just be normal! This whole thing is exhausting!" I exclaimed, getting annoyed just by the thought of him.

"Why don't you tell Ferguson, or that Carr guy?"

I shook my head, knowing that isn't how I wanted to go about things. Luke was bothering me, but I wasn't a snitch and I didn't want any more light shed on the uncomfortable subject.

"I could punch him for you." Locklyn joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"No it's okay, I don't think that will be necessary...Yet."

I hoped it would never come to that and Luke would eventually fix his manners all on his own. He was stubborn and I knew if I pushed he would only push back ten times harder, it was up to him to change on his own, for himself, because it was obvious the only thing that mattered to Luke, was Luke.