CHAPTER TWO
⭑༅enigma ༅⭑
↳ season one episode one ↲

𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗘𝗬 𝗛𝗔𝗗 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 convinced Alicia to let her go to Lydia's party, explaining how it could help "broaden her horizons". Alicia had responded with a skeptical look, but she was tired of having Marley cooped up at home all the time, so she let her with the promise that Marley would come home at a reasonable time.

Marley made her way over to her cousin's house, parking a few blocks away to avoid the car being damaged by the rowdy and intoxicated teenagers. The sound of loud music and laughter grew louder as she approached the party, the thumping bass vibrating through the ground.

Entering the house, she was immediately hit with a wave of excitement and energy - or maybe it was just the fumes of alcohol. Marley scanned the room, spotting familiar faces. Tyler was engaged in a conversation with a group of guys from the lacrosse team.

A smile lit up Marley's face as she made her way toward him. "Hey."

He turned towards her, a grin breaking across his face. "Well, well, look who finally showed up, you off of house arrest?"

"Yeah, I had to pull a few strings, though."

Tyler chuckled, but his attention seemed to drift towards someone else in the crowd. "I've got to run, but I think Lydia was looking for you." He planted a quick kiss on Marley's cheek before disappearing through the sea of teenagers.

"Okay," Marley murmured, suddenly feeling a bit out of place. She rarely attended parties, and when she did, it was usually either to see Tyler or because Lydia had coerced her into coming along.

Speaking of the redhead, Marley finally spotted her amidst a small group of friends. Figuring she'd rather be with them than alone, she maneuvered her way through the crowd and joined Lydia outside.

Lydia noticed her cousin approaching and greeted her with enthusiasm. "Hey, you made it," she exclaimed. "I thought I told you to wear that cute skirt we picked out."

"Oh, I must've forgotten," Marley lied. The skirt was, in fact, still untouched on her bed, as she wasn't sure if it was appropriate - for her at least.

Lydia shook her head, "Well, next time." They continued their conversation, Marley joining in every now and again.

After taking a sip of her drink, Marley decided it was time for a refill and headed over to the drinks table, where she was met with another familiar face. "Oh, thank god. Allison!"

Allison turned around, taking a sip of her drink. "Marley!"

As Marley approached the table, she couldn't help but admire Allison's outfit. "You look fantastic."

Allison chuckled modestly. "Thanks. Have you seen Scott by any chance?"

Marley shook her head while accepting the drink Allison had just poured for her. "I've been with Lydia the whole time."

"We came together, but he kept disappearing on me. And then we were dancing, and he kinda freaked out on me."

Allison sighed, taking another sip of her drink as she scanned the room. "I tried to calm him down, but he ditched me. I thought this was supposed to be a date, but it doesn't seem that way."

"Wait, you and Scott?" Marley raised an eyebrow. "Wow, I never would've guessed." She then noticed the look of desperation on her friend's face, "Never mind. Look, I'm sure he's fine. He might just not be feeling well," she attempted to reassure the Argent girl.

Their conversation was interrupted when Marley felt a tap on her shoulder. She spun around to see a man, oddly familiar, looking down at her. "Allison, Marley. I'm a friend of Scott's. My name is Derek."

He offered to take the two girls home, and Marley was about to decline, as she had her own car, but Allison agreed before she could voice her concerns. Marley didn't know if Allison was being naive or if she was just drunk, but she didn't trust Derek to take Allison home safely.

So, she reluctantly agreed, planning to have Lydia drive her car home the next day. Explaining this to her aunt, Alicia, would be a challenge, but it was a risk she felt she had to take.

The two young women settled into the back seat of the car, both preferring not to be alone in the front. "So, you're a friend of Scott's?" Allison inquired politely.

Derek nodded as he navigated the road. "I met him a couple of weeks ago. He asked me to pick you guy up cause he wasn't feeling well."

"Oh," Allison replied, her gaze wandering outside the window.

After a brief silence, Marley turned to the man and questioned, "How did you know who I was?"

"I'm know your aunt. We go way back," Derek replied simply glancing up at her in the review mirror.

Marley regarded the man skeptically. "She's never mentioned you. Why do you think that is?" She challenged, clearly unconvinced.

Derek let out a sigh. He should have guessed that Alicia's niece would be the one to ask countless questions. Not only did Marley bear a striking resemblance to her aunt, but their mannerisms were nearly identical. "We lost touch a few years ago. Our parting wasn't on the best terms." He watched her through the mirror.

Marley offered a thoughtful hum in response. They arrived at Allison's driveway, where the two girls bid each other farewell. Derek continued on his way to Marley's house, and Marley was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't even notice that he hadn't asked for her address.

⭑༅⭑༅⭑

𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗬 𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗗 home, the first thing she noticed was her little sister sitting in the living room, munching on popcorn while the TV played what she believed to be Spider-Man. "How was the party?" Phoebe asked, her attention still fixed on Andrew Garfield.

Marley shrugged and took a seat next to her. "Uneventful." She nonchalantly popped a piece of popcorn into her mouth. "Where's Cia?"

"Sleeping," Phoebe replied with a yawn, her eyes barely leaving the screen.

The two sisters remained in their positions for a while, engrossed in the superhero action, until the doorbell rang, startling them both. Phoebe paused the movie, giving Marley an annoyed look as if it were her sister's fault that her favorite movie was being interrupted.

Rolling her eyes, Marley made her way over to the door, opening it to reveal a frantic and panting Stiles. "Oh, thank God."

Marley chuckled at her neighbor. "Hey there. What're you doing here?"

"Oh, uh," Stiles stammered, looking around nervously as if he were trying to come up with a convincing excuse. "I just...I didn't see you leave the party. Wanted to make sure you were alright."

Marley arched an eyebrow, a playful smile tugging at her lips. "You came all the way here just to check on me? That's sweet, Stiles."

Stiles scratched the back of his head, his cheeks turning slightly pink. "Well, you know, neighbors look out for each other, right?"

Marley chuckled and leaned against the doorframe. "Yeah, I left early with Allison. After, Scott ditched her."

"Oh right," Stiles said, seeming a bit distracted. "He wasn't feeling too hot...the full moon and all."

Marley looked at Stiles with a puzzled expression. "The full moon?"Stiles cleared his throat, realizing he might have revealed something he shouldn't have. "Never mind."

Phoebe, having grown impatient with the interruption, called out from the living room, "Marley, hurry up!"

Marley rolled her eyes and turned back to Stiles. "Sorry," she said, "I should get going before she throws a fit."

"Right, yeah, sorry to bother you."

"It's okay," Marley replied with a warm smile, "Thanks for checking up on me." She slowly closed the door and watched him return to his house next door.

"Who was that?"

"Stiles," Marley stated, taking a seat.

"What did he want?"

"Just checking if I got home safe, I guess."

"Huh, you do realize you have a boyfriend."

"Shut up, B," Marley said with a hint of annoyance. "Stiles and I hardly talk. He was just being a friend."

She grabbed the remote from her sister's grip and pressed play, hoping to divert Phoebe's attention. It worked. But, Marley couldn't help but wonder why a person, whom she hadn't talked to in a year, was checking up on her and her boyfriend hadn't even talked to her when she was at the party.

INEZ SPEAKS
merry christmas eve, lovelies 🎄

how do we feel so far? a lot of ppl like my tiktok 'edit' so i ended up posting.