"Baby when they look up at the sky, we'll be shootin' stars just passing by"- Neon Lights by Demi Lovato

*Warning this is a flashback chapter  and this chapter will be one of five of the flashback chapters which provide insight into Marley's broken past involving Jesse and Iris*

Freshman year. This is it! I was so excited I could barely sleep the night before and today I was a ball of nervy energy waiting to explode. I had laid out my clothes the night before (a blue knee length dress with stockings and my favourite ankle boots) but now I doubted it was good enough. "MUM! I NEED YOU" I called out into our house hoping she'd come running and in typical Grace Ava Gate fashion- she did.

"Sweetheart what's the matter?" Mum stood against the doorframe looking a little amused at the situation before her. "Mum I am having a fashion crisis! What if..." I trailed off awkwardly because I was fourteen! I didn't particularly want to tell her. "What? to impress that boy who you won't tell me about? Oh sweetie pie those hushed whispers with your Aunt Anastasia and Clarion do not go unnoticed" okay well that cats out of the bag.

Mum straightened my dress out and grabbed a black cardigan for me to finish off the look. "You look perfect, no matter what" she kissed my forehead and ushered me downstairs to where I could smell dad cooking breakfast.

"hi Marls, I made your favourite breakfast: waffles with a big dollop of Nutella on top" Dad waved the plate in front of me enticingly and as much as I felt like puking from all of the nerves- I snatched the plate off him. "Oh Chester your going to give her diabetes" my mum shook her head but wrapped her arms around dad anyway and kissed him on the cheek.

"Guys come on PDA!" I poked fun but my parents relationship was perfect and when I was married I wanted a relationship just like theirs. I was half way finished with the waffle when Clarion walked down stairs who unlike me looked calm, cool and collected- I Envied that about her. "Clarion we're going to be late" I shook my head at her, she was constantly making me late. "Umm Marley we don't go to the same school anymore, you travel alone" she smirked and I realised she was right : she was an 8th grader and I was a freshman. Dad and mum laughed lightly as dad offered to drive me to school.

Walking into school, I needed to seek out my closest allies in this war called high school: Jesse Smith and Iris Hamilton. I had almost given up finding them before the bell when I heard it: "Puppy dog!" I knew only one person who called me that - Jesse. Thanks to an awkwardly placed birthmark on the tip of my nose, six year old Jesse has decided I looked like a puppy dog and it stuck (fortunately not well enough for it to become common). Spotting Jesse and Iris I flagged them down "over here" I was standing in from of the rows upon rows of lockers which I had located my own (number 405- numbers and codes emailed to us over the summer). My two friends were really the only ones I had but they seemed different this year, Jesse had developed a rocker vibe over the summer and had become great friends with hair gel, leather and got an earring while Iris developed a preppy look with her olive skin and dark curls she had become stunning. It all felt overwhelming because I was still mediocre Marley.

Our schedules- like many of our other freshman necessities- had been mailed to us. "Alright schedules ready....show!" We all flipped them over on Iris's count and I had quite a few classes with Jesse (five out of eight) but with Iris I only had two but at least we all had the lunch period together. "It's alright we will still have an amazing year just like we promised" I know I was being unbearably optimistic, they just seemed so sad I really wanted them to cheer up.

*Brrriiiiiing* the bell signalled more than the start of the day but a whole new beginning and was scared and excited all at once.

The day seemed to go relatively smoothly and having those five classes with Jesse really made the day so much easier but I felt Iris was't adjusting as well because she kept giving me weird looks all day.

The last class of the day was Biology (which is my favourite class) and that was one of the only classes that I had alone. While note taking I felt something connect with my head and looked around. "Hey you!" I turned to my side and saw a girl trying to get my attention. "Oh hey...your Adele right?" I had met her in home room ,she seemed a little bitchy.

"Yeah and your Marley, Jesses friend right?" Well this is weird "yeah? We've been friends since we were six" I was tentative on where this is going but I had a terrible feeling. "Yeah I was wondering well we were wondering-" she pointed to the girl next to her, Nina I was sure her name was "if Jesse was single"

Woah that wasn't shocking but I felt it was too.

"Umm yeah? But he's not really into dating right now" I knew that was a lie because Jesse was a teenage boy and the worst part was I didn't want Jesse to date Adele or Nina or any female that would flirt their way to him.

Because I was in love with him. Have been since I was ten and I would continue to forever.

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Predictable or not

Sorry for the wait I have been so busy studying for Trials that I almost forgot!!!

Forgive me xx