Heart Of Marley by T.K. Leigh Page B

make friends, ya know.”
    I could feel Cam rolling his eyes.
    “What? They do! It’s a proven fact!”
    Doug wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I leaned into him. “There must be a story here, isn’t there?”
    “Yes. There is.”
    “Care to share, Mar?” Cam asked.
    “Well, when we discovered this place last summer, we set up camp pretty much in this same exact spot. Just down the beach a bit, there was a family with two kids. The sun had just begun to set so there was still a lot of activity on the beach…people running, playing Frisbee, stuff like that. Well, these two little kids stumbled onto our little campsite and saw that we were roasting marshmallows for s’mores.” I paused and slid the gooey marshmallow off my stick and into my mouth before placing on another one and starting to roast it. “Their parents came running after them and apologized for their kids barging in on us, thinking that we were dating. Gross, by the way. No offense, Bri.”
    “None taken.” She grinned.
    “That’s when I explained that we’re twins,” Cam said, continuing with the story. “Turns out, this little boy and girl were twins, too, and we invited them to make s’mores with us. As Marley was preparing them for everyone, she kept saying ‘S’mores make friends’ over and over again. The little kids starting saying it, too. To this day, she says it every time we have s’mores…and M & M’s.”
    “Well, yeah, because M & M’s definitely make friends. Offer someone some chocolaty goodness and they will most certainly say ‘thank you’ and not ‘fuck you’. It’s scientifically proven.”
    Everyone erupted in laughter.
    “I’m not so sure about it being scientifically proven,” Cam said.
    “Okay. Well, it’s Marley proven, so that’s close enough,” I replied lightheartedly.
    “Whatever, Mar,” Cam said, bringing his attention back to Brianna.
    I felt Doug’s lips just a breath away from my neck. “I like the idea of Marley proven,” he whispered. “I like it a lot.”
    I melted into his arms. “Me, too.” I sighed, trying to calm down the butterflies dancing in my stomach.
    The hours passed as we sat around our campfire and roasted marshmallows, talking about everything and nothing at the same time. Normally, I would have been hesitant to be at the secret spot with anyone other than Cam, but something about being there with Doug and Brianna felt so, well…normal. It was as if they were meant to be there with us.
    When we arrived at our school all those years ago, Brianna and I had become friends almost instantly. A few years ago, when her mother re-married, she grew somewhat distant and aloof, probably because of all the drama at home. She was no longer the outgoing, carefree girl that she once was. That was around the same time she began dating Mason. Rumors circulated about what caused a change in her, but I was the last one to ever listen to a rumor, having heard quite a few good ones about myself.
    Regardless, I had always remained close with her. She was probably the only girl in school that I would have considered telling what happened to me.
    I felt a nudge on my head and my eyes flung open. “Oh, I’m sorry,” I said to Doug. “I must have fallen asleep.” I yawned, my eyes heavy with exhaustion.
    “It’s okay.”
    “Yeah, Marley. That’s the way to win a guy. Drool all over him while you snore.”
    I picked up a shell from the beach and chucked it across the fire at Cam. “I was not snoring.” I turned to Doug. “Was I?”
    “Nah, you weren’t. And even if you were, I’m sure it would be the most adorable sound in the world.”
    “She snores, Doug. And it is not adorable. It’s loud. I can feel the wall shake between our bedrooms.”
    “Stop exaggerating, Cameron Michael.” I leaned my head back on Doug’s shoulder, reveling in his comforting warmth.
    “Do you want to go lie down?” he asked softly.
    “I probably should. I’m a little tired.”
    He nodded