Harbour Lights
while you were looking for yourself out there
William Banfield was a modern Peter Pan. In seventh grade he thought it was funny when he pants-ed people in the hallways. And when he was a senior in high school, he still found it hilarious.
He never grew up.
He was just as immature as he was two years ago. When Marilyn left she had broken his heart and he was still angry at her for it. And he had every right to hold a grudge, but the way he acted around her was just so juvenile. First he insulted her over the speakers at the concert, and then he humiliated her by yelling at her in front of all of her ex-friends…he just didn't know when to stop.
So when he found out that his best friend was secretly talking to Marilyn Day, he went a bit overboard.
"What the fuck, Adam?" he seethed. He was in no condition to punch him, despite how much he wanted to, because he was still stuck in his hospital bed. "How can you be talking to that bitch? And why the hell did you bring her here?"
"The only one who's being a bitch is you, Billy," Adam said coolly. Normally he would avoid fighting with his friend at all costs, but Marilyn Day needed someone to stick up for her for once.
"I really didn't think that you were the sort of person who did things behind my back."
"She needed a friend, Billy, and I was the only one left for her."
"She doesn't deserve anyone," Will shouted.
"Yes, she does," Adam insisted. "And she deserves to be treated better than the way you've been dealing with her."
"And what about me? Don't you think I deserved any fucking better?" Will snapped. The room fell silent. "She left me a one-lined note," Will continued. "After proposing to her, she left me one measly sentence scribbled on a piece of paper, and then leaves the fucking continent." After Adam failed to come up with something good to say to that, Will sighed and turned to look out the window. "I deserved better than that."
And yet, he couldn't help but feel that she deserved better than him in the first place.
◊ ◊ ◊
After Marilyn had said yes to being Will's girlfriend, Will became terrified.
He was scared that he was going to wake up from this dream. He would jolt upright in bed, feeling ecstatic, but then all of this would come crashing down as he realized that none of that had happened.
Much to Will's surprise, though, none of that happened. This was real. He was dating Marilyn Day. He simply couldn't believe it. How did she ever say yes? Was there some chance that she was drunk during math class? That would be a more logical explanation.
Marilyn was shy, yet fun and outgoing. She was smart and yet she could be idiotically funny, which was the same exact sense of humor Will had. She was composed but, when you really got to know her, she acted silly and immature. Maybe not as immature as Will could be, but still – it was close.
She was a balance of everything good. She was perfect.
And that's exactly why he was so shocked when she had said yes. He felt like he didn't deserve her.
◊ ◊ ◊
Marilyn had no idea what she was doing at the hospital.
After Adam had called her, she didn't even hesitate when she jumped in her car and began driving. She didn't waste any time when she burst through the front doors and asked the nurse at the front desk where William Banfield's room was.
But now…now she was having some second thoughts.
Marilyn was waiting outside the door, waiting to go into Will's room. Unfortunately, the door had been left wide open. She couldn't see Adam or Will, but she could hear them. She listened to their entire conversation. It hurt, too. And it didn't hurt because Will was being cruel and spiteful – she was used to that already.
It hurt because what he said was true.
Marilyn decided that now was not a good time to see him. Well, then again, it would never be a good time to see him. She shouldn't have come in the first place. She began to walk away, her flip flops slapping the tiled floor with each step she took. She believed that leaving would make it easier for both of them.
And apparently, Will thought so too. "I don't want to see her," she heard his determined voice bounce off the walls of his room. "Not now, not ever. I never want to see Marilyn's face again."
That one, surprisingly, did not hurt as much. Instead of feeling the need to break down and cry – which had become a frequent habit recently - she just stopped in her tracks and rolled her eyes. Will was just being a stubborn little baby now.
Something inside her suddenly changed. She turned on her heel and resolutely made her way back to the room, sitting back down on the chair outside the door where she had just been sitting. She would see Will, whether he liked it or not. She was tired of running away. Enough was enough.
And so she waited. It was 11:31 a.m. She waited twenty-six minutes for Will and Adam to argue it out. She waited another fourteen minutes for their voices to die down. Then she waited sixteen and a half minutes for them to exchange apologies and make up. Then another three minutes passed; Adam left, but Will still refused to let her in.
The clock struck 12:30 and Marilyn Day was still waiting for William Banfield to just grow up already.
He never grew up.
He was just as immature as he was two years ago. When Marilyn left she had broken his heart and he was still angry at her for it. And he had every right to hold a grudge, but the way he acted around her was just so juvenile. First he insulted her over the speakers at the concert, and then he humiliated her by yelling at her in front of all of her ex-friends…he just didn't know when to stop.
So when he found out that his best friend was secretly talking to Marilyn Day, he went a bit overboard.
"What the fuck, Adam?" he seethed. He was in no condition to punch him, despite how much he wanted to, because he was still stuck in his hospital bed. "How can you be talking to that bitch? And why the hell did you bring her here?"
"The only one who's being a bitch is you, Billy," Adam said coolly. Normally he would avoid fighting with his friend at all costs, but Marilyn Day needed someone to stick up for her for once.
"I really didn't think that you were the sort of person who did things behind my back."
"She needed a friend, Billy, and I was the only one left for her."
"She doesn't deserve anyone," Will shouted.
"Yes, she does," Adam insisted. "And she deserves to be treated better than the way you've been dealing with her."
"And what about me? Don't you think I deserved any fucking better?" Will snapped. The room fell silent. "She left me a one-lined note," Will continued. "After proposing to her, she left me one measly sentence scribbled on a piece of paper, and then leaves the fucking continent." After Adam failed to come up with something good to say to that, Will sighed and turned to look out the window. "I deserved better than that."
And yet, he couldn't help but feel that she deserved better than him in the first place.
◊ ◊ ◊
After Marilyn had said yes to being Will's girlfriend, Will became terrified.
He was scared that he was going to wake up from this dream. He would jolt upright in bed, feeling ecstatic, but then all of this would come crashing down as he realized that none of that had happened.
Much to Will's surprise, though, none of that happened. This was real. He was dating Marilyn Day. He simply couldn't believe it. How did she ever say yes? Was there some chance that she was drunk during math class? That would be a more logical explanation.
Marilyn was shy, yet fun and outgoing. She was smart and yet she could be idiotically funny, which was the same exact sense of humor Will had. She was composed but, when you really got to know her, she acted silly and immature. Maybe not as immature as Will could be, but still – it was close.
She was a balance of everything good. She was perfect.
And that's exactly why he was so shocked when she had said yes. He felt like he didn't deserve her.
◊ ◊ ◊
Marilyn had no idea what she was doing at the hospital.
After Adam had called her, she didn't even hesitate when she jumped in her car and began driving. She didn't waste any time when she burst through the front doors and asked the nurse at the front desk where William Banfield's room was.
But now…now she was having some second thoughts.
Marilyn was waiting outside the door, waiting to go into Will's room. Unfortunately, the door had been left wide open. She couldn't see Adam or Will, but she could hear them. She listened to their entire conversation. It hurt, too. And it didn't hurt because Will was being cruel and spiteful – she was used to that already.
It hurt because what he said was true.
Marilyn decided that now was not a good time to see him. Well, then again, it would never be a good time to see him. She shouldn't have come in the first place. She began to walk away, her flip flops slapping the tiled floor with each step she took. She believed that leaving would make it easier for both of them.
And apparently, Will thought so too. "I don't want to see her," she heard his determined voice bounce off the walls of his room. "Not now, not ever. I never want to see Marilyn's face again."
That one, surprisingly, did not hurt as much. Instead of feeling the need to break down and cry – which had become a frequent habit recently - she just stopped in her tracks and rolled her eyes. Will was just being a stubborn little baby now.
Something inside her suddenly changed. She turned on her heel and resolutely made her way back to the room, sitting back down on the chair outside the door where she had just been sitting. She would see Will, whether he liked it or not. She was tired of running away. Enough was enough.
And so she waited. It was 11:31 a.m. She waited twenty-six minutes for Will and Adam to argue it out. She waited another fourteen minutes for their voices to die down. Then she waited sixteen and a half minutes for them to exchange apologies and make up. Then another three minutes passed; Adam left, but Will still refused to let her in.
The clock struck 12:30 and Marilyn Day was still waiting for William Banfield to just grow up already.