Harbour Lights

Marilyn Day wanted absolutely nothing to do with William Banfield. She couldn't bear to be within a fifty mile radius from where he was. She didn't want to hear his voice, she didn’t want to put up with his constant scowling and whining, she didn't want to smell his cologne that she used to be so obsessed with…she didn't even want to look at his stupid face. She needed him out of her life. She had done that successfully once, and it had worked for the past two years. Now she was back in Ogunquit – which was his territory now – and running away wasn't an option.

But at least walking away was.

Before Will had the chance to say anything to her, she spun on her heel and briskly began stalking off. She was slightly angry that Chante had run off with Adam, leaving her alone with this…this thing called Billy. But there was no way in heaven or hell that she was going to be stuck here alone with him.

"Marilyn," she heard him call after her. She was shocked that he would even attempt to stop her; so shocked, in fact, that she actually stopped in her tracks and waited for him to say something. "Wait," he added. His tone was soft and almost gentle, which was a total 360 from the yelling he was doing last night.

Slowly, ever so slowly, she turned around to face him. She wasn't exactly sure why she was even giving him the time of day. Not even twenty-four hours ago he was mocking her and insulting her, and now, what, was he going to ask her to hang out or something? Yeah. Right. She should have given him a piece of her mind right then and there, maybe tell him off for being such a jackass, or maybe dump her strawberry smoothie all over his messy auburn hair.

But she did none of those. It wasn't in her nature to be so upfront. She was the type of girl that buried her emotions and hid everything from the world. Sometimes she wished she was different – that she could actually tell people what was on her mind – but being so introverted was just in her nature. So, instead, she just waited to hear what Will had to say.

"Before you walk away…" he began slowly, taking a small step forward. He was frowning slightly and his forehead creased a little bit; Marilyn recognized this as a sign that he was thinking. "…I just wanted to ask you one small question."

"I can't promise that I'll answer it," she answered quietly, and her voice was barely audible over the buzz coming from the bustling town center.

He stared at her for a long moment. "Why did you leave?" he finally asked.

Without saying a word, Marilyn turned around again and walked away. This time Will didn't try to stop her, and she didn't glance back, not once.

That was one question that Marilyn Day could not and would not answer.

◊ ◊ ◊

"Will, I need to ask you something," Marilyn said one sunny afternoon.

School had just gotten out and, since they were both seniors, they decided to forget about homework and go to the beach. They were currently laying in Will's Jeep with the top off and the windows down. Sprawled out across the backseat, the two were laying in opposite directions so that their feet dangled out the windows. Their heads were side by side as they stared up at the crystal blue sky and watched the clouds pass, and Will was casually twirling a lock of Marilyn's golden hair. The emotion that Marilyn was feeling right now could only be described as contentment; she would never, ever want this to end.

"Ask me anything," Will mumbled. Out of the corner of her eye, Marilyn could see that he was feeling relaxed and lazy from the sun.

"What are we going to do once school ends?" she asked. "I mean, with college and everything. What's going to happen when we decide to go our separate ways and – "

"Mare, shh," Will hushed her. "Don't think like that. We're never going to separate, 'kay?"

"But – "

"No but's, no if's, no however's," he said, and he laughed lightly. "We're going to live here in Ogunquit forever and then get married and have kids and live happily ever after, the end."

"…How many kids?" she asked coyly. Will had a way with words and he always made her smile, even if she was worried about things like this. He was always so carefree and happy. That's why she liked him.

"Twenty-seven," he replied smoothly, and she laughed out loud. That was another thing that Will could do: he could make her laugh harder than anyone else could.

"We're probably going to be very busy," she joked.

"We should probably get started right now," he said and before she could even scream his lips were upon hers.

"Will, stop it, we're in public," she screeched as soon as she the opportunity to speak. He laughed and pecked her once more on the lips, lightly, and then leaned back and stared at her. "What?" she asked, fighting a blush as she became slightly uncomfortable under his unfaltering gaze.

"Nothing," he said, and a smile broke out across his face like a sunrise. "I was just thinking."

Marilyn fidgeted with her hair nervously. "Yeah? About what?"

"Do you really think we're going to do all of that?" he asked. His smile was gone, and Marilyn could tell that this was one of the rare moments when he was being serious.

"Do what? Have twenty-seven kids?" she asked. "I don't think I'd ever be able to pee properly again."

"No," he laughed, "not that. I mean you and me. Forever."

She smiled. "Yeah," she said, biting her lip shyly, though her answer was honest.

"You really think we can last forever, though?"

"Forever's not that long if I'm with you."

"That was lame."

"I know," she laughed loudly. "Sorry."

He slid over on the seat so he was closer to her and he cupped her cheek in his hand. "I think that happily-ever-after shebang is full of shit," he said. He was testing her, she could tell. He was seeing if she really believed that they were going to work out.

"Yeah? Well I thinkyou're full of shit," she responded and kissed him swiftly on the lips. He grinned slightly but said nothing. He was clearly thinking about something; despite his smile, he was frowning a little and the familiar crease had returned to his forehead. "Seriously, Will," she said, letting out a small sigh. "I was worrying about college literally two minutes ago and you told me to relax. I think you need to follow your own advice."

"Yeah, babe, I know, but – "

"Listen," she said, and turned so that she was looking him straight in the eye. "I'm not going to leave you. Not now, not ever. I promise."

◊ ◊ ◊

Marilyn Day was a liar and Will hated her for it.

It was nighttime now. When Evie had learned that he was in a better mood she had come over, and now she was sprawled out in his bed, her clothes on the floor. Unlike her, Will wasn't so tired from their previous activities. As soon as they were done he had gotten up – careful not to wake her – and travelled down to his basement.

He needed a break. He needed to relax.

He needed another dose.

The old, unused desk sitting in the corner was the perfect hiding spot. All of the drawers were gathering dust – actually, it was all of the drawers but one. This specific drawer was opened a bit more frequently than Will would like to admit. It was used for Will to hide his stash, and although it seemed like a pretty obvious place to conceal something, no one would ever think to look there. It's not like anyone even noticed the things he was doing, anyway.

He opened up the drawer and the creaking sound made his heart quicken in anticipation. He was almost excited for it.

Will was a rock star, and being a rock star had its quirks. It wasn't as dazzling as he thought it was going to be. Sometimes there was a lot of pressure, and Will had been introduced to new things to help cope with this pressure. The shimmer of this Hollywood image had died out long ago, and Will now knew the darker side of things.

The only problem was Will had grown to like this darker side. Will had become addicted to it.

He had gotten a little better though, even to the point that he was almost ready to quit altogether. But when he had seen Marilyn at the concert, all of his hope for quitting was diminished. That girl always found a way to ruin everything. Will only used in case he was stressed, and Marilyn was causing a lot of stress. He took out the needle and flicked it twice. Sometimes this was his only option.

As said before, he needed a break, and he needed to relax.

He needed to forget about Marilyn Day.