MARLEY // Max Mayfield

No Promises

Three hours of sleep and a jug of bitter disgusting coffee later, Marley found herself staring dazedly upon her reflection, poking at the darkness beneath her eyes and dragging her finger across the thin slit running through her face. She pulled away a moment later, so fast as if it was newly cut and instead focussed on the scenery, the green stretches of glade flashing by briefly and blurrily as the car hurtled by. It was the final day before spring break, the final few hours before Marley would disappear off to yet another meeting. Perhaps they'd drop another car on her, or have her run a marathon.

Marley frowned and shook her head, it wasn't as if they'd force her to do anything she didn't want, they never did push her into something she didn't like, it was one of the reasons she liked Dr Owens to an extent. But then she was reminded of all the experiments she had been pulled into, the days out she'd had to bail on, the secrets and lies she'd had to weave. She sighed and looked ahead, resolving to leave her contemplation on whether she liked Dr Owens or not for another day. Or week. Month. Who knew?

"Then there's Heidi tomorrow night, but the problem with Heidi is that she's going out of state for college," Steve told and Marley sighed, wondering if she should actually go back to thinking about Dr Owens. Screw tomorrow, next week, next month, anything to drown out another one of Steve's rants about a girl he'd met. "So it's like, do I really wanna start another relationship that has no point other than sex? I mean, I don't know. Does that make sense to either of you?"

"Don't ask me," Marley muttered, leaning back in her seat to stare up at the ceiling. She tucked her hand in her pocket, fiddling with the cool metal badge she felt there, the grooves of the golden emblem. A sign of authority.

"Fine, Robin -- Robin? Are you listening?" Steve asked, glancing from the road and over to Robin who was fixing her makeup. 

"Uh, yes. Yeah. I'm -- I'm listening," Robin rushed, nodding vehemently as she lowered her mascara.

"What did I say -- what did I just say to you?" Steve said, looking at her again from the road. Marley sighed and shook her head.

"You said something about sex with -- with Linda!" Robin said and Steve scoffed, shaking his head as he slapped his steering wheel.

"No, I'm talking about Heidi!" He cried and Marley desperately wished she had her Walkman. If only to cut herself from the conversation but then she remembered who had that now and she couldn't very well ask for it back. Not that she'd want to.

"Cut me some slack, please!"

"Well..." Steve rubbed at his forehead, throwing his hand up in defeat before glancing up at Marley through his rearview mirror, he smiled and she smiled back, watching as he shook his head when Robin continued to yell.

"Your love life is one of labyrinthine complexity and it is seven in the morning, we have to go to that stupid pep rally, and I woke up looking like a total corpse!" She finished, groaning as she dragged her hands across her face. Marley stared out of the window, withholding her huff at the relatability of the girl's statement.

"You're worried about a pep rally? You expect me to believe that?" Steve scoffed and Robin busied herself with her makeup bag, digging around inside of it.

"Yeah? So?"

"So we both know what this is about. Ok, I'm not buying that bullshit. This is about Vickie!" Steve accused and Marley looked over at them. Curious, she sat upright, taking her hand from her pocket and leaning ever so slightly forward.

"Absolutely not," Robin denied.

"The redhead in Band?" Marley asked and Steve nodded.

"Yeah, that one!" He exclaimed, turning his body toward Robin while his eyes remained on the road. Marley tilted over and picked out a lipgloss, holding it out for the girl, "and you know what I think, Robin? I think you gotta stop pretending to be someone else when you're around her! You just gotta -- gotta be yourself!"