MARLEY // Max Mayfield

Not Even Religious

A lot of pent up energy swirled around in Marley's gut, so to rid herself of that buzzing feeling holding her body she decided to check the perimeter of the cabin. Well, she'd planned to but, instead, she found herself eyeing the trees, her lip snug between her teeth. God she was pathetic, couldn't even man a perimeter without feeling like the trees were watching her.

Didn't help that a few of them actually looked like they had eyes. A shaky sigh escaped her and she ran her hand through her hair, finding her locks remained slicked back from grease, she felt so gross, hadn't had a shower in days and from all the sitting in the sun and running, not to mention the blood, glass and sweat, she really needed to.

A cold one, maybe with a little bit of heat, the showers that leave your inside feeling warm but your skin cold to the touch, those ones that just hit a certain relaxation peak, she needed one of those. One could hope and dream, she wouldn't be getting a shower any time soon that's for sure, what with all the upside-down shit they had going on. There was no way.

The door creaked open behind her but she didn't turn, looking out at the trees and bouncing on the balls of her feet, her hands pressed up against the barrier separating the porch from dirt floor. There was an excitement in the air, the fourth of July and she couldn't help but feel a little influenced by it despite everything that was happening, it's part of the reason she's so agitated and fidgety.

The Mayor had put together this great big fair, with games, hot dogs, rides, cotton candy, she'd never had cotton candy. Again, it was because of her parents, strict diet for track, that sort of thing but she wanted to, now more than ever in her entire life she just wanted to let go, do things without that looming need for parental acceptance hanging over her any more.

Just wanted to breathe, like actually breathe, fully so it filled her lungs and took away her worries as she exhaled. Just like she did when coming up for breath in swimming, or when she took a break from a run or inhaled passing air as she rode her bike, only this time it wouldn't be because of some influence by her parents.

"God, I'm such a fucking downer...even thinking about cotton candy leads me to them..." She laughed, finally glancing over her shoulder to see Max staring at her worriedly, "Hi..."

"Hi Bub..." She smiled and Marley let out a breath, her eyes watering unknowingly before she quickly brushed them away and stood up, rubbing her hands up and down herself in an effort to make herself seem less awkward, only succeeding in doing the opposite. "What made you say that?"

"Oh...uh...just, ever since the hospital I've been thinking about my parents...you know, the hold and influence they had over every little thing I did..." Marley shrugged, turning and leaning her back against the railing this time, Max motioned for to go on so she did so with a laugh, shaking her head the slightest bit, "Well...I do a lot of things because of them, I swim to drown out the noise of them nagging me in my head...run from them and my problems in track...ride away into some metaphorical sunset, and well, at the hospital I decided to do things for myself, you know...without their influence even if it's so little as me just wanting their approval or running away from them as a topic."

"Wanting their approval?" Max questioned softly, moving forward so she stood in front of Marley and took her hands, Marley nodded with a weary smile, suddenly looking rather ashamed and defeated for admitting something like that.

"Yeah, well you know...I know they're horrible people, elitists and just outright bigotted...but I still..." She didn't finish and just sighed, chewing at the bottom of her lip.

"You still want them to be proud?"

"Not even proud just...just for them to acknowledge me an-and not for appearance sake, actually...hell I'd even settle for that...I just wish they were my parents..." Marley managed and Max looked at her funnily for a second, "I mean like...like actual parents, Joyce and Hopper, they're real parents. People that'd love their child unconditionally even if they fucking broke the law, me...my parents beat me if I got less than gold at a track meet."