“Marley,” Henry began, trying to reason with Marley. He was using his sweet voice, the one he saved for when he was losing control. Henry was only nice when he was trying to control her, reel Marley in for his own sadistic pleasure. She was only a pawn to him, nothing more. Marley couldn’t let herself be pulled in by Henry again. She had to remind herself that he was a manipulative monster.
“No, I mean it. We’re done, Henry.”
“What did I do, Marley? Why are you doing this?”
“I could give you a long list, but I saw the text that you sent Trevor. That’s what really made me mad.”
Henry tried to play dumb. “What are you talking about? I didn’t send Trevor a text. Why would I do that? I hate the prick.”
“Don’t play dumb with me. I know you sent him a text from my phone saying that I never wanted to see him again and called him an asshole and a prick. Good thing Trevor doesn’t get angry like you do or else he would have just yelled at me instead of letting me explain. When he came to me, I was shocked. I had no clue what he was talking about. Then, he showed me the text and I knew that it had to be you. No one else would use prick, asshole, and Trevor in the same sentence. So, I knew that it had to be you.”
Then, with a big grin, Marley said, “And I’m sorry to tell you this, but everything is fine between me and Trevor. We’ve already sorted everything out, but unfortunately, the same can’t be said of me and you. Right, now everything between us is tangled, but it will only take a moment for me to untangle this mess. We’re done, Henry. Done.”
Marley couldn’t normally stand up for herself against Henry, but for some reason, when Henry messed with Trevor, it stirred something up within Marley. It empowered her to do what she should have done from the start. It made Marley realize that she couldn’t spend her life being held back by Henry. She had to free herself of the shackles. She had to give herself a chance at love, real love. She’d never get real love with Henry, but maybe with Trevor she could. So, she decided to take charge of her life and kick Henry to the curb.
“Come on, don’t do this, Marley. It’s silly. We’re perfect for each other. This is just a bump in the road. Besides, no one will treat you as well as I do. No one will love you like I do. You’re a slut and I’m the only one who will treat you right, Marl. Other guys will break your heart. You are used goods. Guys don’t want second hand trash, but to me you’re gold.” Did that kind of thing usually work? Marley wondered. If so, she had been a real idiot. There was more insult than flattery in that comment. This wasn’t love. This was dysfunction. Maybe it had once been love, but things had since fallen apart. Henry was no good and Marley deserved better.
“You’re plastic, Henry.” Marley said bitterly.
“What are you rambling on about now, Marley?” Henry said in his usual condescending tone. He always treated Marley like she was stupid. In fact, Henry spoke to everyone with that arrogant, superior tone. It hadn’t seemed that way when Marley had been dating him, though.
“You’re fake. Everything about you is fake. You act like you love me, but you just want to control me. You just want me to be your puppet girlfriend, but that’s not who I am. I’m my own person and I always have been. I’ve acted like a fool, but I’m not one. I see right through you. I won’t let you manipulate me anymore, Henry, I won’t.”
“And you’ll just go running to Trevor, won’t you Marley? You call me plastic. Well, he’s the real faker. He’s got you all wrapped around his finger, tricking you, making you believe that he’s a good guy.”
“No,” Marley said firmly, “You’re a plastic bag, blowing in the wind. Everything seems okay, but then you’re on my head and over my nose, suffocating me. You suffocate me until I let you have your way. Then you go blowing along again by my side and I try to get away, but then you’re back on my head and the only thing I can do is relent or else you’ll kill me, slowly but surely.”
“You make it sound like I beat you. I haven’t ever hit you. Not once.”
“It’s a metaphor, Henry.”
“A stupid one. Just say it in plain English. Quit trying to make life like a poem because let me tell you, you’re an awful poet. Trust me, Walt Whitman is turning in his grave. Life isn’t romantic, Marley. It’s real. I feel like a broken record. I keep trying to get you to see the truth, but you refuse to be taught. If being naïve and ignorant is what you want, then so be it. See if I care.”
“This is exactly what I mean. You always act as if the things I say are stupid. Maybe you don’t hit me, but you make me feel like less of a person. You’re destroying everything that I am. I’m a romantic, Henry and there’s nothing wrong with dreaming. I know that life doesn’t happen like it does in the movies, but I don’t care. It’s still fun just to dream.”
“Go stick your head in the clouds with Trevor, but be warned, Trevor is the paper to my plastic. People like him don’t know how to handle the real world. I’m telling you, Marley, he’ll break and leave you all alone. He’s a paper bag; when it rains, he’ll fall apart.”
“Now who’s talking in metaphor?” Marley scoffed.
“Just trying to speak in a way that you’ll understand.” Henry said smugly.
“You’re a real asshole.”
“Better than a stupid bitch.” Marley didn’t respond to that comment. She clenched her teeth, staring at Henry with disbelief.