Realistic or Modern Back in the Bay (Daz and Elfies 1x1)

[Elf_Ruler]

Name: Magnolia Steele
Age: 22
Personality:
Mags has never been easiest person to deal with or even get along with. In fact, she clashes with most people. She can be quite impatient, stubborn and she isn’t one to show her emotions. She is a loyal to the few people she considers friends and is extremely honest with everyone. She isn’t one to shy away from a fight or even throw the first punch. That doesn’t mean she goes looking for a fight, but she won’t say no if someone really needs to be put in their place.
Mags absolutely loves her family and would do anything to protect them or help them in a time of need. She would never ask them or anyone for help, believing she can handle any situation on her own. Her heart tries to be in the right place even though she may not show the emotions behind her actions. In every case actions speak louder than words anyways.
History/Background:
Magnolia was born and raised in Anchor Bay it’s all she has ever known been. Growing up it had always been Magnolia and her mother against the world, and no one else mattered. Her mother eventually opened up a small bookstore that she named ‘A Likely Story’. The bookstore is where Mags got to deal with some of her biggest milestones in life, and also deal with some of her hardest life lesson, the bookstore became just another home for her, and she grew to love reading books and being around the words from those before her. When Mags was still quite young, she didn’t get along with anyone, everyone was her enemy and she hated the way that some people talked about her behind her back, so she’d get into fights. Those fights always landed her in detention, which probably was safer for everyone. Then she met, or well they met her, the one person who forced a friendship on her that she couldn’t quite push away no matter what she did. Clayton Moore. The friendship had been good for her and though she initially was annoyed by him and hated him she grew to tolerate him and rely on him when she was forced into social situations.
When she got to high school, she ended up dating Clay and witnessed all the good and bad moments in his life. She was happy with him, happier than she had ever been and had expected to be with him forever and then he got his college acceptance. Mags knew she had to let him go and he hadn’t been one to make it easy for her. So, she lied to him and broke not only his heart but hers as well when she told him that she never loved him so that he would leave for college. She hoped that this would force him to find something better than Anchor Bay and her.
She wound up going to the local college and getting her business degree so she could one day take over the bookstore for her mother. Her love of the town is what has kept her in Anchor Bay, and she plans to stay there for the rest of her life.​

 

[Dazzle]

Name: Clayton William Moore
Nickname: Clay
Gender: Cis-Male
Age: 22
Birthday: December 8th,Sagittarius
Realistic Faceclaim or Description: Dave Franco
Instagram: Clay_Moore

Height: 6'1"
Tattoos/piercings: N/A
Other appearance stuff:

Personality: Clayton is a goofy and flirtatious boy who really grew into himself when he moved away from Anchor Bay for college. He was always the friendly face around school, always the popular kid who was friends with everyone. He can be hard to read because you never really can tell what he is thinking, even so Clayton is very approachable. He understands technology very well, but he doesn’t always think through his actions and how they might affect others.

History:
Clayton grew up in Anchor Bay, a Bay High soccer athlete, walking the halls and owning them. He was an honor student and was a favorite of all his students and peers. He didn’t let the attention run to his head as it might for some, he became very comfortable and social person.

He was an only child for 6 years before his brother Graham was born. They were very similar, and still complete opposites. Both social, but always found within different groups. Still they got along very well, despite the age gap.

When he finished high school he was accepted into Stanford's technology program, something that he had always dreamed of. Leaving home was scary and exciting, he didn’t want to lose what he had at home, but he needed to make a change to grow. He didn’t want to be a townie for the rest of his life.

Clayton was in love with his high school sweetheart Magnolia, when he was accepted into Standford’s bachelors program. He was ready to turn it down, stay in town for her, settle down and let that be it. But she broke up with him, telling him that she was never in love with him. He didn’t know heartbreak till that day, he thought that Mags was his soulmate, she was his everything.

Occupation: Figuring it out
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Relationship: Dating long term girlfriend Mia Curtley
Friends: TBD, Mags(Ex) @Elf_Ruler
Crush: None
Other:

 

[Elf_Ruler]

It had been the same thing every day for the last four years. The same damn routine: Wake up, make some kind of breakfast, wake up her mom or at least attempt to wake her, and then Mags was on her way to open the bookstore. Magnolia had somewhere along the way accepted her life in the small town that she had always lived in. The town that held no secrets, unless you were good at hiding them. The town where she had found and lost love. But also, the town where she was the safest from her heartbreak.
Four years was a long time to realize that she was going to be alone or a spinster, though no one in town would be shocked. Her reputation kept her from having any possible suitor and the ones that tried were either boring, or just wanted to see what it was like to be with the girl who never showed signs of happiness. She was a mystery in some ways, but no one was like him and no one could replace him in her heart.

Her day was as normal as it could get, the sun beating down on her as she walked to the bookshop, her mom hadn’t been doing well and Magnolia had taken over running the store almost completely on her own. She got a business degree to hopefully turn the tides around for the bookstore. In debt, bills still piling, both personal and business. Mags felt like she could never truly catch a break and though the town loved her mom, the feelings were not passed down to her. So, she struggled with the store and she couldn’t tell her mother, she couldn’t let the only woman who believed in her down. Every few months a donation would come in and the store would stay afloat, she had a theory of where the money came from, but she never asked, and the donor never spoke up. So really, she had no idea where the money was coming from, but she was grateful for it every time.
So, for her it was just a normal day. She unlocked the store, counted the money, turned on the radio, and the store was open for the day. She had hired some kids from the high school to help her out but usually she took care of everything on her own. The store didn’t possess the funds to have many workers and that meant Magnolia had to take on almost every task so the store could actually survive. So, today was a day where she had given the kids the day off and hopefully, they would take advantage of the nice weather. She would be at the store all day.

She opened her phone and scrolled through social media and she saw a picture of him, the boy she had always loved, the boy whose heart she broke, and she quickly closed out of her phone, setting it face down on the counter. She didn’t know why she had stayed friends with him all these years. Maybe it was to make sure he was living his happiest life, maybe it was to remind herself that this was the best life she was going to get, in any case she was still ‘friends’ with him.
As she went through the mail from yesterday, that had been left for her she saw a piece of mail at the top and she knew what it was already. She had hoped she’d have more time, more time to gather the funds and yet here she was with what she knew was probably close to her final notice. She had no idea how she was going to come up with the money or even save the store. She had tried fundraisers, she had try asking for donations left and right. She had even tried to do her own advertising to get people back into books. She had tried to talk with the local schools to do some kind of partnership but in their words “her prices were too high” and Magnolia was barely keeping her head above the water.

She had been saving every dollar and dime she had, and nothing was helping the store, and she was on her own this time. Her family was already helping her with the expenses for her mother, she couldn’t expect any more from them and she felt like a failure for asking them. Of course, she couldn’t really on her anonymous donor this time. She could only rely on herself and she would do anything to save her store, no matter what it cost her. She figured for now she would keep giving her workers the day off until she could figure out exactly what to do because loans weren’t an option anymore. So, for now Mags was going to pretend like everything in life was okay and that she wasn’t feeling the weight of all her failures on this one day.

 

[Dazzle]

Clayton had been living a rather glamorous life out in California the past four years, he wouldn't have ever seen himself spending the days he wasn't studing at the beach. He never expected to take to surfing the way he did, or make the friends he did. Clayton may have made fun of people who spent there time playing volleyball on the beach. The people that considered it a lifestyle. It really was a lifestyle, he hadn't ever been as tan as he was in his life. But even so, he felt like he had been away from home for too long. He missed the smell of Anchor Bay, the smell of salt in the air, which was a completely different smell to the ocean in California. The smell of the coffee shops, their apple cider in the fall, and the hot chocolate stands in the winter.

He missed Graham and Ellie and his parents, and well a part of him really missed Mags. He wasn't supposed to miss her, she had broken up with him, they were nothing more than friends. He always reached out here and there, but she didn't always reciprocate the feelings. He didn't really know why he kept trying, but she was his longest friend. It was hard to get on without her.

Clayton's flight was long and exhausting, but as he stepped out of the cab that had stopped at the marina he felt a wave of relief. There was just something different about being home.

Clayton's family owned a small acreage just off the marina. It had been passed down throughout the family generations and was something they always held onto. It once was where most of all the vegetables for the town came from. But, as the need drowned out and stop n' shops moved in, the Moore's moved towards livable wages than farmers. But, this happened generations ago. Mr. and Mrs. Moore, lived more, desirable, life styles. Mr. Moore was a lawyer and Mrs. Moore ran a small blog out of the comfort of her own home.

Clayton took a moment sitting down on one of the benches out looking the water and the boats. He leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees, the memories he had in this little town, they meant the world to him. And he wouldn't give them up for anything.

Clayton let out a large breath of what might of seemed like relief, he leaned back against the bench. Anxiously he tapped his knee with his fingers. He reached into his front right pocket pulling out a small velvet box that he rolled through his fingers. "Am I making the right decision." He said to himself.

There was only a few more minutes of silence before he was interrupted by his sister Ellie and brother Graham. He quickly shoved the box back into his pocket before they could see. Ellie wrapped her arms around her brother's neck, Clayton just smiled reaching up and grabbing her wrists giving them a gentle squeeze. "I missed you guys."

Clayton stood up from the bench once Ellie had released him from her grasp and wrapped his siblings up in a group hug.

Ellie looked up at her brother. "lets get you home." The walked, Clayton's arms still wrapped around each of his siblings shoulders. Home sounded. Well, Good.

----

Clayton was in his own bedroom for the first time in two years. He picked up his old rubix cube that sat on his desk beside his old computer. He turned it a few times in his hand. Clayton walked towards his window, just looking out at all he left behind.....​

 

[Elf_Ruler]

As much as Magnolia had wanted to wallow in her fear and struggles, she knew she had to set up for the sidewalk fair that was supposed to happen. It was some stupid town tradition that Mags never understood but her mom always participated, and that meant Mags had to participate every year. So, she did what she always did: She opened the doors of the shop, made sure the music was something that most people would like and then she pulled the table out. She hated the large monstrosity that was known as a table. Every time she pulled it out from the backroom it seemed more and more daunting, and this occasion was no different. Along the way she could hear the table banging against the shelves and she let out a few choice words before finally getting it outside. Unfortunately for Mags the worst part hadn’t even happened yet, she had to unfold the legs and they were stubborn. With her being outside she knew she had to be careful of what words she let fly out of her mouth, but it wasn’t like she had much help in setting up.

If tables were living beings and looks could kill, the table would have been dead after Magnolia had fought with it for what felt like hours, when really it had been ten minutes. She had kicked the table a few times before the legs budged, and a few onlookers gave her a concerned look. She had to try and pretend to be somewhat friendly even though not a single ounce of her had the energy to pretend to be nice. She put out some snacks, drinks, and a few books on her little display and really hoped that people would take the bait.

Magnolia wished that she could just avoid doing the whole festivity, but she knew her mom was going to come into town to see which meant Mags really had to try for her. Everyone else didn’t matter to her, but her mom, well her mom meant the world to her. The woman had done so much for her and the least Mags could do was set up a display and keep the business alive. Everyone else seemed to have gotten their displays up with ease and Mags in some way envied those people. They had help from each other, the other workers, and Mags had been on her own. It really could make anyone just a little colder and Mags was already cold.
Wait. That was all she could do, wait for someone to be interested and wait for her mother to arrive. Her mom had insisted on doing everything on her own, so Mags hadn’t fought her this time. It did make her a little anxious because though her mother had strength, she was still weak, and Mags knew one wrong fall and it could really cause a serious injury. But her mother was just as strong willed as her, and if she wanted to do something on her own, she was going to and she would fight tooth and nail to get what she wanted.

 

[Dazzle]

Clayton settled in rather quickly, he was happy to be home. Something was just comforting about being away from LA.

He unpacked rather quickly, and made his way down to town. He missed the simplicity of home, and how small the town was. Everyone saying hi as he walked down the streets. He stopped at the coffee shop briefly saying hello to Mrs. Pebbles, she pinched his cheeks smiling. Yea he didn't miss that, everyone knew the Moore's way too well. The entire town basically raised all the kids that grew up in Anchor Bay, it was so small everyone was like family.

There was a small festival going on, where everyone was parked out on the streets selling their products. Ellie and Graham had run off to hang out with their friends for the day so there Clayton was walking through town all by himself. He didn't mind catching up with people, but everyone wanted to catch up with him and he couldn't even look busy.

Clayton got stuck talking to Mr. Roberts for about 30 minutes, he didn't even have a chance to even drink his coffee. It was cold before he knew it. Quietly he started to back away from Mr. Roberts. "Yes, California is beautiful, I love the beaches." Mr. Roberts asked him about the girls, rather creepily and Clayton just pressed his lips together shaking his head. "Uh.. Sure."

"You know, I have to get going... I have.. To meet up with Ellie!" He backed away rather quickly, turning around quickly he ran into someone.

"I am so sorry." He said quickly, he reached down and lifted up the girl off the ground. "Mags?" He raised his eyebrows with a small smirk crossing his face. "How are you!?" He said ecstatically.​

 

[Elf_Ruler]

Mags had been awaiting people to arrive to her display of books but most everyone had been walking past her. A few gave a quick glance in her direction but most of them just ignored her entirely. A few people whispered as they walked by and of course she knew exactly what they were whispering about. Or she thought she knew. She hated the way the town had begun to look down on her, they had been ever since Clay left and she was single again. Of course, she had ignored most of the talk, but it had been hard on her in the beginning. Now, she had built up her walls so strong that she felt nothing when they talked about her in front of her face and behind her back. She had stopped caring.

Instead she had left a small not that she would be back in fifteen on her display and went to get herself a coffee. She needed another pick me up to deal with the rest of the day. It hadn’t taken her long to get her coffee, but she could hear everyone around her whispering excitedly but also some were giving looks directed at her. She had no clue what was going on and then she felt someone bump into her and she fell down, her coffee had gone everywhere, “What the fuck?!” she had no chill. The coffee had just missed her and then she heard her name in a voice she hadn’t heard in years. Fuck. Clay was back and that was why everyone was whispering. She had tried to ignore his help up, but he had moved too fast for her. She quickly stepped away from him, “I’m fine, watch where you’re going next time.” Mags didn’t even want to talk with him.

She wished that this was all some awful nightmare that she could wake up from but there he was in front of her and she could feel her heart pounding. She could feel the shaking of her body, “Why are you here?” She could feel her words were laced with anger, “Shouldn’t you be in LA? Or somewhere that’s not here?” She wanted him to leave, wanted to push him out of town. She had done it once before; she could do it again. She needed him to leave, she needed to not feel, and all she wanted to do was cry, cry because she had done this to herself, and cry for all the hurt she had held onto. And the only thing she could do was stand there in her anger.

 

[Dazzle]

Clayton just laughed as she swore, nothing had changed. She was still the same on edge brunette that he was once in love with. He had to remind himself that she had dumped him over four years ago and she had never shared the same feelings. "Sorry, you know me. Head always in the clouds." He chuckled a small belly laugh as he nudged her shoulder with his own.

"Here's the thing about college, it ends eventually." He smirked, he barley noticed the malice behind her words. "Plus I wanted to see my family, you do know they still live here right?" He knew that she knew, there was no way that you could ever miss the Moore's, Clayton's brother Graham still made frequent visits to the bookstore with his dog Lucy. Graham had kept Clayton up to date on everything in town, the bookstore and Mags included. Clayton enjoyed being kept updated, he felt closer to home that way while he was all the way in California. But even with all the updates, he felt like there was something missing.

Clayton could tell there was something different to Mags, she looked more worn, tired, and overall exhausted. His eyes caught the ground, and noticed the spilled coffee at her feet. "Shoot, I'm so sorry.." He looked up to his right at the Cafe sign to his right. "How about, I buy you a new coffee and you tell how you're doing, like...." He thought for a moment. "Like old friends." He half smirked at the her. Knowing that even if she hated him, she could never refuse a coffee.

Elf_Ruler

 

[Elf_Ruler]

Of course, Magnolia knew his family was still living in town, it hadn’t been like they had moved. She had talked with Graham on more than one account, he always brought Lucy by the store and he would try and talk about Clay. Almost any time Clay had been mentioned Mags had walked away, she didn’t care to know about his life, it made the pain hurt a little less if she didn’t think about him or speak about him. And for the past four years it had worked about as good as anyone with a broken heart could expect.

Of course, she hadn’t been surprised about his heads being in the clouds but really, she knew his ear was probably being talked off and he was too nice to walk off, unlike her. She couldn’t even recall how many times she had just walked away from a conversation. From her mother, from nosy neighbors, and from nosy ex-classmates. But Clayton, Clayton was nice, Clayton actually cared about people, and was willing to talk with people. What had he ever seen in her?

With her coffee still all over the ground Mags was more than willing to let Clay buy her another one, after all he had been the one to cause her to spill it. “Yeah, sure. Not like you’d let me say no.” Clay would have bought her another coffee and dropped it off if she walked away, and if she played along with his game then maybe she could get him to go away sooner. His eyes and face were full of hope at the mention of old friends, “I’m fine. Look Clay, I will accept your coffee, but stop trying to act like this.” She had motioned between them, “is going to happen. I told you how I felt all those years ago. We aren’t friends and I don’t know why you think we are.” The words burned coming out of her mouth, but Clay was too dense, and she had to be direct with him.

As she made her way back to the little stand for the café, she was about to give Clay her order when he remembered it after all those years and she was quiet as they waited for her drink, “Can’t believe you remember. Thanks.” As soon as she got her drink, she wanted to book it back to her stand, but she couldn’t. It was like his eyes kept her in place, made her feel bad, “Do you want to see the store?” She hated asking the question, but he had remembered what she liked and how she liked her coffee. So, this was her small nice deed for him. And he had always been able to tug on her heart strings ever since they were kids. He was her other half, he completed her, and made her better. But she had never been that for him, if anything she was an anchor to him, and she wanted him to be free to do whatever he wanted without her holding him down.

 

[Dazzle]

Clayton's eyes were soft, he smiled down upon Mags, they had once been best friends. He always did his best to reach out to her but it wasn't ever reciprocated. Clayton knew that deep down that Mags didn't mean what she said, she didn't mean to say it with such a biting tone. Mags only didn't want to be involved romantically with him anymore. He could understand that, she wanted someone more like her, to themselves, she didn't want someone who was so outgoing. Mags liked the quiet, and not being the center of attention, when she was with Clay she became the center of attention. She couldn't keep living like that.

He didn't listen to her words as she spoke. He just smiled and waved her along, turning his back on the split coffee. "You're right. I wouldn't have." He smirked looking over his shoulder. He swore he could of caught her lips breaking into a small smile, but if they had, it was hidden rather quickly.

Magnolia had broken his heart long ago, and he had learned to only very rarely take her seriously. Mags never could relax, it was always work work work, maybe that is why she had broken it off with him. He was too go with the flow, while she needed a structured plan.

When they arrived at the stand he took the lead ordering Mag's regular coffee, realizing right after that maybe he should of asked her. Somethings do change after four years apart.

"Sorry.. I should of asked." He rubbed the back of his neck, stressed that he just might have not known her favorite coffee any more. "I hope its still your favorite, I forgot that somethings can change." Clayton shrugged his shoulders. "I can get you something else if you want."

He smiled as it seemed that things hadn't changed. It was still her favorite coffee, and she still worked in the bookstore. Of course he should of expected that. That store was her mother's life, and by proxy it was hers as well. "I'd love to see what you've done with the store, you took it over for your mother right?"

 

[Elf_Ruler]

Magnolia knew that inviting him to see the store would only bring more questions, but he had in fact been decent enough to buy her a new coffee, though that wasn’t really surprising. She had shrugged at his answer because she was already feeling the overwhelming wave of disappointment in herself. She couldn’t let him know the store was hanging by a single thread. She couldn’t let her mother know either and Mags felt like she was letting so many more people down. It hurt her to have him around and acting like everything was fine between them. She hated the sharp pain in her chest from the years of sadness that she had suppressed.

As they continued their walk, she could see the whispers starting again, the same whispers from years past and it made her feel like she did back then. Not good enough to even speak with Clay, be near Clay, or even breathe his air, but he saw none of it. It really was like the last four years had never existed, like the whispers and stares never died down. She looked back towards Clay if only for a split second before walking faster towards the store. Of course, no customers were even near it when she arrived. Typical.

She opened the door and made sure her office door was closed; she didn’t need him peeking in on her struggles. She had wished more than anything he wasn’t inside. That he wasn’t back in town. “This is it. Store is still standing. I made some cosmetic updates. Gave the kids the day off to enjoy the festivities.” She really was trying to act like she didn’t care, but Clay’s opinioned mattered to her. Almost as much as her mothers. “Not much changes here, so I don’t know why you want to look around. It’s dumb. You know the store; you know the town. So why bother perusing and meandering?”

 

[Dazzle]

Clayton smiled, the idea of being back in the same store he grew up in made him completely giddy. He ran his hand over the non-fiction section smiling to himself. "Wow Mags." He said just barely over his breath. "It's like nothing has changed." He loved the little store, looking in the corners where Mags and Clayton used to play while her mother worked. And Mags, would hit him over the head with her barbies.

"The store is so much smaller than I remember... We've done so much growing up." He smirked turning around to face her. Despite they had lost time, and they hadn't seen each other in four whole years. Mags still looked the same, the same perfect girl he once knew. "You look the same though.." He looked down at the ground before looking meeting Magnolia's eyes. "You look amazing Magnolia."

"Sorry, I know you don't need me to keep talking. You already know that."

"That's nice of you to give them the day off, let them explore the town and enjoy the wonderful holiday like we once did." Clayton laughed, thinking about their first kiss on the gazebo late at night. They ended up hitting noses. The lake they used to skate on every winter. They both had so many memories in that town. How they ever fell apart, he would never know. How she didn't feel the same all those years ago, he would never understand.

He sighed deeply. "How is everything going for you otherwise?"

 

[Elf_Ruler]

Magnolia couldn’t help but reminisce with Clay, all the moments she had shared with him not only in the town, but the bookstore itself. He had been right nothing had changed, except it had. She was causing it, books on sale, limiting her staff, and calling to get extensions for bills. Mags was struggling, she was floundering, barely treading water. She was trying harder than ever to keep a straight face, her hands wanted to tremble, her mood faltering more than ever. His words hurt her more as he complimented her and all she could do was pretend like she didn’t care. How could he know she had lied all those years ago? How could he know for weeks she had cried herself to sleep? He didn’t and that had been her own doing.

All she did was continue to tell him lies and she was going to keep it that way. She turned away from him as if to inspect a book, “Things are fine for me. Can’t complain.” All she wanted was to admit how she was falling apart on the inside and that she missed him every day and missed every memory they had created. Their first kiss, the ice-skating rink, the summer fairs, riding to the top of the carousel and sneaking her own kisses, she wanted to complain about it all and take it back.

The door had jingled, and mail had been placed on the counter and of course it was her bills. Of course, each one stamped with being overdue, or last reminder. Mags had tried to grab them before Clay could see. She felt like it was all in vain, she knew he had seen, and her lie had been shown. Everything was beginning to unravel, and she could feel her heart pounding in fear. He would show concern and that was the last thing Magnolia wanted from him. She wanted him to hate her, to reject her like everyone else in the town had done. They had rejected her more after the breakup and even more after Clay left. She had driven the towns perfect boy away; she had broken him. She was as the girls called her a heartless bitch. She decided she would continue to live up to that name. It made her life easier and kept everyone at more than an arm’s length apart.

 

[Dazzle]

Clayton was so happy to be home, to finally see Mags again. To be in the store with her again. "I'm so glad I bumped into you." He laughed lightly as he placed a book back on the shelf. Clayton turned around as the door opened and the mail was delivered. He looked to Mags with his bright eyes, just happy to be home, where he truly felt like he belonged. He thought about the cool weather in the fall, and the snow in the winter, he had missed the seasons, even though not needing to wear a winter jacket had been a plus.

Clayton watched the mailman's hand place the mail onto the counter, on top laid a bright white letter, with dark red letters across it 'overdue'. Clayton's smile dropped as he walked past Magnolia and picked up the letter on top, holding it up to Mags like she had missed it or something. "Mags. What is this." He said as more of a statement rather than a question. "I thought you were doing okay?" Clayton turned to put the bill down, and noticed that every other letter sitting on the counter was the exact same, another bill, another overdue, and money owed.

"Mags, did you know these were all overdue?" He said calmly. "Does your mom know?" He added. Where was her mom anyways, how come the store wasn't doing well. It used to flourish with guests daily, but yet here they were, by themselves. Clayton had thought it was because of the start of summer celebration, everyone was outside, going to the kiosks, they didn't bother to shop indoors..

"Mags." He said quietly, he wanted to help her, offer her money to get by, anything, But he knew she would only take offense to that, so he did the only thing he could do. He reached out and wrapped his arms around his bestfriend. He knew she was constantly acting too strong, after growing up with only her mom, she never really understood that he was always there to be leaned on, be her shoulder to cry on. "I'm... here for you." He whispered in her ear.

 

[Elf_Ruler]

A moment and everything stopped for Magnolia, her heart, her breath, her thoughts, and all she could do was stare at the bill in Clay’s hand. What could she say to him? The town hated her, and he never saw it, not when they were together and not when they broke up. She had always been disliked by everyone, and for the most part they tolerated her. She had known about the bills; she had known about all of her payments being late and being behind. She had been struggling for months and she couldn’t say anything to anyone. Let her mother down? She had to lie and pretend like she wasn’t a complete fuck up and Clayton had found out just how much she had failed at everything. Her face couldn’t even meet Clay’s, because of course she couldn’t show how she was feeling, how much stress she had been living under, how the bills weren’t only piling up at the store but at home as well. Her mom’s medical bills, and Mags could barely make the utility payments. She felt like she was crumbling from the inside out and she had to pretend like she was doing fine and that nothing was bothering her.

One tear slid down, “I’ve known, I’ve known for a while. My mom doesn’t know, and I’ll figure it out okay?” It was a lie just like everything else that had been coming out of her mouth that day. It was as if the world had decided to play a cruel joke on her and she couldn’t stop it. As she felt Clay pull her in, she didn’t fight it. Not this time. She missed him, missed the way she felt in his arms, the way he smelled, she missed him, and she had to pretend like she never missed him, that she hadn’t wanted anything to do with him. She loved him and she had forgotten what it felt like to have any kind of embrace. His words made her heart shatter even more, “Clay…” his name flowed off her lips. How long had it been since she had said his name in any way besides in anger? She wanted this embrace to last forever, but she knew it couldn’t and she knew letting it last longer would only hurt her more in the end. After all, they were only friends in his eyes. He wouldn’t want her back not after everything she had said to him and done to him. Not after the way she took his heart and completely broke it. Yet, he had somehow forgiven her, and she couldn’t forgive herself. As she pulled away from Clay she already missed the feeling of being close to him. She longed for more time with him, but she knew better, “I’ll figure it out Clay. I don’t need you to worry about me, I’ve been fine without you since you left.” Mags tried to pretend like she hadn’t felt anything, “Shouldn’t you be getting back to your family? I’m just you ex after all.” The words were bitter coming from her lips. He was happy and she couldn’t bring him down with her problems and her failures.

 

[Dazzle]

A few days had gone by, Clayton had told Mags to call him. Pretty much forcing a reminder into her phone. Knowing all to well if he didn't, she was just that much more unlikely to call. But even so, he never heard from her.

Clayton wanted to give Magnolia the money to pay off the bills, just to help her float ever so much more above the water. But, he knew she would never accept, and if he had offered it would of just pushed her away again. He wasn't sure he could live with that if she did.

When three days had gone by without a sound, and Mags continued to ignore his calls to her. He went by her house on a Sunday, when he knew she would be home. The store was closed, and even if she had to do inventory, he knew when she'd be home.

It was midmorning, right before lunch, Clayton knew that Mags always spent that time with her mom. It was their tradition, and he doubted that she would of changed it for the world.

Clayton drove over to her house, knocking on the door, expecting to find her at home. He could hear some shuffling beyond the door, a few shouts, like someone had stubbed their toe. And then a grown, right as the door opened.

Magnolia opened the door, just enough so that she could stick her head through it. "Hey, I haven't heard from you, I thought you were going to call me..." Clayton rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.. "Can.. I come in?"

 

[Elf_Ruler]

After the resounding day of Clayton finding out Mags’ secret, she had gotten him out of the store but not before he had asked her to call him. She never actually said she would, and she thought ignoring him would work. For the past three days her phone would ring, and she would send him straight to voicemail, she was fine, and she didn’t want his help. This was her mess and her mess alone. He had even called more than once at one point and Magnolia had still sent his call to voicemail, hoping he’d get the hint she didn’t want to talk. Though he should have received the message years ago she didn’t want to talk, now he was more incessant and irritating about it because he was home. Three days and finally her phone stopped ringing. A calm Sunday with her mother.

Magnolia had gotten up early to prepare breakfast and tea for her mother, as she did every Sunday. The roles had been reversed the past couple of years with Magnolia taking on the role of preparing breakfast and letting her mother rest or relax. It was time where they talked about anything and everything, though her mother typically discussed the news, books she read, and the series she was watching on television. Magnolia would smile and listen as her mother rambled, she seemed more like her old self on these days. A little more alive and Mags wanted to treasure these small moments, at least what was left of them. It was hard for her to see her mother decline, and she couldn’t let the town know how bad it was and the rest of her family? Well, they checked in often and Mags tried her best to stay positive with them, but they all knew time was becoming less and less.

As she had gotten her mother back to the living room and put on her show, she heard a knock at the door. She smiled at her mother, “I’ll see who it is.” As she turned around, she stubbed her toe and a slew of profanities came out of her mouth. Of course, when she popped her head outside of the door it was Clayton. He was so dense and couldn’t take a hint that she didn’t want to see him or talk to him. “I never said I’d call, and I’m fine.” All she wanted was to spend what little time she had left with her mom. She hadn’t had much of a chance to even prepare herself for the day, but here was the perfect boy of Anchor Bay, everyone’s favorite person back from college. The second he asked to come in Mags let her head peak back inside and she shook her head, “No, you can’t.” She stepped outside closing the door behind her, “Just wait here, let me get dressed and we can talk. Just not at my place.”

It didn’t take Magnolia long before she was dressed, said her goodbyes to her mother, and was in front of Clay once more. “You choose where you want to go to talk.” Really Magnolia didn’t care as long as he wasn’t around. She couldn’t let him see her mother, not yet. Sure, the town had seen her mother becoming frailer, but none of them would dare tell Clay. She couldn’t keep her mother locked up, but she could spare Clay’s feelings a little longer. He would find out eventually, but he had just returned home, so there was no need to spoil his first week back. Well at least not with telling him the other mom he had was sick and didn’t seem to have much time left.

 

[Dazzle]

Clayton was going to follow Mag's inside(due to the fact he has no boundaries), but was stopped when she slammed the door in his face. Clayton waited patiently outside his back leaned against the side of the house. He wasn't surprised that she hadn't invited him in, but Clayton knew she was struggling. And he didn't want to watch her have a hard time. He could never let her suffer. Magnolia was his best friend, even if she was keeping her distance now.

He stared at the mailbox in front of Mag's house, the same mailbox that they used to run to on the weekends and pull out the letters that they sent to each other. They always wanted to get their own mail, just like Magnolia's mom would. They thought getting mail was so cool, now that they were adults, mail was no longer fun. They were bills, or credit card statements. There was nothing special about getting mail, unless you ordered from Amazon or it was Christmas and people were sending their cards out everywhere

Clayton heard the door open and was brought back from his memories. Magnolia looked, well, mad.

"Well.. Where should we go?" Clayton pondered for a moment, watching Magnolia stare back at him. She was starting to look more upset by him dragging her out of the house. "Oookayy..."

Clayton looked out to the road. "Lets go to the beach."

Clayton walked off ahead of Magnolia, hoping that she would just follow. He had already gotten her out of the house and that was half the battle. Clayton knew that Magnolia had a soft spot for the beach. He heard her footsteps coming up behind him, he had her hooked. Now just to get her talking.

"I know you don't want my help." He trailed off.

"But.. I want to help you Mags." He placed a hand behind her back. "I hate watching you suffer. You deserve so much more."

Clayton looked down at his feet. "I know you don't love me anymore.... But I still think of you as my best friend Mags.. No one knows me better than you."

 

[Elf_Ruler]

Somehow life could never be easy for Magnolia, well at least not in Anchor Bay. All the years she had been in Anchor Bay the only time it had been easy was when she was a little kid. Middle school years and up had always been a struggle for her and really the only bright spot had been Clay and now the bright spot in her life only caused her more and more pain and it wasn’t even his fault. She really never cared where they went as long as they were together and him asking her, well it hurt. She thought back to the years before, to the years where they did everything together, where they went and got coffee. How they used to get ice cream and Clay was the only person to make her laugh and smile besides her mother. The only person she had ever been vulnerable with. She thought back to all the letters they wrote each other and how each one was carefully stored away, where she could look back on the better parts of her life.

Once he mentioned the beach, she took a moment before following him. The beach was her favorite place, all the good memories she had at the beach with and without Clay. She had even gone there after she broke up with him, just to cry in peace. She loved everything about the beach and of course Clay knew her better than anyone and he knew that was the only way to get her to leave her house. It was once the words left his mouth that she had wished she wouldn’t have gone along for the walk. He cared so much about her and all she did was add an extra burden onto his life. That was all she had been doing, before he left for college and now that he was back. All she had ever wanted was for him to have the perfect life he deserved without her holding him back. To go to the college of his dreams, get out of this town, because she knew he would have settled in town because that was what she had wanted. She knew how much he loved her, and she loved him so much that she pushed him away to live his best life.

His hand on her back she stopped, “Clay.” His name strained as it left her lips. She could only shake her head at him, “I can’t accept your help. I’m not with you, I don’t love you the way you loved me.” Each word stung as it left her lips and she wished she could’ve told him the truth. She looked back at her feet, “My life isn’t something for you to take care of. You have a family here that loves you and I.” she clenched her fists as she spoke, “I never asked for your help or there help. You have money and that’s great, but I don’t need to be a charity case. Best friend or not.”

She walked faster so she was in front of him trying to figure out how to explain what exactly was running through her mind. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone? Why couldn’t he let her figure everything out on her own? As she approached the beach she stopped and she could feel Clay next to her, “I know you’re a good person. But you think I deserve more than I do. Clay, you never noticed anything.” She turned to face him, “Do you even know how to town looked at me when I dated you? Do you know how my locker was full of notes from other girls telling me I should die and that I didn’t deserve you? Did you see any of that? Because I don’t think you did. You act like our lives were perfect back then and mine never was. The town loves you. You are perfect in their eyes and could do no wrong. I’m Magnolia, the town delinquent, the town bitch, the girl who broke your heart. No one likes me okay. Not a single person in this town. That’s why the store is failing. So, I don’t want you help Clayton. I want to stop living in the shadow of who we were and for the town to stop judging me because of the past I had with you.”

All she wanted was for him to let her live her life in peace and do everything in her power to save the store. She could do it and she didn’t want his handout. She wanted him to realize that she wasn’t this perfect person. That no matter how he saw her the town was never going to see her that way and he was going to have to accept that. She wanted so much from him but not his handouts. He was her best friend and yet he had never seen the amount of suffering she had dealt with when she was around him.

 

[Dazzle]

Clayton was not surprised that Magnolia refused his help. He looked to see his hand was still placed on her, it was too easy for him to fall back into normal habits. “Mags.. I know.” It stung to have her remind him how much she did not love him. “I still see you a friend.” Clayton looked down at the sand underneath their feet. “My best friend.” He stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. Clayton rarely felt anxious, but not knowing how Mags was going to respond anymore was tough. He used to know how she would respond to anything, now she was a stranger to him. He wasn’t even sure how he considered her his best friend when they didn’t even know each other anymore.


“I know you aren’t something for me to take care of.” He stopped for a moment. “You aren’t an object Mags.”


“But you don’t deserve to suffer either.”


“I can’t watch you suffer.” He said quietly as she walked away from him. He knew it was a better time to just listen to her. Magnolia liked to be heard, and he wasn’t about to interrupt her. He slowly caught up to her, standing next to her he looked out on the horizon.


Clayton sighed heavily, he knew how they treated her, he could see it. He just never realized how much it had hurt her. Magnolia never acted like she gave a shit what people thought. “I… I know.” He said solemnly. “I just…”


“It didn’t matter to me.” Clayton realized how horrible that sounded quite quickly, he shook his head. “All that mattered to me Mags… Was how much I loved you.”


“I am sorry. I should have said something. I shouldn’t have allowed them to treat you like that.”


“I didn’t realize how bad they hurt you… I thought you didn’t care.”


Clayton pondered his words for a moment before speaking again. “That was wrong of me.”

“You were always the strong one Mags.”


“But even the strongest people need help sometimes Mags…” He didn’t dare use her first name, as much as he wanted to. He knew she was already trying to push him away and that would just put her over the edge.

“I may not be your best friend any more Mags, but you’re still mine.”


“I will always care about you.”

 

[Elf_Ruler]

Fuck.Magnolia had no clue how to handle anything, how to even handle herself. It was as if a wave of her terrible choices came crashing back at her. She was barely floating above water, barely breathing and her only source of fresh air was poison. Every word he said hurt because he knew, and she had suffered on her own. She had been happy with him but the pain with him and she never cared until it came about how she was the one holding him back. It was Magnolia who kept him from becoming what he was meant to be. She could see it in everyone’s eyes when she thought back to that moment. The moment he had said he would give up his dream college and stay closer to home. She remembered seeing the look in his family’s eyes when he had discussed it and she knew it was her fault, that all the blame rested on her shoulders. It was his choice, but she was his reason and the guilt. The guilt sat in her chest because it was selfish of her to want to keep him, to think she deserved a happily ever after. Magnolia wasn’t a princess, but Clayton was the prince of Anchor Bay and he deserved more. He deserved better and Magnolia had done everything to make sure he got the perfect life he deserved, and she got the life everyone wanted for her.

Why? Why couldn’t he give up on her? “Stop.” The word was strained as it left her lips, “Stop caring.” She knew she needed help, she wanted help but at what cost? Strength was something that she pretended to have, when in reality she was as weak as everyone else, and far more broken. “You left. You got what you deserved, and you don’t deserve to be with my problems. This town, the store, the looks, the comments.” Her words felt stuck in her throat as if she had swallowed a frog. Her mouth dry as sandpaper, “This was always my life. This town is my curse and you weren’t. You were great to me.” Clay had been the perfect boyfriend, “I never deserved your love. You deserved more than me. So why come back to ruin your life? Let me be the town pariah, the town hermit. It’s what they want and who am I to not give the town everything they want?”

The breeze from the beach felt nice on her skin, it brought her back to better times. Not simpler as her life had never been simple, but she remembered spending her free time with Clay at the beach. She remembered the stolen kisses at night, the moments of unhindered laughter when the water came to their ankles and Mags thought she’d fall as the water receded back home. The time she tried to build a sandcastle and it fell apart and she still smiled and genuine smile. Her moments of genuine happiness and still. Still she came to the beach to remember those moments, especially during the times of emptiness when she could sit with herself and watch the water meet the land and then return back home. “I wish things could have been different Clay. I wish I could have been different, been better for you. This town was never enough for you, but it was for me. I’m happy you got your dream, but my dreams will never happen.”

She wanted to see her mother live and feel alive, she wanted her mother to be around when she eventually married or had kids. Those dreams would die, and Magnolia knew that, but she knew he wouldn’t understand, “Help if you want. I can’t stop you. You’ll do it behind my back anyways. You always did. You haven’t changed.” Her words were masked with anger, but she really wanted the help. She knew all of her bills were piling, the medical ones were even worse than the store bills. However, that could stay her secret for now. “Are we going down or staying up here and living in the past?” She directed towards the sand and the water. It was the beach and they both deserved a little joy. One moment of joy with Clay couldn’t hurt her. Or at least that was her hope.

 

[Dazzle]

Clayton was getting overwhelmed, he couldn't help himself. All he wanted to do was help Mags, be there for her. It was so hard to convince her that he knew she didn't need him, but the truth was he needed her. She pushed him to be better, yea the whole town loved him. But did she realize what kind of repution he had to follow, what he had to live up to. His parents needs, having to look perfect for their perfect family. Clayton knew he was lucky, he wouldn't change anything for the life he had. Well there might of been one thing he would give up his whole world for....

Life was different now though, those dreams were gone. "I can't stop caring." Clayton mumbled under his breath "Your life isn't a curse Mags, you let people see you as someone you are not. They would love you if you ever showed people the real you." Clayton hugged his arms close to his chest staring out on the water. He knew that the fight with Mags was over. He couldn't keep fighting her, telling her that she deserved better, that she deserved more than she truly believed.

"You are more than let yourself see."

Clayton hated that Magnolia never felt like enough. "I wish that too." He said quietly. "I wish that I would of been enough for you." Clayton wished that Magnolia would of realized that he never needed more from her. She was at one point everything to him, but things were different now. She didn't love him, she made that clear four years ago, on this beach. "You should believe in yourself more Mags." Clayton squinted his eyes over at Magnolia who stood next to him.

"Why can't you see what you deserves Mags, you also deserve more than this. Whether you want to be in this town or not." Clayton continued to stare out on the horizon, he had no idea what else he could say. Magnolia was right though, he'd help no matter if she wanted or not. Some random donor to the bookstore would be rather obvious at this point.

"After you." Clayton gestured down the beach. He rubbed the back of his neck before following after Magnolia. This was going to be a long day.

When they reached the water Clayton plopped himself down in the sand, pulling his knees close to his chest. He squinted as he stared out on the water. "I don't know why you always have to act like you are being preyed on Mags."

"You are an amazing person. I don't know why you don't believe that."

 

[Elf_Ruler]

Silence. Silence was the only thing Magnolia could feel as Clay spoke to her. She had been tired of trying to push him away, she couldn’t use the same line she had four years ago, she had done her damage and it had worked well. However, it seemed as though Clayton had healed enough to be around her, to look into her eyes and not experience the original ache she knew she caused. All Magnolia could do was sigh, “Clay.” She shook her head as she sat next to him in the sand, “I never liked people. That’s not news.” As she spoke, she let her hands clutch the sand around her and then let it fall between her finger, “You kind of forced yourself into being my friend. My mom didn’t help.” She couldn’t help but reminisce of the good days. A smile spreading across her face, “I really hated you at first. I remember how annoying I thought you were, and we were kids.” A small laugh escaped her lips, “The town and I never meshed. I liked and still like being solitary, but there’s stuff that happened after you left.” She remembered the vandalism to her car, the money she had to pay to fix it, of course she never told Clay about it and she made sure it never made it to social media for him to see.

She turned her head to face him, “You’ve always been a good person, and me.” She paused to ensure she didn’t say the wrong words, “I’ve made choices that have hurt a lot of people. That’s my burden to bear, Clay. I’m not trying to sit and fight with you, I want to succeed and fail on my own merit. The store wouldn’t be so bad if…” if her mother wasn’t dying. Magnolia stopped herself and she could see the confusion written across Clay’s face, “It’s nothing. I screwed up and I’m trying to fix it. You’ve caught me at a very stressful time.” Though the last couple of years had been stressful. Stressful enough that Mags had found a gray hair mixed in along with her darkish locks. It shouldn’t have been a surprise but that single silver hair had sent Magnolia into a spiral that her mother had to calm her down. Not her proudest moment but she recovered and bounced back quickly. She couldn’t allow herself to stay down for long.

“Do you remember that one summer where we came here every day? Because that summer was one of my favorites.” She thought back to the popsicles they shared, to playing in the ocean and laughing so hard. She remembered that being the moment she realized she loved Clay. They hadn’t even been dating, but that was when Mags had known, and she remembered after that summer she had tried to distance herself. Of course, that caused Clay to be Clay and she fought with him just like now and she remember telling him she didn’t know what was wrong. She remembered the confusion she felt when being around him and now she felt them again.

How could one person make her feel so confused, yet feel like home? Clayton had always been her home, she had always felt calm around him, secure with him. Until she realized how others had looked at her with him. Then all she ever felt was insecure, “I lied to you back then, during that summer. I knew why I didn’t want to be friends anymore. I did like you back then and I know I didn’t end up loving you, but I did really like you. You made me feel like a girl and I didn’t like that feeling.” She shook her head a little, “I didn’t know how to express those feelings with you and avoiding you seemed way easier, but you. You’re persistent Moore. You always have been. So, I’ll make a deal with you. If you’re going to give me money for the store you have be an investor. It means weekly meetings to discuss how we can make the store better. I don’t want a handout, but because I can’t stop you, not back then and not now, you have to be an investor. I’ll pay you back with interest and we will write it up in a document and make it legal and other adult shit like that.”

If he wanted to help, he was going to have to play by her rules, plus having him around might bring her the calm she was missing.

 

[Dazzle]

Clayton only thought about Magnolia’s offer for just a moment before he reached out to her offering a handshake. “it’s a deal.” Clayton knew this was the only way that he was going to be able convince Mags to accept his help. Plus, then maybe they could go back to being friends again, real friends, best friends. Clayton wanted to get back to normal with Mags, maybe he could introduce her to Chole. He wasn’t sure that they would get along right off the bat, but maybe he could eventually warm her up to the idea.

----​

A few weeks had passed, and Mags had begun to warm up to Clayton again… Well at least he thought she was starting to. Clayton was helping in the bookstore again; he had been coming by twice a week. Though, he did have to force his way through the door the first time. Convincing Mags that this was apart of her deal, since he was an investor, he wanted to know how the shop ran. But, really Clayton just wanted to be around his best friend.

They had been joking around and laughing again. Everything was starting to feel normal again. Though, he still hadn’t told her about Chloe. Chloe couldn’t get away from work right away and she wasn’t really interested in seeing Anchor Bay, saying that the stories had been enough for her. She felt like she could picture the small-town life and did not feel the need to live it.

“Good Morning.” Clayton backed through the door of the Book store, two coffees in hand. He walked over to the front desk placing the coffee down on the counter in front of her. “How’s everything?” This was their routine at this point, every Monday and Friday Clayton came in and helped with deliveries and sales. Mostly he would restock the shelves, and slowly Mags had begun to get more customers, though she said it was because of him. And the store was dead the rest of the week, Clayton chose to not believe her.

He crossed his arms leaning down on the counter in front of him. “What is today’s game plan.” He said lifting one eyebrow. “What boxes should I lift?”

Clayton lowered his voice. “Big. Strong. Man, here to help.” He stood up flexing his muscles. He chuckled, watching a small smile break from Magnolia’s constant resting bitch face. “I saw thattt.” He flopped back onto the desk resting his head against his arm looking up out of the corner of his eye at Magnolia. “I knew she still smiled.” He dragged his finger in circles on the desk waiting for a response from Mags.

 

[Elf_Ruler]

Magnolia had been more than a little reluctant to Clay actually helping out around the store, but he was now an investor so she couldn’t blow him off easily, well not as easily as she had wanted. Where her bills still piling up day by day? Absolutely. But she wasn’t about to let Clay know just how much she had been drowning, and she wasn’t ready to tell him about her mom. It had been nice to have him around and she felt almost happy again, besides the lingering pain of knowing she was only his friend now. Her eyes watched as he was lifting the days deliveries and she wished she could look away, but she didn’t want to. These moments made her miss him more but for these brief moments it felt as though he was still hers.

Of course, a smile escaped from her lips even though she had tried to hide it and of course, he would see and make a joke which caused an eye roll, “Shut up. I’m not heartless I do still smile. Sometimes.” But when was the last time she smiled? “Can you move those boxes to the back? They’re overstock. It was a promotion, so I have extras.” Really, she didn’t want to let him know that the books would never sell, and they would just sit with the other boxes and collect dust. Everything had begun to collect dust including her own social life. As she looked back at the bills that sat in front of her, her face began to sour. Why was it so hard to come up with money and why was it so hard for her to accept help? Clay had the funds that she never had, hell his family lived in a way she could never dream of, even when the store was at its best days. Why couldn’t he see that his life was always meant for greatness and hers was meant to stay stagnant, never growing and always in one place. Especially now that her mother as unable to run the store.

“Clay?” his name still foreign on her tongue, “I’m sorry about a few weeks back. I was mad. Not at you.” She was trying to figure out the right words to say, “You coming back…I don’t know I guess I didn’t want you back. I appreciate the work, but you don’t belong in this town. You never did. You have potential to be a big name to the biggest companies and you come back to here. A place where your potential is stopped. I’m also sorry about back when we were teens. I shouldn’t have lied to you.” She should have told him the truth as teens, but she knew he was as stubborn as her sometimes. Dense but stubborn and his love would’ve kept him around here where he wouldn’t have gotten the education he deserved. She didn’t want to ask if he had found someone new. She wanted to believe she still had some chance even though deep down she knew she didn’t. She had killed that chance the second he came back into town and she had killed any reconciliation years ago at prom. However, the picture she took with him was still in her room and framed. She never had the heart to throw it away.

It was in that moment she heard the chime of the bells. Customers. A welcome sound that she wished she heard more. She watched as a few people browsed the books and she wished she knew how to interact with them, but instead she just watched as they all were chatting with each other. Discussing the series, they were standing by. It was one of her favorites, a knight, a dragon, a failed princess, and a donkey. It was well written and somehow it brought joy. Reminded her that love can be found in the strangest of ways. Even when its east expected.