Wild and Free

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We drove around the school and then passed a couple of stores. Still, we hadn't arrived at the mystery location he was taking me to.

"Where did the name Banks come from?" I asked him after he made a joke about his name.

He skidded, "Piggy, my first name is Piggy. I was named after my grandpa. I think it's some curse that's been passed down through my family."

"Oh, I thought it was short for Regions Bank," we both laughed even though it was a really stupid joke.

I crossed my legs in the seat and leaned in like I was abundantly enthralled. "Tell me for real."

"Is it your last name?" I asked even though it was the most obvious answer.

"Yeah, I was in JROTC and they go by last names. It stuck I guess. That's why I call Serrano, Mark by his last name and no one else does," I nodded as he spoke.

His hair was blowing around in the wind from the car window majestically. It was almost bird-like.

"Well, now you have to tell me your first name," I batted my eyelashes.

His laugh sounded precious to me, "No. It's the worst, that's why I don't go by it."

I put my fingers in his hair and ruffled it up. "Come on. You know I have a unique name. You don't meet a lot of Daya's," I said hinting that I wasn't giving up until he told me.

"It's Oliver, there I said it," he muttered bashfully.

He looked embarrassed for a second, so to assure him I said, "I really like that name, Ollie."

He shook his head, "No, I have deep-seated name trauma."

"It's a cute name," I smiled.

"Your name is cute," he leaned over and kissed my cheek. "Mine is a scrawny little loser's name."

I pushed his head away, "Eyes on the road, Ollie."

After driving around for about... I lost track of time just conversing with him. Finally, I put it together as to where we were headed. More like, I could finally see where we were at. "There's no way, is this... the lighthouse?"

"Did the giant lighthouse give it away?" He got out of the truck and opened the passenger door for me. I sat there in wonderment. It was truly a strikingly beautiful piece of land that would take anyone's breath away.

The lighthouse sat atop a huge cliff that the waves battled against. We were parked closer to Fort Williams Park, but even from there, I could feel the majesty of that place. From the beach area to the beautiful grasses in the park, and even the lighthouse itself, it was a sight to behold.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? You could see it better if you got out of the truck," he lightly tugged on his jacket that I was still wearing.

His words brought me back into reality. "I haven't been out here in so long. I can't believe we're..." I held onto his hand as I demounted the truck.

"We go to school less than thirty minutes away. I've brought my brothers here a few times." Holding hands, we started on our trek to the lighthouse.

Family outings were few and far between those days. "I haven't really had a reason to come here."

"Have you ever been on the cliff?" He pointed in that direction and I declined.

"No way! I was little the last time I was here! It was terrifying! Do you think I would really go anywhere near that?" I shivered just at the thought.

He laughed at my words, "I thought you were out here climbing trees and jumping from windows, Tarzan. And now you're trying to tell me you're scared of a little cliff?"

"Little! If I fell from a tree I wouldn't die. I would dive off the cliff and then break my neck on a smaller one." I profusely shook my head no with more vigor this time.

I could see the wheels turning in his mind as he observed me up and down and then started smiling at me. "Banks," I drawled out his name and put my hand on his chest when he stopped walking.

"No way." He tried to grab me but I started running before he could.

We were both dissolving into laughter as he chased me through the snowy crushed rock path. I was too busy to notice that I was ironically running towards the thing I was trying to get away from. He caught hold of me and carried me to the edge of the cliff.

"Oh my God, you're going to kill us!" I was started to freak out as we got really close to the edge of the cliff. He put me down and wrapped his strong arms around me. His head found that comfortable spot on my hair again.

"Just try not to look down," he whispered in my ear.

I felt like being disobedient and I looked down at the rampant waves beneath us. My grip on his arms became sturdier as I saw the gorgeous yet perilous waters below.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to let you go," he firmly whispered in my ear.

With him behind me, I felt like I could do anything. Maybe even survive a hard fall. Spontaneously, I put my arms out in a Jack and Rose position.

"We're really Titanic-ing this shit, huh?" He said to me, but I could barely hear him over the fierce waves and wind in my ear. I still giggled at the remark and nodded.

"This is the craziest thing I've ever done," I adamantly couldn't believe that I was standing on the edge of the cliff with a guy I just met and still felt safe and protected. Safer than I did with my own father.

"Next time we come back, and the museum is open I'm taking you up there," he pointed towards the lighthouse with the light facing toward the sea and the lurid sound of the fog horn surrounding us.

I turned around in his arms and placed both of my hands on the sides of his face. "You're amazing, this is amazing! I'm not even scared that you're going to push me off and kill me anymore!" I was yelling over all the sounds encompassing us. His smile was alluring and I'm sure I looked like a goofy idiot staring up at him.

"I'm happy we got to do this together," he tried to keep my hair at bay as it was flying in my face from all the wind. I bumped my head on him as he leaned down and I pushed up too quickly.

We both laughed at my awkward actions before he drew me in for a kiss. And before I could even think about slipping on the rocks and falling off, I was kissing him back.

Then my heart started reacting. I felt excitement and joy. Pure joy was coursing through every part of me and I never wanted it to end. I was alive! And I was happy to be wild and free.

A little later, he pulled me from the edge of the cliff and we sat on the beach together. Bundled up with blankets from his truck, we laid down in the sand and snow concoction on the ground. His arms could be felt wrapped around me. Lucky us, the snow wasn't falling at that time and we got a look at the starry night sky.

His smile was seen through my peripheral vision as we shared a comfortable silence. The stars dancing in the sky and the water singing was enough entertainment.

"My face hurts from smiling so much," I rolled on top of him and played with the buttons on his shirt.

"I feel the same," he frolicked with a few loose strands of my hair.

"We're still doing it though. I can't stop," he chuckled and draped his other arm over my waist. That moment may have been the happiest I was in my whole life. It almost didn't feel real. If someone woke me up right then and said it was all a dream, I would've believed it. I placed little pecks along his jaw.

He bit his lip and said, "Is it ok if I ask you something personal?"

"Yes, as long as it doesn't ruin this moment," I ran my fingers through his hair as well.

"I'll shut up then," he laughed with closed eyes.

"Now I'm way too intrigued. Ask me anyway." There was just something about the way he looked at me that filled me with joy.

"Do you ever think, how soon am I going to mess this up? Because I know me, and I might ruin this. I'm the biggest fuck up I know. This is stupid. That's why I wasn't going to say it." He shook his head dismissively before I could even answer.

I cupped his face, "It's not stupid. Normally, I think about that a lot. I've made a lot of bad decisions or I didn't make a lot of decisions at all. I don't want to ruin this either. And maybe I should be, but after tonight I'm not fearful of this anymore." He consciously made sure our eyes never quite found each other's despite my attempts.

"Trust me, compared to me, you've made no mistakes in your life. You're so gentle and delicate. The last thing I want to do is break you away from that." I watched the way his lips moved to form words.

One thing I noticed about Banks was that he was a very touchy-feely guy. If he was feeling cheerful he would be all over me, but if he was uncomfortable or embarrassed he would distance himself. Right then, even though I was lying on top of him, he put his hands behind his head and purposely looked away.

"Honestly, I can be broken easily, but I want to take this chance and I want it to be with you." It was odd being that vulnerable with someone but it was necessary.

He shifted uncomfortably. "I'm eighteen, I'm a senior. In four months, I'm going to graduate, and you'll still be here. You're still sixteen, aren't you?" Honestly, I hadn't really thought about that.

"I'll be seventeen next month." He tilted his head as he acknowledged my plea.

"I don't even know what I'm going to do with my life when I graduate. Neo's going to inherit the family business after college. Brian and Serrano are probably going to get that basketball scholarship. Celia and Piper are going to be roommates at whatever college they decide to go to. And I have no clue where I'll be. Even if I stay here, you won't want to be with a townie that probably still works part-time at a car shop," he banged his head into his hands and sand flew upwards.

I hated hearing him be so critical of himself. "A wise man told me earlier today that every decision doesn't have to be made right now."

"I think you're misquoting this wise man's words," he pointed out but it didn't have any emotion behind it.

"That may be, but all I'm trying to say is that you don't have to know right now. My brother doesn't know what he's going to do when graduation comes. It doesn't make you any less deserving of being happy," I attempted to reason with him.

"What about you? When we all graduate, you'll be right back to where you were a week ago. I don't want to do that to you," he stared passed me and towards the starry night.

"It's not like I'll never see you again after four months, and it'll be six months if we include summer. Banks, I... I don't know why but I feel like we can make it work. Don't you want that?" We weren't even officially a couple at this point but I was already fighting for us.

Everyone else seemed to be against us, I didn't need Banks joining their ranks. "Yeah. But that doesn't change the fact that it would be easier for us if we just cut this off here. Every relationship I've been in I screwed up. You've seen it first hand. It would kill me if I did the same with us. I'm not worth it," he wiped his sandy hands over his face.

Candidly, I spoke, "It sounds like you're the one making up excuses now. You're worth it to me. We don't have to figure all this out tonight, but I have faith in you. Banks, you're going to be amazing at whatever you decide to do. You need to know that for yourself."

"I should record everything you say and use it as daily motivation," he poked my side.

I giggled, "You really should. I'm the best."

"Yeah, you are," I leaned down and brought our lips together again. I felt his hand go under my shirt and trace the bare skin on my back. I couldn't tell if I was shivering because of his touch or the cool air.

"I'm going to ask you a question now," I tapped his chest.

He bugged his eyes and looked awfully silly. "Should I be scared?"

"Of course not! I want to know what're your wildest, craziest dreams. What do you want out of life?" That's a softball question I thought.

He was obviously trying to avoid answering the question. "Hmm, are you my guidance counselor now?"

"You've got to have something," we bantered back and forth.

"I don't know. It's nothing practical and I'm not that talented," he said disdainfully.

I gave him the irresistible puppy dog eyes. "You're probably good at everything. And I asked you for crazy and wild dreams so it doesn't have to be practical. It would mean a lot to me if you told me."

"Fine, I want to be a... drum roll, please," I fiercely patted his shoulders.

He laid his arms out onto the sand. "A musician! There I said it."

"Wow! I can see it actually. Do you sing?" I inquired because he was actually opening up about who he was.

Banks spoke sarcastically. "No, you don't want to hear me sing. I play the guitar; acoustic, electric, and bass. I know, I know, be impressed."

"I am. You're going to have to play for me one day," my voice glittered with excitement.

"I might. If you prove yourself worthy. It's not like I have a shot at that dream though," he squeezed my side.

I aimed to use a bit of reverse psychology on him. "Of course not. If you don't believe in yourself you can't convince anyone else to."

"There are seven billion people on this planet and most of them won't be remembered. I'm one of them. I'm never going to be the first to discover something. I'm not the most athletic or the smartest or even the best guitarist. I'm not that important," he was going to continue bashing himself but I wouldn't let him.

I pushed his beliefs. "Whether or not the world remembers you is not the measurement of your life. It's the people around you and the lives you've touched. Am I not important because I didn't discover quantum physics?"

"You mean something to me... and everyone around you," his tone had a breathy resonance.

"Then that's enough. You're enough and you're important. What are you even talking about? You're popular, you have so many friends, and everyone knows you," I forcibly made him look at me.

"I know a lot of people, sure, but I'm not friends with most of them. And you don't think I'm 'popular' because of my riveting personality, do you? This," he drew a circle in the air around his face. "This is the only thing I got going for me."

My head tilted to the side and I scrunched my face. "It's not. I want to know what's underneath that handsome face, get into your brain. You fascinate me. Let me get to know you."

He still didn't seem convinced. "You're the only person that does. But, what about you? Any lofty goals you'll accomplish through the power of positivity?"

Ignoring the sarcasm at the end of his question I answered, "Me? I don't really know. I'm not good at anything for real."

"Are you mocking me?" I giggled as he wore a gaped expression.

I shrugged, "Seriously, I can't write, sing, dance, cook, or draw. I am a good student but I have crippling anxiety. That doesn't leave very many options."

"You have lots of choices in life. Come on, you're the one that said there has to be something." He used my own words against me.

"Well, you have me there. When I was younger I wanted to be an actress. I thought it would be the best thing ever to pretend to be someone else. You know, someone more interesting than me and didn't have anxiety problems like me. But then, I threw up at practice for a Christmas play and that dream died," I trailed off as I took a road down memory street.

"On the practical side of things. My mom was a nurse before she had kids. She's always told me great things about it so that's on the table. Maybe even being a doctor. But there's so many people so I don't know how that'll work." Most of my life I've been told I could do anything when I grew up. I always knew that would be more difficult for me than others.

He started being more physical after we stopped talking about him. With one hand behind his head and the other stroking my back, he said, "What kind of nurse or doctor?"

I appreciated his interest so I replied, "I don't know. I've always had an affinity for babies so maybe prenatal. Plus, they don't talk and they're adorable." Banks was probably a cute baby.

"Seems like a perfect fit. So, does that mean you want to have my kids?" If there was water in my mouth, I definitely would have spit it out at that remark.

"Woah, how forward of you," I choked out.

"Or just kids in general? That was a joke by the way," he clarified after my reaction.

I was still flabbergasted by that. "Yeah, I would like kids.... far, far down the road. So, don't get any bright ideas, mister."

It felt like he was trying to sit up, so I rolled off and let him. He immediately pulled me in for an all-encompassing embrace. I was taken back for a second but quickly melted into it.

"Thank you, for saying all that to me before. I like talking to you," he looked into my eyes and I knew that he wasn't used to hearing encouraging words.

"Thank you for all of this. It's really been the best night of my life," I smiled soothingly.

He stood up and extended his hand out to me, I gladly took it. "I know how to make it even better. You know what we should do?"

I could see the spins turning in his mind. "What else do you have in that pretty but deeply compelling head of yours?"

With our hands still connected, he started walking towards the ocean.

"Please, don't say we should drown ourselves," I said as a joke but kind of meant.

He squeezed my hand, "Trust me."

I jumped back as soon as my feet touched the tiniest bit of water. "Okay, Aladdin! That's freezing!"

"You'll adjust to it," he chuckled.

We walked about medium knee level in the water before I refused to go any farther. "I just want to scream," he said calmly.

I thought it was a little weird but if walking into bitter water and screeching was going to make him feel better, then I would do that for him. "Let's scream then."

We shared a look and then belted out the loudest screams we could. With our hands still locked, we lifted our hands in the air and yelled.

"SCREW GRADUATING!" He jumped up and down in the water.

"IT'S ME AND YOU!" We were screaming, jumping, spinning in the water and didn't care if anyone heard. We could be unrestricted and our complete selves.

"WE'RE TAKING OVER!" We looked so uninhibitedly carefree as we let all of our frustrations out. He picked me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. I punched the air with my fist and screamed into the air, "THIS IS THE GREATEST!"

I looked down at him and the joy in our hearts was palpable. As soon as I started leaning down to kiss him, a wave crashed into us and brought us down into the icy water. It wasn't funny but for whatever reason, we were laughing out of our minds. It was pure exhilaration and I was aching for every second of it. Nothing else mattered and it felt amazing.

*That was so fun! I kept going back and forth adding more dialogue. Also I had to take some out to save for later. I hope y'all are excited for the story!

What do y'all think of their conversations?

How would you personally describe Daya and Banks as characters?

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