ʜ ᴏ ʟ ʏ

24.

It almost felt foreign to her, so overlooked and brand from her time spent in a school. Just fleeing down the road watching the scenery fly by felt so new to her. Had it really been that long? Surely it had. She was in the car, tucked away on the leather cushion of the seat as her uncle drove towards home. Not to many words were spoken between them upon  reclaiming her from the boarding school, nothing but a few mumbled greetings. Bonnibel was pleased at the silence, instead focusing her energy on the outside that flew past the window. The dark oaks lumbering behind a vast feild of wheat, the yellow streaks of warmth lapping from behind the various clouds, the rickety old houses set on the corner of the block, and soon the driveway. The car shunned the moaning crys from the engine, stoping in a halt infront of them home. The priest waisted no time cutting off the ignition and exiting the car, taking courtesy in grabbing her bag from the back seat. It was today that everything would fall in place, all she and Marceline had planned would finally be put to work. She could only hope for the first step to work as well as getting picked up from school did. So she complied with herself, lurching from the passengers seat and following the lead of her uncle from the driveway and to the front door. The man sloshed the keys around the key hole with one hand, the other gripping the bag as he pressed open the door with his shoulder. Upon their first step, memories and nostalgia enveloped her in a tight hold. Nothing about the house had changed, the feelings and memories still present in her mind. Soke were good, bad, even sad, but she ignored the though, overpowered by joy to be one step closer to be being with Marceline. "Father." She addressed him by his surname, taking his attention away from which it settled. He grew a smile at the acknowledgement, setting down the duffle bag on the table and sitting down soon afterwards. "Join me here niece, must we go in silence for so long?" It pegged Bonnibel to her core at the man addressing the problem as if she refused to utter a sentence to him. Not only that, but he only cares to speak due to the growing interest in her change at Saint Annes. Either way, it must be done, so she sat. Her at one end, him at the other. Being seated there brought up that fatal day he revealed where she would be sent due to her actions. She shuddered. "You must tell me niece, how has it been at school?" Quick flashes of the times whizzed through her head like bullets. Fighting, escaping, smoking, sex. "It was nice." She lied. She had been growing more fond of doing so. Maybe gaining that trait from Marcy wasn't such a bad thing afterall. She bowed her head low. "I have grown and evolved from my stay at Saint Annes. I have grown to realise that I am sinning in the name of the father and I must seek forgiveness for my waver and delay." A accepting grin was all that shown on his face. She was feeding him exactly what he wanted to here. "Even though I am trying Father, I really am, I agree with the choices of your actions." She looked him dead in the eye, something he wasn't used to due to the lack of sight over communication when one would come forth in the woven box at the church and confess. His posture remained affirmed. She continued to speak. "I wish to partake in the summer program offered at Saint Annes. I want to be closer to the lord." She took that as her chance to pull the bag in her grasp, unzipping the metal pull and yanking up the forged packet. She slid it towards him, slowly, not to aggressive to give off her motive. The man reeled in the bulk packet in his hold and began flipping through the pages, one by one. It made Bonnie nervous. There was no way to know if he knew it was fake besides the expressions that reeked his face. She watched him steadily, her breath clogged within her, only releasing when he pulled a pen from the cloth material pocket on his pastor outfit. The pen littered the signature line with a scribble, the folds of paper settling back to their calm stacked state. "Please make sure to hand this off to your administrator as soon as you arrive tommorow." The man arched upwards from the captivity of the old chair and pushed it back under the table. "I'll be up in my study for the remainder of the night. No leaving the house, no friends over, and curfew at eight. You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow." And indeed she did, though her version of a long day was far off from his. She bowed her head at his departure and plucked herself from the table a bit afterwards. She couldn't help but marvel at the packet in her hands as she retreated up the stairs and to her room. Rest would be needed for the stunt she would pull.

She was up far early than she was supposed to. That was the thing with her sleeping schedule. Either she recived no sleep, or got to much, there was no inbetween. Her mind was fueled and her veins produced much adrenaline, even if her body didn't show it, taking a rather sluggish from as she completed her task. Inside the duffle bag she packed essentail items for her summer get away. Clothes for warmth and cold, the mp4 Marcelime had gifted her (which she grew fondly attached to), a book or two and a scuffed pair of sneakers from her closest. Careful not to bulk up on items, Bonnibel tested the weight of the duffle bag before moving towards her door. Early was good, being that the most group of girls arrived an hour before the bus opens to get good seating on for the travel. That was good for them. The bigger the crowd, the easier to slip away. She turned, taking one last peak at the space before her. So many memories shared, but new ones were bound to be made. So instead, she shut the door and climbed down the wooden slabs, bag in hand. Her uncle waited patiently at the bottom of the stair case. His foot tapped away at the wood below it as he checked his watch once more. "I would suggest you hurry along to catch a good seat on the bus." She sped her pace, meeting the man at the bottom of the stairs and soon the door. Off they went, out in the open to the world ahead of them.

There she sat, in the seat, ahead of the school as the man spoke his final departure. She caught something along the lines of "priority behavior" but her eyes and mind placed upon something else. She could see Marcy through the thick glass of car, standing in the crowd unaware of her sight. She dressed in ripped faded black jeans, a striped red and white shirt, and small silver dagger earrings dangling at her lobe. She quite fit the description of what Bonnibel guessed she dressed like outside of school, landing in the punk category. She couldnt lie, the outift suited her better than it could anyone else. "Bonnibel? Are you even listening?" His words snapped her focus back towards him. She had almost forgotten his prescene but quickly grew to know so when his voice belowed an octive lower. She didn't like the change of his tone one bit, to much of a reminder that everything was not okay and the man was capable of plenty. She nodded eagerly. "Yes, Uncle. I am mighty grateful for this offer, I won't let you down." Another smug grin formed his face. Rather than part ways with anysort of physical contact, she nodded at him one last time and pulled back the grip of the door handle. Her skin was instanly greeted by the warmth of the sun while she proceeded to appraoch the head of the school and soon the cover of the bus. The man hidden in his car couldn't see her, giving him just another reason to leave as he did. Though she didn't catch the attention of many, Marceline seemed to sense her from a mile away, a smile forming her once blank face. "Bonnie." She chimed, responded to by the grip of two hands hugging her waist. Hugs and contact was something Marceline didn't grow up with but an exception was made for the sake of Bonnibel. Softly, as if trying no to fracture a spec on her body, she hugged back. Pulling back from the much needed contact, Bonnie took in the attire of her friend. "Punk much?" She slouched her hand up and down her companion, Marceline sneering with a laugh. "I suggest you quit your yappin' for a leave you deserted at school." Bonnibel only laughed, watching Marceline check the girls that surrounded them in a swarm. They were pushed so far back in the crowd, it would be hard for administration to catch sight of them slipping off unless given the eyes of an eagle. A devious grin proceeded to coat her face. "Follow me through here, summer awaits." Bonnie gave her and affirming stare and followed Marceline, weaving through the girls in the crowd at her tail with the duffle bag sloshing at her side. Deep down she knew she wasn't lying.