ʜ ᴏ ʟ ʏ

31.

She had caught sight of the man, nothing to up close and personal but a definite glimpse of his features. Raven hair bound back down his scalp by the confines of the slick hair gel, grey eyes that restricted any sense of emotion with the barricade held ahead, thin lips and cheekbones that could slice through her accompanied by his straight jaw. No, it was no stranger she was describing, the stranger himself held an important role to the life of Marceline. Mr. Hudson Abadeer, ruler of the company the "Nitosphere" and father to Marceline. She had seen him in the driveway, yanking out the bulk suitcases from the trunk of the sable corvette and hauling them into the home. That was all she saw before they had departed from the window, leaving the house desolate with the exception of the man. Keila, Guy, and Bongo packed up the instruments into the beat up van and set off home during the wee hours of the morning, leaving only Bonnibel and Marceline after pitching in on the aftermath of the party. She wasn't sure if it was the egress of her friends or the presence of her father, but Marceline had been oddly quiet, which was very unusual. Usally, there would be no sense of silence around her, the girl brewing up any sort of conversation or praise to her girlfriend, but she was mute, lips sealed shut like a zipper, only to the exception of the cig rested on the line of her lips. Bonnie couldn't bare to watch. "Marcy? Are you ok?" It took a minute or two, nothing to long, and the contemplated twist and turn of her face and suppressed sigh signaled for her to answer. "No." She slummed, focusing solely on the side walk beneath their feet. "You know you can talk to me, right?" She sure hoped she did. "Of course I do its just.. Ugh." She cut herself off in a grunt, Bonnibel eyeing her worridly. "Just seeing him made me mad. I haven't been with my father for basically a year." "But weren't you with him when you went home the last day of school?" "Not really, he signed the packet and locked himself in his office for the rest of the day. He doesn't make any effort to be in my life at all. He never once showed up to the school for visits, meetings, even my birthday. It's like im just another mouth to feed and another person to live in his house." Bonnibel could clearly hear the sorrow in her voice. It made her almost sad she wasn't in the school at the time of Marceline's birthday, to provide what her father couldn't. Just plain company. Marceline didn't take his absence and sudden arrival so well, clenching her fist so hard her nails dug into the skin on her palm. Bonnibel could only lower her brows. "Im sorry things are this way Marcy. I know I'll never amount to something as close as your father but I... Am here for you." She knew what she wanted to say, excatly how she wanted to say it, but she couldn't. That word was all the way in the pit of her gut by the time she realized what was about to spout from her mouth. That was fine, she wasn't ready. Though she couldn't offer her the word she intended, she took courtesy to lace her finger through Marceline's, bringing her hand up to her lips and planting a peck on her skin. Marceline could only smile warmly. "You always know how to make me feel better." "You know it." She beamed. "Hopefully my friends can make you feel even better." Yes, her friends. Both girls had been stalking the lonesome path of the sidewalks in hopes of arriving at the house of Finn and Jake. Bonnibel had been planning on reaching out to them even in the constircited area of the school, but found it hard to do so with no access to electronic devices in the district. Today was the perfect day to do it. With Marceline's dad occupying the home, Keila and the band gone, and nothing better to do on such a day, it seemed like the best option. Finally would she be able to introduce her friends to Marcy. With light chat and a bit of walking, the girls were centered smack dab infront of a stern wooden door that belonged to the the boys. Marceline's intestines did flips inside her flesh. She felt woozy, anxious, out of place, and most definitely up to critism. What if Bonnibel's friends took a disliking to her as a friend? Let alone a girlfriend. Bonnie could spot her from the side of her eye doing exactly what she thought she would be doing, taping her foot, a nervous tactic that Bonnibel took notice to a while back. She even tapped her foot when asking the girl out. Bonnie shook her head with a smile, turning Marceline towards her and planting a passionste kiss to her lips. It took Marcy by suprise but by the time she caught on, her foot tap simmered down and her rumbling gut settled and eased through her body. Bonnie pulled back, parting a lose strand of hair from her face. "It'll be fine, they'll really like you Marceline, I guarantee it." Marcy gave her the best grin she could muster at the moment and watched her knuckles connect to the door, beckoning for it to be opened as she put put out the cig with the twist of her boot. A few seconds of silence, footsteps, unlatch of locks, and the door was pulled open, revealing a boy, shaggy blonde hair draped loosely over his baby blue shirt. Upon look, a fire erupted from within him, sending the boy jumping up and down with joyus glee. "Holy shit! Bonnibel!" He pratically lunged at her, pulling her in the tightest hug Marceline's ever seen. Bonnie only laughed, returning the embrace a short bit after. "Nice to see you too Finn." The boy pulled back, eccentric sparks in his eyes, leveling a cupped hand to his mouth and spinning on his heels. "Jake! Come here dude!" He yelled. A boy (who she presumed to be jake), tall with bleached buzzed cut hair and stubble lining his face, slumped down the hall. "Way to donk up the game dude, I-" his sentence was cut short upon seeing what he was called for. "Bonnie!" He rushed past Finn and tackled her into a hug, making her giggle. "Jake, you've grown." "You bet your ass I did!" He pulled back, taking in her appearance for himself. "Wow... We were starting to think your uncle had murdered you and hid the body. Dude wouldn't fess up anything about your whereabouts!" Looking at it from their perspective, she could understand where they were coming from. "I understand." She paused, taking in the girl at her side. "Guys, I want you to meet Marceline... My girlfriend." Marceline could only give a sly wave. Jake took in her appearance, not refraining from stepping from the door and circling Marcy. Her shoulder's tensed, Jake stepping back in place with and arched brow. "Hm, Not to bad Bonnie." Bonnie snorted, earning a laugh from Marceline. Finn on the other hand, kept the greeting formal. "Pleased to meet you m'lady." He bowed, tucking his arm behind his back. Marcy cracked a grin. "It's nice to meet you guys too." Bonnie didnt hesitate to eye them equally. "So you just gonna let us burn up out here?" Finn perked up instantly, moving to the side, and scooting Jake upon doing so. "My bad Princess, no skin will be burnt upon this day. Come on in." Bonnie lead the way into the cool interior of the home. Marceline idled at the inside. Plenty of photography of the boys at a young age lined the walls, including a third one not so present which resembled Jake immensely. She noted to ask later. Finn lead them to the living room, having them set down as he dashed up the stairs to fetch something. Bonnie questioned Jake with and arched brow, the boy looking up from the active videogame and facing her. "You two caught us just at the right time, we were just about to hit up the pool so Finn could start his shift." "Shift?" He indeed nodded, stuffing his face full of whatever snack lay ahead on the floor. "Got a job at the local pool, never seen him so determined." Finn eased his way down the steps following the statement, a new set of clothes (which looked to be the lifeguard uniform) slacked away from his frame. "Well excuse me for wanting to dedicate myself to savin' the lifes of the innocent who cannot swim." "Weren't you afraid of pools and oceans just last year?" Finn grumbled a complaint, sending jake the middle finger. "Hopefully Marceline's as cool as you, starting to think I need some new homies." Jake stiffled a gruff chuckle, Marceline smiling from the corner. "Whatever suits your boat man, and hurry up you have like five minutes until they'll count you late." Finn continued his spree, grabbing his bright green bag and awaiting Jake at the door. "You cool ladies down for a dip in the pool?" They both nodded. The sensation of swimming was growing almost foreign to Marcy with the time spent away from the creek. Not only would a swim relieve her at home stress, but give her an opportunity to grow a connection with each of the boys. Jake fetched the keys to his truck, moving ahead to the front door. "Off we go."

"You're telling me you rebeled against school rules countless times, stole, left campus, and fought?" Marceline nodded, smiling with boast at the recal of events. "Now, you've definelty earned your way to my top 10 list of cool people." She smiled. Yet again had she captured Jake with one of the many stories her years at Saint Annes had earned. First they chatted the standard and formal way to intorduce themselves, how she met Bonnibel (which wasn't quite so formal,) and now one of the countless times she stirred up trouble with the girl. Jake sat ahead, bewilderment plastered on his expression while he munched away on a bag of chips from the concession stand. He shoveled down the remnants of the bag and shrugged, crumpling the plastic in his hand and shooting for the trash bin. He missed. "Geez, never knew she had it in her. The baddest thing she's done that we know is call in sick on a school day when she wasn't." That got a laugh out of her. God, her girlfriend was such a dweeb, but the good kind. The goody two shoes swam in the wide pool, propelling herself backwards with the kick of her legs. Marcy was even surprised there was even enough space to do so, being that everyone and their families had the same idea as them. The benches and pool chairs were all renovated by the space of a person, the concession stand held a line longer than the gates of hell, and the pool crowded with roudy teens, hairy dad's, weird uncle's, and women with baby's put away under the protection of an umbrella. All of this under the guard of Finn and a few other lifeguards, who sat tall and mighty in the lifeguard chair, shirtless, glistened with sweat, and slightly tanned. Marceline was pratically melting away trying to keep out of the pool due to her current conversation with Jake, though it was all worth it. She had grown to know plenty of not so useful but interesting things from Jake. Finn was adopted into the family, both boys shared a brother by the name of Jermaine, Both Finn and Jake meet Bonnibel in the 5th grade, Jake played the violin, and even requested a duo with her following her discussion of her bass, and some weirdly interesting stories about Bonnibel. She reminded herself to tease her on it later. Taking a sip from the soft drink he had bought her, Marceline relaxed onto the stiff wood of the bench, soaking into the shade of the umbrella. "You two should stay over tonight." He admitted. Marceline stirred up a questioning glance. "Really?" "Yeah, it'd be cool to have you two around. As lame as it sounds I think it would be fun. Pizza, videogames, movies, maybe a little alcohol here and there but-" "Of course, sounds awesome. You sure your parents wont mind?" He bucked his head. "Decetive work is a hassle, they'll be gone until tomorrow afternoon." She thanked his reassurance and ended her acceptance with a comment of running it over with Bonnibel, who emerged from the pool soaked from head to toe. Her empty space was instanly filled. "Oh Marceline you're such a bummer, you're not gonna swim at all?" She pushed her pool soaked hair away from her vision. "Maybe in a bit, your friend here is quite interesting." "Oh really?" She nodded. "Maybe not as interesting as accidentaly swallowing the metal end of your pencil, but interesting." Jake snickered under his breath, Bonnibel throwing various moans and complaints his way. " Jake you told her that? I thought I told you not to talk about!" It was true she did, but Jake couldn't help himself, leaving him now with Bonnie shoving his shoulder. She dismissed their cackles and remarks with a simple, "not funny guys" and wrapped the spare towel around her shoulders, placing herself right under Marcy. She engulfed her into her embrace, holding the chlorine smelling girl, Bonnibel growing bubbly. "Yuck." Jake voiced from ahead, standing from the bench and scrapping up some spare change from his pocket. "Im gonna go stand in the concession line, wish me luck." And like that, he was off. Bonnibel chuckled at his eagerness for hunger and nestled deeper into Marceline's hold with her head in the crook of her neck. Marcy stroked her damp hair softly. "Your friends are nice." She spoke her truth. With the majority of the time with Jake, and a few conversations with Finn during his break, she grew to realize why Bonnie thought so highly of the boys. "Good, was hoping you'd like them." "Liked em' enough to accept the sleepover invite for tonight." Bonnie held her closer. "Thank you." She gripped her hand under the table. Oh how she wished her affection could be broadcasted out in public without the fear of getting exposed. She would find herself unintentionally being sentimental with the girl until realization hit that it wasn't safe to do so. The town is small, very small, small enough for rumor to spread around. If someone who was a members of her Uncle's church saw the acts of tenderness unravel in public, everything would be uncovered and she would never see daylight, or Marceline again. She just had to settle with friendly looking hugs and handolds for the moment, lacing their fingers tight in a squeeze. Little did she know, a time where their devotion is revealed, was upon them.