ʜ ᴏ ʟ ʏ

34.

The house was vacant when they arrived the previous night, as she hoped, giving them the time to dawdle the empty expanse. With the odd hours of the night, one could only expect the man would've already returned home from work, pressed against the leather recliner drinking away his missery. His presence was absent but she knew his whereabouts. Probably holed up at a motel engaging on lust with a cheap hooker. It was expected after the death of her mother that he needed to heal, to cope with his loss, and just maybe was sex and alcohol his cure. She could see where she got her mechanisms from. She stored the negative thoughts in her vault. No need to be thinking of the man that brought sorrow when your light and joy was right at your side, tipping down the barren sidewalk. The joys of last night had came to a conclusion, bringing them to find their next high with the current day. In the wee hours of the morning, the conversation of their past times had been brought up yet again and strung back and forth with different tales. The talk of her old home was brought up, bringing back the golden years of her childhood. The best times of her life were probably spent there. She wanted to recall the joy that huddled the area, bring back memories that had been closed off with the one closest to her. What better way to do that then to show her herself? She had lured Bonnibel out the house and towards her old home. It was a prolonged walk to get there but a chance for her to recal the distant sights. As they progressed further away from home, the houses got noticeably lesser and lesser. From classy exteriors, luscious green grass, flourishing community, and tailored accessories to low class housing, brittle grass sizzled by the sun, muffled yells departing from neighbor to neighbor, and cheap items and scruffy bikes littering the lawn. That was Howard street for you. Bonnibel didn't seem to mind a bit, not to bothered by her girlfriend's past housing. She worried about the cigarette in her hands more than anything, which fiddled a smile on Marceline's lip. "Shitty isn't it?" Asked Marcy, Bonnibel tugging back the cigarette from her mouth and funneling smoke from her puckered lips. "If your waiting for me to go along with it and put down your past neighborhood, then no. Looks don't make community's shitty, it's all up to the people." She never viewed it that way, taking her comment to mind and accepting the cig that was passed her way. She inhaled the tobacoo rolled stick, watching with sullen eyes as kids on rusted bikes and scooters raced down the street. "Then I guess it's not so shitty then. The houses may not be up to par but this whole place is a community. Everyone looks out for eachother in different circumstances, I guess that's what made it feel like home." "What about the home you live in now, is it the same?" She chuckled a scoff, sending the stick back in rotation. "No where close. Everyone that lives in that area is a self entitled asshole or some snobby rich white person. It's pratically rare to be any of those in this place." She placed her view across the road, swatting at both a pesky mosquito and the pellets of sweat that leaked from her pores. The aim of her finger was up and pointed to the store. "That's the local store. Grocery places were to far out so everybody just went there. Would've never known then that going there wasn't such a luxury." Bonnie was struck with curiousity, Handing over the cig to Marceline. "Explain." She took a final drag of the lung consuming poison and flicked it to the pavement, her boot giving it a good twist. "When we lived here, my mom and dad were struggling, badly. Jobs weren't paying well and all the moneny we did get from it would go towards bills. We relied on friends from the neighborhood to keep us feed atleast once a day. But every now and then, they would give me a dollar or two out of generosity. We never hit the store alot cause we didn't have money, but when it was given it was like a sacred moment for me going up to that store." Bonnie smiled at her girlfriend. She never would've known a girl as rich as she was started from the very bottom. She never had to go through that with her uncle. Everything for her care was provided by defualt with the amount of money he made from church donations. Marceline was quite the oppisite. Who knew two different lifes as such would cross like they did? The thought brought pink to her cheeks. "What're you blushing bout' princess?" Marceline gave that smile, that damned smile, the one that made her chest go fuzzy and her stomach rumble with anticipation. She grazed her hands over her knuckles. "Just the fact that we came from lives so different yet we were still able to find eachother. Im glad we did." She nodded her head with agreement, tranquil settling over them liks a warm blanket in the cold. "What about that place over there?" She stole her attention, head tilted towards another building. "Oh that? That's was the liquor store before the owner got arrested for tax fraud." Bonnibel sizzled a hiss. "It was like heaven for the drunks though. My old neighbor, this bum named Michael, went up there every two days for a new case of beer. I didn't mind that he drank, it was just the fact that when he was drunk, he would neverrr shut up. We could here him babbling even through the spaces of our homes." She dragged out her words, Bonnibel chuckling at her side. "Talk about annoying, imagine listening to church verses everyday. You wouldn't be able to stand my uncle." Marceline shrugged her shoulders with a smug grin. "I think Saint Annes conditioned me well enough, can't be to harsh." Bonnibel laughed lightly, letting Marceline lead the way on the cracked pavement. "Where are we headed to anyways?" "My old house. I guess I just wanted to see how it is, maybe even check the residents." She pulled a face of mischief, her foot continuously pelting a peeble ahead of her steps. It took them less than five more minutes of walking to arrive to the home, and upon arrival Marceline was shocked. There was nothing filling the empty space where the house once resided, besides the dark glass and charred remains of the building baked by the sun. The building was almost unidentified the way it stood, Bonnibel wasn't even sure if she would know it was a house unless Marceline had told her so. All of it, gone, burnt to a crisp with the inhabitants out of sight. Bonnibel instanly looked to Marceline, who faced the reckage with a emotionless face. She was handling it well, being that she grew up there. She disregarded her blank stance, moving towards the burned remains and crouching, letting the ash and char slip through the open spaces of her fingers. "Shit." Was all she could muster. Bonnibel hovered over her, taking in the sight. "How are you feeling?" She ushered away speaking on the topic, more so focused on the state of her girlfriend. "Im fine it's just...weird. I can't be mad that this happened, I don't know the story behind it but its just so weird. It feels like yesterday when I was just living here." "It sure does." Bonnie went stiff with her stance, for neither her or Marceline muttered a response. It was only when she turned that Marceline was greeted by the stranger, Flambo. The boy was eccentric, to say the least. Curly red ginger hair that covered his head and speckled in spots of his chin, freckles and pimples that littered his face, bandaids lining up and down his arm, a thick new york accent, and a unforgettable smile. Bonnie wasn't to sure of him but from the looks of it, Marceline was. She moved up from the ground slowly, as if taking his apperance and proceeded to fill the space between them. The boy smiled warmly and gave her a pat on the back. "Never thought I would catch a Abadeer back on Howard street." He pulled back and took in her appearance. "And your all grown up. You Abadeer's cease to amaze me." Marcy smiled and turned slightly, giving the house a glum stare. Flambo seemed to notice, burrowing his hands in his pockets and staring through the streak of sun. "It went up about a month ago. Word on the street was the family that lived there set fire to it on accident." "The ones that moved in after we left?" He shook his head. "We had more than one familys move in and out of that place, last I can remember was a family of four, a dad, two sons, and a grandmother." Marceline nodded sadly and stared at the home, Bonnie giving her reassurance by placing a hand on her shoulder. "Enough of that sad shit!" Flambo tore through the moment, placing himself inbetween Marcy and Bonniebel with arms strung on their shoulders. "We'll don't be rude Marceline, introduce me to your pal." He cocked his head her way. Marcy sighed and released a chuckle. "Flambo this is Bonnibel, my girlfriend. Bonniebel this is Flambo, my old friend." He snaked his hand from around her shoulder and held it at his side. "No way, you're dating this goober?" His voice was in disbelief, Marceline standing to the side with a plain face. She chuckled and nodded. "Yes I am." He reached his hand from his side, covering a partial bit of his mouth away from Marceline. "Blink if she's holding you hostage." He whispered loudly, Marcy pulling him back by his shoulder. "Ouch! Alright!" He surrendered with raised hands. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you Bonnibel. Would you two care to come chill at my place for a bit? Give us some time to catch up for a while." Marcy gave in with a nod. There was no reason to dwell on the debris of the home and she hadn't seen Flambo since she was 7. The boy clicked the heals of his scuffed shoes, leading the way down Howard street.

Bonnibel wasn't sure how to describe the room. The house wasn't to bad but not to good ethier. It was very close to resembling Ash's home, just a tad bit orgainzed. The contents of the counter were stacked upon eachother, the dishes in the sink sat neatly pressed together, and not to many items coated the floor. Flambo was quite organized for such a messy boy. "How's your mother?" Marceline asked, Flambo fidgeting with the bandages on his fingerss. "Oh uh, she's good. Been out working alot, trying to support me and the boys." Bonnie had thought of multiple siblings from the state of the house. "I've been trying to help out too but you can't get to far in the working buisness with a record like mine." "Ah shit man, I'm sorry." Marceline murmured, Flambo pushing deeper into the couch. "Its no problem, there's ways to make money on Howard street." Marceline gave him a skeptical look. Once again, his hands were up in defense. "I do fights and gambles, swear." That had instantly caught Bonnibel's attention. "Fights? is that a thing down here?" He hummed proudly. "Oh hell yeah it is! Kids 15+ gather in that abandoned liqour store and fight for money. Winner gets the wad of cash." That explained the healing bruises that situated his cheek and upper brow. She wasn't sure if that signaled victory, or failure, but it sounded intresting enough. "Seeing how well you've aged, I'd say you'd be a good fighter. You too Bonnibel." The thought of her fighting Marceline at school flashed her mind. Marceline had been in countless fights before her and in their brwal they both got equal hits, so if she did decide to try out the fight, she would have a bit of experience and a chance of success. "As cool as it sounds im sure were settled for the summer. Me and Bonnie are gonna lay low and party hard until school comes back." Marcy secured a arm around her shoulder and held her softly. "Oh fuck, I forgot to tell you guys." Flambo sat up on the other couch, leaning ahead and giving them all of his focus. "There's gonna be rad ass party here tomorrow at Dana's old place, remember Dana?" "The one who got pregnant when she was 14 and we were 6?" Flambo nodded vigorously. "The whole blocks gonna be there. There's gonna be alcohol, most likely some drugs, a bunch of sex, and some kids you haven't seen since elementary. You gotta go man." His words were very compelling, adding on to the fact that Marceline had wanted to party since the one held at her house. She turned her gaze to Bonnie, eyes riddled with curiousity. "I would like to go, but it's up to you. I understand if you don't wanna be in that environment." She recalled the memories from last party.  Sitting around keeping watch over Marceline didn't sound like to much fun, so maybe actually letting loose would fit her? Actaully shrugging off her worries and enjoying the night of fun seemed like a better case, and Marceline's poutty face only added onto the captivating plead. She sighed, slugging a smile to her girlfriend and nodding. "Sure." Marcy beamed, sending a peck to her cheek. Flambo clapped his hands from the side. "Alright, it's settled then! Meet back at my place tomorrow at 8 and we'll all go together." Marcy nodded. Maybe tomorrow wouldn't be so boring afterall.