ʜ ᴏ ʟ ʏ

48.

Her body was stiff, every inch of muscle, skin, and bone begging her to return her joints to it's resting place, but as stubborn and dehydrated as she was, not much thought was given. Ignoring the silent pleads her body sputtered, she shifted upwards on the rigid fraction of the cushion her body plummeted on the pervious night, her forehead aching in agony. "Fuck." She muttered, hands rising up slowly to avoid waking up the beast within her dome and descending to craddle her forehead. She was fucked, as well as the living room, every other person in the living room knocked out on pieces of furniture with awakward positions, and even the house itself. Marceline ignored the beer soaked party streamers and smell of weed and focused on her surroundings in search of her friends. On the couches sprawled blunderingly atop of each other, and on the floor compressed cruely, the presence of Guy and Bongo were no where to be found. She stood. Instant regret fleed her as her vision flared and her head eased with discomfort. If she was going to find Guy and Bongo a pit stop to the kitchen was definelty necessary, the dire need of water reflecting the dry of her throat and ache of her head. "Excuse me, watch it, sorry," Was all that could be heard as she worked her way to the kitchen, cautious not to antagonize any of the people knocked out on the floor with the bottom of her shoe. Grasping the wall slightly to avoid falling on her face, Marcy worked her way into the kitchen and towards the sink, running the tap and fishing for a empty plastic cup tilted on the surface. Once the container was filled to the brim with water, she put the rim to her lips and drank as much as her mouth could hold. Chugging the water like no one was watching, she allowed it to diminish the allure the beverages had on her last night, becoming startled when a voice declared it's presence. "Slow down there man, your chugging like a fish." She spun on her heels, coming face to face with that familar voice. Darren.

Darren. The way his name worked its way around her head like a tennis ball ricocheting off a wall was beginning to drive her mad with memories. Darren was a simple teen boy. Tall, lanky, autumn eyes and slight stuble, the first thing you see when you google a trailer boy. She had meet him last year at a party during her annual stay with Keila. Keila had dragged her to a party similar to the current one she attended, and ditched her to hook up with a boy who smelled like he showered in cheap mens cologne. With no one else to keep her company, Marceline loathed at the sight of fun from the sidelines as she sipped on warm alcohol. It was there that Darren arrived, becoming her knight in shining armour. He introduced himself with cheesy jokes and top notch tales from his summer, and in return he received equal energy from Marceline as well as a phone number for sacrificing a night of partying to get drunk with the lonely girl who'd been abandoned by her friend. Over the span of some weeks the duo grew closer from texting and hanging out when work called for Keila, and developed a close bond for her first month of summer. Long story short, she ended up selling drugs for him to make some quick cash for her stay. She could thank Darren for most of the money that was in her drug jar. It came as a surprise to see him standing infront of her in the flesh after a whole school year had gone by. Marceline, being hungover from last night, giggled with giddy at the boy towering before her. "Nice one asswipe." She gave him the finger, gaining a coy grin in return. "Nice to see you too Abadeer." He leaned on the support of the counter, sipping from the brown beverage concealed behind the glass bottle. "Isn't it to early to be drinking?" He pulled the rim away from his mouth. "Isn't it the beginning of the school year schoolgirl?" "Touche." She gave him props for his comeback. She hadn't really put much thought into how they fled two weeks before the start of school. She wasn't sure about her father but if anything, Bonnibel's uncle would've had to notice her disappearance when he went to retrieve her from summer camp and came home empty handed. Bonnibel... Oh how she missed her. She shook her head, coming to her senses when Darren spoke up once more. "What brings you back to this hick hole Marceline? It definelty couldn't be this." He gestured his hand across the counter and into the living room where plenty of sleeping bodies slumped in their own fluids. She shuttered. "Yeah, Definelty not that. I uh.." She thought. Why was she there?  She knew exactly why. Accidentally killing your ex boyfriend for raping your girlfriend wasn't something she was keen on sharing at all. It took her a second to regain consciousness from the overwhelming feelings that mantled her mind, but quickly she thought of a falsehood. "You know, just the usual. Came down to visit Keila." He grinned a toothy smile. "Doesn't explain why your not back in time for school missy." God he wouldn't let it go. But that was one of the many things Marceline enjoyed about Darren. He looked out for her like a big brother when he could. Not to the extent of Guy and Bongo, but close enough to consider him a close friend. "Well I decided to drop out and move down here to make some cash." The look on his face was hard to read. It was inbetween being in disbelief, concern, and confusion, but also accepting at the same moment. He sighed and shrugged off his face. "I guess I can't say much about that choice cause I did the same thing." All it took was one more sip of beer for him to set it down and give Marceline his fullest attention. With crossed arms he stared down at her with a serious face. "You serious about making some money?" She nodded her head, slow enough to ensure her determination and not fast enough to force her headache from it's slumber. "Funny you say that, I was just looking for someone to sell with. My buddy left looking for a quote on quote REAL job cause he's expecting a baby soon." Marceline followed along his story, giving her input with hums and the shake of her head. "Im serious about this position Marcy. As much as I want it to be like last summer just slinging pills and partying, we gotta be way more serious this time around. I moved up to more heavier stuff and the guy that provides them is not fucking around. Are you willing to take up on this." He slung out his hand, awaiting for the space to be filled. Marceline was hesitant at first but one thought of Bonnibel eradicated any hesitation. Everything she agreeded to do would be for Bonnibel. She would go back to Keila's in a month and two weeks (yes she had been counting) with enough money for a trailer for her, Bonnibel, and the baby, and all expenses that came with raising one. She couldn't deny Bonnibel her promise of a better future, so she shook his hand, fishing her eyes from the floor and directly to his gaze. "Deal."

She started early in the morning tomorrow. Darren had told her everything she needed to know. They would meet at Darrens house at the wee hours of the morning, and from there would meet with his provider to exchange money and drugs. After that they would fish out their clientele, or as Darren said, "allow them to come to us." As of now she wasn't much focused on what she had just agreeded to, but instead Guy and Bongo. She had found them, stored away in a room, knocked out with their pants down their ankles and a nude girl between them unconscious with sleep. It didn't take much to figure out what happened last night. Her being the most sober of the three from her early morning awakening, she pilled them into the backseat of Bongo's car and drove them all back home. Now she resided to the couch. She had been that way since she got home. It was late in the night and she couldn't sleep. Guy and Bongo had drifted to their room to sleep off their hangover and she lay on the couch, tucked under a scratchy wool blanket in the dark as the t.v spurred colorful flashes of light on her face. Her lack of sleep could be blamed on Bonnie. She really missed her. She missed her awkward smile and the way it lit up the room, she missed her bubbly laugh and corny dad jokes, she missed every single freckle scattered along her cheeks and shoulders, she missed her early morning kissing and handholds, she missed Bonnibel.