As the silence reigned, Marceline fidgeted in her seat as she tried to think of something to say. She stole a little glance at Bonnibel and saw that she seemed to be feeling the same, with her looking everywhere but her, at least. That aside, she was glad she was neat with her things thus there weren't anything embarrassing about her room being messy or anything, it made her at ease even a little bit.
She still made a good impression so all was wel-
Wait, what.
Shaking her head, the raven-haired let out a low growl and rubbed her head exasperatedly. She should just say something! Anything!
"Uhmm.." Marceline croaked out, and saw that Bonnibel's attention snapped to her, which made her feel small under her gaze. She didn't know whether it was because that the blonde was on the bed making her seem taller or it was because of the awkward situation, "...hey.."
Great.
Bonnibel seemed a bit surprised for a moment, but it was quickly replaced with a small smile. Somehow, seeming to have understood Marceline's struggle. The latter noticed which made her feel a bit embarrassed for a moment, but felt more at ease nonetheless. She didn't know why, but seeing the girl smile at her washed all the worry from her system with relief.
She felt that, everything was alright now.
Coughing into her hand, Marceline recomposed herself and said something she should've said earlier, "S-So, what were you doing in that shady ass street anyway?" she didn't really mean to cuss, but remembering the events that happened almost an hour ago, made her blood boil. It really bothered her, a lot, and she didn't know why. But she didn't really care at the moment.
"I- I got lost.." Bonnibel meekly said as she sat more properly, with her legs under her body, her hands folded on her lap, her posture straight and her bottom sitting on her feet soles. If anything she looked even more elegant with her sitting position, which made Marceline look down on herself, she was sitting with her legs crossed and had her back slumped forward as she leaned her elbows on her knees.
She looked so unladylike, not that she particularly cared before, but with Bonnibel now a part of her life, somehow. Everything seemed so different, it even made her feel a bit self-conscious. What the hell? Though there Marceline had concluded, that one could already tell their differences with just the way they sat, it seemed a little bit too much, but it was the truth. She herself even admitted it already, despite feeling a bit bothered.
Wait why was she always over thinking things or concluding whatever whenever it came to Bonnibel? What the hell was happening to her.
Fortunately, Bonnibel brought her out of her bothering thoughts with a question. Marceline really needed to escape those thoughts for a while, it just seemed too weird, "Though why did you happen to be there if that's the case?" she tilted her head to right.
No scratch that.
Marceline would've found it adorable if it weren't for the question.
Hmn, but it wasn't really much of a probing question, since the answer was easy to alter. So there shouldn't be any problem.
But, she really is a curious girl. Marceline thought, learning that trait when she was observing Bonnibel before until today. She got that when she saw her reading books with various subject, almost all concerning about science. Some of them were even not related to their actual science class anymore, it was as if she was ahead of everyone, even from the teacher.
Marceline thought that no one would really randomly read books in the library if one wasn't that curious right? It was her opinion anyway, though she was still going to believe that.
Ugh I think too much.
Deciding to answer her question Marceline spoke up, "It's just a faster route to home."
Bonnibel picked up on its close-ended tone, which made her even more curious, she felt as if there was more to that, and so she asked another question, "Is it really worth the risk?"
"Well, aren't you curious?" Marceline smirked when she saw Bonnibel stop, she gave the raven-haired girl an embarrassed and apologetic look.
Guess she really was right, how interesting.
"Marceline?" they both heard a knock on the door to which the said girl tells the person outside to come in.
The door opened revealing a worried Simon, "Marcy? What happened out there?" he closed the door and walked over to the two girls, noticing the other looking rather nervous, "Oh and don't worry dear, I don't bite." Simon smiled at Bonnibel, who seemed to be more at ease.
"Well.." Marceline rubbed the back of her neck, looking quite tired, "Something bad happened to her and I happened to be around, so I helped her. But apparently she fell asleep and I had to get out of there. I took her here since she didn't have a cellphone and she didn't have any anything about her address on her," she glanced at Bonnibel who seemed embarrassed with herself.
"Oh I see, but what exactly happened?" Simon elaborated, wanting to know what kind of 'bad' it was. To be honest, it wasn't really that new for him. Since Marceline always got into trouble before any of this, but seeing as this case was different for she brought a girl home instead of her only battle ridden body. It felt like it was a more important event than any of the others.
Well not that he wasn't worried for Marceline, he just trusted the girl a lot and knew that she was really strong to take care of herself. That might sound a bit too laid-back for a guardian, but there were times where he gets upset too, so he wasn't that laid-back. But the girl was really independent in general, so Simon felt like he didn't really need to do much rather than to love and support the girl, for he actually thinks that that was what she really needed anyway.
Her failing grades were not excusable however, he was going to give her another earful for that in another day.
Marceline looked at Bonnibel for a moment, seeming to be asking permission whether she should tell him or not. When the blonde noticed, she just smiled sweetly and nodded. The raven-haired girl got taken aback a bit by her smile but quickly got her composure back, "S- She was getting sexually harassed.."
Simon's slight quirk on his lips when he noticed them interact with their eyes fell, "What?"
"Isn't that a little bit too serious?" he looked at both of them seriously, finding their situation quite dire, he looked at Bonnibel who was now sporting a rather uncomfortable look on her face, "Shouldn't your parents already know about this?"
"U- Uhmm.." Bonnibel squirmed under his gaze, "I don't want them to worry and I got saved by Marceline here so it's over now..?" she winced a bit at the tone she ended at, why in question?
Simon just looked at her firmly with an unreadable expression on his face, and that was where Marceline decided to intervene. Because when he gets super serious, he was either going to not let go about it, or conclude something in his head which sometimes Marceline could just never understand.
Simon was a complicated man.
"Well, Simon. I think we should just respect her decision, it's not like it's our business right..?" Marceline put a hand on his shoulder, making him land his gaze on her, then nodded after a few moments.
"I guess you're right," he slightly smiled, "I just hope you won't regret that decision."
Bonnibel just nodded, unable to pretty much answer that statement.
Marceline sighed and tried to change the subject, "A-Anyways, before I forget. Simon, this is Bonnibel," she introduced the other girl who appreciated Marceline's attempt and reminded herself to thank the girl later.
"Bonnibel Burton, sir," the blonde held out a hand for a handshake, which Simon, thankfully, took.
"Simon Petrikov.." the brown shoulder-length haired man trailed off. "...she's the British girl!" he exclaimed in acknowledgment with a wide smile, and Bonnibel could've sworn that she saw the color drain from Marceline's face as if she was about to have her biggest secret revealed to the world in front of her very eyes.
"The British girl?" The said girl said out loud in confusion with a tilt of her head, to which the man smirks teasingly at.
"The one Marcy's getting intere-" Simon got interrupted with a glomp from a flustered Marceline.
"Oh my god Simon no! The way you say it is just so misleading!" Marceline desperately tried to clamp his mouth as they wrestled on her bed while Simon still seemed to fare better regardless of his aging self. Bonnibel just looked at them with an even more confused expression on her face, the hell was happening?
"Mhphf- but shweef duh- one you keep on- twoking abwft!" he tried to say as he tried to get rid of the girl's hand from his mouth.
"Nooo shut up!" Marceline was blushing furiously now, and Bonnibel was getting thoroughly amused.
"O- Okay! Okay!" Simon held up his hands in surrender, making the girl hesitantly remove her hands from his mouth, "I'll shut up." he laughed at her glare and made a zip-locking gesture with his hand and mouth to prove his words. He then sat properly on the bed next to Bonnibel with a smile on his face.
Marceline looked convinced and just sighed to calm herself as she went back to her seat on the floor, then looked back at Bonnibel who was looking at her with a smile on her face. The raven haired girl felt herself heat up again and look to the side with a pout on her lips.
Which Bonnibel had all found very adorable.
She was somewhat happy to see Marceline all flustered like that for it was a side that was never seen in school, it made her feel that there really was more to the other girl which made Bonnibel want to learn it all.
Composing herself with a cough in her hand, Marceline spoke up, "Where do you live anyway?" she asked, genuinely curious this time.
"Just around in Candysphere Village, in Elstwhere street," Bonnibel answered and for the first time since she woke up, wondered where she was.
"Wait, isn't this the exact place?" Marceline looked at Simon in confusion, apparently it seemed like Bonnibel lived in the same place as them, but they've never really seen her before.
Bonnibel looked at them in attention, confused as well.
"It is..." Simon trailed off, and for the second time that day, he exclaimed in realization once again. "...oh! You're the new neighbor just two blocks away!"
"What? Why have I never heard of this or have never seen her?" Marceline tried to wrap her head around the new discovery, then gets fuzzy images about someone saying new neighbor but that was about it.
Why does it feel like a freaking memory loss or something? It was so frustrating.
"I did tell you," Simon put a hand on his chin in thought, "But you were so absorbed in your jamming session at the time that I think you didn't really hear or listen to me."
He then flicked Marceline's forehead who was wearing a complicated look on her face, "Ouch!"
"And of course you'll never see her because you're always so late!" he gave her a stern stare to which she just laughs nervously at.
Marceline scratched her cheek sheepishly, "You know I'm not really a morning person.."
Simon just crossed his arms with a deadpan look on his face while the girl just slumped in defeat. However, both stopped when they heard Bonnibel laugh at their antics.
It automatically made them smile and laugh along with.
After that was over, it was Bonnibel's turn to talk, "I do go to school early, but don't worry, I've never seen you yet around here either," she smiled at Marceline who did the same back.
"So you do jamming sessions? You like music?" she asked and chuckled lightly when she saw Marceline lit up at the subject.
Seems like she does.
"A lot," the raven haired girl grinned.
Woah, her happiness is infectious. Bonnibel thought.
After a minute, she turned to Simon who was just watching them interact with a knowing smile on his face, "Can I borrow your phone sir? I don't really have one on me right now," she looked down in embarrassment.
"Oh just call me Simon, and of course you can," he led her to the living room along with Marceline who looked like she'd just remembered something.
"Speaking of that, how the heck can you not have one?" as they walked along the hallway, Marceline started with a raised brow and a stony look on her face, making the blonde squirm under her gaze looking quite unsure whether she was angry at her or not.
"..Well I do have one, but I leave it at home since I never really used it," Bonnibel answered as she bashfully looked down.
Marceline scratched her head in exasperation with a sigh, then gave her a small smile, "You should bring it next time okay? It's really useful for incidents like earlier y'know."
"Thanks for you concern, Marceline.." Bonnibel smiled warmly at the other girl with a slight blush on her cheeks, finding the way she was worrying over her warm and sweet.
The raven haired girl did the same, realizing how much she was fretting about her companion, why was she caring so much anyway?
She just shook her head.
Meanwhile, Simon was observing both of the girls who seemed to have forgotten his presence, but he didn't really mind though for he was content to just watching them converse since he found it pretty intriguing. There was definitely something going on between those two, but he had a feeling they were both oblivious to it.
Nevertheless he liked where it was going.
When they arrived where the phone was place, which was just next to the door of the house on the wall, Bonnibel looked at Simon as if asking for permission. The brown haired man just smiled and nodded.
The two remaining people just watched the blonde pick up the phone and dial a number, while the said girl tried to ignore their looks even though it was kind of making her self-conscious. Why were they looking at her so intensely anyway? It made her feel small.
When she heard someone pick up, she quickly recognized the voice who answered and so she spoke, "Peter?"
"Miss Bonnibel! Where have you been?! I've been worried sick about you!" she heard him ask more questions as he panicked over her safety while she just slightly giggled at his mess, "Where are yo- Why are you giggling?"
"Oh nothing," she let out a small smile, seeming to have forgotten about the two other people around her, everything looked well until her smile slowly turned into a straight line, "I.. I got held up in school, that's why," she glanced at Simon and Marceline who just nodded at her, seeming to be respecting her decision.
She just gave them a small apologetic and thankful smile.
"Oh!" Simon clasped his hands together and smiled at both of them, as if he just thought of a great idea, "Why don't you eat dinner with us now that you're here? I did cook dinner a little too much for tonight." he smirked at Marceline who just looked away and whistled nonchalantly.
Bonnibel just looked at them, seeming conflicted on whether she should or not. She didn't really want to bother them anymore.
Marceline looked back at the blonde and was somewhat feeling a little spark of hope. She didn't have an inkling why but she kind of wanted her to stay for dinner as well, Simon somehow noticed the girl's inner thoughts and grinned knowingly.
"Come on, it would be fine! And I'm sure Marcy here would really like that," he rubbed Marceline's already messy spiky hair with a small laugh while the girl just glared at him with slightly warm cheeks. Why the hell did he say that?!
Bonnibel grinned at the thought and looked at the other girl once more who looked perplexed with what was happening, "Well if that's so then I guess I will," the blonde turned back to the phone and was met with a confused Peter who kept asking where she was and who she was talking to.
"Don't worry Peter, I kind of.. got into my classmate's house and they're offering me dinner," she leaned on the wall and briefly looked at the raven haired girl who was trying to fix her naturally messy hair, "I'm thinking of staying here for a few more hours is that okay..?"
"Hmn," Peter paused, seeming to be giving it a thought, making Bonnibel slightly nervous because he might decline. She sort of wanted to stay too, for some reason, "..alright, but don't come home too late okay? Take care of yourself."
"Yes of course!" she answered a bit too enthusiastically so she recomposed herself with a cough into her hand, oblivious to the other two's surprised reaction by her sudden outburst, "I mean, I will."
Peter seemed a bit confused on the other line, "Well alright then, have fun Miss Bonnibel."
"Thank you, see you later."
"Alright."
The blonde smiled and hung up.
"Well that's settled then!" Simon proclaimed with a happy clap on his hands while Marceline gave Bonnibel a lopsided grin, who also did the same.
AN: I'm very sorry the update took another week to publish but I just got busy in school I hadn't got the time to rewrite the chapter, and this was fairly long too. Actually this chapter's supposed to be really long but I cut it since the other part isn't finished yet and I really wanted to update the story. Either way, the next part of this chapter will come in next week, I'll do my best to keep it in schedule. Once again thanks for all the reviews, favs and follows! You guys rock!
EDITED
