AN: Hey this was supposed to be out DAYS ago but FF would not let me upload! The FINAL chapter will be up soon :)
An end of the year party. It was loud, smelly, sweaty, and filled with bodies who were drinking entirely too much to cover up their unending stress. Bonnie liked parties, honestly. She was bookish, sure, but there were benefits to getting to know people, and she wasn't against a good time.
That being said, it was exam period. She had exams to study for. Well, okay, she'd studied already, and yes, she had agreed it would be a good idea to come here, but she was still stressed about it. She sat on a couch, sipping at her vodka and orange juice concoction. Not the fanciest beverage, but it didn't taste the worst and it got the job done. On her right, a man about her age, maybe a year or two older, was passed out in a heap, and a girl, possibly his date, was sitting next to him, tapping at her phone with a less-than-pleased expression. Bonnie felt bad for her if she was his date. She was dressed up for the occasion- more than most people here. Not formal wear, obviously, but well, to be crass, her dress showed off her tits nicely. Oof, that was vulgar. Still, most people here were in jeans and college sweaters. It was like they had just rolled out of bed, and most of them probably had.
Marceline was off talking to Fionna, already way past the point of no return, laughter pouring out of her at the slightest comment. It didn't even have to be funny, really. She was pretty sure at one point, Fionna said something about having to work all weekend, and Marceline had doubled over, tears running down her face. Poor Fionna had to hoist her up off the ground so that nobody would accidentally step on her.
Fionna. That was another problem. Where there was Fionna, there was Phoebe.
Bonnie was okay with parties. She was okay with people. She wasn't good with people that she knew didn't like her.
She took a big, long gulp of her vodka. She wanted to convince herself that it tasted okay, but if she was being honest, it was pretty damn gross. The back of her throat momentarily felt like it was going to combust. It quickly transformed into a warm feeling in her belly, however. She pulled her vodka out of her bag and poured another glass. She downed it immediately. If she was going to deal with unfortunate social interactions, she damn well wasn't going to do it sober.
"Aye, Bon-ster," Jake flung himself over the back off the couch, performing a sloppy roll which ended with him on the ground, miraculously not face-first, though he came close.
"Jake-ster," Bonnie grinned, sipping her drink.
Jake clambered onto the couch, bumping the well-endowed woman, who sighed and tapped more at her phone.
She gently, though a bit shakily, given the alcohol, nudged him closer to herself, earning a grateful nod from the girl.
"The hawk is on the prowl," Jake said, a little too loudly. Some more sober people nearby raised an eyebrow in his direction.
"Whad'ya mean?" Bonnie asked, her words slurring a bit. She finished the glass. That'd do it. She could feel herself growing dizzy, disoriented, happy. Boy, was she happy.
"Phoebe, the Pheebs-meister. She don't like you much, so if you need me to fight 'er, uh," he paused, "well, I won't do that but I'll cover ya'"
Bonnie stood up, wobbling, "S'all good," she said, smiling too wide, "Phoebe and I are besties, don't you know?" she flung her arms wide, "best besties forever."
Marceline turned and wrapped her arms around her, humming as she buried her face in Bonnie's neck, "You're pretty," she drawled.
Bonnie giggle and kissed her cheek, "No you're pretty."
"No you."
"No you."
"No, me," Jake waved his hand between them, "guys, pay attention to me. I'm lonely."
Marceline looked into Bonnie's eyes, "Mm, get your own girlfriend, nerd."
"I have a girlfriend," Jake whined, "and a boyfriend. I don't know where they are."
Marceline kissed Bonnie softly, slowly, not at all elegantly. It was actually quite messy, and at times felt more like she was licking her face than anything, but at this point, both of them were too drunk to care.
"Gross, I'm gonna mope until I find Lady or Pris," Jake grumbled.
Marceline chuckled and sat back on a nearby armchair, pulling Bonnie down on top of her, "Let's make out like an annoying drunk couple," she said, kissing up Bonnie's neck.
Bonnie nodded eagerly and began to kiss Marceline urgently, sloppily. She could feel Marceline moan into her mouth quietly, could feel her slipping her hands up her shirt.
"Ladies, consider getting a room."
They broke apart.
Phoebe. Of course.
She pointed a thumb over her shoulder, "I think there's a few unoccupied upstairs."
Bonnie flushed, "Uh."
Marceline giggled, pressing her face to Bonnie's chest, "Bon, have you ever fucked a girl at a college party? It's like in the movies."
"It's not gonna be like in the movies," she hissed, brushing her shirt flat and standing up. She drew Marceline up next to her, "we were going," she said curtly.
"'Aight," Phoebe shrugged, "but talk to Fionna first," she nodded towards the kitchen, "she wanted to say something."
Bonnie frowned. She hadn't had enough alcohol for this sort of confrontation. Not nearly enough. In that moment, she felt almost sober, though if she had been sober she probably wouldn't have been groping her girlfriend in public. She told Marceline to sit down and navigated her way over to the cramped kitchen. The counter was littered with empty chip bags and bowls that had once contained salsa and guacamole. Fionna scrolled idly on her phone, barely glancing up when she entered, "Hey."
"Hey."
Silence.
"Look," they said at once.
Bonnie coughed, "You go."
Fionna tapped her fingers against the counter, "Look, it's been weird between us. It's, well, I guess neither of us is innocent. I had a crush on you. A bad crush. It wasn't healthy, really."
There was another silence. Bonnie didn't know what to say, so she moved closer, leaning against the counter next to her old friend.
"I was kind of an ass to you, though," Bonnie sighed, "which your girlfriend seems aware of."
Fionna smiled, "Phoebe is, uh, well, she has a fiery personality, y'know? I don't think she really hates you."
"But she doesn't like me."
Fionna shook her head.
Silence, again.
"I'm sorry," Fionna sighed.
"Me too," Bonnie said quietly, "I'm sorry I was so, so," she paused, "aloof. I'm better now, I think."
Fionna smiled, "You are. Marceline's helped, I think. You're good for each other."
Bonnie's chest warmed, "Yeah, we are. And you, you're happy?"
Fionna stared off into space, a smile creeping on her face, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm happy."
"Then I guess we both won."
"Yeah, I guess we did."
Bonnie felt better about going to work after talking to Fionna. Unfortunately, she felt better about very little else. Exams were literally around the corner. First two tomorrow, other two the day after. Marceline was done. She was helping her eat and stay hydrated, and Bonnie knew that, objectively, that did help, but it felt like nothing in the moment.
Four exams. Two days. She was going to fail. Lose. Die.
Okay, not die. Maybe die. She wondered if she could die from stress. Googled it. It wasn't impossible. That made her more anxious.
She wasn't even seeing the words on her page anymore. Wasn't processing anything.
She took a deep breath. Closed the book.
"Let's go to the lake."
The lake wasn't somewhere she'd been since highschool. Too busy, she supposed, but now that she was there, she regretted avoiding it for so long. She felt body relax as she looked out across the clear water. In the centre, a fish would occasionally leap into the air, landing with a splash that was barely audible from where they stood. Across and to the sides, trees and shrubs were broken apart only by naturally-worn hiking paths. The area they stood on was littered with round, imported rocks and soft, white sand to create a nice area for picnics.
Marceline lay on a towel, fully clothed. It was still April, and chilly, though this day was warmer than most.
Marceline bumped her sunglasses down her nose so that her eyes were visible, "You sure you're good, Bon?"
Bonnie picked up a stone and flicked it across the lake. It sunk, well, like a stone. She'd never been good at skipping. She hummed, "I'm good. It's good to clear your head a bit before an exam. I've studied a ton."
Marceline sat up, "Uh, yeah, true, but it doesn't sound like you. I mean, I'm glad, but you're not like, hiding anything?"
Bonnie sat down next to Marceline, her eyes still fixed on the lake, "I'm not. I am stressed, but I'm trying to be better. Thinking positive. In two weeks, we'll be moved into our apartment. The first year will be over. Next year I'll be in a less stressful situation. Fionna and I are okay. My parents, well, I haven't talked to them, and don't plan on it," she sighed, "so yeah, I'm gonna be okay."
Marceline smiled, "I'm glad to hear it," she scooted closer to her, "Do you wanna know my grades?"
Bonnie gasped, "You got them back? Dude, not fair."
Marceline laughed, "The magic of having early exams, yup. Two B's, and A, and well, a C but we won't talk about that one," she coughed, "especially since it's a C-"
Bonnie nudged her, "A pass is a pass right."
Marceline nodded, "And besides, C's do get degrees," she lay back, nudging her sunglasses back over her eyes, "I'm not too fussed. First-year classes arent' worth much in the long run."
"They aren't," Bonnie said, the anxiety in her chest lessening with each moment, "that helps, too."
She could do this.
Exam day. She was fully armed. Three pencils, three pens. Overkill? She didn't know the meaning of the word. In one hand, a pencil case and an energy bar. In the other, a filled water bottle. To her sides, students shuffled through notes, muttering to each other as the seconds ticked down.
Finally, the door opened into the too-big lecture hall. Enough room for everyone to have an empty space between them, of course, though she couldn't imagine successfully cheating on an essay-based exam.
Bonnie sat down in the front row. Cracked her knuckles, wrote her name down on the exam. Waited.
Waited.
"You may begin."
Her eyes darted to her paper at lightening speed, her writing hand poised and at the ready. She read the first essay prompt.
Oh, she definitely had this.
No more dying of stress.
She was killing it.
Bonnie exited her final exam at 9:45 PM. Fifteen minutes before the time limit. It was pitch black, of course, but she felt fine. Not great, but not awful. She was done. There was no more she could do. No point in worrying about it further.
Marceline was waiting outside the room, scrolling through her phone. She looked up as Bonnie exited, a smile spreading across her face. Hung on her wrist was a plastic bag.
Bonnie hugged her and nodded to the bag, "What's that."
"Celebration burritos."
She reached in and grabbed one of them- the one labelled 'bean'- Marcy always got the rajas. Bonnie, though? Basic. Beans, cheese, salsa, and a few other basics. She took a massive bite, too big, really, and chewed, letting out dramatic, delighted moans as she did. Marceline rolled her eyes.
"I get it, it tastes like garbage."
Bonnie kissed her, "You taste like- uh, wait."
Marceline laughed and pulled her own burrito out, "So, you think you did alright?"
Bonnie tapped her foot and took another bite of the burrito, chewing it slowly. She glanced back towards the door of the examination room, where another student was leaving, hood up and head down.
"I think that right now, at this very moment, I could not give less of a shit."
