Foreword

Relationships change over the years, and emotions may turn sweet or sour, but if the intensity of our emotions remains, there must be something else we aren't seeing.

. . .

In a Modern Day setting (just like ours) Marceline and Bonnibel have graduated for about a year already. The women - then girls - dated in high school, their first experience with true love or any kind of love at all. Time and personal goals drew the couple apart and they decided to go their separate ways. Now Abadeer and Bubblegum (Yeah I'm going with that last name) don't own each other's hearts, and it's been that way for a while. But now they're at a crossroads in their life, no strings attached and a whole wide world to experience. Can they really look at each other in the eye and say goodbye for good? I dunno, read to find out.

If you turned up, anywhere you looked you'd see three things, the night sky, the red clouds far above, and the high downtown apartments, the light from some of its windows reminding the four walking figures that despite the silence, this city never sleeps…

"That was a blast, just like old times, huh?" Marceline said, looking all cool on her leather jacket and ripped denim jeans. Despite being 23 years old later this year, she never stopped looking like a rebellious teen.
"Sure dude. I got to be with Phoebe all night, so I say, it freakin' rocked." Finn had grown so much, but he still had that baby-face on him and voice cracks on every sentence. Still, he had far surpassed everyone's height at this point, and his large, manly shadow cast before him as he walked. Not bad for a 20-year-old pretty boy.
"Eh." A sour voice called out from a little far.

Bonnibel had been quiet all night long. And if that's all she had to add to the conversation after so long, she must've seen coming Marceline's bloodsucking stare of death, but she didn't care. The 23-year-old had grown into a woman brave and strong. And she wasn't here to please anybody.

Jake slumped under his shoulders. Here they go again…

"Just because nobody likes you it doesn't mean you can't have fun with us."

Marceline's words tensed everyone right away. Things were reaching a boiling point for a while now, a little comment here, a small remark over there. At first they kept quiet and didn't answer to each other, but overtime they started to answer back, and like two wolves challenging each other – At some point one of them is going to jump forward fangs-first.

Bonnibel let out a wounded laugh. That hurt, but she had grown into a clever bitch too. "Apologies for not wanting to hang around with a bunch of idiots, Queen Idiot."

Marcy bit her lip and took a breath to respond – But Bonnibel wasn't finished.

"' Look at me, I make a few bucks playing shit music with a bunch of failures.'" She chuckled, because Bonnibel couldn't believe a part of herself was brave enough to tell off Marceline right to her face. It was empowering, and it had been far too many years since they were together, far too many disappointments and fuck-ups for her to care about those fragile little feelings.

Hell, right now, seeing that tough-girl act crack was all she could ever want.

"God, what the fuck is wrong with you?" Admittedly, Marceline was a little dumb when it came down to this sort of thing. And maybe that's why she got so damn pissed at things. "That's why nobody likes you. It's like you've got a sack of garbage on your back, and you go around, making everything and everyone around you stink and feel like garbage, but for whatever reason, you don't want to drop your fucking sack off and be nice for once."

"Guys…" Jake pleaded, he was just a year older than Finn, but he was by far the wisest of the bunch. "Whatever that bizz you've got…" He sounded uncomfortable, young men like Jake shouldn't be hanging around with people like this, but years of friendship are hard to turn your back towards. "…It's hurting all of us."

Nothing but the sound of steps over pavement for a few moments. Marceline and Bonnibel clearly wanted to continue, but was it even worth it?

"Like," Marcy spoke with a cracked voice, was she going to cry? "What happened? Do you hate me now?"

Bonnibel took too long to respond. "I don't." Her heels echoed the loudest, and every snap from her steps was like a needle on Marceline's heart. "Maybe I just don't need you anymore."

. . .

A prolonged silence was not the type of continuation you wanted to an answer like that. At first the awkwardness festered up all those subsequent, torturing questions on Marceline's head. But then the sound of eight feet moving through the ground – And nothing else but silence – made everyone calm and indifferent. Bonnibel reached the door of her building and stepped inside, not prideful enough as to not farewell her friends with a dry "Good night", at least.

Finn and Jake went off to their dorms and Marcy took off to her Father's house. On the way, she tried to remember her schedule, everything that was going to keep her mind away from Bonnibel. Practice, practice, songwriting and practice… Maybe she could even use these feelings on a song – Anything but addressing them will work. After all, being a musician isn't going to be easy, right?

Right?