Chapter 22 - Bonnie (Originally Published: 1 January 2016)
Fabric softener and scented candle wax. Home. It smelled like home.
Bonnie breathed in deeply, her face buried into the crook of Marceline's neck. She hated this back and forth of theirs, always making up and then finding something else to pull them apart once more. To be fair, it had always been Bonnie's fault in some way. She would just have to be better. Each time she'd lost Marceline, it felt like losing a part of herself.
"I'll see you after class," she said, her hand lingering on Marceline's arm. "Or if not at lunch, then definitely after school."
"Yeah, duh." Marceline smiled, the corner of her mouth turning up ever so slightly. It was super adorable, Bonnie always thought, that shy little grin. She waved goodbye before darting off.
Down the hall, Finn and Phoebe were walking towards them. He looked so pleased with himself, being next to a girl that many of the other boys at their school fancied. She, surprisingly, looked less reserved than usual beside Finn - merely an inch away from him. Young love always made Bonnie smile.
There was something different about the other girl today, Bonnie saw immediately. Phoebe - who normally only wore posh, elegant clothing - was wearing a worn flannel shirt and jeans. Contrary to the fashion myth that redheads could not wear red, Phoebe flaunted the forbidden top with confidence. Perhaps it was just that, or the way her fiery hues didn't clash with the darker shade, but she looked fantastic.
The flannel was a tad big on her, raising the question of whether or not the article was a part of her own collection, but the jeans fit snugly, highlighting her curves in all the right ways; they definitely belonged to her. Bonnie was not sure which came as more of a shock - that Phoebe owned these garments at all, or that they weren't monochrome like the rest of her wardrobe. She hated to admit it, but the clothes she wore today and the way her stylised curly hair fell down her back only made Phoebe look as aesthetically flawless as ever.
Marceline and Phoebe made eye contact in passing, and there was something said between them - something unseen that only the two of them could understand. Bonnie wasn't sure, but Marceline didn't appear too terribly fond of Finn walking with her new friend. It could have been that she was worried he would tell Phoebe all about the party several years ago, which was fair, or maybe she was still feeling bitter about the way he'd treated her before.
"Hey Bonnie," the Mertens boy said cheerily. "Phoebe's going to the lake with us tonight."
"Are you really?" she asked, smiling. It wasn't the first time she'd ever tried to start a friendly conversation with the other girl. Ever since Finn had announced his interest in Phoebe, she'd been trying to spark up some type of positive exchange with her.
The past few attempts, Bonnie would ask her a question and Finn's over-excitement propelled him to answer for her. Although, this time was different, and Finn's lack of response left the two girls staring back at each other in an awkward standoff.
Finn looked between the two of them, laughing nervously. "Okay. Well, today is Friday and my favourite day in gym class, so I'm going to go ahead." He stretched, twisting into odd poses to show off his muscles. "I'll see you after school," he said, shooting his companion a wink.
Phoebe squeezed his arm, giggling. "Of course." She gave a little hand wave, wiggling her fingers until he vanished into the gymnasium. As soon as he was gone, her expression returned to its regular demeanour.
"Marceline owns a shirt just like that," Bonnie said with a friendly smile, hoping to start a real conversation with the other girl. She had to be civil now that one of her friends was dating her, or at least he was successfully chatting her up.
Phoebe just stared at her, as usual with a contemptuous look on her face. It left a constant uninviting aura around her.
Bonnie kept her smile up though, determined to at least be on a conversational level with her. "Did you wear it to be comfortable for tonight? It fits you really well."
Still nothing. She sighed, watching as Phoebe turned to walk away.
One day, we'll be friends.
Bonnie's gym class was already setting up for their weekly team game. Last Friday, they'd played basketball; this week would be volleyball, if the giant net stretched across the midcourt told her anything.
She already knew whose group she would be in. Due to the way Coach Thierry's class was set up, the most successful boy and girl during the week would be chosen for team captains. Jake was the strongest boy in their gym class, and Bonnie always ran just a tad slower than the fastest girl so that he could pick her for his team. It was a system that they'd set up several years ago, and she was certain everyone else did it as well. Luckily, it didn't hurt her pride to come in second. After all, she never came in second place when the situation mattered. Not with Bongo, not with her academic classes, and certainly not with Marceline.
Bongo grinned from ear to ear. His jacket was zipped up to his neck, and there was an oddly-shaped lump protruding from his stomach. "I have something for you," he said, gripping the hem of his school-gifted rugby jacket.
"What is it?" Bonnie asked, catching her bottom lip between her teeth. Of course, she knew what it would be. Ever since they'd started dating, he'd been bringing her homemade lunches. It seemed like only a spur of the moment thing when he'd done it first, but after seeing how happy Bonnie was, he'd made it a part of his daily routine. She'd tried offering to bring some of her own cooking for him to try, but he refused to let her go through the trouble.
Bongo unzipped his jacket, keeping a hand under whatever it was he'd been obscuring. From his jacket he produced a stuffed brown paper bag and handed it to her. Inside, she found a sandwich encased in plastic wrap, as well as two scones. Additionally, there were two small plastic containers - one filled with a reddish jam and the other with clotted cream. "Do you like it?" he asked.
"Of course I do," Bonnie said. She stood up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. "Are you having lunch with us today?"
He looked at everyone sitting at her table, all of them smiling back at him. "Yeah. That sounds great, actually. I'm sure Guy and Keila will understand."
Bonnie sat down in her usual spot next to Aeryn. The rounded cafeteria table's seats were set into the framework, making it impossible to move their stools. Both Bonnie and Bongo sat on the edge of their own seats, just to be close to each other. He put an arm around her back, holding her in an awkward side-hug.
"Should we bring anything to the lake tonight?" Aeryn asked. Jake sat on her other side, and had Phoebe followed them to lunch there would have been three couples sitting at their table.
Well, they're not technically a couple… but seeing Phoebe react so positively to anyone at all is certainly something.
"If you want, you can bring some snacks and stuff," Bongo said quietly. "Marce always brings the alcohol and we usually have everything else covered. I know you guys aren't big on getting tossed up, so I went out and bought some fizzy drinks."
A small smile crept its way onto her face as Bonnie unwrapped the lunch he'd brought her. Bongo was so considerate of everyone else, and she counted herself lucky to have him.
"Is Phoebe a big drinker?" Finn asked, tugging nervously at his ear. "I've only been to a couple of parties with her, and I barely remember seeing her around."
Jake gave his brother a look. "Even if she is, you're not going to try to impress her by falling back onto that path again are you?"
Finn shook his head. "I just want to know what to expect. Now that we're close, I'm sure we're going to spend more time together tonight. Also, there's only going to be ten of us as opposed to fifty or one hundred." He looked at Bongo again. "So is she?"
"Uhm." Bongo stared at the middle of the table, scrunching his face up in a way that made Bonnie want to kiss his nose. "No. She usually only has a couple of glasses of wine, but I've seen her handle liquor pretty well. She's not big on drinking, I think."
"Good," Jake said, slinging his arm around Finn's neck. "I like her even more for you already."
"Hey! Get off of me!"
Bonnie took a bite out of her sandwich, too accustomed to the boys' play wrestling to let it affect her meal. The simple dish was prepared magnificently, as though it could fall under gourmet classification, but objectively she knew that she was probably just biased. Even so, all of Bongo's friends seemed to adore his culinary expertise, and it'd been said many times before that his scones were beyond delicious.
When she finished off the last of her sandwich, she looked around the table. Something felt off, and seeing Bea's less-than-stellar expression, she realised that her friend hadn't joined in on the conversation at all.
Bonnie broke open each of the scones with a plastic knife that Bongo had placed in her baggie, and spread jam and cream on both of them. Then, she leaned over to peck her boyfriend on the cheek. "I'm going to go talk to Bea," she whispered. "They seem to be feeling a bit under the weather."
"All right, Bonnie. If I don't see you before lunch is over with, I'll come find you after sixth period," he said quietly into her ear. It wasn't much lower than his normal speaking voice, but he was so quiet all the time that no one else could possibly have heard him.
She nodded, standing up with the two scones in hand. "I just remembered that I need to get something from my locker," she announced. "Bea, could you come with me? I don't want to walk alone."
"Why don't you just take Bongo with you?" Finn asked, before being elbowed by his brother. "Ow! Why'd you do that?"
"Sure. I'll come," Bea said, ignoring the boys.
Bonnie took a bite of her scone, handing the other one to Bea. The heavenly taste and texture left a happy warmth in her tummy.
"This is really good," Bea commented around a mouthful of scone. When they finished eating it, they wiped their hands on their trousers and gave her a serious look. "I'm fine, by the way. Not great, but fine."
Bonnie crossed her arms, walking in a vague direction. "I'm not used to you being so down. You're always cheerful and pleasant." She paused. "That's not to say you're not pleasant to be around right now. It's just disconcerting."
"Don't worry. I'm not offended."
"So what's bothering you?" Bonnie asked, turning down a corridor. "Is it Finn? You two are usually more talkative."
Bea stared at their feet, being sure to only walk on every other white floor tile. Bonnie thought that they were merely trying to avoid the question, but after a moment they said, "I do fancy Finn, you know. He makes me laugh, and I'm not as uncomfortable in my own body when I'm around him. I mean, that stuff doesn't matter to Finn. He doesn't treat me any different from how he treats you or Jake. I guess I just got too caught up in the way he made me feel so normal." Bea buried their hands in their back pockets, now walking normally. It pained Bonnie to see Bea's glassy eyes when the two of them finally made eye contact. "I always try to stay away from romantic-type feelings. My situation is too complicated to put on someone else, and even if I did, I'm not sure I can give them everything they would want." Bonnie nodded, listening intently as Bea continued to talk. She had questions, but they could wait. "Either way, I just found myself feeling things for Finn. And I know it was dumb, and I always knew he liked Phoebe, but now he's getting close to her." Bea sighed, wringing their hands together nervously. "She's not right for him, you know. That's not bias. There are things that-" Bea shook their head. "I just don't think Phoebe and Finn are right for each other. He's going to get hurt."
Bonnie stopped walking and turned to a confused Bea. She wanted to tell them that Finn had felt something for Bea as well, but it wouldn't mean as much coming from her and if Finn pursued the relationship with Phoebe, Bea would only be more disappointed for knowing. Instead, Bonnie just gave her young friend a long, comforting hug. It was all she could do for now.
Bea clutched onto the back of her shirt, hiding their face in Bonnie's shoulder. No one had ever held onto her so tight, but she suddenly felt as though she had to protect them from everything - more than ever before.
When the two of them parted, Bea actually smiled.
"Thank you," they said. "I guess it does just help to vent sometimes. I'm sorry for being so quiet today."
"It's fine." Bonnie booped them on the nose. "You're perfect just the way you are. Everybody has sad days sometimes. Don't ever be afraid to talk to me, okay?" Bea nodded. "Now, I've really got to use the loo. Lunch is almost over, so if the bell rings before I'm back can you take my stuff to class, pretty please?"
"Of course Bonnie. Anything for you." Bea gave a thumbs up, the tip of their digit barely visible over the hem of a long sleeved shirt.
The closest bathroom to her was at the end of the hall, even further from the cafeteria. It was rather secluded, and rarely did anyone venture that far out of their way to use it. There wasn't enough time between classes to race to the remote location and still be on time. A flaw in the architecture, Bonnie presumed.
As she approached the ladies' room, thinking about how few students visited it, she heard voices. They were too muffled to make out, but the quiet echoes sounded strained, coupled with little gasps and aggressive rustling. Bonnie hesitated outside the door for a moment, still listening for any indication of what the sound could be. She couldn't decide if someone was being hurt or if she should just not disturb whatever was happening. Weighing the different possible scenarios, she decided to go in. After all, there was the slight chance that someone may need her assistance… plus she still had to use the toilets.
None of the scenes that played out in her head could have prepared her for what she found.
The sound should have been an indication not to come in, a vocal 'do not disturb' sign hanging just outside the bathroom door. Bonnie hadn't even begun to think that she'd walk in on an intimate moment between two girls. She almost hadn't recognised them - too shocked to consider that she might know either of the girls - but the wet pop of a mouth releasing tender skin sounded, and both of them turned to see her standing there.
"Bonnibel!" Marceline jumped back, wiping her mouth - the mouth that was previously attached to the neck of Phoebe Edan. The look of pure shock on her face only elevated the panic Bonnie felt.
Bonnie wanted to apologise, but she felt ill. She felt her lunch roiling in her bowels, the muscles of her throat constricting and blocking off her air. She felt cold, clammy. For some reason, hurt.
Phoebe only sent a derisive glance Bonnie's way before turning to the mirror next to her, fastened to the wall that she'd just moments ago been pushed up against.
The image of what she'd just witnessed kept playing in her head, just behind her eyes where it seemed to block out anything else happening at that moment.
Phoebe fixed her hair, straightened her shirt and buttoned her jeans, and then walked out of the bathroom with such nonchalance that Bonnie wanted to pretend she'd walked in on something else - something far more innocent. Marceline, however, was still there - reminding her that what she had witnessed had most certainly taken place.
They stared at each other for a long time, both of them speechless and standing awkwardly.
"I guess we were both keeping secrets," Marceline finally said. She crossed her arms, looking away from Bonnie. Her hands were shaking, but Bonnie dared not examine them further. She'd seen where they'd just been. "Are you mad at me for dating her?"
"No," she said, honestly. It wasn't anger that she felt, but a sickening twist in her gut, accompanied by a sense of unmitigated disaster. Why Phoebe? Of all people, why her? A feeling she thought she'd forgotten resurfaced, bringing recent memories with it. "So... the love bites? The ones that you had when we first started hanging out again?"
Marceline nodded, and the reaction sent an abrupt chill through her body. Bonnie tried to swallow, tried to feel some kind of normalcy, but she only started to feel worse. She wished she could say something to fix the situation. Marceline didn't deserve to feel as ashamed as she looked right now, but Bonnie couldn't find the right words to say. The person she'd seen only hours ago was different now. Somehow, she wasn't just Marceline anymore.
Bonnie licked her teeth, hoping to look as calm and composed as Phoebe always did. Thinking about the other girl made her feel lightheaded. "Do you love her?"
"Why? Would that bother you?" Marceline asked, suddenly defensive.
Bonnie shook her head. "No!" Although she had the sneaking suspicion that it would bother her immensely. Why Phoebe? How did I not see this before? "I just want you to be happy, Marceline. If she makes you happy, I support it completely." But I don't. I don't want them to be together. Am I a bad friend? Her insecurities were coupled with something strange, an underlying fear of what this meant.
Marceline let out a long breath. "I don't feel that way about her. To answer your question."
Bonnie nodded. It didn't help to relieve the revolting taste on the bed of her tongue, or the churning in her stomach. Instead, it actually just hurt more. A cold sweat dribbled down the back of her neck, freezing her skin as it passed.
"Well." Marceline clenched her jaw. For a long time there was something hanging heavy in the air - like a sentence sitting on the tip of her tongue or an emotion not readily apparent to Bonnie. "I guess I'll see you after school," she said quietly.
Bonnie watched her disappear around the corner and out the door to the ladies' bathroom. She heard the click of the door close, somehow affirming something in the back of her mind. With the weight of everything finally hitting her in full force, she threw open the cubicle and fell to her knees at the toilet. The contents of her stomach evacuated at an alarming speed, leaving her body as nothing more than an empty shell - as empty as she felt.
The door creaked open again, and Bonnie fought to pick herself up off the floor, embarrassed to be found like this. The lurching of her stomach denied her any movement.
"Are you okay?" someone asked from behind her.
Bonnie's response was a dry-heave that made her body tremble. "I'm fine," she managed to say, shaking her head in a way that neither confirmed nor denied her words.
The girl helped Bonnie to her feet and led her to the sink. It was a younger girl, one she'd seen only a couple of times around school that year. Something about her mysterious saviour reminded her of Finn in a way. Perhaps it was the youthful optimism radiating from her.
The girl wet a paper towel and dabbed it around Bonnie's face. "Do you need help getting to the nurse?"
"No." She felt sticky and gross, and empty, but not like she would throw up again. Truthfully, she had no idea why that happened. Maybe it was just the sudden throttling in her stomach after she'd just eaten. There were other theories, but she swept them under the figurative rug. "I'm fine. Thank you though."
"Of course," the girl said, smiling. She stayed with her, providing quiet support, until Bonnie was ready to go to class. They were both several minutes late, but that didn't seem to bother anyone.
It wasn't until Bonnie was opening the door to the art room that she realised she'd never gotten the girl's name.
She took her seat next to Bea, and instantly her friend could sense something was wrong. Bonnie didn't want to talk about it though. She just wanted some space to process things quietly. "Sorry. I got ill," she said, smiling apologetically. Bea didn't believe it of course, but they didn't pry.
She put her head down. In all the surprise of what happened, it didn't occur to her that this would hurt Finn. Bea was right, and she suspected that they'd known about Phoebe this whole time. She felt like Marceline must have felt after realising that everyone else seemed to know some big secret but her. Would Bongo know? Does Keila?
The scene replayed over and over again in her head, against her will. Each time it did, the aching pain in her gut only seemed to get worse. The more she thought about it, Marceline looked more than embarrassed or shocked at being caught. That feeling that Bonnie couldn't register translated into guilt. Not that it wasn't a valid emotion, but Bonnie was scared of what that meant for them.
Keila walked into class with her usual expression - a cool demeanour flecked with an underlying intimidation. Bonnie's experience with her was that she was always calm and collected, although sometimes a tad immature. However, when Keila saw her, the rough and tough exterior she normally kept up shattered. She rushed to Bonnie's desk, leaning down to whisper, "You don't look so good, Bon. Are you okay?"
"In your seat, Harrison," Ms. Pearl called from the front of the class. Her voice warned that she was far more irritated with them than usual.
Keila rolled her eyes and dropped her bag next to the desk behind Bonnie. Subtly, she mimed writing on her hand before taking her seat.
Bonnie understood of course, but she wasn't planning on making any suspicious movements just yet. Keila's note would have to wait until class gave her a reason to have out pen and paper.
Of course, the one day Bonnie had something important to talk to Keila about, Ms. Pearl took it upon herself to make the daily lecture especially long. It gave her time to think about what she would say.
That Phoebe and Marceline are dating? She probably already knows. Bonnie rest her head on her hand, her eyes drifting over to the redhead at the front of her classroom. That sickening feeling returned, but she had nothing left to offer it.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a long finger prodding her in the back. Not right now, Keila, please, she thought, but she took the piece of paper anyway. It was folded, and Bonnie wanted to scold her all the more for that. Ms. Pearl had seen them passing notes too many times to think nothing of it.
Bonnie put the paper in her lap, waiting for Ms. Pearl to turn her back again so she could open it. The crinkle of the page unfolding was deafening to her nervous ears. She wondered if Keila realised what kind of position she'd put Bonnie in by pre-emptively passing her this paper.
When it was finally open she slid it onto the page of her textbook, trying to keep it flat so as to camouflage it among the other sheets.
"Don't tell me you and Bongo had a long night last night? ;)"
Bonnie leaned back in her seat, staring straight ahead of her in total disbelief. She picked up her pencil, keeping an eye out for their teacher's eagle eye to suddenly zone in on her. "Bongo and I are not having sex, if that's what you're implying. I've slept over a few times, but it's totally innocent. I'm not sure I'm ready for that kind of relationship." She was about to fold up the paper and toss it back, but it occurred to her that Keila would just send it back asking her what was wrong. They were less likely to get caught if she reduced the amount of times the paper went back and forth between them. "I accidentally walked in on Marceline and Phoebe today. They were… doing stuff in the bathroom at lunch."
The reply took longer than Keila's normally did. Bonnie knew Keila had to have known about Phoebe and Marceline's relationship - she must have known for a very long time. Things were so clear to her now.
When the paper came back to her, there were several splotches of black ink - lines that had been written and rewritten and marked out. She squinted, trying to make out what they all said, but Keila had done a thorough job of crossing out whatever she'd decided not to say. At the bottom of the blocked out squares it said, "How do you feel about that? Like… sad or mad or anything? You look like a ghost right now."
"Honestly? I don't know. I got ill though, all over the toilets. Phoebe Edan literally makes me vomit." She handed the letter back, anticipating a quick response. Bonnie wouldn't have minded it, getting the conversation out of the way as quickly as she could. She'd had a bad feeling about it. Part of her just knew they would get caught, and as she looked up, she felt time slowing down.
Ms. Pearl was glaring at her, watching when the folded up piece of paper flew over Bonnie's shoulder to land in front of her desk. As soon as it touched down, the history teacher was striding towards her. Bonnie grabbed the paper, and tore it up. If she'd already been seen doing what she wasn't supposed to do, there was no point in trying to hide it. At least this way, she could attempt to lessen the damage. After all, Keila had strong opinions on their mutual classmate, and what Bonnie told her could be grounds for some serious backlash. She didn't want Keila to get in trouble over her.
Ms. Pearl reached out and took the biggest chunk of paper. Quickly unfolding it, her eyes scanned the words. Her face twisted into an ugly scowl. "I do believe you're using the wrong word, Miss Bauers. See, literally means actually or exactly." Bonnie froze. It was her comment that Pearl had picked up. "So when you say, 'Phoebe Edan literally makes me vomit,' I think you really mean to say 'figuratively'. However, if you truly feel that way, then let us test out this peculiar ailment."
"Miss?" Everyone in the class was staring at her now, some of them snickering and pointing. The only person not looking at her, was Phoebe.
As Ms. Pearl made her way back to the front of the class, she weaved through each row, tapping her fingers against the open books of every other student and telling them to push their desks over. When she was done, everyone except for Bonnie had been coupled up with the person sitting next to them.
"Class," Ms. Pearl began, standing again at the front of the room, "For the remainder of the term, we will be sitting in pairs. If you do not like who you are partnered with, you have Miss Bauers to thank for that." Ms. Pearl balled up the paper and tossed it into the bin, never breaking eye contact with Bonnie. "And Bauers, since you and Harrison have proven that you cannot sit together without causing a disturbance in my class, you will be sitting next to Miss Edan. I hope by the end of this semester you will find yourself less afflicted by her presence."
"Wait, what about me?" Noah asked, awake for seemingly the first time in the history of their history class. He turned to look at Phoebe whose desk his was now flush against.
Ms. Pearl clapped her hands together once. "You will now be taking the seat in front of Miss Harrison. Both of you, please move your stuff immediately so that we may return to the lesson."
Bonnie held her textbook under one arm, dragging her bag behind her to the front of the room. She didn't dare glance back at Keila, frightened that it would irk their teacher even more. Phoebe appeared to have not been affected by the note being read aloud. In fact, she hardly seemed to notice Bonnie standing awkwardly next to her at all.
Bonnie regarded the seat as if it would come to life and consume her whole. She swallowed her fears. It was just a seat, and Phoebe was just a girl. A girl who just earlier today was being intimate with my childhood best friend. In a school bathroom.
She put the thought aside and set her stuff down, testing to make sure that this area of the room was not, in fact, a black hole of sorts. The whole class was watching her now, she felt, so she bit the bullet and sank down into her new seat. Ms. Pearl nodded, satisfied with finally getting Keila and Bonnie away from each other.
When the teacher turned her back to write something on the board, Phoebe finally acknowledged Bonnie. "You're right. This is my girlfriend's shirt. I appreciate that you think we're so fitting together," she sneered. "And yes, it's to be more comfortable tonight." With that, she turned her attention to the front again, ignoring the mess that Bonnie had become.
She could smell Marceline on the girl next to her, and after walking in on them she could be certain that the inverse was the same. A surge of anger shot through her, bringing about impossible thoughts. Only now, she refused to entertain them. Bonnie would make this a good day yet, she decided as she sat, quietly seething.
When class ended, she waited just outside the history room for Bongo to come around. He was quick, always excited to see her, and when she saw him she grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and kissed him full on the lips. It was so unlike her, but she needed to feel him again.
"Are you okay?" he asked when she pulled away, his eyes as wide as saucers.
"Fine," she said, imitating someone who truly felt fine. "Have you figured out who's riding with who tonight?"
Bongo held onto her hand, walking through the crowd of people after her. "I talked to Jake. He's going to take Aeryn, Finn, Bea, and Phoebe in his car. I'll be taking you and the others."
That came as a surprise to her. "So we're taking Marceline?"
"Yeah." His voice was small. Bongo could see that something was wrong, but he didn't have enough of the pieces to put together what it was. "Do you not want us to take Marceline? I'm sure I can get Bea to switch places with her."
A small vengeful part of her wanted Phoebe to get caught flirting with Finn, and it would be good for Bea to stay away from them, but Bonnie didn't want Phoebe and Marceline to be near each other either. Her feelings just didn't make any logical sense. Obviously, she wanted her best friend to be happy, and she'd considered the possibility before that Marceline and Phoebe were interested in each other, but knowing now that they were indeed an item - it confused her. "Do whatever," Bonnie said. Whatever happened, she didn't want it to be in her hands.
At least, her theory that Phoebe was a horrible person was true. She'd correctly judged the other girl's character without ever talking to her, and now that she knew for sure there was nothing she could change. Finn and Marceline had both fallen into a redheaded trap, and until she could figure out the best course of action, she'd just have to sit by and watch as her friends both got hurt.
I should just tell them both. I've already seen what happens when I withhold information. Bonnie stopped at the end of the hall. Her class was just three doors down. That's it. I've decided. I'm going to tell them tonight.
Bongo patted her gently on the head. "You're cute when you think a lot."
"A lot happened today. I'm not really ready to talk about it, but just being around you is making me feel better already." She leaned her head on his chest, smiling slightly when he ran his fingers through her hair.
"Do you want to skip class? I know it's not something you would do normally, but if you're feeling bad we can go sit in my car and talk."
She considered it, but if he got suspended she'd be forced to face the next week alone. "No, you need to go to class. I'll be okay."
"Alrighty." Bongo glanced at his watch. "Well I'm going to be late if I don't go now. Bye Bonnie." He waved, darting off down the sparse hallway.
Bonnie walked into her class and wearily slumped down into her seat next to Aeryn. The only good thing was that literature was their last class of the day. She'd been looking forward to it all week, because tonight she would be out camping with her boyfriend and all their friends, but now that she was alone with her thoughts again, her inner turmoil surged, coming in waves.
It didn't take long for her friend to realise that something was amiss. Her face likely reflected the total emotional upheaval she'd been struggling with, betraying her to a concerned whisper - "Bonnie? Are you okay?"
She felt a sting in her throat, the threat of voice cracks and little whimpers. She cleared it with a cough and, steeling her nerves, she answered Aeryn's question with all the firmness that she could muster. "I walked in on Marceline and Phoebe earlier at lunch. They were practically… They're quite obviously in a relationship." Bonnie waved a hand. "I don't really care that they are," she lied. "I just feel so terrible for catching them in the midst of things. How am I going to face either of them tonight? Or ever again, really."
Aeryn's eyes were wide as she processed the new information. Her eyebrows did a dance, mimicking the shifting of realities in her mind. When her thoughts finally settled, Aeryn said, "Maybe you just need to avoid them for tonight. I'm sure things will go back to the way they normally are."
Bonnie's voice trembled, her thoughts racing. The concept appeared impossible no matter how she looked at it. "How am I supposed to avoid them? We're literally going to be spending the night with them."
Aeryn chewed her lip. "Well, either you hang in there for one night or you tell everyone you don't want to go. I really think you should come, but if you're not going to be able to handle it then there's nothing that can be done."
Bonnie took a deep breath. "No, I want to go." After all, I still have to expose Phoebe for who she really is.