Chapter 28 - Keila (Originally Published: 12 February 2016)

The sun's bright beams penetrated the slight chill blowing through the air, disarming the effect it had on the temperature. It was a surprisingly beautiful day in spite of the weather predictions (the newscasters had been calling for snow all week), and had it been any warmer Keila would have been comfortable wearing her denim shorts out. She breathed in the fresh air, savouring the purity of it. Then, reaching into her coat pocket, she dug out a pack of cigarettes.

"Isn't that a bit hypocritical?" Bea asked. They'd been listening to her ramble on about the cleanness of the air for the better half of the morning.

Keila flipped open the package with her thumb and dexterously slid one of the deadly cylinders out into her waiting mouth. "I never said I was perfect," she mumbled around the filter. There was a short moment of panic as she patted down her pockets in search of her lighter, before she remembered she'd tucked it into the cigarette package for safekeeping. "It was nice of Bonnie to drop you off here," she said, after inhaling a lungful of smooth, menthol smoke.

Bea was playing with a twig they'd picked up from the garden, gently bending it between their forefinger and pinkie. "I told her we were going to hang out today, and she was fine with taking me." The stick in their hand snapped in half. "I think she was on her way to see Bongo anyway."

"I see." Keila had certainly noticed the subtle change in their voice when they brought up Bonnie's boyfriend. "How do you feel about him?" Bea turned their attention onto her, a look of confusion written plainly on their face. "You know," Keila continued, "do you think he's good for Bonnie? Or are they a good couple? That kind of thing."

Bea tossed the two halves of the stick to the side and got to their feet. There seemed to be something on their mind, but they made no move to talk about it. The tree the two of them had been leaning against appeared to interest them more. Keila watched in mild amusement as Bea rolled their sleeves up and reached for the lowest hanging branch. Testing the sturdiness of it, they pulled themself up, carefully approaching each limb until they were hiding on the other side of the tree from her. "I don't want them to be together," she heard Bea say.

Keila wanted to walk around the tree to face them, but she knew this was probably their way of conquering the inhibitions that came with saying what was meant. Bea trusts me a lot, she realised. "Why is that, sweetheart?"

For a long time, the only sound that could be heard was the wind picking up and dying down. Keila puffed away at her cigarette as she waited for a response. Finally, Bea said, "For the same reason I don't like Marceline and Phoebe together."

"You've been holding onto this for a while now, haven't you?" Their reply was an affirmative hum. "Do you want to tell me why?"

Rather than answer her, Bea proposed a question of their own. "How do you feel about Marceline and Phoebe? She's your best friend, isn't she?"

Keila thought about it. How did she feel? If she'd been on a sinking ship and Phoebe offered her a spot on a lifeboat, she would prefer drowning to being stuck with that pretentious rich girl… or at least, that's how she'd always felt before. Now she wasn't so sure.

Phoebe had done a good job of cheering Marceline up in this ordeal with Bonnie, and aside from a few lingering negativities, Marceline seemed happier. It was such a conflicting situation to be in: her best friend was doing well for herself, but at a cost - it meant Keila had to tolerate the one person she hated the most. What was most frustrating about this situation, was that she couldn't even justify why she hated Phoebe so much. She wasn't the best person, but then again neither was Keila.

"Phoebe isn't the worst thing that's ever happened to Marceline. I still don't know if I fully trust her, but I can't really say anything bad about her until I catch her doing something wrong. So far, she's been good to Marce."

Bea hesitated. "Is she… better than Ash?"

Keila had a laugh at that. "I'm not too keen on Phoebe, but she's a saint in comparison." She flicked the butt of her cigarette out into the garden, smiling apologetically when it landed in the pond next to a startled frog.

The tree shook, and when Keila turned to see what caused the disturbance she found Bea's blonde head poking around the back of the large oak. "What is he like though? Is he… dangerous?"

The subject of Marceline's ex-boyfriend was enough to coax them out of hiding, which is what alerted Keila to something being amiss. "Why the sudden interest in him?"

Their head disappeared again, hiding from her intuitive stare. "No real reason. I'm just… curious," Bea said, slowly. "I remember the lot of you talking about him, but I don't recall anyone ever telling me anything specific about what kind of person he was. Well, aside from being mean."

Keila chattered her teeth, thoughtfully. That wasn't the whole truth, she knew. There was a crucial piece missing to this puzzle; she could sense it just on the outer reaches of her mind - close enough that she could brush it with her fingertips, but the concept remained veiled in mystery. "He's a bastard." Regardless of what Bea's interest in him was, it would be best to tell them everything they needed to know. Something was truly wrong, and she guessed that Bea would be too nervous to share what that was. If Keila imparted some of her knowledge, it might be of some use for whatever was going on. "The bloke only thinks of himself. Even when he was with Marce. I maintain that he just used her for sex. Most girls are turned off of men who don't even understand basic hygiene, after all."

"Ew… but Marceline? I would have thought she had higher standards than that."

Keila plucked a blade of grass from the ground, rubbing it between her fingers. So, this was it? The truth of everything that had happened in their lives together - a secret that she'd kept for so long - finally being exposed. It's not really a secret anymore, is it? "Marce didn't date him at first because she was interested in him." Keila flicked the thin green strip away. "I'm aware you already know this, but Marce… is head over heels for Bonnie. You know, I'm surprised Bon hasn't even realised it yet." Although, I think she's starting to. "Anyway, they grew up living next to each other. I guess when you spend that much time with another human being, feelings start to develop. Those feelings are usually platonic, but…" Keila thought back to the first time she'd learned about Marceline's fondness for the other girl.

They were kids - nine and ten years old. As she did often in those days, Keila was staying the night at Marceline's house, too afraid to show her face at home. The other children her age looked forward to the weekend, but her days off from school were a breeding ground for bad memories. If she was lucky, the father that she'd loved so dearly wouldn't come home… but most nights, she was not, and he would crash through the front door at an ungodly hour shouting insults and drunken slurs. When Marceline learned of this, she had shyly introduced the idea of Keila staying with her as often as possible.

It had become tradition for them to spend every weekend together, and a year later - after Keila's father had mysteriously vanished, once and for all - the tradition continued; only then, it was Marceline staying at her house, eager to escape the reality of her father's death.

"Do you like this song?" she remembered Marceline saying as she adjusted the needle on her record player. A slow, soulful acoustic melody played over the speakers.

Keila found herself instantly bobbing her head to the unfamiliar beat, moved by the soothing rhythm. The woman singing had a distinct voice - older, it sounded - but the words were meaningful and filled with vigour. "It's a good tune. Why do you ask?"

"I want to play this at mine and Bonnibel's wedding," Marceline told her, so casually. It hadn't even fazed Keila. A relationship between two girls had never occurred to her before then, but when her friend brought it up, the idea was just… normal.

Keila was convinced then that the two of them would become something. To her, it was just another fact of life. Trees grew tall, the science teacher's son was cute, and Bonnie and Marceline were meant to be together. "Why don't you ask Bonnie if she likes the song?"

Marceline spun on her heels, her cheeks as red as roses. "Don't you dare tell her I told you about this! It's embarrassing!"

"... But?"

Keila snapped out of her trance at the sound of Bea's voice. They were still waiting for her to finish. "Oh, sorry. Marceline moved away from here shortly after her dad died. I don't think her feelings ever wavered, but when Bonnie started talking about boys - Marce flipped. She wanted to take her mind off Bonnie in whatever way she could. A lot of mistakes were made back then. Then, when she was fifteen, Marce got caught in bed with some girl she'd met at a concert. They weren't having sex - yet - but the other girl's parents had a long talk about it with Simon. It's a good thing he and Marce moved around a lot, because I imagine she would have had to deal with some kind of social repercussions if they hadn't. Anyway, Simon was disappointed in her. Not because it was a girl, but Marce went on believing that to be the reason for a long time. When they came back to Whitewater for a visit, she met Ash through a mutual friend of ours. I think it was a combination of everything that had happened up to that point that made her start dating him."

A branch above her creaked, and then a moment later Bea was crouching next to her. They'd jumped a long distance, but seemed unaffected by it. "Tell me more."

"Right. Well, the point I was trying to make is that Marce didn't like this gross fucker. It was just something to establish to Simon that she was 'straight'. She thought she could get away with not having to play the girlfriend role, because they moved around so much… Only, after they began seeing each other, Ash tricked her into thinking she was in love with him." Keila tasted bile in her mouth, disgusted by the memories of what her friend had been poisoned with. "It's weird how treating someone poorly will make them believe they can't live without you. Things started to get really out of hand after that. See, Ash has this little gang of cheats, and liars, and thieves - the kind of people who do whatever they want, because they have nothing to lose." Keila trailed off, trying to avoid losing herself in unpleasant memories.

After a few moments, she realised that the heavy silence remained unbroken. When she glanced over, she could see that Bea's face was pale, their blue-grey eyes staring blankly ahead. "Are you okay, poppet?"

"Oh, I'm grand," they said, flatly. "Are you ready to go?"

Keila frowned. She hadn't meant to ruin their day. "Are you sure? We don't have to go out at all. I'm sure I could get Guy to drive you home if you're not up for it."

"It's fine, Keila." Their usual smile returned, only, it was forced - weak around the edges, and betrayed by the sadness in their eyes. "I'm disgusted that he would do those things to Marceline, but right now… I just need a distraction."

She was fine with that. Kicking up the wet leaves of the past only unearthed the skittering bug-like feelings that had remained dormant for all these years, and she wasn't yet ready to deal with them. "Why don't we go on ahead? Phoebe and Marce are probably going to take their sweet time anyway, and Guy isn't going to be joining us until later this evening."

Bea said that they liked that plan, and the two of them set off on their way.

It was nice to finally hang out with them, Keila thought as she unlatched the garden gate that led to the street behind her house. Bea's company was valuable indeed, and even though the younger teenager was a bit upset, they were a delight to be around. Keila would have to buy them tea or something while the pair were out shopping - that usually cheered up her other friends. Hopefully it would work with Bea.

"Are there any stores in particular that you'd like to visit today?" Keila asked, hoping to ease them back into conversation.

"I'm willing to go anywhere you want to. Frankly, I'd like to stop at as many places as possible." Bea smiled - a genuine expression this time. "I want to get all of my friends something for the holidays. I've been saving my allowances up since the beginning of this term, and I hope I can find nice presents for everybody." They paused. "Who are you buying gifts for this year?"

She hadn't initially planned to buy Bea anything, mostly because she lacked the funds for it, but now it felt like more of an obligation. If she voiced this to Bea, however, they would tell her not to worry about it. "Guy and Marceline, of course. My mum and younger siblings as well. If I buy Bongo anything he'll feel bad and get me something thrice as expensive, so I usually avoid the awkwardness by making him a Christmas card instead."

Bea wrung their hands together, making a comedic show of the extra long sleeves they always wore. Body image issues, Keila guessed - clothes that baggy couldn't possibly be comfortable. "Have you decided what you're going to get Guy? I don't really know him that well, so I don't know what to buy for him."

She laughed. "You don't have to get him anything. I promise he won't be offended. I usually only buy him small things anyway. One gift for each night of Hanukkah."

"I didn't realise he was Jewish." Bea tapped their chin thoughtfully, falling into step beside Keila.

She shrugged. "He isn't religious or anything. I don't believe his father is either. The Carsons still honour a lot of the traditions though - in memory of Guy's mother." The topic quieted them both, leaving them to walk in tune with their own thoughts for a time.

Their destination was a coach station several streets away from Keila's house. She and Bea had been planning to do something together for a while, but every attempt they'd made was met with failure - either one of them would be busy with coursework or prior obligations, or their plans were cancelled last minute because of the drama happening around them.

Today would have been one of those days as well, but Keila didn't want to play third wheel to Marceline and Phoebe. She counted her lucky stars for Bea that day. Not only did it keep her from dealing with the awkwardness of tagging along with a couple, but it also meant that she didn't have to stay cooped up in her house until Marceline came along. Something had come up, apparently, that pushed their plans back to later in the evening. Keila was certain it was just an excuse for Marceline to spend more alone time with her girlfriend, but she couldn't truthfully say that she'd never done something similar herself.

"Do you like hamburgers?" Keila asked, remembering that there was a restaurant on the same strip of pavement as the coach station. If they had to wait, she wouldn't mind stopping by for a deliciously greasy breakfast.

Bea patted their stomach, making a face at the hollow noise that resounded. "I'm not a picky eater. I'll eat anything."

Keila was happy to hear that. It would be easier than if she went out to eat with either of her best friends' girlfriends - she'd come to learn that Phoebe was horrendously fastidious, and Bonnie had a restrictive diet of some sorts. "We should eat together more often," she said, silently hoping that the coach would be out making its rounds for long enough to accommodate a meal.

Judging from the outside view of the station, they were in luck. Keila waited on a nearby bench for Bea to run in and check the timetables. The nice weather gave people a reason to leave their homes today, and the increase in foot traffic made her a bit uncomfortable. Keila hated making eye contact with random strangers who passed their judgement on her based on appearance. Hoping for a distraction, she pulled out her phone to check for any word from Marceline. Instead, she found a text from Bongo - "You're going to see Marce today, right?"

That was certainly not what she expected. Keila messaged him back, "We're meant to be shopping for holiday gifts and whatnot. Why?"

"Can you find out if she hates me?"

Keila's eyebrows knitted together. There was no reason for Marceline to hate him. Sure, he was dating Bonnie, but that was nothing to fault him for. "Has she done anything to make you think that she does?"

As far as Keila could tell, the only difference was that Marceline was more preoccupied with her girlfriend as of late. Then again, the three of them hadn't seen much time together outside of school. Keila suddenly felt strangely out of touch with her friends. The phone buzzed in her hand. "You haven't noticed? Marce hasn't really talked to me since we went camping. She's said 'hi' a few times, and we've talked about Guy's birthday party, but otherwise things have been… strained. Even when we do talk, I don't feel like she really wants to be there. It's really confusing."

"The next coach will be arriving in thirty minutes. I guess we have time for those burgers after all," Bea said, giving her a start.

Keila's immediate response was to hide her phone, but realising it was just Bea, she let her guard down. "Give me just a second." Keila typed out one last response to Bongo, before following Bea to the restaurant down the street. "I'll figure it out, darling. Try not to let it stress you out too much until I get the chance to hear what she has to say."

Upon opening the door, their nostrils were assaulted with the pleasant smell of meat being cooked under an array of spices, and the sweet aroma of fresh buns. There weren't a lot of guests in the diner, as most people would have found it abhorrent to gorge on junk food so early in the day. The boy behind the till was a newer employee, yet he seemed vaguely familiar. Keila couldn't seem to place where she'd seen him before. School, probably.

Bea strolled up to the counter without pausing to give the menu a glance, so Keila wasn't quite as embarrassed to admit that she'd eaten here more often than anyone should.

"Uh… Hi," the boy said. He had a nameplate haphazardly pinned to the red-and-white-striped shirt he wore, but Keila couldn't seem to make out the letters under an adornment of dried ketchup stains. "Can I take your order?"

"You may," Bea said, smiling brightly in the way that only they could. "I'd just like a cheeseburger, please. Nothing on it. And a coke as well."

He bobbed his head for a prolonged period of time, staring intently at the machine in front of him. The till beeped a couple of times when he finally found the buttons he'd been looking for.

I'd reckon this bloke's co-workers take the piss out of him all the time. I know I would, Keila thought, wondering if they'd miss the coach yet again. He does somewhat remind me of Bongo in a way, though.

When it came time for her to place her order, Keila asked for the same thing as Bea in hopes that it wouldn't take him quite as long to ring her up. However, ketchup boy's memory proved even worse than she'd anticipated.

On the outside, Keila's expression was a blank slate, but underneath it all she was fuming - internally spitting every swear and obscenity that her mind could muster. It still wasn't enough to compensate for how irritated she'd become.

Keila nearly spilled her drink all over herself when Bea grabbed her arm. The subsequent jostling as she was pulled behind a nearby street lamp did nothing to quell the startled reflexes within her. However, when she saw what all the commotion was about, she understood. Her mouth hung open, eyes glued to the mutual acquaintance of theirs that was also visiting the city that day.

"Do you think she saw us?" Bea whispered, their voice trembling. That small moment of weakness was just what Keila needed to awaken the vigilante deep inside of her.

Leslie continued on without showing any indication that she knew she was being watched. "No. She didn't. Let's keep it that way. Come on." Keila tossed her half empty can into a nearby bin, her craving for a sweet, fizzy drink now replaced with the hunger for cold, hard justice. She trailed behind her classmate, keeping a cautious distance. If Leslie turned around, she'd surely see the two of them, but so long as Keila didn't get too close she would have no idea she was being followed.

There had to be something she could do. Leslie had hurt Bea, Phoebe, and countless others. She had this coming to her… but what 'this' was, Keila didn't know. The only sure thought in her mind right now was that she had to be the one to extract revenge for all those people who had been stomped on by Leslie's big, ugly feet. If not her, then no one would, and if not now - there wouldn't be a chance quite as good as this one.

Keila and Bea followed their impromptu target, walking at a sedate pace in order to stay hidden. Leslie didn't seem to have a set destination in mind, and Keila wondered if she was simply out for a leisurely stroll.

The crowded pavement was beginning to discourage her plans; however, when the girl they'd been tailing meandered into a nearby grocer, her curiosity was renewed. She chanced sneaking a closer look at Leslie, thankful that she'd picked a store without a bell of some sort to notify the workers of new customers. It was actually a place that Keila knew well - her mother shopped here often, being the only market in the surrounding area that sold her particular brand of spices.

Leslie didn't wander around the store, rather, she went straight to the boy working the till. Her attention seemed to be occupied, so Keila took the opportunity to inconspicuously walk by her.

In passing, she heard that Leslie was looking for the toilets, but most of the conversation was flirty banter. A deliciously evil idea was formulating in Keila's mind. She grabbed Bea and rushed to the bathroom.

The ladies' room was strong with the scent of cleaning solution, and the floor tiles were a pristine white. It only made her feel worse for what she was about to do, but perhaps the karmic gods would turn their heads just this once. "Do you still have those ketchup packets from earlier?"

They reached into their pocket and pulled out a handful of the things. It was a lucky break that Bea just happened to have a compulsion to hoard condiments from every fast food establishment they visited. "Here you go. What do you need them for?"

"You'll see." Keila pointed towards one of the four cubicles with a nod of her head. "Do me a favour and lock that one. After it's locked, just shimmy under the door and come back out here."

Bea was hesitant, but they did as they were told. Meanwhile, Keila busied herself with twisting the packages at the middle to add pressure on each end. Her hands were steady with the strength of impending vengeance. When all of the packages were turned into miniature bow-tie replicas, she took them into the middle stall. Bea tapped her on the shoulder, ready for their next order.

"Take a few of your hairties and wrap them around the tap," Keila instructed. "Make sure there's hardly any space for the water to flow." It was a prank that Marceline had pulled on her many times before. When Leslie went to turn the tap on, the water would spray out in every direction - effectively soaking her.

Keila had her own task to focus on. She lifted the toilet seat and carefully placed the ketchup packets on the rim so that they lined the front and sides. Then, she let the seat rest gently on top of them. "When you're done with that, keep an eye out for Leslie. Don't let her see you."

It concerned her, how calm she was. Keila grabbed all the paper towels and - saying a silent apology to the grocery workers, mother nature, and her own morals - she shoved all of them into the bin bag that was left for discarded rubbish.

Bea ran back in just as she finished. "Leslie's almost here! What do we do? She's going to know we-"

Keila put a hand over their mouth. "Go into the cubicle next to this one. When she sits down - don't worry, you'll know when she does - we're going to clear off. Okay?" Bea nodded. "Good."

Keila hid in the other stall, leaving only one open for their victim. From under her cubicle, she could see a pair of black dance shoes shuffle in. Please work…

Leslie tried the door closest to the entrance - where Keila had chosen to hide. The rattling reminded her of a cobra, shooting icy venom into Keila's veins. Thankfully, she hadn't forgotten to lock the door. Leslie moved onto the next stall, humming to herself a song that no doubt she'd taken from a musical. Keila's heartbeat was still thumping in her ears, and she wondered if Bea was just as nervous. Despite this, it took every ounce of willpower Keila had not to expose herself by doing anything more with the girl so close to her. She did have a small amount of common sense, after all.

When Leslie sat down, there was a loud, satisfying spurt, followed by a string of swears that were creative even to Keila's ears.

That was her cue to throw open the cubicle door and get out of there. Bea was on her heels, both of them running from the fearsome cobra like frightened prey. When they saw each other's faces, the two of them burst into a fit of laughter.

"Remind me to never get on your bad side," Bea said, holding their sides.

From outside the bathroom, disgruntled swearing could still be heard, followed by the violent rush of water spraying the walls. "I may be a pain in the rear, but Leslie's worse. We better go before she catches us."

Satisfied with their work, they walked to the stores they'd been planning to visit. Keila kept a close eye on her young friend as they shopped, eager to see if anything caught their eye during the outing. She didn't know Bea as well as she would have liked to, and buying them a Christmas gift was certainly going to require some thought. Maybe I'll ask Bonnie for some ideas.

The other people on her list were not nearly as complicated to shop for: her siblings would all be getting toys that were appropriate for their age range, for her mother she found an interesting cookbook that emphasised simplicity, she'd found a couple of discount video games that she was certain her boyfriend hadn't played yet - plus new socks and underwear, because she knew he wouldn't get any for himself - and for Marceline, Keila picked out a bracelet. It was a simple thing, really, but it caught her eye when they were browsing an odd little shop - almost as if it had been calling out to her. The owner - a burly man with a mane of flowing golden hair - claimed to have made it himself. It was a black leather cord that wrapped around the wrist twice (the shopkeeper said that he supposed it could be a necklace as well, but it might be too tight and bite into one's neck). The clasp keeping the bracelet secure was a vampire bat charm that opened in the middle.

"Is that for Marceline?" Bea asked, looking over her shoulder when she paid for it.

Keila took her change from the owner, as well as the box he'd placed the accessory in. "If it wasn't before, it is now." When they gave her a confused look, she added, "It was for Marce, don't worry. Do you like it?"

"It looks just like something she would wear." Bea's face lit up. "You might want to hide it though. I think I just saw Phoebe walk by."

Keila shoved the box into the hidden pocket inside her coat and followed them out to where they said they'd seen her. Before Keila had the chance to examine the faces in the crowd, her phone rang. "Speak of the devil."

After confirming that it was who she thought it would be, she put the receiver to her ear. "Hey, Marce."

"Keila. We're here. Meet me at the café. I'm starving."

She motioned for Bea to follow her. Phone conversations with Marceline were seldom lengthier than a few brief sentences. "Right. See you in a bit, yeah? Cheers."

There was only one café that she could be talking about. It wasn't the highest quality, nor was it the cheapest, but it welcomed them with the most comforting atmosphere. Keila and Marceline loved the quiet calm that surrounded the little restaurant. So much so, that - as awful as it truly was - it was an unspoken rule between them to refrain from ever letting either of the boys know about their special place. Bongo would behave himself, naturally, but he would tell Guy about the spot; Guy was not the type of person to bring to a place like this, and he would only embarrass the lot of them.

At a glance, there were not many other people there today. Usually it was only busy on Fridays, Saturdays, and Wednesday nights. From the big glass window in front of the downstairs seating area, Keila could see Marceline and Phoebe sitting on one of the two sofas. The table in front of the couple was home to two steaming mugs of tea. Marceline had an arm draped around the back of the seat, allowing Phoebe the proximity to comfortably nestle into her.

"Gross. They're making out," Keila observed. It was always a bit awkward to see her best friend with a significant other. She just turned into a different person in a relationship. Is it because I don't want to pick up the pieces again if someone like Ash comes along? … Or maybe I just want to see her with Bonnie. She clenched her jaw. There were no words to explain why, but when Bonnie first started showing interest in people other than Marceline, it felt kind of like Keila had also been betrayed. Only, it was worse because she'd seen it first-hand. Keila had worked so hard to lock these feelings away, but they never failed to rear their ugly head when she least expected it.

Bea opened the door, holding it for her. "They're always snogging though. If we wait for them to finish, we'll be here all night."

Keila had a giggle at that. They weren't technically always being gross. Just… most of the time. She had to remind herself that Marceline was happy now, and that's all that mattered.

"Oh my - is that Phoebe Edan?! Making out with a girl?" she joked as she approached. "And that - that's Marceline Aba-daba-ding-dong. Who would have ever thought?"

The couple was unaffected by her quip. The only response she received was a middle finger salute from Marceline.

Bea tugged at her sleeve. "I'm going to order a coffee. Do you want anything, Keila?"

"Oh. Here, poppet." Keila dug through her pockets for some money. "I'd just like a tea. Get something to eat as well, if you'd like." When Bea was gone, she turned back to Marceline. "Couldn't you have been weird on your own time? There are androgynous children present."

Marceline shrugged, an impish grin splitting her face. "I actually haven't seen Pheebs since we woke up this morning." She paused, adding a bit of dramatic effect to the hanging sentence. "I got the job!"

"That's great! I'm happy for you, Marce, but now you don't have an excuse to forget my birthday anymore." Keila sat down on the sofa opposite them, smiling. "How was it? Did you start already?"

Marceline beamed as she went over the details of her day. Working the shop, she said, wasn't hard at all. Most of her duties consisted of simply manning the till or checking dated vinyl records to see if they still worked. When her lunch break rolled around, she was happy to find a sandwich shop down the street from where she worked.

Listening to Marceline talk was like listening to a little kid ramble about their favourite toy, or school, or really anything that children got excited about. Marceline wasn't the kind of person that got worked up over little things, but when something did get her going - it really got her going.

"I'm going to check on our food." Phoebe gave her girlfriend a peck on the cheek and left with a quick, determined pace.

She must be hungry. Keila was debating whether or not she could eat another bite when she remembered the text Bongo sent her earlier. "Now that we've got a moment alone, I need to talk to you about something."

Marceline regarded her with a derisive glare. It was obvious that she knew there was no escaping the subject. If she left, she'd be leaving Phoebe and Bea as well. She was trapped in whatever snare she felt had been set for her.

"It's not as bad as you're thinking," Keila added, but it didn't help to soothe the creases in the other girl's face. "I'm just curious, Marce. Have you been avoiding Bongo by any chance?"

She clucked her tongue. "I thought we were done talking about this. I told you already, I just hate having to see him all over Bonnibel. It's fine for them to be together - I don't care anymore - but I don't want to see it." She appeared more annoyed than anything.

Keila shook her head, because that didn't seem right. It was all true of course, but Bongo wouldn't have mentioned it to her if things weren't awkward all around. "No, I don't think that's it. He seemed to think that you just don't want to be friends with him anymore." She felt out of bounds for having to ask. No matter how many times she'd thought about it, Keila couldn't personally find any problems in their relationship. This was Bongo though, and if somebody as dense as him were to notice a drastic change in things, then it was surely there.

Marceline leaned over, prompting Keila to do the same. In a low voice, thick with contempt, she said, "Look, K - it really fucking hurts to see them together. It kills me to even know that he's the one who gets to hold her whenever he wants to." Her eyes were trained on Keila's, unblinking. "I've been thinking about this for a while, but I don't know that I can continue being friends with either of them. Tell Bongo what you need to, but I really don't want to be around him anymore. Sorry."

Keila sat back, astonished. She wanted to say that it pained her to see the two of them together as well. She wanted to say that she didn't blame Marceline for hurting, but abandoning two of her oldest friendships over a girl wasn't worth it. She wanted to say a lot of things, but her mouth wouldn't form the words, and by the time her head cleared itself of the initial impact from Marceline's words Phoebe and Bea had returned.

"Did you miss me?" Phoebe said, sitting down with a tray of their food.

Marceline happily greeted her with a kiss, saying that she did. She was so cheerful, so unaffected by how expendable she'd made a boy who would die for her if he needed to. In that one brief moment, she had become as cold and heartless as Phoebe had always appeared.

This isn't right. Bongo doesn't deserve this. Keila swallowed, trying to get her throat working. What the hell am I supposed to tell him?