09.29.2016

"You can go, sure."

"I can?"

Clarabel shrugged.

"But what about-"

"Don't you worry so much, you little worrywart." Her mother chuckled, pushing a strain of her blond hair back which had gone rogue. "If your mom tells you that it's okay to go to a party with your friends, you should be happy."

Clarabel gave her daughter a smile, so bright Bonnibel felt the warmth prickling on her skin. That was when she knew that her last excuse to not go to the party wasn't valid anymore. Somewhere deep down, Bonnie had hoped that she just wouldn't have time. Now, she would need to mentally prepare for an exhausting night. But for some reason, there was also tingling excitement in her tummy.

"I don't need to tell you that you still need to be careful though. Don't drink too much, and always keep your cup where you can see it. Stay with your friends as well."

"Thanks, mom." She finally said, unsure how genuine it was herself, but still, she hugged her mother. Clarabel always wanted what was best for them, and Bonnie knew that her greatest joy came from helping her children. So if not for herself, she should at least go to make her mother happy. She left her mother in the kitchen, who was making diner right now, after having helped her for a little while. Walking past her brother's door, she halted. Neddy was playing in his room right now, but he would be happy to hear that he had a full evening with his mother.

He always wanted her attention the most, just like the spoiled brat he is. Bonnibel thought as she knocked at his door to tell him the 'good' news. Not getting the immediate answer she usually got, she quirked an eyebrow up. Maybe he was napping? Normally, the little energy ball rarely slept before he was forced to stay in bed. She knocked again, but this time she could hear a quiet voice. "Yes?"

"Little one, you alright?" The pink-haired girl said, as she slowly opened the door. Surprised by the sight of her little brother lying in bed, she stood for a moment in the door frame.

"Hey, sis." He said in a weirdly still voice. Normally he would always be loud, but for the last few days, he was acting like a sedated version of himself.

"You tired already? Not even gonna watch your cartoons today?"

"Don't feel like it."

"Ned?" She carefully pressed her brother on. It was clear as day that something was on his mind. He had never been a good liar, not in front of Bonnibel at least. Most of the time she could see right through his shenanigans. But this wasn't one of them, that she was sure of. She sat down on the bed, next to him, waiting for him to talk.

The little boy sat up. "School sucks."

"Yup." She nodded, swallowing a chuckle that was about to follow.

"There is this one boy that doesn't like me."

"Have you talked to him?"

"... No."

"What did he do to you then?"

"He and his friends laughed at me when we were in PE."

One side of her mouth quirked up, as she was thinking what to say. For a young kid, this was a serious matter. She knew how helpless it felt when a group of douchebags started making fun of you.

"I think… You have a choice to make here. You either talk to them, and tell them to stop it, and who knows maybe they will leave you alone, or you flat out ignore them. Personally, I would say it doesn't matter what you do, as long as you don't let them get to you as you do now. As long as you give them a reaction, they won't stop."

She could see that her brother was not content with his options."But why do they do it in the first place, sis?"

"Is that important?"

He paused for a moment. Then, he nodded. "It is."

She raised her brows in surprise. "It is?"

"I dunno. I wanna be friends with them, but I can't if I ignore them."

"Friends? Neddy, they're mean you, but you still want to befriend them?"

His forehead wrinkled in worry. "Is that not okay?"

Was it? She wasn't sure. They hurt him, shouldn't he just cast them out of his life? But she couldn't tell that to a kid, could she? She didn't understand why he would want to be friends with those kids. She never wanted to befriend her old classmates, let alone see them again… did she? She pushed her lips together, lost in thoughts.

"Maybe they want to be friends too?" His words brought her back into the present.

"... And if they don't want to?" She said before thinking about it.

It took him a moment before reacting. Then, his hands clenched to fits, sheets still in hand, and his eyes got a watery sheen. She had gone too far. But maybe it was best to disillusion him now before he would get hurt as she had been. But as she saw her little brother feeling down because of her words, a lump formed in her throat. She needed to say something.

"If they don't then that is their fault, Neddy, not yours. They miss out on an amazing person like you. And it's not like you won't make friends with other kids."

Hearing this, he looked up at her. "There is Paul. He is insane at soccer! We always play together."

"See? It is not your fault. If it was, Paul wouldn't hang out with you, right?"

"I guess." He said halfheartedly, as he was still letting things sink in. She ruffled his hair, and he tried to fend her off, his usual smile returning on his face. "Stop it!"

"Anyway, I've got some good news for you, little man."

…

The rest of the afternoon went by uneventfully. The family ate together. Neddy, now again in high spirits, amused his mother and sister with wild stories from his school, waving his hands around while talking as if he had forgotten that he was sad just a few hours ago. Sometimes, Bonnibel felt a fit of nostalgic jealousy as she watched how her younger brother lived his life. It would sound weird if she said it out loud, but she wanted to feel like a kid again when she saw him all excited like this.

As she lay in bed, only the soothing moonlight faintly illuminated the room. She still thought about her conversation with Neddy. It just didn't let her go.

They miss out on Neddy. It was never his fault, he is way too kind to do anyone any real harm. It is on them, not on him. The thoughts kept repeating themselves until she was getting a feeling of nausea. She rubbed both her eyes with her palms, which helped a bit.

Tomorrow is finally the last day of this stupid assignment. The pink-haired girl reminded herself, taking in a deep breath. She should be happy about it but despite being under her sheets, coldness still gripped her. She would be a stranger to Marceline after tomorrow.

As she slowly drifted off into sleep, she could hear her little brother say: "I wanna be friends with them…"

…

"What about today, Bonnie?"

"I wish I could go to the movies with you all, but-"

"You always say that."

"Yeah, do you have a secret boyfriend or what?"

"No, I just… got a lot to do."

"Like what?"

"I need to take care of my little brother."

"All the time? Sounds like your parents are exploiting you, what the hell. Can't you tell your mother or father to stay home for one day?"

"I don't have-"

"C'mon if you don't want to chill with us, that's fine, but don't give us sad excuses like that."

"I'm sorry I…"

09.30.2016

Marceline stood next to the door to their class, waiting for the last minute to enter. Lately, she didn't like sitting in the room before class started. It was way too noisy inside, with all those people talking and laughing. She would rather stand in the hallway. Not talking to anybody, she instead had her expensive headphones on. She hadn't heard music in public in a long time, aside from her occasional breather, but the last few days had shown her how much she missed it. The world outside was silent, faceless people walking past her, and she was bobbing her head with the soothing rhythm of the indie band she had just discovered. But her little time of tranquility didn't hold. Eventually, she entered the room, earning herself a few looks from the people already inside. She went straight to a free seat, not looking around or making much eye contact with anybody, and unpacked her stuff for the lesson.

Today was the deadline for their project. She knew that of course she did. The black-haired girl rested her chin on her palm and closed her eyes. She could feel the headache come back again, which had plagued her for the last few days. Her anger was getting yet again a grip on her. Ash always helped her to calm down, but he wasn't here now. A small part of her was genuinely looking forward to the party tomorrow. Maybe she could dance a bit, drink a few drinks, and forget whatever she was experiencing right now.

She rubbed her eyes. It felt like she was getting swallowed by her own emotions, sinking ever so deeper into the cold darkness. And nothing could pull her back up, just slow her descent into nothingness.

Then, someone sat next to the young Abadeer. She flinched, then lifted her head to look up at Bonnibel Buchholz who was unpacking right next to her.

What is she doing here? Her friends are on the other side of the room!

Marceline couldn't stand it, balling a fist under the table. Her heart was starting to pick up, knocking against her ribs, and her mouth curved into a smile, as if it had a life of its own, forcing her to look to the side. No way in hell would Marceline let Bonnie see how happy she was that she didn't ignore her again.

"What are you doing?" She wanted to slap herself for how cheerful her voice sounded.

"Uh, sitting down. Now shush or we will get in trouble again." She said, holding a finger up to her lips.

What is she thinking? It must be because of the assignment. Did we forget anything, or maybe she found a mistake? Like mosquitoes keeping one from sleeping, her thoughts kept her from paying much attention to the class. They also kept her from seeing how Bonnie was nervously fiddling with her pencil the whole time. Before she realized it, the lesson was already over. Taking a sharp breath in, she waited for the girl next to her to talk.

"So… We got everything for the project, right?"

For a moment Marceline clenched her jaw. "Think so." She said, giving her half a shrug.

"Cool."

There was an awkward stretched-out pause. Both girls couldn't look at one another. The girls rose up from their chairs, and Marceline put her hands in her pockets, still not noticing that Bonnie's face was flushed. Bonnie, on the other hand, pressed one of her books against her chest as if it would shield her from the black-haired girl.

"You did work really well on the project." Bonnie finally said as she raised her thumb, with a forced smile.

"Expected me to be an idiot?"

"I… I was just surprised that's all." She lifted her hand in defense.

"Sure." Marceline swung her back on her back. Bonnibel Buchholz was like all the others, judging her for her last name, not for who she was. This was clear now, confirmed by the sting in her chest. "Well, be happy, after today you won't have to talk with me anymore." Marceline said in a low voice, stomping out of the class. She didn't turn around. She didn't see that Bonnibel still hadn't moved. Nor did she notice that Bonnibel had dropped her smile, biting her lips instead, while pressing her book tighter against herself.