Neighbors Chapter 7
I looked over my outfit one more time. I had chosen a top in my favorite color, pink, with heart designs going down either side of my body in a straight line and white, snug fitting capri pants. I wore minimal jewlery, small, silver ear rings, and made sure to paint my finger and toe nails in a lovely shade of, of course, pink. My hair was straightened and worn down and my make up was just enough to highlight my eyes, lips, and cheeks. I grabbed my small purse, which only carried my keys, wallet, and spare make up. I hoped I hadn't dressed too casually for what ever plans Marceline had for the two of us.
My phone beeped, and I retrieved it to read the text.
"Good luck," from Pepe, who was most likely sitting at his own apartment in the next county over by now.
"Thanks," I replied.
I walked into my living room, checking the time again. She said to be ready at six. I sat on my couch, bouncing my foot up and down. It was three minutes until six, and I was beginning to wonder if maybe I should call the date off. I had to wonder, why would a punk rock girl with such beautiful hair, such perfect skin, and a flawless bod, want to date someone as dull, girly, and painfully average as me? We were positively the exact opposite of each other, nothing in common what so ever, and yet she found me interesting? I had made a fool of myself in front of her numerous times. But she let me kiss her, she teased me, and she asked me out to a date. Was this even real?
There was a couple of knocks at the door, making me jump in surprise. My knees were shaking as I stood up, expected my date to be behind the door. When I opened the door, as I expected, I found her there, smirking as she ran her eyes up and down my body, causing me to feel self conscious.
"You wear a lot of pink, princess."
"Is my outfit okay," I asked, trying to keep my throat from becoming dry.
"Its cute, suits you," Marceline replied.
"Cute," I repeated, my face suddenly feeling hot.
I observed Marceline's outfit as well. She had chosen to wear her hair up with her bangs down and combed to the side. She wore a button up, red and black plaid shirt unbuttoned at the chest with a red tank top underneath and the sleeves rolled up. Skinny jeans hugged her long, thin legs and red and white sneakers covered her feet. She also had five piercings in one ear and three in the other, and a nose piercing that I had never seen her wear before. Her make up was also minimal, but drawing the most attention to her eyes with dark makeup.
"You look nice," I mumbled, being awarded with a blush.
"Come on," she said, leading me out of the building.
"When are you gonna tell me what we're doing," I asked as we walked outside.
Marceline bit her lip and placed both hands in her pockets.
"You're new to town, right?"
I nodded, making sure to match my pace with her's.
"Well, I thought we could maybe grab a bite to eat. Then I thought I could show you around and we'll see where it goes from there."
We ended up walking into town, and the first thing we did was buy hot dogs at a vendor. I insisted to pay, but Marceline wouldn't allow it and payed before I could dig my wallet out of my bag. After eating our hot dogs in silence, we threw the wrappers away and began walking leisurely again.
"So where have you been," Marceline asked me.
"Just a few places. I really like the cafe," I said.
"Which one?"
"The really nice looking one near the bakery I work at," I replied.
Marceline chewed on her lip again, keeping her eyes on me.
"You do like music, right?"
"To an extent," I replied.
"Good, because I know of cool place. There's always a band playing on the weekends. Its got a really cool atmosphere and great drinks. Wanna go check it out?"
We walked for about ten minutes through streets until finally stopping at a small, slightly run down building. It had dark, tinted windows and above the door in red lights read, "Blutsauger."
"Blood sucker," I translated.
"Oh yeah, you know German," Marceline remembered, leading me inside.
Inside, I observed walls painted black and multicolored lighting. The floors were hard wood and pictures of various demonic creatures decorated the walls. I felt terribly out of place, seeing how almost no one here was dressed as brightly colored as I was. I even got a few strange looks, and clung to Marceline's arm.
"Marcy, what kind of place is this," I whispered to her.
"Its kind of a club," Marceline said, finding an isolated booth away from the other people and a good distance away from the stage where a band was setting up.
"Are you trying to get me drunk again," I accused, starting to wonder if there was a sly reason for her bringing me here.
"Only if you want," Marceline laughed. "I wanted to check out the new band playing tonight."
I sat back in my chair trying to suppress the butterflies in my stomach. The atmosphere of the place did make me uncomfortable, but if Marceline had interest in the band, then maybe they weren't so bad.
Marceline left to grab us a couple of sodas before the band started. When she came back, she sat close to me, causing me to tense up. When the band started, I admired the vocal range of the female singer and the unique use of violins and a keyboard along with a guitar and drums. They played four songs, and when they were done, left the stage with a bow.
"So what did you think," Marceline asked me.
"They were pretty good, but I think I like the Scream Queens a little more. Their singer has a much better voice," I said.
Marceline blushed again, which I found to be incredibly cute. It was kind of what I was hoping for.
"Do you want to get out of here? I don't think you'll like the metal bands playing for the rest of the night," she asked me, trying to hide her blush
"Alright," I replied, following Marceline as she led me out of the building.
We walked side by side, me holding onto her arm. Part of it was because I was nervous around all of the people dressed in black clothing. The other reason was because I enjoyed it tremendously. As we walked by an alley between two buildings, a strong, raunchy smell caught my nose, causing it to cringe. As we were about to pass it, a man appeared out of nowhere in front of us. I recognized the white mo-hawk.
"Marcy," the man said.
Without saying a word, she grabbed me by the arm tightly and picked up a fast walking pace. I looked up at her scowling face, remembering what she told me about Ash during their last meeting.
"Hey, come on Marcy! I just wanted to say hi," he called, catching up to us.
Marceline spun around, holding me back just behind her. The man smelled of hard alcohol and marijuana. The stench was so strong that I held back a gag and had to cover my nose.
"Who is that pretty little princess behind you," he asked with one eye brow cocked and eyes locked with mine. I copied Marceline's face, giving him a scowl.
"None of your business," Marceline hissed.
He took a step towards us and she took a step back, causing me to stumble.
"I was just wanting to know if you and your cute little friend wanted to hang out, let me show you a good time," Ash said, a confident look on his face, as if he was sure we would agree.
"Not in your wildest dreams," Marceline scowled, practically spitting acid in his face.
Ash lingered his gaze on Marceline, then on me, giving me goose bumps. There was something in his eyes. I wasn't sure what it was, but it sent chills through out my whole body and butterflies in my stomach. My brain was telling me that I needed to run away from there now, but I was frozen.
"Come on, Bonnie, we're leaving," Marceline said to me, not taking her eyes off Ash.
I held onto her arm, letting her lead me away. After a moment I checked to see if he was still there. He wasn't, but it felt like his eyes were still on me. I walked closer to Marceline, hugging her arm with both of mine. We walked in a fast pace until we got into a park, where Marceline stopped. We sat side by side on a nearby bench. Marceline sat back and sighed loudly.
"I'm really sorry about that," she apologized, not looking at me.
"Its not your fault," I said, giving her a smile.
"He's such a dirt bag," Marceline scoffed, closing her eyes to try and hide the anger in them. She furrowed her eye brows and took a deep breath.
"i'm a little surprised you dated someone like him," I said, thinking of what sort of things he was obviously in to. "Were you like that at some point?"
Marceline sat up and rested her elbows on her knees, still refusing to look at me.
"I did do a few stupid things. But I quit everything illegal and stopped being so irresponsible," she admitted, shame in her tone. "I'm clean now, I promise," she said, risking a quick glance at me.
"Its fine, Marcy. No one is perfect," I said.
She took another long breath, this one to relax herself, and sat up to look at me. She gave me a weak smile and I smiled back. I sensed the need for a change in subject, and took it upon myself to do so.
"So... What is your family like," was the first thing that came to mind.
"My mom died when I was young and I don't get along well with my dad," she said. "What about you," she quickly asked, as if wanting to avoid any more of the topic of her parents. I made note of that.
"Well, my twin brother and I were orphans, but our adoptive parents are nice," I explained.
"Oh," Marceline said, as if she felt that her question was a mistake.
"Its all right," I added. "I never actually knew my real parents. I had a normal, healthy childhood, honestly."
"What about your twin brother?"
"Neddy stays with them. He's also in a program that helps him work easy, part time jobs. He can manage pretty well. He just needs the occasional supervision," I answered.
"I don't have any siblings," Marceline began, finally relaxing, "but I've got a cousin who's kinda like my brother. Marshall Lee. He's... Me," she trailed off.
"What," I laughed. She couldn't mean that literally, could she?
"People actually used to think we were twins, we look so much alike," Marceline said. She smiled, getting lost in a memory, I presumed. "We actually like a lot of the same things, and we have the same fashion sense."
"Does he play bass and sing like you?"
"He does play bass, but he's actually been into rap-rock lately. He can bust out some hella good rhymes," the punk rock girl laughed.
"Oh, so he's in a band, too," I assumed.
"Sort of. He's got a friend, Ronnie, that helps him with making songs. They do a lot of auto tune and digital stuff."
"Oh, that sounds interesting," I said.
"Their recording their first CD, actually. They've gotten signed to a contract. I've gotta catch up."
"You will. You're definitely good enough," I told her, nudging her arm with my elbow.
"Thanks," she said with a smile.
"So, is there anything else you want to do tonight," I asked as I relaxed, leaning on the bench beside of her.
"I dunno," Marceline sighed. "I'm kinda bummed out, now. Ash sure has been in town a lot more than usual, lately."
"You think he moved to town," I wondered.
"I hope not," Marceline groaned.
I looked over at Marceline, who had another aggravated expression over her face. She squeezed her eyes together, trying to calm herself down. She covered her face with a hand. I began to worry for her. Being angry so much was not good for your health. In an attempt to calm her down, I took that hand and laced my fingers through it. The contact sent tingles through my whole arm, but I ignored them.
"Lets go watch a movie," I suggested, looking her calmly in the eyes with the hopes that it would ease her mind.
"Can we do it at one of our apartments?"
"My place or your's," I asked.
"Yours, I guess, if you don't mind."
I stood, waiting patiently for her facial tension to relax. When she looked up at me, that smirk appeared on her face. I tugged on her arm gently, and she allowed me to pull her up. When she was standing up straight, she surprised me with a kiss.I think I had made one of those silly squeaking noises girls make when such a thing happens, but I was happy to reciprocate the kiss. She pulled away sooner than I would have liked, though.
"Do you have snacks," she asked as we began walking.
"I don't think I do," I replied, still feeling flustered from just a moment ago.
"Is it cool if we stop at the convenience store on the way back, then? I'm craving something sweet," she said. She looked at me again, causing me to blush for the hundredth time this weekend.
"S-sure," I stuttered. I wasn't sure why, but my breath was short all of a sudden.
We stopped at the little convenience store that was only a short walk for the apartment building, stocking up on candy. Marceline had chosen a couple packs of a strawberry flavored gummy candy and a bottle of some peach flavored soda while I picked up a bottle of green tea and a small snack cake.
We continued to my apartment without conflict and stepped inside. I made sure the door was locked before I went to the living room television, setting up my DVD player. As I was bent over, plugging in everything that needed it, I noticed Marceline staring. It made me feel self conscious, but I brushed it off.
"The DVDs are in the stand here, pick one out while I go to the bathroom," I said, standing to leave.
When I came back, Marceline was standing, holding a case.
"Hey, Bonnie," she said, poking me in the side.
I jumped and squealed, then became red faced as Marceline stared at me blankly, no doubt piecing together what just happened. She made a sly grin and poked me again. It had the same result.
"You're goosey," she said, grinning.
"Um, no I'm not," I lied. Who was I kidding? she wouldn't believe me. I wrapped my arms around my sides and quickly made my way for the couch, taking a seat.
"If you say so," Marceline hummed. She put the DVD into the player and started the movie.
She took a seat beside of me, that cheeky grin still on her face. She and I watched the opening scene play. She'd chosen a romantic comedy. I let my guard down when I assumed it was safe. As I began to relax, she poked my side again. Of course, I jumped and made another loud squeal.
"You are ticklish," Marceline laughed.
"I am not," I lied, leaning away from her. I wrapped my arms around my sides again, wondering if she would try anything else.
Marceline smirked at me, raising her fingers into the air. I gasped, fearing what was coming. I even started to get up off the couch and run away. But before I could stand, she pinned me down on the couch. I braced myself for the inevitable.
"Are you sure your not ticklish," she asked me, a daring tone in her voice.
"Of course," I lied again. I laughed nervously.
"Liar," Marceline said. She grabbed both of my sides and began tickling just the right spots, causing me to burst out in a fit of laughter.
As much as I couldn't stand it, I thought I would try to retaliate. But she pinned my arms up above my head and sat on my lap, tickling me with her free fingers. I laughed so much that it was getting hard to breathe. I thought I would laugh myself to tears when the tickling suddenly stopped. I slowly peered open my eyes, wondering what had caused her to halt so suddenly.
Before I could open my eyes fully, Marceline's lips had smashed into mine. I was taken by surprise, again, but I didn't mind this time, either. She loosened her grip on my wrists and used that hand to tangle her fingers into my hair. I pulled her close and kissed her back. When her tongue brushed passed my lips, I allowed it entry. She traced the roof of my mouth, eliciting a soft moan from me. When she switched to sucking on my tongue, I shuddered and dug my nails into her back. I moaned again, and I felt her grind her waist into mine.
That was when I finally realized the position we were in, her sitting in my lap with her feet wrapped around me. I gasped and pulled away. I had that obvious feeling in my lower abdomen again, but things were going too fast, and I wasn't ready.
"Sorry," Marceline mumbled.
I rested my head on her chest. She wrapped her arms around me again.
"Was that too fast?"
I nodded, mostly because I was so out of breath and couldn't calm the thudding in my chest.
Marceline rose up to sit beside of me. I leaned against her shoulder and allowed her to wrap an arm around me.
"I got carried away too," I mumbled.
"Probably my fault," Marceline said with a nervous laugh.
I wrapped my arms around her middle and we lay there, watching the rest of the movie. When it was off we both got up and stretched our backs.
"I guess I'll go," Marceline said. She gave me a quick peck on the cheek.
I smiled, watching her turn and prepare to leave. But then I remembered her saying that Ash knew where she lived, now. Having experienced first hand how scary and what kind of person he is, I felt worried for Marceline.
"Wait," I exclaimed. "Are you sure that's all right with Ash being around?"
I may have also wanted to have her sleep in bed with me. I quiet enjoyed hugging her in my sleep.
"I guess you've got a point, Bon," she said, scratching her neck. "You sure its okay, though?"
"Of course," I said without hesitation.
"I guess I'll grab some jammies, then. Be right back," she said with a wink.
She walked out of my apartment, leaving the door opened. I walked to the open door way and watched her walk into her apartment, then waited for her to walk out. She walked back out of her apartment and locked the door tight. She came back wearing a loose, black T-shirt and very short shorts. Her hair was also combed down and her make up removed. When she walked back into my door, I noticed she had some kind of stuffed animal hidden behind her back. It was a little thing with a big, round head and tiny ears, an even bigger and rounder body, and long, skinny limbs. It was missing an eye and had bandages wrapped around where its wrists and ankles would have been and the top of its head looked like it had been ripped off and sewn back on with the wrong colored fabric.
"This is Hambo, my best bud," Marceline introduced the rag of a toy. "I know it looks rough, but I've had it ever since I was a toddler. I still sleep with it almost every night."
"Um, well that's okay," I said, wondering if it those were stains or if the thing was actually that dirty. Surely she washed it, right?
I walked into my room to change into yoga pants and a thin, pink tank top and washed my face, then came back into the living room to join Marceline.
"Are you tired or would you rather watch another movie," I asked her.
"I brought a movie from my collection if that's okay with you" she said, holding it up.
On the cover of the case was a man that had knives for fingers and his skin was scarred like he had been severely burned. I hadn't ever watched this movie, but I heard it was scary. Scary movies and I did not get along.
"Have you ever seen this Freddy?"
I shook my head side to side, hoping that wasn't the one she wanted to watch with me.
"You should seriously watch it then, its awesome," Marceline said, putting the disc into my player.
Having no choice, I joined her on the couch. After all, it was a rather old movie. How bad could it be? About half way through the movie, I realized I could not have been more wrong. I was shaking and hiding my face behind Marceline's shoulder. She would laugh and tease me. But that was terrifying! He got into their dreams and killed them so brutally, and then it happened in real life! It was horrible to think about!
I don't know how, but we made it through the whole movie. As it turns out, I didn't watch most of it. As the ending credits came on, Marceline was yawning. I was still a bit shaken up, but I was also fairly tired. Marceline stood to turn off my TV and player, then came back to join me on the couch.
"You're such a chicken," she teased.
"I'm not exactly a fan of scary movies," I yawned.
"Do you have anything to do early tomorrow," Marceline yawned, too.
"I have to clock into work around two," I said.
"I don't clock in until noon."
"You wanna go to sleep, though," I asked her. I looked up at her, but her eyes were already closed. She didn't answer, only nodding very lightly.
I laid my head down on her lap, only intending to rest my eyes for a moment before I coaxed her into the bedroom. But I ended up dozing off, too.