Ch. 3 - Music
Shaking his head as he walked into his class, Marshall Lee flicked his hair out of his face and found his seat near the back of his class as usual. His Social Studies classes never hooked an interest in the young teens mind, so he spent most of the time during that class consulting his music journal and dozing when he could, though he did take notes towards the end of class when the syllabus crap was finally over. As yet another piercing bell rang through the school Marshall lazily packed up his things and slung his backpack over his shoulder, trying not to show too much excitement for his next class. Towards the end of the day, right before free period, he had his favorite class; Music. The first year Marshall had signed up for the class, he made an error with his counselor and got stuck in music history. While it wasn't the worst class he'd ever taken, it certainly didn't do him any good. But this year was different. In this one he could play guitar. One of the few things Marshall practiced frequently and basically lived for was guitar. Aside from his reputation as resident lady killer and acclaimed hunter of the night, Marshall was known for his adept skill with the 6-stringed instrument.
Marshall trotted into the classroom, mouth slightly agape as he looked to the wall where dozens of guitars hung from the wall. Mostly acoustics, with a healthy mix of steel and nylon strings. Marshall took a seat near the front of the room's bleacher-like seating arrangement and waited excitedly as only a few more people filtered into the room. Marshall kept his eyes to the guitars, barely noticing the light plop of a body sitting in a chair next to him.
"Hey, Marshall? Earth to Marshall?" a smooth female voice called out from his right. Marshall smirked and turned his head slowly towards the voice, a pair of red eyes meeting his deep brown ones.
"Marceline," Marshall greeted his old friend with a killer smile while Marceline gave his shoulder a light fist bump. "Should've known you'd follow me in here. And you brought company?" Marshall leaned forward and gestured to the girl sitting next to the raven-haired girl. Unlike her much darker friend, this girl had on a classy black dress shirt with a bright pink cardigan over the top, as well as a knee-length pink skirt. Her hair, oddly enough, was just as pink as her outfit, and done up in a long ponytail. She sat in a very composed posture, and met Marshall's gaze by offering a hand in greeting.
"Greetings Marshall. My name is Bonnibel. Marceline has told me much about you, and I must say, she was right," Bonnibel stated curtly, eyes tracing over Marshall Lee. Off-put but not offended, Marshall put on a light smirk and put his hand out to meet hers for a gentle handshake.
"So Bonnie, you're a friend of Marceline's huh? I gotta say, the pink in your personality really brings out your icy eyes," Marshall Lee emphasized the adjectives using a lower, bass-y voice. He half closed his eyes and raised an eyebrow, looking directly into her eyes. It was a classic "Marshall Look" that he used on many of his new acquaintances. At this, Bonnibel's blank expression shifted to one of malice, as she dropped his hand and crossed her arms, staring unimpressed at the dark teenager.
"You weren't kidding with this one, were you Marcy?" Bonnibel muttered, turning to Marceline. "I honestly didn't think you meant it." With that, Marceline burst out laughing, doubling over in her chair. Marshall had a confused look on his face, not understanding the irony of the altercation.
"I don't get it. Hat usually kills them," Marshall sighed to himself, running a hand through his hair.
"Better luck next time Marshy," Marceline teased. She then turned to Bonnibel and planted a gentle kiss on the other girl's lips, causing Marshall Lee to flush a nice shade of crimson as he realized the situation. Marcy turned to him with another sly grin plastered on her face as she raised a hand to her pink-clad lover's and grasping it tightly. The three talked lightly about their summers, Marceline gushing over her summer tour with her band The Scream Queens, for which she was lead singer and bassist. She regaled Marshall with tales of dark, underground gigs and large stages, and how she played on stage with some of Marshall's favorite bands. Marshall Lee noted how impressive it all was, for someone so young to have the talent to go around the country and play music with big name artists (some of which could easily be twice their age) and still come back home and go to school. Marshall smiled at the thought of joining them one day, as he knew the rhythms to most of their songs and had even accompanied them on some of their first performances. The bell rang through the room and with it, the teacher. He was a tall, thin man, dressed in black work pants and a white collared shirt. A black tie hung loosely under his undone collar. He had black hair pushed neatly back and small glasses that rounded out his fresh-out-of-college look.
"Good afternoon class. I will be your instructor for this year in the ways of music and guitar. My name is Jackson Pierce, though you may refer to me as Mr. P, Jackie, or any other creative nickname you can think of. The whole professionalism thing doesn't really suit me," Pierce began. His tone was warm and inviting, and given his age, he wasn't too far ahead of the kids sitting before him. "I also feel that doing the whole 'syllabus' thing is overrated, though I do need to collect something from you all by next week. Just have a parent or guardian sign like a piece of paper or something. I don't care." Pierce continued, adjusting his glasses. He quickly went through roll, not looking up from his clipboard as he listed names. Once he had finished going through the list, he set down his clipboard. "Is there anyone whose name I didn't call?" He asked, looking up at the class. A small hand lifted from the back of the classroom. Everyone's gaze now shifted to the blonde girl who slowly lowered her hand.
"My name is Fionna. I just got transferred into this class this morning," Fionna said. Mr. Pierce walked over to his computer on the far side of the room and clicked away at the keyboard.
"Ah yes, I see the email here. I'll add you to the roster. Thank you for joining us today." Fionna smiled at this and gave a light nod. Mr. Pierce turned back to the class. "The journey we will take this year should not be taken lightly. Some of you most likely wish to become rock stars. Others of you could probably care less about this class and simply want the credit." Several sneers came from a group of students towards the back of the class, causing Pierce's brows to furrow, though he continued as normal. "We will be exploring music through the guitar. We will examine different playing styles and learn the fundamentals, and through this, you will each find your unique sound. We will-," Mr. Pierce was stopped short as another set of snickers came from the same group in the back of the class. Once again, the heads of the class turned to look at the group of rebellious people, particularly one white-haired female towards the center who was laughing uncontrollably. Marshall met her gaze as well and quickly paled, his eyes going wide and his heart sinking into the bottom of his stomach. Oh God. Of ALL the people in the world it has to be her… Marshall thought worryingly to himself. Marceline's hand gripped his shoulder as the teacher addressed the young woman.
"Is there something funny you'd like to share with the class, miss?" Pierce asked through gritted teeth. The teen merely smiled and replied in a smooth, devilish tone.
"Not at all, sir. Please, continue," the girl responded sarcastically. Though obviously irked by the teen's interjection, Mr. Pierce continued with his speech. Afterwards he talked briefly on the handling and care of the class guitars, which they would be using daily in the class. He picked one up from the rack and pointed to each of the parts, naming them and demonstrating their functions. After this had been cleared up, he began assigning the class its guitar numbers.
"Number 13 goes to one Marshall Lee," Pierce said, handing Marshall his instrument and continuing on. Marshall merely nodded before sitting back down, examining the guitar he held. Not bad in his eyes, though it didn't measure to the standard at which he held his own guitar to. Standard issue would be the best way to describe the acoustic the dark teen held. A vanilla finish with steel strings, just Marshall's type (though he much preferred electric). The instructor finished handing out instruments and once again turned his attention to the class and spoke.
"This instrument will be an extension of your own self. Learn it well. For the remainder of the class, I will allow you time to explore the instruments in your hands. Feel free to mingle about the room and experiment." With that, Marshall, Bonnie, and Marceline all went to the corner of the auditorium-like room. Marceline began excitedly teaching Bonnie the basics, teasing her for the overly confused look she wore on her face. Bonnie had been more for logic and sciences, not the arts. Marshall shook his head and moved a few seats over, preferring to leave them to their own space. Finally looking down at the instrument, Marshall let loose a sigh of relief as he felt the strings under his calloused fingers. He began strumming out rock melodies he'd come to gather over the years, closing his eyes and letting his fingers work their own magic across the 6 strings he held. In the moment, he was free. Free to express and create, to groove and to go numb to the world around him. He savored the moments he spent lost in the making of music, this one included. That is until a light exclamation was made very, VERY close to Marshall's face. His eyes shot open and he shot backwards, nearly tipping his chair over. After finally regaining his balance, he looked forward into a pair of blue eyes staring quite close to his own.
"Ohmygosh I'm so sorry Marshall! Are you okay?" Fionna asked frantically, her hand on Marshall's shoulder. "I was off on my own and spotted you over here looking kinda lonely so I came over to see you and dude! You're such a good guitar player!" Fionna excitedly fanaticized over Marshall as he slowly collected his thoughts. He held up a hand, signaling her to stop for a moment.
"Thanks Fionna. Just try not to come at me so hard next time okay? The last thing I need right now is a heart attack," he said calmly, offering a small smile to put the teenager at ease. She returned the gesture and sat down next to Marshall, clutching her own guitar in her hands.
"Sorry about that. I'm just glad I actually have a friend to hang out with in this class. I can't wait to hear you play more!" Fionna exclaimed, showing another toothy smile. Marshall chuckled lightly to himself. She is definitely an interesting one, he thought. "What about you, are you any good?" He asked her, gesturing a hand towards the instrument she held.
"Funny you should ask Marshall," Fionna replied with a grin. She turned her chair to face his and began strumming the chords to the same song Marshall had been plucking notes away to only a moment ago. Marshall raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. It wasn't anything too flashy, but it showed that she had obvious experience with her instrument. He let her continue for a few more bars, getting used to her tempo and tapping his foot in beat with her strums. He then began plucking his strings in time with Fionna's playing, his long fingers dancing over the strings in a complicated melody. She looked up at him and he met her gaze, nodding at her as a sign to tell her to keep going. The two weaved their sounds together, creating a perfectly synced harmony. Much to Marshall's surprise, she began to sing along with the music. Her voice was high and soft, not sharp like many pop stars tended to have. She closed her eyes as the duo continued, hitting the notes perfectly and playing along with an awesome precision. The sound of Marshall's deeper, bass-y voice caused Fionna to open her eyes and smile, still keeping her composure as she smiled and sang. The two seemed to blend their voices and sounds together perfectly, matching each other at every turn and creating an inspiring duet. As the song began to wind down, and the two let their final notes ring, the two looked each other in the eyes, each one with smiles lighting up their faces. After a few seconds the moment was broken as a small clap began emanating from the crowd that had gathered around the two. Marshall and Fionna looked around the group blushing lightly. Neither had noticed the other students that had gathered around them. Marceline and Bonnie were both clapping happily, and even Mr. Pierce was nodding his head with approval at the two from behind the students.
"That was amazing you two! You guys have got some sweet sounds," Marceline exclaimed happily as she approached the two. She turned her attention to the blonde, holding out a fist. "Nice work bunny girl. Your name is Fionna, right? I'm Marceline." Still blushing, Fionna lightly bumped the girl's fist and smiled. As the two were about to talk more, Pierce cleared his throat and spoke to the class.
"Well, on that note, we must begin putting away our things. The bell rings in 5, and I don't need to be responsible for any of you being late for any other classes, should you have them," Mr. Pierce announced. "We will begin lessons of the basics tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your day." One by one the instruments were returned to their spots with care. As Marshall went over and threw his backpack over his shoulder, he looked back at the white haired girl who was called out earlier. She was laughing it up with her 'friends', clearly engrossed in something quite humorous. Her laughs died down and the boys around her continued to talk amongst themselves; her eyes came to meet Marshall's from across the room. She had a sly, devilish look in her eyes, complimented by a coy smirk that played on her lips. Marshall took a dry swallow, momentarily locked into her gaze, only breaking free when she turned to respond to one her friends. Marshall quickly made his way towards the door, barely giving a goodbye to Marceline and Bonnie, who merely shrugged off Marshall's apparent coldness. Fionna had bore witness to what transpired, and quickly gathered her things to go meet up with Marshall. She pushed through the door of the classroom and briskly headed for the buses.
AN: Sorry for the huge delay on this story. I'm sure any fanfic reader would've heard a million excuses from authors so I'll keep the drama to myself. Basically, finals. That's the word of the week. College finals are ass but hey, gotta do what you gotta do right? :v Anyway, to those of you who actually read my fic, i hope you enjoy. Again, you can review or message me with any suggestions, questions, or comments. I love responding and talking about these things so dont be shy! Plus if you have any questions about me in general I'll be updating my bio soon so lemme know what you wanna know about me. If you care. I hope you do. 3 anyway enough of this nonsense. Hopefully the next chapter will be up round christmas. It'll be harder to write when i'm home believe it or not! Anywho.
Cheers
~Akai