Wassup!? How ya'll doin' out there? It's been a while but I would like to update this lovely story. Thanks to all of you who reviewed and to all of you who faved and added this to your alerts and to those who faved me. :) That makes me very happy to see on my email inbox.
I am very happy to announce that someone has entered a few songs to the story. So thank you very much, ReckedSmiles, for your songs. Not all of them will be used in this chapter but one will be used.
I'm still taking line and song entries. For more info, you can inbox me or look at the previous chapter. (I'm too lazy to write everything down right now. Too lazy to copy and paste but not lazy enough to write this).
Remember, this chapter is heavily influenced from the episode Heat Signature. Similar things will appear. Not completely like the episode but... you'll see. All rights to the original transcript of Heat Signature goes to Ako Castuera and Tom Herpich.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, people! Nothing!
Fionna was still leaning on the amp while Marshall counted in his band, Marshall Lee and the Scream Kings.
"One, two! One, two, three, four!" he shouted and then slammed onto his guitar.
The band struck up their music and it flowed towards the ceiling and pumped through the amps. Fionna felt the floor vibrate and she stood off the amp, jumping at the sudden blast of sound. They played the intro for a few seconds until Marshall started to sing into the mic.
So far I'm goin' no where
I'm sick and tried of your little games
Why can't you just stop all this
Nonsense and listen to me!
You've never hear my voice!
Or let me state my opinions!
I can't do anything to stop this madness!
He stepped away from the mic for a second and riffed on his guitar. Fionna was rooted to the spot as she stared at him. The music was filling her head and she could almost see the notes fly from his strings and into the air. Like she could read what he was playing. Her knees felt weak and she sunk into a lawn chair as Marshall hit the chorus. Fionna closed her eyes and all of the pointless static from the world around her left. All she could hear was the music. All she wanted to hear was the music.
When Marshall finished the song, and the last note reverberated through the garage. Fionna opened her eyes and Marshall was grinned at her.
"So, what'd ya think?" he asked.
"Duuude," she said. "That was sweet!"
His grin broadened. "Thanks, Fi! Glad you liked it!"
"I loved it!" Fionna said, standing up.
They played a few more sets before they took a break. They lounged around the garage with cold sodas and talked.
"So... how'd ya'll meet?" Fionna asked them.
"We were in a gang together back in high school," Marshall said, leaning back in his chair. "Not like the whole drug taking, sex having, shooting others gang. Just a trouble making gang."
"You sure about the sex having part?" Wendell snickered.
Fionna grimaced and the two other girls laughed.
"Aw, relax, Mertens," Boo said. "That was just a joke."
She wanted to believe them but Fionna had a hunch that they were lying to her. She usually trusted her gut feelings. Marshall started to go into detail about their old gang days and he even went into saying that they were still kind of in the gang since they were in the band. They had outside members who supported the band and even went through rituals to become such. It was like a fraternity or sorority handshake that you had to learn. Fionna actually wanted to be a part of this since she was becoming a fan.
"Marshall Lee," she said seriously and he looked over at her. "I insist you make me a member of your gang... or a fan, or whatever."
"I dunno..." Marshall said.
"Please!" Fionna begged.
"Alright, alright," he said with a shrug. "Fine."
Fionna pumped her fist in victory. "Yes!"
Wendell leaned forward and poked Marshall in the arm. He glanced at Fionna who was doing an excited dance in her seat. "C'mon, Marshall! You're gonna turn this freshie goofball into one of our members?" he whispered.
Marshall chuckled. "Don't worry, she'll just be a fan. She's not even gang material. Besides, I've got something more fun in mind." He gestured the other two closer and started to whisper his plan to them. He loved messing with Fionna and this was the perfect opportunity to do it.
"Okay, Marshall, I'm ready now," she said.
Marshall stood up. "Okay, hold that thought. I'll be right back." He walked towards a shelf and dug around for a second. Georgia giggled a little and Fionna sent her a questioning look.
The raven-haired boy walked back over with what looked like a tattoo kit. Fionna felt her stomach turn into a knot but didn't say anything about it.
"I'm gonna perform the marking ritual," he said. "You close your eyes and I'll give you a tattoo. Don't open your eyes until I say so."
"A... a tattoo?" she repeated.
"A small one. On your neck. Two short ones like mine," Marshall pulled down his shirt's collar and showed off his two fake bite-marks on his neck. It looked as if a vampire had made a meal out of him. He sent her a reassuring smile. "I promise it won't hurt that made, okay?"
She nodded and squeezed her eyes shut. He turned the tattoo kit towards his band member and revealed that it was a henna tattoo kit. The others lapsed into silent laughter and Marshall grinned. He sat beside Fionna and took out the kit.
"Ready?" he said.
She nodded, biting her lip. He leaned forward and pinched her neck hard, making her whimper and wince. He worked quickly and drew the "tattoo" on her neck. He leaned back and admired his handiwork.
"Okey dokey," he said. "All done. Feeling okay?"
She opened her eyes and felt her neck. Georgia rushed over with a mirror and let Fionna peer into it. Marshall actually made it look real. But, of course, Fionna thought it was real. Cake was gonna kill her but she didn't care. She really wanted to be a part of something.
"Whoa..." she said. "Cool."
"Don't you feel a little thirsty?" asked Boo.
"A little... why?" Fionna said.
"Well, the next task is to drink some beer," Marshall said. He put away the kit and walked over to a cooler, taking out a sparkling cider bottle. He added some other sodas in bottle to give it a weird taste. He ripped off a label from a beer bottle and taped it onto the cider bottle. He handed it to Fionna but she hesitated.
"Is it real?" she said.
He rolled his eyes. "Of course it's real, Bun Brain. Drink it."
"But I'm not twenty-one yet," she said.
"It's just one bottle," Georgia said. "You can do it."
Fionna took the bottle from him and took a swig. Her eyes widened and water and she choked on it, tearing the bottle from her lips and coughing. Marshall watched, feeling a little guilty as Fionna ended up downing the drink. His friends laughing in the back. Fionna heaved a breath and gave the bottle back to Marshall.
"It's done... am I part of the group now?" she asked, eager to get this thing done.
"Mmm... not yet," he said, the guilt ebbing away. "That's really high up there. First, you gotta finish the orientation."
Georgia started to giggle but the others glared at her. Her cheeks flushed and she stopped. Marshall looked back at Fionna and grinned.
"You think you can handle it, chump?" he said.
She jumped to her feet and bounced on the balls of her feet. "Oh, baby, yeah!"
They ended up leading her into the forest nearby the university. The three band member stood by as they watched, completely amused, Marshall go through the stupid orientation with Fionna.
"Okay, Fi, the first phase of orientation is learning," He grabbed Fionna's hand and twirled her, "to dance." Fionna twirled into his chest and felt her face warm up. She had never been this close to him.
She giggled nervously and took his other hand, unsure of what else to do. Startled, he pushed her away slightly.
"Ah! Hey!" he snapped, his face warming up. The others started to laugh. Ignoring them, Marshall went on and pretended that nothing happened. "Okay, you gotta learn to dance with others. When you go to my concerts, you can't dance with the band, y'know? So you have to go up to other people and fearlessly ask them to dance! Don't say anything, though. Just start dancing. Get it?"
"I guess..." Fionna muttered.
"C'mon, you gotta give me more enthusiasm!" he said.
"Yeah!" Fionna shouted, thrusting her fist in the air.
Marshall grabbed her over to a clearing where they saw LSP sitting on a log, talking on his cellphone to one of his friends. Marshall pointed towards him and Fionna shook her head wildly but Marshall kept defiantly pointing.
"Oh, my god, Max. Ever since Chris stopped eating meat, his skin doesn't get any zits," LSP babbled. "I mean, he still looks fat, but like, I can't say that crap to his face."
"No!" Fionna mouthed to Marshall but he poked her hard in her "tattoo." She grimaced and shuffled into the clearing. LSP had yet to see her so he was still talking into his phone.
"I'm doing so awesome at this school," he said. "Like, right now, I'm waiting for gourmet food from my super hot senior girlfriend." That was when Fionna noticed he was hunched over, cooking a can of beans over the fire. She looked back at Marshall with a questioning look but he shrugged. Perhaps Blaise kicked him out for the night.
Fionna stood in front of him and LSP looked up from the ground. Blushing furiously, Fionna started to dance without saying a word. She looked at him hopefully, wanting him to get the message but he remained staring at her.
"Fionna? What the lump are you doing?" he demanded.
Fionna sent a look in Marshall's direction and he nodded, indicating to continue. The three band members came up from behind Marshall and started to watch the show.
"Max, I have to go!" LSP said as Fionna thrust her hand in front of his face, her cheeks redder than a tomato. "My friend Fionna is acting weird. Max, I have to go!"
Marshall Lee and the Scream Kings were snickering in the bushes as LSP started to cross-examine Fionna.
"What are you doing!?" he demanded.
"I... I, uh..." Fionna stuttered, halting her dancing. She backed up a little and tripped over her feet. Her shoe hit the can of beans and they spilled over. LSP's eyes widened as time seemed to slow down.
"Nooooooooo!" he cried, trying to grab the can. Time returned to normal as the can slipped through his fingers and collapsed on the grass. "MY BEANS!" He lunged towards Fionna but she dodged with ease, running back into the bushes, her face still alight. She found the four howling with laughter. She sat on the ground, completely embarrassed. Boo walked forward and grinned at her friends.
"Time to join in on the fun!" she said.
She waited for LSP to run over. "You ruined my dinner! Blaise refused to cook for me tonight! I'm gonna kill you!"
Suddenly, Boo popped out of the bushes and screamed in his face. LSP skidded to a halt and screamed too, running away in the opposite direction. The band started to laugh even harder at the sight. Boo smiled triumphantly. Marshall sat beside Fionna and clapped her hard on the back.
"Nice try, Fionna," he said. "Maybe next time, yeah?"
"That was humiliating," she mumbled.
The three others strode over. "You ready for the next level?"
Determined to follow through, she nodded and looked up from the grass. "You know I am!" Marshall Lee stared at his friends for a second, wondering what they were planning. They pushed Marshall out of the way and actually started to kick Fionna in the shins.
Fionna cried out in surprise and pain. She tried to get away but they were faster.
"What's the point of this!?" Fionna shouted at them.
"Kick her harder," Georgia said and they did so.
"Ow! That hurts!" Fionna protested.
Marshall growled and pushed them away. "Okay, enough!" he snapped. "Stop the toughness lesson!" He kneeled next to Fionna and helped her sit up. "Fionna. Are you okay?"
She had a few bruises and tears were sparkling in her eyes. But she nodded, her face set.
"I'm okay," she said. She coughed a little and sucked up her tears. "It's all worth it."
"See? She's fine," Georgia said, rolling her eyes.
"When did you go all soft?" Wendell demanded. "You used to like teaching people about kicks back in high school."
Marshall didn't say anything. Georgia leaned towards the other two.
"Hey, guys," she said. "I think Fionna's ready to learn how to party..." She sent a devious wink towards them and put her fingers up to her lips and took an inhale. They snickered and Marshall looked over his shoulder, suspicion written on his face. They stopped at once and acted aloof.
"I like to party," Fionna said at once, getting to her feet, Marshall following her.
"All you have to do is come with us," Georgia said.
"Cool," Fionna said.
Marshall realized what they were talking about and grabbed her shoulder. "W-wait! There's more beginner lessons you need to learn before partying with a band! Like... uh... the mosh pit. See?" He started to push his way around the four of them. "Cool, right? Whoo!"
Fionna giggled. "No way. I wanna party."
She followed the three back to the sorority. Marshall was left alone. He barred his teeth and ran after them.
"You guys stop right now!" he yelled.
"Marshall Lee, chill out," Georgia assured quietly. "It's going to be okay. We've got a plan." She turned to Fionna. "Now, sit on down." She forced Fionna in a chair and told her to shut her eyes. Boo handed Georgia a joint and Wendell lit it up. Marshall didn't even do drugs. This was going to far.
"Open up," Boo said and Fionna did so.
"What are you doing?" Marshall demanded. "You said you had a plan."
"We do," Wendell said. "It's to let her get high!"
They started to laugh. Marshall got furious. His auburn eyes burned with anger and he smacked the drug out of Georgia's hand. He yanked Fionna out of the chair and her eyes shot open, completely confused. He told Fionna to remain by his bike as he stormed over to his friends.
"Way to go, Marshall Lee," Wendell sneered.
"Hey, you guys need to stop trying to screw Fionna over with this stupid shit," Marshall hissed.
"She's gonna get into it someday," Boo said.
Marshall opened his mouth to argue to Wendell cut in, "Hey! Let's invite her to my fraternity. When she shows up..."
"We'll give her a nice drink!" the three band members shrieked.
"The boys will have fun partying with her," Georgia grinned. Marshall's eyes widened. This was no longer fun. Fionna's innocence was at stake. He tried to pushed them back but they ran up to Fionna.
"You already know how to party," Wendell said. "So we're gonna do something else."
"Yeah. Throw a party in honor of our new gang member!" Boo lied.
"Holy snaps, that's awesome!" Fionna said, perking up in excitement.
Marshall ran over and brought his face close to hers, his eyes pleading. "They're lying to you, Fi. They just want to get you drunk and make you a toy for entertainment."
"What?" everyone else said.
"He's just jealous of you," Boo declared.
Wendell scrolled down his fraternity number on a piece of paper and handed it to Fionna. "We'll see you at midnight at my place," he told her. The three walked off and Marshall grabbed Fionna's shoulders.
"Promise me you're not going to that party," he said.
"I'm not gonna go," Fionna said bluntly.
He raised his eyebrows in shock. "You're not?"
She shook her head. "Nah. I'm kinda tired from doing all this stuff today. I'm just gonna go home and chill."
"Oh... okay."
"Well, I'm going home."
"Wanna ride?"
"No thanks. Peace."
She walked off, her hands in her pockets. He stared after her, the feeling that she had just lied to his face not going away. Marshall blinked but hopped onto his bike and drove off towards his home.
Fionna arrived in the front of the fraternity. The lights were on inside so someone had to be up. She wasn't exactly sure why she was the only person invited to this party. It certainly look like there were other party-goers there. Taking a deep breath, she walked up the drive. She knocked and Wendell answered.
"Hey, guys," Fionna said.
"Hey," Boo and Georgia giggled slyly. Boo was holing a funnel and tube and a few of the fraternity members were walking around, music playing in the background. Everyone was more or less a little drunk.
"Uh..." Fionna said nervously.
"Oh, relax. They're a part of the gang," Wendell lied.
"Oh, would you knock it off?" Georgia snapped. "Fionna, you're not part of the gang. That was just a whole set up to mess with you."
"What?" Fionna said, the message sinking in.
"Open wide," Boo said, watching Wendell grab Fionna's arms. "You're gonna have fun tonight." Georgia made her way over with a keg.
"Hey!" Fionna shouted. "Let go of me!" Fionna was able to free one of her arms and grab Wendell by the collar of her shirt. She flipped him over her head and he landed on his back with a thud. "I'll kick all of your asses right now! Let me out!"
"No way," Georgia said. "You promised. It's part of the code of the gang."
"You just told me it was fake!" Fionna cried.
"Oh yeah... well, whatever," Georgia said with a shrug.
The two girls heaved the keg and started to advance on Fionna when the door burst open. Marshall ran inside and kicked away the keg, sending it skidding into the corner, and backed into Fionna.
"Fi, I'm so sorry I got you into this," he said, his voice full of genuine apology. "I didn't think it would get this far and this... horrible. I should've never tried to prank you. I should have known they would take it too far and try to get their stupid friends some fun."
"It's okay," Fionna said. "I would've kicked their butts anyway. It sucks 'cause I was looking forward to talking to my dad about a record contract."
The four band members turned on Fionna and stared at her, eyes wide.
"Wait... did you say... record contract?" Georgia said.
"Yeah. My dad works for a record company," Fionna said. "But since you guys treated me like total jerks..."
The three who tricked her, rushed over to Fionna and got to their knees, apologizing horrendously and actually admitted that they simply wanted to see what kind of drunk she was. The guys were never going to try and sleep with her. Just party and hang out. Marshall didn't know what to make of that but it was not okay whatsoever for them to do. He rolled his eyes and grabbed Fionna's arm. He dragged her out of the fraternity and shoved her onto the bike. He drove her to her dorm and walked her to her door.
"I'm still so sorry," he said softly. "This wasn't okay to do. It was wrong and I could have gotten you in a shit load of trouble." He pointed to her tattoo. "It's henna, by the way. It'll wash off in a few days."
"Marshall, it's okay, really," she said. She smiled genuinely. "I promise I'm not mad."
He seemed relieved. "Thank you so much... I should have known they'd take it too far. They still think they're in high school."
She shrugged. "Hey, it was kinda fun goofing off with you guys. But next time," She grabbed him by the collar and pulled back her other fist, ready to impale it into his face, "I won't hesitate to kick your but for trying to trick me!"
He gulped a little and smiled weakly. "Got it."
"Good," she said, letting go of his shirt. "Thanks, Marsh. See you tomorrow!"
With a smile, she skipped into her house, leaving him a little shaken up. Note to self, he thought, never prank Fionna again.
Unfortunately, Marshall never did keep that promise.
I, ATHPluver, do NOT under any circumstances encourage the use to drugs or underage drinking. Nor do I encourage sexual relations outside of a loving and caring relationship. Just saying.
This was the first taste Fionna got of sleaze. And a little Fiolee with Marshall being all protective over Fionna. :D So cute! I hope I made the AT swap with the modern swap well. Please review, fav, alert, etc.
Thanks again to ReckedSmiles for your song entry. It means a lot! :)
See you all next time!
