Chapter 3

Finn yelped as he accidentally hit his thumb with his tool, causing Jake to momentarily conclude his own hammering to check on his little brother. "You all good, man?" Jake asked from across the structure. Finn dropped his hammer and sucked on his thumb, shifting from foot to foot before responding. "Yeah, I'm fine." He retorted, halfheartedly. "But why do we have to put so many braces and cross braces, and blah, blah, blah everywhere." He mumbled with a scowl. Jake just snorted, and went back to hammering, speaking in between the metallic clang of the hammer forcing the nail through the grains.

"Because... If we want to... Live up here... We have to... Make it safe... Or mom will never allow it." He drove his nail all the way in as he finished speaking.

With a huff, Finn picked his hammer back up. "Yeah, you think mom and dad are actually going to let us live up here?" He asked, genuinely curious. Jake spun around to face his brother. He made a long fart noise with his mouth, which got a laugh out of Finn - It always did. "Yeah, I do." Jake said confidently. "I was all skepts until the other day, I was talking to dad about where we could get some more wood, and then we got to talking, and he said that if we get the tree house safe enough for mom's liking, then he'll even have an electrician come out and wire it up for us!" He announced, walking over and putting Finn in a head lock. "Hey!" Finn shouted, through laughter. "Get off me man!" He playfully pushed Jake back. "That is freakin' sweet though." Finn acknowledged, nodding his head slowly. "But, can you even really consider this a tree house? I mean, its built around a tree... But it also connects to the ground, and has a staircase."

Jake waved a hand at him. "Semantics. Is it in a tree?" Jake asked, sarcastically. "Yes." He finished, before Finn could respond. "Therefore, it's a tree house. And, we built it. And... It only took... All summer..." His voice trailed off, and his gaze diverted to the ground. Finn smirked, "Ah, cheer up man. It won't be long, and we'll have our own place. Just think about it man." Jake perked up. "Yeah, you know. We got the room downstairs to put all of our useless crap in, two bedrooms - Small but whatever, the bathroom - undeniably small, but still, this sweet living room, and that hatch to the roof. You know, this was so worth the summer it took!" Jake wore a toothy smile. "Yeah, that's what im talking about!" The brothers exchanged a fist bump.

The two brothers went back to putting boards up and hammering them into place without a word. Jake quietly hummed a tune, but there was no other communication. Several silent minutes passed before Finn remembered a question he sought answers to. "Oh, hey, where has Viv been? I haven't seen her in a bit. You guys alright?"

Jake sighed loudly, his shoulders slumped a bit. "Yeah, she's went to visit her dad's side of the family for a month or so." Then he made a quick click with his tongue, and went right back to the task at hand. Finn shifted around to face his brother. "Wait, all the way in Korea?" He asked, as if he didn't already know the answer. "Yep." Jake retorted, letting the last consonant pop on his lips.

"Huh." Finn snorted, before returning to his work. "How about you? You been texting that girl we met out in town the other day?" Jake yelled over the clanking. Finn's face twisted a bit. He glanced over his shoulder, and sure enough, Jake was staring at him, just as he expected - Honestly, this was why it took all summer to build the tree house. Conversations kept erupting, which in turn, disrupted their productivity.

Finn darted his eyes back to the half driven nail, and started pounding it in. "Nah." He muttered, loud enough for Jake to hear. His brother, in turn, sighed loud enough for him to hear. "Bro." Jake paused. "Just text her. Obviously she wouldn't have given you her number if she wasn't interested in talking to you!" He whined, walking over to Finn, and grabbing his hammer mid swing. Finn huffed, and shuffled around to face him, letting go of the handle of his tool. It fell to the ground, apparently Jake hadn't held on too tightly. He sank back against the wall braces he'd just been working on. Not even a creak. 'Sturdy enough.'

"I don't know man." Finn sighed, gesticulating as he spoke. "She's just, just... A girl." He said - As if that statement really carried any weight, whatsoever. Jake raised an eyebrow. "And...? You talk to half of the girls at school - Flip, most of them want to date you!" He yelled, his usually scruffy voice taking a higher pitch suddenly. Finn snorted, and ran a hand through his hair. "I mean, she's like a girl-girl, bro. I can't do that. I don't even know what to say." Jake simply huffed. "Alright, bro, listen. Girls like guys who are courageous, and brave, and spontaneous. Yes? The hero type?" Jake stated, more than asked. Finn's only reply was how thin his lips became, as he pondered the thought. "And that's who you've always been, right up until this point. This isn't very hero-like of you. You got to take this by the reigns and ride this stead!"

Finn's hand shot up to protest, but it slowly slid back down. His face now twisted with confusion. 'Hero type...' With a long sigh, he smiled. "I have no idea what being a hero has to do with talking to a girl... But for whatever reason, I can't deny that it was a good pep talk. I'll talk to her. Today. Maybe." Jake laughed, "Well, you're already one step closer in the right direction." He commented, raising a fist to his brother. Finn promptly returned the gesture, and their knuckles bumped.

"Thanks, bro. You always know what to say." Finn smiled, nodding his head slowly. In return, Jake laughed, and crossed his eyes. "Glee gee blam, bloo bop." Both brothers where overcome with laughter shortly after. "Hey, maybe if you're lucky, she'll be at school tomorrow! Heard we are supposed to be getting a lot of new kids!" Jake called out, excitedly, as he walked back to his work station. Finn waved off the idea and returned to work as well.

She was here. There was no mistaking her for anyone else . Her bright orange hair could be seen through the crowd of students like a beacon. She was walking straight toward him. It was like the student body was shifting around her, giving her the perfect path to him. His hands felt sweaty, his throat tightened. 'What do I say? Do I say anything? Oh man, oh man, oh man.' His eyes widened, silently watching her as students darted and weaved around her.

Thankfully, before she got within comfortable talking distance, she was stopped by another girl with obnoxiously bright orange hair. 'Oh yeah, there is Claira.' He remembered, taking back his past statement regarding her hair being undeniably the only orange hair in the school. Finn had forgotten about Claira - But that's quite alright. The entire school forgets about her. Finn's nerves calmed quickly afterwards, and curiosity overcame him.

He stealthily crept within ear shot of their conversation, pretending to tie his shoe. Out of the corner of his eye, he was taking glances at the two girls. His main interest being Aiden. She looked relatively the same as the last time Finn saw her. Her skin still fair, her eyes still electric blue, and she still had delicate features. She wore a knee length red dress, and had her hair put up today. The other girl - Claira - was being her usual self. Smiling, and fidgeting with the circular ring lodged in her left nostril.

Claira wore the same thing she wore last year for the first day of school - Her first day at this school. A cut up, and frayed, pair of skin tight pants, and a light green, white, and orange tank top - Which he presumed to be the Irish flag. He only presumed this, because it was the same colors she had tattooed with the words "Ireland Forever", covering the entirety of her throat - On her throat! How does she expect to find work? Her vibrant orange hair was unkempt - As always. Easily the most rebellious girl in school.

"Yeah, it's not too bad really. I've been here for a year, and it's been alright." Claira smiled. "I'm sure you'll make some good friends before long." Her dull blue eyes trailed off, in Finn's direction. He quickly ensured his glance was fixated elsewhere.

"I'm not expecting it to be too bad, everyone seems really friendly around here." Aiden responded, almost beaming. The other girl gave her a weak smile, and stepped back as a student passed between them. "Well, my name is Claira O'Brien, I'm sure you won't have trouble finding me around here, if you ever need to." She mumbled, extending a hand. Aiden returned her gesture. "Well, it's a pleasure meeting you, Claira." Finn couldn't be positive, but it looked like Claira was blushing from his angle. However, he hadn't time to follow this line of thought.

"Um, hi." Aiden squeaked, as she leapt back to avoid tripping over him.

Finn gasped, before darting to a standing position. "Hey, sorry, I didn't see you there." Finn laughed nervously, fighting the unexpected blush that he could feel spilling onto his face. She smiled, her smile soft and genuine. "I didn't know you were a student here. What grade?" She asked, casually. Finn instinctively grabbed a lock of hair that was draped over his shoulder and began twisting it between his fingers - A nervous coping mechanism. "I'm a Junior." Her smile widened. "Me too. What class do you have first?"

Finn's eyes darted left, as he struggled to remember in this moment. "Um. I think I have math first thing, actually.." The girl glanced down at a piece of paper in her hand. "I think we may be together then..." Finn's cheeks turned a darker shade of crimson. "... Mrs. Lagner?" Finn asked quizzically. Aiden's nose scrunched. "No, I have Mrs. Cuber." Finn popped his lips. "Her class is stupid hard." The girl locked eyes with him - A certain fire burning within them - an almost devious smile settling on her face. "I enjoy a challenge." Finn averted his gaze from hers. It was as if she was raising his core temperature, simply by being close to him.

"So..." Finn finally mumbled, "You met our little rebel, huh?" The intensity in her eyes dialed down to its normal level. Aiden cleared her throat elegantly. "Yes, Claira, you mean?" She asked. Finn focused back on one of her facial features - This time her eyebrows - to avoid having to stare into her lit eyes. "She didn't seem so bad, honestly. She seems like a genuine person." She commented, shrugging her shoulders. "Why, do you-" Before Aiden was able to finish her question, their conversation was invaded by another. Bonnibel.

"Hey, Finn." Bonnie chirped. Judging from her tone of voice - And how long Finn has known her - he knew she had a question, or a task for him. Aiden's gaze darted over her shoulder, eyeing the girl walking up to them. Finn was unable to see her eyes, but judging from the subtle facial expressions he could notice - Such as her tense jaw and flared nostrils - he could only assume her eyes where like daggers at this moment.

Bonnibel seemed to pay her no mind as she trotted up."What's up princess?" He teased in response. She smiled, giving him a quick eye roll before continuing. "Have you seen anyone new around school yet?" Her question seemed loaded. Finn raised an eyebrow and pointed at Aiden, who was now standing awkwardly beside Bonnibel. Bonnie twisted her head and smiled at the girl. "Hi, I am Bonnibel Baker, nice to meet you." Aiden returned her smile - Forcibly, it would appear. "Nice to meet you Bonnibel, I am Aiden Kenrich. It's a pleasure." Aiden responded, an underlying tone of sarcasm, that only Finn seemed to be able to pick up on. Bonnie held her gaze and smile on Aiden briefly, before turning it back to Finn. "Anyone else?" She asked, sounding almost irritated. Finn shook his head slowly. "Sorry, Bonnie. Anyone you looking for in particular?" Bonnie began fidgeting with her shirt - A nervous coping mechanism, Finn assumed. Her mouth twisted, as if she where trying to keep from divulging national secrets.

"Well, I believe I'm going to go to the auditorium and find a seat, before they all get taken." Aiden chimed in, slicing the sudden tension that was growing. "Alright." Both Finn and Bonnie said, simultaneously. Finn raised a hand and waved slightly. "See you later, Aiden." She glanced over her shoulder, smiled, and returned his gesture. He smiled, and then honed back in on Bonnie, who was now toying with a button on her dark pink button up. "It's funny really. She's new, so she has no idea that there aren't anywhere near enough kids in this school to fill up the auditorium." Bonnie mumbled, and gave a brief laugh.

Finn ignored the comment - Regardless of how true it was - to pursue his previous line of questions. "So? What's got you all muffed up, Bon?" Finn asked, rolling his hand in small circular motions. "Spill it, princess." Bonnie only sighed, and slumped her shoulders. Moments passed before she finally spoke. "I don't know Finn. I'm just really hoping that the Amber girl we met last week - Who I still firmly believe is Marceline - You know, from my childhood - isn't going to be here. You know?" She paused, taking in a deep breath of air, before huffing it all out. "Because if it is Marceline, she clearly doesn't want anything to do with me anymore, or she wouldn't have lied to me. And if it is a girl named Amber, then it's just going to be really awkward all school year, because I'll forever be that ditz who yelled at her, accusing her of being my friend outside of a coffee shop."

Bonnibel grew very silent, her eyes firmly planted on the ground between them. Finn clicked his tongue a few times. "There, there, Bonnie. Don't worry. She looked to old to be in school anyway." He said, in the most optimistic voice he could manage, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "That girl looked at least twenty, so I don't think you have anything to worry about. And, even if it was her, so what? You don't need someone like that in your life anyway, you know?" Bonnie snorted, and looked up to meet Finn's eyes. She was wearing a thin smile. "Yeah, I guess you are right. Marceline was a year older than me, and a grade ahead. It's silly of me to be worried about it, I suppose. She's most likely graduated, and moved on to bigger and better things - Where ever she is."

After a few gentle pats, Finn removed his hand from her shoulder. "See, you have nothing to worry about." He said, smiling. Her smile lifted with his.

There was indeed something to be worried about.

Within five minutes of being in his third period science class, Finn had to denounce Claira as the 'most rebellious' girl in school, because just as the bell rang for class to start, a girl with long black hair - A section of it shaved, tattoos, and large gaping holes in her ear lobes darted into the class. 'Oh man. This is going to be an interesting year...' The last time Finn saw this girl, she was making scenes at coffee shops - Unless there is two of them running around. Even more interesting.

The seating arrangements where assigned in Mrs. Doyle's class. However, that did not stop this girl from taking the slip of paper that had her name written on it from the desk in the front row, and walking to the very back of the room and reassigning herself. Right behind Finn. 'I wonder if she recognizes me. She had to, right?' Finn closed his eyes, as if he could force his eyeballs to the back of his head and steal a glance at her. 'I wonder if Bonnie has seen her yet?'

Finn became rigid as he felt a tap on his shoulder. He blinked several times before twisting his body in the seat to face her. "What's up." She said - More of a statement, than a question. "Can I like, borrow a pencil?" She asked, her raspy voice strangely persuasive. Finn nodded his head. "Yeah, sure. If I have one." She smirked. "And some paper too?" Finn couldn't help but snort at her lack of preparation. "Yeah, I guess that's alright." As he turned back around, Finn made it a point to look at the slip of paper laying on her desk. 'Marceline R. Abadeer.' The next few seconds Finn spent digging through his pockets for an extra pencil, and debating whether of not he should confront her about the whole 'Amber' thing. He decided to let her identity crisis go - For now.

"I couldn't find a extra pencil, sorry. But here's a few sheets of paper. Hope that's cool?" He said, casually handing paper over his shoulder, hoping Mrs. Doyle wouldn't notice. "Yeah, it's cool. I didn't plan on taking notes anyway." She responded with a quiet snicker.

Finn had given her seven sheets of loose leaf paper. He could not help but giggle every time one of the six paper airplanes flew past his head over the course of twenty minutes. Every time Mrs. Doyle would turn her head, Marceline would launch another paper airplane. The first few landed safely and skidded across the ground. Then, she hit a boy sitting a few rows ahead of them. The first time she hit him with one, he turned around, and only glanced. Then he got hit with another. He whipped around in his desk, and mouthed "Stop". Then he was hit with two more. The first of the two, he tried to ignore. However, when the second - Fourth over all - hit him, he turned furiously and threw his pencil towards... 'Oh gob, that's coming at me!' Finn panicked and tried to catch it, but he failed. It bounced off of his shoulder, and seemed to have landed somewhere soft - It didn't crash went it his the ground.

'Thank gob, don't want Mrs. Doyle freaking out first day.' Mrs. Doyle had been known to do that in the past. Make huge issues out of little things. She also tended to over exaggerate. Finn exhaled, letting the sudden panic that overcame him leave with his breath. He directed his attention back to Mrs. Doyle, who was now erasing the white board, because she writes entirely too big. He started hastily jotting down the notes he had missed before she could erase them.

Finn was unsuccessful. Not because he was too slow, but because a paper airplane - The seventh, to be exact - collided with the back of his head. He quickly gathered it from the floor. On each side it read "Open me." - Or, at least, that's what it appeared to say. 'She must have caught the pencil. Slick. But her hand writing is garbage.' He quietly unfolded the wings to reveal a short sentence of chicken scratch. He couldn't help but squint as he read it in his head. 'See, I have ways of getting what I want.' Finn stifled laughter. It was truly hard for him to remember that he probably shouldn't associate with her. She seemed really fun, and interesting, but her and Bonnibel were at some sort of odd ends, and that was not okay.

'Yeah, I don't doubt you. My name is Chuck. What's yours?' Finn quickly wrote down, before folding the paper up and handing it off to Marceline. He figured he would give her a taste of her own medicine, as a passive-aggressive testament to his distaste for her. He tried resuming his note taking, but her response was too quick for him to make any real progress. 'Well, Finneus J. Murtons. I don't appreciate being lied to, nerd. I am observant, thank you very much. Not to mention, Chuck? Sorry, that's a horrible name. My name is Marceline. Can I have more paper?' Finn smirked. He promptly removed three more pieces of paper, and scribbled down his reply on their note. Once he was finished, he eyed it over to ensure it would send the proper message. 'Not as terrible of a name as Amber. I appreciate honesty as well, Marceline.' A devious grin crept onto his face as he folded the note up, and placed it on the three sheets of paper he planned to give her.

Marceline threw three more airplanes, all hitting their mark - The boy a few rows up. She darted out of class laughing as soon as the bell rang. However, she never wrote him back - He most likely struck a nerve. Finn's fourth period class - History - was uneventful, but at least Aiden was in there. He decided that the next day, he would get into class early, so he could sit beside her - Mr. Whitelaw class was first come, first served as far as seats went. Currently in his fifth period class, Home Economics, he elected to sit with Bonnibel. It's the first class all day that he has with her, and all the other girls in the class treat Finn very nicely, and it makes him uncomfortable - The class is predominantly female.

"Alright, well. I really don't have anything for y'all to do today, so you can just talk. Quietly." Mrs. Vaughn said, with a smile. She was a nice, but quirky, older woman who wore thick framed glasses, and was very rarely caught without a smile - Students and faculty alike loved her.

As all the other students turned to talk to their friends at their respective table, Finn sat still. His stomach quickly became knots, realizing he had forty-five minutes to talk to Bonnibel, and that it would be morally wrong to deny telling her that Marceline R. Abadeer is in attendance at Connor O'Neill High. He actually debated going and sitting with Claira, rather than discuss the pressing topic.

Bonnie must have read his mind, or seen Marceline for herself - One or the other - because Bonnie instantly crossed her arms on the table, and nested her head in them. She sighed and mumbled "So I guess Marceline is her... Or Amber, or whoever she is." Finn quit breathing momentarily. His shoulders slumped. "Marceline." He confirmed, catching Bonnie's eyes as she turned her head to see him. She didn't say anything - She didn't have to. "Marceline R. Abadeer. She was in my science class. I was trying to find a way to tell you, gently, you know? But you kind of dropped a bomb on me there." Finn laughed, twirling a strand of his hair. He opted out of bragging about his "victory" in science class, however.

"Oh." Was all Bonnibel said, before burying her face in her forearms once more. Finn's lips grew thin, and he sucked air between them, creating a quiet whistling noise. "So... How did you. You know... Find out?" He finally asked, shifting his eyes to the redhead slouched over in her chair. She began to mumble something into the her arms. As much as he hated to do it, he had to. "I'm sorry, Bon, I can't hear you." Finn cringed when she shot up out of her seat, as if he had just offended her entire family. She sighed and walked to the trashcan located beside the teachers desk and stood there momentarily, pretending to throw something away - Mrs. Vaughn was on her computer looking at couches, so she paid her no mind. Shortly after, Bonnie turned and walked back to their table, her face long and her lips thin.

"Well, Finn." She said softly, reclaiming her seat. "I was saying that I saw her walk by the window right before you came to class." He nodded his head slowly. "And then I saw her take a step back, and look at me, like directly at me. Then..." She paused. With a sigh, she slumped further into her chair. "Then, she turned and went the other way. And judging from the one empty seat in this class..." Bonnie nonchalantly lifted a finger to point across the room, bringing Finn's attention to Claira, who was the only person in class sitting alone. "I assumed she must have been on her way to this class, before she saw me." Bonnie's mouth twitched a bit as she finished speaking. Finn could see hurt welling in her eyes. "Well, maybe she just didn't know what class this was, and realized it was the wrong one? Maybe she needed to go to another building... Or something." Finn offered, scratching the chin.

With a long sigh, Bonnie found the will to respond. "No." She said flatly. "I've already ran that possibility, and countless others, over in my head. So, I decided to check the attendance roster on Mrs. Vaughn's desk - That's what I just did - and Marceline is the only one missing from this class. Because I am in here." She paused, tapping a finger on the edge of the desk. Finn sat silently, mulling over the information she had just disclosed. He knew she was right, but he felt like being shocked would somehow be more comforting to her, so he continued with that course of action.

"Wow." Finn huffed. "Well, I mean, I'm sure something came up. I doubt she'd skip class just because you are in here. Don't be silly, she can't do that all year." He reassured her. The two fell silent. Finn could hear Bonnie's teeth grind behind closed lips. He was unsure if it was anger, frustration, or sadness that overcame her, but even her eyes where glossed with something he was unfamiliar with. "Nope." She finally spoke, letting the 'P' pop. "There's no way around it. 'Amber' doesn't exist. Marceline is back in town. She lied to me. And worst of all, she is avoiding me, so I'll most likely never get an explanation for her behavior." She exhaled long, and dramatically, her eyes suddenly focused. "Unless I talk to Keila, or her boyfriend." She locked eyes with Finn briefly. "Maybe you can have Jake talk to Bongo." She said, posing her demand as a question.

Finn tilted his head to the side a bit, but before he could pursue her statement, Bonnibel had crossed her arms on the desk and buried her face in them once more. She mumbled something that sounded like 'I'm just going to sleep the rest of this period', but Finn wasn't sure. He elected not to bother her anymore. Something was very 'off' about Bonnibel Lynn Baker. She seemed stressed - But not normal Bonnie-school-stress, something new. She was choosing to sleep, over school work and studies. She was irritated - At the very least - when usually she let nothing bother her. It was like watching the fifth season of a television show, where they changed the actor for the leading role. Yes, they where the 'same' character, but you just can't quite get over the fact that they are undeniably different.

Authors Note:
Sorry it took so long to write this chapter, and get it posted. My work has been a bit unpredictable. Not to mention I've been sick. Bleck. Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, ladies and gents. Expect another before too much longer. Heads up, it won't be a Finn chapter next, which is positive. I found this chapter to be more forced than Bonnie's chapters, and much more forced than Marceline's. But, oh well. The story must be told, am I right?

I promise I will try to get on a regular uploading schedule. But I will make no promises. Sorry folks. I know, I'm the worst.

Fangirl3322: I am very pleased to hear that you are enjoying this so far, and I hope you continue to enjoy it. I also hope this chapter clears up the bit of confusion you had.