Anonymous

33

Bonnie was scrawling some notes when her bedroom door opened. She didn't turn around. Her work was more important. Much more important. She couldn't fail her exams, and she didn't know what to expect. She knew the school system back home, knew how the exams worked, but it was different here. If she went in there blind, she could mess the whole thing up, and Bonnie had never gotten anything less than an A on an exam. She wasn't about to start on the slippery slope to failure. It wasn't an option.

"Um, Bonnibel?"

Oh, yes, Bonnie remembered, there's someone here.

She looked up and smiled tiredly at Lady. "Hello. What are you doing here?"

"I called you last night to see if you wanted to come out with us today," Lady said, looking slightly concerned. Bonnie didn't see how studying could be concerning in any kind of way. "Are you okay?"

"Perfectly fine." Bonnie looked back at her notes and jotted something down on another post-it, sticking it to her wall. Oh. She seemed to be running out of space. "If you don't mind, I'm trying to get some work done. I have an exam on Tuesday and I need to be prepared."

Lady narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure you don't want to take a break?"

"Positive," Bonnie shut that conversation down. Why would she take a break? She was on an educational roll. "I'll see you at school."

"Bonnibel, I really think you should take a break," Lady said, and Bonnie didn't bother to hold back her scoff. She hadn't even slept, that was how on the ball she was. She didn't need Lady telling her what to do. "Fine. If you won't listen to me, I'll talk to someone who I know you'll listen to."

"Ooh, I'm scared," Bonnie muttered sarcastically, and a little faded thought of Marceline popped into her mind. Marceline. She's sarcastic. And pretty. But you have to study. No time to be thinking about a girl. "I have to get back to my revision. Bye."

Lady sent her one last concerned look, but she left. Bonnie knew it wouldn't take much to make her leave. She was probably going to go talk to Elle and Phoebe and Fionna about how crazy determined Bonnie was.

"Oh, let them gossip," Bonnie said to herself, "grades are more important. Bubba understood that. He would've been right here with me."

The last part of her rationality bled through the sleep deprivation. Bubba was always there to stop you getting out of control. Nobody was there to stop her now.

With her nose almost touching the paper, Bonnie continued with her work.

-

Marceline stared down at her phone as the unknown number flashed on the screen. Someone was calling her. At least this time, she knew it wasn't Bonnie. She gripped the neck of her guitar and stared at the phone more. Should she answer?

She hesitated, hand hovering over her lockscreen button, fully prepared to silence the call. But then she thought about Bonnie and figured that the last time she answered an unknown number, everything turned out alright. Fuck it. It was probably just a telesales person.

She grabbed her phone and answered the call, asking, "Uh, hello?"

"Marceline? Is that you?" She vaguely recognised the voice but couldn't place it. Thankfully, the unknown caller identified herself. "It's Lady."

"Oh, um... hi?" She said again, a number of questions swirling around her head. One; why was Lady calling her? Two; how did she get her number? Those were the two most important ones, anyway. "How exactly did you get my number?"