"Oh, come on, you're letting Bonnibel in? She'll ruin our chances!" Marceline Abadeer strums an angry chord on her bass in defiance.
Finn leans back in his chair. "It's not that bad. She's the best I know for her instrument."
"Which is what?"
"Umm...DJing?"
The raven-haired, pale-skinned girl huffs and hits another angry chord. Quite good chemistry, actually. Jake gets back to tuning his viola and Finn warms his beat-boxing voice. A timid knock precedes a girl with light-pink hair and clothes entering. Marceline scowls at her and moves to the other side of the room.
"Hey, PB, you ready to jam?" Jake says.
"Oh, yeah, totally." Bonnibel says. She stares at Marceline and she glares back. Finn climbs onto the makeshift stage.
"Ok, guys, the Battle of the Bands is in a week and we need to ace this! So, we have a weird mix of instruments. We have bass," he points to Marceline, "Viola," Jake, "Electronic-robot-notes," Bonnibel, "and beat boxing. It's odd but we can do this. Who wants to start?"
Marceline stands up. Walking to the stage as Finn jumps down, she tunes her bass to better fit the chords she has in mind.
"I need you guys to lay down a chill groove." She stands on the stage and start playing slightly haunting chords.
"La da da da da. I'm gonna bury you in the ground. La da da da da. I'm gonna bury you with my sound. I'm gonna drink the red in your pretty pink cheeks, I'm gonna-"
Her beat is cut of by the princess. "Marceline, that's way too distasteful! What will the judges think?!"
Her rage builds, and everything she's thought since the break-up comes spilling out of her. "Oh, you don't like that?" I sneer, "or do you just not like ME?!"
Bonnibel, Finn and Jake watch, dumbfounded, as she plays the same angry chords she now associates with Bubblegum.
"Sorry I don't treat you like a goddess. Is that what you want me to do? Sorry I don't treat you like you're perfect. Like all your little loyal subjects do?" she glare at Finn and Jake, even though the past between her and Bonnibel has nothing to do with them. "Sorry I'm not made of sugar. Am I not sweet enough for you? Is that why you always avoid me? That must be SUCH an inconvenience to you! Well.
I'm just your problem.I'm just your problem. It's like I'm not even a person, am I? I'm just your problem. Well.
I-I I-I I shouldn't have to justify what I do. I-I I-I I shouldn't have to be the one that makes up to you. I'm sorry that I exist I forget what landed me on your black list..."
Something is definitely up, Finn thinks, looking at first his bestie Marceline, then his crush Bubblegum. She's the only one that uses PB's first name and this song is obviously about her. 'Shouldn't be the one to make up with you?'. What if they dated?!
"...but I-I I-I shouldn't have to be the one that makes up to you so...
Why do I want to? Why do I want to...?" Marceline's face visibly blushes as she hears what she's saying, "To...bury you in the ground...and drink your blood....ARGH!" She stomps her foot and glares at Bonnie. "You...put me off!" She storms out of the room. Finn makes to follow her, but PB puts a hand on his shoulder. "No, Finn, this is between me and Marcy." She says softly, "I'll get her."
Bonnibel walks into the hall of Ooo University (Onto a path of success by Otto Onloswald) and scans for her sort-of-friend. When she can't find her, she decides to search the toilets. Sure enough, she hears a nightingale's voice singing sadly from through the door. She decides to not open it and just listen. With everyone in lessons no one speculates on how odd it looks.
"Slow dance with you...I just wanna slow dance with you...I know all the other boys are tough and smooth but I got the blues I wanna...slow dance with you...
Slow dance with you...I just wanna slow dance with you...why don't you take a chance, I've got the blues I wanna prove I wanna...slow dance with you..." Now all that can be heard is soft crying. Slowly, Bonnibel pushes the door open an gently walks over to the crying woman.
"Our song..." she says softly. "You remember it?"
"Oh course I remember it, I wrote it." Marceline attempts a laugh but neither of the women believe it.
"I'm sorry you thought I was avoiding you." Bonnibel says, "I just...after we broke up I tried so hard to get over you. but every time I saw you I just wanted to hold you, so I stopped speaking to you. I'm so sorry, Marceline." She walks closer to her ex.
"It's ok." Marceline says, then softly presses her lips against the pink girl. "We can never be together again, but at least can we be friends?"
"Ok." Bonnie says, and Marceline washes her face of puffiness and joins the boys back in the auditorium.
________________________________________________________
"And next up is...A Genuine Band!" The crowd applauses as the band enters the stage.
"This," Finn announces, "Is called Everything Stays." Everyone sets up shop and Marceline advances to the front.
"Let's go in the garden. You'll find something waiting. Right there where you left it, lying upside down. When you finally find it, you'll see how it changes. The underside is lighter when you turn it around.
Everything stays, right where you left t. Everything stays, but it still changes. Ever so slightly, daily and nightly, in little ways, when everything stays.
Go down to the ocean. The crystal tide is raising. Water's getting higher as the shore washes in. Keep your eyes right open, even when the sun is blazing. The moon controls the tide, it could cause you to drown.
Everything stays, right where you left it. Everything stays, but it still changes. Ever so slightly, daily and nightly, in little ways, when everything stays."
The song is met with silence, then thunderous applause and cheers. Finn, Jake and Bonnie join Marceline at the front and we join hands and bow. Marceline smiles at Bonnie.
"Still can't be together, right?" Marceline shouts over the cheers. In response, Bonnie kisses her in front of the whole Uni and guests. The crowd go wild as Marceline fully embraces her ex's lips.
An hour later, the gang are hanging backstage, enjoying the look and feel of the Battle of the Bands trophy. Eventually, it's just the four of them and Finn and Jake jump up together and demand answers. So Marceline explains everything.
"We were in high school together. During our gap year, we got together. We dated for three years and broke up the summer you two transferred to Ooo. Since you've only known us as enemies, we both thought it wise to never bring up our past. We've decided against that now."
Heyo!
So I made this chapter from an idea I had whilst pelting out "I'm Just Your Problem" in the shower. I know the song at the end should of been "My Best Friends In The World" but I just love "Everything Stays" and I think that had more impact than Finn's song would of had. Apologies if I slipped into first person every now and again, I'm trying something new out :)
-Sad Marceline Simp
