we see what we want ;

5; acquaintances

marceline ;
。、。、。、。
The sweet release of the final bell suddenly rang throughout the halls and reverberated over the classrooms like the ocean's final wave before the end of a storm.

This was usually the time when all of the unsurprisingly uneventful events that Marceline had to endure that day would- for one second- gain a small purpose. For one second, the sound of the bell would remind her that in fact, she did accomplish something; she- although roughly- had made it through the day.

So how come today, Marceline did not feel anything? When the final bell chimed sweetly and everyone poured out of the Spanish classroom like the freed contents of a spilled aquarium, Marceline was shocked to find herself still sitting in a rickety desk staring at the wall.

Maybe it was because the music playing in her earbuds was so loud that even the melodic school bell could not break through her sound barrier. But in actuality, she knew that couldn't be true. Marceline's body was already a primed clock, instinctively ticking away the seconds internally. Always patiently awaiting the next release from whatever she was temporarily trapped in.

Her glazed eyes finally snapped away from the pitiful blanched wall, and her mind slowly returned. Out of the corner of her gaze, Marceline could see Mr. Nuñez leer up at her from behind his computer. She almost scoffed.

Slowly and carefully, she slipped her loose belongings back into her bag, so as not to disturb Mr. Nuñez and his scoff-worthy lurking.

Marceline brutally shoved her way out of the cramped desk and exited the room, walking with what felt like the most disdained posture she had ever carried herself with.

Striding through the quickly thinning halls, she racked her brain for that sense of accomplishment. Marceline was craving it now, because today had really taken a toll on her. And trying to figure out the obscure reason why- it was downright aggravating.
Why was she like this?

Finn. She thought about her little buddy and how he might be able to cheer her up with a display of his raucous boyish antics. But then she remembered his gruff attitude over text and sighed. He probably had the same unfulfilling day with no interest in participating in dumb cheerful stuff.

Goddamnit, people. Marceline exasperatedly thought as she passed a group of kids that she was fairly acquainted with. Maybe even friends with? Maybe- she even had a hard time calling Finn a good friend, even though he was the closest thing she had to one. Little Buddy seemed to be a better description of who Finn was to Marceline.

Marceline squinted at the group through her tired glassy eyes as some of them waved and even called her name. She gave a weak flutter of a wave back so as not to seem like an asshole, but not much else. Marceline tended to think that some people were only interested in her because they were intrigued by her lonely and disinterested-in-most-people kind of attitude.
Maybe they were only drawn to someone so inept because they wanted to see her do tricks like a monkey. Tricks; as in nice and shiny teenager tricks.

Wait. Some weird kind of bright color that seemed so out of place in the blanched white hall had caught her eye.
Was that- pink? At the sight of it, Marceline stopped. Someone rammed into her from behind as she held up the flow of hallway traffic, but she paid no mind.

Then she heard a soft and mellow voice that oddly stuck out above all the others. "Hey, Marceline!" She knew who it was before she even turned to look.

Marceline cringed slightly, remembering the embarrassing heat of her cheeks during her earlier conversation with Finn about the owner of this voice. But then. she could feel her own eyes light up. It was miraculous- she could have sworn her eyes had been glassy and glazed all day.