Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I never stopped trying to forget you. Dear God, I wish I could.”

Bonnibel raised her arm to wipe her tears. All she could taste was blood, and she wasn’t even sure whose it was. Not that it mattered to her anymore. She drew her knees up to her chin and hugged them. Her body ached and she was exhausted and alone and Marceline was gone and it was all her fault.

“I’d give anything for you to be here, Marcy,” Bonnibel cried. “If I could, I would take everything back. I’d do it for you, Marceline, I swear I would…”

Bonnie held her head between her legs and stared at the dirty ground. The surrounding air was thick, foggy, and it was hard for her to breathe. She sobbed uncontrollably , her body heaving and sighing, and she pressed her face into her mud caked knees. Her eyes burned more with every tear. Wiping her face with her sleeve, she sat up against the tree behind her and listened to the hum of crickets, praying she wouldn’t make it through the night. This was the end for her. After losing everything, Bonnie didn’t want to press on anymore. She was giving up.

A static crackling turned Bonnie’s attention to her walkie talkie.

“He - o?”

Bonnie's hands shot out for the walkie , whose screen emit a soft green glow. It was still set to the channel Marceline had set it to.

“Marceline?! Is that you?”

“Bon - ? Are y - there?” the walkie talkie crackled.

“Marcy, I’m here! Please, I’m here! Oh, my God, I’m so happy to hear your voice. I thought you were gone , I thought I’d never see you again.”

“I can’t h - r you, B - nibel...”

The walkie talkie’s static droned out Marceline's voice and Bonnie's grip tightened on the little box. She pulled the antenna out as far as it could go, ripping it out almost entirely .

“No, please,” she begged, “don’t leave me again. Don’t leave me alone here. Please, Marcy, I love you...”

With no immediate answer, Bonnibel leaned back into the tree. She left go of the walkie talkie, letting it drop from her hands. It fell to the ground with a loud thump. She held her face and sobbed again. On the ground next to her, the walkie buzzed back to life.

“I love you, Bonnibel.”

❁

It seemed as though the fifth cup of coffee was a bad idea.

Bonnibel sat bouncing her leg impatiently . Never had she been so anxious about camp, of all things. Camp Moonstone was the only thing she had to look forward to, and now, she was terrified going back wasn’t going to be the same. She played with a piece of her hair nervously , running her fingers over the pink strands.

The camp bus pushed forward along the dirt road leading up to the campsite. The engine sputtered at every hill to be climbed. Bonnie sighed and looked out of the window at the tall trees towering above. With every bump and pothole in the road, Bonnie’s stomach gurgled louder and she laid her hand over it. She tapped her feet together quickly, looking down at her hands. When the bus reached the tall sign that read “Lake Moonstone”, she took a quick breath of relief.

The bus pulled into the roundabout drop off, where two other buses--just as old as this one was, Bonnie noted--were dropping off campers.

“Bonnibel B.?” a camp counselor stood up at the front of the bus, fumbling with his clipboard and some loose papers. He was sweating profusely , wiping his brow with his wrist. His voice sometimes gave out when he called over the noisy teenagers.

“Over here,” Bonnibel waved her hand above her head, catching the counselor’s attention. The blonde man nodded at her.

“Peter B.?” The counselor called out.

Pepper, Bonnie’s best friend, sat next to her. He raised his hand and sighed. “It’s Pepper, ” he corrected.

The counselor nodded to him swiftly and jotted a note on his clipboard.

“Do you think that new counselor looks familiar?” Pepper said to Bonnie. “I swear I’ve seen him somewhere.”

“I’m not sure, Pep,” Bonnie replied, eyeing up the counselor for herself.

“Well, maybe not.” Pepper leaned back in his seat.

Bonnie stared outside of the bus window at the forest. She could smell the fresh pine and took in a quick breath. Going to college meant sacrificing a lot, and she mulled over the thought . Bonnie ached for the murky water of Moonstone Lake, the soothing sound of chirping crickets at night, a roaring, smokey campfire, surrounded by friendly faces and people she cared the most about. Camp was the place Pepper and Bonnie had met, made some of her most favorite memories and where she’d grown up. The tall trees provided a shady canopy that shielded the summer sun from beating down too bright, the sturdy wooden cabins were more than cozy and Bonnie smiled at the thought of the nights she’d spent bundled up in a sleeping bag, safer than she’d ever felt anywhere else.

Next to her, Pepper pulled out his earphones and put them into his bag. “Hey, do you think …” he started to ask, moving his wavy red hair out of his face. He didn’t finish the idea.

“ Think what?” Bonnie looked at him.

Pepper hesitated and stared at her. He furrowed his brow and looked down. “Do you think this summer will be better than last year?” He said after a few moments.

“ I hope so. Why do you ask?”

“Listen, I’m serious. I just wanna know how you’re feeling about all of this, Bonnie,” Pepper frowned at her. “You haven’t barely said anything the whole ride here. Are you worried we’ll have to deal with… Well, you know... Whether it's Cinna or Mar--”

Bonnie made a sour face and shook her head. “ Don’t finish that sentence,” she exclaimed, shutting down the conversation.

As the counselor at the front of the bus finished the roll call, the campers gathered their belongings and shuffled out of the bus. Bonnie stood up and followed Pepper, the pins on her backpack shaking noisily. They paused outside of the bus doors for a moment, taking in the chaos of the first day of camp: bustling counselors running back and forth through the buildings, campers chatting excitedly about the summer ahead of them, an assortment of younger kids struggling with all of their luggage.

“I’m sure gonna miss this place,” Pepper said, sighing. He looked to Bonnie, and she nodded sadly.

A red-haired girl pushed past them, knocking into Bonnie. “Get out of my way, would you?” she scoffed.

Bonnie rubbed her elbow and scowled at her as she rushed away, hauling a large duffel bag and a red suitcase.

“Don't bother getting so angry over Phoebe , Bon,” Pepper reached for Bonnie's hand and squeezed. She smiled at him and squeezed back.

“Hi Bonnie! Hey, Pepper!” a second year, Finn, bounded up to them and flashed a sweet smile to Bonnibel. “It's great to see you guys!” He pushed his sandy hair behind his ear and adjusted one of the straps of his green backpack on his shoulder.

“Finn!” Bonnie greeted. She shifted her weight and looked past him, moving her arms behind her back.

“Oh, hi, Finn,” Pepper, unamused, crossed his arms. “You look like you've had an exciting first day already.”

“I guess you could, uh, say that,” Finn let out a forced laugh and rocked on his heels. “And well, uh , I have news for you, Bonnie.”

“News? For me? What is it?” Bonnie tilted her head slightly , trying to seem interested.

“I heard there's a new building they built this winter.”

Bonnie rolled her eyes and sighed. “Well, that's great and all, but I'm not sure why you're telling me this.”

“It's a science lab, Bonnie!” Finn exclaimed, throwing his hands up. “Complete with a chemistry lab and everything!”

Bonnie glanced at Pepper, who was already looking down at her. He shrugged and grinned.

“Well, not really a chemistry lab we’re allowed to use,” Finn muttered, “we aren’t even allowed to go there without a camp counselor. It’s like, some big government building or something.”

“Oh, wow, that is cool,” Bonnie replied absentmindedly, looking over Finn’s shoulder. “I wonder why Lady didn't tell me about that.”

“I heard they were doing some kind of medical testing there,” Finn adjusted his bookbag again, “something about this new parasite they found in the water from the lake, somebody got real sick from it, and the FBI had to come and do a whole investigation, and the government didn't want anyone to know , because they didn't want people to stop coming to the camp.”

“Oh Finn, that's ridiculous,” Bonnie scoffed. She folded her arms neatly in front of her and raised her eyebrow. “I can't believe you'd believe that.”

Pepper laughed and punched Finn on the shoulder. Finn grinned sheepishly and rubbed his arm. “Well, at least we know the Lake water’s clean now.” Pepper said.

“How do you know it's not true?” Finn asked, distraught, looking back and forth between the two older campers. “And how do you know it's clean? What if there really is some kind of bug swimming around with us in there?”

“Because they wouldn't let us come back if there was some kind of infestation. Duh .” Pepper laughed again, shaking his head.

“Oh, I guess you're right,” Finn looked down at the ground and rubbed his shoe into the dirt.

“Hey, even if there was a parasite, they definitely would have cleaned it all up before we got here. I'm sure everything's okay now, Finn. It's a cool idea.” Bonnie put her hand on Finn’s shoulder and squeezed, reassuring him.

Finn’s eyes brightened back up and he beamed again. “You really think so, Bonnie?”

Bonnibel nodded. “It's a really cool idea,” she repeated.

Finn smiled. “It's super cool! Hey, anyway, I gotta go find my brother, but I'll see you guys later!” He said, waving goodbye and heading towards the Camp Hall.

“Where does he get all the energy?” Pepper watched after Finn for a minute and took in a breath. He rubbed his hands together and clapped once. “Well, we should probably head inside too. Wouldn't want to miss Lady’s orientation speech.” He winked.

As the pair walked around the side of the bus, a girl with long, honey-brown curls was struggling to retrieve her bag from the bottom of the pile of other camper’s luggage. She tugged on the blue strap of a polka-dotted duffel bag and groaned. Bonnie ran to help her and hesitated.

“Oh, thanks so much, I--” the girl’s smile fell away as she stared at Bonnie. Her bright face lost all color.

“Cinna, hi,” Pepper said awkwardly , pulling out Cinna’s bag and handing it out to her. “Nice to see you.”

Cinna’s dark eyes filled with tears. She looked away, hiding her face from Bonnie.

“Oh, Cinna,” Bonnie whispered. “I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry for.” Cinna stated sharply. She didn’t look up. She grabbed for her bag and took off in the other direction.

Bonnie looked up at Pepper with a frown.

“It’s okay,” Pepper put his arm around Bonnie. “What’s done is done.”

The two found their bags and made their way to the Camp Hall, the largest building on the campsite and where the auditorium and lunch hall were held . They found a seat in the middle of the mass of campers and chattered away until the Camp Director, a tall, graceful woman dressed in a Camp Moonstone shirt, stepped out onto the stage at the front of the room. She waved her hands around, gesturing for everyone’s attention, and stepped up to the microphone.

“Welcome to Camp Moonstone!” she cheered. The campers all murmured a greeting back. “Welcome, all first years, and welcome back any returning campers! If you don't already know who I am, my name is Miss Lady, and I'm your camp director. I hope you all will have a great summer with us.”

Lady smiled at Bonnie and she returned the gesture with a small wave. As Lady went on, going over the orientation-- the same speech she'd given every year about camp rules, safety in the wilderness, that sort of thing-- Bonnie scoped out the room. She recognized a few faces from the past two summers she’d gone to camp, along with a lot of new first year campers. She spotted Phoebe across the room who was staring at her with a fiery glare. Bonnie held her gaze, and Phoebe smirked maliciously, nodding to someone behind Bonnie.  Bonnie shot her a confused look and turned away, back to Lady.

“I'd also like to introduce you all to a new counselor working here this summer,” Lady spoke into the microphone, “His name is Jake! Jake, why don't you come up and introduce yourself?”

The counselor from Bonnie’s bus walked up the steps to the stage with hesitation. He blushed when Lady smiled at him encouragingly, holding out the microphone. Jake took it and ran a hand through his hair. A couple of girls in the audience swooned, which made Jake’s face flush even more. “Hello guys and gals, and uh , welcome to Camp Moonstone! I'm happy to be here as counselor for you all this year!” The audience clapped.

“Jake was actually a camper here himself,” Lady grinned at him sweetly . “He and I went here together!” She clasped her hands together and put them in front of her. She stood close to Jake and nearly swayed, not taking her eyes off his.

A group of first years whistled and a couple of campers laughed. Jake and Lady’s faces turned a bright pink and she looked away shyly.

“It's great to be back,” Jake said, handing the microphone back to Lady. She went back to her orientation speech.

“I recognize him now! Isn’t that Finn’s older brother?” Pepper asked, leaning over to Bonnie.

“Now that you mention it, yeah, that's him,” Bonnie replied. “I didn't realize it was him on the bus.”

“Me either! He got hot, didn't he?” Pepper raised his eyebrows at Bonnie and chuckled.

Bonnie giggled quietly, and looked up at Pepper. Behind him was a counselor about the same age as Jake, who had a thick Mohawk and a pierced face. He stood against the auditorium wall, flexing, one arm raised behind his head, talking to a girl with long black hair in two braids. It was who he was talking to who made Bonnie's stomach churn.

“Bonnie, what's wrong?” Pepper was about to turn around when Bonnie grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“Don't, it's her.” Bonnie's face flushed a deep red. She wanted to turn back towards the stage but she was stuck staring at the back of the girl. She held on the counselor’s arm and giggled. She moved closer to him and moved a strand of hair behind her ear. Bonnie could feel herself melting. She forced herself to look down and leaned forward, her hands gripping the hard blue plastic of the chair. She listened to her heart pounding in her chest and felt her breath getting quicker.

“Hey, Bonnie, it's all right,” Pepper draped his arm over Bonnie's back and whispered to her. “Bonnie, you're okay.”

Pepper’s words washed over Bonnie, leaving her at ease for a brief moment. She steadied herself and put her hand over her chest. It’s okay, Bonnie. You’re okay, she thought to herself. Her stomach gurgled and the anxious feeling from the bus came flooding back to her.

“I don't feel so good, Pep,” Bonnie whispered. “I didn't think she'd come back this year.”

“Hey, Bonnie, I know . It'll be okay. You guys broke up for a reason. You can’t change it,” Pepper paused. “She’s too immature for you. It never would have worked out. Cinna will be okay.”

Bonnie looked up at Pepper, pleadingly . She held her stomach and scrunched up her face. “It's not Cinna, Pep,” she said weakly, “It's Marceline.”

Chapter Text

 Bonnibel ’s green eyes wandered around the room, looking everywhere except for on stage, and she bounced her leg impatiently. She sat up in her chair, grasping Pepper’s hand. His palms were sweaty, and he wiggled slightly in his seat. He whispered comforting words to her, ever-so-often glancing back to the long-haired girl behind him. The campers listening to Lady’s speech yawned and lounged back in their chairs. Bonnie twirled a strand of her curly pink hair around her finger as she waited for Lady to finish speaking.

 “Now, I know you all are just super excited to get your group assignments, so I’ll go ahead and jump to the point.” A counselor off-stage handed Lady a clipboard. “As always, if you have any questions about the groups please see Mrs. Trunks in the Camp Directory Office.”

 Bonnie squeezed Pepper’s hand tighter. He squeezed back.

 “Group one, the Chipmunks,” Lady began listing the various names of campers. She went through the names of the first and second groups, all randomly sorted. Bonnie played with the strand of her hair and fidgeted in her seat. The whole ordeal seemed to take longer than it really did, and she held her breath as she waited to hear her name.

 “Relax, Bon.” Pepper whispered. Bonnie looked up at him and exhaled loudly.

 “ Group Three, the Deers,” Lady smiled and directed her gaze to the crowd of campers. She took a second to look back at the list and continued reading out loud. “.. .Bonnibel Bubblegum.”

 Bonnie winced. A few first years in the back of the room snickered at her last name, and Bonnie whirled around, ready to give them a stern look, but instead caught a glimpse of Marceline swatting one of them at the back of their head and muttering something Bonnie couldn’t hear. Marceline looked into the crowd of campers, her eyes darting back and forth. Bonnie quickly turned back towards the stage, letting out a quick breath of relief.

 “Pepper Butler.”

 Bonnie chuckled softly and nudged Pepper, and he beamed at her.

 “Phoebe Flint.”

 Bonnie’s face dropped and Pepper rolled his eyes. Bonnie sighed and played with her hair nervously as she thought of being stuck in a hot cabin all day with Phoebe, who was known for complaining about every little inconvenience: the air blowing around messed up her hair too much, the AC unit made the room a bit too frosty for her liking. That wasn’t even what Bonnie hated the most about being around her; she was rude, constantly finding things about people to mock. She never followed directions, she was always getting in trouble and she didn’t care about anyone but herself.

 “Marceline Abadeer.”

 Bonnie sunk low in her seat as she took in a breath. With a flushed face, she looked up at Pepper and shot him a weak smile.

 “I’m not worried,” she lied.

 Pepper gave her a look. “If you say so, Bon.”

 As Lady went on calling names for the rest of the third and then the fourth groups, Bonnie peered behind her shoulder. She was met with the cold, hard stare of two brown eyes and a scowl that took her by surprise. Marceline glared at her and turned suddenly, saying something to the counselor she was hanging on to, and turned her back to walk away. Bonnie scoffed and turned back towards the front of the room.

 “ Alrighty campers!” Lady chirped, clapping her hands. “Please find your group leader and they’ll give you your bunk assignments.” She dismissed the room and climbed down the steps from the stage, talking excitedly to some counselors.

 “I can’t believe it,” Bonnie said to Pepper. “ she’s mad at me. ”

 “Who? Marceline?” Pepper turned around to look, but Marceline was already gone with the sea of campers leaving the Hall.

 “Yeah. She’s got no right to be mad at me,” crossing her arms and scrunching up her face, Bonnie shook her head. “I haven’t done anything wrong to her. And what’s she doing hanging out with Ash? ”

 Pepper sighed. He stood and picked up Bonnie’s bags by the straps, motioning for her to stand up and take them. She did, reluctantly, and slumped after Pepper who was already making his way outside.

 “Look, Bonnie, we’re in the same group this year so that’s good,” Pepper said. “We’ll be together all summer.”

 “Yeah, but Marceline’s going to be around all summer, too.” Bonnie retorted angrily, looking across the grassy clearing to where the campers were gathered around their corresponding counselors.

 The two walked toward a group of kids huddled around a bulletin board marked “Deers,” next to which their group leader, Jake, stood with a clipboard checking for names and bunk numbers. The bulletin board had a mess of papers pinned to it - bunk assignments, camp rules, and other miscellaneous flyers.

 A group of third year girls stood together with their luggage babbling over a few flyers they’d ripped off of the board. Bonnie caught a glimpse of the back of Marceline’s head and quickly looked the other way. Several confused first years gathered around Jake, shooting out question after question about camp rules, bunk rules, and meal times, and he rubbed his neck and shrugged to answer a lot of them.

 Bonnie and Pepper pushed through the small crowd up to the bulletin board in the front and studied the bunk list intently. Bonnie skimmed over the list until she found her name, furrowed her brow and threw her hands up in exasperation.

 “Oh, of course,” she said to herself.

 “What’s wrong?” Pepper traced his finger across the list to pinpoint his own name.

 “I’m bunked with Phoebe,” Bonnie said, pushing her way back out of the crowd.

 Pepper shook his head and went after her. Bonnie sat underneath a large oak tree facing the Camp Hall and Pepper sat next down to her as they watched the flurry of campers.

 “I knew this summer was gonna be bad, but I had no idea it was gonna be like this,” Bonnie whispered. She let herself ease into Pepper’s side.

 “It’s only for a few weeks, Bon,” Pepper said, wrapping his arm around her. “Who else’s in your bunk?”

 “ Uh ,” Bonnie thought for a moment. “Two first years.”

 “Well… it could be worse. You could be bunked with Cinna, too.”

 Bonnie sneered at Pepper and he beamed back at her. She smiled back as best as she could, bringing her knees up to her chin and looking beyond the buildings of the camp towards the lake. It was late June, and the setting sun cast an orange glow over the rooftops of the cabins and the Camp Hall.

 “I used to love it here,” Bonnie whispered. “It feels so different now.”

 “Aw, Bon. It's gonna be okay, really.” Pepper settled back into the tree lazily.

 “I’m glad you think so. It’s getting pretty late,” Bonnie said, looking at the pink watch on her wrist. “Do you wanna go put our stuff away and get something to eat?” She stood up, brushing the dirt off of her jean shorts and slinging her backpack up onto her arm. As she turned on her heels to face Pepper, Bonnie stepped backwards, clashing into someone walking behind her, falling over and landing with a soft thump on the ground on her hands and knees. She looked up over her shoulder and scowled.

 Marceline stood looking down at Bonnie, and she offered out her hand. “Hey, Bonnibel,” she cooed.

 “Uh no, thanks,” Bonnie stated with a harsh tone, “I don’t need your help.” She jumped up and rubbed the dirt off her hands, turning to face Marceline.

 “I just, I uh ,” Marceline stuttered, looking at the ground. “I just wanted to, you know, say hi.” She forced a sad smile, rubbing her hands together and looking down at her feet.

 “Yeah, sure,” Bonnie’s words were sharp and angry as she spit them at Marceline. She raised her lip at her and folded her arms.

 Marceline stared at her for a moment. She scrunched up her freckled face.

 “Well, you don’t have to be a bitch about it, Bonnie,” she snapped, “I didn’t ask to be stuck with you, of all people.”

 Bonnie opened her mouth to retaliate but Pepper put his hand on her shoulder. He shook his head, staring at her. She groaned in protest, but let him pull her back. On top of being in the same group as Marceline and being bunked with Phoebe, the last thing Bonnie wanted was to disappoint Lady and be sent home for breaking one of the Camp’s biggest rules: no fighting.

 “Ugh, whatever,” Marceline exclaimed loudly. She shook her head in disbelief and turned on her heels. She stomped away towards the trail to the girl’s cabins.

 “How can she be so… so…” Bonnie balled her hands into fists and threw them to her sides. “So immature. ” She her eyes burned holes in the back of Marceline, who’s long black braids bounce with every step as she disappeared into the woods.

 Pepper rubbed his temples and let out a soft laugh. He was used to seeing Bonnie angry, fists clenched, ready to snap at the next person who challenged her, but after a run-in with Marceline, it was like Bonnie became a whole new person. Her green eyes burned with passion as she glared off into the direction Marceline went, and her face flushed a bright pink color. She shook angrily and tensed her jaw, grumbling under her breath.

 “Bon, come on,” Pepper said, “Let’s just go. Forget her.” Sighing, he took Bonnie’s arm and pulled her back toward the tree where their bags lay on the ground. He picked up his bags and started off in the direction of the girls’ cabins, Bonnie following behind.

 They walked in silence for a few minutes, lugging along their bags and dragging their feet. Bonnie felt her eyes welling up, and she blinked quickly and rubbed them. Pepper looked over at her and took her hand.

 “Bonnie, you alright?” He asked.

 “Yeah, I’m fine.” Bonnie replied flatly, taking her hand from his.

 Pepper shook his head and made a sound deep in his throat. He stopped walking. “You aren’t.”

 Bonnie glanced away from him, off into the woods. Her silence said more than she could.

 Pepper dropped his bags and sighed. He stepped forward and took Bonnie into his arms, hugging her tightly. She remained quiet and straight faced as he held her.

 “ Bonnibel , you can’t keep hiding your feelings like this.”

 “I can , though.” Bonnie whispered. She rubbed her eyes.

 Pepper caressed her shoulders and sighed again.

 “It’s just,” Bonnie began, her voice shaking. “I don’t get it.”

 “Get what?”

 “Why does she hate me?”

 Bonnie’s shoulders trembled and she stared down at her feet. Pepper brought her back into another embrace and held Bonnie as she shook. He smoothed down her hair and shushed her, whispering it would be alright.

 Crickets sang noisily around them as fireflies drifted up into the trees above. After a few minutes of standing in the middle of the dirt path, Bonnie stepped back. She rubbed her eyes and tugged her hair, straightening herself up. Pepper didn’t say anything as she picked up her bags and started walking towards the girls’ cabins again. They held hands and silently sauntered up the trail, crunching twigs and leaves with each step.

 When the pair reached Bonnie’s cabin , Pepper pulled her close and hugged her tight. Bonnie thanked him and rubbed her eyes again. They said goodbye and Pepper walked off towards the boys’ cabins, looking back to wave one more time.

 Sighing, Bonnie trudged up the wooden steps to the cabin. She swung open the net-screened door to the bunk and looked around. The cabin walls were plastered with posters and polaroid pictures of old camp members. Two sets of musty looking, navy blue curtains and dusty shades adorned the two small windows on the far back wall, letting in the soft late-afternoon light. A pair of dirty brown, wooden bunk beds sat against the walls on either side of the room, and in front of them stood a dresser on each side. The bags of the other campers filled all the bunks except for one bed.

 Phoebe stood in front of one of the windows in the far right corner, in front of a small end table, filing through an assortment of envelopes and magazines. Her long, manicured nails made a dragging noise across the paper, and her tight red ponytail bobbed as she moved her head, reading silently. She turned slightly when Bonnie dropped her pink, heavy suitcase on the wooden floorboards next to the open bunk.

 “ Bonnibel ,” she said, annoyed.

 “Hi again, Phoebe,” Bonnie groaned. “I love how much we’re seeing each other.”

 Phoebe chucked softly. “You’re funny.” She dropped the magazines and spun around. She straightened her “ Camp Moonstone” t-shirt that was cut at the sleeves and the collar and gave Bonnie a look. “Just don’t get in my way. Your stuff stays on your side and that’s that.”

 Bonnie rolled her eyes and made a face. She dropped her backpack onto the bed and sat down. “Where’s the other two girls?”

 “Well, one of them got sick and started crying,” Phoebe leaned against the wooden base of the bunk bed across from Bonnie, looking at her nails with a bored expression. “So, the other one walked her to the infirmary. She’s probably going home.”

 Bonnie paused for a moment, taking in what Phoebe said. “Oh. I hope she’s okay,” she replied.

 “Who cares? Not my problem. She’s a baby if she can’t even spend one summer away from home. It’s 6 weeks.” Phoebe scoffed and turned back to the magazines.

 “Knock knock!” The girls turned to see Lady knocking on the half-open door of the cabin and already walking inside. “Hey girls. I’m just here to get Penny’s things.” Lady nodded at Bonnie, who stepped to the side as Lady picked up the pink suitcase that sat on the top bunk.

 “It’s good to see you, Lady,” Bonnie smiled as Lady nodded to her in a pleasant manner.

 “You as well, Bonnibel !” Lady sang. She awkwardly half-hugged her and stepped back. “Oh, by the way girls, you’ll have a new bunkmate by tonight.”

 “Joy.” Phoebe looked up from the magazines and smiled sarcastically.

 Lady looked over at Phoebe and nodded, her eyes darting around the room. “Well, I uh , well, girls, you know where to find me if you need anything.” She smiled at Bonnie and shuffled out of the cabin, letting the screen door slam behind her.

 Bonnie turned around to face the bunk bed. Her pink book bag, covered with pins she’d collected over the years, was big and filled to the brim with her books. She took them all out and set them on top of the dresser next to the bunk bed, and lifted her suitcase onto the mattress. Unzipping it and taking out some of her clothes, Bonnie began folding them and stacking them neatly into two of the dresser drawers when suddenly the whole suitcase toppled over, spilling its contents into a messy heap on the floor.

 “Oops.” Phoebe held her hand up to her mouth as she walked past Bonnie towards the front of the cabin. “My bad.”

 “God, Phoebe!” Bonnie exclaimed, looking down at the pile of clothes on the floor. She knelt and pushed her suitcase under the bed and started picking up shirts and pairs of socks and other articles. Phoebe laughed and leaned against a dresser, watching Bonnie pick up her belongings.

 “Is that--” Phoebe said, bending down to pick up a black shirt with a snake and two staked donuts on it. She held it up in front of her and laughed even louder. “Oh, my God. I can’t believe how pathetic you are.”

 Bonnie felt her stomach twist into knots and she snatched the shirt from Phoebe. “Don’t touch my stuff,” she growled.

 “You mean, Marceline’s stuff?” Phoebe laughed and strode back to the end table in the back of the room. She shook her head and returned to her magazines.

 Bonnie shoved her things into the two top dresser drawers and finished putting away everything else. She rushed outside into the cool evening air, thankful to be away from Phoebe. She didn’t look back as she walked along the trail towards the Hall.

 As she entered the cafeteria inside the Hall, Bonnie quickly found Pepper among the tables of campers. He was eating alone, shoveling spoonfuls of beans into his mouth and gulping down a can of soda. The Hall wasn’t too crowded, but a steady chorus of the excited voices of campers filled the room with a friendly atmosphere. Hanging lights swung from the tall, open-beamed ceiling above them.

 “I don’t know if I can do this, Pepper,” Bonnie said, resting her elbows on the table.

 Pepper scooped a spoonful of beans into his mouth. He wiped his chin with his sleeve and offered his plate to Bonnie, who shook her head. The camp ’s cook made great tasting food, but Bonnie’s stomach gurgled as she looked at the offering: a pile of beans, two pieces of white bread, and baked hot dogs cut up into pieces. Her mouth watered and she hadn’t eaten all day, but the thought made her nauseous.

 “It’s okay, Bon,” scooping up another spoonful, Pepper looked up at his best friend. “It’s just a few weeks. You’ll forget she’s even there when camp activities get started.”

 “I hope you’re right.”

 Pepper grinned at her and took a bite out of a piece of bread.

 “Oh, listen,” Pepper started, “I heard more about that government lab Finn was talking about this afternoon.”

 Bonnie rolled her eyes dramatically. “You can’t be seriously talking about that still.”

 “No, dude, it’s serious. Finn wasn’t just talking shit,” Pepper put his spoon down and leaned in closer. “There actually is a government research building out in the woods. It’s weird, there’s no roads or anything off the main road, so nobody’s really sure how to get there.”

 “Oh, wow. So exciting. I don’t get the big deal,” Bonnie, uninterested, looked off around the cafeteria.

 “It’s weird!” Pepper exclaimed. “Don’t you think it’s even, a little strange? Why the hell would there be some random government building in the middle of the woods?”

 “I don’t know, Pep. It’s a research center, they’re probably just making sure the lake’s okay to swim in.”

 “They never did that before, Bonnie.” Pepper narrowed his eyes at her and picked up his spoon again. He took a quick drink of his soda and leaned back.

 “Who are you bunked with, anyway? I never asked.” Bonnie reached for a piece of Pepper’s bread.

 “There’s a first year and two second years. I don’t know them, but they seem cool.” Pepper answered. He focused on finishing his plate.

 Bonnie nodded and looked away again. Sighing, she glanced out into the night from one of the large windows that decorated the cafeteria walls, and focused on the campfire set up in the middle of the clearing outside. Two figures sat on a log in front of it, their backs to Bonnie. She didn’t pay much attention to who they were.

 “Well, Bon, I’ll walk you back to your cabin when you’re ready.” Pepper wiped his face on his sleeve again and put a hand on his stomach. He finished the last of his can soda and got up to throw away his trash.

 Bonnie stood up with him and they walked outside of the Hall to the clearing. The campfire in the middle cackled loudly and bathed the two campers sitting in front of it in a soft, warm glow. As Bonnie got closer, she recognized the long, fire-red ponytail on one of the campers: Phoebe. She was sitting cross legged, holding a can of soda, laughing. The smaller camper next to her was smiling brightly, proud.

 “Hey, woah ,” Pepper whispered, “that’s, that’s Phoebe and Cinna! When did they start hanging out?”

 Bonnie veered the other way, heading in the other direction, and Pepper followed suit.

 “I didn’t know they even knew each other.” Bonnie looked at Pepper, a quizzical expression on her face.

 “Me either.” Pepper threw a hand through his red hair. He put his hands into his pockets and sighed.

 They walked back to Bonnie’s cabin, looking up at the night sky. The stars above them twinkled and blinked and Bonnie pointed out the different constellations, Pepper asking her about their stories. They sat outside on the steps of the cabin for a bit until Pepper said goodbye and Bonnie walked inside.

 A tiny, dark-haired person sat on the bottom bunk of Phoebe’s bunk bed, reading a big hardcover book. They looked up when Bonnie entered and sat up, putting their book down.

 “Hi, you must be, um , Bonnie?” they said, holding out a hand.

 “Yeah,” Bonnie hesitated but shook their hand.

 “I’m, um , well, I’d like to be called BMO.” they pushed their glasses up and grinned, showing off the gap in their front teeth. “You can also call me Mo, if you want.”

 “Okay, Mo , ” Bonnie said as she collapsed onto her bunk and the old mattress beneath her and groaned.

 A purple head of hair leaned off the top bunk and stared at Bonnie menacingly.

“Can you, like, maybe not be so noisy?” the girl said, scowling.

 Bonnie sprung up in bed, nearly hitting her head on the wooden beams above her. “Oh, my God!” she exclaimed, holding her chest.

 “Yeah.” The girl retorted, swinging her head back up to the top bunk.

 Bonnie looked over to Mo and they shrugged.

 “I’m Shey ,” the girl said from the top bunk. “Didn’t mean to, like, scare you that bad.” She laughed.

 Bonnie laid back down and stared at the mattress above her. “I’m Bonnie,” she announced. Mo, across from her, smiled and went back to their reading.

 As Shey blared a catchy pop tune from her earbuds, Bonnie changed into her pajamas and laid back into her bed. She tried to convince herself that she wasn’t afraid of being around Marceline this summer, that she was ready to move on. Inching closer to the brown wall of the cabin, she pictured Marceline’s lips twisting into that crooked smile of hers, her freckled face, her brown eyes squinting as she laughed; a full, heartwarming laugh. Bonnie could still feel Marceline’s arms wrapped around her waist, warm against her skin. Listening to the bass of Shey’s music and filled with nostalgia, she fell asleep.

 Phoebe didn’t come back to the cabin for another hour or so. By the time she did, everyone else was fast asleep. Bonnie woke to the smell of smoke as the screen door creaked open. Phoebe kicked off her shoes and threw her shirt onto the floor, and another aroma filled Bonnie’s senses. She remembered it from the summer before: the spicy cinnamon-y smell of Cinna’s perfume. Bonnie rolled over and stared at the wall, wrapped in her pink quilt. She pulled it tight over her shoulders, hoping Phoebe wouldn’t look over and see her wearing Marceline’s shirt as pajamas.

 Bonnie drifted back to sleep listening to the cooing of owls, the heavy breathing of Shey above her and Phoebe’s soft snoring. An almost threatening breeze rustled the branches of the pine trees surrounding the camp, making them scrape against the roof of some cabins. At times, during the night, the wind would grow stronger, and flashes of lightning would light up the forest. Thunder rumbled in the distance, masking the sound of heavy footsteps dragging along outside.