I couldn't help but stay awake thinking about Marshall Lee. After our little moment on the porch I couldn't stop thinking about him. The soft feeling of his lips on my cheek still lingered as I lay under my pink comforters. I stared at the ceiling above me while I replayed the scenario in my mind over and over. We almost kissed, I thought, I almost kissed my teacher. Oh my, I didn't like the sound of that.

     I turned over onto my side and shut my eyes, attempting to fall asleep, but my brain wouldn't shut off. Pictures of Marshall flashed through my mind; auburn eyes, a lazy smirk, smooth porcelain skin. I tossed onto my other side, hoping I'd think of something else. All that came to mind was more Marshall; shaggy black hair that was as soft as silk. Lanky extremities and a toned body that has just the right amount of muscle. Broad shoulders and a slim waist, like a swimmers body, but godlier. Ugh! Get out of my head! I thought. I shouldn't be worrying about him, we haven't even been to school for a week, plus he's my teacher now!

     I flipped onto my back once more, agitated by the thought of Marshall's sexiness. He was too good looking and it wasn't fair to us ordinary looking people. Why did God have to pick favorites? Why couldn't he just look normal? Why did he have to be so hot?

     Looking over at the digital clock, I sighed, seven more hours till school starts. It didn't look like I was going to get much sleep so I should do something to pass the time, or tire myself at least. I pulled the covers back and stepped out into the frigid air to my bookshelf. Grabbing the copy of Warm Bodies Marshall got me, I turned on the bedside lamp and wrapped myself up in my blankets again. I opened the cover to see Marshall's little note again and smiled to myself, flipping to the first page.

     I ended up reading the book cover to cover, and still had about an hour left until I had to get up. I was exhausted and my eyes were tired so I thanked the heavens for that hour and slept my heart out.

<<<<<>>>>>

Fionna, Cake, and I were trotting along the path to school in the cool morning air. The girls were skipping and making jokes while I slugged behind them, too tired to care.

"Hey, Gumball, you okay dude? You look... Terrible," Fionna said cautiously while her and Cake faced me.

"Yeah I'm fine, just tired that's all...And thank you, Fionna," I said sarcastically to her and continued walking ahead of them.

"You sure you're okay, sugar? Did something happen to you?" Cake hugged me from behind.

"I'm fine, I promise. Nothing happened, I just didn't get enough sleep last night. I'll be okay though," I gave her a reassuring smile.

"Alright, baby. As long as you're okay," she gave me a loving squeeze before skipping along to Fionna's side. I was lucky to have such caring friends like them.

We reached the school in no time and dispersed to our classes. During homeroom I ended up falling asleep on my desk while listening to the morning announcements. It was so nice sleeping, I almost forgot I was at school. I was suddenly awoken my loud smack on my desk. I jolted up and saw Mr. Ricardio looming over me, a ruler firmly gripped in his hand. His face was red with anger, but his features slowly changes into a creepy smirk.

     "Barnaby... Sleeping in class, I see. How naughty of you," his smirk grew as his eyes began to study me like I was his prey, "you do know what happens to naughty students, don't you?" He slowly got closer and closer to my desk, almost standing right next to me. Just then I realized that there was nobody in the classroom; just me and Ricardio. As he leaned down to my ear, I could feel his hot breath on my neck which caused me to shiver in disgust.

     "They get punished." His voice was low and dangerous and his breath now burned my neck from its heat. His face was was so close to mine which made me highly uncomfortable. His breath smelled like artificial cherries, kind of like the bitter medicine you took as a kid. I wanted to move away but my body was frozen in fear of what he might do.

Just as I felt something wet against my neck, I jolted up out of my seat and grabbed my bag, "uh... I have to go..." And before he could say anything else I sprinted out the door and down the hallway. Oh my glob! I thought as I ran to my second period class. What in the heck just happened!?

After the incident with Ricardio, I was definitely awake by now. I'll be sure to never fall asleep in class again.

It was now fourth period and I was chatting with Cake about what happened whilst baking cupcakes in Mrs. Trunks class. That's ironic... Cake... Cupcakes... Whatever.

"Wait, so you're tellin' me that that nasty man almost raped you!?" Cake whisper-shouted, sass in her voice.

"No!! Don't say that, Cake. You know how I feel about that word being thrown around like that," I scolded her as I pulled out the pan from one of the ovens nearby, "I'm not saying what he did was okay, but it wasn't rape either." Cake let out a huff and followed behind me back to our small kitchen area. I set the hot pan on a trivet to cool and slid off my oven mitts.

"Yeah yeah whatever, but he threatened to punish you... Like sexually! And even put his filthy tongue on you!" Cake tried to argue.

"Yes, Cake, I was there..." I added, irritated, and turned to face her fully, "Look I'm not trying to fight about this. All I want to know is what you think I should do about it."

Cake sighed and leaned her back on the shiny countertop, "Well, you should probably talk to the principle or somethin'. I mean, shouldn't she know what to do? She must have to deal with stuff like this sometimes. Teacher harassment and jazz like that."

I turned back to the cupcakes, "yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks, Cake."

She hugged my side lovingly, "no prob, sugar... Now, enough of this sad talk! Let's ice some cupcakes!!" I laughed at her sudden mood change.

Cake and I were the first "team" done in the class to make the required dozen cupcakes and clean our small kitchen. Mrs. Trunks tried one and instantly fell in love with it saying, "the flavor was simply heavenly." Of course I knew that, It was my recipe! We were awarded with five extra-credit points for being the first team to finish the task.

     After the class ended, Cake and I headed off to lunch. We were the first ones at our table, but the rest of our group filed in soon after. Fionna was the last one to join us, who ran over frantic and hat-less.

     "Guys! Something terrible happened!" She exclaimed, "I lost my bunny hat!"

     We all gasped in shock. Everyone in the school knew that the bunny hat was Fionna's most cherished possession. It was her thing. But only few know the story behind it. That has was the last thing her mother gave to her before she set off on a long expedition to a far away jungle in some other country. Fionna never saw her mom again, so the hat was very special to her. 

     "Where did you have it last, baby?" Cake asked the distressed blonde.

     "Well, I shoved it in my bag during homeroom, cause you know, no hats in the classrooms, and then when I went to put it back on for lunch, it wasn't there! I don't know where it would be, I looked everywhere!" Fionna slumped down in her seat, frowning.

"Well, did you retrace you're steps? It might still be in a classroom somewhere. Or maybe lost and found?" I suggested.

She sighed before mumbling, "I told you, I looked everywhere." Flame patted her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. She gave him a small smile in return.

"That really sucks, Fi. Hope you find your hat," said a deep voice from my right. We all looked over to see Marshall sitting nonchalantly in the chair next to me, feet propped up on the table.

"Marshall? What are you doing here?" I asked, shocked by his presence.

He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms behind his head, "oh you know, just chillin. I had nothin else better to do, so I decided to grant you all with my presence," he replied coolly with a hand gesture, "and because I need to talk to you, gummy boy." Marshall slapped his arm over my shoulders and pulled me to him. I automatically blushed and pushed him away. For a second I saw a small frown on his face, but it was quickly replaced with a smirk.

"Mhm... 'Talk'." Flame joked, making quotations with his fingers. This time Marshall blushed and rolled his eyes.

"Whatever." He stood up, looking down at me, "c'mon, Bubs. You don't need these dorks." He started walking off. I glanced at the table once more before grabbing my bag and jogging after Marshall. I could feel their glares from the back of my head as I followed my crush to the music room down the hall. Upon entering, I noticed that Marshall's desk wasn't empty anymore. There was a unorganized stack of papers with various music notes and lyrics on them, a mug full of different writing utensils, and some typical office supplies.

I looked around the spacious room for a minute before asking, "So, what did you want to talk to me about? Is something wrong?" It wasn't odd for Marshall to do this, it was just rare. Not often did he pull me aside to talk to me about something, so this meant whatever he needed to say was important.

"Oh, nothing's wrong. I just really needed to get something off my chest." Marshall's demeanor changed completely. His shoulders were slouched and his hand was scratching the back of his neck. He also had a slight blush displayed across his cheeks.

"Well, what is it?" I asked, concerned.

"Uhm... I've been thinking a lot lately... About, this person... I couldn't even sleep last night because I was thinking about them." I guess Marshall had the same problem as me. "And uh... I actually ended up writing a song about them. I doubt it's any good, but uh... It came from the heart. It means a lot to me, just like this person does." Marshall averted eye contact with me and stared at the ground while he spoke. Who is this person he keeps referring to? "I like this person a lot, and they mean the world to me. I don't know what I would do without them. I think I love them... At first it wasn't romantically, it was in like a best friend kind of way, and it still is. But now... Now that I really think about it, I think I really do love them; romantically," he mumbled and finally looked into my eyes.

     Was he trying to break my heart right now? I mean seriously!? Did he really just bring me here to talk about some person? How could he be talking about someone like this when just the other night he tried kissing me!? I actually thought he liked me back. What am I to him, some game? I've dropped so many hints that I like him, and here he goes loving some other person! I cannot believe this right now. Oh, I was angry now, but of course I wasn't going to show that to him... He is my best friend after all, I should just be supportive. That's all he wants right? I'll be happy as long as he's happy, that's what love is, right?

     I cleared my throat. "Oh, I see. W-what is this person like?" My vision started to blur with tears, but I quickly blinked them away before he could notice.

     Marshall looked down again and smiled to himself. "Where do I even begin? They're just so... Perfect. Everything about them is just beautiful." I hate this person already. But I have to keep listening. "Their hair is so soft looking, always styled perfectly. And their face... The definition of perfection. Gentle features with soft lips and a cute nose... And eyes that just... Sparkle like a million different night skies. I could just stare into them forever." He closed his eyes with that stupid grin. It was as if dreaming about this person. I hate him. And whoever he's dreaming about. I took this opportunity to flip him off while he wasn't looking. But I quickly put my arm down. That was mean, and I don't hate him. I don't hate anyone... Hate is a strong word.

     Marshall didn't talk so I decided to budge in. "They sound... Great. I bet they're nice."

     His eyes opened as his smile widened. "Oh trust me, they're the nicest person I've ever met. They're so polite to everyone they meet, even if they don't like them." Marshall's smile got smaller as he spoke more seriously. "And they've just... Always been there for me, you know? I tell them everything...They know me better than I know myself."

     Great! Now this person knows Marshall better than I do!? I thought I was the only one he trusted enough to tell everything to. Now I'm pissed. Does he really not know that I like him? I've tried my hardest to get him to notice my feelings for him. I guess someone else beat me to him... I felt a lone tear slid down my cheek. I wiped it away angrily, hoping he didn't see it. I need to find out who this person is.

     "Who are you talking about?" I asked, making sure it didn't sound too threatening or demanding.

     Marshall stared into my eyes for a moment before walking up to me slowly, not breaking eye contact. His eyes showed a look of longing. The man before me smiled slightly and grabbed a hold of my hands.

     "Barnaby..." He paused for a moment, preparing himself to reveal the name of his crush. The way he stared at me was making me uncomfortable. He looked like he was getting lost in my eyes. Was he looking at me? Or was he just seeing his love? He spoke again, but softer, "it's you."

My eyes widened. This must be a joke. There was no way! I started choking on air and stepped away from Marshall.

"Are you okay?" Marshall asked concerned. My coughs turned into cackles as I wrapped my arms around my stomach. He looked at me confused.

"Hahaha! Oh man! You're funny, heh, but really tell me who you like," I laughed. He must be joking.

"I already told you, it's you. I like you. A lot." He sounded serious.

"Marshall, come on, this isn't funny anymore. Just tell me who you like, I won't judge."

"Ugh! IT'S YOU! I LIKE YOU, BARNABY GUMBALL!" He shouted, startling me and even himself. He was definitely frustrated now. "Sorry I yelled... Why won't you just believe me? Let me prove it to you. I'll sing you that song I wrote." He went over to his guitar that was leaning against the piano and picked it up. As he was setting the strap over his shoulder, I walked over and sat on a stool in front of him. He leaned against the piano and checked the guitar for correct tuning.

He closed his eyes and began strumming, singing words in a soft voice.

"Cold as ice.
And more bitter than a December
winter night.
That's how I treated you-oh.
And I know that I
sometimes tend to lose my temper.
And I cross the line
Yeah that's the truth." His voice became more confident as he got a feel for the song.

"I know it gets hard sometimes, but I could never leave you're side, no matter what I say.

'Cause if I wanted to go I would've gone by now, but, I really need you near me, to, keep my mind of the edge.
If I wanted to leave I would've left my now, but you're, the only one that knows me
Better than I know myself." Once the chorus hit, you could almost hear his feelings pour out of him. He sang at a greater volume and the way he held the high note at the end was heavenly. He continued singing at a lower volume.

"All along,
I tried to pretend it didn't matter
if I was alone.
But deep down I know-oh
if you were gone
for even a day I wouldn't know which
way to turn
'cause I'm lost without you.

I know it gets hard sometimes, but I could never leave you're side, no matter what I say."

He sang the chorus again, his eyes scrunched shut. I watched in astonishment as he belted out the lyrics and played his guitar all at the same time. He was so talented, I bet he could play almost any instrument blind-folded, behind his back, and upside down.

The next part of the song he sang quietly. His eyes were still shut but his features were softer.

"I get kinda dark.
Let it go too far.
I can be obnoxious at times, but try and see my heart.
'Cause I need you now, so don't let me down, you're only thing in this world that I, I would die without." His face changed again as he sang the chorus another two times. He finished the song on a high note and strummed a few more cords before opening his eyes and setting the guitar down. Marshall looked up at me. I didn't even know I was crying until he commented on it.

"Woah, you're crying. Was it really that bad?" He half-joked.

"Huh? Oh, no of course not!" I ran up and hugged him, the force making him stumble back a little. I sniffled and said, "I loved it." Marshall chuckled and wrapped his arms around my waist, squeezing me gently.

"Do you believe me now?" He whispered into my hair. I pulled away from the hug and looked at him.

"Yes, I believe you," I smiled, "I like you too, Marshall. A lot." He grinned widely and practically giggled, burying his blushed face in my neck and hugged me even tighter. This man is going to be the death of me, I swear.

     We hugged for a few moments before Marshall pulled away, his hands on my hips. We looked into each other's eyes lovingly. His eyes were enticing, and as cheesy as it sounded, one would most definitely get lost in his eyes. I for one, surely did. Just as Marshall started to lean in, a loud dinging interrupted our moment. He sighed and let his hands go.

"Always gotta be somethin, huh? Well, you better get going, don't wanna be late for your next class."

"Yeah... I'll see you later, Marsh." I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder.

"Bye, Bubs," he winked.

>>>>><<<<<

The rest of my classes went by as slow and boring as usual, but thank glob it was time for Marshall's class. The gang and I were all walking through the halls, laughing and joking around. The music room was in a pretty secluded part of the school, not many students needed to walk down the Music Hall. No one was really into the musical arts anymore. There were barely any lockers, and four large classrooms for Band, Orchestra, Choir, and the all around Music Room, aka Marshall's class. It was kinda spooky down here, considering the other three rooms were abandoned now since the original music teacher, who ran all four rooms, was now fired.

     Just as we were about to enter the room, we were all stopped by the beautiful sound of a grand piano. There was a tune being played, it didn't sound familiar to any of us. It was slow and kind of sad, but it was beautiful nonetheless. I peered inside the door's slim window to find Marshall sitting in front of the shiny, black piano. His long fingers moved gracefully along the black and white keys. I opened the door very slowly, making sure it wouldn't disrupt Marshall's playing. We snuck in the room quietly, not daring to make a noise. We watched in awe as he played, surely none of us could play like that.

Marshall stopped playing and said, "I know you're all watching watching me, you don't have to be sneaky about it," in a monotone voice, his back still facing us.

"How'd you know we were in here?" Fionna asked, plopping down next to Marshall on the piano bench. He smirked and turned to her.

"Because I know everything." He said matter-of-factly as he stood up and turned to the rest of us. He opened his mouth, about to speak, when Fionna hopped up and interrupted him.

"Do you really know everything?" Fionna asked in genuine curiosity. All we could do was roll our eyes at her gullibility.

     "Of course. Now shut up and listen," Marshall said sternly. "Today I thought we could do something fun. We've all had a long, boring day, and what better than to kick back, relax, and chill out to some songs." The room erupted in 'woot's and 'yeah's along with some high fives. After what happened to me earlier today with Ricardio, I definitely needed some relaxing time. "But! There's a catch... You all have to sing the songs yourselves!" He laughed evilly. Oh great... Just what I need, to embarrass myself in front of everyone.

     Most of us groaned and complained but Marshall continued talking, "Shut up, it'll be fun! This is for a grade so I would recommend participating."

<<<<<>>>>>

"I am the fire. I am the light, the light, the light, the light, the light, the light!" Flame finished singing as the song came to an end. The class clapped as he sat back in his chair next to Fionna.

"Good choice, Flame. The song suits you well." Marshall commented.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Flame glared at Marshall, who in return smiled teasingly.

"You know... The light... You're name's Flame... Fire...?"

"Oh. That's stupid."

"Whatever... Anyways!" Marshall stood and looked at his clipboard. "Bubba. You're the last one left to sing. What do you wanna do?" Marshall looked at me and smiled, expecting an answer. The class's eyes fell on me as I began to think of something easy to sing. I really didn't want to do this... There's a reason why I'm going last, I'm not comfortable with singing in front of people.

Marshall sensed my discomfort and added, "Just pick any song you know. The first one that comes to mind. We won't judge you Bubbs, we're all friends. I mean look at Fionna, she completely embarrassed herself up here!" Marshall joked.

"Hey! I thought I did good." Fionna frowned and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Calm down, I'm kidding. You did fine, just like Bubba's gonna do, right guys?" Everyone then gave me reassuring words, which made me feel a lot better. With newfound confidence, I stood up from my seat on the riser and stood next to Marshall on the floor.

"Iris, by The Goo Goo Dolls."

Marshall smiled, "Nice pick. I'll get it set up." He wrote a check next to my name on the clipboard and walked pulled up the song on his laptop. Once everything was set, he asked if I was ready. I took a deep breath and nodded. Marshall pressed play and went back to his seat next to Phoebe. Music started playing from the speakers and I prepared myself, saying 'I can do this' in my head a few times. When my part came, I closed my eyes and sang the lyrics.

     "And I'd give up forever to touch you
Cause I know that you feel me somehow.
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't wanna go home right now..." As I  continued singing, I stopped thinking and worrying and just let the music come out of me. During the chorus I had gained more confidence and finally opened my eyes. Everyone's eyes were on me, but it didn't bother me anymore. I could see Marshall staring at me with a grin on his gorgeous face, and that was enough to boost my confidence through the roof.

     "And you can't fight the tears that ain't comin
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything feels like the movies
Yeah, you bleed just to know you're alive

     And I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am..." I ran my hand through my hair as I sang the chorus two more times, emotions clear in my voice.

     "I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am." The song ended and I smiled. The classroom erupted in applause and Marshall ran up to me, grabbing my by the waist and spun me around a few times before setting me down and hugging me tightly.

     "That was amazing! I forgot how good you are!" Marshall exclaimed, his hands on my shoulders. I smiled widely at him.

     "Thanks, I can't remember the last time I sang like that," I laughed.

     "Gumball! I didn't even know you could sing! Who knew?" Fionna chimed, hugging me tightly.

     "I did," Marshall smiled, "he's fantastic, isn't he?" He winked at me. I smiled back at him

     "Totally! You might just be better than Marshall!" He glared at the blonde, who just smiled.

     "No way, I wouldn't say I'm better than him. I don't think anyone can say that," I laughed.

     "Damn straight. And I 'll make sure they won't be able to say it. Nobody's better than me," Marshall smirked and crossed his arms. Fionna and I rolled our eyes at him.

     For the rest of the class we just sat around and talked. Once the dismissal bell rang, everyone said their goodbyes and left, except for Marshall. I stayed behind and waited for him as he put on his jacket and slung his guitar on his back. He turned around and jumped a little when he saw me.

"Oh, I didn't think you'd still be here," he laughed, "scared me..." I laughed and walked with him out of the room.

"Sorry, I was waiting for you."

"Waiting for me, eh? Why's that?" He raised his eyebrow at me.

"Cause I wanna," I smiled, "plus I kinda need a ride, if you don't mind, that is."

"Sure thing," he smiled. We walked out of the building and through the parking lot to reach a black, shiny, expensive looking car. He unlocked the doors and we put our stuff into the back seat.

"You have a car? What happened to your motorcycle?" I asked once we were seated inside the fancy car. How did he afford this?

"Simone is letting me borrow this beauty for a while. I still have the bike, she just doesn't want me riding it all the time. Says it's "too dangerous" and something about how she wants me to be safe, I don't know, but I'm not complaining. This car is fucking awesome." He shrugged and started the car.

"Ohh."

"So, where to? Your house, right?" Marshall asked me, turning the car onto the road.

"...How about your house?"

"My house?" He questioned, glancing at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I haven't been there in forever. And I wanna see Schwable." I smiled, thinking about his adorable pet cat.

"Hm... Alright. Onward we go then!" Marshall stated in a classy, Englishman's accent that made me laugh. He continued saying silly things in the stupid accent all the way to his house, both of us dying of laughter at who knows what anymore.

<<<<<>>>>>

Hello. It's been a while. I know. I'm a shitty human being. I apologize for not updating for months, I don't have any excuses... Other than I'm extremely lazy. ☹️
✍🏻Anyways... I have so many fanfic ideas for other stories I could write, but I don't know how good that'd end up, I can barely update this one on time lmao.
I had an idea for one where Marshall is a father. I've only seen about 2 like that. I think it'd be interesting to write... And I also had one for when Marshall was a kid and met Simone and his about life after that. And some other random oneshot ideas. ✍🏻
💥👇🏻Comment if you'd like to see another book come from me and maybe I'll write it👇🏻💥

SONG CREDS:
🎧Better than I know myself by Adam Lambert🎧
🎼The Light by Adam Lambert 🎼
🎤Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls🎤

Thanks for reading, as always!
See Ya in the next chapter! ❤️👋🏻