Summertime Sadness
~Hello everyone. I'm Allie for those of you who haven't read my stories before. I had an idea for a one-shot featuring the couple of Brick and Blossom. This is based off of my favourite song by my favourite artist, so I hope you all enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing it :) ~
Summary - "The truth is," Blossom began. "I honestly didn't expect to get this attached to you." Proof that goodbye's are never forever. Song-fiction.
Disclaimer - I do not own the Powerpuff Girls, or anything related. I do not own the song, the wonderful Lana Del Rey does.
Kiss me hard before you go,
Summertime sadness.
I just wanted you to know,
That, baby, you're the best.
It was on a Saturday night that Blossom Utonium found herself switching her comfortable pajama shorts and her thought provoking book for a stunning red dress and a handbag full of makeup. She stood before her full body mirror and examined herself. She stared at her reflection, a small smile lighting up her youthful face as she applied her sticky, cherry-tasting lip gloss. As the years had flown by, Blossom had grown into quite a beautiful young woman. Her sunset orange hair was still as long as ever, reaching the tip of her thin waistline. Her soft pink eyes, framed by short lashes, seemed to sparkle brighter. And her now porcelain skin was smooth to the touch.
Just as the eighteen year old began tying her hair in a messy bun, she heard a hasty knock at the door. Her smile only grew wider as she anticipated who was behind the painted red, oak door. Blossom hurried her way over to answer -giving up all pretense to do something about her hair- and opened the door to reveal her boyfriend of three years. The first thing that caught her eye was the bouquet of salmon coloured Zinnia flowers, her favourite selection.
"Wow, these are beautiful."
Finally she allowed herself to catch her boyfriend's eye. Standing before her, looking his finest in an Italian made suit, was Brick Jojo. He seemed uncomfortable, probably thanks to the full black suit and choke-worthy red tie. It wasn't often that Brick made an effort to look nice but then again, this was a special day.
Blossom smiled as she seized Brick up, almost laughing as she caught sight of the fancy loafers on his feet. It was taking every ounce of self-control she had to stop herself from giggling contiguously at the sight of her boyfriend. Although she had to admit that he did look dashing. She reached out and snatched the flowers from his hand, looking down at them with a certain affectionate gleam in her pink champagne-esque eyes. Blossom placed the stunning flowers onto the side-table beside the door before once more turning her attention to the man in front of her.
"You look.." Brick paused. He chuckled with a shake of his head, unable to find the perfect word to describe just how bewitching Blossom looked on this night.
"Stunning? Fabulous? Insanely gorgeous?" Blossom suggested. "Take your pick."
Brick grinned boyishly. "How about all of the above?"
"Well you look stunning, fabulous and insanely gorgeous too." Blossom smiled sweetly, leaning forward and placing a chaste kiss on Brick's cheek.
He extended his hand to Blossom and she took it instantly, allowing him to guide her out of her home. As her feet reached the ground outside, she spun herself around and closed the door behind her before locking it. She shoved her house keys into her small Gucci clutch purse before turning around and taking Brick's cold hand once more.
The couple strolled towards Brick's Merlot Chevrolet Corvette that was parked right outside of the house. Brick opened the door to the passenger seat and stepped out of the way, smiling as Blossom made her way inside. Brick walked around and let himself into the drivers seat. He closed the door and reached his hand forward to turn the radio on. Soft music began to play, adding a touch of classy romance.
Without another word, Brick Jojo and Blossom Utonium took of into the night.
I got my red dress on tonight,
Dancing in the dark in the pale moonlight.
Done my hair up real big beauty queen style.
High heels off, I'm feeling alive.
An excited laugh escaped from Blossom's curved lips as Brick spun her around over and over. Once she had finally stopped spinning and crashed back into Brick's strong, muscular arms, a wave of dizziness hit her like a bucket of bricks. She steadied herself and began moving her feet in perfect sync with his once more. The pair danced as though it would be their last. Blossom looked into Brick's blood red eyes as they moved together, the music from the car radio loud enough for them to hear.
Surrounding them was dark green grass standing tall and a large fruit tree not far off from where they were dancing. This was a wonderous place, a meadow filled with wildlife and thriving flowers. Brick and Blossom had found themselves at this particular spot more than once. It became a ritual of sorts, as this meadow was where their first date had taken place. And ever since that faithful day three years ago, the couple came here and relived the good days.
As they continued to dance, Blossom began to remember their first kiss. They had just finished their hour-long discussion on which book was better; Every Day by David Levithan or Unbearable Lightness by Portia De Rossi. Blossom won the argument. She began to tease Brick on his easiness to concede a fight, and then he kissed her just to shut her up. The kiss was soft, chaste and lasted no more than three seconds. Although as stunned as she was, Blossom pulled Brick back into her and returned the kiss that he had bestowed upon her. The second kiss was much more passionate. Their lips moved in sync with each other, both hands stuck like glue onto each other's faces, eyes rolling in the back of their heads. The pair always considered that their first real kiss, because unlike the first, it wasn't insignificant. It was magical.
Blossom placed her head into the crook of Brick's neck, smiling as she remembered the memory of their first kiss. As she swayed to the music, her floor-length maroon dress twirled gracefully around her feet. Of course this dress would not have been her first choice but she wore in anyway because -unlike Brick- Blossom actually liked to make an effort twenty-four-seven. She would always wear at least one item of red clothing during their dates because red was always Brick's favourite colour. And she did just about anything to make him smile.
The song began to slow down signaling the end of their dance. Blossom felt herself gasp in surprise as Brick twirled her once more and lay her down in his arms, dipping her above the ground. Brick smiled charmingly as he stared down at his girlfriend. Blossom laughed at her own shock. She wondered just how Brick could still surprise her even after three years. She rolled her eyes before allowing Brick to drag her back to a standing position.
"Never do that again."
Brick laughed in amusement.
Oh, my God, I feel it in the air.
Telephone wires above are sizzling like a snare.
Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere,
Nothing scares me anymore.
Kiss me hard before you go.
Summertime sadness.
I just wanted you to know,
That, baby, you're the best.
Brick stared deep into Blossom's eyes, flickering between them before his gaze rested on her lips. In an instant Blossom's hand slipped from Brick's and reached towards his face. She delicately grazed her thumb across his cheek in an affectionate manner. For a moment they stayed like this. Blossom always said that the moment leading up to a kiss was always better than the kiss itself, because it was as though their actions were saying all of the things that they were too afraid to say. And she was right. She was always right.
As the intensity of the moment caught up to them, Brick wasted no time in crashing his cold lips onto Blossom's. The auburn-haired teenager snaked her arms loosely around Brick's neck, propping herself up to return his sweet kiss. She smiled against his lips with an almost giddy expression painted on her face. For just a minute she felt light-headed. It seemed whenever Brick kissed her like this, passionately and filled with need, it always managed to knock the air out of her.
After what seemed like an eternity of being in each other's arms, the kiss ended and the pair broke apart. A small frown tugged at Blossom's pursed lips as her arm removed itself from Brick's neck and her hand once again made contact with his cheek. As she caressed him, she looked into his piercing eyes, never wanting to look anywhere else.
"I'll miss you." Blossom whispered softly, bringing the pair back to the harsh reality of what this night meant for them. While lost in the moment Brick had almost forgotten about what was going to happen. He blatantly cursed himself for allowing the moment to make him forget and trap him in a world full of nothing but this. This moment, this place, this girl.
Brick swallowed the harsh lump in his throat. He removed his hands from around his girlfriend's small form and placed both hands on either side of her warm face, watching as her eyes dulled in realisation of what day it was. He nodded slowly at her remark before leaning forward and placing a soft, sweet kiss on her forehead. Blossom bit her lower lip and leaned into him, craving the warm, secure safeness that she felt when wrapped in his arms.
I'm feelin' electric tonight,
Cruising down the coast goin' 'bout 99.
Got my bad baby by my heavenly side.
I know if I go, I'll die happy tonight.
Oh, my God, I feel it in the air.
Telephone wires above are sizzling like a snare.
Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere,
Nothing scares me anymore.
The night grew on and Blossom was sure that it could only get better. She had been so sure that Brick was trying to recreate their first date. Her first sign was when Brick had given her the pink Zinnia flowers just as he had on their first date. Her second clue was when they were at the meadow and Brick casually mentioned that he had re-read his favourite book by David Levithan the other week, purposely trying to bring up that old argument they had on that day. Her final clue was when Brick had led her into Le Riviera which just happened to be the fancy, expensive restaurant he had taken her for their first ever date. By now she was sure that he was attempting to recreate that special day.
Brick's hands tightly gripped the round, leather steering wheel of his Chevrolet Corvette -which had been an extravagant present from his brother Boomer for his eighteenth birthday- and accelerated the speed. As the couple barreled down the road with the top down, the wind rustled through Blossom's long auburn hair, sending it flying behind her. Blossom let out an excited laugh as she gazed out into the big, bright world. She stared at all of the shops and the strange people walking past before they were out of her line of sight. Townsville had never looked so beautiful than it did this evening. Blossom moved her body to the music playing from the cheap car radio, dancing while sat in her seat. Brick watched her for a moment and chuckled in amusement.
"Wow," Blossom breathed blissfully as she turned to look at her boyfriend. "I cannot remember the last time I had this much fun." She commented with bold, glimmering pink eyes.
"I told you that tonight would be a night to remember."
"I'll never forget."
Brick smiled contiguously. As they drove right past the Townsville Historical Museum, Brick placed his free arm around the back of Blossom's leather car seat, his hand resting affectionately on her shoulder. He took a good look at his girlfriend, noting how gorgeous she looked wearing his red and white baseball jacket. An hour earlier, she had mentioned that she was feeling cold so Brick managed to surprise her with his old jacket which he had stashed in the trunk of his car just in case. She loved that jacket. It always reminded her of when they were in highschool and Blossom would be sitting in the stands, cheering as Brick was out in the field, playing baseball and occasionally turning back to grin boyishly at her.
It was during a baseball game that Brick decided he wanted Blossom at every single one of his games. And this was how the story of Blossom and Brick came to be. One day once Brick's big game had ended -He had of course won by landing the final bat- Blossom ran down from the bleachers to congratulate her friend, and while all of the stuck-up cheerleaders jumped on top of their even more stuck-up boyfriends, Blossom simply patted Brick on the back and smiled. Brick then asked her the question that both had been anticapating for a while now. He asked her out for dinner. And she of course, said yes.
Kiss me hard before you go.
Summertime sadness.
I just wanted you to know,
That, baby, you're the best.
I've got that summertime, summertime sadness.
Summertime, summertime sadness.
Got that summertime, summertime sadness.
Oh, oh oh oh.
Blossom waited patiently as Brick appeared outside of the car. He opened her door for her, acting like a true gentleman. As the auburn-haired Utonium stepped out of the car she felt a hand slip into her own. A surprised squeak escaped from Blossom's lips as Brick twirled her around before slamming the car door shut. Blossom laughed contiguously, the noise like music to Brick's ears. She shook her head and rolled her eyes, unsure of why Brick had decided to be so spontaneous tonight.
"Thank you for an amazing night." Blossom spoke with a tight smile on her face.
Brick placed his hands around her waist, resting just above her waistline. He quickly leaned forward and stole a kiss from her lips, savouring the feeling of her lips on his. Brick pulled away and stared at Blossom, who had her thin eyebrow raised.
"You deserve every night to be like this." He replied softly.
Blossom frowned slightly, a million thoughts running through her mind. She knew that not every night could be like this. Not anymore. And that feeling seemed to hurt more than anything.
"I don't deserve a boyfriend like you."
Brick shook his head. "I think that it's the other way around."
Both agreed to disagree.
I think I'll miss you forever,
Like the stars miss the sun in the morning sky.
Later's better than never.
Even if you're gone I'm gonna drive.
As the night came to an end, Brick finally allowed himself to remember why tonight had been made so special. He was leaving Townsville. Stood in the airport waiting for his flight, Brick and Blossom stood side by side and stared at the wall opposite them. Both were void of words and emotion. It seemed easier to just treat this as a non-emotional experience rather than letting themselves start crying and screaming in the middle of an overly populated airport where hundreds of people could see.
Brick felt Blossom squeeze his hand tight. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, simply savouring the moment of being with her. He could feel Blossom's gaze burning into the side of his face almost begging him to look back at her. But he couldn't look at her. If he looked at her, he would be reminded of all that he was leaving behind when he left. He would remember when they became friends after declaring a truce in the fifth grade. He would remember when they took a vacation to Florida during the summer after they had just began dating and they laughed by the pool, never out of each other's arms. He would remember the first time she said those three special words to him for the very first time.
"There isn't enough time." Brick whispered, still refusing to meet Blossom's eyes.
Blossom instantly pushed herself forward and spun Brick towards her. Once their eyes met, Brick involuntary shrank back. The memories were coming back. One by one. He watched cautiously as Blossom placed her hand onto his chest just underneath his collar. She let out a sigh as she fixed his dark red tie, noticing that it was a little misplaced. Blossom's nonchalant attitude seemed far too put on but nevertheless, she continued to act as though everything was normal.
"There's never enough time," She said strongly. "But we'll be okay. I'll fly out to London whenever I can. We'll never have to be apart for too long." Her eyes met his again as she dropped his tie. Her eyes bore deep into his, as if she was trying to convince him of her statement.
Brick let out a forced chuckle. "I'll skip courses and meet up with you in front of the college."
Blossom smiled. "We'll go out for dinner and remember all of the good times."
"And I'll pay for dinner even though you'll be not-so-slyly trying to sneak the bill into your hands like you always do." Brick said sporting a cheeky grin. Blossom wasn't aware that he had noticed that. She laughed, nodding her head and pouting her lips in embarrassment.
"Then you'll sneak me up to your dorm room and I'll fall asleep beside you and then leap out of the window the next morning before anyone catches me there."
Brick grinned. "I think we can make this long distance thing work."
"Yeah," Blossom nodded boldly. "I know we can."
Kiss me hard before you go.
Summertime sadness.
I just wanted you to know,
That, baby, you're the best.
"This is the final boarding call for flight 034 to London." A monotone voice bellowed throughout the airport.
Blossom felt herself tense. A despaired frown broke out on Blossom's face as she glanced up at Brick. She tightened her iron grip on his hand, not wanting to let it go. She couldn't believe that this was it. Brick was going off to college and their relationship wouldn't be so easy anymore. The reality of the situation hit Blossom like a ton of bricks. She felt Brick's hold on her hand loosen, only making her grip harder. Brick sighed at her petty attempts to keep him standing before her. He let go of her hand and placed it on the side of her face, closing his eyes to shield himself from seeing the sad look in Blossom's pink eyes.
"You were right. There really isn't enough time." Blossom cried out, shaking her head frantically.
Brick stroked Blossom's hair affectionately. "I love you, Blossom."
She nodded whilst biting her lower lip. "I love you more."
"That's not possible."
Brick tucked a couple strands of soft auburn hair behind Blossom's ear. He reached down and pressed his lips against hers, cradling her face in his hands. Blossom returned the kiss with ease, her lips moving in perfect sync with his. For a moment they both stood rigid in each other's arms as they kissed. Brick knew he was running out of time. He had to stop this. Brick reluctantly broke their kiss, pulling away as Blossom attempted to pull him back as though she was in a trance. He kissed the top of her forehead. His lips stayed there for a moment until he noticed people making their way into the little door that lead to the plane he had to be on.
Blossom finally gave up all pretense of keeping Brick beside her. She knew that her efforts were fruitless. For the past two months she had been thinking of a way to stop him from going to college until she finally realised something. Brick had been accepted to the college of his dreams and all she could seem to think about was finding a way to keep him all to herself. It made her feel physically ill at the lengths she would go to just to be with him. It was as though his love consumed her and turned her into someone different. That was when she realised, she had to let him leave and she herself had to find that person that she used to be.
"I'll see you soon. I promise."
Brick nodded slowly. "I have to go now."
Without another word, Brick turned on his heel and began to walk away. Blossom watched him go with a bittersweet smile tugging at her lips. She hadn't said it out loud before but she was so proud of him for getting into his dream college. After all, Blossom had too, but she declined the opportunity so she could stay with Brick in Townsville. If only she had known that three weeks later, Brick would accept his opportunity.
As soon as Brick was out of view, Blossom allowed herself to frown.
"Goodbye."
I've got that summertime, summertime sadness.
Summertime, summertime sadness.
Got that summertime, summertime sadness.
Oh, oh oh oh.
Four months had passed since Brick had moved to London. As expected, he was excelling. Every paper that he handed in was marked with a giant red A. His studies were improving and he was even rather popular among the other students. The only problem was that Brick couldn't seem to get a hold of Blossom. He called her every single night, he texted, he left messages. He even tried to call Buttercup. Nothing. It was as though Blossom Utonium had fallen off the space of the earth.
Brick spent his nights thinking about the good old times. He realised that musing over the past was not doing him any good but in his view, any memory that included Blossom was worth remembering. So there he sat, on a lazy Sunday afternoon, staring at a picture of himself and Blossom. It had been taken on their final day of high school. Blossom had been complaining about how silly she looked with a graduation hat perched on top of her head. Still, she allowed herself to be photographed because Brick wanted a picture of them. He had never really thanked her for that. Brick frowned at the memory, realising that there was a lot of things he hadn't said or thanked her for.
"Brick, man," A male voice interrupted Brick's brooding. Brick looked up to see his roommate, Antonie DeMarco, smiling at him from the door. "We're all going to play football in the courtyard. Do you want to come?" The lanky brunette asked.
Without giving it any thought, Brick shook his head. He looked back down at his picture and attempted to drown out the rest of the world. Unfortunately for Brick, the rest of the world wasn't going anywhere. Antonie raised his eyebrow, glancing at the picture which he could not see properly.
"What are you doing?"
Brick blinked. "Just..thinking about the past."
With that, Antonie simply shrugged and turned to walk out of the door. The nineteen year old knew better than to disrupt Brick when he was sulking, or in better words, brooding. Brick did that a lot. Of course he had never mentioned to his best friend and roommate just who Blossom was. Even bringing up her name was becoming a chore. Just talking about her made Brick miss her even more if it was possible.
"Damn." Brick muttered. He was beginning to see stars considering how long his eyes had been pried open from staring at the photograph in his hands. He quickly stashed the photo underneath his Merlot red pillow and stepped out of bed. He began to rub his aching eyes, only making more stars appear.
Deciding that he needed some fresh air, Brick strolled out of his small dorm room. He hated that room. You could barely fit both Brick and Antonie's beds inside, never mind anything else. However the small room was the price to pay for being at such a magnificent college. Brick found that he was capable of dealing with the bad in order to maintain the good.
As he walked through the double-doors of the entrance to his college and strolled right into the thunderous rain of London, Brick suddenly felt himself missing the sweet sunshine of Townsville. It always rained here. He wondered how Antonie and his other friends could put up with it all the time, especially considering they play football in it every day. Brick's shoes became covered in mud as he wandered through the soaking wet grass. However he didn't appear to mind the rain or the dirt. The fresh air was worth it.
"Wow," A sudden voice called out. "You look terrible."
Brick froze.
For a moment he thought that his mind was playing tricks on him. He actually pondered that he might be going insane, or at least a mild case of withdrawal crazy. He quickly spun around, stepping carefully to make sure he wouldn't slip. He remained frozen in shock as he gazed upon the person before him. Blossom Utonium. She looked different, only slightly but easily noticeable. Her once waist-length auburn hair had been cut to reach her upper-arms. Rather than the sticky, cherry-tasting lip gloss she always wore, her lips were void of makeup. In fact, her whole face was. She just looked natural. And instead of the customary waist high shorts and cardigans, she was wearing a pink pull-over sweater, a pair of faded blue jeans and white Ugg boots. She was certainly dressed for London. But more importantly she was here, standing before Brick Jojo with a tight smile on her face.
Brick's eyes widened.
"You're here." He spoke, barely audible.
Instead of replying, Blossom ran towards him. She quickly through her arms around Brick. Although still shocked, Brick found himself hugging her back, his eyes still as wide as dinner plates. It took him a moment to comprehend that she was really here in front of him. He felt Blossom tear away from his arms and his eyes fell onto hers, confused red orbs meeting sweet pink. She bit her lower lip, struggling to get any words out.
"I-I'm sorry. After the first month it just hit me that you were really gone. And for a while, I was too scared to come see you because I knew that I'd have to leave you again. It took so much for me to say goodbye to you at the airport, and I didn't think I could do it again." She stuttered, fighting to blink away the tears building up in her glassy eyes.
Brick remained silent for a moment. He simply looked at her, savouring the moment of being able to actually look at her. He glanced at her now shorter hair, her naturally beautiful face and her sparkling pink eyes. He had missed all of it. He even missed the small amount of auburn freckles on her nose and the dimples on either side of her lips. He couldn't grasp that he could see it all again right before his eyes.
"Don't apologize," Brick shook his head slowly, finally finding his voice. "I'm just glad that you're here now."
All of a sudden they clashed into one another. Their cold lips moved furiously against each other, fighting for dominance. Blossom wasted no time in wrapping her arms around Brick's neck, pulling him down to deepen the already fiery kiss. They ignored the rain that poured around them, it was as though nothing else mattered but that moment.
Blossom felt Brick smiling against her lips and she mimicked his actions, trying not to grin in joy and ruin the moment. Instantly Brick's hands rested on Blossom's waist, pulling her up into the air. Blossom tore her lips from his and let out a surprised squeal as Brick spun her around. She laughed musically at Brick's actions before propping herself up by placing her hands onto his shoulders. He hadn't changed a bit, still as spontaneous as ever. Blossom giggled as Brick lowered her back onto the ground in front of him. He leaned forward and kissed her twice on the lips.
"I've missed this. I've missed us."
Brick nodded. "I have to. And just so you know, now that you're here, I'm not letting you leave."
"Oh really?"
"Yes, really." The auburn-haired eighteen year old grinned boyishly. He once again draped his arms around her, pulling her in closer to him protectively. Blossom smiled up at him, that usual look of adoration filling her eyes. She breathed out a sigh of blissful joy before placing her head on the crook of his neck. Memories of their dance four months ago flashed in her mind. She had forgotten how good it felt to just be close to him.
"The truth is," Blossom began. "I honestly didn't expect to get this attached to you."
Brick nodded slowly. "Neither did I."
As they stood there, covered in falling rain, Blossom's hand slid into Brick's for the first time in what felt like years. Their fingers intertwined and in that moment, Blossom promised herself that she would never allow herself to be away from this man for too long. Never again would they go four months without seeing each other or speaking to each other.
"You know, I really love you, Brick Jojo."
"I love you too, Utonium."
Blossom smiled to herself.
Well, there you have it. This was my first crack at a Song-fiction, so I hope it's decent. I want to thank everyone who read this, you're all angels!
Please review, it only takes seconds :)
Allie Peirce