Bubbles fell into her seat rubbing her arm, she always got banged up in the hallway and she knew she would have a bruise forming soon.
"Are you okay Bubbles?" Blossom asked sitting next to her sister.
"Fine, but I need to put some X cream on my arm." Bubbles said. X cream was a concoction Blossom had made in the lab for Bubbles that hadn't been released to the public but would be debuting in China next year. It cleaned wounds, reduced swelling, made bruises inexistent, and was pretty much an upgraded first aid kit in a tube. Before x cream Bubbles was always covered in bruises from the bullying she endured during the school year.
People piled into the science lab, Brute and Brat, the other two members of the Power Punk Girls made a point of making a grossed out face as they passed the girls and a few people giggled at the girl's suspense.
"Everyone shut up." Mr. Calisto said banging his clipboard on the edge of the counter. " New year lets jump right in." He said absentmindedly marking off names on his roster. He motioned for a kid in the front to pass out a pile of papers and when they got to Bubbles he dropped the paper 'accidentally'.
"Who you are next to right now is your lab partner for the rest of the year so you better like 'em. Today we are starting off with—" The door opened abruptly and the whole class turned their heads in synchronization.
"You're…" Brat jumped up and ran to the door (everyone else knew better than to get up in Calisto's class.) "Ow!" She slumped back to her seat when Calisto threw an eraser at her. "How hasn't he been fired?" Brat mumbled under her breathe.
The scene hadn't drawn anyone's attention away from the door. Bubbles stared at the door intently. Two tall guys stood in the doorway looking bored.
"You must be Butch and Brick." He said marking off their names. "You'll need partners-" At this there was an uproar but Calisto made a stony face at the class and they all but shut up. "And lucky for you I have my two best students in this class." Bubbles didn't see Blossom tear her eyes away from the boys and shake her head with a 'please don't do this to me face', she remained blissfully unaware for a few more seconds until he said "Brick you have Blossom (Raise your hand Blossom). Butch you have the blonde."
Butch approached Bubbles with a bored face and looked her over making it clear he pitied her. Suddenly she felt self-conscious like she hadn't done since her first time dressed as Bonnie. She was wearing a fuzzy purple sweater with a top hat and monocle on it she had gotten for Christmas after she lost Octi, it was ratty and too big for her to ever fit, going down to her thigh and covering her hands completely. In order to get full use of her hands she had to push the sleeves back and even then they constantly slipped back down. Her hair was hanging messily in her face and her giant glasses kept slipping down her nose. It was all so no one could recognize her, but suddenly it was embarrassing. SHe liked big sweaters and never thought too much about her hair anymore but she could feel Butch's judgement.
Butch was a tall guy with raven hair and stunning green eyes that spelled trouble. He sat in a way that told Bubbles he thought he was better than her and though it infuriated Bubbles the other girls were eating it up. He dressed like a wannabe rebel. His posture said "I don't care what you think" but his 200 dollar shoes said otherwise. He was in limited edition Doc Martins and pants that were pre-ripped.
They started setting up the test tubes to work with the chemicals Butch didn't say a word to her. He made show of ignoring her in favor of flirting across the room with Brute.
Blossom set up the test tubes alone and tried not to look at Brick too much, she could hear whispers from around the room.
"They're in that band right?"
"The Rowdy Ruff Boys? It is them!"
"I wonder if he would give me his autograph."
"I wonder if he would give me his dick?"
"What?"
"What? I'm joking."
It unnerved Blossom to be next to Brick she wondered if he had been to any of their shows. If he had then he might recognize them. But maybe the Rowdy Ruff Boys didn't pay any attention to girl bands. Blossom stressed out quietly and did her work, not even noticing when he spoke to her.
"What?" She asked dumbly.
"What are we doing?" He asked again.
"Oh um…" Brick stared at her with his scarlet eyes looking skeptical again.
Bricks hair was red and purposely messy. Just long enough to peak out from under his red hat, it curled slightly at the nape of his neck and around his face. He smirked every time he caught a girl staring at his toned arm muscles. Blossom made sure to avert her eyes to keep from giving him the satisfaction.
"If you're gonna be useless then at least be pretty." He whined under his breathe. Then he snatched the directions from Blossom and began to read it.
"Measure 8 milliliters of this." Blossom growled through gritted teeth before curtly pushing a graduated cylinder in front of him. He gave her another annoyed look but complied when he saw how red and angry her face was. It went on like this for the rest of the period. She gave him directions and he complied though his attitude never improved.
. . .
"She seemed socially impaired." The guys said at the same time when they piled into their limo after school.
"Wait who-?" Asked Boomer looking between his brothers. "I'm talking about that Billie Uranium chick."
"Bonnie Uranium." Said Butch.
"Belle Uranium." Said Brick. "Then it's true. Princess told me that they were mentally disabled triplets."
"Brat told me that they're homeless and that's why no one knows where they live and they all dress like they got their clothes from a dumpster." Said Boomer.
"That's believable." Commented Butch remembering the ugly purple sweater that swallowed Bubbles. "But any news other than those freaks."
"You guys met the Power Punk Girls right."
"They were so fangirly. "Boomer observed.
"It hurts to be around them all they talk about is the Power Puff Girls. I don't need any more reminders that we keep losing to them and looking at those Puff wannabes is not helping." Brick seethed.
"I know exactly what you mean." Butch added his face looking like he was having war flashbacks.
"Well we're second on the charts right now and as soon as we finish the new song I have no doubt that we'll be first." Said Boomer.
"The one we have yet to start?" Brick asked.
"Yeah." He said weakly. "That's the one."
"Well we came here for inspiration so all we have to do is get inspired, write a love song."
"Doesn't that require being in love." Brick countered pessimistically.
"There are girls everywhere pining to get with us. Pick one." Butch said.
"That's easy to say but all the girls I saw today reminded me of the PPG." Brick whined.
"Find a nice brunette." Butch laughed.
"Have you looked around? With the Punks running the school every chick in this school has dyed their hair to try and fit in." Brick countered.
"I'm sure you can find someone." Butch said turning to look out the window. The car was turning up a winding road. He knew his dad had called in a favor with a friend to get them a place to stay on short notice while their house was being built but he didn't know who. "Where are we going?" He asked the driver as the tip of a large white mansion came into view.
"The Utonium Mansion. It's the biggest in the city." Answered a voice.
"Wait what? Like as in the Power Puff Girls?" Brick asked suddenly involved.
"The very same."
"I didn't know they lived here." Boomer started but his voice drifted off when the full magnificence of the Utonium Mansion came into view. Giant gates with an x in the middle opened up to a long drive way that led to a giant geometric mansion with three circular windows in the front. Greenery lined the bottom of the house and a small square came out of the first large one. It was simplistic but the sheer size of it was amazing.
"So much money, I thought it would be more detailed." Brick said as the limo stopped in front of a clear red door that reflected light beautifully but didn't show what was happening inside. Instead shapes and blobs of colors shimmered and moved on the doors surface. It opened and an unspectacular looking man came out. He had black hair and wore a lab coat. He greeted them with a smile.
"You must be the Rowdy Ruff Boys." He said. "I'm Professor Utonium, nice to make your acquaintance. My girls are anxious to meet you." The professor said unsure about the word anxious. Then he moved aside and three girls came into view inside the doorway.
First was a blonde with low pigtails behind her delicate shoulders. She wore a dress with a hoodie and emitted this strange aura of innocent fun like a child would. Her light blue eyes seemed to encase the universe. Butch wondered if it was his imagination or if her smile really did waver for a moment when she met his eye.
"I'm Bubbles." She said hopping down the steps lightly to come greet the boys.
"Blossom." Said a red-head that had a ponytail of stick straight perfect hair hanging down to her thigh. She stepped gracefully down the steps after her sister with hands held behind her back. Every step was precise like she had practiced them daily. Brick thought her posture said it all. She was taunting him. She thought she was better than him.
"Buttercup." The last girl stated following her sisters unenthusiastically. She was dressed like she had just worked out and had nothing but a glisten of sweat on her skin. She stopped next to the other girls looking exasperated and mad like the trouble of walking down those few steps had killed her. "Nice to meet you." She grunted.