If the girls noticed Buttercup's odd behavior, they didn't comment on it. They walked to school as normal, their green eyed sister silent as the other two talked about random things. Buttercup lost herself in her thoughts, unable to stop unconsciously scratching her hands, still feeling the blood on her hands. She hand't told her sisters what happened, just that she had taken care of it. They hadn't questioned it, knowing she was perfectly capable of handling herself. She just hoped she could get through today without incident. I have practice today, so that should help take my mind off things. The girls entered the school, splitting up for homeroom. Buttercup slouched in her seat, praying the teacher got here before anyone bothered her. Unfortunately, any luck she had must've run out yesterday, because Butch and the boys entered the class first. She sank lower and pretended to be absorbed in doodling. A shadow fell over her desk, but she still refused to look up. If I ignore it it'll go away. A tanned hand reached out and gently tugged her raven locks.
"You look good with long hair." Buttercup huffed and looked up, not surprised to see Butch hovering over her. She widened her eyes dramatically, clasping her hands to her cheeks.
"Oh gosh, thank you Butch!" She reverted to her usual disinterested scowl and shooed him away. "Now go away." Butch chuckled and let go of the piece of hair he'd wrapped around his finger.
"You actually look like a girl now, although that's not all that's changed about you..." She raised an eyebrow as she followed his gaze, cheeks warming when she realized where he was looking. She raised her arms to cover herself from his penetrating gaze, shooting daggers at him.
"Shut up! I always looked like a girl! And stop looking at me like that perv!" He grinned and leaned back, leaving her with one last comment before he went back to his seat.
"Not as girly as your sisters." Buttercup scowled and squashed the hurt that throbbed through her veins at that. It wasn't the first time she'd heard that after all.
The rest of the day passed without incident. At lunch Ayumi had finally asked why Buttercup was so quiet, but she brushed the question, mumbling an unconvincing excuse. If she had looked up, she would've seen the look shared between the rest of the girls. They let her be, knowing she'd say something if she wanted to. When the last bell rang, Buttercup raced to practice, her eyes glowing in excitement. Finally! She barely waved to her sisters before skidding to the gym, throwing the doors open and making her way inside. She greeted her teammates on her way to the locker room, changing quickly before making her way back out. She wore simple black Nike shorts and a loose off the shoulder dark green work out shirt, the words Work it written in white cursive letters across it. The top stretched across her generous chest, lifting the letters slightly. She found a corner of the gym to start her warm up stretches, humming a tune softly under her breath.
"Are you trying to seduce me?" A husky voice whispered in her ear. Whipping around she glared at the boy next to her, sighing when she realized it was just Butch.
"In your dreams. Why're you here?" Butch grinned and leaned back, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"I'm the newest member for the boys, so you'll be seeing me a lot more often Butterbabe." Aggravated at his wide Cheshire grin, she rolled her eyes and continued to stretch.
"Tell them to find someone else and choose another sport. I'm sure you'd be good at soccer or football." Butch grinned and shook his head.
"I've made the team so there's no going back now. Plus how else would I get to see you and the rest of these lovely ladies?" His expression turned sinful as his thoughts took a downward plunge. Buttercup finished the rest of her warm up and made her way over to the girls' side of the gym. "I love it when you walk away from me babe!" Buttercup's face flamed as she flipped him off, some of the girls laughing teasingly at her embarrassment.
Buttercup stopped by the store before heading home, wanting some ice cream. As she walked with her delicious treat, she let her mind wander. When she bumped into a hard chest, she snapped back to reality. Strong arms prevented her fall, but couldn't save her ice cream from plopping to the ground. She looked up slowly, apology spilling from her lips.
"Sorry about that. I wasn't looking where I was...Boomer?" He grinned politely down at her, releasing her when he saw she was steady enough.
"Hey Buttercup! Nah it's fine. I wasn't paying attention either. What're you doing out so late?" She shrugged.
"Practice. Then I got some ice cream. What're you doing out so late?" He shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Got bored at home so I thought I'd take a walk." She nodded, taking the time to study him. He had lost the baby fat, his face more mature, and while not as angled as Brick's, still fairly attractive. His eyes held a wisdom beyond his age, but something about him still irritated her. She wasn't sure what, so she brushed it off. Plus Bubbles likes him so I should play nice. She smiled politely and went to move around him, waving her goodbye. Boomer returned it and continued on his way. Buttercup made it home right as Blossom was turning off the TV, sleepily nodding at her as she dragged herself to her room. Buttercup locked the door and headed up to her own room, squeezing in a quick shower before bed. However, as the steam escaped the shower as she stepped out, moving toward the mirror, movement flickered in the corner of her eye. Turning and seeing nothing, Buttercup chalked it up to her being tired and wiped the mirror, looking at herself. Her reflection stared back at her, until suddenly the steam grew thicker and her reflection changed. It was still her, but her hair was wilder and a cruel smirk stretched across her blood red lips.
"You can keep denying it all you want, but you liked it. You liked beating that monster so badly. You basked in the blood that rained on you when you ripped off its tail! You can lie to everyone else, but you can never lie to yourself. Admit it sweet cheeks. You can fight crime and play hero with your sisters all you want, but it'll never change what you are. You're not like them after all - you're a monster." Warped, babbling laughter that sounded oddly familiar assaulted her ears as she shook her head and ran from the bathroom, curling up on her bed. She wasn't a monster! She hadn't meant to kill that monster! Her twisted reflection was right about one thing though. I'm not like my sisters... But just because she was more aggressive and rash didn't make her a monster. Right?
A big thank you to everyone reading this! I'm honestly soooooo happy I've gotten this many views on this, since I wasn't sure anyone would read it. Hopefully this slightly longer chapter will be enough to hold you guys until the next release. See you next chapter!