Chapter 9: Back to reality

Blossom's POV

Suddenly, the world around me started to warp and change again. Battle outfits would flicker back to plain old T-shirts. The bullets started to take the form of dodge balls again. And Brick's hands were slowly retreating. I let out a small gasp, reaching out to hold on to him, but he was already so far away. Our fingers touched for the last time, a lingering feeling of something smooth against my forehead, before that was gone as well. The world around me started to swirl, changing from a battle scene to the gym I was in. Slowly, ever so slowly, the lights began to dim. And darkness swallowed the rest of my fantasy world.

When I came to my senses again, I was back where I started. Still in the same gym, same people, same old, same old. However, winning hadn't been a dream. Briefly, I heard the blurred voice of our teacher announcing the victory of the grade 5's. Somewhere in the distance, I could make out the sounds of cheers and whoops. I felt drowsy, like I'd just woken up. And off to the corner was Brick. Standing so that his face was concealed in the shadows, I couldn't help but wonder if it'd all just been my crazy imagination. But what if?...

Normal POV

The boys rushed towards Blossom, with the exception of the lone boy stood by the corner. All the guys clapped her back; surprise, awe, and wonder gushing through their words as they praised her. Butch and Boomer re-enacted a few of the scenes where they sniped people down, exchanging a few light-hearted insults while Brim just smiled contentedly. Blossom couldn't help but smile at their silly antics. However, whether that moment had been a dream or not was still nagging at the back of her mind. Somewhere in the darkest recesses of her brain, a small lingering hope urged her on, to find the truth. Reluctantly, Blossom left the happy scene before her to confront her premises.

Receding to the corner where Brick stood by, Blossom slowly slipped herself into the shadows, immediately engulfed in the darkness. Though she usually preferred day to night, the mood inside the shadows was actually quite comforting-soothing, almost. But back to the task at hand. Blossom let a small sigh escape her lips to alert the nearby figure. Immediately, his gaze travelled up to meet her own. As if silently conversing with himself, Brick turned his head away, refusing to let his eyes linger a moment on the girl before him. "Hey" he murmured, voice still slightly husky from adrenaline. Blossom waved her hand in a friendly gesture, "Hi." A small smile graced her lips. Brick just smirked, suddenly feeling cocky and overly confident. Immediately like always, that smirk disappeared as fast as it had appeared as he contemplated his previous actions.

This was so unlike him. He was a solitary being, never in the accompaniment of others from the opposite gender. So why was it so easy to strike up conversation? And worse, why was it so soothing to be with her? Usually, it annoyed him to extremity to even bathe in the presence of someone the opposite gender of the same age. So what was different about this girl? The way she held herself said everything; confident, humble, and wiser than her years. There was not a single girl he'd encountered like her. It made her special, and he liked that. But for what reason, he didn't know. She was like an anomaly of her own.

The silence in the atmosphere was starting to become unbearable. Quickly, to save herself from drowning in the awkwardness, Blossom gave one last friendly smile, before leaving the shadows. At least the other boys were having a good time. Even Brim had joined in with their childish banter. It was nice to see everything back to the way it was. But Blossom knew the peacefulness present before her would not last long; already, she could see herself suffering under Butch's insults and Brim's coldness. Blossom put on a small smile. It might not last forever, but she might as well enjoy the moment. And so she made her way to join in on the fun; after all, she wasn't one for missing out.

The next day, Blossom arrived at school, early as always. Bubbles and Breve were in deep conversation about who knows what (probably the latest fashions), and Buttercup was sat all alone, eyeing the giggling pair with envy. Deciding that her best course of action would be to sit next to Buttercup, Blossom prepared herself for a barrage of insults and obscenities. That was typical I-was-sick-now-leave-me-alone Buttercup. Otherwise, she was a bright ball of energetic fire. "Go away." Buttercup murmured through her arms, her words proving ineffective against Blossom. Blossom stayed put. She placed a reassuring hand over Buttercup's back. Said girl just groaned. If Blossom hadn't known Buttercup better, she might have thought she was annoyed. But in reality, that's just her own way of a silent thanks.

"Wanna tell me about it?" Blossom offered, "..." Buttercup shuffled a bit, something Blossom had grown to realize meant Buttercup had taken up her offer. "I can't believe I missed the most important game of my life!" As Buttercup continued to rant on about how unfair it was that she of all people should miss out on the tournament, Blossom let her thoughts drift elsewhere. A few tables away from her, the boys were cracking up so crazy (probably perverted) jokes about people being in labour. She almost couldn't resist the urge to roll her eyes; boys will be boys. But at the same time couldn't help the soft snicker that escaped her lips. Okay, we know she's mature and all but really, who doesn't enjoy a guy joke here and there?

As Buttercup raged on, Blossom secretly listened in on the jokes exchanged by the boys every now and then. After a good while, Blossom hadn't notice that Buttercup had already finished her complaints. This time, when she turned to look at the guys, she came into accidental eye contact with Brick. As pink met red, an awkward tension developed through the air. It was like no one else mattered anymore. Blossom could see the usual monotony running through his eyes, but under that thick sheen, there were more emotions underneath; some so deep, she couldn't bring herself to understand it all. When she finally snapped out of her stupor, she realized that Buttercup had been trying to get her attention for the past minutes. When she looked back, Brick had already turned around.

A slight look of concern made its way on Buttercup's face. Blossom shot her a reassuring smile. Deep in those green eyes of hers, Blossom could see slight doubt forming at the corners of her orbs. That was Buttercup for you; hotheaded, but caring and protective. It was a side of Buttercup that only Blossom saw all too often. Blossom swiveled around to view the rest of the class better. Unlike their lonesome duo, everyone else was in groups of three or more. Blossom let out a wistful sigh. Sometimes, though she enjoyed Buttercup's company and cherished every moment she had of it, she just wished that she could be more open to everyone. But it was kind of hard with the guys being mean douchebags and the girls just not wanting to get involved with her. She might be smart, but that doesn't really get you anywhere in terms of popularity. Blossom shook her head, quickly ridding herself of these ridiculous thoughts. Buttercup was her one true friend, and she'd always stand by her side no matter what.

Blossom turned back to Buttercup. Happiness was now etched into her features, but for what reason, Blossom didn't know. Pretending like she never noticed it, Blossom started to chat with Buttercup and before they knew it, 5 minutes had already passed by and class was ready to start. First up was English. That was easy enough; Blossom had a natural born talent when it came to English. Buttercup; not so much.

When she was finished, Blossom made her way to hand in her paper, but somewhere deep in her mind, a nagging doubt told her to sit down and wait-but for what she didn't know. Her answer came soon enough. Like Blossom, Brick had also finished quite quickly and immediately handed in his paper. Blossom sighed a breath of relief. Somewhere deep inside her, she was happy to have avoided an encounter with Brick. It had gotten awkward after their last conversation.

But she really hoped they'd have more encounters in the future.

Sorry if this chapter was kind of boring, but it's supposed to set you for the next chapter. Also, sorry for the delay. I was sick, and coughing like crazy when I tried to type so I had to isolate myself from electronics so my family doesn't get sick. Hope you enjoyed it anyway! And I promise the next chapter WILL be longer.