Boomer's Homeless Heart

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Chapter 11: Every Time You Lie

Surprisingly I managed to avoid Bubbles all day, despite the fact that she was in all my classes. She tried to speak to me all day too, but I always seemed to be triumphant in getting away from her quick enough so that I wouldn't have to explain anything. It was evident by the way that she acted around me that Blossom hadn't spoken to her yet about... Us. Or maybe Bubbles was just a really persistent girl.

"Boomer!" I groaned inwardly as I felt a pair of skinny arms wrap tightly around my torso from behind.

"Haven't I already told you to leave me alone," I asked, keeping a monotone voice, but not disguising my obvious discontent. Bubbles spun me around to face her, with an upset, but serious expression plastered on her face. Her eyes seemed to show hope, and in truth it bothered me. It was quite disturbing how much Bubbles reminded me of my late mother, and my past.

"Why do you want me to leave you alone so bad?" She exclaimed, her voice hitched as if she were going to cry. I braced myself for what I thought were to be tears, but Bubbles only continued to talk, not allowing any of the tears that brimmed her eyes to spill from her eyelids. "Did I do something wrong? No I couldn't have done something wrong since we haven't spoken to each other in a week!" I flinched back slightly as the short girl shouted at me. I expected her to be upset, but not to the extent where she'd raise her voice at me. "I thought—" Bubbles took a moment to breath and rid her eyes of the oncoming tears. "I thought you liked me..." She threw her free hand up to where her heart was before continuing, "Like how I like you." I wanted to make a mad dash right then, I would've went anywhere if it meant getting away from her.

"I thought it was pretty clear on the first day of school that I didn't and will never like your presence," I grumbled, half hoping that she didn't hear me, however also half hoping that she would take the hint and go away before I burst out in some kind of confession.

"And I thought it was pretty clear last week when we kissed that we shared mutual feelings for each other! The mutual feeling of us both liking each other," she added, cutely. Did she always have to be so damn cute all the time? God!

"Look can we just forget about that kiss? It was stupid, an in the moment kind of thing that really didn't mean anything. Okay?" Bubbles didn't nod or budge from her spot in front of me, nor did she release my jacket from her trembling fingers. She wanted to keep me from doing what I really wanted to do, run away.

"Boomer, I didn't believe in love," she started, her bangs shadowing her eyes. "I thought it was only a myth in stories and movies, that it didn't really happen in real life. But when I met you, it wasn't anything like love at first sight, but I have to say that over the short amount of time we spent together I noticed a shift in my goal. I only wanted for you to like me, and be my friend at first, but now it's more than that. I doubt it's love right now, but I do know that I really really like you. And you can't deny that you like me too, I mean that kiss—"

"Why can't you get it through your thick head that you and I will never, ever be? I don't like you and I never will so please just leave me alone."

"I don't believe you," she mumbled.

"Why are you so damn persistent on changing my mind about this?" I groaned, rubbing my temples. "It's annoying to say the least."

"Oi!" I threw a glance over my shoulder to see Butch and Brick motioning for me to get going. Unfortunately I didn't want to go home or stay there with Bubbles, who was on the verge of a meltdown. "Come on!"

"Before you go will you please look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't like me," Bubbles asked, looking up at me with those large pools that she calls eyes. "I need closure so please," she implored. It might've not seemed like much to anyone who didn't have an idea how I felt, but to me it was a very big deal. I could be a very good liar, but when you wanted me to lie to someone while looking them in the eye, not to mention someone I actually liked a clue to my lying became evident.

"I *hic* don't *hic* like you." Her fingers dropped from the fabric of my jacket.

"Bubbles!" That voice... I looked up from Bubbles' eyes to see a fast approaching Mitch. My hands, instinctively, clenched into a fist, not this guy I again, I thought.

"Boomer!" My brothers called, beckoning me over, but I really didn't feel like leaving now, because if I left than Bubbles would be alone with him.

"Hey Bubbles," Mitch chirped, happily once he reached us. "I was wondering if you..." he trailed off and turned Bubbles' face towards his own. This made me want to punch him in the face. Who did he think he was touching my girl like that? "Are you okay?" Bubbles, giving him a small smile, nodded her head, however it didn't seem like that dumb Mitch guy was buying her act because next thing I know he's glaring up at me. I only rolled my eyes, maintaining a stoic expression. "Are you sure this chump didn't do anything to hurt your feelings?" I scoffed and the next few things that escaped my throat came out unintentionally. My mouth seemed to have grown a mind of their own!

"She's only on the verge of tears because she was so happy when I asked her to the Valentine Day dance." Mitch's face fell a bit, and I could feel a smirk begin to tug at one end of my lips as I pulled Bubbles into my chest.

"But—"

"Shush, honey," I shushed, "Bye for now we've gotta go." And with that last comment I was pulling Bubbles' away from the jealous and fuming Mitch. My mission to get the two away from each other was complete.

"What was that?!" She shouted, pulling herself from my arms as her two eyebrows knitted together to form a frowny face. "One minute you're telling me you want nothing to do with me and the next you're all jealous, forcing me to go to the dance with you."

"I don't know," is all I could utter out as I began to fiddle with my fingers.

"Boomer," she started with a sigh, "do you like me or not?" Instead of replying I found myself being dragged away from the scene by my two idiot brothers. Half of me was kind of glad that happened because I really had no answer in the first place, but the other half of me was upset that that happened because now I couldn't make sure she got to her sisters, before that Mitch guy comes over again to question her judgement.

(Third Person P.O.V)

Bubbles folded her arms over her chest and breathed a sigh before making her way back to her own siblings. She couldn't understand Boomer at all nor did she understand his feelings for her. It was all just so... Complicated. Midway to where her two sister's stood, Bubbles noticed she hadn't spoken to Mitch about all this craziness yet. As Bubbles changed the course of where her feet were taking her she tried to think of something to say to him, she really had no clue. The short girl also didn't have a clue whether Boomer really wanted to accompany her to the dance or not.

Buttercup and Blossom, who'd been listening in on the whole conversation with the special earphones the Professor had constructed, looked at each other.

"That boy really needs to make up his mind," Buttercup announced. Blossom nodded.

"I totally agree. I've never seen anyone so indecisive," she mumbled. "Do you think she'll actually still allow him to take her to the dance after all that stuff he said?" Buttercup shrugged, stuffing her hands deep into her pockets.

"I do know that if he doesn't make up his mind soon I'm going to beat him to pulp!" Blossom rested a hand on the shoulder of the girl with the smoldering emerald eyes. Buttercup expected some long lecture that she'd zone out during, but got something more unBlossom like.

"Don't you mean we?" Her lips curled into an evil smile that frightened Buttercup quite a bit.

"Mitch," Bubbles called, running after the chestnut haired boy. He reeled around and Bubbles uttered a squeak seeing the dark aura that engulfed his boy.

"What do you want?" He snapped.

"I-I-I wanted to apologize," she stuttered, biting her lip and glancing down at her aquamarine flats to avoid eye contact, "for allowing Boomer to lie to you like that."

"What are you talking about," he took a step forward.

"My tears weren't because of any joy that Boomer caused me," she started, her hands flying to her heart, "it was the exact opposite actually." Mitch clenched his hands into a fist, somewhere in his heart he had felt something was wrong earlier with those two. He took another step forward as Buttercup and Blossom listened in on their conversation in curiosity. It was as if they had their own little Soup Opera, without without all the stupid commercials and TV bills.

"I swear if he hurt you again-"

"He didn't." She finally looked up from her ballet shoes to his eyes. He was taken aback by all the regret that danced in them. "I hurt myself." Now he was really perplexed. What did she mean by "I hurt myself?" Bubbles was a real enigma, but that only made him want her more. She was cute, interesting, and not as dumb as she used to be in kindergarten. He watched as she began to turn away, an angered look in her eye. He resisted the urge to ask her if she was going to the dance with Boomer or not, it just didn't feel like the right time.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow," he mumbled.

As the girl walked home in silence Buttercup debated in her head what question was safe for asking Bubbles, a question that wouldn't allow the blonde to know that she and Blossom had been eavesdropping on her private conversation. She tapped her chin thoughtfully, her feet losing sync with the ones of her sister's. It was hard to think and walk at the same time!

"Duh," she cried, hitting her head as if it was so obvious. From the corner of her eye Blossom watched the whole thing go down, she shook her head at her sister's queer actions. "Hey Bubb-" Buttercup stopped mid-sentence upon realizing that instead of obtaining the same aura that had previously engulfed Mitch Bubble had her usual air of happiness embracing her and it was kind of creepy. Even though this struck fear in the heart of the usually fearless fighter she didn't want to give up on asking her question. "Aren't you supposed to be crying?!" She snapped. "Or at least kicking trash cans or something like that?"

"Why would I do either of those things when I'm fine?" Bubbles asked, cocking her head with an innocent smile.

"I'll answer your question with one my own," Blossom interjected. "Why do you always hide your true feelings behind that smile?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Bubbles said, proud of herself for not stumbling over her words with constant stutters.

"Oh yes you do," Buttercup butted in. "It's always that same smile that you use when you're really sad, mad, frustrated and all other emotions like them."

"And how do you know that I'm sad, mad, frustrated or whatever right now," Bubbles inquired, hands firmly planted on her hips.

"There are more important things at hand here," Buttercup muttered, her eyes avoiding any meeting with the stormy blue oceans that her sister called eyes. "I mean how do we know that you don't abuse yourself to help express you're pain like those weird cutters and stuff." Bubbles felt her body become taxed with uneasiness at the word abuse. That word described her whole childhood and she would never go down that path ever again. Even if she did hurt on the inside sometimes she had her own methods of cooling off.

"I don't do that," she mumbled.

"Good," Blossom said in relief, her eyes roaming up and down Bubbles' arms in suspicion.

"But just because we know that you don't do that doesn't mean we've forgotten about that smile and what's behind it Missy," Buttercup reminded. "You can't hide behind that smile forever."

"I can do what I want," Bubbles retorted. A pair of mismatched wings sprouted from her back just before she took off into the sky.

"Teenagers," Buttercup groaned, allowing her own wings to make their place on her back.

"Don't. Just let her have her time for thinking alone and than we'll interrogate her when she comes home since she can't just fly off with the Professor home and a roof over our heads."

"I hate it when you're right."

"I think you hate it when you're wrong."

"Are you some kind psychologist now?" Buttercup sneered.

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~Boomer's Homeless Heart~

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"You idiots don't have to continue dragging me," Boomer pointed out, huffing indignantly.

"If you insist," Brick smirked. He sent a look Butch's way causing the one with ebony hair to curl his lips into a smile. And in three, two, one the boys released Boomer's arms allowing his body to descend to the ground with a thud. "And that's for playing around with a girl's feelings like a jerkwad." Quicker than humanly possible Boomer rose to his feet. If looks could kill Brick and Butch would be beyond dead by now. He resisted the urge to resort to violence and allowed his clenched fists to unfold.

"Whatever," he muttered, dusting off the back of his jeans.

"This is the part where you admit that you've learned your lesson and run off to the Utonium house to apologize for being so crazy and confusing," Brick stated, a hint of whine incorporated in his tone. Boomer only scoffed in response. Butch rose his hand to whack his blonde brother on the back of the head, but his effort was wasted when Boomer caught his hand in his rough grasp.

"I don't understand," Butch started, ripping his hand from Boomer's clasp. "Do you like Bubbles or not?"

"That's my business."

"I'll take that as a yes." Butch received a glare for this comment, but he completely disregarded the cold look.

"I think our brother harbors deeper feelings than like for this girl," Brick voiced.

"Than why did he keep telling her that he doesn't even like her?" Butch threw his hands up in exasperation. This situation was far to complicated for his taste.

Brick glanced over at Boomer. "By the looks of it he doesn't want to get close to her for some reason so he pushes her away."

"I don't think he was pushing her away when he, without asking, claimed her as his date to the dance."

"That is what we call jealousy my friend."

"Ah! So right now does he want to push her away or does he want pull her in?" Brick shrugged.

"What do you want to do, Boomer?"

"Yeah, what do you wanna do Boomer," Butch mimicked. The boy in question pondered. He didn't know what he wanted to do himself. He weighed his option and came up with a quick conclusion upon making eye contact with his father who stood on the porch of his house.

"Push her as far as possible."

"I don't think that'll work out if you're going to the dance with her."

"Yeah, that dance is like a first date for you guys," Brick added with nod of the head.

"You're right," he muttered, shakily reaching into his pocket for his phone. It spooked him a bit when Bubbles' name popped onto the screen, exactly when he started to punch in her number. Hesitantly he clicked the green answer button, before putting the phone to his ear.

"Boomer." Her voice cracked and it broke his heart. "Can we talk, please. I know we talked earlier, but I really want to talk to you."

"Uhh sure... I guess."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

He didn't know what it was, but it seemed after that her voice brightened. "Great! Meet me at Townsville's only woods or forest or whatever, you know the one that we..." she stopped talking for a minute as if debating on what she should say next, "we used for our camping trip."

"Okay."

"See you there!" He clicked the "End Call" button before sliding the mobile phone back into his pocket.

"Boys!" Boomed the man who stood on the porch. All three teens snapped their heads and his direction, before obliging to the motions he was making with his hands that told them to get in the house. When everyone, along with the adoptive parents of the boys, became acquainted in the living room Boomer's dad put on a warm smile that sent a new set out chills down Boomer's spine. "I- We've got an announcement to make." Boomer's breath hitched, only bad news would swirl around in his head. Butch and Brick stiffened in their seats, equally worried about what this announcement could be.

"Boomer you can finally get to go home with your daddy!" Exclaimed the women of the three adults, an excited, yet sad smile plastered on her face. A silence that only become awkwarder by the second hung between the six of them. Brick stole a glance at his soon to be departing brother only to be met with eyes that contained a mixture of fear, and anger.

Even though Boomer wanted to throw a temper tantrum at the moment he kept his calm composure, well that's what it looked like on the outside if you didn't stare too deeply into his eyes. On the inside he was freaking out! He could not go back home with that wretched man who treated him and his late mother like crap.

"Do I have a choice in this exchange?" He asked through gritted teeth, breaking the silence and steering clear of the eyes of everyone in the room.

"Well-" began the wrinkly women, adjusting her glasses.

"No," finished the man adjacent to her, bluntly. He knew his wife tended to ramble on and on in these kind of situations and he wasn't particularly looking forward to that so interjecting was the best way to get the message across and the best way to ward off a headache.

"How can you release him to this psycho path?" Butch exclaimed, rising to his feet.

"Butch, I know you're going to miss your brother, but it isn't nice to make accusastions before getting to know a person," the women said, trying to calm her son.

"I don't need to get to know him!" He retorted, pulling his brother to his feet. "Don't you remember how bad he made Boomer feel? Don't you remember why we took him in in the first place?"

"He's changed-" The women was interrupted with a sudden chuckle that only grew louder by the second. Everyone quieted down and stared at Boomer who seemed to be having the time of his laugh with his booming laughter.

To Be Continued...

I decided to cut this last chapter into two parts because I haven't updated in forever, plus I don't like the number 11 and maybe I was getting kind of lazy... Any who I hope you enjoyed this chappy, leave a review telling me what you think. I'll be back soon with the (hopefully) last chapter!

Bye Bye :D

~PlumpysWorld