With a new week at Townsville Academy, it brought a new assignment for the seniors in Ms. Keane's creative writing class. Her students listened intensively as she explained their writing topic of the week.
"Our flaws are what makes us who we are, despite how much we might not want to recognize them," she began. "This week, I want each of you to write a two-page paper. Half of the assignment will be dedicated to what you find to be your biggest flaw and the other half will be about you analyzing how you have picked up this trait/how do you address it in your everyday life. Your paper will be due on Friday and will be kept confidential because of how personal it may be. Do I need to explain it any further?" Her students shook their heads, understanding their homework. She raised an eyebrow, "No sassy comments for once? I must be hallucinating."
However, she was not. The lack of response from her students was from them all becoming anxious by the new assignment. After all, who really wanted to psychoanalyze and pick apart the worst aspects of themselves?
"Am I the only one who majorly regrets taking Ms. Keane's class?" Butch exasperated as he dropped his tray on the plastic table in the mess hall. He slid onto the bench, taking all the room he needed since only him and Buttercup occupied that side of the table because of Brick's still unexplained departure.
"It's a requirement for seniors, Butch," Blossom reminded.
"Fuck that shit. We should be taking English literature, not expelling all our sins for our teacher's amusement," Buttercup chimed.
"See," Butch gestured towards Buttercup, smirking. "She makes a very valid point."
"I don't know," Bubbles responded, shrugging her shoulders. "I think writing each week is therapeutic."
"I've been in therapy. These are two very different scenarios," Butch replied.
"Well, it should be similar," Bubbles argued but kept a cheery tone.
Blossom rolled her eyes at Bubbles as Boomer spoke, "I just think she's pushing it a little with these assignments, don't you agree?" A chorus of yes' answered his question. "They're too introspective—especially this week. It's going to be so hard to start this paper."
"Probably because no one wants to admit their flaws," Buttercup darted her eyes to the redhead at the table. "Right, Blossom?"
Blossom sent Buttercup a glare before saving face and replying to Boomer, "You're right, Boomer."
"You know what?" Bubbles grinned. "We should help each other."
"How?" Butch questioned, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.
"We point out what we think is each others' flaws."
"Oh no," Buttercup dismissed. "This is only going to start shit between all of us."
"Only if you're being spiteful," the blonde defended. "Come on. It will give us some ideas to use."
Boomer shrugged his shoulders, "I'm fine with it." The other three glanced at each other, feeling uncomfortable with the situation but all knew it would benefit them in some way, so they nodded in agreement.
"Perfect," Bubbles clapped. "Who will go first?"
"I'll go first," Blossom announced, meeting the blonde's eyes. She felt a little giddy for finally getting this off her chest, "Bubs. You love playing the victim in every situation. It's annoying and pathetic. Own up to your mistakes instead of making everyone feel guilty."
"What… What are you talking about?" Bubbles scoffed, the smile on her face immediately disappearing. "I don't do that." She glanced around the table, seeking any sort of reassurance. "Do I?"
"You do," Buttercup replied.
"I don't…" Bubbles felt her eyes growing warm as she held back the tears that were beginning to form. She did not understand how her friends could be so harsh to her. Well, two could play at that game. "Fine. If we're going there," she shifted her eyes to the large, tan male at the table, "Butch constantly needs to be the center of attention or he throws a hissy fit. It's why he doesn't have that many friends outside of us."
Butch snorted at the blonde's remarks, "Harsh words, Bubs," he deadpanned. Bubbles narrowed her eyes, wishing she gained more of a reaction out of him. Butch flickered his eyes to Boomer, "Since your girlfriend chose me, I'll return the favor... Boom, you're the dumbest person at this Academy—and I say that in the most loving way."
Boomer opened his mouth to reply but snapped his focus to Buttercup, who was chuckling at Butch's comment. "You think that's funny?" Boomer retorted. His anger that he kept well-trapped seeping through a little.
"I—"
"Well then, you're incapable of being vulnerable," Boomer pointed out. "Therefore, you keep all your emotions bottled up and behave rudely to your very own friends when they get too close. That's why you have trouble making connections with anyone."
Buttercup arched her eyebrows, impressed by Boomer's respond. She did not know he had it in him. Her eyes traveled from the blue-eyed male to the person next to him. Buttercup grinned devilishly, pleasantly amused by the person left for her.
"I guess that leaves you, Blossom," Buttercup said wickedly.
"Butters…" Blossom warned.
"Where do I begin?" Buttercup tapped her chin in thought. "Let's see. You never listen to anyone. You always cut people off when they're talking to you. You think you're right all the time because you need to feel like you're in control 24/7," Buttercup listed as the other three around her watched cautiously, preparing themselves for any explosive reaction for Blossom. "And let's not forget, you're the fakest person at this school."
Blossom blinked at the green-eyed girl, opting not to reply. She was not going to deny anything Buttercup said as it was the truth. Instead, Blossom let the awkward silence consume the table, which it did for the rest of the lunch period while the five individuals counted down each minute until it was over.
Boomer glanced around Ms. Keane's classroom, darting his eyes back and forward between his classmates. He watched as they started their first paragraph to turning the page over. Tapping a pen to his chin, Boomer felt the pressure to begin his very own paper for the class. He sighed, mulling over what he could possibly write about.
Only one thing stuck out to him.
What Butch said at lunch earlier that day. Despite the group making up before class—with the exception of Blossom and Buttercup—Boomer could not get over what was said.
Boomer knew he was not the brightest person around. It was obvious and he accepted it. However, he did not like being considered dumb. The phrase made him feel as if he was being simplified into not having a single sign of intelligence.
In Boomer's mind, everyone was smart in their own way. They all have their specific aspects of intelligence. Blossom had academic intellect but also was incredibly knowledgeable in dance; Butch and Buttercup knew everything about soccer; Football and academics were Brick's intelligence; Bubbles and art. Boomer's peak of intelligence was anything that had to do with activities including water. Swimming, diving, surfing, fishing, etc. Any of those tasks and Boomer knew all aspects.
However, this was overlooked because to others, they were not seen as useful knowledge. This resulted in him becoming the token dumb friend within his group throughout elementary and middle school, a role that he did not mind a majority of the time because Boomer could play dumb to stay out of drama but he was not fond when his friends' truly believed he was without intellect. When he came to the Academy, Boomer thought he finally would not be typecasted as the dumb friend. From what Butch stated and the agreement from the green-eyed girl, he was wrong. It was discouraging to him that they could not see pass the stereotypical signs of intelligence—Boomer thought they were way better than that.
Furthermore, as a society, academic intellect was seen to be the only type of intelligence around. He may not have a clue on who won or even participated in the Cold War or have the quadratic formula memorized, but Boomer did not feel that should reflect on his capabilities. Instead, others' should be noticing how he was always willing to learn and understand in any given situation he did not comprehend.
His eagerness to learn should be what displayed his intelligence, not the lack he had because Boomer did not want to act like he knew everything. He still had a lot to learn about the world and he will get there at his own pace. Boomer just wished everyone did not shit on him for being a few steps behind than normal. Everyone learned at their own pace, it was not a difficult concept to grasp.
His eyes widened, putting his dark blue eyes on display as they shined at the idea Boomer had for his paper. Forming a lopsided grin, the blond began to write furiously.
He decided to approach the topic of how air-headed he could be, was seen as a flaw and maybe a weakness but it had opened his eyes to how easy it was for others' to judge those who are different. His so-called flaw made Boomer more equipped to understand how cruel others' in the world could be to those who had a disadvantage.
Boomer wanted to prove how unnecessary the worshipping of academic intelligence was and the snobbish behavior that could from those who did. That no one should be called "dumb" because of their lack of education. It was society's job to help educate those who are unaware, not shame them for not knowing.
It was also on him to make sure that he did not remain ignorant on topics. He had to remain constant on his willingness to learn as it had to be a two-way deal.
"Being educated and learning should coexist, not for it to be either/or."
Boomer grinned more, re-reading the rough draft he created in the span of twenty minutes. He was impressed as it was the best work he has done all year but also because he was proud of what was written. He could only hope Ms. Keane could tell how much thought he put into it. That she was able to see the intellect behind it.
"I don't know what to do about Buttercup..." Blossom muttered to Butch. They were alone in his dorm room. Blossom was sitting up, her back against the wall, while Butch laid on his bed, one hand stroking Blossom's knee and the other behind his head.
"I don't—"
"I keep trying to distance myself from her because of all fighting but she keeps attacking me," she continuing, lying about the reasoning on why she was trying to disattach herself from Buttercup. Making sure to avoid the linger thoughts of self-loathing as she spoke to Butch.
"I mean anything she said doesn't matter." Butch lifted his head, meeting Blossom's eyes, "None of it was truth," he reassured despite a nagging voice in his head telling him to reconsider. After all, it seemed like Buttercup was always the one to have the best understanding of any given situation. "If it was, I would have said something by now."
"I know," Blossom sighed, lowering her gaze. She felt hypocritical for commenting about Buttercup's behavior since everything she stated was the truth. Even more so, Blossom should not be talking to Butch about it. He was the one person she wanted to know the least about the truth lately.
She felt her stomach turn at the thought, her mind flashing to the passion in Brick's red eyes and his hands touching all over her skin. She winced a little, feeling gross for reminiscing for the moment. For wanting it to happen again. For having regrets about ending things and ignoring him over paranoia of being discovered. But mostly, for having those images of him in her mind as she sat on her boyfriend's bed.
"You okay?" Butch asked gently. He stopped stroking her knee but kept his hand firmly placed on her thigh. Blossom could not keep her eyes off of it, feeling even more disgusting.
"Yeah…" she breathed, hating herself for lying even more. "I'm just a little lightheaded."
"Probably have to catch your breath from all that ranting," he quipped.
"Maybe."
His eyebrows furrowed as the slight grin Butch had, faded into a frown, "Hey." He lifted up her chin to make eye contact, "Forget what Buttercup said. You're amazing the way you are… you're perfect, okay?"
"Okay," Blossom nodded, feeling a jab in her chest at his use of the word "perfect". He was unintentional rubbing it in her face. The fact that she chased after perfection for so long only to realize how fruitious it was in the last two weeks. How she felt gutted to the core when associated with that word now. Why did she have to put herself in this position? Why did she have to be so stupid and had to feel the need for validation so badly, for so long?
Why could not she end things with Butch already to avoid hurting him anymore?
"I love you so much, babe," he murmured, contouring his body around her so his chin laid on the knee that once held a spot for his hand.
Blossom glanced into his emerald eyes, which sparkled with love. She ran her hand through his thick, curly hair, a soft smile forming. This was why she could not break up with him.
She still loved him.
He was her first love. The first person she had ever been in love with. Butch was the first person to show her unconditional love. Without him, Blossom would not know what it would be like to love someone. He taught her how to love and what it was like to be loved.
"I love you too…" Blossom whispered, ignoring the self-loathing she felt but it was how she felt. She did love him. Blossom was sure about that… but was she in love with him?
Her stomach dropped at the thought, knowing the answer. If she was still in love with him, she would not have cheated. Blossom would not be constantly thinking about another guy, even if they had fractured their relationship. She still wanted Brick, no matter how much she tried to change her mind.
Butch deserved better, and yet, Blossom could not let him go.
She was so greedy, it was sickening.
"So do you know what you're going to write about?" Butch inquired.
"I…" she paused. Her response was exactly what Buttercup said at lunch, but she could not confess that to Butch. "I'm not sure."
"How come?"
Before she could reply, the door to the dorm opened and closed as Brick entered the room. His eyes reflected sorrow for a second when they landed on Blossom, darting them away to hide his pain.
"I didn't know you had company," he muttered, slinging off his backpack.
Butch folded his eyebrows, "Company? It's Blossom. She's here almost every week."
Brick did not respond, keeping his back towards the couple as he unpacked his homework for the night.
Blossom shifted her weight as chewed on her bottom lip, feeling the awkward tension radiating between each other. "I think I'm going to—"
She was cut off by the door being opened again, Boomer's head sticking in. "Hey, Butch? Can you help me find my sock?" he asked.
Butch sighed reluctantly, lifting himself up, "I thought Brick helped you find it last week."
"What?" Boomer questioned, not recalling the memory.
"It's whatever," Butch responded, following Boomer out the door. The sound of the door shutting startled Blossom, making her jump a little. She inhaled sharply in order to calm herself down, realizing this was the first time she was alone with Brick since ending things the week before.
She watched him take out his notebook, taking a seat at his desk and opening his Calculus textbook. The silence of the room was killing her, and from how tense Brick was holding his pencil and his jawline was, Blossom could tell it was killing him too.
"Are we… Do you hate me?" she asked hesitantly, coming out as a whisper. It was the first time she had spoken to him since she visited his dorm a week ago.
Brick pursed his lips, considering the question but kept his eyes on the book in front of him as he started numbering his paper for the problems he needed to solve, "Never... Just seeing you here makes me..."
"Regret everything?"
"I don't regret anything. But you? You regret kissing me, Blossom," he replied sharply. "Don't deny it."
"But… I don't…"
"Please do not make this harder than it is for me," Brick murmured. "I don't want to be one those people you start lying to."
"I'm not lying, Brick."
He finally glanced at her, his eyes staring intensely. She watched as various stages of emotions flashed through them as he formulated a response.
"I… I don't believe you."
"Don't or don't want to?"
He exhaled deeply, lowering his gaze once again. "Both."
"Brick, I…" she paused, her mind recalling his words from a few months ago. "Do you not trust me anymore?"
"Do I trust you?" he restated, turning his desk chair around so he could face her. His eyebrow arched but dark circles lined his eyes and misery seeped from his crimson eyes. "Blossom. You're a liar and a cheater. You manipulate those who love and care about you. You're also incredibly self-involved—"
"Okay. I get it," she said over him, pain noticeable inflicted into her tone. Blossom hung her head low, staring at the pale pink nail polish on her toes. "I'm a terrible person… I get it."
"I wasn't finished," he whispered, her head snapping up to meet his eyes.
"Go on…"
Brick smirked slightly, "I was going to say, that yes, you have a lot of traits that show you're untrustworthy… But you've never done any of those things to me. I guess that sounds shitty or whatever, for not caring about how others are treated but I'm only supposed to look out for one person here, and that's myself. And because of that, I trust you."
"Why would you do that?" Blossom argued. "That's so dumb."
"I think a large part of it is because, well, I like you. A lot... Even after all of this drama and indecisiveness," he stated with Blossom nodding. "But also because I know there's a reason behind it all. I know that's not who you truly are, Blossom. You're more than the "mean girl" front you have going on… You're just confused on what you want," he laughed slightly at the irony of the statement. "In life, is what I meant… I wasn't talking about us... cause we're over."
"Yeah…" she muttered, eyes lingering on him longer than she should. "We're over."
Brick furrowed his eyebrows at her response, the gears in his mind turning. Without processing anything, he became overcome by his desire for Blossom once again. Rolling his chair over to Butch's bed, he never took his eyes off of her, "Totally and completely over…" he breathed, his hand reaching out for her's. She stiffened for a slight second before letting him get a hold of her, entwining her hand with his. "Nothing will ever happen again…" Brick teased, leaning forward.
Blossom ignored the half of her that wanted to resist, allowing herself to give into her temptations again. "Correct," she said gently, pressing her forehead against his. The two stared into each other's eyes, daring for the other to make the first move. Brick unraveled their hands, cupping her face. "We're never going to happen," Blossom mumbled on his lips before kissing him.
Instead of the passionnate, lust fueled make-out session from New Years, this kiss was slow, tender, and heartfelt. There was a longing and bittersweetness to it, as both knew in the back of their minds that it possibly was the last time it will ever happen. As much as Blossom wanted not to, she felt butterflies beginning to flutter in her stomach when Brick tipped her head back to deepen the kiss.
After a minute or two, they broke apart. Brick kept his hand on her cheek, staring into her eyes. His thumb stroking the corner of her mouth as a melancholic smirk tugged on his.
"We're really bad at this ignoring each other thing, aren't we?"
She nodded, smiling softly despite the renewed guilt that was consuming her thoughts now, "There has to be a reason why."
"And what is that, Bloss?"
"I think—"
Blossom was unable to finish her sentence as they both heard the doorknob begin to turn. Brick removed his hand, pushing the chair back in front of his desk at a record speed before Butch opened the door, returning back into the room. The dark-haired teen did not suspect a thing since Brick pretended to have been enthralled by his Calculus homework and Blossom was leaning against the wall again—the same position she was in when Butch left.
Blossom could not escape the new form of self-hatred she felt as Butch took his spot next to her. She could not keep lying to him. She cannot keep playing him. But every time she looked into his eyes, Blossom forgot all her misdeeds because she cannot bring herself to break his heart.
Her eyes flickered over to Brick for a second. If she could not break things off with Butch, Blossom at least tried to with Brick. Yet, they just kissed a few minutes ago. Not just any old kiss, but he gave her butterflies. Blossom could not remember the last time that occurred for her and Butch.
When they first started dating?
Did she ever feel butterflies?
Blossom was not sure.
She was not sure if she genuinely wanted things to end with Brick now. It was so simple last week when they were giving each other the silent treatment but now that it has expired, Blossom felt her toxic combination of conflicting emotions; remorse and repulsion of herself becoming well known to her.
If it was not for them, Blossom would not have noticed how unperfect she has been and always be. She would not have awoken from her rose-colored world of perfection.
They opened her eyes to how vile of a human she was.
It was a Tuesday afternoon and Bubbles was nuzzled comfortably into her bed, enjoying the unusual silence of her room. Ever since Princess moved in, there has not been a peaceful moment for the blonde. Thankfully, the redhead was out watching the latest lacrosse match—she went in attempts to gain some attention from Brick.
Sighing contently to herself as she flipped open her composition notebook for Ms. Keane's class, Bubbles searched for a blank page to write on. She figured that she should take full advantage of the tranquillity in the room.
Bubbles' mind floundered over the various topics she could approach for the assignment. The blonde was self-aware of the numerous flaws she might have as she was taught by her Abuela to always be honest with herself. Her occasional insecurities over Boomer, their co-dependence, her naivety, or her submissive attitude, were a few ideas flowing in her mind. Bubbles knew she could produce a perfectly fine paper using one for those traits.
The only problem was, Bubbles' did not find them to be that big of a deal. She believed they were all flaws anyone else could have. Bubbles wanted to use a characteristic that not everyone could identify with.
Her thoughts immediately went to Blossom's words from the day before. The jaggedness of them digging under her skin and remaining there like dirt under her nails. Bubbles could not forget how venomous they felt to her. She could not believe how Blossom could speak so rudely to someone like her. The blonde has never done anything wrong or spoken illy to Blossom, so it did not make sense as to why the redhead treated her that way.
Bubbles paused her thoughts, widening her eyes.
That was what Blossom meant.
She was converting herself into the victim.
Bubbles was the one who wanted them to point out each others' flaws. She was the one who could not take the heat and got upset. It was not Blossom's fault for telling Bubbles the truth. The only thing that was wrong, was how Blossom approached pointing it out.
However, that did not matter for now.
Bubbles glanced at her notebook, grabbing her pen, and writing down a lengthy paragraph about her realization. She dotted a period, re-reading for any mistakes before tapping her chin in thought for what else she wanted to write. Ms. Keane said for them to divulge on why they may have acquired this trait, so Bubbles began thinking about the starting point of her nasty habit.
Was it her belief in always being kind?
Or her naivety?
Both?
It could be from past experiences too.
Alarms went off in her head when Bubbles believed to have pinpointed the exact reason why she started play victim.
It was her mother's death.
During that period of time, Bubbles received a large amount of sympathy from those around her. None of them wanted to be nothing but kind to the blonde. As soon as anyone heard Bubbles' mother had passed away, they always treated her differently. It was like there was safely barrier around the blonde that constantly protected her feelings. She did not realize how accustomed she had gotten to being sheltered by any type of negativity towards her.
Then she came to the Academy and became friends with the most brutally honest person—Buttercup. The green-eyed girl's sharp tongue would rub her the wrong way for years, with Bubbles not understanding why Buttercup treated her poorly if she was always nice to her. Now that Bubbles knew Buttercup could be jealous of her from time to time, it made a lot more sense. But also, it had a lot to do with herself too.
If Bubbles was not so sensitive and quick to blame Buttercup for ruffling feathers, she would have been able to avoid plethoras of fights. Buttercup had the right to be angry at her if that was how she truly felt. Bubbles should not push her friend to believe she was not justified in her feelings because if it was the other way around, she would not be too happy either.
Bubbles had to work on allowing others to display emotions other than happiness towards her. Not everyone was going to be in a cheery mood 24/7 even if she tried otherwise.
Not everyone was going to be like her, and she did not want it that way. Because of that, Bubbles was no longer going to play the victim.
"How do you feel about Kelvin getting more play time?" Butch's teammate, Gabe asked, untying his shoe as he sat next to Butch on the bench in the locker room—they had just finished practice for the day.
Butch shrugged his shoulders, rubbing a towel around his sweat-drenched face. "If coach thinks he has potential, then there's nothing much I can do."
"Seriously?" Gabe responded, taken back by Butch's nonchalant attitude.
"I'm a senior. After five more games, none of this will matter to me anymore," Butch explained, removing the towel from his face and slinging it around his neck "I'm not going to college for basketball, but Kelvin is. And unlike me, he has two more years to develop his skills."
"I guess you're right… I'm just surprised by how well you're taking it.
"Why?" he questioned, furrowing his eyebrows.
"I heard about your jealousy thing with that Brick guy during football season," Gabe responded, standing up to open his locker. "You have a thing for being the star-athlete. Everyone knows it. It would drive everyone insane."
Butch blinked at Gabe's words, not objecting anything he was saying.
A few months ago, he would been annoyed to no ends and pissed over the thought of Kelvin being the star of the team—similar to how he felt about Brick becoming the leader of the football team over him. Given how sports were always his outlet to receiving attention—since his parents would not give him any—or standing out—it was the one thing he excelled in compared to his brother, Adrian—Butch was very protective of any achievements he made.
This changed though.
After fighting with Brick over the Homecoming game and Battle of the Sexes week with him getting a little out of control when competing with Buttercup, Butch had toned down his craving for attention. He realized how toxic his behavior would get during those times, and if he truly wanted to be a better person, then he needed to forgo the need for others' praise. Butch did not want to lose a sense of his morals just because of a sporting match.
It was not worth it to him anymore.
His main focus now was keeping his grades on track and avoiding trouble like Him wanted, graduating, making Blossom happy, and getting on the Olympic soccer team.
Butch did not need the spotlight anymore as he was afraid of being burnt out under it. Instead, he was finding himself enjoying the background more and more these days. It made him a calmer and more content person, the progress he would have never expected in any of his anger management courses.
Butch was becoming the person he had always wanted to be.
Rubbing his temples in frustration, Brick re-read his paper for Ms. Keane's class. He already was not a fan of her writing assignments but the redhead felt this was the worst one yet. The homework called for Brick to reveal his innermost thoughts and secrets, and if he was not telling anyone those things, why would Ms. Keane expect him to write a paper about them?
Finding a flaw was easy for him since everyone already decided what he was going to be. All week, everyone said Brick was going to struggle with the paper since he was Mr. Perfect—Brick was pretty sure it was Buttercup who started the trend for calling him that. He ended up writing the two pages about how tiresome it waa to be seen as perfect all the time and how he wished people could see the struggles he has been through in his life. It was not his best work, but for a paper full of bullshit, he did not care—it was at least passable.
Lying on the assignment was not the best decision to make but Brick did not care. He was not going to lay out all his faults for Ms. Keane to entertain herself with the pitfalls of her students. As a personal preference, Brick liked to keep to himself unless one was trusted—so far, Blossom and Bubbles were the only people he has truly opened up to.
Blossom knew more about him as a person, such as his home life and his morals—or lack thereof; while Bubbles had the knowledge of his father's death. Both of them could see how flawed of a person Brick was. That he was nowhere near perfect.
Unless anyone tried to get close enough to psychoanalyze him, no one but those in his—former—friend group at the Academy had a good enough understanding of him. Despite that, the five still do not him pin-pointed down exactly. Blossom was probably the closest, given their situation, but Brick knew Buttercup had a few suspicions of her own. The green-eyed teen was somewhat onto something.
She was close to finding out the truth.
That Brick was no perfect at all but that he did not even bother to try hiding it.
He was incredibly selfish, disregarding other's feelings for his own gains—i.e. Butch's side of the whole love triangle. Brick could project his anger onto others—like the day in church with Bubbles months ago. He could be ruthless, just like when he stole the flag from Blossom or the fact he turned the football team against Butch's orders during the Homecoming game.
Not to mention, Brick found himself to be an enabler for being upset about his father's death. Violence against women was never going to be okay, and he believed his dad got what he deserved but the knowledge of what happened reopened an age old wound of his. After choosing to never reach out and form a relationship, it made Brick feel a slight sorrow that he does not even have the option to choose now. He knew this was going to bother him for quite some time, but Brick believed it was better that he kept it to himself—he did not want anyone to tell him how to feel about it.
It also did not help that whenever he though of his dad and his relationships—or even his mom—a fear was installed into him. He has taken enough psychology courses at his old school to understand that abusive behavior may be hereditary. Both of his parents engaged their relationship with violence against each other, which meant both could have carried the gene over to him. This made Brick fear of being doomed to having only toxic relationships.
That was probably the underlying reason why he never engaged in a relationship. Saying he was too busy for one was just an excuse he was telling himself all along.
Yet, despite his precautions, here he was trying with Blossom, and Brick was willing to do anything to be with her. Hell, he was willingly betraying Butch, who after Blossom, was his closest friend at the Academy. It was not Brick's first time home-wrecking a relationship, but usually, those were one-night stands at parties and the guy never found out about his involvement. With Blossom, Brick wanted to date her. He could see himself falling in love with her—an idea he had never thought of until now. That was why he disregarded Butch. Brick knew what he wanted and he was not going to let it pass by.
Needless to say, it was hard for anyone to discover Brick's selfish decision-making because he was good at putting a mask on—per say. From witnessing his friend's own dismay from over-sharing personal details about their lives, Brick learned it was better to be the unproblematic friend than letting others know of his issues. That keeping his mouth shut about anything he was dealing with was better than having everyone know his business. It was the easiest way to stay out of drama but he also did it because he felt that no one truly cares.
Brick felt solace in knowing that everyone was trying to validate themselves for having their own issues without listening to the others who they seek validation from. Everyone was too self-involved or secretly craved hearing others problems to make themselves feel better about their lives.
Brick did not feel anyone could make him feel better about himself. He did not want their validation on how he should feel. The redhead just wanted to make his own decisions and deal with the consequences later.
However, being the unproblematic friend made him be viewed as perfect by everyone—as much as people do not want judge others on first interactions, that was what everyone seemed to do. Just being friendly to people he could not give two shits about and keeping his personal business to himself, was what madr everyone think he was perfect—it also helped that he excels academically and athletically while also being highly attractive—but atlas, those are the main reasons why.
Brick could care less about what they thought—with the exception of Blossom—but he did not feel the need to correct them. He knew who he truly was and he was not going to change a thing because it has gotten him this far in life, so what was the point of changing now?
On the way to her destination, Buttercup began to reflect on the paper she turned in for Ms. Keane's class earlier that day. She listened to Boomer's remarks about her incapable of being vulnerable—a fact she was well-aware of and has been struggling with lately.
It was her biggest flaw.
It made her unapproachable and not a kind person. She had unintentionally isolated herself in the process of believing that being bare with her emotions was a sign of weakness. All her life, Buttercup has prized the image of being a strong independent woman but had radicalized the idea.
As a youth, Buttercup had always took notice how differently Eastern Asian women were treated by society—moreso, how some American men viewed them. Having become a film buff at the age of five, Buttercup could not help connecting how films with Asian women were being typecasted. Each and every one were portrayed as submissive and gentle, delicate beings. The idea of these women was engraved in her head as she developed a tomboy persona throughout elementary to avoid being compared to them.
When she turned 12 and began exploring on the internet, she discovered how deeply Eastern Asian women were fetished by the masses. Unsettled by the images of those who looked like her being seen as toys for men's delight, Buttercup further resented anything that was feminine. And as an ignorant pre-teen, she associated femininity with emotions.
It was then when she stop practicing Buddhism—despite her parents protest—because she believed it would weaken her. That it simply did not fit into her lifestyle. Buttercup then decided all religions were a waste of time because they always sought for their followers to be vulernable and open to achieve a closeness with their form of God/Gods. She only saw those beliefs as a way to slow everyone down. Buttercup did not realize how ignorant and hateful this thought actually was until speaking to Boomer about religion last October.
She became colder and more aggressive. Her personality became dominant, never opting to let anyone control her. But as Buttercup made this decision, she turned off any of her softer traits.
Sure, she was the strong independent woman that she dreamed of becoming, but it was all for the wrong reasons. Buttercup was strong because she overpowered those around her. She was independent because she drove away those who got too close. It was a miracle that even her group of friends now have remained, considering how rough she could be towards them.
She made the point to explain to Ms. Keane why she and Butch have barely ever gotten along. She wanted control and Butch was not a pushover; it was a dangerous mixture. If Buttercup was not so abrasive for the last three years, she could not help feeling as if the two would have been really good friends, considering how much they have in common and that she occasionally found him to be funny.
It was her bitchiness that came from the radical approach of wanting dominance that made Buttercup connect more with Blossom than Bubbles. Blossom talked shit about everyone but always hid her true self in fear of what others may think. However, Buttercup liked how blunt and icy the redhead could be when they first met because she valued those same traits. Looking back on it, knowing what she knew now, Buttercup was sure they would have never been friends.
Blossom was another Princess. Manipulative, self-absorbed, and always seeking a popular opinion. The only difference was that Blossom was more keen at hiding it, which in Buttercup's eyes, made her worst.
Despite this, Buttercup could not ever hate Blossom if she tried. She understood the reasons why the redhead was like this way, but she did not agree with Blossom's choice to continue the ill morals her parents' passed down to her. Unlike Blossom, Bubbles did not let the sourness in her life to define herself. Bubbles actually learned to grow from it and became a better person.
In all retrospect, Buttercup should have become more close with the blonde than Blossom. Bubbles would have convinced Buttercup how wrong she was about needing to be strong all the time, long before all of this. Buttercup firmly believed she would have become a totally different person.
A better person, most likely.
Not that she was going to put all the blame on her but Blossom had no help in any aspects of Buttercup's growth. Actually, she might have digressed because of some of it, as Blossom also brought out the real bitch in her. All the times they treated Bubbles poorly just for believing she had a close friendship with them as they did with each other, was appalling.
Buttercup did not want to be that person anymore.
Her decision to protect herself from what people perceived of her had deeper effects than she realized until a few months ago when she and Mitch were together. Their relationship made her figure out how withdrawn she had become. How trapped she felt in her emotions until she broke down. If Bubbles did not speak to her that night and reassured how valid and natural it was for Buttercup to be vulnerable, then she was sure that she would still be on a downward spiral.
It was their conversation that made her realize her belief system of being emotionless—except for aggression and anti-femininity—was traits of toxic masculinity. She had become an idea that she loathed with every fiber of her being.
As an outspoken feminist, Buttercup felt like she was being a hypocrite for carrying out this behavior.
That was why the green-eyed girl had decided to strip away her wall of invulnerability and aggression. Recalling Bubbles' words about being vulnerable taking a lot of strength, Buttercup determined to restructure her idea of a strong independent woman but also to redefine herself for the better.
And she knew the perfect way to begin her journey of self-growth.
"Buttercup?" Boomer questioned as he opened the door to his dorm, revealing the dark-haired girl behind it. The surprise on his face shifted to a cool grin, "What's up?"
"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately," she answered, rubbing her arms awkwardly. "And I was wondering if you would still be willing to teach me about Buddhism again?"
"It's about time," the blond beamed, letting Buttercup into his room and closing the door behind them.
"Have a nice afternoon," Ms. Keane called out as the bell dismissed her students to end the school day. She smiled wearily as her eyes landed on one of her redhead students as they were on their way out of the room. "Miss Blanchette. May I have a few words with you?"
Blossom, who was holding Butch's hand, inhaled sharply, glancing at Butch for a sense of comfort.
"That's a first," he teased lowly.
Blossom narrowed her eyes at him, not unamused. "Not funny."
Butch smiled sheepishly at her reaction, "I'm sure she just wants to praise you about your paper or some shit."
"Maybe."
"And I would love to stay and wait for you, but I have practice to get to."
"Right." Blossom forced smile, kissing his cheek.
"I'll see you later," he grinned, pecking her forehead before leaving the classroom.
Hesitantly, Blossom sulked over to Ms. Keane's desk. She was fully aware on why her teacher wanted to speak to her, but it did not make her feel any better about it.
"Yes, Ms. Keane?"
Ms. Keane smiled softly to ease any tension or fears Blossom may feel as she handed a paper to the redhead, "I want to discuss the paper you turned in last week."
"Okay," Blossom said shortly, grabbing the paper.
"I'm sure you know why I'm bringing this up since you only submitted one sentence for a two-page assignment."
"I'm aware."
"And while I'm alarmed that one of my star students is turning in a paper that signifies no effort put in, I'm more worried about the content that is written on the paper."
Blossom glanced down at the paper in her hand, reading the sentence for the nth time in the past week.
"I, Rosemarie Penelope "Blossom" Blanchette, am, in no way, a good person nor will ever be one; I am utterly a terrible person."
"Is everything alright, Miss Blanchette?" Ms. Keane questioned as Blossom returned her gaze to her teacher. "I've noticed the unusual tension between you and Buttercup lately but also that you've been more withdrawn in class than normal."
"I'm fine," Blossom said meekly before becoming angry with herself for not being able to sound more convincing.
"Are you sure?" she pressed. "Because if you need someone to speak with, I'm always here. Or if you prefer a professional ear, the school's psychologist is available."
"I'm fine, Ms. Keane," Blossom replied, forcing a smile again. "Thank you for your concern, but I'm good."
Ms. Keane raised an eyebrow firmly, "Then can you explain the reasoning behind your paper?"
"I…" Biting on her bottom lip, Blossom could not accumulating any valid reasoning to the assignment she had submitted. Without a second thought, the redhead turned on her heel, running out of the classroom despite Ms. Keane calling out for her.
Once she turned the corner, Blossom leaned her back against the cool surface of some lockers, catching her breath. Her chest rising and falling at a steady pace. She noticed a few classmates glancing at her from the corner of her eye, whispering to each other in secret. Blossom felt her pulse thicken, disturbed by their judgemental stares. Pushing against the lockers, Blossom quickly walked away from the area, glaring at the group out of humiliation.
She made a byline to her dorm room, not acknowledging any of the individuals who greeted her on the way there. Upon opening the door, she slammed it shut with her back. Lowering herself to the ground, Blossom felt her throat tightening as her breaths grew shorter.
"Blossom?" Buttercup questioned, peering her head around the corner. Her eyes widened at the sight of tears racing down Blossom's porcelain skin. Not giving a single hesitation, Buttercup went to her side, kneeling down and rubbing circles into Blossom's back. "It's okay, Blossom. You're okay."
"It's… not… I'm so… dumb," she hyperventilated in between her weeping.
Buttercup lifted her chin, staring into the Blossom's pink eyes, "Why are you saying you're dumb? What happened?"
"I… I…" she hiccuped, unable to speak coherently.
"Take deep breaths, Blossom," Buttercup advised, doing them with her. She smiled softly, noticing Blossom's breathing was at a stable pace. "That's better. Now, what's wrong?"
"I… Please don't hate me," she sniffed.
"Blossom, even when you're pissing me off to no ends, I can't ever hate you."
Blossom smiled weakly at the remark, wrapping her arms around her roommate. "Me too."
Buttercup held onto her tightly, savoring their moment of truce as it was the first civil interactive they have had since New Years. A few seconds passed before Blossom pulled away, wiping her face and staring downwards. She felt more water crept out of her eyes as she spoke.
"Buttercup… I cheated on Butch…" she sobbed.
Author's Notes:
Hey everyone, I just want to take the time to address some reviews I've gotten.
Thank you to those who pointed out a few grammar mistakes I've made. I am very slowly fixing these mistakes in the chapters I have already posted. But thank you because it helps me become a better writer and makes this story more enjoyable and easier to read.
On why there is so much social justice aspects to my story, I have a lot of reasons. One of them is that I believe these characters are smart young adults who are always going to have opinions, and some of them are going to be socially conscious because that is apart of their character. Personally, I am a very social-minded person—I am a political science major—but I just feel like that aspect is something that will always be apart of life. I want to make my take on these characters to be as real as possible but also relatable. Their beliefs, religions, ethnicity, etc. are details about them. When I make chapters like the previous one, it was not for anything about social justice, but more for giving more background to the characters but also shows growth or maturity the characters have about certain things. It helps me making them more real as I can. And as I say this, I know this chapter was a bit preaching in some aspects but, like I said, it is for building their character. But most of all, I do not want to offend anyone and I do apologize for making the reading less fun.
For storylines...
I would like to say every storyline written, obviously, has a purpose. Whether it is a short, one chapter plot or that it is overarching. I even have a sequel outlined and I am already foreshadowing some things from that. There is a lot character growth coming—or for some, lack there of because it is apart of the plot. Things that were relevant in the first few chapters, will be in the last few chapters or the middle chapters. Also, things that are simply mentioned but not explained will be addressed sooner or later. It will all tie back together. So if a storyline seems short, it really is not. Moreso, I usually like leaving things off in a cliffhanger sense because there is bigger thing coming—i.e. Bubbles' dad and Blossom/Buttercup's fight. I would like to divulge more but it would spoil a lot.
Btw, to the person who asked me about why Blossom does not like Princess, it is explained in chapter 8. The Robin part will be addressed later...
With Boomer, I have to admit, I dropped the ball. I wrote the outline for this story like a year or two ago, and it was not until the last few chapters that I forgot to add a sole main storyline for Boomer. The other five all have one except for him. He, however, will be featured more prominently for a few major storylines for other characters coming up and will have a shared plot with Bubbles at the end. Also, he will be getting more attention in the sequel that I have planned. I know it is not ideal for anyone that is a Boomer fan, it just happened. I am sorry.
For Robin's character, she still has a storyline from Homecoming that will become relevant again. She will be getting a lot more attention soon enough...
Same with some other secondary characters...
On length...
Like I said, I have an outline. I already have each scene laid out, just not the details or dialogue. I just know when it happens, what is happening, and how it ends. So some chapters end up shorter than others because a lack of content in my outline for that chapter. That was the case for the previous chapter as I cut out a storyline with Butch because it was irrelevant to me. I actually combined two chapters for the previous one because I knew it was too short and then I switched around this chapter with the next one. I am just as dissapointed when a chapter is too short but I cannot help it sometimes because that is just how the pace of the story is going. I think after this chapter, however, the chapters will get lengthier because there is more storylines all coming together at once. So I do apologize for the length problem and I hope it will get better.
Blossom's character in the previous chapter...
Oh my god. I have to say, yeah, my bad on that one. It was rushed to say the least but I changed her scenes so many times last chapter. At first, her and Brick were going to get angry at each other and get in a huge fight which would cause them to bicker in and. Keane's class but then I decided to change it because it did not fit the other storyline I have for Blossom individually. So I changed it after weeks of thinking it over. But I do think I gave a good reasoning over why she decided to stay away from Brick in the last chapter. It was not the first time I have written that she was worried about people finding out or that she is tired with how she is (Chapter 7). I did feel with Ace's comment at the party, did allude that she was going to make a brash decision. It could have been fleshed out more, I admit that.
Okay. I am done. Sorry for it being lengthy and if it came off too rough. Thank you for bring this stuff to my attention because it was also a few concerns I was having on my own. It makes me more aware of better ways to write. Also, I will always be welcomed to any comments, whether positive or somewhat negative because it does helps me a lot.
Thank you!