Bubbles had let out a dispiriting sigh when she reached the bottom step of the stairs. Her light blue eyes scanned over the first floor of the villa, seeing nothing has changed.
Brick was still camping out on the couch. From what Bubbles understood, he and Blossom have not spoken since the night of the fistfight—no one has actually spoken to Brick since that night. Instead of displaying any concerns about this, Brick had spent the past two days of his vacation going through various films on Netflix. He kept the volume of the television up at a deafening level but no one felt like addressing him at all to get the sound turned down. However, Buttercup has sent numerous daggers in Brick's direction whenever she came through the living room.
Butch has kept to himself too, spending most of the time in his room. He only came out for his morning jogs along the beach, for a new cold compress for his face, or to get something to eat. Bubbles had tried to speak to him but she, like everyone else, was still receiving the silent treatment from Butch.
Buttercup was withdrawn, having spent the day after the fistfight in her room. Last night, she did eat dinner with Bubbles and Boomer, but Buttercup had barely touched any of her food and she was reserved for a majority of the conversation that took place. It was obvious to Bubbles that Buttercup's head has been somewhere else since things had sprawled out of control.
From what Blossom told Bubbles, she has been trying to get out of the house but Blossom was physically unable to do so. Blossom had been too ill to do anything, having spent the past two days in bed without eating much. Bubbles believed the stress of the boys fighting had left Blossom's immune system vulnerable to catching the flu and experiencing its fullest effects.
This left Bubbles and Boomer to be on their own. Boomer had convinced her to go to the spa for the first day after the fistfight to relax but Bubbles had no luck. They had spent most of yesterday on the beach, just trying to regain a sense of peace; yet Bubbles was still troubled by the unrelenting passive aggression and tension. She was beginning to believe it was the house. The fact that everyone was cooped up in the same space despite the negative, unspoken emotions festering inside all of them; it had to be toxic in some way.
Brick had glanced over toward Bubbles when he noticed she was downstairs. His nose was ballooned from the damage it took from Butch's fist and his jaw had a mottled bruise that made Bubbles wince a little when seeing it.
His eyes flashed with a certain disappointment when Brick had realized it was only Bubbles and not Blossom. He shifted his focus back on to the television screen. A gangster movie, that Bubbles had no clue what the name was, echoed loudly throughout the open space.
Bubbles rubbed at her temples to relieve the already brewing headache she had as she headed towards the kitchen to find something to eat for breakfast. Upon opening the refrigerator, and much to Bubbles' dismay, the shelves were practically bare except for a jar of pickles and condiment bottles. Just three days ago, the refrigerator had been completely stocked.
The only way this could have happened was because they were six teenagers with large appetites or it was because everyone has been eating their feelings for the past couple of days.
Bubbles went to check out the cabinets, opening each door to be greeted with even more displeasure. There were empty boxes of crackers, packages of cookies, and bags of chips randomly placed back into the cabinets as if they were about to be magically refilled again. Then was a cereal box with just a thimble leftover for the other person—Bubbles had to wonder and exasperate at the type of person who would have the audacity to have done such a thing.
Who on earth saw only two spoonfuls of cereal as an acceptable amount to leave another person? Bubbles could not even fathom the inconsiderate nature of such a person.
Just as Bubbles was dumbstruck by the lack of cereal, she spotted that Brick was currently eating a bowl of the cereal she was holding the box for; which now made a whole lot of sense to her. Bubbles figured Brick must have found that if he could take someone's girlfriend with no regard or consideration, then he could also eat most of the cereal without any either. Bubbles glared at Brick as he ate a mouthful of cereal, completely aloof to her disdain for him at the moment.
"Oh, I know that look," Buttercup smiled weakly, making her way over to Bubbles from the staircase. She took up space beside Bubbles, sharing the same expression as they both peered in Brick's direction. "What did the shithead do this time?"
"This!" Bubbles exclaimed, holding up the plastic bag containing the thimble-sized amount of cereal. "What type of person does that?"
"Brick," Buttercup answered with no further explanation—which, honestly at this point, Bubbles considered it to be an incredibly valid response.
Bubbles shook her head, making a move towards the trash can and throwing the bag of cereal away. She then began throwing away all of the other empty boxes and packages that were left in the cabinets.
"And who just leaves empty packages of cookies in the cabinet?" Bubbles exasperated with a bare pack of Oreos in her hand.
Buttercup flashed a sheepish look. She raised her hand slightly. "Yeah, um… That was me."
Bubbles furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "I thought you didn't eat Oreos."
"Nope," Buttercup popped with a distance to her tone. "Normally, I would stay away from Oreos unless I need them since they're my go-to remedy for–" Buttercup's voice grew incoherent as her words were muffled under her breath. "–boy problems."
Bubbles moved her ear closer to Buttercup, attempting to hear her mumbling better over the loudness of Brick's movie in the background. "They're your go-to remedy for what?"
Buttercup sighed, slumping her shoulders in defeat. She threw her head back, not willing to say anything to Bubbles' face. "I said it was my go-to remedy for—"
Before Buttercup could finish, the sliding door by the kitchen table had opened and closed, allowing for a sweaty, shirtless Butch to enter the space. His left eye was swollen and painted a violet-blue; his top lip was still fat and there was a splatter of redness dying his skin around it. There were other remnants to his decision to fighting Brick. His knuckles were discolored and other small contusions were marking his tan complexion in random places along his chest to his face.
Buttercup forgot all about what she was trying to say to Bubbles as her apologetic stare could not stay away from Butch. The tension between them was palpable and Buttercup felt her stomach churn with the guilt she could not escape from.
I'm so sorry, she tried telling him through her eyes.
Butch had stumbled when he noticed Bubbles and Buttercup were in the kitchen. He could have looked anywhere but at them. He could have placed his lingering stare on Bubbles. Yet, Butch found himself pulled by an irresistible draw to meet Buttercup's pitiful gaze.
His chest tightened for an inexplicable reason and Butch had to remind himself of the truth. Buttercup had repeatedly lied to him for months. Butch should want nothing to do with her anymore. She was dead to him, so Butch had to treat her as such.
The anger from the other night was refueled in him but it was not fulfilled in the same velocity as it once had been. Instead, it ordered for Butch to ignore Buttercup and for him to vacate the room immediately before Butch did or said anything he would regret.
He lowered his burning gaze to the floor panels of the villa without saying a word to either Bubbles or Buttercup. He did, however, lift up his middle finger at the back of Brick's head on his way to the stairs—which had gained a couple giggles from Bubbles and a snort from Buttercup. When at the start of the stairs, Butch was confronted by Blossom making her way down to the first floor. They both locked eyes before their stares became skittish. Butch's face was contoured by his rage while Blossom had blanched.
"Oh, um, I'll just–" Blossom attempted to move out of Butch's way but he swiftly brushed past her. Blossom blinked at the action. "–get out of your way."
She glanced over at Buttercup and Bubbles, taking careful steps towards them. Blossom did not even dare to look over at the couch. Brick, however, found his eyes gravitating to Blossom's direction. He darted them back over to the television before Blossom had noticed but Brick did lower the volume of tv for once—just in case anything he wanted to hear was being said by the girls.
"You're out of bed," Bubbles acknowledged excitedly.
Blossom nodded her head but she quickly regretted the decision. She winced greatly as her hands went to massage the sides of her head. "Which is a decision I'm now starting to regret."
"Such a fucked up time to get sick," Buttercup commented. Her eyes were a bit glassy as Butch's brief appearance still had a strong grip on her emotions.
"I know," Blossom groaned. "I just want to get out of the house but I could barely lift my head up for the past couple of days."
"Luckily for you, there hasn't been much to miss out on," Buttercup deadpanned.
"Right." Her eyes were close to drifting over into Brick's direction but Blossom caught herself before doing so. She leaned closer to Buttercup and Bubbles, whispering to them. "On the bright side, I have a reason to keep away from him."
"You've got plenty of reasons to do that, Blossom. The first one being his personality," Buttercup pointed out wryly. She pointed her chin in Bubbles' direction. "Bubbles, show her what he did."
"What did he do this time?" Blossom exasperated lowly at them.
Bubbles narrowed her eyes at Brick again, reaching into the trash can and pulling out the bag of cereal. She presented it to Blossom with dramatic emphasis.
"Look at this! What type of person does that?" Bubbles repeated in quiet exclamation.
Blossom ran a hand along the length of her face, shaking her head slightly in disappointment. "I'm sorry, Bubs."
"Don't be sorry, Blossom. You didn't eat the cereal and then only leave a morsel for the rest of us," Bubbles retorted heatedly.
"Wow, you're actually worked up about cereal right now," Buttercup realized in disbelief and mild amusement.
Bubbles nodded her head at a quick pace. "Yes, I am. I also think he should be the one that goes out to buy more groceries since we're all out now. It's the least he could do for, you know, everything."
Buttercup held back a laugh as Blossom tilted her head with confusion striking across her face.
"We're out of food? How? I had the staff stock enough food for two weeks."
"I think there has been a lot of feelings that have been eaten in this household," Bubbles theorized in a serious tone.
"Right," Blossom responded. "Well, um..." Blossom cleared her sore throat, wishing she had not done so since her throat began to burn profusely. She reached out for the refrigerator doors, confirming to herself that Bubbles was, indeed, correct; they were out of two weeks' worth of food in only four days. "I could go out and get more food."
"But you're sick," Bubbles argued, shaking her head.
"I also have the credit card that will be paying for everything," Blossom countered with an eyebrow raised. "Besides, I've been wanting to get the hell out of this house for two days now."
"Then I'm going with you," Bubbles decided.
"You don't have—"
"How are you driving to a store?" Bubbles presented. Blossom blinked at her without a response. Bubbles nodded at the confirmation. "That's what I thought."
"Okay, fine," Blossom sighed. "We can both go."
Buttercup glanced between the two as she summarized her plan for the day in her head. Yup, it was mostly the same as the two days beforehand. It was just her moping around about Butch. Buttercup needed to find something to take her mind off him. She needed a distraction from the wreckage of her heartbreak.
And look at that, Buttercup could divert her grief for the day with the perfect opportunity being presented right in front of her.
"I want to come too."
Bubbles shot Buttercup a baffled glance while Blossom expressed how she understood Buttercup's choice. Blossom must have known why Buttercup wanted to go. Buttercup figured Blossom got it because it was the same reason why Blossom was desperate to get out of the house. They were both just trying to ignore all of the conflicting emotions they held for the respective boy in their lives.
"You hate grocery shopping," Bubbles pointed out skeptically.
"No, I hate American-owned corporation grocery shopping," Buttercup fibbed with ease. "I still have an undecided opinion towards grocery shopping in the Turks and Caicos."
Bubbles narrowed her eyes at Buttercup, not seeming entirely swayed by her logic.
"Why don't we get ready?" Blossom imposed. Her hands were back to massaging the sides of her head. "That way we'll be back before lunchtime."
"That sounds good," Bubbles nodded, immediately dropping the doubts she had towards Buttercup's reasoning. "I should go wake up Boomer and tell him that we're leaving, anyway."
When Bubbles was out of the room and out of earshot, Buttercup leaned over toward Blossom's ear. "Thank you. You didn't have to save my ass."
Blossom shrugged it off. "We both deserve some time away from all of this."
Buttercup lowered her gaze. The vacant stare Butch had given her two nights ago was still at the forefront of her mind, silently haunting her. "Yeah. We do."
"Bubs, are you sure you're okay to drive?" Buttercup asked from the passenger seat. They were using one of the two spare vehicles that Blossom had rented for the week.
"Yeah, of course," Bubbles said anxiously as she kept her eyes entirely concentrated on the road.
"Then don't you think you could go faster than fifteen miles per hour?" Buttercup exasperated. Her arms were folded across her chest and her eyes were slightly narrowed at Bubbles. Several cars honked at them as they passed them.
Bubbles' eyes widened with dismay at the idea. "But it's raining!"
"Yeah, but you could still drive faster than fifteen miles when it's raining," Buttercup deadpanned.
"But—"
"Press on the gas, Bubbles," Buttercup ordered with impatience.
Bubbles did as she was told, pressing down on the gas pedal. However, every time she felt the slightest notion of discomfort, Bubbles would abruptly switch her foot over to the brake. Buttercup and Blossom's head would lurch forward and back, feeling every pause in Bubbles' driving. The rain outside of the car was becoming heavier too, making Bubbles even more cautious.
Blossom gagged, placing a hand over her mouth. "Oh no," Blossom grimaced. She swallowed, trying to keep herself from throwing up in the car. "Bubbles. Pullover!"
"Come on, Blossom. I'm not doing that bad—"
"Bubbles, pullover before—" Blossom gagged again, feeling a rush coming up from stomach to her chest and throat. It physically pained her to flex it back down for another moment longer. "—I need to throw up!"
"Oh," Bubbles involuntarily remarked at her mistaken assumption before pulling the car over towards the side of the road.
As Bubbles placed the car in park, Blossom quickly reached for the door handle and stuck her head out to vomit. Buttercup and Bubbles both cringed in the front seats, keeping their eyes forward to give Blossom some privacy. Raindrops bounced off the back of Blossom's head, drenching her hair as she wiped at her mouth. The residue that was projected out of her body was blurred together with the rainwater as it was beginning to be washed away from the sand she had thrown up upon.
Blossom slowly pulled herself back into the car, closing the door. She laid her back against the backseats, screwing her eyes shut and massaging her forehead to alleviate the pounding headache she had.
"Are you okay?" Bubbles asked after giving Blossom a minute to settle down.
"Yeah," Blossom said weakly. "I'll be fine."
"You sure? We could go back—"
"No, I'm good," Blossom interrupted curtly. She peeked out, looking at Bubbles through the rear-view mirror and flashing a small smile. "I just need a minute… And a breath mint."
Buttercup reached for her bag, rummaging through it until she found what she wanted. She then presented a metal tin containing mints to Blossom. "Here."
"Thank you," Blossom accepted. She glanced over the tin, reading the label to see they were cinnamon-flavored. Her eyes suddenly began to grow watery. "Oh god."
"What? Are you going to throw up again?" Bubbles panicked.
"No," Blossom sniffled.
Bubbles and Buttercup exchanged the same puzzled look at each other. Neither of them was quite sure what was wrong with Blossom and both of them were a little discombobulated by her range of emotions experienced in the past couple of minutes.
"Then what's wrong?" Bubbles asked gently.
Blossom held up the tin of mints as if it was an obvious answer. "These are the same breath mints Brick uses," Blossom revealed, her voice cracking a little as her vision grew more blurry.
"Buttercup!" Bubbles whispered in criticism.
Buttercup threw up her hands. "How was I supposed to know he used them too?" She countered back in a low tone. "I don't go around smelling his breath—"
"It's okay," Blossom said quietly, interrupting the two. She rubbed at her eye, wiping away the few loose tears she had. "I don't even know why I'm getting so emotional about this."
"Because you miss Brick," Buttercup answered for her with indifference.
Blossom blinked back the tears in her eyes as she nodded her head a little. "Yeah, I guess I do." Blossom reluctantly opened up the tin of mints, eating a couple of them and forcing the association of Brick and the taste of the mints out of the forefront of her mind. She closed her eyes again, trying to gather her emotions together. "But I'm still disappointed in him and how he'd behaved. I don't think I can move past what has happened."
Bubbles glanced over Blossom with sympathetic eyes. "Boomer and I heard your fight, you know…"
Blossom flinched. Her entire body had tensed up from the mention of her and Brick's argument. Her stomach gurgled again and Blossom was resisting her nausea's urge to vomit again. "I'm sorry that you did."
"You were right to call him out, Blossom," Bubbles assured. Blossom remained mum, not willing to dive any deeper into the topic. "It's frustrating that he hasn't apologized by now."
"Can't you just break up with him already?" Buttercup tried despite her better judgment.
Blossom had let out a defeated breath. "It's not that simple, Buttercup."
"I don't know," Bubbles mused. "Do you really want to be in a relationship with someone so inconsiderate enough to only leave you a morsel of cereal?"
"You're seriously not going to let this cereal thing go, are you?" Buttercup remarked flatly.
"I'm valid," Bubbles defended hotly.
Blossom had let out a shaky laugh. She then opened her eyes once more, shifting her gaze between Bubbles and Buttercup's stare. "I… I'm not even sure he would do that to me."
"Do what?" Buttercup asked.
"Leave me barely any cereal," Blossom answered quietly. "For some reason, my heart wants to believe he was only inconsiderate because the cereal was shared among the six of us. He doesn't care about half of the people in the house, so why should he care about eating it all? But if it was just him and I, then I find myself convinced Brick would have never done it."
"Because you want to believe he cares about you?" Bubbles gathered skeptically.
"Yes," Blossom answered as she felt a little pathetic from admitting it and clinging on to the hope of it. "He's not an easy person to understand. I know this. But Brick has shown me the good side to him. He can be sweet and patient, incredibly understanding and protective…"
Buttercup arched an eyebrow. "But?"
Blossom had exhaled loudly. Her entire body was shaking as she let her confession out. "But I'm not sure if I can continue to let him treat everyone but me so poorly. I want to believe Brick has it in him to become a better person but I don't know how long I'll have to wait for him to grow. I don't think I can commit to someone who doesn't want to constantly look for new ways to improve themselves. If we continue at the pace we're going on, I just know I'm going to outgrow him."
"I'm with Buttercup," Bubbles decided after a silence infiltrated the car. The pounding of the raindrops against the metal exterior of the car was amplified between them. "I'd used to think Brick was being misjudged but now I see how awful he can be. I really don't get why you wouldn't break up with him already. You don't want to even be near him right now. So why keep things going?"
"I may not want to be around him at the moment but I... I'm in love with him," Blossom admitted in a breath. Her eyes were pricked with tears again.
"Oh."
"I—I don't want to make any decisions until I'm in the right state of mind," Blossom explained delicately. "I'm incredibly upset and sick right now, so I don't trust myself to make a rational decision. When I do feel better, I want to give Brick one more chance to own up to his mistakes."
Bubbles narrowed her eyes, watching Blossom through the rear-view mirror. "Are you sure that's what you want to do?"
"It's what my heart wants," Blossom answered truthfully. "We've both made so many mistakes and neither of us are saints. There's nothing about our situation that's so cut and dry, which is why I can't be that way with him."
Bubbles did not seem too keen on Blossom's logic while Buttercup nodded her head in understanding—She wished Butch had the same judgment as Blossom did when it came to handling their situation.
"It's your decision, Blossom," Buttercup shrugged off. "We'll be there for you with whatever choice you decide to make."
"Thank you," Blossom smiled weakly. She glanced over towards Bubbles, hoping to end the discussion about Brick finally. "We can go now. I think my stomach has settled."
"Ahhh…" Bubbles darted her eyes out the windows, watching the raindrops dancing furiously around them. She could barely make out the road in front of her through the furious clicking of the windshield wipers. "I think I'll wait until the rain is done."
"Bubs, it's just rain," Buttercup stated.
"I don't know how to drive in the rain," Bubbles argued. "I live in San Diego. We don't get rain."
"Oh my god," Buttercup huffed out under her breath.
"This could be practice then," Blossom encouraged diplomatically.
"Nope," Bubbles stubbornly opposed. "I'm not moving this car."
"Bubbles."
"No."
"Come on, Bubbles," Blossom challenged. "We need to get food."
"It can wait."
"But—"
"I'm not going to take driving advice–" Bubbles pointed back at Blossom. "–from someone who hasn't ever gotten behind the wheel—"
"I live in Manhattan," Blossom defended. "You don't own a car in Manhattan."
Bubbles then moved her finger in Buttercup's direction. "—And someone who only has their learner's permit."
"You know, Buttercup does have some knowledge of driving. Why don't we let her drive instead?" Blossom suggested while Buttercup glared at Bubbles.
"She can't legally drive!" Bubbles countered. "I'm not breaking the law, Blossom."
"It's fine. Just let Buttercup drive," Blossom tried again.
"She only has a permit—"
"Actually," Buttercup interjected over them. "I don't think it's a good idea if I drive. I'd failed my last driver's test—"
"Isn't that the fourth time?" Bubbles acknowledged.
Buttercup nodded, inhaling a sharp breath. "Yup."
"Why didn't you tell us?"
She narrowed her eyes at Bubbles and Blossom defensively. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want to hear shit about it. I've already gotten enough grief from my dad and Butch about it."
Blossom had let out a soft laugh while Bubbles eyed Buttercup with a critical gaze.
"You told Butch about failing your driver's test?"
Buttercup had given Bubbles a questionable look. "Yeah?"
"Before you told Blossom and me?"
Buttercup shrugged off Bubbles' question. "It came up in conversation," Buttercup played off in a quiet voice.
Bubbles did not believe Buttercup's answer. As she watched Buttercup attentively, Bubbles was finding herself jumping to certain conclusions.
Buttercup and Butch have grown close to where it appeared as if they have fallen for each other. But then the fistfight happened and Bubbles has not seen the two speak since then. Bubbles had an understanding it was because Butch was furious over being lied to. Yet, Buttercup's behavior did not make any sense. Yes, Buttercup was right to feel remorseful for what happened but she should not be moping around as she has been.
When Buttercup got in fights with her friends, she was usually intense. She would argue with them or make petty remarks. Buttercup was well-known to barb until forgiveness was met.
With how Buttercup was behaving these past two days, she was oddly subdued. Quiet and pitiful. Bubbles has observed Buttercup portraying herself in a wounded way. There was none of her signature fire present. Buttercup was not being Buttercup.
From these observations, Bubbles felt that Buttercup and Butch's discord was not entirely platonic. There was more to it. Way more feelings than either of them were willing to convey to each other. The problem was, everyone else around them was not blind to it as Butch and Buttercup seemed to be.
Blossom could see the gears turning in Bubbles' head and she moved to switch over towards a different subject. "Hey, Bubs, how about some radio—"
"You've gotten pretty close to Butch," Bubbles acknowledged delicately.
Blossom had let out a defeated breath as she scrubbed the palm of her hand down her face; while Buttercup kept her eyes narrowed at Bubbles.
"I guess so," Buttercup replied tensely.
And then Bubbles asked the damning question.
"Do you like him?"
Buttercup felt her heart drop. She had the idea of lying to Bubbles; she also had the notion of cursing Bubbles out for being so damn nosy. Buttercup ran through a lot of quick solutions to Bubbles' question. But she was brought back to the easiest one.
It was Buttercup being raw to her emotions; just as Buttercup has been trying to do for the past few months.
"Yeah, I do. So what?" Buttercup confessed hotly while glaring at Bubbles.
A dazzling smile framed Bubbles' face as she clapped with delight. "Oh my! I can't believe you like him!" Bubbles then frowned as her mind was struck quickly with panic. She glanced back at Blossom. "Wait. This has to be super awkward for you, isn't?"
"It really isn't," Blossom answered flatly.
"Seriously?" Bubbles gawked. Her face was contoured to display her vast bewilderment.
"Yeah. I don't care if they date." Buttercup snorted at Blossom's remark and the intangible concept of that ever happening. "I actually encourage it."
"Wow. If Boomer and I broke up, and one of you tried to date him afterward, I would be a total mess," Bubbles confessed.
"Well, the situation between Butch and I is a little more complicated..." Blossom trailed off. She glanced over to Buttercup, reading how uncomfortable her body language read off. Blossom knew they needed to change the subject sooner rather than later.
"Yeah but—
"None of this matters," Buttercup interjected. She rolled her eyes so hard, it made her head hurt a little. "Butch and I will never date and–and I shouldn't even like him anymore. So just drop it already, Bubbles."
Bubbles furrowed her eyebrows. "Why not? Is it because Butch is mad right now?" Bubbles placed a hand on Buttercup's knee to convey her support. "He's going to get over it, Buttercup. Everything will be fine."
Buttercup forcibly returned Bubbles' hand, throwing it back into Bubbles' personal space instead. "You don't get it, Bubbles. I'm dead to him now," Buttercup retorted. "Butch wants nothing to do with me anymore and–and I don't blame him. I'd betrayed his trust. I was lying to him for months. He wouldn't care if I'm in love with him—"
Bubbles' eyes blinked back at Buttercup in shock. "You're in love with him?" She interrupted with a subdued exclamation.
Buttercup's mouth had immediately shut. Her jaw was grinding together as she stared Bubbles down. Why did she have such a big mouth lately? First, there was revealing to Butch about Blossom and Brick having sex; now, this. Her mouth was getting her in way too many sticky situations than Buttercup was willing to endure.
"Bubbles," Blossom had warned gently to prevent Bubbles from going any further.
"What?" Bubbles turned in her seat, peering at Blossom with confusion. "Aren't you a little curious about this at all?"
"I've already known about all of this," Blossom revealed quietly.
"You've already known?" Bubbles repeated. Her shoulders had slumped down as a woeful feeling overcame her. "Of course you've already known," Bubbles whispered under her breath.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Buttercup picked up as she tilted her head to a degree. Her eyebrows were furrowed together, creating lines on her forehead.
Bubbles shook her head slowly. She opened her mouth hesitantly. Her mind reflected back on the talk she had with Boomer at the pool a couple of days ago. Bubbles inhaled, building up the courage inside of her.
"It means..." Bubbles exhaled shakily. Her fingers danced along her thighs to ease her nerves. "It means that I should've known you would tell Blossom. You've always been closer—even when you were fighting with each other. You've excluded me from a lot of things and I've pretended it doesn't get to me but it's…" Bubbles wiped at her eye, sniffling. "It does and it's so hard sometimes. It's hard knowing I'll always be on the outside of whatever friendship you have with each other."
"Don't you think Blossom and I are closer because, ever since freshman year, you've been attached to the hip with Boomer?" Buttercup pointed out harshly. She may have been a little too defensive with her delivery since Buttercup was still sour about Bubbles' prying that had occurred a few moments before.
"He's my boyfriend—"
"And he's your best friend too," Buttercup countered. "You tell him more stuff than you tell us."
"That's not true—"
Buttercup leaned forward, staring blankly at Bubbles. "When were you planning on telling Blossom and me about your little trip to visit your dad?"
Bubbles blinked at Buttercup. Her vision was blurry and she felt an ache in her chest from the still-healing wound. "How–How do you know about—"
"Butch told me," Buttercup answered curtly.
Bubbles darted her eyes over to Blossom, who sighed from being forced to give an answer. "Boomer told me about it one night when I had given him the check for the van you'd used."
"You both have known?" Blossom nodded as Bubbles could not decide who she wanted to look at or if she wanted to look at either of them at all. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"I'd figured you needed time," Blossom shrugged.
"Butch had said your dad was dodging your calls, so I didn't want to bring it up in case things didn't work out," Buttercup admitted. "But maybe…" Buttercup chewed down on her bottom lip for a moment before continuing on. "But maybe we should've said something."
"No. I should've said something," Bubbles argued guilty. "I've been resentful towards you for a long time when I've kept secrets myself—"
"But Buttercup and I haven't been fair to you either," Blossom confessed with honesty. "We did exclude you on purpose with certain things. We haven't been too kind behind your back sometimes. And... And I'm sorry, Bubbles. We should've been better friends to you this entire time."
Bubbles exchanged a surprised glance with Buttercup. A smile formed on Buttercup's lips as she had let out a small laugh. "I know. Blossom apologizing does take some time to get used to."
Blossom groaned, rolling her eyes. "Was I that much of a nightmare to people that me saying sorry is so shocking?" Bubbles and Buttercup kept their lips pressed together, trying to prevent a comment or chuckle from escaping their mouths. Blossom stared at them flatly. "I guess that answers my question."
Buttercup snickered to herself, shaking her head slightly before meeting Bubbles' eyes. Her face softened with sincerity. "I'm sorry as well. I may have let myself get too caught up in the envy I felt towards you and how I'd needed to put up a tough front. I regret treating you like that, Bubs. You deserved better."
Bubbles grinned, her eyes were brimming with tears. A monumental weight had finally been lifted off of her chest and Bubbles was glad to know Boomer was right. Blossom and Buttercup did care; and hopefully, this was the start of them communicating and showing it more predominately.
"Thank you."
The rain outside was lightening up but it was not enough to motivate Bubbles to continue driving. A brief lull overwhelmed them as Blossom was staring up at the ceiling of the car. She had let out a quiet snort when reflecting over pieces of past that were brought up when apologizing to Bubbles about her previous misdeeds.
"Remember freshman year when Bubbles made us promise to never keep secrets from each other and that we would always be best friends?" Blossom recalled nostalgically.
"It was probably the only pinky promise I've ever done," Buttercup remarked, rolling her eyes.
"It was totally worth it," Bubbles beamed with a nudge to Buttercup's side.
Buttercup pushed away Bubbles' elbow, glaring at her. "Sure."
Blossom had a melancholic smile on her lips. "God. What happened to those girls we'd used to be?"
Buttercup shrugged, frowning slightly. "We grew up."
"Blossom and I'd started to prioritize boys over our friendships," Bubbles added regretfully.
"And I'd let popularity and everyone's opinion get to my head," Blossom finished with a remorseful sigh. She combed a hand through her hair as she mused about the past. "I hate who I'd become these past few years. I don't know how either of you stuck around me or how you were able to admit to being my friend."
"It's because we love you," Bubbles answered easily.
Blossom was quiet for an extended period, her eyes were squinting at the roof of the car. "... I want to be someone deserving of your love. I don't want either of you to be surprised when I apologize now. I don't want us to graduate and think back at our time together, questioning if we were really friends or not. Because somehow I was lucky enough to gain two incredible best friends and I want you to feel the same way I do."
In the melodic quietness of the water lightly drumming against the car, Buttercup and Bubbles were both stirred by Blossom's words. They had digested and memorized each fragment and began to reflect on their own personal feelings towards their friendship with each other. Buttercup, in the violent storm that was her head lately, was able to come to a clear census of what Blossom and Bubbles meant to her.
"You know," Buttercup began in a timorous tone before clearing her throat. She focused her gaze on the pair of hands she was nervously fiddling with. Talking about her emotions out loud was still an uneasy experience for her despite how much improvement Buttercup has made at it. "I'd used to be 'one of those girls'. The type who thought they were better than other girls and who wanted to only be friends with guys. I'd rather have been one of the guys than just another girl."
"But I'm…" Buttercup sucked in a breath. Her voice was cloaked by a deep set of emotions. "But I'm so glad you've both had proven me wrong. I'm glad I can say two of my best friends are girls and that you know me for who I am. Sometimes you put up with all the bullshit I come with better than even I can. I know I'm not the easiest person to love but neither of you has given up on me. Even when we're at each other's throats or we can't be in the same room with each other, you've both continuously proven me wrong and have stuck by me." Buttercup had let a soft grin frame her lips. "And I'm glad you have."
Bubbles sniffled beside Buttercup, wiping under her eyes with the back of her hand. She smiled weakly. The purging of Blossom and Buttercup's feelings had gotten to her now and Bubbles could not hold back her own opinions any longer.
"I... I don't know why but I've been chasing after the wrong things. I've put too much focus on wanting my dad to want me back or I've become dependent on the romantic love I have with Boomer. And I think… I think may have forgotten just how important my platonic relationships are and how much I should be fighting for them. You've both been more like a family to me than my dad will ever be." Bubbles shook her head slightly. "I don't want to forget that anymore."
Buttercup had let out a small laugh. Her eyes were glassy. "We're a bunch of sap, aren't we?"
"Yeah. We are," Blossom smiled. She rubbed at her eyes.
"You know..." Bubbles trailed off with a certain musing in her head. She grinned with enthusiasm at the idea. "We could start over," Bubbles suggested with hope in her voice.
"No offense, but I don't think I have enough energy for another emotional confession," Blossom admitted sheepishly.
"No, not that." She stuck out each of her pinky fingers for them to reach out for. "Let's make a new promise to each other. This time we could be more realistic about it."
"Okay." Blossom sat up, extending her left pinky finger to curl around Bubbles'. She took a moment to think over what she wanted to say. Once Blossom had it, she leaned closer to the middle console separating Bubbles and Buttercup in the front. "I think we should promise to be more truthful with each other, even if it hurts."
Bubbles and Blossom both then stared at Buttercup, waiting for her to cave in. She eventually let out a groan, hooking her right pinky finger around Bubbles' and wrapping her left pinky finger around Blossom's.
"I guess," she huffed out. "I guess I would like to promise we'll always have each other's backs. Even if we stop being friends someday, I want both of you to know I'll be in your corner if I'm ever needed by you."
"I like that," Bubbles beamed. She shifted her eyes between Blossom and Buttercup. "I think... I think I would like for us to be kinder to ourselves and never settle for anything less. I want us to always be looking for a better and to help each other achieve it too."
"So," Blossom began. "I pinky promise."
"I pinky promise," Buttercup swore, rolling her eyes a little despite the small grin on her face.
"And I pinky promise," Bubbles finished. She squeezed both Blossom and Buttercup's pinky fingers before letting them go. She found herself looking out the window, finding that the sun was peaking out through the clouds, much to Bubbles' excitement. "Hey, it stopped raining."
"Finally," Buttercup mumbled with relief.
"It's time to get some food, ladies," Bubbles announced as she was quick to place the car into drive and to begin a cautious path towards a grocery store.
"And more cereal for you, Bubs," Blossom quipped.
Bubbles' face grew serious. Fury flashed once more in her eyes through the rear-view mirror. "Again. What type of person does that?"
It had stopped raining for about an hour before it started to pick up again. Windswept raindrops were beating against the glass doors of the villa. Palm trees swayed viciously to the left and the waves crashing onto the beach were dangerously violent.
Dark gray clouds from outside had made the villa become swallowed by somber lighting. If a light in the kitchen or living room were to be put on, then maybe it would not look so dreary inside the space but other than the tv, no lights were on. Brick preferred to keep it that way. Boomer and Butch had stayed upstairs while Brick continued on with his movie marathon of films Brick has missed since school, sports, and Blossom had gotten in the way of them.
He was halfway through a historical drama when there was a loud booming noise in the distance. Immediately the television screen went dark and Brick was left to assume the power how gone out. When the fan above him grew to a slow stop, Brick was proven correct.
"What the hell was that?"
Brick rolled his eyes in annoyance, slumping back into the cushions of the couch as he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
"What was that?" Boomer asked again with concern, making it the first time anyone has spoken to Brick since the fight.
"Transformer blew," Brick answered flatly.
Boomer flinched at his reply, slowly became aware of who he had gotten a response from. Boomer turned his back away from Brick, pretending as if their interaction did not happen. Instead, Boomer went to the kitchen and searched through the cabinets for some candles and a lighter.
While Boomer was opening and closing cabinets, Brick was on his phone and scrolling through his social media feed. From what Brick could see, his classmates were thoroughly enjoying their spring break. A toxic wave of envy crashed through his system as Brick grew sick of being stuck in the hell that was this vacation. Everything would have been fine if Blossom had not allowed Butch to join them. More so, if everyone was not so concerned with protecting Butch's feelings from the jump.
Butch could have known the truth a long time ago but everyone involved was too concern about how it would impact them when Butch did find out. It was aggravating for Brick to think about because he did not care about Butch knowing. In fact, Brick felt relieved from Butch knowing because it meant he no longer had to pretend he cared about Butch's feelings like everyone else has been claiming to be doing.
Boomer must have found candles because Brick could hear the sound of a lighter being used. The constant clicking of the lighter was interrupted by the heavy footsteps marching down the stairs. Brick glanced over his shoulder out of curiosity. His eyes then landed on Butch, who was looking over the thermostat and trying to get the AC to work; but without the power on, it obviously was not going to.
"Why wouldn't this work?" Butch fumed quietly to himself.
"The power is out," Boomer answered for Butch as his face was captured by the ardent flame he ignited against a new candlewick.
Butch shot Boomer a nasty glare, obviously not pleased by: one, hearing the power was out, which meant no AC for the time being; two, Boomer having the balls to speak to him.
Brick could not help but to snort at Butch's reaction. The noise was loud and attention-grabbing, causing Brick to now be on the receiving end of Butch's daggers.
"What's so fucking funny?"
Brick shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing at all." A shifty grin framed his lips. "Poor Boomer though."
"Poor Boomer?" Butch sneered. His nose was scrunched up aggressively.
"You're punishing him," Brick pointed out dully. If the tv was out, Brick had to find someway to entertain himself for the time being. What better way to do that than to piss off Butch even more? After all, Butch was the singular reason why Brick has been sleeping on a damn couch for past three nights in a row. "When Boomer had nothing to with anything."
"He chose to protect you," Butch fumed. His hand was thrown in Boomer's direction, talking about him as if Boomer was not even in the room. "He's not my friend."
Brick rolled his eyes. "You're so fucking stupid, man."
"Hey! You don't need to call him that," Boomer stepped in.
"I don't need you to defend me," Butch seethed.
"Yet he's been doing that the entire time," Brick revealed flatly. Now was a time to push into a certain button to make Butch feel shitty, Brick decided. "He'd even tried blackmailing me."
Butch furrowed his eyebrows, narrowing his eyes at Brick in confusion. "What? Boomer wouldn't do that type of shit."
"I did," Boomer said quietly before clearing his throat. "I did do that."
Butch blinked with bewilderment. Boomer blackmailing someone? For Butch's sake? If Butch was not so furious with Boomer at the moment, he might have even been impressed by Boomer's ballsiness to do such a thing.
"Why?"
"Because you're his best friend," Brick mocked. "He'd never protected me—he never has. Don't you feel fucking stupid now?"
"That doesn't—" Butch shook his head, neglecting to fully acknowledge whatever truth they were revealing to him, was actually that. His blinders were on and Butch was stuck focusing on harping the same note. "He'd still kept it from me. That doesn't change shit."
Brick had let out a wry laugh. "Wow. You're really willing to lose Boomer over this? That's so dumb."
"Why do you even care?" Boomer interjected before Butch could respond. His eyes were slanted and consumed by a wave of growing anger. "Why are you ridiculing him when you'd wanted this?"
Brick scoffed at his question, sitting up to meet Boomer with disdain. He had not been expecting for Boomer to chime into any of this. "I didn't want any of this shit."
"Right," Boomer nodded. His words were dripping in sarcasm. "Because you'd cared so much about how your secret would affect any of our relationships with each other."
"It's really not my fault how Butch reacts," Brick dismissed defensively. He did not like how Boomer was turning this all on to him now.
"You're the damn reason why he's reacting!" Boomer fumed. "You'd lied to me about ending things with Blossom! Then I had to keep this from my best friend! And you didn't give a shit about any of it!"
Brick pressed his lips together, taken aback by Boomer's heated reaction. Okay, so maybe he did not properly foresee how Butch knowing about Blossom and him would affect Boomer in the collateral fall out but Brick could not control any of it. How Butch reacted to Boomer's role, was how Butch reacted. In Brick's perspective, he had nothing more to do with how Butch was choosing to process his emotions—other than the fistfight, that was.
Besides, Boomer could have said something much sooner. He did not need to honor the deal they had made. Boomer could have called Brick out for faking a relationship with Princess to get out of the deal and then told Butch the whole truth. But no, Boomer wanted to protect Butch's feelings too. Everyone just wanted to protect Butch.
How nice it must be to have everyone genuinely care about you, Brick mused bitterly.
The three had become too consumed with their heated exchange to even notice that the rain had halted once again outside.
Brick shrugged off Boomer's accusation with portrayed indifference. "You're right. I don't care."
"You know what? Fuck you," Butch responded coldly. Brick could not help but notice how it was the calmest Butch has addressed Brick in the past two months. "You can sit here and say you don't care about Boomer or me or anything but we were friends at one point. At least I'm man enough to admit it. I can tell you that I did care about our friendship and how much this shit hurts. But you? You rather be a fucking coward than admit it."
Brick was struck by a serious offense. He was not a coward. No way. He was the exact opposite of it. No matter how much Butch's words were festering underneath his skin, crawling and latching onto him, Brick was not going to admit to being a coward. It was poison Brick was not willing to drink from—even if it already existed in his system.
"We were friends," Brick said through his teeth. They were the closest friends he's ever had, Brick failed to add. He sharpened his stare on Butch. "But things change."
"Yeah, I see," Butch snorted. "You had to fuck my girlfriend. That's what changed." He pointed an accusing finger at Brick. "You could've had any girl you wanted but you had to have Blossom—"
"I can't fucking change who I like—"
"Yes, you can," Butch nodded aggressively. "If we were friends, you would've respected me enough to not like her. Instead, you'd crossed an untouchable boundary just cause you could."
"Because I could?" Brick repeated with his eyebrows furrowed.
Butch had let out a wry laugh. "We all know your reputation with girls, Brick. In fact, a part of me wouldn't even be surprised you're only into Blossom because she was untouchable. You just had to prove something. You're a fucking bitch like that. Always caring about what other people think and needing their attention—"
"That's you, Butch. Not me."
"It used to be me but now I don't give a shit about what people think. But you," Butch shook his head with a snicker. "You care more than you want to admit."
"Oh, fuck off, Butch," Brick dismissed. A rush infiltrated his chest and he contemplated punching Butch in the face again. Maybe Brick could give Butch a matching shiner on his right eye.
Butch glanced over at Boomer, laughing a little more. "Looks like I struck a chord."
"Butch," Boomer advised with a cautious tone but he went unheard.
"Look at you, Brick. You're stuck out here on the damn couch. You fucked up and you're going to get everything you deserve. This is just the beginning," Butch warned maliciously. "This is how Blossom works. She's fucking fantastic when you're in the honeymoon phase but after the first real fight, she slips away. You lose a piece of her with each argument until you don't even recognize her anymore. You're already there. You're already losing her," Butch grinned smugly.
Was what Butch was saying a lie? Yes and no.
Blossom did become someone who Butch no longer recognized but it took two years for that to happen. Two years of Butch viewing her in a rose-tinted world where all the red flags just looked like flags. Butch finally understood who Blossom was now and that he had spent most of his time being in a relationship with a stranger.
He also understood how much Butch wanted to fuck with Brick's heart just as Brick had done with his. It would not be in the same way but spreading some uncertainty in Brick's mind about Blossom was the most logical way for Butch to do it. There were fractures in the foundation of their relationship already now. It was too easy for Butch to plant seeds of doubt right in them and for him to reap the reward of the crops they were soon to sprout. He was sure they would thrive in the environment Blossom and Brick were currently in.
"What about you?" Brick threw back, ignoring the panic blaring in his body.
He could not lose Blossom. Not after everything they have been through. They may be in a rough patch at the moment, but Brick was sure it would pass. He hoped that it would pass. Brick could not fix their problems without Blossom wanting to do the same; therefore, Brick was left to be helpless without any control over the situation he wished was to be over with already.
However, right now, Brick could only try to tear Butch down more than he already has.
"You're losing everyone in your life just because you're a fucking raging idiot. You think so highly of yourself compared to me when you were out there two nights ago calling Blossom a bitch. You're so up your own ass that you can't even see that you actually have people who fucking care about you," Brick ranted. He held out his hand for Butch to see, counting down the names. "You have Boomer. You have Bubbles. You have Buttercup—"
"Don't even fucking try to do this," Butch interrupted. He convinced himself the outrage he felt was from Brick trying to call him out and not from Buttercup being brought up.
"What?" Brick tilted his head, reading over how strained Butch's body language became after he mentioned Buttercup. "You don't want to hear about Buttercup?" He pressed on callously. "You don't want to hear about how much you're hurting her?"
"She betrayed me," Butch dismissed quickly, avoiding Brick's fiery gaze.
"Oh, boohoo," Brick mocked. "She kept a secret. Oh fucking well. She was also there for you, containing the ticking time bomb that you are. She stuck by you through all of this. But you just want to be shitty to her because she got caught up in trying not to hurt you? Get over your fucking self."
Butch glanced over at Boomer, trying to get a read of whether what Brick was saying had any truth to it. Boomer had given him a solemn expression, wishing for the argument between Brick and Butch to come to a conclusion before it was too late and more fists were thrown.
The other night, Boomer had said they were all trying to protect Butch. He said Butch would eventually see it. Now Brick was uttering the same point. Butch felt a slow drip of guilt flood into his body. He reflected over Buttercup's look this morning. How remorseful she had appeared. It made Butch regret everything he has done to her in the past two days.
But it did not change what Buttercup did. She had known for months. It was not something Butch could get over and forgive so easily.
"You don't get to talk about her—"
Brick perked up from hearing how quiet Butch had become. He smirked with the knowledge of having the exact button to push into to make Butch feel even more shitty for how he was treating Buttercup.
"I can, actually," Brick argued arrogantly. "I know more about Buttercup than you do. Like I know she's in—"
"We're back!" Bubbles announced when opening the front door to the villa. She had bags of groceries in her hands and she stopped midway in the foyer, instantly becoming suffocated by the thick tension in the room. Bubbles tossed her line of vision towards each boy before settling on Boomer. "What's going on? Why is it so dark in here?"
"Nothing's going on," Brick mumbled.
He sunk back into the couch, going back to scrolling on his phone. There was no need to say anything now with the girls here. If he told Butch about Buttercup's feelings in front of her and Blossom, then Brick would be in even deeper trouble. So instead, Brick blended back into the furniture of the living room, just as he has done for the past two days.
"The power is out," Boomer informed Bubbles as he moved to aid her. He kissed her cheek before grabbing the groceries in her hands.
"Oh god, why is it so fucking hot in here?" Buttercup complained as she and Blossom entered the home with their own groceries in hand.
"The power is out apparently," Bubbles answered.
"Let me make a call and see if it's being worked on," Blossom decided. She placed her bags on the island counter in the kitchen, brushing past Butch without a glance or word being given between both of them and headed up the stairs for her phone.
Bubbles and Boomer went to organize the newly purchased food into their correct spots while Buttercup placed her bags on the counter. When she turned around, Buttercup was taken aback to find Butch still standing in the kitchen by the thermostat. More so, that he was able to meet her eyes for more than a second or two.
"Hey," Butch muttered.
Buttercup had let out a breath. She did not know if it was out of relief or because Buttercup was anxious.
"Hi," Buttercup inhaled.
Butch lingered his gaze on her. "Is there..." Butch coughed, clearing his throat and trying to let go of the awkward tension within him. "Is there more to carry in?"
"Yeah?" She answered skeptically.
Butch's eyes shifted from Buttercup to the front door and then back to her. Maybe it was time for Butch to slowly let go of some of the anger blinding him from making rational decisions.
"Do you want any help?"
Buttercup shifted her standing, debating over her answer. She searched for his dark side. Buttercup tried to find the continual blame she felt on his face. But it was not there. Butch, while hesitant, did not express the disdain she had witnessed a couple nights ago. There was life again, breathing a second act into their friendship. It made Buttercup questioned whether maybe everything would be alright? Maybe Butch would be alright; maybe she would be alright too.
For a moment, Butch's dead eyes were removed from Buttercup's mind and she was able to savor whatever brief amount of time she had of Butch no longer being dismissive towards her.
"Yeah. I would like that," Buttercup smiled weakly with a small nod.
Butch, despite it all, returned her smile.
Butch knew he could not forgive her right now. He still felt betrayed by Buttercup but Butch also knew she had her reasons for the decision. Boomer has told him that she did; Brick has told him that she did; now Butch saw it too. Buttercup was dying to tell him about those reasons too—Butch could tell she did just from the look in her eyes.
However, he was not ready to hear it. Butch was still processing the anger he felt towards Buttercup, the entire situation, and everyone involved in. But Butch could not deny how he may want to forgive her. He did not like not being on speaking terms with Buttercup. Butch was starting to realize how much he missed her. It has only been two days; yet, Butch missed Buttercup more than he could properly explain. The way Butch has been punishing her with silence, it has slowly become a punishment for himself too.
She's in…
Buttercup was in what? He could not finish the rest of Brick's sentence on his own but Butch's curiosity was getting to him.
He had to find out how that sentence ends.
Author's Notes:
Well, I'm already halfway through the number of chapters I posted last year; so that's great! Honestly, the Greens are what's driving me lately and I can't wait for their story to unfold even more in the next couple of chapters.
I want to say thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and to those who recently followed/favorite this story!