Previously: By chance, Brick met the new girl and he might quite start falling hard. The problem is, he's pretty sure she doesn't feel the same way.
Summary:
He's too shy to make the first step and she's too prideful to accept that she sucks at reaching out. It'd be great if they could clear up their misunderstandings, but life isn't that easy.
Brick rose his hand for the fourth time in a row to properly answer the posed question, "Bradypnea." By then, the hushed whispers were getting louder and eyes of curiosity swarmed him; including Blossom's.
Had he ever mentioned that Blossom shared Medical Science class with him? Had he mentioned Dexter did also?
"Correct again, Mr. Mathews." Mr. Wednesday quoted; his tone as if he wished Brick messed up this time.
Lately — as in an hour ago — Brick had been overstepping his version of the morally grey area. Whatever possessed him to return to that club room was beyond him. Maybe grey was the day's chosen colour; the skies definitely liked it, and so too his mood.
He wasn't even one to get jealous easily. Not to discredit his character, but jealousy required a certain level of effort he was far too unwilling to put. So, him subconsciously trailing the nerd patrol while filtering for only Blossom's and Dexter's voice should've been classed as terrifyingly odd.
The ego that Brick usually nursed was slightly bruised. Just for today, he'd allow himself to admit that. To Blossom, he was probably an incompetent wad. He'd already surmised that from their jarring interactions but that didn't mean he had to accept it. The kindest gesture she'd given Brick was the unneeded answer to a question and that was sort of on him. He planned to fix that; he had to.
Anyway, somewhere in between mindlessly stalking them and moving via muscle memory, he found himself forced into the class he hated the most. Granted, he wasn't as perceptive as he'd like to be, he shouldn't have been surprised by that fact. Took him long enough, but with a bit of last-minute self-searching, he realized that living passively was the same as letting his potential waste away.
Being a bum wasn't acceptable for a Mathews.
Mr. Wednesday's classes were usually just a taste of the concepts he'd heard when shadowing his mother's seminars as a child. Sitting third row with his legs swinging on one of the visited universities' lecture hall seating was a commonality for him. Even when his mind was captivated by whatever handheld console his parents gave him, Brick couldn't help but learn a new term from his mother or her peers. His current class — sadly — paled to the enthusiasm he'd seen from those distinguished guest lecturers. It was probably because Mr. Wednesday was far too haughty for his own good.
It just made sense that Brick hated his Medical Science lectures. Ignoring the teacher, the class was chuck-filled with students who made overachieving look like child's play. Sat with him were the aspiring med students, plastic surgeons, pharmaceutical scientists — heck, freaking bio-weapons engineers — and they'd usually fight tooth and nail to prove they belonged there.
Even though it was just for that lesson, Brick allowed himself to be partially indoctrinated into that cut-throat culture. Despite wanting to slouch further in his seat with his hood on to hide an airpod blasting Latin tunes to drown out the boring lecture, he stayed attentive and engaged in the lesson.
It was odd.
It created rifts.
He didn't give a fuck.
"What? No answer this time, Mr. Mathews?" Coy, Mr. Wednesday egged Brick on. As much as the man'd like to pin Brick as the poster boy for all things rowdy and possibly ruff, he couldn't deny that the boy seemingly possessed a brilliant mind.
However, he felt maxed out on answers. For starters, Mr. Wednesday never went into detail with these terms and it was clear he'd been ignoring the other rising hands. Rolling his eyes with his chin pressed up roughly into an open palm, Brick seemed to bluff. "Thought I'd give the others a chance."
Brick couldn't help that his eyes snuck a glance at how focused Blossom appeared in class. Her hands didn't rise for one second as she seemed more interested in digesting the new information than competing with the try-hards. The way her ponytail swung when she peeped the interactive board before dipping back into her notebook reminded him of fifth form pendulum experiments.
He probably shouldn't have been staring at her so much, but the more he watched her nape, the more he'd enjoy the curled ringlets that contrasted her straight hair. She had the habit of rubbing it whenever she felt the slightest chill. Blossom was yet to adopt the culture of wearing a thick cotton jersey under her school shirt. Sad, but Poakey Oaks Academy sometimes being just two sips short of a freezer was an unspoken truth. If Blossom thought she would soon get used to it, she was in for a surprise.
When her pen was pressed to the desk, she intertwined her fingers and took a quick peek behind her back. Awkward, but her eyes accidentally locked with Brick's before they trailed to the teacher's frame.
Fucking hell…
His heart wasn't ready for that disruption! Brick had full intentions of ignoring the rest of Mr. Wednesdays' persistence. However, the way his face felt tight and heated had created a need to redirect his thoughts. His forced cough did very little to hide his blush and he knew it. Before the curious eyes caught onto his current predicament, he provided the class with yet another correct answer. This time, his voice came off a bit cracked and his tone was slightly distant, but everyone's focus was thankfully more on Mr. Wednesday's reaction than Brick's overwhelming butterflies.
The boy looked to his left shortly after. He strained his eyes through the class's slightly tinted windows to look at a smudge on the corridor's walls. Blossom was going to be the death of him if she kept matching his gaze most of the times he stared.
"Common cause?"
Brick pointed at himself, confused as to why that dim teacher started beaming with each answer, "High fever."
"Difference from hyperventilation?"
"Is this '50 questions', sir?"
"Do you not know the answer, Mathews?"
Brick didn't appreciate being challenged.
"In short?" he had to sit up straight for this answer, cause fuck that bland arse named 'Nathaniel' if he thought Brick would back down! "Tachypnoea is fast short breaths, hyperventilation is fast deep breaths."
"I'd prefer the jargons, Mathews."
"Rapid shallow breaths…"
"And—"
Shuffling was heard before the sharp clearing of another boy's voice. Eyes immediately snapped to him as he spoke, and Brick felt like dying a little after the very unwanted 'back-up'. "No offense Mr. Wednesday, but I don't think the school board would appreciate you grilling Mr. Mathews the one day he decides to pay attention in your class."
To say the tension didn't grow fast and thick would be a lie. It had been a while since anyone heard of a student council member getting into a public tiff with a staff member. As much as some of the students loved drama, student council spats were usually an overprivileged catastrophe. Dexter may not have had the necessary 'pull' to throw around a career-ending threat, but there were at least three other council members in that class… needless to say, no one wanted things to get nasty.
"This is counter-productive and could quite possibly negate him from acting like he has a brain in the next class." His blue eyes never once touched Brick's desk. Instead, it stayed steeled to the old man's face.
"Wow! Ta Dorkster!" Brick slow clapped, "You're too kind!" Of course, his sarcasm brought about some giggling, but it was quickly quelled with the sound of Mr. Wednesday's voice.
"Kindly save your breath to cool your porridge because offense was taken Mr. Deasley." The man straightened his jacket as he tried to keep his calm, "Is it now a crime to pick at someone's brain?"
Blossom rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the words projected on the board. The absolute rubbish Mr. Wednesday tried to sell his students was almost appalling. Everyone and their mothers clearly saw it as a failed attempt at public humiliation. The worst part was that the topic was only barely touched. It was an absolute surprise to hear him casually answering the questions with words most of the class had never heard.
"Couldn't 'picking his brain' be done on your time instead of—"
"Are you two seriously having a laugh?" Staci Hwang was one of those voices you just didn't want to hear angry. Period. Didn't matter that her student council rank was a bit low, her social standing wasn't top tier, or even that her parent's influence wasn't boast-worthy, when 'nice' people like her snapped, parties who fucked up usually got silent. "This conversation swelled to something positively barmy. Thanks for that. We're all chuffed about it!"
In an awkward standoff, the man fiddled with his tie. His strides to his computer were long but swift. He'd been on this slide for far too long and being called out like that for losing his professional perspective was certainly humbling.
Arguing with one of the lower sixth form's sweethearts wasn't going to make him feel any better. His best bet was to act as though he was unbothered and continue as though none of this had happened. "As we are all aware," He cleared his throat as he got his bearings in order, "Most of you sitting in these seats will be branching off into different fields come graduation day. Whether it be artificial intelligence, medical technology, medicine, dentistry or you just want to be an EMT, breathing patterns and what they indicate are very important! Mock Exams are soon and…"
Mock exams; the magic phrase which always turned any of Brick's fake attention real. It rendered all his internal quarrels nothing but white noise. He kind of rocked MS class's world and Dexter feeling the need to defend him during class was no longer an issue. Heck, he didn't even care if his previous exchange solidified Blossom's assumption on him being a git or not!
Okay… maybe he did care about the last bit but now wasn't the time for lamenting.
All the hands which usually rushed to the air were almost non-existent. The only clear voice in the class was the teacher's. Pen scratches, highlighter gliding, and focused breathing suffused the room. Every emphasis, page reference, and definition the teacher made was either a bulleted point, bookmark, or highlighted text in Brick's notebook. It no longer mattered that Buttercup's teasing felt brutal at lunch, or the fact that Boomer brazenly called bagsy on Brick's burger, — by the way, Boomer's parents are going to hell for implementing that low-sodium MIND diet! — crunch time was near and suddenly all distractions were trivial.
.
.
After class, Blossom lingered in her seat as she willed the confidence to approach Brick's desk. From what she'd noticed, he'd been the type to dilly-dally after lessons, so she'd assume she had nothing but time. Except that the day had been extremely stressful on him. Despite football practice being only optional on Wednesdays, he had all this pent-up rage that could only be released with a sharp kick to the ball.
Please, that poor goalie wasn't near ready for his assault. Brick tugged off his sweaty shirt and tried to fan the extra droplets off as he ran to the other side of the field.
"That's fucking bullshit, Mathews! You wanna kill me with that kick, you cunt?"
"Should've just dodged!" Brick shook the stress off his limbs. He couldn't care less about what's-his-face's thoughts.
"And let you score that goal?"
"So how much bones you break?"
The older student just chuckled as Brick danced to his position on the field, "Piss off, cunt." Twice, twice he'd sworn at Brick. Did that mean he held a grudge? Well… Brick expected the boy to walk it off by tomorrow, so he didn't care.
Blossom took a hesitant seat on the bleachers, specifically next to Princess who'd been armed with a highlighter and a textbook. Luxury sports were the only thing she knew and let's just say that football was a far cry from tennis or golf. To her, it looked like organized chaos. Everyone understood their positions and roles, but the mechanics were a bit unpredictable. The players' working chemistry was remarkable and the way they seemed to glide over each other and shove their way to the ball seemed violently in synch. It was like war… but beautiful.
"Surprised you're not in the library."
Princess attention wavered at the inquiry. The air had been crisp as of late and a tad bit dry. Despite the sensation of an almost bleeding nose, she couldn't resist taking the occasional deep breath. "Oh, I'm not studying. Just needed to refresh my memory on this one thing." After Blossom nodded in understanding, Princess continued, "I mean I could…" A sneaky smile stretched on her face, "But get this babe; I feel like I'm in a bloody glass house with all those eyes… just staring at me. No, no. I rather stay out here and watch these plonkers half kill each other with a ball. It's more relaxing than a book or good Wi-Fi. Plus…" she would've finished, but Blossom had cut in unknowingly.
Blossom giggled in confusion, "Yeah… that staring thing? That's weird, right?" She had to ask because Townsville seemed to have adopted customs that were far different from the rest of London.
"Girl, and if I say or do anything about it, I'm the asshole."
Blossom smiled, "Sucks to be you."
Princess grinned, "If only." She slammed the book closed with glee after watching that nasty tackle on the field, "Okay, is it just me, or are they really going at each other today?"
Blossom didn't bother faking her experience. Being the daughter of an ex-MP came with some perks; she never needed to lie to fit in. She was loved regardless of what she said or did. Of course, the people at this school were yet to know who she was, but her principles never changed. "Just popped my football-watching cherry. Have nothing to compare to but… are they any good?"
"Usually," Princess shrugged, "I reckon they've got about six kids there with guaranteed scholarships… good schools too!"
Blossom blinked in amazement, "Brick?"
"Yeah, he's one…" Princes pocketed her textbook with a sly smile and popped open her juice box. "Did he ask you to watch him play? Cause he's putting on a real fuck show today! Swear he's out for blood!"
Blossom watched said boy literally jump over a player who glided on the grass. Had Brick been a tad faster, he probably could have stolen the ball and passed it to his teammate but even to Blossom, the chances of that happening was too slim.
"We haven't spoken since lunch," she mumbled as she tried to understand the mechanics of the game.
She felt Princess' curious but suspiciously uncomfortable gaze on her. Of course, Blossom wanted to comment on it, but she felt like explaining her presence was the smarter play. "The sky's grey… clouds look like they're setting… just wanted to see what's so great that you'd risk getting drenched."
"I take it you don't like sports."
"I greatly appreciate the Olympics."
"Ever went a game?" Princess asked, then trailed sneakily, "I guess Brick's especially good… he's got a pretty good kick. Well, not enough for pro, but it's categorically decent."
Blossom rolled her eyes, "Why does it feel like you're selling him to me?"
"I'm just saying Blossom," she grinned, "He's not as dumb as he looks… or acts… or talks."
Blossom raised her brows, "He put on a real show in class today."
"God, what did he do now?"
She shook her head in denial, "Mr. Wednesday started grilling him with a bunch of things he hadn't taught yet… and at first, it wasn't too bad but then… well… Dexter tried to end it, and when that failed, Staci jumped in."
"Oh yikes, Staci's a tough one."
"So, I've heard but I can't see it. She's literally sugar-sweet."
Princess giggled, "No babe, you need to put her in the same room as Boomer to see how sweet she can be."
"Bad blood?"
"Let's just say… there's bad breakups and there's them."
Blossom giggled, "Are we even talking about the same Staci here?"
"With an I? Mostly Asian, long black hair, speaks in a different language when she's pissed and mostly hangs out with the seniors?"
"Hwang?" Blossom was in utter disbelief.
"Yup."
"And Boomer?" Her brain refused to make that romantic link.
"Bad breakup." Princess enunciated, her hands placing the much-needed emphasis. She pulled harshly on the last of her juice box before retraining her eyes to the field, "So I guess we know why Brick's so angsty today."
Blossom only hummed.
"Hey, I don't usually vouch for people," Princess mentioned, "But he's not the average bloke."
Blossom shrugged.
"So I'm aware that you two got off on the wrong foot, but…" Brick fucking owed Princess an arm and two legs for all this sugar-coating. "Word of advice. If he ever pisses you off, you could just punch him. He's gonna act like it doesn't hurt and just swat your hand away."
"I'm guessing you do that all the time?"
Princess chuckled, "Oh honey! I wish he'd try me but the boy's no git. Sundays are my boxing days… part of my therapist's 'healing process' for my," and she air-quoted, " 'anger management issues.' What a bint, right! But anyway, I'd love to punch someone… anyone!"
The football coach wasn't one to waste time with after practice-huddling or prep talks. You hear that whistle blow three times and it either meant break time or home time. Brick jogged off the field for a spot of water. With his face sweat-drenched as he peered across the bleachers, he gave a large wave to the girls cheering just a few seats across from where Princess sat. The sky had yet to clear and occasionally a drop or two would fall, not that anyone there particularly cared anyway; the bleachers' spectators were well protected with the overhead glass and the players were already soaked.
Brick nearly choked on his drink. He could call it whatever he wanted, but his school-yard crush grew each time he saw her. She could be drinking water from the fountain with her head cocked at an angle, checking her notes during intermission or bloody walking through the school gates with her head held high and a pleasant smile on her face, Brick just needed to know her more.
Everything about her was different; looks, accent, mannerism. She was confident yet reserved, outspoken yet humble. To him, she was a much needed to be solved puzzle. Now this was the part where things got giddy. Not only had he noticed Blossom looking at him, but he realized the girl fucking left a smile and a shy wave for him. Him!
"Nice game Brick!" his teammate grinned, grabbing him by the shoulders and issuing a playful shake. He let go long enough to berate another teammate — Harry — into switching shirts so he could play against Brick in the next half.
Of course, Brick wasn't paying attention to the conversation. He finally let a few Blossom-fuelled thoughts run through his mind and he just… fuck… if he grinned into a towel now, would that look weird? He always felt so self-conscious when it came to her. His hands rose slowly to give a wave he hoped wasn't a try-hard.
Waving to the usual visitors was easy — took Brick a couple of weeks in his fourth form year to get used to it — but having Blossom cheering him on was a different ballpark. A wave to her didn't feel casual; it felt like an impression he needed to best.
Thank God for the impromptu body pile — which he barely got out of. Brick's wave had been a bit robotic and forced. Had he continued just a few seconds longer, well… thankfully he didn't!
Brick's flushed smile was hidden by his chuckle, "Oh right," he looked at the guy at the base of the pile, "You're the cuck who wants to go against me, right?"
"What could I say, Mathews? Looked more fun playing against you."
"Tell that to my blue-black chest." The previous goalie complained. Brick seriously couldn't care to see the blonde hairs poking from Jeff's happy trail.
"Such a numpty! Should've just dodged." Brick groaned as he tugged his shirt off. "Coach! Switching teams, need me a green shirt."
Some players piled on the field while the remainder headed to the bleachers for some light chat or a proper place to grab a quick protein bite. As much as Brick wanted to be one of those, he needed the clarity the open grass gave him. A lot of stuff was gnawing at him lately and he just needed to fucking let loose.
The coach rolled his eyes as he shot their sports manager a demanding look. Wes didn't waste any more time as he trekked to Brick's position. Brick looked at the clean vest forced into his hands and frowned, "Just needed the green jersey, keep the vest."
Disappointed, Wes looked down at his sneakers with a loss for words. Floyd, aka, the guy who'd just been dog piled, aka, the guy who initially challenged Brick, had started a rather catchy, 'Take it off!' chant that stretched to the bleachers within seconds.
Peer pressure was a dangerous weapon to use against Brick. That poor boy succumbed to it despite the super embarrassing hoots and hollers he'd gotten from the bleacher's 'supporters' and his goofy colleagues.
"Yeahhhh!" the team cheered with an apologetic smile towards Wes after his face had the unfortunate union with the wet discarded article… who told the boys to go stupid, no one knew!
Their fifteen minutes was close to its finish and coach was very keen on keeping time. With a sharp double blow of his whistle, he shouted into his megaphone, "Kay you sissies! Wrap it up! Breaks over in two, get 'er arses off the bleachers and into your positions before I blow my whistle again! Part two's near! Let's go! Let's go! Move it, ladies!"
Brick peeped Blossom's position one last time as he mulled over his decision to not talk to her. He really wanted to… probably needed to, but he was a bit too chicken to try something so forward.
.
.
Mind over matter but things seemed a bit changed between them. However, he still wasn't comfortable sitting near her.
If Brick's confidence in himself hadn't plummeted after she seemingly brushed him off a week ago, he'd have gladly taken the seat she specifically removed her bag to clear. His doubts led him to chuck such an obvious invitation to coincidence.
His usual seat near the window was being warmed by final year Mary and like the infatuated girl she was, she quickly moved to give him his favourite spot.
Boomer was an asshole for what he did… He squeezed himself into the seat next to Brick the moment Mary left her seat. Poor girl didn't even see when the blond slipped in. All she knew and understood was that she couldn't spend Biology period with Brick that day.
"I saw something funny just now." Nope, Boomer wasn't talking about the older girl's lure. Getting back at his ex always felt gratifying, even if it meant terrorizing her friends.
Brick kneaded his temples. He was about the furthest thing from being a morning person. That said, every step he made away from his bed felt like torture. He wanted to curl back into that warm cozy thing and sleep till ten, but you're tardy if you stroll through the school gates past 8:20.
"Boomer… it's after eight—"
"A quarter past actually."
"And my body hurts."
"Well it's not like you get any 'action' so… practice? You could have gotten a massage or something… you have a sister."
"You're acting like you never met that b… uh… her."
Boomer chuckled, "You could more than afford to spend your money on—"
"Could I finish?"
Boomer squinted, waited ten seconds, then replied, "Okay… so are you even going to finish?"
Brick grunted, "And I didn't get much sleep so I can't with your bullshit right now."
Boomer shrugged, "How's operation get-in-Blossom's-league going?"
"Fuck you."
"So, I heard that you put on quite the show in MS yesterday."
Brick rolled his eyes, "Hey? Do me a big one and thank your ole sweetheart for putting a pin in it, yeah?"
Boomer got silent. His hands, a bit agitated, took to flipping erasers on the desk until he found a way to flip the conversation. Blossom's free seat finally got taken, and with a mischievous smirk, Boomer contemplated whether it was worth finishing his tirade.
"When's the last time you spoke with her?" Brick teased, relishing in the fact that he found a way to get under Boomer's skin. He really shouldn't have done that because it made Boomer a bit more eager to stir the pot.
Mary's lips were tightly pressed as she hugged her textbook. Don't think she missed the evil wink that fake-nice blonde threw at her. She knew that devil way too well to assume that he stole her seat by chance.
Friends or not… Heck, best friends or not, Boomer hardly ever sat next to Brick in class. They almost shared the same brain in that, the outside view was far more interesting than inside… the slight disparity is that Brick would get lost in the ambiance whereas Boomer'd painstakingly jot down every note.
Regardless of Miss Keane's part-time jesters sitting next to each other, the class had ended uneventfully. Brick's participation — and Boomer's by a forced extension — had left the teacher very vibrant and smiling at the end.
"You know, I'm still miffed, you cuck."
"Geez, what do you think I did now?"
"Come on! You took computer science two this year instead of next! We'd be going to the same class now, but no, you had to be special."
"Brick," His voice serious as he stepped into the hallway, "I don't swing that way… I know I make you giddy and stuff, but you're coming off a little too — hi Blossom — strong." She'd been patiently waiting out in the hallway for them to leave. Unfortunately, Boomer's greeting to her had drowned out her attempt to break the ice with Brick — which was ironically drowned out by him. Brick heard gargled nonsense and was none the wiser.
She felt the need to offer a bit of social reparation for her bad treatment towards him a few days prior. Like seriously… Blossom felt like an asshole. Almost everyone she'd befriended was on good terms with him. She just had to ruin her impression with her judgmental temperament.
Sixth form — especially in Poakey Oaks Academy — wasn't easy to get into. Even if he was mediocre there, he'd still be slightly above average in another school. Also… she kind of couldn't shake him out of her thoughts recently. Blossom understood fundamentally that not everyone would like her, but she couldn't accept his dislike when she'd been trying so hard to forge a friendship. People liked her. She was likeable; heck! Lovable! Extending herself to this degree was embarrassing. She'd never felt this invisible in her life!
Brick barely reciprocated the friendly wave at the field yesterday and she was certain he'd forgotten about her shortly after. Maybe it was a mind over matter kind of thing or her lack of knowledge about the game, but Blossom thought he seemed different when he played. Princess also vouched for him… so there was that, but she was more focused on the comradery he shared with his peers. She'd previously perceived Brick to be a daydreamer and a loner. Seeing him look so bold, charismatic and alert was… kind of stunning… and she'd be lying if she didn't see the appeal when he tore his vest off for that mere 28 seconds. No, she wasn't counting; didn't need to. Some girls seated near her had audibly counted it in a series of giggles and gushes.
But that was beside the point! She was beginning to believe she needed to cut her losses now. In her mind, Brick had flat out ignored her a few seconds ago. Heck! He didn't even give sitting next to her a second thought. Blossom understood that it was stupid to mull over small things like this, but she just really needed to apologize.
Brick adjusted his backpack, "Get over yourself. You're absolute shit to date."
"Bro what?" Boomer scoffed, "Says who?"
"You really want the list?"
Boomer was silent, rolling his eyes and pouting.
"Because I can —" he paused, his mind rendering what had just transpired. He passed a look of disbelief between the two as Boomer engaged in light conversation with Blossom.
"Well, you made our teacher's day, so I'd say it was worth it." He'd heard Blossom answer.
Boomer wiped his face in agony, "I got peer-pressured, Blossom! Peer. Pressured! Do you know how awkward it was to answer questions like that?"
"It's nothing really." She thought he was being such a drama queen.
"It. Was. HELL!" Boomer grimaced and jabbed a finger at the lost-for-words Brick, "And I blame you."
Usually at times like this, Brick'd use it as an excuse to start a fight and get a few punches in. Boomer didn't mind since he liked the dumb brawls they had, but, something else was on Brick's mind, 'you two are friends?' Except, the words weren't spoken from his lips but from quizzical brows and a very cagey shrug.
Blossom, in a desperate attempt to finally talk to the guy, answered. "We have Chem 1 and Bio 1 together." She felt stupid after mentioning the second course. "He's one of — maybe — three students I see every day in a class. "
"Oh yeah? And what classes you take?" He rushed to answer; was that too obvious? Was he trying too hard? Should he have played it cooler? Brick's family moved most of his life. Being the new kid was his thing, so he wasn't even sure if he'd been approaching her right.
"Well, you already know I take Bio 1 and Med Studies 1… because we're in the same class." Okay… not organic, but she believed she could fix her awkward wording.
"I'm pretty sure he barely noticed." Boomer teased to which made Brick roll his eyes. That patronizing shoulder pat was a sneaky move on Boomer's part and Brick was sure he'd 'accidentally' forget Boomer's birthday when it rolls over in a few passing months.
"I saw her in class yesterday." He stated pointedly.
"You must have been so surprised!" He was.
"Yeah? Piss off, Boom."
Blossom tried not to giggle too openly at their playful friendship and waited out their banter before continuing, "Then, as I mentioned before, I have Bio 1 that I share with Boomer," she exchanged a friendly look with the boy, "and Law 1 with Princess."
"Ooh, that's how you know her!" he blurted.
"She's good people."
"You clearly don't know her... You should hear her talk with Brick... Just non-stop ju—"
Brick hit the backside of Boomer's dumbass head, "Quite cheeky for a traitor, aren't we? Don't you have a class to piss off to soon?"
"Yes. Chem 1 with Blossom." He'd said it with an obvious tease. Brick can continue spewing his rubbish, but Boomer understood that behind Brick's stony persona, he probably really liked the girl.
Blossom looked between the boys in a query, "Well, I think she's good people... boyfriend?" her eyes focused on Brick.
Okay, how was she not shy on eye contact? That girl was bold in ways Brick couldn't begin to understand. But enough of that, she just said something that confused the living fuck out of him! "Pardon?"
"You're dating right?"
"Come again?"
Blossom felt awkward, "You and Princess… power couple?"
Brick's urge to squint and either ask 'the fuck you on?' or tell her to 'get the fuck out of there' was suppressed by his need to leave a good impression.
Boomer cackled, "Oh, he wishes."
"I don't." Brick's voice became throaty, deep, and quite possibly… shiveringly pleasant.
"Mmhmm, sure you don't."
"Jesus... I'm not... doing this with you right now." He rolled his eyes walking away "And no, I'm single."
Boomer smirked, "Brick… told you already… I don't swing that way."
"You know what? Fuck off! And I'm not even looking. Fuck off again!" Brick countered. He usually tried to limit the harshness of his sentence enhancers, but bloody Boomer was pushing all his buttons. That crafty blond had Brick stumbling and stammering as though he had something to prove… and he didn't! He swore.
"That's what all you forever-alone teenagers say."
"I will seriously punch you, Ainsley."
"Ooh, you're getting formal now? I get it, and it sounds to me like you're pitching to upgrade your usual detention to a suspension? Come on! Give ole' Ainsley here a nice suspension worthy pu—"
"Enough, Boomer." Blossom blandly chided as she looked at her phone screen, "We've got under three minutes before intermission's all done. The good seats'll be gone if we dawdle any longer."
"You could always sit next to Dexter."
Boomer had heard enough from Butch to start his own teasing and Brick's ears were on full alert now. Thanks for reminding Brick of his stupid jealousy! Now the memory of her at his practice match was nothing but a greyscale memory.
"No." She folded her arms and looked at the floor. Her legs kicked shyly as she tried to find a respectable way to provide her reasoning, "His handwriting is horrid." She had worse things to say, like the way he'd sometimes mumble while he wrote, or his bad restless leg syndrome, or… well, let's just say that there was a lot. "I also don't fancy how he takes notes. It's… a sight."
"OCD much?"
"I'm leaving you," she turned to Brick and nodded, "Brick," and very playfully, Boomer did the same and followed behind with a skip.
Brick was left feeling sour because he'd heard a name he didn't want to hear again. The idea that they'd probably be eating lunch again in that club room was sickening. To be honest, he wasn't upset that Blossom's time was expended on someone else. After all, he only wanted them to be friends, right? He just hated being second place to that jerk. Call him petty, but Brick was still peeved at how rude Dexter had been to him when he first transferred in.
Drats. The idea that he'd spent his last free minutes thinking about that jerk was absolutely depressing. It made working on his pseudocode algorithm fairly decent and that spoke volumes. Brick's computer science teacher issued tips as she showed yet another mock example on the interactive board. He'd be lying if he said the class didn't have its low points. Computer science jargon wasn't something that usually agreed with him. For starters, he hated using American spellings, finding errors in his 100+ line code was dog shit and online help was very limited. If his lightbulb didn't spark there or in cram class, it'd spark weeks too late from when it was needed. He hated that… but… it also had its rewards; the best being how focused it made him.
Brick was always the type of guy to be stuck in his own head. Since his family changed housings every few years, he tended to superficial friendships. Sure, it made moving on easier, but opening up to others became difficult; especially with kids his age. Brick usually wasn't shy when it came to speaking his mind. In fact, some would say he was also a bit prone to giving out too much information. However, when it came to connecting with someone, he was stumped.
Funnily enough, even though he'd been the muse for at least three of his mother's child psychology books, whatever damage he had was in dire need to be fixed. He still spaced out periodically, he still flipped through moods in weird bursts, and despite the growing number of people who referred to him as a friend, he still struggled to form emotional connections.
People would always come and go as they please. Why put himself out there only to get burned? He'd rather be emotionally stunted than be a hurt fool.
.
.
Brick dumped his school bag on Princess's bench as he plopped to sit. "Why does Blossom think we're dating?" his voice, very curt and his face, almost pissed.
Surprised, Princes fumbled with her device as she tried to hide it under her jeans-clad leg. Brick rose a curious brow and snaked an arm on the back of the bench, "You're into fags now?"
"Please, vapes are far safer."
"I'd love to see the journals supporting that fact."
Princess rolled her eyes when he'd reach for the stick for further scrutiny. He pursed his lips as if to comment but instead studied the device further.
"Look, just needed to see what's all the buzz... heard it was in." There was a sullen shrug inserted when she spoke, but Brick chose not to take notice of it.
"Yeah? And how was it?"
"Hate it."
Brick grimaced after he'd taken a sharp inhale, "This' scented air... It's stupid." He pitched it in her pond, "And it can kill you… I think."
"Yet you threw it for my very expensive koi to eat."
"Fuck."
"Yeah, go get it."
Took Brick a good ten minutes fishing it out, and most of that time was spent peeling off his school uniform. Why he didn't bother going home before berating her was beyond him.
"Okay! So now…" she stressed on the vowel, "Now, I'm grossed out. Brick, you didn't even wipe before you puffed."
"It was under your pants."
"Jeans."
"It was wiped enough."
"Gross."
"Like your lungs."
"I didn't even get through half!"
"So this is what minted people do when they're bored? I think upper-middle is where I'll stay."
She pouted, "Save it for someone who cares. I'm almost 18 so I'm getting my last bit of rebellion out." This type of half-assed reasoning wasn't uncommon for Princess. In all honesty, the Morbucks should have gotten her a younger sibling to have her preoccupied because she stayed wilding.
"Get a belly ring like the usual bints."
"I'm not usual and I'm above 'bints'."
Brick rolled his eyes, "What's the point of rebelling?"
"Parental attention? I don't know… look, I'll try many things once." She grunted, looked at her nails, then finally addressed Brick's dumb question, "How am I supposed to know? Blossom's the one who talks about you, all I said was that you're not as dumb as you look."
"She talks about me?"
"Yeah… poor girl wanted to know what's your deal. No offense, but you play the 'hopeless idiot' role like a pro."
Brick squinted, "And if you meant offense…"
"When's the last time you cried?"
He rolled his eyes.
"Oh, save your judgments because Blossom just transferred in. It's not her fault the class clown made a 180 out of the blue… or… is it?"
"She called me the class clown?" he was very selective in his answers.
"Oh honey, that's all me. But I'm sure she'd share my sentiments."
"And why exactly would she?"
"Listen, when she first ranted, you sounded like a mini Butch, and good Lord… I've contemplated running him over with my car more times than legal."
"Huh, remind me when running someone over with a car became legal?" Princess' nonchalance towards her more aggressive hypotheticals low-key terrified Brick. There's a part of him that believed she meant everything she said and that… well, he was on her good side and he planned to stay there! "Plus, you don't have a car. You have an SUV! And overpriced one at that!"
"BMWs are safe and comfortable. I wouldn't call it overpriced."
"Some people don't make half of what your car costs in a year, Princess."
"That must really suck, but I don't see how that's my problem."
He giggled. He had to. Explaining wealth disparity to Princess was a waste. No, she wasn't oblivious to her privilege, she simply didn't give a hoot. Her money isn't going to the grave with her, so she planned to spend as much as she wanted while she was still breathing.
"Well, your car is bigger than a bloody truck."
She sighed, "Car, tank, SUV… same difference. I'm ramming it."
"Except, you'd make roadkill out of a bear with your car."
"I know right!" she exclaimed rather unexpectedly, "Butch is so lucky I have a heart."
Brick cringed, "He's not even that bad."
"Try sharing a class with him."
"But isn't Butch doing a bunch of business courses?"
"The marketing ones, why?"
"You're doing law with Blossom, so, I'm confused…"
"Stalking her now?"
"She told me."
"Sure, she did."
Brick pinched the bridge of his nose. Heaven knows why he chose to waste the rest of his evening being teased by this scary woman, "Just answer the question."
"Whoa there boy, you don't have near enough money to act like a daddy."
"Yikes." He said plainly.
"And why can't I do both?"
"You're just going to take over from your father anyway, why waste time in another field? That's not like you."
She grinned slyly, "Wouldn't hurt to study law."
"You want to be a lawyer?" If not his voice, then his face expressed utter disbelief.
"No, but I want to own them."
He paused, looked at her koi pond, and smiled falsely, "I'm sorry I asked."
She grinned, "I won't have just a team of lawyers, I'll own a firm of —"
"Nope, I already apologized for asking."
She giggled, "Just clarifying."
He pursed his lips and faked a headache. Princess always had a bunch of schemes for the shady shit she planned to do once she finished college and entered the working world. He'd prefer to keep his nose clean just in case one of them fell through and he'd have to testify on her behalf.
"You mentioned wanting to be friends with her before, right?"
He looked at her with caution.
"You said that before, right?" This woman knew how to lay her traps.
"Yeah… but I'm not comfortable with the way you're saying it. I swear, sometimes… sometimes I think you're worse than Boomer."
Kind of late for that epiphany but Princess just enjoyed the peacefulness of her backyard. Large acres were hard to come across in London so, despite her family's wealth, her backyard only had a pool, koi pond, and a patio. Sometimes she'd find it bland, but after visiting any of her classmates' flat, she was grateful for what she had.
"One question, how did you get in here?"
"Jumped your fence."
"Please… as if."
"Security let me in."
"Great, guess I need to have a talk with him later."
Alone, silence was comforting, but now that she'd had company — even though unwelcomed — it was near deafening. "She stayed near the end of your practice yesterday."
He was not getting excited. "So did you."
"I went to see sweaty guys with clung jerseys like the rest of the girls."
"Wow, you thirst so much for me." He said monotonously.
"Ha!" was all she said and to be honest, he'd be lying if his pride wasn't fucking shattered. Buttercup could take a dig out of him when she tried, but Princess… sometimes made him feel like they're in two separate worlds and that pissed him off.
"You know, I said 'she', but I didn't give a name."
Brick rolled his eyes, "The context Princess… and you're also trying to imply that Blossom went there to see me play. I see through it so you can drop that game."
"Ha!" This fucking woman. "Let's say that." She pulled out her phone to start a text, "If it makes you feel any better, I said great things about you."
"Why?" He wasn't going to entertain the idea of owing her a favour… not that what Princess did was a favour to him. He was doing quite fine on his own!
She shrugged, "Your father's done a great job of making Townsville not suck that much. Let's just say that no good deed goes unpunished."
Brick laughed slightly, "You know, every time I talk to you I feel like drinking wine."
"Nothing under 1990 and I can make that happen."
"I was joking."
"You seem like a single malt kind of guy."
"Why are you like this?"
"My guests never go home with their stomachs in hand… and… before you talk, you're only changing the subject since you're too shy to talk about Blossom." She pulled no punches, "I'm not stupid, Brick. After that day at the lockers when you were lit,er,ally gawking, you turned into the student of the year. Straight facts, hun. Coincidences don't exist."
"I've always been a good student."
"Brick, if you only got detention three times a month, that was a good month. I've always wanted to ask this, but do they just expunge those things from your record?" She chuckled into the next sentence, "Because there's no way you'd still have all those scholarships looming over your head if they knew."
"What can I say? I'm a hot number."
She grimaced, "Right… so about Blossom now."
"I came here on a lovely Friday evening to catch up with my friend."
"It's Thursday and I'm pretty sure you came to ask me — and I quote — 'Boo-hoo, why does Blossom thinks we're dating?'. If you'd like to know, the proper answer is that I don't know Brick, and I don't care."
Wasn't sure if it was her confidence or her brazenness that made Brick amazed, but he was grateful for the trolley of treats that rolled to their bench. His eyes were fixated on the glass bottle placed in the middle of the server's trolley. "That's… whiskey…"
"For my afternoon tea."
He squinted, "Another one of your rebelling stints?"
"I'm parched and I have to listen to you tip-toe over your stupidly obvious crush. This is therapy. Now could you get to the part where you thought that stupid rumour was so dire to barge in here without even texting?"
"I did."
She looked at her phone, "And I left you on read… do you not understand social cues? Should I teach them to you for Blossom's sake?"
"I don't even like her like that, and I think she's into someone already."
She almost laughed, "Dexter? Old news." If Brick thought Buttercup and Boomer's taunts were bad, he was in for a treat. "It's so obvious! They hang out every lunch break… just the two of them."
"It's a group."
"Oh? Friends are being invited now? Tell me something Brick, were you invited?"
Brick kept his calm. If he raged out now, Princess would just finish what she started in school tomorrow… with an audience… without filters. "As I said, I don't like her like that."
"So why did it matter if she's into someone else?"
"Simply clarifying a point."
"Well, she's out of your league anyway."
Checkmate.
"Pardon."
"Dexter's more her speed."
"Who? Plastic surgery Dexter?"
"Brick, please. All the boy did was get a proper face peel, fixed the nose that Mitchel broke during dodgeball, and fixed his overbite."
Brick rolled his eyes.
"Okay, seems like you keep forgetting that you're new to these streets. Dexter's dad's a real catch and his mother's out of this world… like come on! You've seen Deandra." She tried to explain and when he seemed like he was throwing a silent fit, she confidently finished, "Since puberty fixed him… I imagine it'll do wonders for you too soon Mathews."
"I'm not trying to be your type, Princess."
"Ha. My type's black-card equipped, darling. You'd be a cute platinum at best… if you put in the work. But… no, no… nice try though. You're super cute."
"Whatever," he moped grabbing a scone, "Wow! Mum's?"
"She doesn't cook."
He looked through the glass sliding door and eyed the... what was she? Maid? Caretaker?"
"Ima doesn't cook either."
"I'm not going to believe that you—"
"Bakery-ordered of course." She couldn't believe that Brick would even make that assumption. He'd seen her with smores… he should have known better, "There's a reason we have a kitchenette instead of a kitchen."
"Cool flex."
"You know it." She grinned, "Fine, fine! They're not dating." She put her half-eaten tart back on her plate and sighed. Guilt wasn't something Brick thought she'd felt so whatever mood swing took over her made him cautious.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I like to see monkeys dance." The way she looked up with glassed eyes and a confounded face was in contrast with her insult. Brick wasn't sure if it was a nice girl act or she was trying to undo some of her bad karma but… he was grateful.
"And people say we're friends."
"Yes, I'm a friendly person." She was back to normal.
"As if."
"Now, that type of attitude won't help operation get-in-Blossom's—"
"I will murder Boomer Ainsley!"
"Relax, he's harmless."
Brick squinted, "I feel as though you recruited that shady devil under your wings, and I don't like it."
"You're calling me an angel? So sweet!" she cooed, pouring out wine into her teacup. Since Brick was whining about the Whiskey, she'd opted for the more socially acceptable choice. "Wine?" she offered, "It's 1989… splurged on you today."
"Fuck you and your wine," never mind that he'd accepted it and took a sip, "Lucifer was also an angel."
"The prettiest, so thanks!"
Teasing was a lot more fun when he wasn't the object of attention, but he'd gotten a few answers from her in the process. Brick had felt odd comfort in how upfront she'd been with her thoughts. Princess had said most of the things he was too chicken to say and despite her brutality, their chat had put him at ease… or the wine… or the pastries. But whatever it was, he'd felt much lighter — and dizzier — than he was before.
"As much as I loved being harassed by you,"
"I refuse to be the S to your M."
"I should be going home now."
Uh, she wasn't comfortable with that statement. Not one parental phone call or messages from security about a honking silver Audi parked out front? Yeah… she wasn't drunk enough to pretend she was okay with that. "Hey, you drove here?"
He shook his head, "Taxi app."
She flattened her lips, looked at the sunset skies, and wondered how guilty she'd feel if something happened to him after letting him go home in his slightly buzzed state. "Fine!"
"What?"
"I said I'll drop you home!"
"There's a driver literally five minutes from here, I'm not letting you drive me home… you drank twice as much!"
"As in my driver…"
"Oh."
"Yeah." After messaging Ima once more, she confessed, "For what it's worth Brick, she'd love being friends with you too." He'd been beaming too much, and it was blinding, "But… just friends."
"That's all I wanted."
"Sure."
"I swear."
"You're in my Sunday prayers, Brick."
Chapter End Notes
Staci Hwang : Mojo Jonesin' - Season 02 Episode 12B (originally unnamed)
Mary : Mojo Jonesin' - Season 02 Episode 12B
Next:
All I wanna do – After his long-awaited chat, Brick finally allows himself to admit something.