CHAPTER 16: CONCERNED WOLVES
ME: What a lame chapter title.
BRICK: Running out of ideas already? *raises eyebrow*
ME: No. *kicks him*
BRICK: Ow! You know I can fry you with my—
BLOSSOM: Calm down, you two.
ME: Whatever.
BANANA: ...Read and review. Oh, and Kuku only owns OC's like me, as well as the story.
ROSS: Rolling chapter!
Chapter 16: Concerned Wolves
School was over at last!
Groaning, Ross dragged himself to his locker and tossed his bag inside.
"...Yo."
Ross turned as he closed his locker door to see Michael. "...Oh hey, Mikey. What were all those texts about?"
"...I just need to talk to you," Michael repeated. "...Not here," he added, as if he read Ross' mind.
Ross frowned, but nodded anyway. "'Kay," he agreed.
"Hey, Rossie!" a new voice called.
Ross looked up to see Deth leaning against a locker. "How're you? Where were you during lunch?"
"I was with some new friends," Ross said, fixing his scarf.
"You're not leaving us, are you?" Deth whined, half-sarcastically.
Ross rolled his eyes, patting his friend on the back as Deth hugged him. "No, DJ. I'm not gonna leave you."
DJ looked up. "So who're your new pals?"
"Uhh...Butch, Brick, Boomer, and e—"
DJ stiffened. "Did you say...'Butch, Brick, and Boomer'...?"
Ross blinked, confused. "...Uh, yeah...? Why?"
DJ growled. "I don't like the Jojo brothers that much...especially that Butch guy," he huffed. He blinked then, scrunching his eyebrows. "You should know why," he added then. "Why are you—?"
Michael stopped him by placing his hand on DJ's shoulder and shaking his head.
Deth stared at him in surprise before huffing and pouting as he turned away.
"...What?" Ross asked.
"Nothing," Michael said coolly. He hesitated then, before saying, "...Oh...and be careful."
"Why—?"
"Hey, Ross..."
Ross turned to see a shy Sid and a slightly waving, straight-faced Darkai. "...Hey, guys," Ross managed to greet.
Darkai nodded, pulling his hood tighter over his head as he blew a blue bubble from his gum. "How was your first day?" He stared at Ross with those penetrating eyes of his.
Ross grinned sheepishly and awkwardly at Darkai's strong gaze. "...I uh...well... that is to say... It went well..."
"...That's nice," Darkai commented, letting his gum pop.
DJ swung over beside him. "He's friends with those Jojo guys!"
Darkai stiffened, his face darkening. However, his face remained still and his posture barely changed.
"...Oh..." Sid whispered.
Ross blinked, confused. "...Guys...? What's wrong...?"
"...Nothing," Michael sighed, walking over. "...We're just...worried, is all."
"...Oh, okay." Ross frowned, blinking as he stared at his friends. Were they...HIDING something from him...?
As if reading his thoughts, Michael put his hand up and said, "We're not hiding anything from you."
"...Okay," Ross agreed reluctantly after a moment's pause.
Michael nodded.
A tense silence descended on the friends as they just stared at one another, none of them daring to say a thing.
All of a sudden, Ross' phone rang.
Flushing, Ross picked up. "Hell-yo?"
"...Ross. Where are you?"
It was Shamus.
...Crap.
Ross grinned almost uneasily as he realized he was taking quite awhile... "S-Sorry, Shamus. I'm just talking to Michael and—"
Shamus quickly interrupted. "You can speak to them when you get home. I have an...'appointment' soon, and I can't be late. Understood...?"
"...Understood," Ross agreed in a sigh. Shamus hung up then, and Ross followed suit. He turned to his friends. "Sorry guys, but I gotta go."
"...See ya!" they all called, waving.
"Bye!" he called back before walking off.
When he disappeared around the corner, Sidney dropped his hand and turned to Michael. "...Are you sure he'll be okay?" he mumbled.
Michael sighed. "...I sure hope so. Only time will tell."
Sidney turned back forward, sighing. "Yeah...you're right."
Meanwhile, Ross was walking out the door. He immediately recognized Shamus' dark car, which looked deathly compared to all the other cars in the sunlight.
"Get in," Shamus called.
Ross hesitated before slowly climbing in, trying to ignore the whispers around him.
As soon as he closed the door, Shamus rolled up the tinted windows and started the engine. A few minutes of silence passed as Ross looked out at the scenery.
But then he asked what was really on his mind: "Why did you really send me to school? What's this so-called 'appointment' you were talking about...?"
Shamus stiffened, looking taken aback and even a little agitated. But that look vanished as quickly as it had come, making Ross wonder if he'd only imagined it.
Shamus glanced at him from the rearview mirror before replying: "You've got a mission. And the 'appointment' is just with a...'few clients'."
"...Okay." Ross sighed and grumbled about the unfairness as he leaned back.
Shamus just smiled a little eerily. "Oh that's okay. You'll find out soon, anyway."
Ross straightened up and proceeded to ask his uncle what he meant by that.
...But his uncle had already moved on and was simply gazing ahead at the road.
There were some faces Butch could never forget.
It wasn't like he wanted to remember some of those faces of the people he'd met, but sometimes they were impossible to forget. Especially when it was the face of a man who had caused hurt.
Gritting his teeth, Butch's hand gripped harder at the piece of paper he was holding. It wrinkled in his grasp. "Those days are over," he whispered.
Just then, a voice sounded. "Butch, are you still here? Class is over; come on—let's go home."
"I know. Just wait a sec, Brick," Butch called back, releasing his death grip on the slip of paper. He glanced back down at it and sighed, before shoving it into his bag.
It was a photo.
The photo showed Butch and his five brothers. Beside them was a boy with red hair and an eye-patch over his left eye, grinning happily. His visible eye was green. A man was smiling, standing behind them with his hands on Brick and the boy's shoulders.
Butch was greeted by Brick as soon as he walked out the door. "What took you so long?"
"I had some stuff I needed to pack up," Butch answered gruffly.
"Well, at least you're here now; your packing was taking forever," Braker teased.
"Let's go home," stated Bandit.
Blaster smiled. "I'll make cookies!"
Boomer nodded. "Me too."
"Yeah, whatever," Butch grumbled.
Brick raised an eyebrow. "What's with the bad mood? I thought you made friends with Ross and cheered up."
"I did. I'm just in a bad mood again 'cause of some goddamn memories," snapped Butch.
"Wait..." Brick paused, frowning. "Are you talking about what I think you're talking about?"
"What do you think?" Butch muttered.
Brick didn't reply.
Sighing, Butch rolled his eyes. "See for yourself." He rummaged through his bag and shoved something into Brick's hand.
The red Ruff studied the photograph, before his eyes misted over. "Those were different days."
"Yeah, well that doesn't mean I'm just going to forget about it!" Throwing his hands in the air, Butch turned around. "It's not like I can just forget about Vix and Damon and all that other fucking shit."
"Butch, calm down," Bandit said gently.
"No! I'm not going to calm down. I'm fucking pissed! I can't believe Vix traded sides."
Blaster fidgeted uncomfortably. "Vix was traumatized by that event. You know that."
"Yeah, he may be a dick now, but back then—" Braker added, before being quickly shot down.
Butch glared at the wall. "That isn't an excuse. It doesn't make the shit he's doing now okay."
"That's enough," Brick commanded. He tossed the photo back to Butch, the one with the man, the Ruffs, and the boy. "This photo is a memento of the old Vix, not the bastard he's become. Now let's go home." His tone ordered no further arguing. "This isn't the time or place to talk about the past."
Butch snorted. "If you say so."
Boomer stepped forward awkwardly. "Hey, Butch; is Buttercup coming over tomorrow?"
The question made Butch freeze. "...I don't know," he admitted. He turned to stare at Boomer. "Why?"
"I'm just asking because Ross and Mike are supposed to come over tomorrow. I was wondering if that's okay—" Boomer sneezed.
"Bless you," called Bandit.
"Thanks."
Butch shrugged. "I guess it's fine by me. But are you sure Ross won't...?" He trailed off. "I mean, maybe it'd be better for you to go to Ross' house."
"Maybe," agreed Boomer. He looked confused. "What were you going to say?"
Butch shook his head. "No, nothing. Just...ask Ross."
"Okay," Boomer finally said. He still looked suspicious, but he let the topic drop.
"Now let's go home." Brick surveyed his brothers. "Nobody disagrees with that, right?"
"Right," they echoed.
"Then let's go." And with that, Brick blasted off. The others followed.
"Are you going to Butch's house tomorrow?"
Buttercup looked up to see her sister, Blossom, peeking in the door. The green Puff sighed and set down her textbook. "I honestly don't know," she replied.
"And why's that?" asked Blossom, walking in. She sat down on BC's bed.
"It's Butch," Buttercup muttered, embarrassed. "We're kinda...not talking too well."
Blossom raised an eyebrow. "And why's that?"
Buttercup thought back to the battle Butch had had with Vix. She thought about how concerned Butch had been about her and how she'd shot him down. Buttercup groaned. She couldn't tell Blossom about all that. It was private...and embarrassing. "I don't know, okay? He's just...just..."
"'Just'...?" prompted Blossom.
"Ughhh, I don't know," repeated Buttercup, letting her head fall on her textbook. "It's all so..."
"Complicated?" suggested her sister.
"...Yeah."
"I think I can see that." Blossom hopped off of her bed. "Just talk to him. Find out what's wrong."
I know what's wrong: ME. Despite thinking that, Buttercup just nodded on the outside. Then Blossom got up and the door closed behind her. That left Buttercup to her own thoughts.
A few minutes must've passed before Buttercup decided that her brain was starting to hurt. Everything was so complicated that it was killing her. So the green Powerpuff Girl got up and went outside.
The air was fresh and crisp—even a little cold. Buttercup drew her jacket closer around herself and started to walk. She walked all the way to a familiar small café halfway between her house and the Ruffs' home. She knew it because they went to it a lot.
She paused in front of the café door, wondering if she should go visit the Rowdyruff Boys after all—specifically Butch. Maybe we could talk...But then Buttercup shook her head. What is there to talk about? We're just being awkward. Neither of us pissed the other off. I just said some stupid, awkward things. But is that enough to apologize for? Would it make things even weirder?
Buttercup could've wondered about that for much longer, but standing in front of a café while doing some deep thinking was not a good idea. Someone was bound to interrupt those flowing thoughts because they wanted to go into the café. Indeed, a voice suddenly said, "Umm...excuse me."
Buttercup jumped. She turned around and quickly moved away. "Sorry—" she stated, before freezing.
The person she'd just apologized to seemed equally surprised. "Buttercup...?" He blinked.
"Ross?" she managed to say.
"Hey." He smiled an easy smile, fixing his scarf. "What are you doing here?"
"I was just wandering around," Buttercup mumbled. "What about you?"
Ross glanced at the café. "Uncle Shamus has an appointment soon, but I have some free time until then. I thought I'd get a cappuccino."
"Oh...okay." Buttercup nodded awkwardly. Ross suddenly seemed a lot less shy than he had been at school. But even if he was comfortable around the Puffs and Ruffs now, she still felt weird around him. That was probably because she felt like she'd met him somewhere before...
"Hey, you want to join me?"
Ross' offer caused Buttercup's thoughts come to a halt. "Uhh, sure," the green Puff said dumbly.
"Cool." There it was again: that smile. Ross pushed the door open, the bell above it jingling, and held it open. He turned to Buttercup. "Ladies first."
"Thanks," she responded, carefully walking inside. The awkwardness she felt had still not vanished.
Ross followed and made his way to the counter. "What would you like?"
"Well...I guess I'll... I mean... Umm... You know what? I-I'll have whatever you're having," Buttercup responded without thinking. She did a mental face-palm, but Ross didn't seem to mind her indecisiveness.
"Two regular medium cappuccinos, please," Ross requested.
The woman behind the counter smiled. "Here with your girlfriend, I see?"
Buttercup froze, blushing red. She stole a peek at Ross. His face had flushed slightly too, and he was laughing. "Oh no, she's not my girlfriend." He flashed a smile. "She is quite beautiful, though."
His words made Buttercup's stomach flip. Does he really mean that?
"Well, you two look cute together," the woman continued. "Two cappuccinos, coming right up!"
"Thank you," Ross said. Then he moved away from the counter and joined Buttercup. "Do you want to sit there?" he asked, pointing at a booth near the window.
"S-Sure," she replied. After the both of them sat down, silence descended upon them. Ross didn't seem to mind. He turned to stare out the window. Buttercup, in turn, stared at him. She still couldn't believe what he'd said though. Finally, she blurted out, "Did you really mean that?"
He blinked, turning to look at her. "Hm?"
Buttercup's cheeks reddened. "I-I mean what you said to that worker. Do you really think I...?" She trailed off.
"Sure I do," Ross confirmed, smiling. "Is there something wrong with calling a girl beautiful?" he added teasingly.
"No...I just..." Buttercup trailed off.
Ross laughed. "Sorry. Was that an awkward thing to say? I mean, I do think you're pretty. Whoever is dating you must be very lucky."
Buttercup stared at her lap. "I don't have a boyfriend," she stated quietly. "But thank you."
"That's okay. You'll find a boyfriend in no time. I know someone who seems like a pretty good candidate," Ross remarked.
Buttercup's gaze snapped upwards. But before she could press further, a voice sounded. "Your coffees."
The boy handing them their cappuccinos had brown hair tied back and wore purple clothes.
"Hey, Bat," Buttercup greeted, relieved for the distraction.
"Yo," he responded. Then he turned to Ross. "You're the new kid, right?"
Ross nodded. "I think I met you during lunch."
"Yeah." Bat then leaned in and whispered something to Ross, causing him to nod. Buttercup tuned in with her super-hearing. What she heard made her blush: "You know Buttercup and Butch are sorta like an item, right?"
"I know," Ross said.
"W-We're not..." Buttercup trailed off when Ross and Bat turned to look at her. Her face reddened. "I mean...nothing."
"Okaaaay then," Bat said, before smirking. "I'll leave you two alone then." With that, he skated away on his rollerblades.
More awkward silence befell the two students as they sipped silently at their cappuccinos.
But then Ross decided to speak. "You know, I was a little intimidated when I first met you."
"You were?" Buttercup fidgeted awkwardly, remembering Bubbles' words on how she shouldn't scare the "poor boy".
Ross laughed. "Yes. The way you kept insisting that you knew me, I mean. It surprised me."
"But that's just the thing. I really do feel like I've seen you before," Buttercup replied.
"Maybe you have, but in that case, I've never met you before."
"Are you sure?" Buttercup asked.
Ross nodded. "I'm sure. After all"—here he smiled—"I never forget a face."
"...Oh." Buttercup looked down.
Ross leaned in. "You're not as scary as I thought, though." His tone was gently teasing.
Buttercup raised an eyebrow. "Really? Not even if I growl?" She let out a "grrr" to emphasize her words.
"Okay, maybe still a little scary," Ross chuckled. "Especially if you growl."
Buttercup smiled. "You know, you're not as bad as I thought."
"Should I take that as a compliment?" Ross asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Definitely a compliment. I mean, you seemed not-so-bad, but your shyness was weird. If you act like the way you're acting right now, it's a lot more natural," Buttercup admitted.
Ross flashed his pearly whites again. "I get shy around a lot of people—especially when they're new faces. I'm good with friends though."
"Aren't we all?" Buttercup agreed.
Ross nodded, taking another sip of his cappuccino. "You know what? You're pretty cool, BC."
"You too," Buttercup agreed. "You really are an okay dude."
"Thanks." His eyes met Buttercup's and she had to look away.
"Anyway, I heard from Butch that he saved you from Ashleigh," Buttercup said quickly, changing the subject.
"Yeah. She's like a lion stalking her prey. Is she the popular stereotypical mean girl?" Ross asked.
Buttercup laughed. "That's one way to put it. Or you could call her a 'stereotypical blond bitch' like Mitch does."
"Oh, Mitch. That rough dude with the shaggy hair, right?" Ross chuckled. "I guess I could call her that, but I'm still new to school."
Buttercup laughed her agreement. It came out like a giggle, which surprised her.
"Your laugh's nice," Ross commented.
Buttercup ducked her head. "Anyway, here's this story about how Bliss and our friend Kelly* played this super funny prank on Ashleigh..."
Butch trudged along the path, needing some fresh air to clear his head. The thickness of the air inside his house was choking him. His brothers acted like nothing was wrong, but Butch was still thinking about the past and the photo; one of the last few evidences the past—and the past Vix—still existed.
Along the way, he was stopped by a familiar sight.
Vix and the gang.
Butch stopped walking, ducking behind a bush and choosing to watch instead. He chose to listen in on their conversation.
"What the heck is this 'appointment' Shamus mentioned?" asked a boy with dark brown hair Butch had come to know as Ross. He kicked a pebble.
Beside him, the blond boy Michael shared a look with their friends. He turned back to Ross. "It's just a meeting of sorts between the adults."
"And what about us?" Ross asked, blowing hair out of his eyes.
"We're just there to be pretty," DJ said, his black hair blowing slightly in the wind. He sat down on the brick wall behind them, swinging back so his back thumped the other side of the wall lightly. "It's just a sort of formality."
Ross groaned. "It's stupid."
Sidney, the shy one, shuffled his feet, looking down. "B-But it's necessary..."
"You guys should stop complaining and take responsibility," Vix remarked calmly, leaning against a tree.
"Says you. Half of the adults and everyone else doesn't even trust you," DJ shot back, sitting back up.
Vix rolled his eyes as he placed his hands dramatically on his heart. "Oh, it hurts."
"If we have to be there, then we'll be there," Darkai finally said. The dark-haired teen had been practically invisible, seemingly emerging out of the shadows.
Ross shrugged. "I guess." He sighed. "Anyway, there's still some time before the meeting. I think I'll go to the café for a cappuccino or something."
"You do that," responded DJ, "but be sure you make it to the meeting. Otherwise Shamus is gonna kill you."
"Well, Danes wouldn't care. He'll just think you've been on some super important mission," muttered Michael, rolling his eyes.
Ross placed a hand on Michael's shoulder. "It isn't my fault Danes views me so...highly." His tone made it seem as if he'd had this conversation with Michael multiple times before.
Michael sighed. "I know." He waved Ross away. "Go get your cappuccino, you young prodigy. We'll wait and buy you time if needed."
"Thanks." Ross climbed onto the brick wall before jumping off on the other side. He vanished behind a tree. Then he was gone.
"I guess I'll go too," Michael finally said, "before Danes decides to hunt me down and scold me about being on time."
"I-I'll go too," Sidney offered.
"Are you going, Darkai?" DJ asked.
Darkai simply nodded and followed.
DJ grabbed a tree branch and swung off after the group. "Then I'm going too." Butch, from his hiding place, felt relieved. Then DJ paused, glancing back at Vix. "You coming?"
"In a bit," replied Vix.
All of a sudden, Butch's relief vanished. Vix was the last person he wanted to be stuck with—even if Vix didn't know he was there.
DJ shrugged. "Okay." Then he disappeared after his friends.
Vix was left standing there against a tree, only a few metres away from Butch. The silence that followed was deafening. Butch's heart was thumping, and his blood seemed to freeze. This is it. Will he notice me? The silence suggested otherwise, but Butch knew Vix well. The male was skilled in noticing the smallest detail.
Sure enough, Vix straightened from leaning against the tree and spoke: "I know you're there."
Butch froze, cursing his luck. Fuck.
"Come on out," continued Vix. "...Butch."
The green Ruff slowly shifted, before stepping out into the open. "What do you want, Vix?"
"Why are you asking me? You're the one hiding and spying on us," responded Vix.
"I'm only hiding because I figured you'd choose to fight me," Butch retorted.
Vix shrugged, smiling. "That's a good point." He then bowed. "Well, now that you mentioned it, I just gotta battle you, huh?" He straightened and reached for his sword.
Butch held his fists up and spat, "Bring it."
"Confident, aren't we? Well now, I like that." Vix smirked, pulling his full sword out and racing toward the green Ruff. "Should I go easy on you because you're hurt?"
"Fuck you."
"Okay then. You asked for it." Vix raised the blade before swinging it down.
Butch dodged to the side and kicked Vix's wrist away. The sword was flung into a tree. "Fighting with a weapon when I'm using my fists is unfair," he snarled.
"Then use your claws," Vix chuckled. He thrust his leg forward in a kick to Butch's stomach, not giving the boy enough time to react.
Butch grunted in pain, letting out a cry that he swallowed back quickly. He then grabbed Vix's leg and used all his strength to swing the older male into a tree. There was a loud cracking sound.
But as the dust settled, it was revealed that the cracking had been the tree, and not Vix's bones. Of course, the green Ruff thought sarcastically, rushing forward and punching Vix multiple times.
Vix had blood dribbling from his lip. But even in a weakened state his reflexes were quick. He blocked Butch's last punch and uppercutted the boy, sending the Ruff flying.
Landing on the ground, Butch looked up to see Vix's knee. It nearly smashed into him, but Butch rolled away just in time.
"What's the matter, Butch? Can't keep up with me anymore?" Vix smirked.
Butch chose not to reply. Instead, he let out a yell and charged, smashing his fist into Vix's face.
Vix stumbled backwards, rubbing the now bruised cheek. "Yes, be very angry," he hissed. His magic eye glowed white as his body began to heal.
"I can't fucking believe you chose to become what you are now," spat Butch, taking Vix's words as an opportunity to take his frustrated thoughts out on the older male.
"I didn't choose," Vix laughed. "That event changed everything. Danes simply...'took me in'," he continued, "after you guys abandoned me."
"We didn't abandon you!" shouted Butch. "What do you think Damon will think of you now, huh!? He'll think you were a failure of a pupil...and a son! He cared about you, Vix. Just because he's...gone doesn't mean you join the fucking other side! I—"
"Shut up!" hollered Vix. "You don't know anything! Don't talk about Damon like you knew him. Not the way I did. And don't you fuckingdare talk about me like you know me!"
Butch paused. "That's true," he stated quietly. "I don't know you. Not the new you. I knew the old you, however. Where did that Vix go?"
"I said, SHUT UP!" Vix charged, grabbing his sword and pulling it out of the tree as he raced by. He raised the blade just as he neared Butch, and the green Ruff raised his arms. Butch prepared himself to feel the pain of a sharp blade, but it never came.
Opening his eyes, Butch turned to see Vix standing before him. Vix was panting, his wild eyes starting to return to normal. He seemed to calm down. Vix's shoulders sagged as he staggered backwards and dropped his sword.
"Dammit," he muttered, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, his white eye had returned to the normal green.
"What the fuck are you doing?" demanded Butch. "You have the chance to kill me. So kill me!"
"Oh shut up." Vix covered his eye with his hand.
"I don't get you! Do you want me to die or not!? You didn't kill me last time either!" yelled Butch in frustration.
Vix's head snapped upwards. "Shut up!" he repeated sharply, knocking Butch aside with a hard kick. Butch toppled over and felt the pain catch up to him. His vision started to cloud over. Vix stood above him, panting. "You don't know anything."
That was the last thing Butch heard before his consciousness slipped away.
When he finally came too, Vix was gone. Struggling upwards, Butch wiped the blood from his mouth and tried to fix himself so he looked relatively normal. He brushed back his messy hair with his hand, and covered up his scratches with his hoodie sleeves.
Even though the cuts hurt when they touched the fabric of his hoodie, he couldn't do much about it.
Then Butch got up and started walking again. The battle that had just happened between him and Vix felt surreal. It was like a dream, but he knew the scratches were real.
Butch sighed. Vix... Damon...
Finally, he found himself in front of the café that he and his friends went to quite often. Butch was about to push open the door, but he caught a flash of green. Letting his eyes trail from the door to the window, Butch managed to see Ross laughing.
The green Ruff felt curiosity get the better of him. He made his way over to the window and glanced in, hidden from view by a tree. To his shock, the person with Ross was...
...Buttercup.
She was smiling and chatting and talking with Ross like it was the most natural thing in the world. Something pierced Butch, and it didn't feel like a sword. It was a different feeling.
Butch didn't know what it was, but he didn't like it. He slowly moved away from the window, watching Buttercup and Ross chat away like old friends. Two empty cups sat on the table.
Then Ross said something and Buttercup frowned. Butch wondered if Ross had made a misstep. But when the teenage boy stood up and put a wad of bills down, Butch realized that Ross had simply said something along the lines of "I need to go now". He remembered the mention of a meeting that Ross and his friends had to attend.
Butch quickly moved further away from the window. Just then, the door was pushed open and the bell above jangled. Ross headed out of the café.
All of sudden, Butch didn't know what to do. He stood there awkwardly, trying to decide which way he should go.
But Ross seemed to notice him. The boy turned around and grinned. "Hi, Butch!" He waved.
Butch swallowed and waved back.
Ross joined him. "Are you here to get a drink?" he asked.
"Yeah." Butch managed to nod.
"Cool. Well, I gotta go to this letting Uncle Shamus is holding, so I guess I'll see you later."
"Okay. Have fun," Butch said awkwardly.
Ross laughed. "Thanks; but I don't think the meeting will be much fun." He adjusted his scarf. "Anyway, I'll be going now."
"See you later."
"Oh, and Buttercup's inside the café. Go ahead and talk to her. You two probably have some stuff to talk about, huh?"
Butch turned to stare at Ross in shock, but the boy had already walked past him and disappeared.
*(A/N: Reference to my character Kelly from "Hung Up on You"!)
ME: Okie dokes. Another chapter finished! Are you guys happier with me updating more regularly? Look, I'm not leaving this story for five months anymore! But I still need to update my TMNT fic "Turtles Forevermore"...
BRICK: *rolls eyes* I'm not happy, but I suppose someone out there is.
BUTCH: I think you should keep updating more often. A story about me should not be left to rot.
BUTTERCUP: This story is about me, you—
BUTCH: Whatever.
BUTTERCUP: *vein pops*
ME: *laughs awkwardly* Anyway, this chapter raises a lot of questions. What exactly is Vix's past? Who is Damon? What meeting does Ross have to go to? And...does Ross like BC?
ROSS: Wait, what?
BUTCH: Yeah, what he said. WHAT?
BUTTERCUP: *smug* Oh, so now you care.
ME: *sweat-drop* All I mean is, what do you guys think of Ross so far? Is he friend or foe? What are his intentions?
ROSS: Actually, I—
ME: *clamps hand over his mouth* Ah, ah, ah! No spoilers.
ROSS: *muffled* Hey!
BLASTER: Please review! Then you'll get a cookie from the batch Boomer and I were baking~