PpG3.5

Secrets and Surprises

Chapter Five - Coincidences

Blossom glared across the cafeteria at Buttercup. Then moved a slightly less harsh stare at Bubbles, who was sitting next to her. It was both of their faults that Blossom was in trouble. If Buttercup had just shared the stupid notebook with them from the beginning, Blossom wouldn't have wondered if something was wrong. And then Bubbles had to tattle on her, so now she couldn't attend her chat with the Nobel Prize physicist that night.
"What's wrong, Blossom?" Bubbles asked innocently as she ate her peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
"Nothing," Blossom grumbled. She picked up her own sandwich but before taking a bite asked Bubbles, "Do you know why Buttercup never eats lunch with us anymore?"
"He hath at ew thwend," Bubbles said.
"Gross, Bubbles!" Blossom said. "Finish eating before you talk! Yuck!"
Bubbles took a gulp of her juice. "I had. The Professor put too much peanut butter on my sandwich and it made my mouth stick together. I said, she has a new friend. Her locker partner."
"But we always eat together."
Bubbles shrugged. "You heard what the Professor said. 'You're three unique individuals, and now you all have different needs,'" she quoted precisely.
"But what if a monster attacked during lunch? She'd be all the way over there and we'd have to waste time collecting her before we went off to fight."
"Blossom, let the Professor handle it. I don't want to get into trouble again," Bubbles said quietly. "It wasn't very nice to read Buttercup's notebook in the first place, and if we try and butt into Buttercup's life anymore, we'll only get into more trouble!"
"But this is important, Bubbles. The safety of Townsville is at stake now. So, which person at Buttercup's table is her locker partner?"
Bubbles eyed her sister suspiciously. "Why do you want to know?"
Blossom shrugged. "Curiosity."
"Blossom! Hasn't your curiosity gotten us in enough trouble?"
"I'm not going to get us into trouble. I'm just going to talk to the girl. Maybe she knows what Buttercup could be hiding in her notebook."
Bubbles sighed and reluctantly stood on the bench of the lunch table. "Buttercup's locker partner is the blond girl sitting next to her."
Blossom stood, too. "Hey, wasn't she at Buttercup's locker this morning?"
"Yeah, that's why she was there, they share the locker," Bubbles explained patiently, kind of enjoying the fact that she knew something her sister didn't.
"What's her name?"
"Andra. Andra...Meda, I think."
Blossom sat back down. "We can talk to her now, Buttercup would probably try and beat us up again. Maybe we can talk to her after school."
Bubbles joined her sister back down on the bench. "Maybe you can. I want to go home."
"Fine, Bubbles!" Blossom said in exasperation. "I guess some things you just need to do yourself," she added quietly, and resumed eating her sandwich.
The two Girls were throwing away their paper bags at the end of the period when a though occurred to Blossom. "Hey...Andra Meda. She has the initials A.M.!"
"So?" Bubbles asked.
"So I haven't thought of anyone with the initials A.M. yet, but I've been thinking only of the boys."
Bubbles looked confused. "Of course you have been. Only a boy's name would be in a heart with Buttercup's."
"Maybe..." Blossom began, but she shook her head. The idea was crazy! "Yeah, never mind me, I was just noticing something. Kind of weird, huh?"
"Yeah," Bubbles agreed. The warning bell rang and the two Girls flew off to class.

***
Blossom watched Buttercup and Andra all through the rest of the afternoon during their classes, obsessed now with the similarities between the girl's name and the initials in Buttercup's forbidden notebook. By some stroke of luck, they'd managed to get seats next to or behind eachother in all their classes. They worked together during work time and passed notes while the teachers lectured. Blossom couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy at how close Buttercup seemed to be to Andra. The Powerpuff Girls used to be an inseparable trio, and now they were splitting up. First Buttercup with her locker partner and the elusive crush, who would be the next to leave?