PpG3
Secrets and Surprises
Chapter Twelve - Truth or Dare

"Hey, wanna play a game?"
Buttercup looked at the clock on the wall of Andra's living room. It was after midnight, but neither girl was tired yet. "Sure."
"Truth or Dare?"
"Sounds good."
" 'Kay, I'll go first. Truth, dare, double dare, promise or repeat?"
"Um. . . repeat."
"Mojo Jojo is cute."
"What?! No!" Buttercup shrieked quietly.
"C'mon, Buttercup. You chose repeat!"
Buttercup sighed and muttered. "Mojo Jojo is cute. My turn!"
"I pick. . . truth."
"Where's your dad?" Buttercup asked, not thinking until she saw Andra's downcast look that that may have been a sensitive subject. "Was that a bad question?"
"No, no, just not one that comes up often. Mom and Dad divorced several years ago. Truth, dare, double dare, promise or repeat?"
"Dare."
"I dare you to. . . wear a pink dress and fly around the block."
"Pink?"
Andra nodded. "Pink. C'mon." Andra ran to her bedroom, Buttercup followed reluctantly. By the time the Powerpuff Girl had reached her friend's bedroom, Andra had pulled out a bright pink sun dress with white daisies on it.
"Here it is!" Andra said brightly.
Buttercup gingerly took the dress with one hand. "You wear stuff like this?"
"Heck no! Some relative or another gave it to me at Christmas."
"So I get to wear it. Yippee." Buttercup turned away from Andra modestly and pulled off her nightgown.
Andra meant to turn away to give Buttercup her privacy, she really did, but as the nightgown was pulled up curiosity, and perhaps hormones, got the better of Andra and she couldn't help but stare at Buttercup's bare legs and back for the brief moment they were exposed before the (rather awful) sun dress was pulled on.
Andra regained her composure when Buttercup turned back around, her trademark scowl in place. "Beautiful, absolutely beautiful," Andra told Buttercup with a quiet laugh.
"Whatever," Buttercup muttered. "I'm warning you now, if pictures of this turn up on the front page of the paper tomorrow, you're going to be a dead girl."
Andra forced a laugh. She wasn't sure whether or not Buttercup would follow through on that threat. She'd seen Buttercup's temper get out of control before, it wasn't something she wanted to re-live. "Go on. Take your flight. Go as fast as you can for all I care, just do the dare and I'll be happy."
Reluctantly, Buttercup followed Andra out of the house, out to the front lawn.
"Up, up and away," Andra teased.
"That's Superman," Buttercup said. She silently lifted herself off the ground and quickly flew off in a streak of green light.
Seconds later she was hovering over Andra's head again. She did a quick back flip to show off for her friend then flew to the front door. "I'm freezing in this dress!"
Andra ran to the door and let Buttercup in. Both girl ran down to Andra's room, where Buttercup changed back into her comfortable green nightgown, then they went back to the living room where their sleeping bags still laid.
"All right, your turn," Buttercup said. "Truth, dare, double dare -"
"Truth," Andra interrupted. "I don't want to risk a dare after what I just made you do."
Buttercup giggled with Andra before she asked her question, one she'd wanted to ask since their private lunch earlier that week. "When did you know that you were gay?"
Andra sighed and lay back on her pillow, her hands behind her head. "Since the beginning of 4th grade," she said. "There was a girl in my class who was easily the most popular girl in the school. She was pretty and smart, like all popular girls are, but unlike most popular girls, she didn't snub anybody who was 'lower' than her. She played with everybody during recess. Even the boys, or the kids in the special ed classes. At first I thought I just liked her. I mean, everybody else did, so of course I practically worshiped the ground she walked on. But then the dreams started." Andra sighed, "I'm sure you know the type. Usually girls have them about boys, but I was having them about this girl, Sara." Andra was thankful for the cover of darkness, she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. She'd never mentioned this to anybody. "Anyway, I finally figured out that I liked her the same way the other girls liked the so-called cute guys, though I never saw them that way. There were a few nice guys, but the rest were jerks. So one day after school, I walked home with Sara when none of the other kids from school were around, and I confessed I had a crush on her. I didn't know anything about stupid homophobic idiots back then. I didn't know churches and parents preached that 'people like me' were evil and disgusting. And even if I had, I never would have thought Sara was one of those who could be so stupid."
Buttercup was surprised to hear a catch in Andra's voice. "Man, I suck at this game," she said roughly. "I never pick good questions. I'm sorry, Andra -"
"No, I want to tell you," Andra said quickly. "You're the best friend I've had since Sara, and I've never told anybody about this except for my mom, and I hate keeping secrets.
"So anyway, when I told Sara, she got all cold and made some excuse like she had to go to the store to get bread for her mom. She ran away from me, and by the time I got to school the next day, everybody knew. As I walked through the playground there were whispers of 'queer' and 'dyke' and 'fag.' Words I didn't know but I knew from the kid's voices that they weren't nice. They kept that up all day and I ended up faking a stomach ache after lunch so I could go home early. I told Mom everything, of course. She was furious and went to the principal of the school, but he said there was nothing he could do. There was only a month left of school so Mom couldn't transfer me to another school, so I had to endure a month on my own."
"You got to go to a different school the next year, right?" Buttercup asked.
"Yeah," Andra said, "but a couple girls happened to follow me. A coincidence, I'm sure, but it felt like Fate was playing some cruel trick on me. Anytime I tried to make friends, one of those girls was right behind me, saying that I was a dyke and that if they weren't careful I'd do something horrible to them. After a year of fighting with the principals and teachers and councilors, Mom was sick of it and moved us out of California."
"Which is why you're here now," Buttercup said. "Man, that sucks. I'm sorry." She felt very strange at that moment. She wanted to crawl out of her sleeping bag and into Andra's and - well, that was where the dreams that Andra had mentioned took over. Buttercup felt her cheeks grow hot.
"Buttercup?"
"Hm?"
"You won't, I mean, I know you promised already but, you won't ever tell anyone anything I've ever told you, right?"
"I'd never do that, Andra!"
"Good. 'Cause I don't want to go through that ever again."
Andra sounded so quiet and fragile to Buttercup she could hardly believe it. Andra was by no means the tough girl Buttercup seemed to be, but at that moment she sounded younger than even Bubbles. It was enough to cut through the tough exterior she always wore, right to the soft spot that let her occasionally comfort Bubbles after a nightmare, or hug her blanket when she was depressed.
"Andra? I've got a confession of my own."
"What?"
Buttercup took a calming breath and was thankful for the darkness. It made saying this a whole lot easier. "I - I think I'm gay, too."
"Really?" Andra's voice had lifted at that news.
"Really," Buttercup said quietly.
There was a soft rustling and in a moment Buttercup felt Andra's warm breath on her cheek. "Then I should tell you that day in the clearing at school I lied when I said I didn't like anyone."
Buttercup's stomach did a flip. "Really?"
"Yeah. I. . . I like you, Buttercup. I really like you."
"I like you too, Andra." And before she could loose her nerve she leaned over and kissed Andra. And much to her delight, Andra kissed back.