PpG3
Secrets and Surprises
Chapter 14 -
Buttercup hardly slept Sunday night. A monster attacked around ten, just as the Girls were getting ready to bed. Buttercup's adrenaline was still pumping when she settled into bed after the Girls returned from the fight. She woke up every couple hours after that, and she knew why: she'd be seeing Andra the next day. How would that go? Instead of counting sheep to fall back asleep, Buttercup counted the different reactions Andra could have when they saw eachother.

Reaction One: Avoidance
"Hey, Andra!" Buttercup will greet. Andra will hurry away.

Reaction One A: Avoidance
Andra won't be at the locker in the morning and won't talk to Buttercup in class. Forget about sitting together at lunch.

Reaction Two: Ecstasy
Buttercup won't even have the chance to greet Andra in the morning: Andra will jump into Buttercup's arms and give her a long kiss.

"Yeah, Right," Buttercup muttered. "Moving on."

Reaction Three: Denial
Andra will act as if nothing happened Friday night.

And so on, until 4:45 Monday morning when Buttercup was sick of torturing herself and decided to get up. There were supposed to be cartoons on in the morning, right? She'd watch those.
That was where the rest of the Utoniums found Buttercup when they got up: sitting in front of the TV with a huge bowl of Lucky Captain Rabbit King Cereal on her lap, the box and carton of milk on the table next to the couch.
"You feeling alright, sweet heart?" the Professor asked.
"Fine, Professor!"
The Professor raised an eyebrow at Buttercup's chipper tone. "You sure?"
"Positive."
"Maybe I should keep you home today. You aren't acting like yourself."
"No!" Buttercup nearly spilled her bowl. "I mean, no, Professor. Really, I'm all right. I just couldn't sleep so I figured I might as well get up and get breakfast. Hey, did you know they show re-runs of Puppet Pals from 5 to 7:30 in the morning?"
"Er, No. I'm never up watching TV that early."
"You should," Buttercup said, her mouth full of cereal. "There's some good stuff on."
"I'll take your word for it," The Professor said as he stifled a yawn. "Can I have the cereal and milk back? I need to get breakfast around for your sisters."
"Sure." Buttercup's eye's never left the TV screen as she handed the box and carton back to the Professor.
"Buttercup?"
"Hm?"
"Your hands are shaking. You're sure -"
"I'm fine!" Buttercup nearly shouted. "Just on a major sugar rush. This is my third bowl."
The Professor glanced at Buttercup's nearly empty bowl. She'd grabbed a mixing bowl, and he knew Buttercup loved to heap her cereal bowl high in the morning. It was a miracle there was any left for her sisters. "Well then take it easy at school today. I don't want you getting sick."
"Righti-oh!"
Righti-oh? The Professor thought. Something odd was going on with Buttercup.
"See, Blossom. I told you she'd be downstairs! Ooh! Puppet Pals!" Buttercup sighed as Bubbles zipped down the stairs and landed next to Buttercup on the couch. "I didn't know this was still on!"
"That's because you're supposed to be eating breakfast," the Professor called from the kitchen.
"Why is Buttercup out here then?" Blossom asked.
Buttercup held up her huge cereal bowl. "Early bird gets the worm, Sis."
"Can I watch Puppet Pals too, Professor?" Bubbles asked. "Pleeeeeeeeeeeaase?"
"I suppose so," the Professor said. "Come get your cereal. You can join them too, Blossom."
Bubbles and Blossom quickly got their (normal sized) cereal bowls and joined Buttercup on the couch. They ate their cereal and watched TV in easy silence, causing the Professor to sigh with relief. Maybe they're finally getting over their fight.
"AUGH!" Buttercup cried suddenly as the credits of the last Puppet Pals episode that morning ran.
"What?" Bubbles asked.
"School! It's 7:30! We'll be late!"
"Eep!" Bubbles squeaked.
"Oh, no!" Blossom gasped. All three Girls zoomed around, putting on their shoes and grabbing their bags. They flew out the door at the same time and flew at top speed towards school.
"This is your fault, Buttercup," Blossom said as they flew.
"My fault?!"
"How is it her fault?" Bubbles asked.
"If she hadn't found Puppet Pals -"
"Shut up, Blossom," bubbles said sharply.
Blossom nearly fell from the sky. "What?"
"I said shut up! You've been acting even weirder than Buttercup lately and I'm sick of IT!"
"But -" Blossom didn't get to finish their argument, they'd reached the school just as the five minute warning bell rang.
"See ya'," Buttercup muttered as she flew over the heads of the others students, away from Bubbles and Blossom. She had to find Andra.
She saw Andra's hair first. Shimmering as always, falling around her face as she walked downcast towards their first class.
"Andra!" Buttercup called.
Andra stopped and scanned the crowd for Buttercup before looking up and seeing Buttercup above them all. "Buttercup! Hi!" she called back. She fought the crowd and met Buttercup at their locker. "Um, hi."
"Hi," Buttercup repeated. Andra was blushing and Buttercup could feel the heat rising in her own face.
"I, uh, didn't think you were going to show," Andra said after an awkward moment. "I was getting worried."
"I wouldn't miss you -" Buttercup stopped herself and quickly changed the thought into a joke. "I mean this for the world. Crowded hallways, bad food, cranky teachers, what else could I do on a beautiful Monday morning?"
Andra giggled and was about to add more when the one minute warning bell rang. Buttercup grabbed her books and joined the mass of students all rushing to their first hour classes.

***
Blossom noticed that Andra and Buttercup didn't talk during class that morning, they didn't even pass notes. Every once in a while one would glance at the other out of the corner of her eye, and occasionally she'd be caught. When they made eye contact they always looked away quickly.
Did Andra do something to Buttercup? Blossom wondered. But if she did, why was Buttercup so dreamy this weekend?
"You've noticed Buttercup acting weird all weekend, right?" Blossom asked Bubbles as they walked to lunch.
"Of course I have," Bubbles said. "I'm not blind, y'know. But I like how she's been acting."
Blossom didn't reply to Bubbles. She seemed to have forgiven their earlier argument already, but she didn't want to risk alienating another sister. So instead she let her attention wander to the other students in the hallway, which was when she saw Andra go into the bathroom.
Alone.
"I'll meet you at the table, Bubbles."
"Blossom? Where are you going?" Bubbles asked as Blossom began to shove her way through the crowd.
"Bathroom," Blossom called just before she pushed the door open.
No one was standing around when Blossom entered, so she glanced under the stall doors. There were Andra's sandals under the last one, so Blossom went to the mirror and played with her hair until Andra came out.
"Hi, Blossom," Andra said as she washed her hands.
"Hi, Andra," Blossom said brightly. "Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?"
Andra pulled out a couple paper towels and dried her hands. "Sure." She tossed the wad of paper into the trash and turned around to face Blossom. "What's up?"
"Well, Buttercup has been acting weird all weekend. Ever since she came home from your house, actually."
Andra swallowed. "Really?"
"Really," Blossom repeated. "I was wondering if you knew why that might be."
"Um, no. No, I don't." Andra caught her reflection in the mirror and saw her face was almost as pink as Blossom's blouse.
"Are you sure?" Blossom took a step forward, which made Andra take a step back so she ran into the sink. "Because I've been watching you and her all morning. You haven't whispered or passed notes behind the teachers' backs, you actually work during work time, and whenever one of you catches the other's eye, you both look away."
"You've been watching us all morning?" Andra asked incredulously. "Maybe Buttercup's right, you really are bossy and can't seem to separate your private life from your life as a super hero." Andra stood up straighter so she was less than an inch from Blossom's face. "If you're trying to intimidate me away from your sister Blossom, you're failing miserably. The fact that you could easily kick my butt may scare the other kids, but I have Buttercup on my side. I like her, she likes me, there's nothing you can do about it so leave us ALONE!" Andra marched out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
When she was out in the deserted hallway she leaned against the wall and slid to the ground. She was shaking. "It's starting again," she murmured. She knows something happened Friday night, and I just said Buttercup and I like eachother, which Blossom could easily interpret, well, the right way.
"Are you okay, Andra?"
Andra opened her eyes and looked up at her art teacher, Ms. Jergensen. "I'm fine. Just, uh, cramps."
"Ick," Ms Jergensen said. "Will you be okay?"
"Yeah. In fact, the worst is over already." Andra stood up. "Some exercise outside will help. I'll see you this afternoon, Ms. Jergensen!" Andra speed walked out of the building towards her and Buttercup's secret lunch area.
"What took you so long?" Buttercup asked. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd fallen in!"
Andra laughed. "That might have been better. I ran into Blossom."
"Uh-oh."
"Uh-oh is right. She thinks something happened Friday night."
Buttercup nearly choked on her sandwich. "Why does she think that?"
"Because we haven't talked in class all morning. And whenever we made eye contact we looked away."
"Oh. That. Yeah, that's kinda suspicious."
"And you've apparently been acting weird since you got home Saturday."
"That one's true. I woke up at quarter to five this morning and watched Puppet Pals."
"So, um, why have we been acting weird?"
Buttercup sat down her sandwich. "You too?" Andra nodded. "Well. . . I didn't know how you were going to react today, so I was waiting for you to make the first move."
"I was doing the same thing," Andra admitted.
The girls ate in silence for a few minutes before Andra spoke again.
"This is silly! There's no reason to act embarrassed over this. It's not like we did anything bad. Just one innocent kiss. It's not the end of the world!"
"Right!" Buttercup said. "So what are we going to do?"
"Do? Why should we 'do' anything?"
Buttercup looked down at her food. "Well, like, are we going to try and forget we kissed and just be friends? Or are we going to announce to the world that we're gay and start going out?"
Andra frowned. "I don't think Mom would let me start dating now."
"I don't know if the Professor would let me either," Buttercup said. "We've never actually had a conversation like that. Probably because I've never been interested in anybody before."
"But we could go out as friends," Andra said slowly.
"Yeah!" Buttercup agreed. "Hey, we wouldn't even need to be driven anywhere, I could fly us!"
Andra's eyes widened. "Fly? Both of us?"
"Of course! Super strength comes along with my other powers. Carrying you would be nothing compared to trees or ocean liners."
"Um, maybe we should get a ride."
"Why? It really wouldn't be a problem -"
"I don't really like flying."
"C'mon, it's fun, it's safe, and a heck of a lot quicker than a car."
Andra sighed. "If you're sure -"
"Of course I'm sure!" Buttercup interrupted. "So what should we do on our first friendly outing?"
"Well, there's a new Bernie Bernstein movie out, how about that?"
"Ugh, that guy's still directing?" the bell rang faintly, interrupting Buttercup. "I'll write you a note during class. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff he tried to do. C'mon!"
***
That afternoon Andra and Buttercup paused at the entrance of the school where the sidewalk split, one half going towards Andra's house, the other going towards the Utonium house.
"I want to head straight home today," Buttercup said, "ask the Professor if I can go out Friday and take care of some other stuff.
Andra nodded. "Same here." She giggled, "Well, I don't need to ask the Professor, but you know what I mean."
Buttercup smiled. "Yep. So. I'll see you later."
"Yup," Andra replied, but neither girl moved.
Andra knew what was holding Buttercup back. It was holding her, too. "why don't we hug? To a casual passerby, it'll be completely innocent. Girls always hug eachother."
"yeah," Buttercup said. Stiffly the girls moved forward and hugged eachother, nerves and backpacks making it harder than it should have been.
"So I'll see you tomorrow," Andra said when they let go."
"Mm-hm. Call me after you talk to your Mom. Call me after dinner, actually, I think I'm going to be busy this afternoon."
Andra was curious, but didn't press further. If it was important, Buttercup would tell her later. "I will. Buy, Buttercup!" she started to walk away, before her mind could make more excuses for her to stay with Buttercup.
Buttercup also began to leave, floating into the air. "Bye!" she called to Andra and quickly flew in the direction of her house.