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Chapter 4: Leaders, Unite!
Blossom stood in line at the cafeteria, scanning the menus for something that would tempt her meager appetite. She was homesick, even with Lori's vivacious company. Bubbles and Buttercups' schools were too far away and she had too much work to do to visit them. A few calls with the Professor had alleviated some of her loneliness, but enough remained to make her feel out of place. All the students around her were muttering about their work and the professors, but it was all good natured banter. Every single one of them seemed glad to be where they were.
"Hello! Would you like to order anything? The soup of the day is the chief's special homemade chicken soup and the chicken enchiladas are his specialty!" The cashier said brightly.
Blossom tried to be depressed by the heavy dose of happiness. "Just the soup and a salad, please." Hopefully, the soup would make her feel less a stranger in this place.
Sitting down in one of the unoccupied tables, Blossom wished Lori was with her. The girl was so different from what Blossom was used to; she always managed to banish some of Blossom's loneliness. Tasting a spoonful of the chicken soup, Blossom almost cried. Instead of easing her homesickness, the dish's foreign spices only reminded her of the way the Professor always made it--with a dash of paprika.
The hand not holding the soup spoon clenched in lap. Silently, Blossom willed the tears in her eyes back, it would not do to loose control in such a public place. Her reverie was interrupted by a warm, male voice that sounded vaguely familiar. "Excuse me, but is this seat taken?" Remembrance came rushing back and Blossom look up to stare into the crimson eyes of Brick, leader of the Rowdyruff boys.
Brick felt the bottom of his stomach drop as he stared into the totally unexpected sight of his old adversary's familiar scarlet eyes, "Blossom?" Disbelief saturated the single word.
The unofficial leader of the Powerpuff girls hide her shock behind a polite mask of indifference, "Brick. I trust you are well and not up to no good? A fight in here would be distasteful and inconvenient."
"Um, no." Brick sat down across from her, taking the time to recover from his confusion. Had those been tears he had seen in her brilliant eyes? "Are you a student here?"
"Yes." The single word held all the warmth of an ice cube. Clearly, Blossom remembered how hard the battle with them had been and was not happy to see him again.
"How has university life been for you?" Brick was shocked for a second when Blossom's mask cracked and her face crumpled. She quickly regained her composure, but he had already seen through her facade. Wisely, he did not pursue the subject. "No, I do not intend any harm for those who do not deserve it."
" 'For those who do not deserve it' ?" Blossom echoed his words, "And what could you mean by that?"
"Don't get me wrong. I will not stand by if some wrong is being committed."
Blossom's lips twitched in a tiny smile, "Ah, a vigilante. How charming."
Brick returned the smile with a fuller one, "Isn't that what you were at the time you fought against us and all those other bad boys in Townsville?"
The red-haired girl smiled ruefully, "Yes. I guess I shouldn't be one to talk, hm?"
"Yes." The two shared a moment of laughter.
After it, Brick reflected, "Isn't it strange?"
Blossom echoed his thoughts, "Yes, it is. How enemies can put aside their rivalries after so much time had passed. . ." She shook her head of long, lustrous, red hair. "It baffles the mind, doesn't it?"
Brick took a bite of his turkey sandwich, "So, do you still call yourself Blossom?"
The girl seemed surprised that he would even ask such a question, "Of course! It's my given name! What else would it be?"
Brick shrugged, "Dunno. It's just that--"
"Benny!" A whirlwind of motion later and a beautiful girl with hair to rival both Bubbles and Lori's plunked herself next to Brick. Flipping her glorious red-gold hair over her shoulder, she grabbed Brick's half eaten sandwich and took a bite. Swallowing, she quickly kissed Brick on the mouth before turning back to face Blossom. "Hi. I'm Salina. Who are you?"
Brick quickly made the introductions, "Salina, this is my childhood acquaintance, Blossom. Blossom, meet my girlfriend."
Blossom's smile was a bit strained as she said, "Hello. Nice to meet you." She was hardly ready to deal a complete stranger right after meeting a childhood archenemy. Blossom felt the bile raise at the back of her throat. Quickly, before it could go any further, she blurted out, "I'm really sorry that I have to cut out meeting short Salina, Benny, but I have to bee somewhere in a couple of minutes! I hope we'll meet in better circumstances next time, Benny."
As she stood up, Salina's hand shot out and grasped her by the wrist, interrupting Blossom's dash for the bathroom. "Hold on a sec, Blossom," her eyes glittered strangely under the cafeteria's artificial lights. "I'm the only one who could call Benjamin Benny!"
Blossom glanced at Brick, wishing she could realize that she had not realized that wasn't his new name without giving away the fact that they were childhood enemies rather than friends. Brick just raised an eyebrow and shrugged it off.
Remembering that Brick was still there, Salina lowered her voice and leaned closer to the sicken-looking Blossom. "You keep your hands off my man, you harlot! The fact that you were both childhood friends won't matter a bit if you intrude on my territory." She released her hold on Blossom's wrist.
Blossom stumbled a bit as she backed away from Salina, stunned by the vicious words. The urge to vomit strengthened, and she cast one more look at the smiling Salina before hurrying to the bathroom.
She didn't make it. Since the bathroom was out of reach, Blossom ducked into one of the densely treed areas of the campus's numerous parks and promptly emptied her stomach. Footsteps came near and a familiar voice called out, "Hey, you okay over there?" Lorie walked out of the surrounding greenery, a heavy backpack slung over one shoulder. She seemed surprised to see Blossom there, but it changed to concern when she realized what Blossom was doing, "Shit! Blossom, why didn't you damn well tell me if you weren't feeling fucking right!"
Blossom groaned from her slumped over position on the grassy ground, "It only just started Lorie. I couldn't help it and I couldn't stop it."
"Yeah, well, whatever." Lorie knelt down and helped Blossom up by pulling one of her slack arms around her neck. "Now where's the freaking nurse's office?"
"Lorie . . . don't you have class . . .?" Blossom weakly tried to protest.
"Don't sweat it, girl. My parents are too damn rich anyway, I could skip one or two classes."
"All right." Blossom knew she was in no position to argue. "It's over near the Kerilane Hall."
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