The porch lights illuminated Buttercup's face as she stood at the front porch, watching Butch's dark green streak fade against the glow of the morning sky. He soon disappeared, hidden in the clouds painted with a mix of peaches and purples as the sun slowly crept up. They talked and laughed until five in the morning, skipping stones, and picking up frogs. For a while they roamed the neighborhoods, knocking over the display of gnomes of a neighboring home, and swinging on a tire swing until the homeowner came and scolded them. Butch pointed out constellations, boasting about if he could, he would make much cooler ones. She frequently took the opportunity to glance at his face, wild with enthusiasm as he spoke.
He had asked her to spend the night again, but to his dismay, Buttercup refused. The knot in her stomach tightened every second with him, and she hoped that if she spent time to herself it would go away. But of course, she didn't tell him that.
The creaking of the house key seemed awfully loud in the silence of the early morning. The buzz of the sprinklers hummed in the background as she swung the door open, taking a cautious step inside. Bubbles and Blossom lay sprawled over the couch, fast asleep. Blossom had showered and gotten into her pajamas, her long red hair spilling over the sides of the cushion and onto the floor. Bubbles remained in the attire she had worn to the cafe, now with a giant quilt draped over her tiny frame. They had been waiting for her.
Buttercup shut the door and threw her bag onto the ground, loud enough to wake them up in an intentional, spiteful manner. The two immediately jumped at the noise.
"Ah!" Bubbles rolled off the couch and onto the ground, the quilt falling over her head.
Blossom yawned hugely, stretching upwards before rubbing her eyes aggressively, "Did you tell him?" she inquired, mid-yawn. Buttercup immediately felt her temper flare in annoyance.
"No! You assholes should have told me about your little scheme." she said, hurrying past them. She didn't want to get into a fight so early in the morning. Especially with the Professor about to wake up, being the early bird he is.
"No way, you wouldn't have let it happen." Bubbles whined, her head following Buttercup's movements.
"Exactly!" Buttercup halted in her tracks and quickly turned on her heels to face the two. "And Blossom, did you tell Brick to tell me all that shit this morning?" she pressed in an accusatory tone, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"Wait," Blossom began, clearly ignoring her question, "so what happened?"
"Nothing!" Buttercup snapped, "We just hung out, as always."
"What?" Bubbles groaned, rolling her eyes into the back of her head before jumping up and collapsing into the couch. "Ugh…" she muttered, before beginning to fiddle with her blonde braids.
"I'm begging you," Buttercup took a step towards them, "the both of you. Actually, the four of you!" she said with emphasis, "To cut it out, or you're all getting whooped."
Blossom shrugged before standing up and turning to ascend the stairs, "You guys make it so hard for yourselves." she said without turning to face her. Blossom quickly went up the stairs, leaving it at that.
Bubbles sat on the couch, peering at Buttercup who glared at her. Buttercup then moved to the kitchen to grab a snack before bed. Blossom's light footsteps would have been inaudible to someone without super hearing. The girl was like air. Bubbles appeared as Buttercup closed the fridge door, large, puppy eyes aimed right at her.
"You too, Bubs." Buttercup mumbled with bread in her mouth, "I'll whoop you."
"You won't." Bubbles replied with a cheesy smile.
Ignoring her, Buttercup turned the corner again and headed for the stairs, but a dash of baby blue lit up the house and Bubbles appeared in front of her, blocking her way.
"We all just want to see you and Butch happy," she began, but Buttercup quickly interrupted her.
"We are happy!" Buttercup groaned, clearly annoyed, and attempted to push past her. But Bubbles stood strong like a stonewall.
"You guys are good for each other," she insisted. "I've never seen the both of you so free of anger, so excited for life, so…" She paused and looked up in thought, before looking back at her, "Humane." she finally said, softly.
Buttercup rolled her eyes and with her own dash of sage green, appeared at the top of the stairs. Bubbles looked up at her from the bottom of the stairs.
"Goodnight, Bubs." Buttercup said tiredly, and proceeded to walk towards her room, munching on her toast. But another dash of baby blue sprang past her, and before she even fully opened her bedroom door, Bubbles had already appeared. Seated on Buttercup's bed with a small smile, she held up her hand. In it was the bag Buttercup had left on the living room floor.
"You forgot this." Bubbles stood and sauntered over to her, handing the bag over. Buttercup sighed, taking it from her before leaning slightly to let Bubbles through. She turned and stared at the blonde head bobbing up and down enthusiastically as the girl made her way to her own room.
"Goodnight!" she called out, before disappearing at the corner of the hall.
Buttercup closed the bedroom door behind her, hastily pulled off her clothes, grabbed her phone, and threw herself into bed with her underwear on. She kicked around in her bed before she felt her earbuds against her toes. Lazily, she pulled them up and plugged them in. The room was already starting to fade by the time she had picked a song, and she was more than ready to pass out but a feverish tapping noise filled the air. Alarmed, she pulled herself up and covered herself with her comforter. Outside her circular window was Butch, floating idely with a mischievous smile on her face.
If it had been anyone else, she would have killed them right then and there for interrupting her sleep. Remembering she was unclothed, she spun her finger around to him. He nodded and then turned his back to her. Quickly, she sprang up and pulled on an oversized T-shirt that lay on the ground. When she opened the window, Butch let out a tiny laugh, kicked off his shoes and landed on her bed. He didn't anticipate his weight causing such a commotion. He crashed into her mattress, causing the bed to shake. A painting hung on the wall crashed onto the floor, and all the items on her desk and dresser shook violently.
Buttercup slammed the window shut and turned to face him, "What the fuck!" she whispered.
He shrugged, still smiling at her. She moved to join him in bed, but a knock on the door made her turn on her heels and stand against the doorway.
"Hi stranger, are you home?" the Professor called.
Butch's jaw dropped and he laughed silently, quietly pounding his fist on the bed in amusement. He was clearly excited by the ruckus he had caused. Buttercup reciprocated with a stifled laugh, before breathing deeply and holding the door knob tightly in her hand just in case the Professor tried to turn it.
"Hi, Professor." she replied calmly, but her heart beat fast in chest. She wondered if he could hear it from the other side of the door.
"What was that loud bang?" he asked.
"I… Uh…" she turned quickly to Butch who was vibrating in clear joy. She was trying so hard not to let out an audible laugh, "I dropped my guitar." she immediately cringed at her dumb answer, and gestured cluelessly at Butch. At that, a small peep escaped his throat.
"Shhh!" she hissed, but kept her smile.
"Sorry, sorry." he whispered back.
"Okay honey, just making sure."
"Thanks, Dad."
Buttercup took a step away from the door, but quickly returned when her dad's voice emerged from the other side once more.
"Are you eating breakfast today, honey?"
"No, dad! I uh, am just getting to bed actually." Buttercup sighed, shifting to lean her back against the door. Butch gave her a soft smile before laying back down.
"Ah, I see…" the Professor's voice trailed off, clearly riddled with concern for his daughter, "Well, okay. I'll put leftovers in the fridge."
"Thanks, dad." Buttercup said again, beginning to ease off the door.
"Love you, honey." the Professor called out, followed by the sound of his footsteps as he removed himself from Buttercup's door.
"Love you!" She called as the sound of the Professor's movements descended down the stairs.
"Aw, sweet." Butch teased, as she locked the door behind her. She turned to give him a disapproving glare, one that she didn't mean, of course.
"I told you, only before five! He always wakes up this early. Without an alarm or anything, it's just his natural bioclock." she reminded him, moving to switch her night lamp off before climbing into bed.
The sun had just begun to rise, so the room wasn't completely dark. The soft blue light creeped in and illuminated the room. They lay there, in the midst of blue hour with their bodies lying shyly in close proximity
"Don't worry, I changed out of my muddy creek clothes." he said, ignoring her previous statement.
She rolled her eyes before pulling the comforter over the both of them. It took a few seconds of them adjusting to find a comfortable position.
"I didn't feel like sleeping alone tonight," he continued, explaining himself lamely. After a moment of stillness, Butch shimmied downwards to rest his forehead on her shoulder. "I'm comfortable now." he stated, his voice growing quieter.
"Co-dependency isn't good." Buttercup murmured into the comforter.
"Nothing is good." Butch retorted, the volume in his voice returning, "You know what they say, 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away', but 20 apples would kill a healthy adult human."
"Is that a thing?" she asked, turning to look at him.
"Yeah, the core is poisonous or something, Brick said so."
Buttercup squinted at him questionably, "...Who eats the core?"
They stifled their laughter once more before sharing another moment of silence.
"Hey," Butch called out quietly.
"Hm?"
"What were you listening to before I came?"
"Oh," Buttercup leaned over to reach over the edge of her bed, retrieving her phone that had fallen onto the floor in her haste to open in the window. " 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' by Joy Division." she answered, putting a single earbud into her ear. Buttercup turned to offer him the other one.
"Gloomy," he chuckled, "I like it." He took the other one and placed it into his ear. Buttercup shifted back into their previous position. The hue of blue that painted the room was growing lighter by the minute. The mourning doves had begun their song, and soon Butch was breathing rhythymically into her shirt. With the song humming quietly in her ear, Buttercup soon found her surroundings fading into black.
The last thing she saw before the darkness surrounded her was Butch's face lying closely to hers, his eyebrows furrowed angrily. It was a funny face he made when he was asleep. The blue light on his face accentuated his features. His high cheekbones, his almond shaped eyes. Inside her, something ached. One day, some day, if her feelings didn't go away, then he would go away. Damn him for showing up, she just needed distance from him. But the relief and light that filled her heart when he showed up at her window was telling. These feelings weren't going away. So soon, he was going to go away. Then it was going to be Buttercup by herself, all over again.
Love, love will tear us apart.
The first few specks of sunlight riddled her floor in an orange light, and Buttercup drifted off into sleep.
…
When Buttercup opened her eyes, the room was filled with afternoon sun. She turned but Butch was gone. A small pit opened up in her stomach as a small breeze entered her room from the open window. Strands of her raven black hair danced against her cheek. On her nightstand was a note.
Boomer has a gig tonight,
Gotta help set up
He plays at 6, you should come
See you soon?
Buttercup set it back down before rolling over to lay on her belly. She took a deep breath in, breathing in the sweet musk of amber. The sheets still smelled like him. Suddenly a loud racket snapped her out of it as someone tried to toggle on her door knob.
"Buttercup," Blossom called from the otherside, "Buttercup!" a sense of urgency accompanied her voice.
With great hesitancy, Buttercup pulled herself out of bed, "What?"
"Buttercup!"
Buttercup, still sluggish from sleep, unlocked the door and threw it open. She squinted at her sister suspectedly, who stood tapping her foot with obvious impatience.
"Buttercup," Blossom repeated, disappointed in Buttercup's disheveled appearance. "It's five. We have to get to the venue."
Buttercup's eyes widened, "Five?" She repeated, "Fuck." Buttercup shot past Blossom and hurried to the bathroom. Had she really been asleep for that long? She reached for the door, but it was locked.
"Bubs! Open up!"
"Sorry, sorry!" her high pitched voice apologized as she unlocked the door and swung it open. The smell of fruity hairspray and lavender-scented body wash enveloped Buttercup. The air in the bathroom was still moist from Bubbles's shower, and the girl now stood in front of the mirror applying a pink blush to the apples of her cheeks. She turned and smiled welcomingly at her sister, who was in too much of a hurry to notice.
Bubbles stood with her blonde hair neatly arranged in hot curling sticks, her body adorned in a white mini dress with floral blue lace details on the sleeves and on the hem of her skirt. Curiously, Buttercup turned to look at Blossom as she made her way into the bathroom to accompany her sisters. Blossom stood in high-waisted, pink checkered flare pants. A mauve sweet-heart necked long sleeve hugged her figure tastefully.
"Oh, so it's that kind of thing?" Buttercup inquired, turning the shower back on. She hated dressing up. Thankfully, Bubbles had just showered so the water was warm. She quickly pulled her clothes off and entered the shower.
"Yes!" Bubbles exclaimed enthusiastically. On the contrary both Bubbles and Blossom loved to dress up and took every and any opportunity to.
Buttercup scrubbed at her skin vigorously in an attempt to complete her shower routine as fast as possible so she could catch up with lost time.
"Mmhm." Blossom replied coolly, the sound of her sifting through their shared makeup box accompanied her voice. "I'll go pick out an outfit for you if you'd like." she offered. Blossom stood next to Bubbles, applying a cherry red to her plump, heart-shaped lips.
"Oooh, I like that." Bubbles smiled at her sister in the mirror. Blossom returned the smile and patted her sister's shoulder affectionately. The two found solace in getting ready next to each other. A simple, yet overlooked, joy of sisterhood.
"Yeah," Buttercup replied in a strained voice as she struggled to wash the shampoo off her scalp. She didn't want to deal with having to dress herself. To her, it was annoying and a chore if anything.
"Okay, we'll be in your room."
The sound of not only one, but two pairs of feet exiting the bathroom echoed against the tiles, and the door shut behind them.
After a few minutes, Buttercup remerged into her bedroom wrapped in a seafoam green bath towel. The Professor insisted they color code everything for identification purposes. Their toothbrushes, towels, school bags, water bottles, and even their cars match their signature Powerpuff colors. But, none of them minded. They still chose to wear their colors everyday because even with age, Bubbles never grew out of loving the color blue, Blossom never grew out of loving the color pink, and Buttercup never grew out of loving the color green. So it worked.
A mountain of clothes lay in a disarray on her bed, and a pile had even begun to form on her floor. Not surprised, Buttercup sat on the only corner of her bed that wasn't infested with articles of clothing.
"What about this?" Blossom pulled out an olive green, plaid mini dress from the corner of Buttercup's closet. It was tight-fitting, with tiny triangular slit details on the sides of the hem of the skirt.
Bubbles, who was in the middle of digging through Buttercup's dresser, stopped and squealed in excitement. She was clearly in agreement with Blossom.
"A dress?" Buttercup frowned.
"It would look so nice against your tan skin, BC!" Bubbles insisted.
"I gave this to you two Christmases ago, and you still haven't worn it. So, if anything, you should wear it for me." Blossom added before throwing it towards her.
Buttercup caught the dress mid-air and watched in dismay as her sisters exited the room, closing the door behind them. Buttercup held the dress out in front of her, she stared at it disdainfully before pulling it on in one swift motion.
…
Bubbles drove the two to the venue in her light blue Prius. It was terrifying for both Blossom and Buttercup. Everytime Bubbles merged, turned, or maneuvered the car in any way, panic erupted in the backseat. Fights over the aux cord ensued, along with Blossom's incessant backseat driver comments until Bubbles rolled into the parking lot and turned the car off.
"Finally," Blossom let out an exaggerated exhale as she stepped out of the car.
Buttercup reached up to rub her eye and had her hand immediately swatted away by Bubbles.
"No! Remember?" Bubbles warned, pointing at her eyelids. Bubbles frowned, seemingly insulted.
"Oops," Buttercup never wore makeup, so she wasn't used to all the rules that accompanied it, like not touching your face or rubbing your eyes, "it just feels so funny."
"We worked really hard on that!" Blossom reminded her, gesturing to Bubbles, who nodded in agreement.
Buttercup rolled her eyes before trudging forward as the three then began their way. A large, brick building loomed before them. The brick walls of the venue were riddled in graffiti, stickers, and various posters. The surrounding streetlights hummed and flickered. Even from the backlot they could hear the intense bass of the music. Every step they took, the vibration got stronger under their feet. As they continued forward, Buttercup caught a glimpse of herself in the window of a parked car. It was strange seeing herself like that.
They opened the heavy metal door that led them into a narrow hallway. By that point, the music was deafening. Heavy strums of a guitar, the loud bashing of a drum set, the plucking of a bass, and a melodic voice filled the small space. Boomer had shown them the way that the bands went in, so that they could avoid paying at the door. They soon came to a two-way split. Blossom and Buttercup turned to Bubbles knowingly.
"Okay, I'll see you guys later!" Bubbles exclaimed, taking her sisters into a big group hug. "You guys know where to go, right?"
"Yup!" Blossom assured her.
"Tell Boomer to break a leg." Buttercup added with a grin.
"Cool! See ya!" Bubbles laughed, a glimmer of excitement shining in her eyes before hurrying down the corridor towards the backstage area.
Buttercup and Blossom continued on until they reached the last door. They shared a thrilled glance as Buttercup placed her hand on the door.
"Ready?" she asked.
"Ready."
At that, Buttercup opened the door and the two slipped into the sea of people. The last band had just finished their set, and the middle of the floor had erupted in chaos as people fought over the setlist. Rainbow colored lights danced above their heads, and a questionable smoke circled the air. The numerous voices erupted the lively room with sound as they all collectively waited for the headlining band. Can of Worms, they called themselves. Boomer had come up with it during the peak of his interest in composting. Can of Worms consisted of Boomer as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist, Mac on drums, Double D as the lead guitarist, and Mandy on bass guitar. They were an enigmatic group who despite their differing personalities, made pretty damn good music.
"Hey!" Blossom said into Buttercup's ear. Thank God for super hearing, otherwise they'd have to scream into each other's ear drums in order to hear each other. "I'm going to meet Sara and Robin up in front."
And with that, Blossom disappeared into the crowd. Buttercup looked around, absorbing it all. It seemed as if more and more people were showing up with every show that was thrown. It was understandable, given that everyone in Townsville, Citysville, and beyond had begun listening to Can of Worms that summer.
"BC!" A raspy voice called from the depths of the crowd, calling her attention. Mitch soon emerged after a considerable amount of effort elbowing people out of his way.
"Oh, hey!" Buttercup grinned, it was nice seeing a familiar face. Mitch and her had been best friends throughout elementary and middle school. But ever since a few summers ago when the Rowdy Ruffs had moved back in town, they slowly fell out of touch as Buttercup began spending more and more time with Butch.
"Long time no see!" Mitch had a huge smile that stretched across his face, the deep blackness of his eyes glimmered under the light. He had gotten much taller since the last time she'd seen him, he may even be as tall as Butch now. With the lack of super hearing, it was hard for Mitch to hear Buttercup over everyone in the room. Mitch leaned into her ear before continuing,"Wow, your hair has gotten so long." He said, reaching out and moving a strand away from her face.
Buttercup laughed, she agreed that it had been quite a while since she'd gotten a haircut. This is the first time in her life that her raven black hair fell below her shoulders. It was a shock to both her and her sisters when it had grown out long enough for them to realize that her hair had a slight wave to it, and wasn't pin-straight as they all had believed for their entire lives. "Isn't it weird?"
"No, not at all. I like it! So how have you been?" Mitch asked, but Buttercup wasn't paying attention. Some intrinsic sense inside her told her to look to her left, and she caught a pair of emerald green eyes pointed right at the two of them. As fast as she had noticed, they vanished.
"Sorry, I-" she began, turning back to Mitch, but before she could answer she felt the weight of a hand resting on the middle of her back.
"'Sup man."
Buttercup turned to see Butch with a sort of spiteful grin on his face. He towered over the two of them. Yup, Butch was definitely still taller. Much taller.
"Butch," Mitch greeted him unenthusiastically. He took a step back from Buttercup before taking an awkward sip from the cup he held in his hand.
"I was just looking for you," Butch exclaimed, turning his full attention to Buttercup. He was clearly shutting Mitch out. "Your hair is getting long, huh?" He moved his hand from her back to touch a strand of her hair, but unlike Mitch, proceeded to tuck it behind her ear.
Buttercup blinked at him in confusion, but he just smiled warmly at her.
"Let's go to the front," he insisted hastily, wrapping an arm around her shoulders before proceeding to steer her away.
Annoyed, Buttercup wriggled to turn her head under the weight of his arm. "I'll catch you later, Mitch!" she called out. Mitch's form grew smaller as Butch began to walk faster. In response, Mitch held his cup at her lamely before turning around and walking back into the midst of the masses. She glanced up at Butch's face and that expression of excitement he had a few seconds earlier had disappeared. In its place was one that was drastically different. He was furious.
"Butch," she called out, but he continued trudging forward.
"Butch," she repeated.
"Butch, what are you doing?" Buttercup tried again, but he still didn't respond.
"Butch, please."
Instead of acknowledging her, he stared straight ahead.
A burst of anger exploded in her chest and she shoved him off. She couldn't stand being ignored, especially by him. It pained her deeply to want to matter. To be heard, to be seen, only to be ignored. Butch tumbled clumsily into a group of people, but being in the environment they were in, no one even noticed.
"Woah there," he laughed, putting his hands up jokingly. Buttercup stared at him in disbelief. Butch was going to give her whiplash from how fast his emotions were shifting.
"I was talking to my friend. I haven't seen him in a while and you just grabbed me." She stated. "Also, dude, it's shitty when you ignore me like that."
"Oh? My bad." he replied half heartedly. Butch cocked his head to the side, "Can we go to the front now?" His expression fell, and his eyelids drooped slightly. It was an indicator of clear boredom and even clearer uninterest in what she was saying.
Buttercup hesitated for a second, bewildered by his behavior. As much as she adored him, she hated the attitude he was giving her. Her anger was flaring inside her, and she felt the heat rising within her with every passing second. A mocking voice in her head taunted her, making it worse.
Buttercup and her shitty temper
In a desperate attempt to control herself, she clamped her mouth shut.
Yell at him! Fucking yell at him! You know you want to.
"Well?" he pressed, crossing his arms. That was it.
Immediately, she saw red. Without thinking, she shoved him as hard as she could, tapping into her powers. She felt his feeble bones under her palms. In response, he dug his heels into the pavement in an attempt to keep upright. Shards of concrete flew up in the air, and people turned in concern. Screams filled the air as people near them ducked and held their arms up to block the debris falling. He looked up at her, his green eyes wide with shock. A piece of pavement had sprung up and sliced his cheek, and blood was running down from his face and falling onto the concrete.
"Fuck right off, Butch! You're so fucking annoying!" the words tumbled out of her mouth recklessly. She was heaving, hands clenched. Suddenly, she turned to look around at the people staring at her. They look frightened. And suddenly, she was too. Of herself, of what she had done. Her heart fell to her stomach as she turned to look at Butch.
Oh fuck. Once he started vibrating, she knew it was about to go to shit.
"Cool," he wore a crazed smile as he leaned into her face, "Go find Mitch." he snarled before pulling away and turning his back on her.
Buttercup stood there idle, processing what had just happened.
"Butch!" she called out, but it was too late. In a flash of emerald green, he was gone.
She felt a void in her chest start to grow, and suddenly she felt so small in the huge sea of people. Suddenly, the lights seemed disorienting rather than exciting. Looking around at the people surrounding her, laughing and smiling, Buttercup felt nothing. She looked at her hands, staring at the vessel that was her body in pure hatred and disappointment. There was no feeling in the world that was heavier than that.
I don't want to be me.
I don't want to be me.
Anyone but me.
I want to be anyone but me.
She felt stupid. She felt angry. She was always the one snapping on people, but never Butch. Never, ever. For a few minutes she stood with her head down. It was tiring feeling like that. Always the stupid one, always the angry one. She did her best to be her best self for Butch but not even he was safe from her outbursts. Lost in a daze, she soon realized that Bubbles had been standing in front of her.
"Hello!" she called, "Earth to Buttercup!" Buttercup looked up at her sister, who was full of concern. Bright, blue eyes as big as the moon scanned her face. Bubble's pink nose neared hers as she moved closer to Buttercup.
Before her sister could press on, Buttercup pulled herself together and ripped her eyes from her hands and squeezed her palms tightly. She dug her nails into her skin, scrambling to compose herself. Buttercup impulsively placed her hands on Bubbles' shoulders. She'd moved so suddenly, that Buttercup honestly scared herself. But she was desperate to move, to feel something other than dread, wanting so badly to rid herself of the weight of the guilt sitting on her chest. "Let's go to the front."
It was hard to pretend, but Buttercup dragged herself forward. The lights suddenly erupted into a mixture of different blues, and the crowd erupted as Boomer appeared with the rest of the band. His dazzling eyes gazed at Bubbles for a split second before he grabbed his guitar.
"Boomer, I love you!" a girl screamed from behind the two.
Bubbles whipped her head around menacingly, which honestly provided Buttercup with a bit of comedic relief. Boomer caught that and laughed loudly, winking at Bubbles.
"How are we doing tonight?" Boomer asked the crowd. In response, everyone screamed gleefully. Buttercup reached deep within her to match that same energy, pulling the ends of her mouth up into a pained smile so forced it felt like her cheeks were going to tear.
Boomer looked stunning under the spotlight, his blonde hair gleaming. "This one," he said, before making eye contact with Bubbles, "is about my girl." He turned and gestured to Mac.
"One, two, three!" he exclaimed, slamming his guitar sticks together before starting off the song. And with that, a symphony of instruments filled the air. The crowd moved and swayed in unison as people jumped, screamed, danced, and laughed. Alcoholic beverages were being spilled, and questionable smoke was adrift in the air. The lights twisted and turned as everyone's bodies moved about. Buttercup smiled and danced along, but it hurt. It hurt a lot.
…
Buttercup lay in bed tiredly, ears still ringing from the show. It was a fight climbing into bed after her sisters had ravaged her closet. Buttercup kicked off the piles of clothes, knocking them into a disheveled mess onto her bedroom floor. She felt like a bed of flowers decomposing into her mattress, hardly moving and lifeless. She had forgotten not to touch her face, and now mascara was smeared messily over her eyelids. The dim yellow light of her nightstand lamp weakly illuminated the room.
She hadn't looked at her phone, but she would have guessed it was around two in the morning. The silence of the night enveloped her and her thoughts. For the first hour after getting home, she checked her phone every five minutes.
No new messages
It stung every time, so she eventually threw her phone into her hamper in an attempt to rid herself of the feeling. She had tried drifting off to sleep multiple times, but to no avail. She had picked up her bass guitar, but the only songs that came to mind were songs about heartbreak, so she put it away. So now she found herself staring at the ceiling.
But soon, she couldn't take it anymore. Buttercup forced herself to stand up, and she found herself gravitating towards the hamper.
I'm just going to call him
But fuck, what do I say?
She stopped in her tracks. Buttercup hated feeling this way, so desperate like a small puppy out in the rain. It made her want to crawl out of her skin. But God, did she miss him. She missed him so much.
Okay, fuck it, I'm calling him
Buttercup forced herself in one, big impulsive movement to grab the phone. But the moment she felt the cold metal against her fingertips, a loud bang came from her window. She turned, and saw the softest, greenest eyes accompanied by the most rotten smile.