I just made some changes to this chapter. There's plot relevant stuff in here so be sure to re-read it. ^.^;

When Opposites Attract - Chapter 5

The next day I woke up to darkness; it was a few minutes before the sun even began to rise here. The night before, I had set my alarm half an hour earlier than I usually did, not wanting to rush getting to school and risk forgetting anything or wearing my shirt inside out- or something equally ridiculous. I rose from bed with a yawn, stretching out my arms over my head until I heard my back crack with a satisfying pop, before shuffling into my bathroom and hopping into the shower. I had enough time to wash my hair thoroughly, even attempt to comb out the usual wild tangles and curls while I was still beneath the hot spray of the shower head. To keep it as neat as possible, I fumbled with my hair until it was in one long French braid, hoping it wouldn't frizz up on me once I eventually took it out a few hours later.

After my shower, I quickly changed into some thick leggings, riding boots, and an oversized cable knit sweater that tended to hang off my shoulder. Afterwards I was able to make myself an actual breakfast consisting of an omelette with spinach, and a tall glass of orange juice. I tried to make it just how my mother used to- at least from what I could remember. I sighed wistfully at the thought of waking up to her singing in the kitchen, wandering downstairs to see a fully set table and plates stacked with fluffy pancakes and as much eggs and bacon any kid could want. That memory had seemed so far away. My mother had died not too long ago, in a car accident while she was rushing home from work to see me. I was dealing with one of my worse panic attacks alone and decided that I absolutely needed her there with me. My hand clenched a little tighter around my fork as I thought about that night even more. I should've known not to call her when the weather was so bad. It was raining something awful the night of the accident- and although it was a drunk driver that crossed the median and hit her car, I still couldn't help but feel guilty for it happening. If I hadn't called her and just sucked it up, she would still be here, wouldn't she? And I wouldn't be alone in the childhood house she left me. It was hard to imagine that Mom grew up in Happy Tree... she was such a busy, fast-paced woman, it was difficult to imagine her in a town this small instead of the city she raised me in.

I blinked, finally noticing that my vision had blurred with tears, and I wiped them away the best I could before I cleared the table. I made sure to take my medication with the orange juice. I was going to get better. If not for myself, for my mother.

Before I left, I paused at my reflection in the hallway mirror. I briefly considered using the lipstick that Giggles gifted me (against my will) a few days ago. It wasn't anything super flashy, just a pale rosy color that wouldn't be too noticeable against my lips. I never really had a use for makeup before, mostly because my mother was too busy to teach me about it, and it wasn't like I had any sisters to teach me the ropes either, but I also had always preferred to keep to myself- which meant not drawing attention to my appearance. But now it seemed as if I was thrust into the middle of the spotlight ever since Giggles decided to befriend me, and with her, everyone else followed suit. If the school's eyes were going to be on me, I felt like I had to not look like how I usually did before I moved here. A change of location could do me some good, right? I hoped so. With a quick swipe of the lipstick over my mouth I was out the door.

I immediately saw Giggles already waiting inside her car after I locked my front door. It surprised me that she was an early bird, but then again, I didn't know her that well yet did I? She was just as new to me as I was to her. Giggles saw me approach the sidewalk and waved to me through her rearview mirror, before swiftly putting the car in reverse and rolling it to a halt right in front of my curb. She beckoned me over with an enthusiastic nod, reaching all the way across the passenger seat to push the car door open. I was surprised at the offer, but found a timid smile forming at my lips as I slid into the passenger seat, carefully shutting the door afterwards

"Woooooow," she said, drawing the word out as she gave me a once over. "You look different today."

"...different i-in a bad way? Or-"

"Do you like how you look?"

The question caught me a little off guard. I glanced up at myself in her rearview mirror. Well... I thought I looked nice. It was certainly a different look than what I was normally used to, but I liked it.

"Y-yes?"

"Then it's different in a good way. You look nice- and you totally shouldn't doubt that." she said matter-of-factly, fixing me with a kind smile before she drove off down the road.

The rest of the car trip consisted of Giggles singing along to obnoxious pop songs on the radio, while I was left with a warm feeling in my chest from her words. Despite (or maybe because of) her bubbly personality, Giggles simply made me smile. The air felt... happier with her around; you couldn't not be cheerful with Giggles nearby.

After she pulled the car into her usual spot in the parking lot, Giggles gave a dramatic sigh, slumping back into her seat for a moment before she turned off the ignition.

"I wish we were in the same classes, Flaky. We're only in Drama together and our jerk of a teacher never puts us in the same groups!" she whined.

"Then I'll hang out with you after school sometime. We could go to the mall? I mean i-if there's one nearby"-

"Of course! I totally want to give you a makeover!" Giggles squealed with joy.

"...a-a makeover?" I stammered, my eyes going a bit wide. I was definitely inexperienced when it came to things like cosmetics. Meanwhile Giggles was clearly on the opposite end of that spectrum: I had never seen her without an eyebrow hair out of place or anything of the sort. She always looked impeccable- I had no idea how she had the time to put so much work into her appearance.

"Yeah a makeover! I mean, only if you want to, not everyone is into that kinda thing and you don't have to act like-"

"Is that Cuddles?"

"W-what?" she stammered, her eyes immediately following the direction of my gaze.

It definitely was Cuddles, that fact easily confirmed as he got out of his car a few spots down. I glanced over at Giggles (who was quickly checking her appearance in the side mirror of her own vehicle) before I realized that Cuddles noticed us, and he was making his way over. The closer he got, the more nervous energy I could feel practically radiating off the small girl's frame. She was usually so composed- in her own way, anyway- and the sudden change was jarring to me.

"U-um... are you okay?" I asked.

"N-no!" she whispered harshly, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "Talking to boys is nothing, y'know?" I didn't know. "Not a biggie at all. But Cuddles... he's too... I dunno. Cute? I get these... butterflies, and I never say the right thing and I'm really scared he's gonna think I'm an idiot or something because I like him a lot-"

Giggles was starting to ramble a mile a minute. I tried to find a quick solution for her, mostly because Cuddles was getting closer.

"Well... why don't you a-ask him out?" I offered tentatively. Giggles looked at me like I grew two heads.

"What? No! Are you... god Flaky how could you even suggest that? I can't just ask him out- besides it wouldn't work out, he doesn't-"

"What wouldn't work out?"

We looked up to see a totally oblivious Cuddles, who, despite his confusion, gave us both a warm smile. Mostly Giggles. I wasn't sure where Giggles got the idea that they wouldn't work out, but based on the way he was looking at her, her affections were probably reciprocated. Probably. I didn't want to make too many assumptions when I had barely been in town for a month. I was still getting to know everyone- and with that, know what what they thought of each other.

Giggles gave a tiny, near inaudible squeak, her eyes widening for a moment before she straightened up and quickly attempted to compose herself. I couldn't help but giggle, biting my lip and glancing away when Giggles shot me a look. Cuddles seemed even more confused by this interaction.

"Um! Hey, Cuddles-"

"What's going on, you two...?" he asked, looking between us.

"N-Nothing! Uh, nothing at all. I was just giving Flaky a ride to school and"-

"And I think Giggles wants to talk to you." I interrupted, taking the chance to give her subtle push towards Cuddles. In her nervous state, Giggles immediately stumbled forward- directly into his chest. He was quick enough to catch her somewhat, trying to hold her steady while he gave her a curious look. He seemed somewhat worried, although a faint blush of his own was rising to his cheeks.

"You want to talk to me? About what?"

I feigned glancing at my watch, quietly excusing myself and taking the chance to leave them both alone. I could still faintly hear their conversation before I got into the building.

"Are you okay? Your face is so red..."

"...I-I-I"-

I smiled timidly at Lammy stationed behind the front desk, before I turned right and headed up the stairs, glad I was starting to familiarize myself with the school's layout. I didn't want to remain the girl that constantly had to ask for directions. The students flowed up and down the hallways, or remained stationary as they chattered beside their lockers, clearly trying to stall as much as possible before they got to class. I fumbled with the lock for my locker before I managed to get the combination correct, quickly grabbing my chemistry notebook before I made my way to the science wing where my class was located. I was still a little early, so I saw Mr. Sniffles setting up beakers and Bunsen Burners at the stations around the classroom.

"Mr. S, what're we doing today?" I asked, looking back at the students beginning to file in. Their expressions were struck with disappointment when they noticed the chemistry equipment.

"Oh, nothing too complicated. Just a quick lab." he said simply, tossing me a pair of goggles and a thick looking packet.

Oh joy.

Splendid walked in by himself, Cuddles not flanking him as usual. The boy settled in his usual spot at the table next to mine. Cuddle's seat was empty, so Splendid switched to the next chair over, leaning across the aisle to speak to me with a curious lift of his brow.

"Where's Cuddles? He's not usually late to this class."

"I-I think he's with Giggles? They were talking in the parking lot..."

"Huh. Took him long enough." Splendid muttered, before he smiled sheepishly at my puzzled expression. "Ah, sorry. Cuddles and Gigs have a history. They obviously liked each other since... hm. Sixth grade, maybe?"

"We're kind of taking bets on when they'll finally start going out." Petunia piped in, surprising the both of us when she stopped in her trek up the aisle. She had retrieved some gloves from the cabinet in the back of the room, the box under her arm, and a pair in her hands.

"O-oh. That's adorable-"

"It was for the first few years, maybe." She mused with a snap of her gloves. "Anyway, good luck on the assignment, you two. Mr. S is throwing us to the wolves for this one." With a toss of her (perfect) ponytail over her shoulder, Petunia made her way back to the front of the room. Her station was absolutely spotless, although I couldn't expect anything less from her. I wondered if she was any good at chemistry- maybe she could help me out sometime. I was good enough to get by, sure, but it wasn't like I wanted to have average grades at my new school. I reminded myself to talk to her about it after class.

Splendid paused for a second, leaning back in his chair after Petunia returned to her desk. "By the way, I'm sorry about yesterday at the library."

"I-It's okay." I mumbled, quickly glancing away in embarrassment. "It wasn't your fault..."

Splendid looked like he wanted to say something else, but amongst the last few people walking into class, Flippy and Cuddles were some of them. Splendid's eyes trained on Flippy's back almost instantly, watching him for a few moments before he moved to his original seat to make room for Cuddles' return. He ended the conversation there as he carelessly flipped open his textbook with a loud-ish pop against the table. I wasn't sure what Splendid's deal was. It was like he and Flippy always kept a precise distance from one another, neither of them daring to cross some invisible line. I wished somebody clued me in on their history, but before I could even muster up the courage to lean back across the aisle and ask Cuddles when he sat down, I noticed Flippy had finished his conversation with Mr. S at his desk, and was heading over to our table. I gulped silently as he sat down next to me. The playful Cuddles told me to be careful around him. Even Giggles, of all people, warned me too... just what was so dangerous about him?

I glanced at the marred underside of the desk. Then I dared a quick peek up at him- only to discover that he was looking right at me already. My heart lurched in my chest, and I forced myself to think about something, anything else other than my friends' warnings. He was just my innocent lab partner. Nobody would be hurt by a lab partner. Why would Mr. S pair me up with him if he would hurt me? That doesn't make any sense. We were just going to finish this lab together and go on about our days like everyone else. The most dangerous thing in here was the chemicals we were about to work with, anyway-

"Flaky, what're you staring at?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

Fuck. I definitely had been staring. It wasn't my intention at all- I tended to zone out when my mind went into overdrive like that. and he set a beaker onto the Bunsen Burner, turning on the flame. He gestured to a container of some sort of chemical.

"W-what? Nothing! I mean- I'm not... I-I'm not staring." I squeaked, clearing my throat. "...hi."

"Hi." A curious look crossed over Flippy's features, before a crooked grin pulled at his lips. I could only manage a timid ghost of a smile in response. My heart skipped a beat yet again- but for completely different reasons this time; he really was handsome, and that smile of his certainly wasn't helping me out. God, I needed to focus.

"Well, ladies first."

I blinked, tearing my eyes away from him and directing my attention to the front of the classroom. I was apparently so distracted by that interaction alone, I had completely missed what Mr. S said for the introduction of this morning's lab. He didn't even write anything on the board to help. A quiet sigh escaped me as I looked around the classroom for any hints of where or how to begin, and didn't get any. After a few moments of contemplation (and increased worry that I was looking like an idiot), I carefully took a beaker of... whatever it was, and poured it into the glass on top of the bunsen burner.

"I h-hope that's right..."

"Wow. It actually is." Flippy snorted, to my relief. He handed me a glass dropper of red liquid. "You're supposed to add just a milliliter of this."

"That sounds e-easy enough." I said quietly, angling the dropper over the beaker and peering at the small numbers etched into the side. My hands were unsteady already, and having Flippy right next to me didn't make it any better, but I had to be accurate so our lab results weren't thrown off.

"Be careful with that! Roughhousing during labs is dangerous, Mister Squirrel, especially with potentially volatile chemicals. Do it again and you're going to the dean's office." Mr. S. said sternly, chastising Nutty for fooling around with his beakers.

I flinched instinctively at the sudden raise of his voice, squeezing a majority of the dropper's contents inside the beaker. Nothing happened for a moment, before the mixture began to react, quickly heating up far more than it was supposed to be. Flippy's eyes widened and he stood up, quickly pulling me back from the overflowing glass and ushering me to the back of the classroom. I was too scared to say anything, too scared to do anything but look at the situation progress rapidly- I was the one who caused the problem, after all. The mixture was beginning to make a mess out of our station, steaming chemicals bubbling over the lip of the beaker and pooling on our notebooks. Thankfully, Flippy was the one to respond, turning his attention from me towards our professor instead.

"Mister S-"

Mr. S. was too involved in his lecture about safety to notice anything- at least until there was an explosion.

A collective scream rang out in the classroom, mine far worse as I covered my head with my hands. Flames began to emerge where the chemical mixture had spilled, burning away our pencils and papers, eventually spreading to the floor behind our desk. Splendid quickly leapt to action, trying to tell everyone to calmly exit the room, but Mr. S. panicked; pulling the fire alarm and running out, even pushing a few students out of his way to do so. Of course, that threw everyone else into a frenzy, and they quickly followed his lead, scrambling to leave as fast as possible. Splendid was clearly annoyed, holding the door open and trying to usher the students out, although it seemed like he had to force Petunia to leave. She kept squirming to look over her shoulder, at me, I realized eventually, and I couldn't decipher the look in her eyes when Splendid finally got her out the door.

Soon it was just Flippy and I left- but we were frozen in place. I was frightened, and wanted to run, but I just... couldn't. Flippy was another story. The hand he had on my shoulder, once protective, slowly squeezed tighter, to the point where the pressure was hovering between uncomfortable and painful. I winced, finally looking away from the empty doorway and up at him instead. His gaze was distant, eyes glossy as he watched the disaster unfold through the reflection in the window behind me. It was like I wasn't even there with him anymore. It was like he wasn't even here anymore.

"Flippy…?" I asked, tentatively placing my hand over his. His skin was ice cold.

"I-I'm sorry…" he murmured, his voice wavering, taking on a hardened edge that I didn't recognize.

Before I could ask anything, he lowered his head, our eyes finally meeting- but what I saw was not what I expected. The usually deep emerald of his eyes were much paler, almost neon in the wavering lighting of the room. His pupils shrank to mere pinpricks. His grip on my shoulder turned vice-like, and I gave a yelp of pain before it was abruptly cut short when he shoved me back. My spine made a dull thwack against the drywall, and thankfully my head stopped short of rattling the window. Tears burned behind my eyes regardless, although it seemed like Flippy didn't even care.

"Look at what you did." he seethed, his voice dripping with menace.

I was pinned to the wall with nowhere to look but him, so I followed my instincts and did the opposite, turning my head to the side. I wasn't sure what was scarier, whatever the hell Flippy had become, or the fire blazing right behind him. Apparently that wasn't the right response, because a firm hand gripped at my chin soon after, and he jerked my head back so I had no choice but to face him. It was then I realized that Flippy wasn't even talking about the fire- he was talking about himself. How did I do this? I couldn't comprehend that at all, especially in my current state. I could barely hear anything past the sound of my pulse racing in my ears. Still, I found myself beginning to speak.

"F-Flippy... we have t-to get o-out of here. I-it's dangerou-"

"I know." A slow grin pulled at his lips, revealing canines that looked sharp enough to rip me to shreds. He looked like he wanted to. "You should be less worried about the fire and more about what's right. In. Front. Of. You."

"W-what d-do you w-want?" I whimpered, my entire body quivering by this point. There had to be some way out of this situation, right?

"I want you hopeless."

Ironically enough, I was so absolutely terrified that I couldn't scream at all. Just the opposite; my voice grew quieter the longer I was trapped in here with him. Flippy's eyes burned into mine, before his grip at my chin turned into a soft caress at my cheek, feather light as it traced along my skin. The sudden change left me confused. What the hell was he doing? Wasn't he trying to kill me? My face burned in embarrassment as his gentle touch traveled down from my face, and he thumbed at my bottom lip, taking his time in smearing the lipstick I applied earlier. My tears finally tears spilled over, big droplets rolling down my cheeks as I blindly reached out to my side, groping along the wall for the fire extinguisher stationed next to the window. Flippy hardly noticed, far too preoccupied with watching me cry, leaning closer to get what I thought was a better look before his lips were pressed to mine. What! What. My thoughts were certainly jumbled now; Flippy's actions did not match his words. Why would he kiss me if he wanted me hopeless- and so gently, at that? It was as if he were two different people all at once.

The fire extinguisher, I discovered, was within my reach, and the moment my hand met the metal of the handle I swung it against Flippy's side with all the strength I had left. The extinguisher loudly collided with his torso, the shock thankfully enough for him to release me with a jolted hiss of pain. I immediately scrambled away, aiming the device directly at him and spraying. And spraying. And spraying. The foamy substance got everywhere- on his clothes, on his face, in his hair- he was unrecognizable by the time he staggered back and hit the display cabinet, sliding to the floor afterwards. Against my better judgement, I directed the extinguisher towards the flames as well, spraying those into nothing but a pile of smoldering ashes. As soon as I was sure it was safe, I threw the extinguisher to the side with a clank, turning on my heel and bolting out of the classroom.

I didn't dare look back, the adrenaline pumping through my veins forcing me to run on autopilot until I made it outside the school building. I was met with the sight of pandemonium on the front lawn; a crowd of panicked students and faculty trying to calm them, fire trucks lining the streets, a police officer speaking to the dean, and a troop of firemen approaching. I barely got out of their way in time as they pushed past me to get inside the building. I didn't have the heart to tell them that I put out the fire. Instead, I looked for anyone familiar, my gaze eventually landing on Giggles. She seemed to be looking for something too, and when she turned around, a mixture of fear and relief washed over her face before she rushed over to sweep me up in the tightest hug I'd ever experienced.

"Flaky! Holy crap, are you okay? Nobody could find you after the alarm went off, we were so worried!"

We? When Giggles released me, I immediately saw who else she was referring to; Cuddles was right next to her, and Handy and Petunia approached afterwards. All of their expressions were a little different. Cuddle's usually carefree features were hardened with worry- it definitely aged him, made him look a few years older. Handy just looked plain distraught. Petunia, however, still had the unfamiliar glint in her eye that I couldn't place. She stood almost stiffly next to Handy, her features solemn as she kept her arms looped through his.

"I-I-I-I"- I stammered, still in shock. What had happened in there? I wouldn't know for sure, unless somebody finally explained what was going on with Flippy. Giggles began to fret over my appearance, trying to clean up my smudged lipstick and the tracks of diluted mascara on my cheeks, before she gasped quietly in realization.

"...Flippy was in there with you, wasn't he."

"What happened?" Petunia demanded, her gaze boring right into me. I couldn't help but feel a little put off by the brusqueness of her question; her tone sounded accusatory, as if I had done something wrong. And I didn't. Right? Doubt began to twist at my stomach as I thought it over. I did cause the explosion...

"I-I d-don't know-"

"Clearly you do, since you were in there for so long."

"I-I don't, because nobody i-is telling me anything! What the hell is wrong with him?!" I shouted. The adrenaline was still coursing through my body, clearly shaking up my mood enough to snap like that. I was on edge, and for good reason. There was a pause of silence in the group, and everyone glanced at each other, save for Petunia, who looked like she was putting all of her effort in keeping herself composed. She was looking through me, now. I wasn't even there.

"...He used to be in a war, Flaky." Cuddles replied eventually, what he said throwing me off guard.

"A-a war...? He's o-only seventeen-"

"The W.A.R broke out when he was fifteen. He was drafted as a soldier when he turned sixteen. Something about him was different when he got back... war changes people, Flakes. Whenever something reminds him of it, it's like he's back on the field all over again. That's why we warned you."

"...you c-could've been more specific! That's serious!" I said, narrowing my eyes.

"He's usually fine! Usually. We just- didn't think it was a good idea to tell you yet... you can be sensitive, we didn't know how you'd go about it." Giggles piped up nervously.

"You put my life i-in danger, b-because you thought I was sensitive?"

I crossed my arms, watching their faces flood with guilt. Except for Petunia's. She untangled herself from Handy, jabbing a finger in my direction. I instinctively jerked back from the sudden invasion of space.

"Look. We all get that you're new here, but we have a certain way of doing things in Happy Tree."

"Petunia-" Giggles started, before Petunia shook her head, sharply lifting her hand to silence the pink-haired girl as if to say "I wasn't finished." It worked.

"Obviously you scare easily, Flaky, you're scared of your own fucking shadow. You would've had another panic attack if we told you up front. I'm letting you know that if you panic here, people will get hurt." She punctuated this with another jab of her finger, this time it connected with my shoulder, and I took another step back. Petunia continued advancing.

"At least you know about this now! At least you're alive! You got away from him without a single cut, and you're complaining? Look at Handy! His hands are bandaged up because of him! If you weren't so busy being selfish you'd realize that your actions can and will affect everyone else here! Does that make sense? Is that specific enough for you? Are you getting this through your sku-"

"Petunia!" Giggles cried.

Petunia fell silent after she was interrupted, the intensity of her anger quickly dissipating afterwards. Her expression fell into one of worry when she realized what she had said to me. I was shaking, vision blurry with fresh tears until I blinked them away. Everyone else was frozen in shock from Petunia's behavior, even herself, until she took a careful step forward.

"...Flaky, I didn't mean-"

I shook my head and pushed past her, a sob tearing at my throat as I raced down the street and eventually found my way back to my house. I couldn't take anything that was happening back there, I needed to get away from it all. And now everyone knew how much of a fuckup I really was. At least that was how I felt.

We love some good conflict!