Chapter Eight: "Life isn't Cupcakes and Rainbows"
Branch heard Poppy calling him from far away. He had put both her wrists above her head and held them there with one hand and felt her squirming, but he was in charge now; she had started it in the first place. He felt like drowning in her; her peachy skin was so soft against his that he could barely remember how to breathe.
"Branch..." She said again, this time a hint of fear in her voice made him snap out his drowning state. When he focused back on her he saw how worried she was. He looked around, wondering if they had been spotted. "Are you okay?" She asked, tentatively, setting her feet on the ground.
Poppy studied his face. It was like he had no idea of what had just happened. It scared her. If he, the protector of the village, lost his mind to rock, what would become of them? Of her? She felt his finger lovingly trailing her face and met his eyes. He gave her a broad smile.
"That was an incredible make-out! ...and don't worry. I'm not doing anything you're not ready for." He offered and she gave him a shy smile, but still looking like she had seen a ghost. The music had stopped, meaning they were getting an intermission. "I better hurry." He said, pointing to the man's bathroom line that had just gotten smaller.
Poppy pretended to go in the ladies' room as well. Still a little dazzled by their make out and also by Branch's quick transformation right in front of her, she second-guessed if it still was a good idea to break into the band's room. Splashing her face, she decided that she had come too far to turn back now. Peeking at the line, she saw as Branch stepped inside the door, clearing the way for her.
She quickly ran from shadow to shadow until she reached a black door. A huge security troll stood in front of it, looking at the stage and moving his head slightly with the beats. He was distracted enough not to see as she squeezed between him and the door, crawling inside. That was way too easy to be true, Poppy concluded. Maybe nobody had ever tried to sneak inside before... hm... how daring she was!
She spotted several rock trolls walking around. Some were adjusting the instruments, others were sawing the show costumes and others spoke in radios and took notes on how the lights were working. They worked like professionals, just what she would expect knowing they had been on the road for the longest time.
The drummer woman walked past her, taking off her boots and changing them to bright green ones. Her eyes met Poppy's and she spit out the cold water she was drinking in surprise. Poppy waved her 'hello', but stopped in the middle of her action when she realized the older troll was about to yell at her. The vocalist barged in just in time, saying something about the crazy crowd outside.
"Excuse me, sir." Poppy said, getting his attention. He turned around, not seeing her. She had not realized how tall rock trolls were. "Down here..." She said, giving him a shy smile when he spotted her. "Hi..." She rocked herself on her feet, suddenly feeling very childish next to them.
"Leave her to me, Zep," The drummer said, standing up. "I'll call security. I don't even know how a pink troll could walk past them in the first place."
"Yeah... you're so pink it hurts my eyes, young lady." Branch's dad - Zep - said with a small laugh at her, giving her an affectionate punch on the shoulder. "Do you want an autograph?"
"Actually, I'm here to talk about a possible..." How could she bring a subject like that up to a complete stranger? "...child you might have had..." She continued a bit reluctantly as she witnessed his smile fading. "... some years ago?"
"UNBELIEVABLE!" The drummer said, snapping her drumstick in half and throwing them at her, missing Poppy's head by millimeters. "Seriously, Zep?" She turned her fury to the vocalist who didn't seem so surprised. "Another one?"
"C'mon Glenda, it was an old fling, I'm sure of it." Zep replied, but Glenda just stormed out the room, calling security. Zep turned his attention to Poppy and reached for his wallet in his back pocket. "I send a... hm... child support... to all my children, so if that's what you're after, don't worry, I've got you covered."
"All... your children?" Poppy asked hesitantly. Her head was spinning. Things weren't supposed to go that way. What were they trying to say to her? This wasn't cupcakes and rainbows! "Listen, I'm not your daughter, I think you're my boyfriend's dad." She heard the security team hurrying on the next door and continued, really quick before they got to her. "He's from Pop Village. He grew up with his grandma!"
A huge black troll grabbed her by her collar, lifting her up like a rag doll. His arm tightened on her neck as she tried to keep on talking. As she was dragged out, the last thing she saw was Zep's face draining from all color, his mouth hanging open just before Glenda slapped him furiously across his cheek.
She landed oddly on her foot when the bigger troll carelessly threw her on the floor, inside another black door she had previously passed by. Several rock trolls were in there, cheering as the door opened and closed.
"You stay here with the other trouble-makers until the concert is over!" He growled dangerously at her, closing the door with a slam. She realized she was trapped with a bunch of unknown trolls. Branch would be worried sick! She mentally kicked herself. Why couldn't she stay quiet by his side? Once again she had blown everything! Tears burned her eyes and she didn't try to stop them as they ran down her face, smudging her black eyeliner in the process.
"A troublemaker who can't take the consequences." Someone laughed from behind her. She ignored him and another voice followed.
"She's not a rock troll, look how pink she is."
"Looks like a strawberry ice-cream. I wonder what she tastes like."
Warning signs went off inside her head. She looked around, realizing she was surrounded. Thank goodness for hair-jitsu. Controlling her breathing and staying on the ground until someone dared to make a move first, she had to keep calm and see her moment...
... and the moment of action was exactly what Branch heard as he ran through the backstage frantically looking for his beloved. Carol had warned him not to leave her alone! King Peppy was counting on him to keep the Queen safe! He couldn't live with himself if anything happened to her. He stopped in front of the black door just when he heard a crash and a muffed scream. His stomach knotted painfully. He kicked the door open with a strength he didn't know he possessed.
He took a look at the scene before him: three trolls were on the ground, another four looked ready to jump forward to the smaller pink troll who stood in the middle of the room, looking pissed off, with a thick microphone stand in her hands spinning it around like a qualified sword crafter. Branch would have been proud of her self-defense skills if he hadn't spotted her leaping on one foot and a thin line of blood dripping from her perfectly pink lips. For a brief moment, their eyes met and he saw how scared she was. After that, he saw nothing else.
Poppy didn't have the time to scream. Branch jumped high, cracking his knuckles and coming down smacking his fist on the nearest rock troll's nose. His tattoos appeared again and his eyes were shining red. She dropped the microphone stand and tried to run towards him, only to realize her left foot was very swollen and she could barely run to save herself if she needed to.
Branch's hair went up, curling dangerously around a metallic structure above their heads.
"Everybody stop!" They turned around to see Zep looking at his fans, security guards and everybody else. "She's my son's girl. Leave her alone!"
"What?" Poppy heard Branch saying, just before he pulled the structure with all his strength. She just had the time to look up and see the whole stage coming down on her, the buzzing sound met her ears and dust raised making it impossible to breathe. Then, there was nothing.
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Poppy opened her eyes slowly, feeling numb. She tried to turn her head, but it was oddly heavy, as if her neck didn't want to obey her command. The light hurt her eyes and only then she realized her foot hurt as a shooting pain went from her toes to the top of her head, making her grit her teeth to stop herself from screaming.
"Are you in pain?" Branch's soft voice brought her attention to her left side. Their eyes met and she never felt so relieved to see the man she loved wearing his leaf vest.
"What happened?" She managed to ask, realizing her voice was hoarse and she had a sore throat. He looked down and she saw all the band-aids and bruises that covered him. "Are you hurt?"
"Hair, Poppy..." He whispered, leaning down and resting his cheek against hers in the best hug he could manage while she was laying down. "Do you ever stop worrying about others?"
"I'm worrying about you;" She pointed out, not really getting why he was acting like that. She heard him exhaling exasperatedly.
"I'm fine. You're the one who nearly kicked the bucket." He was so happy she was okay that all the storming comments and questionings he had previously rehearsed were pushed aside. She came to realize she was in a hospital room surrounded by flowers and cards wishing she'd get well soon.
"Where are we?" She asked quietly,
"An ambulance brought you straight to Symphony Ville's hospital." Branch said, searching for her hand under the covers. "It appears Classical Trolls are exceptional doctors."
"Oh..." Poppy felt like rolling her eyes. "Of course they are."
"Poppy..." Branch said quietly. "... I need to seriously talk to you."
"I'm so sorry, Branch." She interrupted him, knowing that she was about to get scolded just like a little child. "Once again you were right. Life isn't always cupcakes and rainbows. I keep getting us in a mess with my... overly positive way."
"Your positivity is a blessing!" He told her.
"And a curse." She added. "It's no wonder I've always infuriated you."
He hated to see her like that, her colors faint, her self-confidence drained and the crushing guilt that was hamming cruel words in her own mind. He bit his lower lip, restraining himself from what he really wanted to say. It wasn't the time to get things more complicated. He tucked a hair strand away from her eyes, offering her a reassuring smile.
"It came for you this morning." Branch said, handing her a card, which she quietly opened. Delta Dawn had just agreed to show up for a song in their concert. Was there even going to be a concert anymore?
"How long have I been out?" She asked, sitting up, trying not to wrinkle her face in pain.
"Just a day." Branch answered. "The doctors have a surprisingly fast healing method."
She wondered if he had any idea about how the stage came down, if he had any suspicion that somehow he was getting back to his rock zombie state. If he could recall anything at all.
"Poppy!" Barb opened the door, not even knocking. Seeing both pop trolls alive and breathing she let out a sigh. "I heard the stage came down on your head!"
"Funny, it's exactly how it feels like." Poppy smiled at her. Branch observed both girls and stood up, excusing himself to give them some privacy. They watched him go and Poppy blew him a kiss, which went unnoticed - or ignored - as he closed the door behind him. She felt a twisting pain in her chest. Had she messed up that badly?
"What's got into him?" Barb asked.
"We have to talk." Poppy said, looking at her friend very seriously. "Something is happening to Branch."
"What does it have to do with me?" Barb asked, sitting down on a chair next to Poppy's bed.
"You're the only Rock Troll that I trust with an honest answer, so here it goes..." She shifted in the bed, trying to turn around. "I only got interested in the Black Rock Band because Branch looks so much like Zep." Barb's eyes widened. "I'm still not sure if Branch is truly his son, having the stage falling down before I got my answer, but he acted like it was possible."
"Well, duh," Barb put her feet up the bed, "Half of my friends are his sons. The man is such a womanizer."
"...O-okay..." Poppy tried to pretend it was 'normal' what Barb had just said so casually. "...so... let's say Branch is a hybrid or maybe even a full-fledged rock troll... when you hit him with the power chord... you might have triggered his rock blood..."
"You mean he's like... I turned a rock troll into a rock zombie... so he's like... twice more intense than a rock troll, or something? Like I doubled his instincts?"
"Pretty much." Poppy felt like crying. She wished she had the strings back and somehow undo what had been done. If only she hadn't destroyed them from the beginning. "What do I do, Barb?"
"I think we can't do much about it." Barb looked up, stretching and putting her hands behind her neck. "Branch must learn how to control himself, like we all do." Poppy wasn't following. "Look, when I get angry I just go and break a few things. I even have a chainsaw to burn it up faster."
"Oh, I didn't know that."
"You pop trolls seem to have more... balanced state of mind. So happy all the time, I can't picture any of you angry."
"You should meet Smidge," Poppy chuckled, remembering her friend and suddenly she wondered how she was doing. "I need to introduce you someday soon."
"Just bring her to our concert. Everything is arranged, I produced the whole thing while you were out."
"We're going to rock out loud." Poppy grinned, feeling very happy to have Barb on her side.
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The smell of coffee was delicious. The warm and sweet taste mixed with milk and cream was the small piece of heaven he deserved after everything they went through. Branch sat at a table, facing the door, watching everyone who entered the coffee shop in front of the hospital Poppy was in. Thinking about her, he felt very frustrated by not being able to give her a piece of his mind. He still wanted to ask her how she had figured out about his father in the first place...
Just in time, the door opened and a tall troll wearing sunglasses and a hat walked inside, looking around. Branch raised his hand, signaling him to sit down. He hadn't been hurt during the stage fall, but a bruised cheek clearly showed he had been through some difficult times.
"So... Zep, right?" Branch sipped his coffee, watching in amazement as the Black Rock Band vocalist undressed from his disguise. Indeed, looking at Zep was like seeing himself in the future.
"Hey..." Zep grinned back. "It's like seeing myself from years ago. Mind-blown!" Branch wondered if his dad had only his body aging, because it looked like he was going to face a chat with a toddler... or maybe with Cloud Guy.
"Let's cut to the chase here," Branch did his best to remain calm. "You're obviously my dad and the question here is: how come I ended up being raised by my grandma?"
"Okay, no small talk." Zep looked a little hurt. "Right, I knew about you, but I thought you died with your mom when you were little." Branch narrowed his eyes. "You see, we were just out on a new tour and Viper - that's our bass player at the time - he thought it was a good idea to check out the Pop Trolls at the Troll Tree. Anyway, we played for a small crowd and I saw your mom there. I was already dating Glenda at the time and she wasn't happy."
Branch didn't interrupt him, but he really wanted to point out how wrong it was to get involved with someone without breaking up with the first one.
"But your mom was pretty much irresistible, being cheerful and colorful, much like that pink girl of yours. Except she was green and purple." Branch wished he could have met his mother, indeed, she must have been an exceptional troll. "Anyway, you know how babies are made. One day I got this letter saying she had died and I just assumed you must have died as well, being eaten by a bergen or something." He ran his fingers through his unruly hair. "The funny part is... she's the only girl I've ever considered quitting the band for. And there were a lot of girls mind you..."
"Yeah..." Branch gave him a glare that made it clear his father needed to be lectured. "I'm assuming half of Volcano City are my sisters and brothers..."
"Not half of the city, man!" He answered, matter-of-factly. "Maybe sixteen or... twenty of them."
That certainly had been an enlightening conversation. His dad wasn't exactly the loving and caring parent he had liked to fantasize about, but at least he seemed to be trying to listen, besides, he was still alive, he still had a dad... who just happened to be a RockStar so... He had Poppy to thank for everything. He was pretty sure she had masterminded the whole trip for him. She had a history of going overboard just to make a point.
"I really liked your mother."
Zep paid the bill and they went their own ways after an awkward hug. So that was where his aversion of contact came from. Branch felt relieved that he wasn't crazy, like people in the village liked to point out in the past he was just half rock. Turning a corner in Symphony Ville's main road, walking towards the hospital to find Poppy, Branch walked by his dad's drummer... or wife?
"Hey, Glenda..." He said with a small smile, not really knowing if he should talk to her. She glared down at him with fire in her eyes.
"Tell me, ...Branch, right?... did your dad tell you the old story about how unforgettable your mom was?" She asked sweetly at him. Branch frowned at her, feeling anger pooling inside his stomach. "He tells that story to all of his children." She saw Branch closing his fists on his sides. "Now, there's no need to get angry. I know a lot more about your mother than he does."
That made him lower his barriers. She smiled, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. She leaned against a brick wall before continuing.
"Zep doesn't know how she died, I was the one to deliver the news. She died of a broken heart." Branch's eyes widened at her. "You see, she was so happy all the time, so positive and Hair, she was naive. She thought he would abandon an ascending career for her! He took advantage of all that, like we - rock trolls - usually do." She took a dangerous step forward, towering him by several inches. "being half rock you must have already felt that urge... that roughness that builds up out of nowhere and is pretty much non-stoppable." Seeing that she was making a point, she continued, "We're not made for long relationships; we just want to extinguish that fire and once it's out, we're off to start another one somewhere else. Your mom would never have that crazy fruit-loop colored romance she dreamed about... she didn't get she wasn't living a fairy tale and once she realized it well..." She raised her shoulders, not needing to finish.
Branch looked down, the will power to fight Glenda was just gone. His fists relaxed and his arms fell limply on his sides. What was she saying? That was utterly confusing and his head started to spin. He needed some time alone to figure it all out. He was feeling angry at her. He had to be alone. Now.