Today is the day. Today is the day we read our essays in English class.

Given my recent encounters with Blossom, I've been having some doubts about this plan. Blossom doesn't have the same self-righteous attitude she did when we were kids. Ok I don't know that a hundred percent, but I just kind of feel it. This is going to be the moment of truth. I gathered some information and I know now that this is the only AP class she's taking. She must have a talent for writing. I hope she does. Maybe I hope not. I don't know.

A few students have already gone. They've got some good essays, but nothing compared to mine.

The assignment isn't really anything special. One of those boring 'what I did over the summer' kind of deals. The students were all aware of this over the summer. Not me though. That's why I had to make a bunch of stuff up.

Blossom's turn. Just as I thought, her essay is about that BU thing she runs. Strangely enough, Butch actually went there and attended one of her therapy sessions. God, crime must have really gone downhill if this is Townsville's new way of dealing with it.

Blossom's finished and someone else is up, but I'm too busy thinking to really notice. I haven't come up with any ideas for the plan. How am I supposed to crush Blossom? The sad part is I refuse to admit it. I could ask Mojo, Him, or my brothers for help, but I can't bring myself to go down that road. I'm sure they think I've been grueling over all kinds of possibilities and scenarios these past few weeks, but my mind has been blank. I don't have any motivation.

Honestly I don't care much about Him and Mojo taking over the world. There's problem number one right there. And problem number two, is how I feel about Blossom. If this was happening seven years ago, there'd be no problem. Blossom was always pissing me off and I would have jumped at the chance to make her suffer in any way possible.

It's my turn now. I get up and walk to the front of the class.

I've never enjoyed having to make up stuff. Guess I just don't have the creativity. My essay is based off something that did happen, but it was a long time ago. Him decided to take us on a family vacation to celebrate our graduation of middle school. Naturally he took us down to the underworld. We got to meet the Grim Reaper. Rather odd thing though, he had two kids bossing him around. I swear the world just gets stranger and stranger as you get older.

Anyway we ended up hanging out with those two kids for a few days. I decided to center my essay on the one kid who…let's just say he makes the Townsville Mayor look like Tesla. Naturally I had to change a few details. I knew if I wanted to upstage Blossom I'd have to go for a sob story. So the kid became the littlest cancer patient and I became his best friend who made his last few months of life worth every second. You can't beat terminally ill children.

The rest of the class is giving me an enthusiastic round of applause. Now I need to look over at Blossom. What exactly do I want to see? Do I want her to be jealous? Would that fill the hole in my life? I'm supposed to be a weapon, aren't I? Specifically made to kill her. She's smiling and clapping, just like the rest of the class.

I don't know what I'm feeling anymore.

I was at home lying on the couch. Thinking about what I had lost. After class, Blossom had approached me. Her words still running around in my head.

"Brick…the essay you wrote was incredible. I want you to know that I'm just so happy you've turned over a new leaf like this. You're going to do great things for the world. Even greater than what I'll do. Let's talk later, ok?"

Boomer walked up and looked down at me. "What's with you? You look like you got shot."

"It's gone." I said while sitting up.

"What is?" Boomer asks me.

"Do you remember, how Him and Mojo always said that we were different from the other villains because we had a rivalry with the Puffs?"

"Of course."

I got up from the couch and started walking around. "I don't have a rivalry with Blossom anymore. She has no desire to be better than me. And it's not that I'm upset because this makes the plan harder, it's just…it upsets me on a personal level."

"Why's that?" Boomer asked me while he grabbed an old sandwich out of the fridge.

"It's making me think about life, as a whole. I mean it was always such a defining part of our lives. It's the whole reason we were born. Now it's like Blossom is gone. What do we do when the Puffs are taken out of our lives? What do we do after that?"

"Hey wait, she's not gone, Brick." Boomer said, putting his sandwich down. "She's still here, even if she's changed. Why don't you go talk to her? Maybe you'll find something. It might not answer all your life questions, but there might be something to help."

"Yeah…later on I could probably-"

"No, no, not later! Go do it now. She's at the BU building near the north bridge. If you don't go now, you won't ever go."

I looked out the window. It was a nice day out, warm with only a few clouds. Boomer had a point. The longer you wait, the less likely you are to act. "You're a lot more assertive then you've been this past week." I said.

"Well you're not the only one thinking about life and the world and stuff." Boomer said, leaning against the wall. "You can't just sit back all the time and expect things to magically work out."

I opened the window. "Thanks, a little push is what I needed." I said as I flew out.

I decided to take a little walk before heading to the BU building. I hadn't had a chance yet to look around Townsville. I landed at the park with Mojo's old volcano. I strolled down the paved pathway, looking at all the people. They were all so happy. Some kids were flying kites, a family was playing with a toy speedboat over by the pond, some climbers were even scaling up the back of the volcano.

I thought about what Butch had reported last week. How that rich girl claimed that our absence was what drove crime out of Townsville. I wondered if that was really true. What if we had stayed here? Would the Puffs have changed so much? Would there still be super villains running around causing mayhem? Or would it be like this, nearly crime free? Would I be a different person if I had stayed here? Would Blossom have still embraced non-violent solutions…would she have reached out to me?

My thoughts were interrupted by an annoying voice. "Pardon me, sir, with the badly cut red hair. If you're not too busy being all emo, would you like to donate some pocket change to a better world?"

I looked over where the voice had come from. Not changing my expression, I walked over and put my hands down on the table. Some papers and pens fell onto the ground. "This is what you've been doing the past week? Charity fraud?"

Butch just leaned back in his chair. "Who says I'm doin' fraud? You always assume the worst things from me."

I crossed my arms and began tapping my foot.

"Really, I mean it." He said, putting his hands up. "What would I do with money? Buy things? Makes no sense when I can steal whatever I want. The reason I'm out here…" He pointed down to his table.

The papers all had the now familiar letters BU on them. "You're helping her organization?" I asked.

Butch sat up and put his arms on the table. "You know I said to myself I wasn't gonna do this, but the next thing you know, I'm out in the park gettin' donations. Besides, isn't this what you wanted? Blossom actually thinks I've become a good person. That girl is far too trusting, if you ask me."

I let out a disgusted sigh and turned around.

"You always get so testy when Blossom's brought up." Butch said. "What's wrong, do you want her all to yourself?" He asked me suggestively.

"There's nothing between us anymore." I said, ignoring his stupid attempt to taunt me. "There's no more rivalry. It's like she was replaced with another person."

"That's not true at all."

I turned around and looked at him. "Why, what have you seen?" I asked.

Butch put his hands behind his head. "Well I've had a couple of fun time therapy sessions with her, I spend most of the time testing her waters. And I guarantee you, that ego of hers is still there."

"You really think so?"

"I know so. I see it, little flashes on her face. She tries so hard to be patient, but that aggravation is in there."

Interesting. I hadn't spent much of any time in her company so far. Perhaps my initial views on her BU club weren't completely off. Blossom had always been one of those people who crave control. Even if she had traded in her method, in the end there wasn't much of a core difference. If we started messing around with her operations, she could very well lose her cool, like she used to.

"If that's the case," I said, "then setting her up for a major fall concerning us will do the trick."

"Exactly. Oh, and I need you to do something for me." Butch said, reaching into a bag.

He handed me an envelope. "Give this to Buttercup for me."

"Mind if I ask why?" I said, looking it over.

"I already tried to give it to her. She just tore it up. Didn't even look up from her stupid book."

"Well what's in here, a letter?"

"Yeah just a letter. A private letter, mind you. Some of us still have a rivalry goin'."

"I thought the two of you were on totally different levels now."

"True, but it's not like our childhood didn't happen. There's still a spark there. And even if this plan wasn't happenin', I want to settle things."

"I'll give it to her." I said, putting the envelope in my pocket.

"Oh and uh, don't tell her it's from me."

"Sure. I'm going to go see Blossom now." I said, and took off.

"The rivalry's not gone, Brick. It's still there, you just gotta bring it out." He yelled after me.

It's a nice building, very clean, very professional looking…vegetables growing near the walls. Yeah, I know what she's doing with those. I'm waiting for her to finish up one of her therapy sessions. No wonder she isn't taking a bunch of advanced placement classes. I'm kind of surprised she's even going to high school. Like she needs any other credentials besides being a Powerpuff Girl. I guess it would be bad PR if she didn't have a college degree.

Looks like her session is starting to end. I'm still wondering about her intentions. Is this whole thing mostly just an ego trip for her? Does she sincerely want to help the world? Is there a dark side hidden beneath her cute face? I'm never going to know unless I talk to her.

"Brick, hello!" She says happily. "I'm glad you're here."

"I thought I'd see how this-"

"Wait, hold on for a moment." She takes my arm and leads me into the room. Her patients, or whatever, have all left so it's just the two of us.

"I want you to know something." She tells me. "All of this, that I've been spending years putting together, I did all this…because of you."

God Dammit. Why is it, every time I talk to this girl, she pulls out something completely unexpected that I have no idea how to react to?

"Listen Brick…I felt bad…when you left." She looks off to the side while she talks. I can tell this isn't easy for her. "I used to wonder about you, and if things had to be the way they were. And I wondered…if I could change it."

She takes my hand. "When we were younger, I thought there was more to you than just a violent boy. But I didn't try hard enough. And when you disappeared, I thought I'd never get a chance. I started trying to help other criminals, and I hoped that if I ever saw you again, I'd be able to help you too. Seeing you now…I'm happier than I've ever been! I know now there's hope, for everyone." She puts her other hand onto mind, and looks me in the eyes. "You give me hope, Brick. Hope for the world..."

My heart is beating really fast. No one has ever talked to me like this. Said these kinds of things. Made me feel this way. I just look back at her.

There's no darkness in her eyes. Just calm, soothing pink.