Paper Heart

It was during recess, after Boomer slapped a band-aid on her finger and told her to stop crying, that Bubbles decides she's in love him. And of course she is because she's five, and five year-olds think infatuation is a lot like love so they don't bother to distinguish one from the other. She even goes back inside the school—abandoning the warm spring day and several rounds of hopscotch—to clue him in on her affection. She can't tell him directly, of course, because this is her first love and she's much too shy to do something so bold. Taking out a fresh piece of drawing paper and her best box of crayons, Bubbles gets right to work.

She draws and colors all through recess and most of arts and crafts to finish. Her sisters look at her curiously, but after asking a question or two they shrug and go back to their own devices. After all, when Bubbles gets into one of her artsy moods, it's best to leave her alone. Holding up her drawing, Bubbles looks the paper with critical, squinting eyes and a tongue sticking out at the corner of her mouth, before smiling brightly.

It's her best work yet.

At the end of the day when Boomer is packing up his books, Bubbles approaches him and proudly holds up her picture. She's certain that the bright red and yellow and blue convey her feelings clearly. This makes Bubbles feel bold like Buttercup and sure like Blossom and she forgets that she's shy and that shy girls aren't so brave with their first love.

"This is my heart," Bubbles explains, pointing to the red on the paper. "I'm giving it to you."

Boomer blinks and scrunches up his face in confusion. "Why?"

"Because I want you to have it."

"Why do you want me to have it?"

"Because."

"Because what?" he asks.

Bubbles smiles widely at him. "Just because." she chirps, holding it out for him again.

"Oh." With a shrug, he takes it because there's nothing else to do.

"Hey Boomer! Hurry it up, will ya?" Brick hollers from the door at the same time that Blossom calls out, "Bubbles, let's go! The professor's waiting!" The two redheads glare at each other before looking away in contempt.

Butch and Buttercup are already at each other's throats. Buttercup is sick of arguing so she's preparing to punch Butch in the face to make him see that she's always right and he's always wrong because that's just the way things were.

"Coming!" Bubbles and Boomer answer back. Bubbles turns to say goodbye to Boomer and sees him stuffing her heart into his backpack. She watches it crumble and crease under his hands. He zips it up and zooms toward his brothers.

Boomer doesn't say anything to Bubbles the next day or the next or the day after that and the day after that as well.

On the fifth day, Bubbles' heart cracks.

During recess, a stray ball hits her on the head. It stings a lot so she cries. Boomer appears in front of her and stares at her guiltily. Bubbles thinks she should hate him and on some level, she does. He was her first love and her first big letdown. She doesn't though, because hating is wrong and hating a loved one is even worse. Her head is still throbbing and she knows there's a really big lump on her forehead. Boomer picks up the ball and mumbles an apology before sticking a band-aid on her bump.

And suddenly it doesn't hurt so much anymore.

xxx

"Why don't you go to the nurse?" he asks, wrapping the last of his band-aids around her finger.

"Because your band-aids are special! It helps me get better faster." she giggles. "Thanks again Boomer!"

xxx

One day Bubbles realizes that Boomer only pays attention to her when she complains about an injury. If she doesn't, he ignores her. She approaches him with a frown during recess. He's chewing gum when he sees her, and pulls out his worn box of band-aids. It's a reflex by now.

"Where is it?" he asks impatiently. "You're not limping or anything."

"My legs are fine." she answers quietly.

Raising an eyebrow, Boomer looks at her critically. "You don't sound fine, Clumsy."

Bubbles hears what he's really saying. Clumsy. Clumsy. Clumsy. Why don't you watch where you're going so I don't have to look after you?

"You're the clumsy one!" she accuses, finger-pointing and all. "My heart is hurting a lot right now. I gave it to you to take care of and you're doing a really bad job!"

Bubbles stomps away. She forgets that she loves him momentarily and hates him immensely, deciding to never speak to him again.

Of course, Bubbles forgets this the next day because she's five, and five year-olds can't really hold grudges for too long—and frankly, forever and never really aren't doable at all. She's surprised, then, when Boomer walks up to her, almost embarrassingly, and asks, "Are you feeling better now?"

It takes her a few seconds to understand what he means but when she does, her temper rises again. "Of course not!"

He scrunches his face—in annoyance? she wonders—at her before going back to his seat.

Her day is completely ruined.

This continues for a week until Boomer stalks up to her one day and slams a folder on her desk.

"Better now?" he asks angrily.

Bubbles scowls and looks away. "No!"

"You said my band-aids make you better faster!"

"What does that have to do with anything?!"

Boomer flips the folder open and carefully pulls out her drawing before sliding it to her. It's worn and the colors are sort of faded from what looks like being smoothed over and over again to get the folds and wrinkles out. At the center where the heart used to be is a mountain of band-aids overlapping one another covering every inch of red.

"I stuck my entire supply on it all week and you still ain't feeling better!" he accuses with narrowed eyes. "Were you lying about the band-aid thing?"

Bubbles doesn't know what to say so she keeps quiet. Looking at the picture, she remembers lovingly drawing it for him and lovingly giving it to him. It's ruined now, with its wrinkles and band-aids and faded colors. But it's okay, she thinks to herself, because this shows that he cares.

So she smiles at him for the first time in a week and thanks him for making her feel better again. Huffing, Boomer grumbles something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like "Clumsy," but Bubbles pretends not to catch it because she's too happy that he slips her drawing back into his folder – carefully! – before stomping away.

Disclaimer: The Powerpuff Girls belongs to Craig McCracken in association with Cartoon Network.