Chapter 4: Rescue Part II

"Alright you dead beat losers." The teacher announces. "Don't talk. Do homework. If I catch you smoking anything even remotely illegal you will suddenly disappear from the face of the Earth and no your parents won't give a crap about it."

Butch laughs like the teacher just told a joke. The teacher glares, but otherwise leaves the room. Bubbles feels like she's prey compared to the more scary looking teenagers in the room. She opens one of her class books and starts to do homework.

The dark haired Rowdyruff Boy flicks her books off with one sweep of his hand. He gives her a smug smile as he folds his fingers together and locks them behind his head.

"Butch! That's my homework!"

The scolding does nothing, except for amuse him. He even has the guts to imitate her. "Butch! That is MY homework!"

"I didn't say it like that!"

"Right. More high pitched. BUTCH!"

"Butch!" Bubbles shrieks again before surprising herself and dissolving into giggles. It was completely ridiculous how his deep voice tried to match her own high pitch. She couldn't help but find it funny how his voice reaches a strange manly girl sound.

"Butch!" He says again.

"Ah ha ha ha! Butch!" She replies between her peals of laughter.

"BUTCH!"

"Sto… ha ha ha… Stop!"

"Butch…"

Bubbles doubles over and holds her sides when she hears his 'flirty woman whisper'. "It hurts!"

He joins in the laughter and so do many of their classmates (or should she describe them as inmates?). The only one who isn't amused is Boomer, who is still frowning.

Eventually her giggles die down and she bends over the armrest of the desk to grab her school books. When she meets the two boys' eyes again she knows the expression on their handsome faces. She plays with the idea of making a flirty comment, but decides against it. Why not let them get away with looking for once? Not to mention how awkward it would be since Boomer is here…

Bubbles knows suddenly that Butch was guiding her in some way. She didn't know why because she never asked, but she knows he's controlling the way she reacts. The only question was: is that good or bad?

Butch leans over to flick the books again, but she grabs them and holds them up. "No, no. Be a good boy Butch."

"Woof."

Bubbles giggles and plays along. "Good dog."

She reaches over to pat him on the head. Butch licks the side of her face. She's tempted to call his name again, but she noticed that he likes it when she does that.

"Oh my god! My face smells like your mouth!" The comment flies out threw her lips before she can stop it. He gives her a smug smile.

"I can make other things on your body smell like my mouth."

Her face flares into a bright red shade that can't be hidden because of her light skin and hair. Before she can make another remark Butch adds.

"You're a pervert."

He gives her a knowing look and Bubbles sinks down in her desk. "Am not…"

"What's hard to do on a desk?" He asks with a smirk. Bubbles covers her face with her hands so he can't see that her face has gotten even redder. "Why Bubbles Utonium! You are a complete and total pervert! Who knew?"

Bubbles uncovered her eyes to plead her case (because really, if he said that to anyone they would take it the wrong way!), but she stops when she sees his look of awe. "What?"

"Nothing." He starts to kick the desk in front of him rather violently.

"Do you ever sit still?" She finds herself asking. She chances a look at Boomer, who rolls his eyes.

"No." Butch answers.

"You don't talk much, huh? Besides making fun of the way someone says your name."

"I wasn't making fun." He winks. "I like the way you say my name."

"Butch!"

She can't believe this boy! One minute he makes fun of her, the next he saves her, and then he flirts with her. In not even one day he's turned everything for her upside down without trying. She should be crying that she saw Boomer with another girl. She should be focusing on Boomer right now, since this is probably the only time she'll get to talk with him about their relationship and starting over. And what she is actually doing is paying attention to her ex-boyfriend's brother… Worse yet, constantly it slips from her mind that Boomer exists, even with him sitting on the other side of Butch.

What was wrong with her? Bubbles feels like she asks herself this question way too much lately; if she keeps doing stuff like this, was there something wrong with her?

"Butch…" His flirty girl whisper made her smile. He adds, "Say my name like that."

"What? Are you crazy?" Bubbles shakes her head. "I'm not going to do that."

"Why not?"

"Because the way you want me to say your name sounds too intimate!"

"Come on, you know you want to try it…" He goads.

"Ugh! I do not."

"Butch…" He says in the way he wants her to repeat.

"I am not saying it."

"Butch…"

"Nope, not going to work."

"Butch…" He leans over to touch her hair.

"BUTCH!"

"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT TALKING IN THIS DETENTION ROOM!? WHO? WHO WAS TALKING?" The teacher roars as he slams the door open.

Butch pays no mind to the angry adult. He fiddles with the piece of gold in his hands. His fingers move closer to tickle the back of her ear, which makes Bubbles shiver. She whispers, "Butch…"

She blushes and glances at him from the corner of her eye. His smug appearance suggests he heard her. He doesn't even attempt to whisper when he says, "Now was that so hard?"

"BUTCH JOJO! HOW DARE YOU TALK IN DETENTION!?"

"BUTCH!" He fakes a girly tone again as he pulls away from her. "Butch Butch Butch Butch Butch Butch!"

The entire class starts to laugh. His green eyes lights up as he gives the teacher two thumbs up. Everyone, except for Bubbles laughs harder when they see the teacher start to stutter and foam from Butch's enjoyment of stomping all over authority.

The teacher decides the best way to control the students would be to dismiss everyone except Butch. He doesn't seem to worry about this, but Bubbles catches his eye before she exits the classroom.

He sees her skittish glance and exclaims, "Don't worry about it bubble butt."

Bubbles screeches at the closed door. How dare he? She vows to never feel bad for him again.

She turns to leave, but runs smack dab into Boomer. They're so close it feels sort of awkward to her; even though whenever they were alone she never had a problem with being stuck to him like glue.

Bubbles looks into his blue gaze. She feels his hand at her lower back. She stares down at the ground.

"I missed you." Boomer admits.

She can't help but beam at him. "I missed you too. I can't believe you go to school here! Why didn't you ever tell me?"

He gives her a sad smile. "There's a student here…"

Someone launches onto his arm. He moves forward and Bubbles moves backwards. He stops himself from falling, but Bubbles doesn't have that good coordination so she finds herself sitting on her butt blinking up at her ex and the girl from earlier.

The girl hugs his arm tighter. "I just hate that you got stuck in detention Boomie bear! Every minute away from you is just absolutely horrid!"

Bubbles can feel the expression on her face go from blank to a mixture of confusion and upset. Please don't cry. Please, please, please don't cry.

"Um… hi?"

The girl stares down at the blonde girl like she's gum stuck on her shoe. "Oh, it's you. Listen, I know you're Boomer's counterpart and all, but can you not hang around my boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend?" Bubbles echoes dully.

"Yeah! We've been together for what? Almost a year now?" She looks at Boomer adoringly and he gives her a tight smile.

"Stick with Butch, Bubbles." Boomer says as he's getting dragged down the hallway. "He has all the answers to the questions you want to ask."

What questions were there to ask? Bubbles wondered. She just saw her ex boyfriend being led away by his girlfriend and they've been together about the same amount of time as Boomer and her. There were no more questions to ask, just an unending amount of heartbreaking realizations.

Boomer never loved her.

XXX

He glances back once to send her a silent signal. He wants to say don't hate me, I want you to understand. However, she doesn't notice. The broken way her eyes aren't seeing anything sends him into a panic, but there's nothing he can do. He can't even pick up the pieces like he wants to.

He has a lot to answer for, but he knows that he's going to do a lot worse before everything starts to hit the bottom and the truth comes out. Boomer turns away and doesn't look back.

XXX

Bubbles lifts a shaky hand to her face. She was happy today. She had been the happiest since Boomer and she had been together. Her cheeks, underneath her eyes…there are no tears. There is none of the usual waterworks. Bubbles knows… she knows that something is very wrong with her. Why isn't she crying? Why isn't she feeling anything at all?

Is she sad? Is she mad? Does she feel betrayed? No, nothing. None of these things. Bubbles feels a pair of strong arms around her waist. She feels herself being lifted up until she's standing. The hands are still wrapped around her waist, and she knows they belong to Butch. The muscles and the tan give it away.

A sob escapes her pouty lips. Then the tears overtake her. She doesn't turn around to face him, but she holds her hands over his and she lets him rest his chin against her shoulder as she cries and cries and cries.

"Bubbles. I think it's time you ask why I helped you out in the hallway."

NOTES:
Cliffhanger! Oh my, it's been awhile since I did one of those. I had been worried this chapter would be short, but then it ended up getting too long!

Don't worry, Boomer and Bubbles will eventually be on good terms again, though it may not be soon.