Rumors have been floating around that the Jaded Warrior would be dethroned in this up and coming year. You know, I was just on my way to visit Prince. He has been asking to see you for more than two months. Why would you ignore him? You know he cares deeply for you as you once did for him.' Buttercup mentally repeats Princess' words from their conversation while she follows Butch.
"If you don't mind me asking," Butch breaks her out of her thoughts, "who is this Prince?"
He watches her fold her arms underneath her chest, exhales a deep sigh and speaks, "A figment of my imagination that has come back from my past to bite me in the butt."
"It was that bad? Well then I won't ask again if you don't want me to know, that is?" Butch stops himself because of her morbid reaction to his question.
The sound of a whistle captures their awareness when they cast their gaze in the direction of the source. They notice a soccer field filled with people in the center of the field. They were about to play a game of soccer but there seem to a problem.
"Look we're down two people and unless two people quit on your team then we can play." One of the men runs down the situation. He wears a yellow jersey with the white number three on the front and back.
"We already picked our team! Now unless two people come out of nowhere and volunteer to join your team then you have to forfeit. That's $150 dollars you got to cough up!" A man, who wears a white jersey, harshly retorts to the other man with the yellow jersey on.
Buttercup observes Butch swivels his head in her direction as if to to encourage her to help the yellow jersey man out. Plus, it will be fun in the process.
"Alright…alright then, sheesh, I give! Let's help him out." He scoops her hand within his hand and guides them down to the field.
He already knew that she would never deny a challenge even if she did not know the situation. She was the type of person that never backed down from anyone.
They rapidly travel across the field when some heads whirl toward them but the main two continues to argue. They did not realize that they had approached them.
Butch clears his throat and waits until the two end their conversation with each other and peers at both of them. "My friend and I couldn't help but to over hear your problem. We're both quite the soccer players and we would like to play."
"You got to be kidding me! Now I can accept a teenage boy but his girlfriend in a man's sports?" The man with the yellow jersey voices as he glares at the both of them.
Buttercup's right fist clenches, tightens, and shakes because she wants to pummel the idiot for what he just said. Butch extends one of his arms out to prevent her reaction.
"Listen, all we want to do is help you out. I mean I wouldn't want to lose that kind of money when I know I can beat someone?"
"Rico," A man with another yellow jersey that have the number five on the front and the back of his jersey voices, "We don't have any another choice. Besides, you can't afford to lose this game. Your rent is riding on this."
"All we want to do is just play…that's all. So do you accept?" Butch pops the question, which dangles on the captain's ears.
He ignores the question, jogs over to the bench, and chucks two random yellow jerseys at the teens.
"What are you looking at?!" The man, name Rico, snaps at his teammate who only flashes him a thumbs up for being such a good sport.
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Luckily for Blossom, she made it to the arts and craft store before it was too crowd with people. They had either chose to hang out or prove that they can actually buy something on their own.
Personally she could careless about that except for the line that she was in, which was the ten items or less. However, some people did not quite comprehend what the sign displays and causally adds in one or two more items.
The even bolder people would pretend that they did not read the blantly obvious sign and plead to be rung up and often times...it worked.
She was at the perfect spot in line since she was third behind people with less than nine items. Not to mention, the cashier rings up the items at a pretty decent pace. A glossy magazine cover captures her focus, plucks it from the stand, flips it open and reviews its content.
Not too far in to the magazine, a horde of girls launch in a mad dash toward the entrance of the store. This prompts a question to surface to her thoughts, 'I wonder who that could be?'
"They say his nickname is Prince! He's from a neighboring school and is their top fighter! At least that was what I heard about him." Her sensitive ears hone in on some of the gossip exchange between two girls right before she hears an all too familiar voice.
"Ladies…you all are so beautiful! It would be an awfully long time for me to get all of your numbers. I am so sorry but I have to meet up with my sister for something important."
'No freaking way! I mean it is around that time but what is he doing here?' She thinks to herself as she tucks the magazine in the slot.
For some odd reason, Blossom sensed the crowd had drawn near her until he spoke her name.
"Ah, Blossom you're looking lovely today as always." He greets her while he extends his hand out, clasps it within his hand, adjusts her hand, presses his lips against the back of it and returns her hand to her.
"It seems as if you haven't change that much from the last time we saw you." She utters after the conveyer belt brings her items closer to the cashier.
"A year has been a mighty long time if I say so myself, even you would agree with me on that. I thought that if one sister was here then the one I am looking for wouldn't be too far away." The boy, was known by the nickname Prince, alleges while he leans against the candy stand.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you Prince but Buttercup is out somewhere else with her friend, Butch." Blossom lies but did not know whether or not it was truth or false.
"Butch, huh? Is this Butch person a boy or a girl?" He quizzes when an voice in the back of his head entices him to kill this Butch person.
"A boy. It seems as if she has been spending a lot time around him...oh and did I forget to mention she has a little crush on him." She replies.
The orange head teen personally did not like to attack people but there was something that just irked her about him. The sweet kind Bubbles would even agree to her current actions.
"Well that's good to hear...I wish we could continue this little reunion but I have other pressing matters to attend to. I do hope to see you later on in the week." Prince discloses.
Blossom views the crowd, of enamoured teen aged girls, disperse after he takes his leave from the store.
'...something was off about him. Why now around the time of the Sports Fest does he wants to show up and terrorize our lives? Wait, my phone is vibrating…' Her phone vibrations emerge her from her thoughts.
She checks to see a new text message and reads it: 'Another year has come and passed as each schools' Sports Fest marks the impending week of the fight tournament. Enjoy the festivies! Tops must report to the usual meeting location along with their second and third in command. Monday afternoon.'
Blossom forwards it to her other sisters' as she hope that they both recieve it in time.
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"Pass it!" Buttercup loudly yells to her teammate to kick the ball over to her when two other men head toward them.
"Here score the goal, chica." His Mexican accent was apparent as she watches him pass the ball to her.
She pickes up the ball with her feet and aims it for the upper corner of the goal, which was out of the opponent goalie reach.
"Score!" was the only thing she heard because she was happy that they had scored.
Yet she wanted to win so that she could prove to the man, who did not orignally want her on the team that girls can play soccer with the boys.
"Good shot Butter!" Buttercup listens to Butch congratulate her while he jogs back to his position as midfielder.
She was peeking over to at the timer and noting the time closing in on to zero seconds.
The raven hair teen estimated that they had enough time to go at least three more rounds. But by the way that the other team played defense, it was another story.
The other team displayed precision as they effectively passed the ball through the exposed holes that the midfielders' were suppose to protect. The last hope for their defense gave the impression to have withered away from the ball and the ball was kicked in for a score.
"What are you guys doing?! You can't just stand there and let the man run through y'all like that! We're trying to win! Not tie the game!" Buttercup protests loud enough so that her so-called teammates could hear her.
She did want to lose because she was a completely sore loser and when it boils down to an event that she knows she can win.
The ball was in their possession as Buttercup glances to her left and right in order to recognizes her three runners' face. She peers down at the ball that rests in the center of the white circle as her concentration drowns out any and everything around her.
"Go," alerts that the two teams were ready.
Buttercup rolls the ball forward with a brief kick since she only wants the ball within a reasonable distance in front of her.
She detects a oncoming defender as she executes a brief juke in order to avoid their legs.
"Buttercup, pass it!" Butch hollers to warn her when he realizes that she was about to be enclose in a three-man triangular trap.
She peeks upright, beholds his warning and boots the soccer ball hard that streamlines pass numerous defenders' head, who ducks out of the way.
Her teammate scoops up the ball. Buttercup then casted her sights to the timer instead of the goal to see whether or not they made or missed the basket.
Next thing she knew, she was being dogged pile by the men on her team, which was not pleasant since she was the only girl out there.
"Alright...alright...alright! Can you like get off of me...can't breath!" Buttercup shrieks but it falls on deaf ears, except for one.
Butch observed from a distance as she was piled on by the fellas.
"Fellas, fellas, don't suffocate the poor woman. She needs air too!" He orders and peels them off one by one once they hear his command. The last two were securing a helping hand around Buttercup's hands and lifting her to her feet.
The man, name Rico, nears Buttercup while she dusts herself off and admits, "I owe you an apology for my rude behavior. I usually don't act like that unless something is very important to me."
'Boy do people switch on you whenever they finally win something…but hey what do I know! It seems as if the money could be for his much needed family's rent.' She thinks to herself before she offers him an "okay" and a nod of her head.
"Let's get out of here, while we have the chance!" Butch whispes in her ear. She felt his chest against the side of her arm as his breath tickles her ear.
"Ew, you stink, Butch!" Buttercup lips while she pinches her nose, fans her hand in front of her face as if to get rid of that smell and turns away from him.
A smile surfaces on his face because he could not help but watch Rico collect his money and a piece of paper from the opponent. What was strange is that the guy did not appear to be bothered or upset. It was as if the game was purposely for them to find.
'Something isn't right and it is really bothering me.' Butch thought before he focused back on Buttercup.
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Blossom's throat was parched dry as she exited yet another retail store to see what else they had to offer.
She had to admit that it was a decent shopping plaza that offered a variety of things.
The Peach Lemonade that she orders from a nearby café that provides outdoors seating for people, who prefer to be outdoors when the weather was in order. Today was one of those days.
'I mean the Sports Fest is basically a cover up for the annual school fighting tournament once the fun ends. Then that weekend…is where all the hits are issued out on people but this week? These people are getting bolder and bolder each year.' She processes the clues.
Blossom checks her phone again and identifies a new text message from a number that was unknown to her.
"I see you." She reads the message with her eyes.
It places her on high alert as she scopes out her surroundings to see who could have possibly sent the message. She did not spot anyone.
'Just someone who sent me the wrong text message.' Blossom assumes to herself.
She then leaned back in her chair and wished she would have brought some sunglasses to block her identity and the intense rays of the sun.
"You know, someone could've easily taken you out right now. You should really watch your back and surroundings around this time. I know you know better anyway, Pinkie." The masculine voice was all too familiar to her when curiosity got to her.
"So what brings you out here to our mall? I wouldn't have taken you for the secret shopper kind of person. You came here to clear up any confusion, am I right?"
"Wait…are you calling me…oh no, no, no! I came up here to met some girls, that's all. What about you it seems as if you were waiting for a date?" Brick responds to her question while he divulges his assumptions.
Blossom unknowingly tightens her grip on the cup with her Pink Lemonade in it. The top nearly pops off.
"Typical boys stuff…anyway I needed some things for my project that we didn't have at our home so I came out here by myself." She huffs and explains why she was out.
"So did I. Do you mind if I sit right here for a couple of minutes? I swear I won't bother you at all and if I do I will leave." Brick politely inquires to Blossom.
This throroughly surprised her that Brick was being rather submissive and polite to her.
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Author's Note:
07.16.16 Major editing revision