The excitement in the restaurant dwindles down to silence once the pair enter inside and occupy a seat where Bell and the rest of her homeroom were at the table.
"No way…I didn't think she was serious about it!" Bubbles exclaims after she spots her sister with Flash arm in arm.
Buttercup returns her focus back on to the people at her table before her sights land on her blonde sister and asks, "Bubbles, what are you talking about?"
"Okay, remember when you and Midori went to the concession stand to get us some food right? Flash approached Blossom and I on the bleachers. He asked her to lunch and I thought she was going to deny him but I guess I was wrong." Bubbles replies to Buttercup's question.
"So what you're trying to tell me is that she accepted the invitation on her own free will with that blonde rat?" She asks after she processes what the blonde divulge to her.
Bubbles leans back with her arms at her side and voices, "I just don't get why she agreed but it has to be from when she froze up at the pool."
Her statement causes a revelation to spark within Butch and poses, "Brick, where were you and Blossom before the earthquake happened at Bell's party?"
'There was an earthquake at Bell's party? When was that?' Buttercup wonders to herself while she scans the faces of those who sit at the table.
"We were in some kind of underground hallway. We came across a vault because we followed this little girl's voice that called out to us. We weren't able to see what was behind the door due to the earthquake. After that, we were with everyone." Brick recalls while he grinds his teeth together.
"Then it has to be what she saw or heard that had her so scared." Butch sums up his answer in one statement.
"What are you guys talking about? It feels as if I'm left in the dark about it." Buttercup expressed confusion as it caused the spectators, who witnessed the incident to stiffen up.
Buttercup inspected the exchange of glances between each other and became upset that she was being uninformed of matters that concerned her very own sister…even Bubbles.
Luckily for them, a distraction arrives in the form of their food plus Bell and her companions at the table with her sister, Blossom.
"This is good!" Fiji proclaims after he bites in the hamburger. He unknowingly diverts them away from the pervious subject.
'That was too close! She almost figured out what happened at Bell's party!' Similar thoughts pass through Butch, Bubbles, Boomer, and Brick's mind.
"Butter," Butch calls Buttercup by his own special nickname that she would be so willingly to answer.
"What is it now Butch?" She questions to him in a rather nice manner than her usual irate tone.
"Any plans this afternoon?" He poses to her as he formulates a plan in his head.
"Yep…and they are to stay away from you." Buttercup asserts. She then develops a feeling that he was going to ask her for a date that she owes him.
Butch chuckles while she dips some of her French fries in ketchup and mayonnaise that came with her meal.
"I swear Butter, sometimes you can read me like an open book! That's just proof of how much I've grown on you." He was claiming after stopping himself from laughing out too loud.
She pauses with a fry that dangles from her mouth to face him and utters, "That's because you allow yourself to be that way."
"Maybe, I need to be a little harder then. But anyway, do you remember the bet we had where you lost and you owe me three dates?" He communicates as his con man abilities emerge.
"Well you're down one and I'm trying to offer up the second opportunity." Butch suggests to the raven hair girl.
She simply chews the fry that was in her mouth before she responses to him, "What do you have in mind?"
Butch deliberates to himself for a while before he opts to withhold his answer for a while, "I'll let you know after we get back to school. For now, let's just enjoy this moment."
Meanwhile with Blossom, Flash and Bell, the table celebrates their or rather specifically Bell's victory over Buttercup.
"Did she really think she had a chance against you Bell?" "You proved that Buttercup isn't all of what she made herself out to be!" "She doesn't deserve to be the Top of the school, you do!"
Blossom was in a complete state of zombification that she was unaware that they badmouth her sister.
"I guess I've earned that kind of respect from you, my followers. I'm humbled that you regard me so highly. But we must heed caution since we do have one of her sisters' at our table." Bell orates a dramatic speech to her so-call friends or rather her subordinates.
Her speech still did not affect her whatsoever as it simply flies over her head.
"If it was me and from what I see...it seems as if she doesn't care what we say about her sister to her face."
"That's so pathetic! If anyone dare talk about my sister to my face, I would fight him or her. But...I guess Blossom doesn't have the heart to do it." One of Bell's subordinates verbalize.
"Ladies…Ladies! This is no way to treat a guest at our table! Remember, we are ladies first and we must abide by the classy female code." She reminds her group of followers of her standards.
The girls huff, mutter to themselves and agree with their leader, "You're right Bell."
"Good...now that we have everyone on the same page…let's relish this victory and hope for more to come in the rest of the week." Bell broadcasts her message while she lifts her glass to the air.
"Yeah!" They click their glasses together with smiles and cheers exchange amongst the group.
"Hey are you feeling alright, Blossom?" Flash probes after he hooks his arm around her shoulder and draws her closer to his chest.
Blossom merely shakes her head as if it was her only means of communication. "Just let me know, if you feel out of place. I want you to feel comfortable, okay?"
She repeats the same action as if she is a robot program to do only one thing and that was to nod her head.
'What's her problem? She doesn't usually act like this!' Buttercup thinks to herself. She was watching Blossom's current actions around Bell, Flash, and her subordinates.
When she cuts her eyes away from Blossom and back to her table, her eyes land on Brick. He seems to be having the hardest time dealing with his current surroundings.
Buttercup merely closes her eyes, releases a deep breath and judges, 'He must really have it hard. He has strong feelings for her.'
She opened her eyes to examine Brick, whose eyes were concealed from anyone's view. Plus, he did not even touch his food that was another give away of his feelings.
'Poor Brick.' Buttercup broods.
She waspeering at him again before resuming eating her food unaware that Butch was observing her actions.
'She notices it too…' Butch concludes to himself after he notes that her eyes radiate with sadness.
It was as if she could understand what Brick was going through.
'I will have to have a nice talk with him once I get home.' He inwardly notes before the aroma of his food enticies him to polish off the meal.
0000
"Ah Special Officer Shaw, it's good to see you back! I would like to extend an apology for the sudden announcement that you had to stay overnight without prior notice." General Malone greets once she enters his office.
Serena stands at ease once she reaches the general and was surprise at his statement.
"It's fine General. The boys are old enough to take care of themselves for a day in my absence." She assures him with a grave expression on her face.
"You do have a valid point. As you know, the job here will be slightly different because we are on the end of high powered technology and research." Gen. Malone responses while he leans toward his desk.
"I understand that sir. I will conduct myself in the appropriate manner that I have been at my previous base. What is it that is needed of me?" Serena questions while she watches Gen. Malone point to a chair.
"I already had a feeling that you were going to ask that." He claims with a small grin on his face.
"If you don't mind me sir, I would like to ask this question and you of course will answer it?" She poses to general who shakes his head in a yes manner.
"I had volunteered at Butch, Brick and Boomer's school when I recognized that Bell attend Pokey Oaks High too. While I was there for the Sports Fest, they had the swimming portion at the start of the week because I was asked to serve as a lifeguard."
"I thought she was going to short circuit once she entered the pool and killed the others, who raced against her." Serena expresses her doubts.
"Let's just say...we have a lot of scientists, who specializes in certain things. Not only that but we initiate tests so she wouldn't raise alarm while in the human world." He calmly conveys to her.
"As I thought. Well whoever has had a hand in that is quite remarkable. However, that isn't the question that I wanted you to answer. What I just told you was from my observation. My real question is…what is Bell?" Serena asks her question.
She senses his demeanor transforms from his aloofness, which she determines as his typical personality, to a solemn attitude.
"Take a seat Special Officer Shaw." He orders her.
She then occupies the empty space in front of him and adds, "You're about to learn the history behind the B.E.L.L. project."
"The information that I am about to disclose to you is beyond highly classified. I am the sole person who knows anything about this. Yet, I opted to permit another solider to be assigned on the project and know its linguistics without revealing too much to the other soldiers." He explains his reason why he plans to divulge B.E.L.L. history to her.
She watches him reach underneath his desk, shuffles a couple of things around, produces a thick white binder and opens it.
Serena eyes lands on the 8x10 picture in the upper right hand corner of the page when her eyes grow wide at the sight before her.
0000
The drive back to school was a little too quiet for the girls as what transpired at the cafe still sunk in for them. However, the boys ride was no where near as mute as the girls.
Brick decides to sit in the back seat with Fiji while Boomer occupies the passenger's seat with Butch behind the wheel.
"Are you alright, Brick?" Butch pops the question with his focus on the road in front of him.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Brick haughty snaps with his arms across his chest and his eyes closed.
"...because you saw Blossom with Flash. It looks as if she had a good time with him." He implies to his brother.
"So you think that's the reason why I am suppose to be upset?" Brick challenges as his eyes set on the driver.
"Why would that upset me? Just because Pinkie chose to hang out with Flash, I don't care at all!" He claims in denial before he glances at Boomer next.
"If you're going to lie, make sure its to the people that don't already know the truth. We all saw the look on your face…there's no point in denying it!" Butch retorts while he trails behind Buttercup's car.
"What are you trying to say? That I'm in denial?" Brick questions with irritation in his tone.
"The fact that you like Blossom!" He counters, which left the others in the car hush for a minute.
Fiji glances at Brick and just like his brother claim his facial expression was concern, doubt and denial mix together.
"From the way you didn't respond back, I will go ahead and assume that I'm correct." Butch renders.
He exhales and presses his foot on the gas pedal once Buttercup accelerates to make the green light.
"If you want, I won't say anything else about it anymore. But you should really deal with that!" Butch asserts as he peers up at his rear view mirror.
"Your eyes held sadness when you saw her." He expresses with some finality in his tone.
He then veers within Pokey Oaks High parking lot.
0000
Mr. Matura peeks upward from his newspaper when his door slides open and watches all of his students orderly file inside of his classroom.
"So did you all get a kick out your free period away from school?" He wonders once they settle back in their class.
"When everyone from Pokey Oaks High is there then you're bound to have something happen there, right Mr. Matura? " Fiji remarks with a shake of his head.
"I didn't know that the other teachers were permitting their students to leave school grounds on a brief break from Sports Fest." Mr. Matura speaks more to himself.
When he glances upward again, he notes the change in mood from his new student name Brick.
'Well Bubbles, Buttercup and Blossom…' Mr. Matura halts midway in his thought as he observes the grave expression on Blossom's face.
'I wonder if those two had a fight with each other? Wait a minute...could those two even be dating? No way...can it be?' He considers.
The older man stared at the chalkboard while he scratched his head at the deduction he made.
"Mr. Matura...are you alright?" A feminine voice asks behind him. He swiftly spun around to see it was Midori, who asked about him.
"I'm fine. Just thinking about something that's all. Do you need something?" He politely directs to the red head in front of him.
"We just wanted to thank you for letting us go out and get something to eat. We really appreciate that." She thanks him before she hands him his food.
Mr. Matura felt as if he was on cloud nine with that compliment from one his students. He accepts the kind gesture and the compliment with, "Sure, no problem."
0000
Author's Note:
07.21.16 Major editing revision