Blossom didn't know how much longer she could live up to everybody's standards of her, their expectations that only seemed to get more outlandish with everything she accomplished. They just assumed that she would keep jumping through their hoops, no matter how high, no matter if the hoops were on fire. And she would, she would jump through those hoops every single time, unintentionally encouraging them to continue raising the stakes.

They expected her to get her and her sisters out of trouble, to be level-headed in any scenario, to be patient, and responsible. The city folk just assumed that the girls would always be around to save the day, that Blossom would make sure no one ever got hurt. She never wanted people to get hurt, she did try to keep them out of the line of fire, but they were never concerned for their own safety, always taking their time to get out of the battle zone. It made Blossom want to scream, to yell at them to care about their own well-being, but she couldn't, she just had to work around them. It was absurd.

In between monster attacks, extra curriculars, and college prep she still had to manage her time so effectively her grades never dropped below an A. Just because she was a superhero didn't mean she could slack at school, one of her teachers actually told her that once when she didn't do an extra credit assignment of all things. She was still passing her classes with flying colors even if she didn't do an assignment that was optional in the first place, she didn't even have time to hang out with her sisters, and they shared a room for goodness sake! She couldn't even hang out with her friends outside of their shared lunch period, and even then Blossom was usually found in the library studying.

It was getting exhausting trying to succeed at every single thing she ever did, to always be the best. If she did anything it had to be with ease, if she had a hobby she had to master it, she wasn't allowed to fail... to make a mistake. Buttercup was allowed to be hotheaded, Bubbles was allowed to go on dates, but Blossom had to be perfect. Everybody wanted her to be above her emotions, above all of the trivial matters that came with being a teenager. If she was so far above everybody else, so far out of reach, it was okay for them to put her on a pedestal.

It didn't matter that she had panic attacks about failing at least four times during the week, it didn't matter that it felt like her anxiety was strangling her, or that her nerves were fired. She was always on edge these days, snapping at her sisters or the Professor over little things, having nightmares about everybody abandoning her when they found out she wasn't perfect, that she couldn't be. She knew logically that she couldn't live up to everybody's expectations of her, it was just too unrealistic, but she couldn't stop herself from trying. No matter how hard she fought against it, she still found herself aiming to please anyone and everyone. It was just. Too. Much.

She was only 17. She was just a teenager, a child. She couldn't do it all. Just because she had superpowers didn't mean she didn't get burnt out. When did she start to regret being a Powerpuff Girl? It made her feel guilty, regretting saving the complacent people of this city. She loved her sisters, she loved the Professor, and deep down she knew she still loved the people of this city. If only they would all get off her back, why was she the only one who had to be responsible? She wanted to stop, for it all to stop.

"Blossom! Could you get my cat out of the tree again?"

"Blossom! My house is on fire!"

"Hey you! I need help carrying my groceries!"

"Hello up there! Could you move this anvil for me?"

"Hey! I need help!"

"Blossom!"

Everyone's voices were ringing in her head, asking for her help for the most mundane of tasks, something other people could easily do instead of her. But wasn't it on her for not setting boundaries? Was it her fault for not saying no? Why couldn't the voices just be quiet? Why couldn't she just turn off her super hearing? Was she worth anything at all if she couldn't help people, if she wasn't useful?

Why couldn't everything just stop?