-O-

Picturebook Romance

A Trolls fanfic

By Dreamsinger

Chapter 72

Someone's Got a Crush

"Before we go, do you happen to have those scrapbooks you mentioned earlier with you?" Cherry Blossom asked with a hopeful glance up at my hair.

"Oh, yes!" Leafe said enthusiastically. "I can't wait to dive into them – especially the psychology books. Must be fascinating stuff."

I grimaced ruefully. "Sorry, I don't have them with me. They're pretty old, and not in the best condition, so I keep them deep in the bunker, in my most climate-controlled storage room. But you're welcome to come to the bunker to read them. I like visitors now. Usually," I joked.

My friends chuckled. "That's fine with us," Leafe said. "We'll come prepared to take plenty of notes."

Just then Poppy piped up, "That may not be necessary. I'm actually going to be making copies of all of Branch's family scrapbooks. The old ones got a little damaged. It was my fault," she gave me an apologetic look, "so I offered to recreate them. I'm doing a set for Branch, and a set for the village library. I think it would be a good idea to make a set for the village teachers, too. If that's okay with you, Branch?"

"Sure."

"Oh, that would be wonderful!" Cherry Blossom said in delight.

"Woo - woooo! Time to get on board the fast track to knowledge!" Leafe said with pizzazz, making us all laugh. "But I'm still going to take notes," he added, winking at us. "Nothing like writing something down to set it into your memory, right?"

I nodded. "Right."

After another round of goodbye hugs, the DreamSages left, chatting excitedly to one another. I couldn't help but smile at the way the prospect of new knowledge lit them up like Cooper's fireworks.

"They're so cute," Poppy commented cheerfully.

"Yeah," I agreed fondly.

As my friends disappeared down the lane behind us, post-socialization weariness really began to take hold, and I let out a tired sigh. Man, I'm beat. If we didn't have to do Poppy's thing, I'd head home right now.

Poppy gave me a puzzled look. "Branch?"

But, duty calls. "Nothing. Come on, let's go."

I moved forward down the pleasant sun-dappled lane. Humming a happy tune, Poppy reached for my hand. I slowed my pace to a peaceful stroll, wanting this walk to last as long as possible. Even after six months, I wasn't used to being so social. Not as the center of attention, anyway, like today. I don't know how Poppy and the others do it for hours. I could really use some quiet time to recharge. I was grateful for the arching grass above us. It gave us the semblance of privacy, at least.

I was just starting to feel more relaxed when Poppy suddenly said, "Branch? Is something wrong?"

Quickly I replied, "Nope, nothing's wrong."

Too quickly, it seemed. Poppy stopped walking and reached for my other hand. "Sweetie, if something's going on with you, you'll tell me, right?" she said earnestly.

My instincts were still urging me to deny my needs, but she was right. I sighed. "Poppy, how important is this thing we're going to again? Is it something we really have to attend?"

"Why?" She put a hand on my forehead, studying me with concern. "Are you not feeling well?"

I wondered what I looked like, for her to say that. "No, I'm fine, physically. I'm just really wiped out. Like Cheery said, I've just been through several really intense…reunions…" I trailed off, hearing again that odd inconsistency. "Wait a minute…."

When I glanced at her, her eyes flicked away nervously. "Branch?"

"Quite the coincidence, meeting so many trolls I used to know all on the same day," I said casually.

"Yep, quite the coincidence," Poppy agreed, but I caught her brief grimace before she plastered a big smile on her face.

"Did you get the feeling that Cherry Blossom knew about them? She mentioned 'several' reunions, but we only talked about the one with Acorn," I said, testing her.

"Oh, did we?"

"'Oh, did we?'" I quoted, imitating her perky tone perfectly.

"Hey, that's pretty good, Branch. You sound just like me. Do it again."

I eyed her. "You wouldn't be trying to change the subject, would you?"

"Why would I do that?" She giggled nervously.

That clinched it. "Poppy, this is it, isn't it? Your big surprise? I knew it wasn't a coincidence, running into so many people I used to know." I crossed my arms, smiling. "You've been behind this all along, haven't you?"

Poppy grinned widely. "Okay, you got me. Surpriiise!" She pulled a thick invitation from her hair and handed it to me. The cover had a felted image of me surrounded by the black silhouettes of six other trolls. Glittery blue letters proudly proclaimed, "BRANCH" and "You've Been Invited!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Don't you normally give someone an invitation before the event begins?" I teased snarkily.

"Not in this case. That would spoil the surprise, silly," she said affectionately. "But today was an important day for you. You should have something to remember it by."

"Believe me, I won't forget. But thank you."

"Nothing but the best, for the bestest boyfriend ever!" She gave me a big smooch on the cheek, making me smile.

I gazed down at the bright-colored invitation, seeing myself surrounded by my loved ones. I was so grateful to Poppy. My heart felt lighter than it had since…ever, really. I couldn't believe how wonderful this day had turned out, and it was all thanks to Poppy. 'Thank you' didn't seem like nearly enough. I wanted to do something to show her how grateful I was.

It occurred to me that with the rest of the day free, we could do whatever we wanted. What would please Poppy the most? I was pretty sure I knew the answer. What were my girlfriend's favorite things? Singing, dancing, glitter, and hugs. Since I was her boyfriend, I could give her more than just hugs, though…

Hmm. I gave her a sideways glance. Maybe I should take her back to the bunker and show her how grateful I am. Spend some quality time alone together. Do some hugging, and kissing. Maybe even-

"Well, come on, Branch! Open the card!"

My girlfriend was bouncing on her toes, grinning in anticipation. I eyed her, then shrugged. Okay, fine. I guess I can indulge her. I held the card up in front of my face and opened it. Sure enough, I was immediately doused with a stream of silver glitter that went on and on. And on. How does she manage to pack so much in there?

Hearing her excited laughter was worth it, though. Amused, I closed my eyes to focus on the sensation I used to hate so much. Feels kind of refreshing. Cool and tickly, like I was taking a shower.

Hm, and speaking of showers, now I feel like having a nice swim in my bathing pool. I'm sure Poppy will want to join me. A wide smile spread across my face. I could offer to wash her back again…

When the glitter stream finally ended I lifted my hands into the air. "Yay." Then I rolled my eyes, making Poppy giggle. As I brushed the worst of the glitter off, I couldn't help smiling back. Some things will never change.

Inside the card the message continued, "To a Walk down Memory Lane!" I and my shadow companions were following this very lane, with a cheering Poppy off to the side.

As I slid the card into my hair, Poppy explained, "Yesterday morning while you were with the Whizbangs I met Cherry Blossom on the way to Mandy's. We started talking about you, and that's when I got the brilliant idea to invite Cherry Blossom and Leafe to come take a Walk with you."

"Brilliant idea, uh-huh." Guessing where this was going, my brain ceased to pay much attention to her words. Absent-mindedly I tucked the card into my hair and moved closer to the girl I loved, drawn to her alluring presence the way flowers turned to drink in the sunshine.

"Then while you were directing the Double-Helix dance, Conifer reminded me that you'd been close to his older brother Acorn, so I decided to invite him, too," Poppy continued. "That's why I was late to meet you for lunch."

"I see." I felt better to have that minor mystery solved. This close to her, the air smelled of strawberries and marshmallows, with a hint of orange citrus. I pulled in a deep breath, feeling a sublime smile spread over my face. I would recognize her sweet scent anywhere.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you the real reason I left. I know you were upset with me." My girlfriend gave me a plaintive look that melted my heart.

"Don't worry about it, Sunshine. I'm happy that you were thinking of me," I said reassuringly. "Besides, it's really my fault. You did offer to tell me."

It was the right thing to say, judging by the happy smile that lit up her face. As we gazed at one another, a light breeze whispered around us, stirring the nearby foliage. Sun dapples traced delicate patterns across the face of the most beautiful troll in all the world. How l lucky I was…

Funny that we seemed to have switched roles. My mind was lost in romantic reverie, but Poppy was all business. "And of course, after that bad dream you had after lunch, I realized that you really needed to Walk down Memory Lane with Jaunty and Courtley, too."

Then again, managing the social side of things was Poppy's business.

"Memory Lane," I repeated dreamily, thinking more about how Poppy's lips would feel on mine. I leaned toward her, but missed as she suddenly walked away from me.

"Yeah, see?" She pulled aside a luxuriant drape of lavender azalea blossoms at the edge of the trail to reveal an ornate little sign that said, 'Memory Lane'.

I blinked. "Ohhh, you meant it literally." I put a fist on one hip, intrigued. "Wait, has that sign always been there?"

Poppy chuckled. "Well, it was a fad for a while. It started not long after you moved into your bunker. Someone put that sign there and then a rumor went around that this hidden little lane was a good place to take a 'Walk' if you were feeling nostalgic, or wanted to connect with someone you hadn't seen much of lately. It's supposed to be a place for deep thoughts and meaningful conversation."

"Oh." Not a typical trolly pastime then, but I could see how it would appeal to some trolls. My dads, for one. Leafe, Cherry Blossom, and Acorn, too. I had enjoyed many deep conversations with each of them, exploring topics a lot more serious than 101 uses for glitter, or which cake topping tastes best with which flavor cake. Not that those things aren't interesting, but there's just something so satisfying about connecting to another person about the things that really matter in life.

"There's even a saying about this place." Poppy tried to make her high soprano sound as deep and weighty as possible, which wasn't very. "'Whatever happens in Memory Lane stays in Memory Lane'," she quoted solemnly, sounding totally adorable.

"And what does that mean?" I said with a warm smile.

The smile she gave me was just as warm. "It means no one will talk about it, especially in public. Not unless everyone involved is willing to." She tapped me lightly on the nose, and gave me a flirty wink.

Encouraged, I took her hands in mine. Teasingly I said, "Oh, really? I thought most trolls couldn't keep secrets."

"I kept today's plan to reunite you with your family a secret, didn't I? Trolls can keep secrets if it's really important," Poppy pointed out.

She was right. My dads had kept the knowledge of a lurking bergen hidden from me for over a year. They also never let on that they've been keeping watch over me since I moved out of the village, or that they knew about me and Poppy. Actually, lots of trolls seem to have known about us and haven't said anything…

Poppy's voice pulled me away from my musings. "We just don't need to keep secrets, most of the time. Which is a good thing, if you ask me. Some secrets can prevent you from feeling close to others."

Right again. If I'd opened up about my grandma, I probably would have been able to heal and move on years ago…

Poppy seemed to sense the gray thoughts passing through my mind. She moved close to me and bumped my hip with hers. "Especially when you really, really, really want to get to know a certain handsome, mysterious, bunker-dwelling survivalist."

I grinned slyly and bumped her back. "I see your point." I looked around appreciatively. "You know, this Memory Lane thing is a pretty cool idea."

"Was, actually."

"Was?"

"It was popular for a year or so, but it hasn't seen much use since then. I think people ran out of deep, heavy philosophical stuff to discuss. After that it got kind of overgrown and forgotten about, so I'm not surprised you never knew about it."

"Well, I'm glad you brought me here, Poppy." I took her hands in mine, gazing softly into her eyes. "I can't thank you enough for bringing me back together with the five people in the world who truly care about me. I have my family back, thanks to you."

Her lower lip trembled, and I caught the sheen of tears in her eyes. "You're very welcome, sweetie. I would do anything to make you happy. You know that, right?"

I leaned down to kiss her precious little hands. "Thanks. The feeling's mutual."

"Oh, Branch." Our lips met over clasped hands.

My mind went all warm and dreamy. Kissing was one of the best feelings in the world, and from the goofy grin on her face, my cute girlfriend obviously agreed.

I was tempted to keep on kissing her, but I wanted to say something before my little social butterfly came up with other plans. "I was thinking, Poppy. Since we don't have anywhere else to be today, why don't you and I head back to the bunker a little early for once?"

She didn't answer right away, so I sweetened the deal. "We could read some passages from my journals. I promised to let you see the first love poem I ever wrote about you, remember? We can take a bath together, and afterward…" I said temptingly, "I could put some more arnica salve on your bruise."

"I'd like that." She kissed me warmly. "Just as soon as we're done here."

"Mmmkay…" I paused. "Wait, what? There's more?"

"Just one," she said cheerfully.

Of course. That invitation had had six shadow trolls, not five. My pretty girlfriend was a little too

distracting sometimes.

"Who- Oh."I flinched, and closed my eyes. Oh, no. Please, no. Anyone but her. "Poppy, tell me you didn't invite her."

"Invite who?"

"Laurel Whizbang!" I exclaimed, glaring at her.

Instead of arguing back, she gave me a strangely poignant smile. "It's Laurel Filigree now," she said softly.

Immediately I spun on my heel and began heading back the way we'd come. "Poppy, I'm sorry. I appreciate everything you did for me, I really do, but this- I can't do this."

"Why not?" she asked, jogging to catch up to me.

"I just can't, that's all."

"Branch, you can't run away from your past forever."

"I'm not running away from my past," I denied. "I'm just too tired right now, that's all. It's been a long, emotionally exhausting day. It- It would be better to do this another time, when I'm fresh."

She watched me silently. I wondered if she agreed with me. I wondered if she was disappointed in me.

"Listen, I'm not running away. Didn't I just spend the last two days reliving some of the most painful moments of my life with you? Even though it hurt. Even though it was pointless."

"Was it, though?"

I opened my mouth to say "yes," but before I could, Poppy went on in a rush, "Because I think talking about your past helped you mentally prepare to see the people you've been wanting to reconcile with for a long, long time. You locked those memories away behind that golden door so long ago that you've been afraid to open it, in case you couldn't handle how they made you feel. And yet you were able to handle meeting everyone you loved just fine."

Surprised, I stopped walking and stared at her, wondering if she was right. Was I more afraid of the memories than the actual trolls themselves?

Poppy said persuasively, "I think revisiting your past from your new, more positive perspective has been healthy for you, Branch. You were able to remember the good parts as well as the bad. The love as well as the sorrow. And because of that, you really wantedto see each of them again. You were able to reconnect with so many people who mean a lot to you. So, why not Laurel?"

"No!" I shouted without thinking, even though I'd been halfway convinced by her words.

"But why, Branch?"

"Because I- I just don't see the point. Laurel's not like the others."

"Because you never lived with her?" Poppy tilted her head and smiled slightly. "Or because you were in love with her?"

My eyes widened. "I-I-I wasn't- It's not like-"

When my girlfriend just continued to smile kindly, I let out a low moan and put my face in my hands. She let me wallow for a minute before I felt her hand rubbing my back soothingly. "Branch. You need to do this. Laurel was an important person to you. Losing her devastated you. You need this. You need to heal."

I lifted my face and scowled. "I didn't 'lose' her."

Poppy just kept looking at me with that sad, understanding smile, and the urge to argue left me. My shoulders sagged as I looked down at the ground. "I never had her in the first place."

-O-

During the summer of my fifteenth year, my longtime friend Laurel changed. Normally logical and organized, she became daydreamy and forgetful. She sang love songs all the time, and acted sugary-sweet and affectionate to everyone, including me. She'd also started bringing up some pretty atypical topics of conversation, for her.

"Which scent do you like best: lavender, cedar wood, or pine tree?"

"Cedar wood. It smells like a newly-sharpened pencil, ready to write."

"Would you prefer a pod made from light hair or dark hair?"

"Uh, light hair I guess, to make it easier to see when I'm working."

"What makes boyfriends happy?"

"I wouldn't know."

"Have you ever thought about what it's like to be married?"

"Have I- What are you talking about? Seriously, Laurel, you're starting to freak me out."

And then there was the fact that she had begun dressing up in fancy clothes instead of her usual grease-stained work overalls, and doing her hair in fancy ways. She'd even begun wearing cedar-scented perfume.

I catalogued the warning signs with growing dismay. Laurel Whizbang had a crush on someone.

I suspected it was me.

-O-

In the past few years I'd spent a lot of time exploring the forest beyond the borders of the village. The previous summer I'd found and lost Acorn, the best little buddy in the world. Later that autumn I'd discovered the tunnel system. I knew immediately that it would be the perfect place to hide from the bergens. All it needed was some work to make it habitable. I also knew I needed help. I needed more training, and I knew where to get it. The Whizbangs. In all of Troll Village, they were the very best at building things.

I was reluctant to approach them. I'd gone out of my way to avoid Savvy and Finetune ever since my near-fatal Incident, not wanting to remind them of the son they had lost when he was the same age. Every time I saw them, the memory of their terrified, tearful faces looking down at my sickbed made me cringe inside. I also hated feeling like the incompetent fool who'd nearly killed himself.

But since then I'd managed to live a fairly disaster-free life, and so with sweaty palms I'd gathered up my courage and asked them to be my mentors again. Thankfully, they were willing to give me a chance.

I'd always liked being around Laurel's parents, but this time around I was careful to keep them at an emotional distance, with most of our conversations revolving around work. I didn't tell them much about my personal life, and nothing at all about my bunker. Somewhat to my irritation, they insisted on being as affectionate toward me as always. Sometimes I even let them hug me, although more and more often these days I found myself coming up with inventive ways to dodge out of Hug Time without making it look too obvious. I'm sure they knew, but they let me get away with it.

Laurel herself had continued to be friendly to me over the years, if not as close as we used to be. I was eleven when she graduated pod school and began her apprenticeship as an engineer, which had created a gap between us. Finishing her apprenticeship and taking on an adult career last year had widened that gap even more. But now that I was spending more time with her parents, it had brought her back into my meager social circle. We'd rekindled our friendship and become closer than we'd been in a long time.

-O-

A few weeks after Laurel's disturbing behavior changes began, I came upon an unfinished letter on our worktable. A love letter, in Laurel's handwriting. It was full of sappy, lovey-dovey nonsense about how much she admired the troll she was interested in. Definitive proof that she had a crush.

Your beautiful blue eyes

Your brilliant mind, so clever and insightful

Creating things that thrill my heart

Your unique way with words

It makes me happy when you're near

When you…

Her poetry skills needed work, but I was more concerned about the message in those heartfelt words.

Brilliant mind, creates things she gets excited about, blue eyes, and a 'unique' way of talking? Does she mean sarcasm?

Oh my gosh.

It's me. Laurel Whizbang has a crush on me.

Visions of infatuated trolls going ga-ga over one another at past Frolic Festivals flashed through my mind. All the drama. Everyone showing off, hoping to impress prospective frolic partners. Nothing ever got done during the Festival months. I groaned loudly. "Oh, for hair's sake. I'm way too busy for this."

Now that I've graduated, I finally have time to devote to building my biggest, most important project yet: the bunker that's going to save us from the bergens. Having Laurel Whizbang mooning over me is the absolute last thing I need. "Of all the worst timing! Gah, I wish romance had never been invented. Ridiculous social rituals, complicating everything. Nothing but a gigantic time-waster." I dragged my hands through my hair so hard I accidentally snagged one and pulled it out. "Ouch! This is a disaster."

I needed to come up with a plan to deal with this, but my brain was still struggling to take it all in. I thought better when I was moving, so I decided to take a walk.

No one's ever confessed to me before. What do people usually do when they're not interested? Is this something they covered in class? Do I- Wait. Am I going to have to reject her?

My steps slowed as other ramifications began to dawn on me. I'm not interested in Laurel like that, but she is a friend; one of the few friends I have left. I don't want to hurt her. And I can't risk having her parents get upset if I reject her. Not now. Hmm… Maybe I should go ask Leafe for advice?

I changed course, walked a few steps, then stopped. Oh, but if I do, he'll ask all kinds of embarrassing questions. Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut and hope it blows over. She hasn't said anything to me yet. Maybe she knows I'm not interested. Yeah, I'll just pretend I never saw that poem.

I started walking back to the work pod, and stopped again. But I'm not gonna be able to concentrate around her. Maybe I should just avoid her entirely. Hide out in my bunker for a while.

I quickly turned and- "Oof!" I yelled as I hit the ground. In front of me was a big pink-and-red mound of fur.

"What kind of dance was that?" my classmate Cooper said indignantly. "I was trying to follow your steps, but man, talk about random. And from me, that's really saying something."

I glared at the four-legged troll. "I wasn't dancing."

"Then what were you doing? I never saw such a wiggle-waggle walk." He let out a sudden peal of laughter. "That sounds funny. Wiggle-waggle walk of the…let's see, what starts with "w"… Water? Worms? Yeah, Walk of the Wiggle Waggle Water Worms. I'm gonna write a song about that!"

Wouldn't a water worm swim, not walk? Or crawl. Well, whatever. At least he's not angry. I gave him a wry smile, for once glad for his silly sense of humor as I got up and rubbed my sore butt, then reached out to help him up. "Sorry for knocking you down."

He gave me a blue foot – hand? I was never sure what to call them – and let me lift him to his feet. "That's okay, man. You seemed kinda agitated, you know? So I thought I'd try to cheer you up. Sorry I was lame."

I recognized where this was going – an endless round of apologies. I decided to skip to the end. "We were both lame. But it's all good now, right?"

"Right."

"Okay then. Bye, Cooper," I said as I walked away.

"Bye, Branchkin."

Rather than being annoyed, my mood was lighter now. Considering that we weren't really friends, it was nice of Cooper to notice I was acting more stressed than usual and want to do something to help, however lame.

It occurred to me that I might be jumping to conclusions. Maybe the poem isn't about me. Laurel's being super nicey-nice to everyone these days, and blue is a pretty common eye color, after all. Besides, all trolls are creative in one way or another, right? Trolls Laurel admires for being brilliant and unique. Why, she compliments me for stuff like that all time. She… Oh."

I was silent for a minute, then scoffed aloud. "Well, even so, that doesn't prove anything. We're all taught to recognize others' efforts, like I did with Cooper just now. That's Troll Etiquette 101."

Not only because it made people feel good, it encouraged them to do their best to try to live up to the praise. Even I could sometimes be persuaded to do things I didn't want to do if someone buttered me up enough. After all, I had feelings just like everybody else, and it felt good to have someone notice the things I did well.

Or just notice me in general. Now that I rarely caused trouble for other trolls, most of them seemed content to leave me alone to just do my own thing. Sure, it was a little lonely, especially with Leafe gone, but for the first time in years I had actual privacy. At least as much privacy as one could have in Troll Village.

Anyway, it's not like I spend much time in the village these days. Instead I was enjoying the challenge of creating an entirely new style of living environment from the ground up.

Or from the ground down, to be exact. Oooo, good one. I'll have to remember to tell that to Laurel. I pictured her pretty face laughing merrily, and cracked a small smile. She was one of the few trolls that really got my sense of humor.

My smile vanished as I remembered I couldn't share that joke with her. I couldn't share it with Leafe, either. I couldn't share it with anyone. The bunker was a secret. The one and only place where I could get away from the world and be sure that no one and nothing would ever be able to hurt me again. Not even bergens.

I sighed regretfully. It's too bad this had to happen now, but Laurel will get to see my bunker when the bergens invade.

Eventually curiosity won out, and I decided to head back to the work pod. I wanted to see what Laurel would say when she realized I'd seen the poem, but when I got there, it was gone. Laurel was nowhere in sight. I wondered if she'd left that poem for me to find, then gotten shy and returned to take it back before I saw it.

Part of me couldn't help but think that was cute. Laurel usually radiated cheery self-confidence, like most trolls. The idea of her acting all shy and love-struck unexpectedly touched a soft spot in me, one that seemed to pass my usual barriers. I continued my work with a smile on my face.

Dreamsinger's Corner:

Our Branch is feeling amorous, heh heh. Planning a romantic evening alone with his girlfriend… You're probably all saying, "It's about time!" 😉

I wanted to put in the scene with Branch and Cooper to illustrate one way that being social can really helpful. Many of us have the tendency to hide from the world when we've been hurt, but sometimes going out and just having a simple conversation with a kind person, even a stranger, can be an incredible mood-lifter. One reason why even during his bunker years, Branch was never able to stay away from the village for long. The other reason was called Poppy 😊