Strangers on the Sidewalk

By Nanaho-Hime

Blossom Utonium hated the rain at the moment. She was soaked to the bone, her thin sweater clinging to her uncomfortably. What a shame, it was brand new too. She had worked long hours at the cafe to afford that sweater and now it was ruined. She sighed as the rain came down in buckets, her red hair sprawled against her back, plastered to her cheeks but she was too miserable to care.

It had been a few months since the Professor had passed away, leaving her to care for her two younger sisters. Of course she would be the one to care for her sisters, she was the eldest, and she was the leader. Who else could be trusted to do the job?

Bubbles couldn't do it. Her blonde baby sister was much too whimsical and timid, practically cowering if her sisters became cross with her. The idea of Buttercup taking care of them was doubly amusing. Buttercup would be a violent, ruthless dictator until she was forced to come up with a logical solution. Then she would be stumped. Blossom laughed outright. No, no, it was best that Blossom was left to care for her sisters, or else it would have been chaos.

Seventeen year old Blossom had given up school a few weeks after the professor had passed away, so as to take jobs to support her sisters. It had pained the naturally astute girl to drop one of her greatest joys, but as the breadwinner of the family it was essential that she abnegate. Of course the girls had protested, bless them. Seeing them Blossom felt stronger, she could always go back to school, once the shock and hurt of the professor's death stopped stinging so much. Sure she'd be a bit behind, but Buttercup and Bubbles will have been able to stand on their own two feet. Right now they needed her to be their rock and she intended to be just that.

Buttercup and Bubbles had wanted to help. They could quit their after school clubs, they had argued, they could get jobs and Blossom could go back to school. Blossom chuckled out loud, her silly but well meaning sisters, she loved them so much.

Blossom had to admit working was not her strongest point. She was actually quite terrible at it much to her embarrassment. She had lived a privileged life before the professor had died. She had been a princess and a sweetheart in the eyes of the people and though she was anything but spoiled (she had to do chores and such) she'd never had to serve others. It was degrading and humiliating and the last thing she needed after a long day in the café was to trudge through the rain, ruining the clothes she had bought with her hard earned money.

"Well don't you look like a drowned rat,"

Blossom whirled around to glare at the intruder to her thoughts. There he stood, leaning casually against the wall, the abhorred beanie on his head, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. The rotten good for nothing delinquent, he was underage, it was illegal and yet he never got caught. Yes, he was only a year away from being legally able to smoke, but it was still a filthy, disgusting habit.

Then again, he was a filthy and disgusting person.

The jerk was perfectly dry, as he held a red umbrella over his head. She was utterly abashed. Not only was she sopping wet, but her arch nemesis was there to revel in her undignified state.

"Go crawl back under your rock Brick," Blossom spat out, and turned huffily away from him.

"Hey hey, chill out pinkie," he took a long drag on his cigarette, "I just came to thank you."

Blossom glared at him and attempted to bring herself up to her full height, but her plans of intimidation were abortive as he still stood a head taller than her.

"You know," he drawled, dropping his cigarette to the ground, "It was awfully nice of you to abdicate your position like that."

She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. Before she had quit she had been student body president, having beaten Brick. Brick became vice president and nothing had given her more satisfaction than to see the fury on his face when it had been announced. Now that she was gone, she was pretty sure she knew who had taken her spot.

"Where are your goony brothers?" she sneered as best she could. It was really getting chillier, and her thin sweater wasn't doing much for her. The one way she knew how to get that obnoxious smirk off his face was by attacking his brothers. He was very much like her in the respect that he was an overprotective, bossy, older sibling. But for once he didn't take the bait and continued to gaze at her calmly

"Back at the school, competing with your charming sisters," he tilted his head, a more serious expression on his face.

"You're an absolute pompous brat Brick," Blossom took a step closer. Oh touché, he thought he could get her with the same material she used on him.

He smirked, the same insufferable expression back on his face. The one that told her he wasn't through with her yet. She felt her stomach drop to the vicinity of her ankles

"Oh, and guess who's head of our class now oh high school dropout."

That was the last straw; she couldn't absolve him for this one. She was wet and abject and she didn't need him sowing the seeds of regret. She should be student body president, she should be number one in her class, and now this little red head devil had stolen all her hard work without batting an eyelash. He even had the nerve to call her a drop out. He wasn't worth her time. She spun around and stomped off without a backwards glance.

She was too busy letting off steam to notice that she wasn't getting wet anymore, that the raindrops were falling around her and not on her. She glanced up to see the bottom of a battered red umbrella.

What was this aberration? This deviation from standards? What the hell was he doing?

"You're looking a little wet." he commented, falling into step beside her.

She frowned up at him, but didn't move away as they headed towards the direction of the house.

This was strange, what an absolute phenomenon. He was helping her, and silently too! Well of course maybe he had just been so obnoxious and rude it had exhausted his reserves and now some of the dried up bits of his heart had poured out the last of their dying kindness.

"You know," he continued nonchalantly, oblivious to her inner tirade, "It's really boring without you."

She stared up at him in disbelief.

Brick smiled cheekily down at her puzzled face, "There's no competition, and I can't compete with Buttercup and Bubbles, it's just no fun."

She frowned again, of course, that idiot didn't have the sensitivity to have real feelings! He was the dunce who said exactly what he wanted to people when he wanted to. He was a simple minded dunderhead and overly competitive at that.

"Oh I'm overly competitive?" he raised an eyebrow.

Blossom mentally cursed her tendency to voice fragments of her thoughts aloud.

"But seriously pinkie," he went back to the original topic, purposefully stomping into a puddle and soaking the bottom of her jeans. She glared. "Why did you quit? Never thought you'd let me win."

"I didn't quit," she tugged a strand of her hair, examining the tip so she wouldn't have to look up at him; "I merely took an extended holiday."

"Right" he sounded skeptical, "A holiday where you work three jobs."

She stiffened. How had he found out?

"Bubbles is a big mouth," Brick answered her mental question, "And she's worried about you."

Blossom frowned. She was going to have a stern talking to with Bubbles about what she should and shouldn't tell Boomer.

"The professor died." She countered, her voice growing quieter.

"Yeah, I know, it was all over the papers," they were turning the corner. Why did her house have to be so far away? She knew she should have taken the car, but it had been so long since she'd taken a nice, refreshing walk. Not one of her more brilliant ideas.

They were both silent. Cars made their way against the afternoon traffic; the street vendors shouted enticing offers and wafted equally enticing aromas. They turned into the suburban part of the city. The buildings grew smaller and smaller, and the noise slowly faded away until there was nothing but the gentle pitter pat of the rain against the umbrella top.

"Sorry."

She didn't turn to look at him, she didn't need his pity.

"It's fine."

He snorted, "Of course it's not fine you nit wit, your dad died."

She wasn't going to cry. She hadn't cried yet and she wasn't going to cry now.

"People are worried about you," he offered, as they neared her home, "Not just your sisters but the other guys, and it's a huge blow to my ego that they're not all ecstatic that I have finally ascended the political ladder."

Blossom grinned. It was nice to think of Brick's bruised ego. Of course they would like her better. Why shouldn't they?

The rain began to abate. The raindrops slowed to a drizzle by the time they arrived at Blossom's front door.

"Thank you for walking me home," Blossom paused and hoped he wouldn't start off on the thanks.

"Not a problem, I got to push your buttons, something I haven't been able to do for a while." And he grinned at her, a not terrible grin. She smiled slightly.

"Next time I'll pick you up in the car," he waved airily.

Blossom started, "Excuse me but this isn't going to be a regular thing,"

Brick smiled his mischievous smile; the hated arch nemesis was back.

"Of course it is, I haven't had this much fun since you quit school."

Blossom stared at him, horror gracing her pretty features.

"I did not quit!" was the only thing she could think to choke out.

"Yeah Yeah I know, extended holiday," He made his way down her stairs. At the bottom he turned around with the I'm-not-through-with-you-yet smile. She felt that sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"By the way I'm liking the sheer look, the hot pink underneath totally compliments the white sweater, I had an excellent view." And with a wink in her direction he headed off her property, leaving Blossom dumbstruck.

A/N: Here's my contribution to the PPG fandom. It was originally supposed to be a multi-chaptered story but I'm feeling kind of lazy so I'll let others decide...

Reviews of all kinds are welcome and make me smile :)