It had been a few days since I had seen Butch. After what happened at the junkyard and the park, I had the feeling that he was afraid to be near me. If he only knew how much I missed him. I got up early to get ready for school even though I had no interest in it that day.

I came down for breakfast that morning, trying hard to hide my depression. Blossom saw it straight away. “Hey, Buttercup, are you feeling guilty about the way you treated Mitch the other day?”

“What?” I asked in shock. How dare she jump to conclusions. “I have nothing to be guilty about? That jerk practically attacked me.”

“What are you talking about?” Blossom asked as she sat down to eat her eggs and toast. “That’s not the way Mitch tells it.”

“Mitch is a damned liar. All I wanted was to take a short walk alone, and he follows me.”

“That’s only because I asked him to,” Blossom said. “I was worried about you. You’ve been acting strange lately.”

“Well, it was a mistake to send Mitch after me. That jerk cornered me and forced a kiss on me, so I decked him.”

“Why’d he do that?” Blossom asked.

I dipped into my cereal and swallowed quickly. “I don’t know. He just can’t understand that I don’t like him that way.”

“I’m really sorry, Buttercup. I didn’t know he did that.”

“Well, now you know, and I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

I left the kitchen and grabbed my books and left for school. Why was I so pissed? I just didn’t understand it. I guess I really wasn’t pissed at Blossom or even at Mitch. I just wondered why Butch hadn’t come around.

Morning classes went by slowly, but I didn’t care. My mind wasn’t on school. When lunchtime came I decided to eat outside. I felt the need to feel the warm air. Maybe it would help lighten my mood.

I sat at one of the picnic tables, when Mitch came up to me. “Hey, Buttercup,” he said and sat down next to me.”

“Go away, Mitch. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

“I just want to apologize about the other day.”