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Chapter 7

"Ugh! We've checked every stupid door in this stupid building!" Val complained as Poppy stuck the mystery key into yet another door that it failed to open. "Maybe this key doesn't even go to anything."

"Than why hide it in a ceiling?" Lagoona asked fixing her glasses on her nose. "Something seems fishy..." She began giggling softly to herself, thinking about her choice of words. "A delicious pun..." she chuckled. "My favorite..."

"We shoulda listened to Branch," the bluish-purple rock troll groaned. "Yeah, he's a paranoid dork... but if we had just let him get rid of that stupid key in the first place... I could be napping on my sofa bed right now! I'm done with this nonsense!"

She turned beginning to stomp away, but Poppy quickly stopped her retreat, pulling her back over to the group.

"Branch is right about a lot of things..." the queen of pop told Val. "But not this. He's scared of where this key will lead us, but he shouldn't be. He should be excited to figure out this mystery. You should be excited to figure out this mystery. We need to find out what this key goes to. And nothing or no one's going to stop me!"
"Poppifer!" a familiar voice suddenly interrupted, sounding rather angry.

"AHHH!" Poppy screamed in surprise, quickly spinning around to see Branch standing in the doorway, his arms crossed as he tapped his foot repeatedly on the floor. "O... oh... Branch... Branchifer! You're back!" the pink pop troll yelled out 'excitedly' with an innocent chuckle, quickly hiding the key behind her back.

The grumpy pop troll narrowed his eyes at her, not even saying a single word, knowing she would eventually come clean about the key. He knew how she was under pressure... especially when it involved lying to him... she rarely wanted to admit it... but she loved that adorable dork. She just couldn't bare lying to him...

"I... I didn't expect you back so soon..." she said to him, smiling innocently as a drop of sweat fell down her forehead, the queen of pop slowly pushing it back up to hide under her hair.

Silence... Branch said nothing... he just kept glaring at her, waiting for her to tell him the truth... he knew she would... he trusted her...

"Um... soooo... how... how did the getting rid of the key thing go?" she asked with an innocent grin. "Is... is it gone?"

No reply...

"Um..." She turned back to her group of friends, hoping they could give her advice for a way out of this situation.

"Don't say a word, Popsqueek..." Val whispered to her BFF. "That's exactly what he wants... don't give him the satisfaction..."
"Yeah... he can't know, y'all," Holly whispered. "He'll be so mad at us..."
"It is imperative to this investigation that he doesn't find out the truth," Lagoona whispered.

     All of her friends seemed to agree that she should keep up the lie. Keep hiding the key...

Poppy gulped, turning back to Branch who was still glaring at her silently.

     That's it! She couldn't take it anymore!

"Ok! Ok! I admit it!" she finally yelled out, cracking under the pressure. "I did it! I took the key!" She pulled the key out from behind her back, the group of girls behind her slapping their heads in unison.

"Yeah..." Branch replied softly, slowly nodding his head as he kept his gaze locked on Poppy. "I know..."
"Wait... what?" poppy asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"You wrote a note," he explained dryly, pulling the little piece of paper out of his hair to show her.

     Poppy took the note, looking at it with a quiet chuckle.

     "Oh... oh yeah..." she muttered softly. "Hee, hee..."

     "You wrote him a note!?" Val yelled.
"Well... yeah..." Poppy shrugged. "I'm not a monster."
"The point of secretly swiping the key was so he didn't know you took it!"

     "Ok... that's enough," Branch groaned, having heard enough yelling. "Poppy..." He turned to her, his gaze softening from a glare into a frown as he looked straight into her eyes. "I told you I wanted to get rid of that key..." he said softly. "Why would you take it from me?"

     She sighed, lowering her head to try and avoid eye contact.

     "I... I really wanted to know what it went to..." she explained, feeling rather ashamed of herself for lying to her own boyfriend who was only trying to protect her. "I just... I couldn't stop thinking about how awesomely magical whatever this key lead to could be... I'm... I'm sorry..."

     Branch sighed, slowly and gently wrapping his arms around the love of his life, allowing her to sob softly into his shoulder.

     "I'm sorry too, Poppy..." he told her, causing the queen of pop to look up at him in confusion.

     What could he possibly be sorry for? He didn't do anything wrong...

     "I know how you get about adventures..." he continued. "How excited you are to explore new things... but the truth is... I'm not like you... new things scare me, Poppy. There's still a big part of me that... that subconsciously wants to lock myself away again... that wants to hide away from the world and everyone in it... because that's what I know is safe... and... and no matter how hard I try..." He looked away with a sigh before continuing softly. "I'm still the same old grey grump who ruins everyone's fun... the same bunker dwelling introllvert I've always been... and always will be..."

     Poppy's eyes widened at what she was hearing Branch say. Is that really what he thought? How he felt?

     "Branch..." she started, taking his hands gently in hers. "You have changed so much since your bunker days. And you've worked hard to be the troll you are now. It's ok to still have some old habits..." He looked up at her, tears beginning to sparkle in his crystal blue eyes. "It's hard to change..." she sighed, gently placing her hand on his cheek. "But you don't have to. Because I love you, Branch... exactly the way you are."

     He smiled, hugging her tight before everyone else quickly joined in, creating one of the biggest, most loving group hugs ever.

     "I'll tell you what..." Branch finally whispered into Poppy's ear. "The next time you want to go on an adventure... I'll be right there beside you."
"Really?" Poppy asked, looking up at him. "Are you sure?"

     He nodded, giving her a small smile.

     "Positive..." he said. "Because... I would go anywhere... do anything... as long as it means I can be right next to you.