Bra; much like her mother, enjoys a challenge when it comes to men, but the younger carbon copy may have just bitten off more than she can chew when she decides to pursue Zak Bailen, resident untouchable bad boy of OSH, with a reputation that's longer than Shenlong in length. Pan and Marron see him for what he is; bad news, but all Bra sees is a challenge.
Okay guys, I recently became interested in the effects that drug use can have on a person and their surrounding friends and family, and I was like 'why not write a small; long chaptered fic about it?' Here it is, starts off as a BrxOC, ends up; hopefully, as a BrxGt. My very first fic in this style; with this coupling, so wish me luck. Enjoy the read.
"Are you still interested in Zak Bailen, Blue?" Pan asked incredulously, "come on, B, we both know that he's bad news." The bluenette shrugged with a mischievous smirk, "I've always wanted to date a bad boy, Panny; I've never done it before. I'm going to ask him to the Winter formal."
"You haven't dated one with good reason!" Pan whisper-yelled as they entered the school, "who the hell knows what kind of drugs are running through his system right now, or hard liquor or whatever-"
Bra covered her best friend's mouth, "Panny, live a little… It's not like I'm planning on marrying the guy. I just want to date him." The shorter brunette rolled her eyes and pulled away from Bra's hand, "whatever. If you're going to do it… then… well, just be careful."
"I'm not stupid, Pan-chan, I know my limits," the bluenette murmured, "and if he does do drugs, then I'll definitely break up with him."
Pan nodded warily, and then smiled and waved as Marron approached, her blonde locks swinging wildly through the air as she rushed over to them. As she reached them, she grabbed on to both of their arms and squealed, "Uub's going to the Winter dance with me!"
"That's great, Maz," Bra grinned, "have you picked out a dress?"
"Did you know that Bra wants to go to the dance with Zak Bailen?" Pan asked with mock-curiosity. Marron frowned at her blue haired friend, "why him? He's going to make you look bad; what with the bad reputation and all."
"Oh my kami," Bra groaned, "you two don't even know the guy, and yet you're telling me that he's nothing but trouble. Have either of you dated him? No. Talked to him? No. Exactly, so if I want to ask him out, then leave it alone and let me do what I want."
"Well excuse me for looking out for you, chica," the brunette said playfully, "I'm just being a good best friend and trying to keep you from getting into trouble—"
"Which I can do perfectly fine on my own," Bra cut in, "and I love you for this all, but I'm still taking the plunge. Don't wait up for me after school. Toodles." With that, the bluenette sashayed away to her last class of the day, leaving her friends standing in the hallway, looking stunned.
"Poor Goten," Marron whispered, "How can she not notice how much he loves her?"
"Maybe she does, and she just doesn't want to acknowledge it," Pan replied softly, "you know she's not into the overly serious relationships. I guess being with Uncle G would make her feel tied down."
The two friends shook their heads and began making their way to their own seventh period class, lapsing into an easy subject matter for conversation.
*after school*
Bra peeked around the corner of the hallway behind the cafeteria, searching for her target. There he was; leaning against the wall in all his bad boy glory, talking to a few friends. The bluenette began mustering up the courage and confidence to face him.
Come on, B¸ she mentally coached, you've asked guys out before; what's so different about this one? She shook herself once, brushed her hair back into the perfectness that she so loved, and made her way around the corner to face Zak, plastering her stunning smile onto her face.
"Hi, Zak," the bluenette breathed, tucking her thumbs into the back pockets of her jeans, "what's up?"
The black haired boy looked up at her with startling pale green eyes and smirked, "to what do I owe this pleasure, Miss Bra Briefs?" A shudder ran down her back as her name dripped from his lips, and her lashes lowered slightly. This was the look she used to win over her parents and older brother.
"The Winter formal is coming up," she began sweetly; suddenly emboldened, "and I was wondering if you'd like to go with me."
"I don't do dances," Zak replied brusquely, crossing his muscled arms over his chest, "go find one of those goody-goody guys you're always running around with."
"I don't want a 'goody-goody'," Bra told him in a hinting tone, "I think a girl like me needs a bad boy."
"Sweetheart, you can't handle all of this," Zak gestured to his most black-clad body, "badness even if you tried your best. Go find a little football player or something and stay out of the big leagues."
"Oh," Bra stepped up to him; so close the tips of their shoes touched, "I think you'll find that I can handle all your badness. You don't know anything about me other than what's on the surface, so don't make assumptions that you can't prove."
"Is that so?" the boy leaned in so their noses were just a hairsbreadth apart, "alright then, Princess… wear something black and show a lot of skin."
"What—tomorrow?" Bra asked incredulously as Zak squeezed around her and made his way over to the back exit. He chuckled softly and shook his head.
"Not tomorrow, Princess; wear it for this little dance you care so much about. I'll see you around, B. Briefs." He nodded once in her direction and glided out of the doors with his two friends.
Bra stood in the hallway for a moment, processing what she'd just heard. A grin broke out on her face, and she did a little happy dance right there in the hall before making her way to her own car to head home.
No man can resist the charms of a Briefs woman.
*that weekend*
Bra perused the clothing racks in the boutique, searching tirelessly for the perfect dress. So far, she'd found two extremely sexy black numbers, but they weren't packing the WOW factor she wanted. Pan and Marron were looking at a rack nearby, searching for their own dresses.
"I can't believe she's going to the dance with him," Pan whispered as she pulled a silver dress off of the rack, "he's no good; anyone can see it."
Marron nodded, examining an icy blue gown, "I know she's seen his name scrawled on the bathroom wall at least a million or so times. He's been around the block, and I don't mean in terms of drug variety," she furrowed her nose, "do you think this is too revealing?"
"Does it matter?" The Son girl teased, "Hasn't Uub seen it all?" The blonde flushed pink and looked away. It was no secret amongst the girls that Marron had gone all the way with Uub over the summer before senior year. Pan and Trunks had been doing the deed since March of junior year; by far the longest standing couple, and Bra… Bra was untouched as far as the girls knew.
"I guess," Maz said at last, "but I'm pretty sure he doesn't want the other boys looking at what's his." Pan shrugged, "Trunks likes to rub in the fact that I'm all his, so I'm pretty sure he wouldn't care if I showed up just a thread away from being nude. He likes me in red, purple, blue, or silver, though."
"How about this?" Marron unearthed an indigo colored strapless medieval style gown with silver embellishments, "I know; all the girls will be wearing big, poufy dresses; because it's the Winter formal, so this will definitely stick out… the corset bodice would accent your curves, and the flow of the skirt will draw attention to your hips. You've got a gorgeous set of shoulders and a lovely back… Trunks would love it."
"You drive a hard bargain," Pan said with a smirk, "none of the girls at school are rich enough to shop here, so I don't have to worry about anyone showing up in the same dress. Alright; I'll get it… only if you wear this."
The daughter of Gohan held out a rich, bright red dress; one-strap and floor length with a small cutout under the arm without the strap. The cutout would leave a good amount of the side of her creamy chest flesh out in the open, but not so much that it would be inappropriate.
"Pan…" Marron started to protest, and then sighed, "I'll do it."
"You guys," Bra rushed over to them, carrying at least six different dresses, "I'm going to try some of these on. Help me pick one."
Pan and Marron shared a look, handed each other the dress that the other chose for them, and followed Bra to the changing stalls. Might as well have something to occupy themselves with while Bra played dress up.
*in the stalls*
Pan quickly and neatly pinned her hair up in a bun and slipped out of her clothing; pilling it neatly on the shelf for clothes, and grabbed her dress and gently removed it from its hanger. The smooth silk rubbed against her fingers as she loosened the ties at the back of the dress and lowered the gown so she could step into it. Once the dress was up, she reached a slight problem. She couldn't tie the corset or clasp the little hook at the top of the dress to hold the back together. With a groan, she exited the stall and knocked on the door of the next one.
"Hold on, Pan," Marron replied, "let me finish zipping this." Her dress's zipper was on the side, fortunately, meaning she could zip it up on her own. Once she was done, she gathered her skirts and stepped out of the stall. Pan quickly turned to reveal her back, "clasp it at the top and pull the ribbons to tighten it."
Marron hooked the two silver clasps and began tightening the corset until she couldn't pull them anymore. Lucky for Pan, Marron wasn't quite that strong, and she could still breathe and the dress wasn't too loose on her frame. Marron had it perfectly. The blonde looped the silver corset ribbons in a neat bow with the long ends of it trailing nearly to the floor.
Pan walked over to one of the dressing room platforms and stood on it, "so? How does it look?" Marron beamed, "Trunks won't be able to keep his hands off of you," and joined her friend on the platform so she could look in the mirror, "what about me, though?"
"You look sexy as hell," the Son crowed, "Uub would be nuts to not notice that."
"Hey, what do you guys think of this?"
Both girls turned around, and their jaws dropped as they took Bra's first choice in. she appeared to be wearing a see-through dress with intricate black lace designs embroidered onto it to cover her intimate bits. The sleeves were long, and the neckline plunged down to just below her bosom.
"Are you," Pan stuttered, "are you crazy? Bra, it's a Winter formal, as in cold weather. You can't wear that see-through thing when it's 20 and 10 degrees out."
"It's not see-through, silly," Bra rolled her eyes, "there's fabric underneath that matches my skin. The actual dress is strapless and starts about here," she made a line across the middle of her breasts, "the lacy stuff covers most of my breasts, and in the back," she turned, revealing a wide oval of bare skin, surrounded by black lace, "the fabric is sewn in right below the bottom outline of the oval. I'm completely covered, even though it doesn't look like it. The only parts that are actually see-through are the shoulders and the sleeves."
"That's actually kind of cool." Marron admitted, and then smiled, "let's see you get that past Daddy Dearest, though."
"That's easy," Bra said with a Vegeta-like smirk, "I'll just let mom do all the talking. So, those are your dresses?"
Pan nodded and did a small twirl, "you like?" Bra grinned, "I love it, Panny; you look like a medieval Princess, and Marron; whoa, girl, you're gonna knock Uub's socks off with that one." Marron blushed as giggles filled the mostly empty dressing room.
"Alright," Pan snickered, "let's get back into our street clothes and pay for these so Granny Chichi and Mama can do the alterations." The girls headed back into their stall and changed before paying for the gowns and heading to Pan's house to reveal their purchases.
*at Pan's house*
(A/N: I got bored and added siblings here and there. Sue me. Pan has a sister that's about three years younger than her, and a baby brother who was a result of Gohan and Videl's 'Thank kami we survived Omega Shenron' sexytime. Marron has a little sister that's around GJ's age… so yeah, Krillin's still got it lol. I don't know if I should add another Vegeta-Briefs; Bulma's up in age, but I might. You know Bulma likes a challenge.)
Videl and Chichi looked up from their cups of tea as the sound of a key in the front door caught their attention. Little GJ; Gohan Junior, peered from under the kitchen table with wide periwinkle eyes, and Videl laughed, brushing his spiky hair out of his face, "go see who that is, GJ." The little three year-old dashed into the front hallway just as Pan pushed the door open.
"Panny!"
Pan grinned and hung her garment bag on the coat rack before kneeling down to hug her little brother, "Hey, GJ; what'd you do today?" she stood up and perched the chibi on her hip. The little boy's eyes glowed as he gushed, "I got to see Papa an' Unca 'Ten fightin' an' Granny let me help her make cookies. It was so cool, sissy!"
"I bet it was," Pan replied, kissing him on the top of his head, "look who came home with me." The little guy leaned around his sister and grinned as Marron and Bra entered the house and shut the door behind them, "B-chan! Maz-chan!"
"Hi, cutie," Bra giggled, kissing him on his forehead, "surprised to see us?" GJ nodded rapidly, "you guys are more fun than Chi-chan. All she does is read and write on her laptop-thingy."
"Don't be mean to her, Go-chan," Marron chided, "she's having fun in her own way."
"She could play with me!" the three year-old waved his hands, "I'm fun, too!"
"Don't we know it," Pan kissed him on the cheek and set him down before heading up the stairs with her dress, "Chi-chan! I got my dress, and I know you want to see it!"
Pan passed her own bedroom door and paused in the doorway of a purple room, "what's up?" The short girl sitting on the bed; with hair nearly as long as she was tall, looked up at her with periwinkle irises, peering over the black rims of a pair of reading glasses, "nothing much; the usual," she perked up at the sight of the dress, "what's it look like?"
"You'll have to come downstairs and socialize to find out, Chisana." Pan said with a laugh, poking her sister in the nose, "come on; GJ's been complaining about you again."
"Fine," Chisana gently closed her laptop followed Pan out of her room and down the stairs. When the two girls got down there, Marron, Bra, Chichi, and Videl were already in the room deigned for the measurements, fitting, and alterations; which was just down the hall from Gohan's office, and the girls were putting on their dresses again.
"Bra, this dress is positively gorgeous," Chichi gushed, brushing her hands over the fabric, "what about your father?" The bluenette shrugged, "he's got to put up with the abundance of females in his life who can sway him with a bat of their lashes. I got this in the bag."
The doorbell rang as Pan began unzipping her garment bag, and Chisana quickly sensed the ki, "It's Aunt Bulma and Rumi-chan." GJ squealed, "Rumi-chan," and dashed for the door. Gohan; who'd just come in from a spar with his father, Goten, Trunks, Uub, and Vegeta, followed his youngest child to the door.
"Mama, a little help with this?" Pan came out of the little changing area and turned around so her mother could tie the back of her dress. Videl beamed, "this dress is beautiful, Pan-chan," and clasped the top before pulling on the ribbons until they were tight enough to hold the dress up; and mold to Pan's curves, and tied the ends in a neat bow.
"Okay, turn," The mother ordered, taking a look at her daughter, "you might need the chest area let out just a bit, but other than that, it fits fine. You look stunning, Panny."
"Thank you," Pan said with a blush, and then squeaked as her boyfriend and father peered in the room, flushing deeper, "oh my kami, stop looking!"
"Why," Gohan asked teasingly, "you look beautiful." Trunks nodded, "I agree," and winced as Gohan shot him a deadly look.
Bulma squeezed past the two males, toting her youngest daughter in her arms. The little female Vegeta carbon copy—save for the crystal blue eyes—squirmed to be let down, and she quickly placed her on the floor. The chibi toddled over to her older sister and grabbed onto her leg, "you look pretty, B-chan."
'Thank you, Ruma," Bra replied, squatting so she could kiss her sibling on the cheek. Ruma giggled and ran off; presumably to play with GJ, leaving her mother to examine Bra's choice of dress.
"I like it," Bulma said softly, "do you want me to talk your father down?" Bra nodded, "please? I really like this dress." Her mother nodded, "I'll see to it that he won't say a thing. You look absolutely beautiful."
"Thank you." The two women giggled as they stood together, looking at the dress in the mirror. Bra sighed dreamily to herself.
Zak's going to love it…
*at the Vegeta-Briefs' household*
"What is this travesty that you're wearing, girl?" Vegeta demanded, walking in circles around her, "if you wanted to be nude, then why not just… be nude?"
"Daddy," Bra whined, "it's in style these days, and I really want to stand out at the dance." The Prince shook his head, "No daughter of mine will allow such a degrading article of clothing to adorn their body."
Rumi; who was standing near his feet, holding onto his leg, giggled and hugged him around his knee, "Daddy, don't be mean to Bra-neechan!" The proud Prince struggled to stand his ground under the assault of such a cute little monster. Her warm little body continued to hug his leg as his wife stepped up to the plate.
"Vegeta, let her wear it," Bulma implored, walking over to her daughter, "you can clearly see that this isn't skin, but fabric, so she isn't nude. The dress underneath is the same shade as her skin color. I actually think it's rather cute."
"Woman-"
"You can agree with me or you can sleep on the couch, Veg-head," Bulma warned, "It's your call."
Rest assured, Vegeta wasn't about to sleep on the couch!
Briefs women: 1
Veg-head: 0
*Week 1: Friday: Afterschool*
Bra meandered over to where her friends were parked in the student lot, swinging her keys around her finger as she went. As she neared her car, a hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, "Hey, B. Briefs."
Her heart fluttered in her chest at the sound of his husky, baritone voice, "H-hey Zak. What's up?" He smiled charmingly, "A few friends of mine are meeting up at the pizzeria on 5th street in about fifteen minutes for some grub. You in?"
"My friends and I already have plans to go eat at the Sushi bar on 84th avenue…" Bra began, "I can't just ditch them like this."
"Well," the dark haired boy twiddled his thumb, "I thought that; since you want to go to this shindig with me, then we should at least get to know each other better. Your friends will always be there, Princess; it's just one day."
"Umm… Okay…" Bra still looked torn, "I'll go tell them what's up." She then made her way over to Pan's bright red Dodge Dart II and leaned into the window, "Panny, Maz?"
Both girls looked up and Pan smiled, "ready to eat some sushi, B-chan? I know I am." Marron hit the brunette on her arm, "you always want to eat; no matter what kind of food it is." A soft blush coated Pan's cheeks, and she looked up at Bra, "well?"
"My mom called," Bra lied smoothly, "she wants me home now; something about helping her out in the lab or something. It's only for a few hours. I won't be able to make our reservations, though…"
"Oh…" Pan looked slightly crestfallen, "well, alright. Mom comes first, you know. Maybe some other time?" The bluenette nodded, "It'll have to be some other time. See you guys next week."
"Alright, bye." The blonde and brunette waved as Bra ran back over to her Porsche, slid into the driver's seat, and peeled out like a bat out of hell.
"Oddest thing," Marron began, "I don't remember Aunt B working on anything in the lab recently." Pan shrugged, "maybe it's something she started working on today, but even then… she wouldn't ask Bra to help unless it was something major, and then Blue would've told us about it."
"Whatever; it's her business if she wants to tell us or not," Marron said softly, "now let's go get us some sushi."
"You said it, sister." Pan giggled, staring up her car and pulling out into oncoming traffic.
*a while later*
"B-chan!" Pan yelled, coming up the stairs to Bra's room, "we brought you your favorite sushi to go!" She and Marron reached her room and made their way inside. Bra was lying on the bed, reading a magazine and eating a slice of Tuscan spinach, mushroom, and chicken pizza from the gourmet pizzeria on 5th street.
"Sorry guys," Bra apologized, "I got a little hungry earlier and ordered something from La Tourneau's."
"Okay… even though it's weird because you never eat pizza after school on a Friday because of your weird weekly food schedule." Pan plopped on the end of the bed, "does that mean I can't eat your sushi?"
"No."
"Dammit."
*Week 2: Thursday: Before school*
Bra sat in her car, carefully and artfully applying her make up. She used a soft lavender shadow to bring out her blue eyes, and lined them in dark purple liner and applied a few coats of clump-free mascara. Once that was done, she coated her lips in a shimmery dark pink gloss; just a light enough coat to give her lips a slight shimmer, and put her things back into her make up bag once she was satisfied with her look.
"Hey!"
The bluenette jumped at the sound of the voice, and rolled her window down, "Zak? What is it?" The dark haired boy smirked teasingly, "just wanted to see what was going on in this little car of yours. What's your first period?"
"College level Statistics, why?" Bra looked up at him, and Zak grinned, "I've got Trig; it's on the same hallway. Wanna walk to class together?"
"Uh… I usually walk with Pan to first period because we have it together…"
"What's one day to change it up a little?" Zak asked curiously, "I'm pretty sure home girl won't mind walking alone just for one day, now would she?"
"No…"
"Well, come on, then," the dark haired boy stepped away from her car door, "the bell's about to ring." Bra gathered her things and put them in her rucksack before rolling her window back up, turning the car off, and slid out of the car. She then locked it up tight and pocketed her keys before following Zak into the school.
Pan and Marron, who'd just arrived, watched the strange event happen with surprise. The brunette girl shook her head, "it's only one time," she shrugged, "it's not like she'll make a habit of it." The blonde frowned, "She's been making all sorts of excuses to get out of hanging out with us after school… don't you think it's weird that she's walking to class with him all of a sudden?"
"This is the first time we've seen them walking to class together, Maz," Pan began leading the way across the lot, "they're going to the dance together; I'm pretty sure it's necessary to be social with your date."
That day marked the first of many days where Pan and Bra wouldn't walk to first period together.
*Week 3: Monday: after second period*
"Hey, Zak!"
Zak looked up as the cheery bluenette sidled up to him, easily coming to stride with him and smirked, "What; come to revoke your little invite to the dance?" Bra shook her head, "No, I came to tell you that I found my dress, and it fits all the requirements that you wanted."
"Is that so?" Zak looked over at her, "well, you might wanna bring something else to change into because if you're going to be my date, then you'll have to go to the after party with me. My boy Lucas is throwing a huge basher at his place while his rents are on vacation in the Islands."
"After party?" Bra looked like a deer in headlights, but quickly recovered, "I'm sure I can swing it with my folks. They don't mind what I do as long as I come back home when it's over."
(A/N: Lies! When you have a Daddy that is the Prince of All Saiyans, you can't get away with anything!)
"So the prim and proper Princess has a wild party girl side," the dark haired boy said with a smirk, "I'll have to see it to believe it, your royal highness."
"You'll find that there's more to me than it seems." The bluenette said coyly, "as I said before; don't make assumptions that you can't prove," a smirk formed on her lips, "and if I'm the Princess, then what does that make you?"
"I'm the black night of your fairytale, B. Briefs; that's what it means," Zak said with a low laugh, "see you around… and come sit with me during lunch. There's somebodies that I want you to meet."
"Is that a sneaky way of saying that you want to eat lunch with me?" Bra asked teasingly, "Because if it is, I might just say yes."
"It might be, Princess," The dark haired boy broke off from her to head to his next class, "it might be…"
Bra watched him go, clutching her binder to her chest, oh kami, that was so hot! The warning bell rang; causing her to jump, crap, my class is the other way! The bluenette started running down the hall, I can't be tardy again; Ms. Oaken will slap with a detention slip!
*at lunch*
"Well, hello there, handsome," Pan said with a giggle, smiling as Trunks took the seat next to hers, "what brings you to my part of the town?"
"I just wanted to look in your beautiful face," Trunks replied, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek, "well that, and to treat you to your favorite food for lunch."
"You brought me something from Yahoo's?" The Son asked incredulously, and then squealed as he placed the humongous bag of food on the table, "I'll love you forever and ever and ever and ever!" she hugged him tightly before ripping the bag open and rifling through its contents, searching for her favorite burger and her fries.
"I take it she enjoyed your little surprise?" Uub snickered as he and Marron started to eat their own burgers. Trunks nodded, "I believe so. Where's Bra?"
"I don't know…" Marron said with a frown, "Panny, did you see her?"
Chisana; who'd just arrived, took her seat next to Pan and reached into the bag to get a burger for herself; knowing Trunks would always buy her something to eat as well, "she's not going to talk to you until she's finished inhaling her burger and fries. I saw Bra heading over to sit with that greasy looking Bailen guy and his friends."
"What?" Pan dropped her half-eaten burger and looked at her sister, incredulous, "she didn't even say anything to us!"
"Whoa, I didn't ask for see food," Trunks snickered, closing Pan's mouth, "and what's the big deal; maybe she didn't have a chance to tell you."
"I doubt that," Pan snapped, "because I have fourth period; which is right before lunch, with her. She told me she had to go to the bathroom and that she'd catch up with me."
"Why'd she lie?" Uub asked, "is she ashamed to spend time with the guy?"
"Clearly not since he's taking her to the dance next weekend." Marron replied haughtily, "I just don't see the draw there; honestly."
"Me either," Chisana said softly, "Bailen's a slime ball and he treats women like trash."
"Even my little sister; who'd sooner have her head in a book than actually pay attention to the going on's of high school drama, knows that he's no good," Pan said, and then smiled at her sister, "and I'm glad you don't pay attention; it'll scar you for life."
"Hurray." Chisana said half-heartedly, fishing her reading glasses and Mockingjay out of her book bag. She then flipped to her earmarked page, pulled out the ragged bookmark, slipped her glasses on, and started delving into the world of Panem and District 13.
"I never liked that book, Pan whispered conspiratorially, "President Coin was such a-"
"Backstabbing bitch?" Chisana finished, and Pan hit her lightly on the arm, "you're not old enough to swear." The younger Son shrugged, "Mama says the same about you, yet you-"
"Hey, guys," Bra walked over to the table, "I-"
"If you weren't planning on sitting with us all you had to do was say so," Pan told her seriously, "you don't need to lie." Marron nodded in agreement, and Chisana continued to read her book, blissfully ignoring the mini confrontation.
"So go on," Marron said with a small, forced, smile, "sit with him; we totally understand." Pan rolled her eyes and muttered, "understand my ass," under her breath. Trunks pinched her gently on the arm and kissed her temple before looking up at his little sister, "who's your new boyfriend?"
"None of your business," Bra retorted coolly, "now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going now."
Pan sighed sharply as Bra crossed the cafeteria, waving to Zak as she neared their table, "this is so messed up… How did he manage to worm himself between the three of us like this?"
"I don't know…" Marron replied softly, "look; the dance is this weekend, maybe she'll come back to her senses once all this excitement is over."
"I hope so." Pan replied, returning to devouring her burger; though with less fervor and enthusiasm than before. Her good mood had officially been shot, and the quickly forming barrier between them and Bra was to blame.
*Friday: Day before the Dance*
For the rest of that week, Bra didn't sit with her friends at lunch, hang out with them after school, and she barely walked with them to class, or socialized with them in general. Things were slowly but surely becoming strained between the three close friends.
"Are you guys coming over to my house to get ready?" Bra asked enthusiastically as they walked down the hall to third period together, "we could have a sleepover tonight."
"No thanks, Bra," Pan replied, "I think I'll sleep at my own house tonight. Marron could sleep over at my place since Kame Island is such a long commute, and then we'll come by first thing in the morning."
"Huh," Bra frowned, "you usually jump at the chance to spend the night so you could lock lips with Trunks."
"Yeah, well, we decided not to see each other until the night of the dance on Monday at lunch," Pan replied stiffly, "you would've known this if you'd sat with us that day… or said anything other than hi and bye to me all this week."
"Pan, I was just trying to get to know Zak better," The bluenette chided, "he's taking me to the dance; I ought to know something about him."
"Sure, sure," the brunette replied dismally, "I guess I'll see you in fourth period… but I guess I shouldn't expect to be able to talk to you, huh?" Before Bra could reply, Pan broke away from them and headed around the corner to her cooking class.
"What's up with her?" Bra wondered, "Why's she being so bitchy all of a sudden?"
"You'd know if you actually paid attention to us all this week," Marron said gently, "sorry, Bra, but you're just going to have to be blissfully ignorant this time… I bet that's nothing new, though." The blonde also went around the corner to the cooking hall, for she and Pan shared the same class.
"…" Bra shook her head vehemently and turned back around to go to her computer class, wondering what the heck just happened. They're just not used to me not hanging around them all the time, she told herself, they'll adjust and everything will go back to the way it was…
*that night at Pan's house*
Marron and Pan sat on the thick carpeted floor of Pan's room, painting their nails for the dance tomorrow night. Their faces were coated in a pink mask, intended to exfoliate the skin, soften it, and make it glow. A bowl of cut up fruits and veggies was set on a tray on the floor, complete with ranch dip; for the veggies, and cream cheese; for the fruit.
"There," Pan extended her toes, "isn't that cute?" she'd painted her toes a sparkly indigo color with silver tips, almost like a French manicure. Marron giggled and nodded, "it's going to look so cute tomorrow. What are you going to do to your fingers?"
"The exact opposite," the Son replied, "silver with dark blue tips."
"You know," Marron began, waggling her thin blonde brows, "Uub told me that his fifteen year old brother has a little crush on Chi-chan."
"Oh?" Pan looked up, "well, I guess I'll have to kick his ass, then."
"Pan!" The blonde chided, "Kālu's a good kid. He wouldn't do anything to hurt her."
"Mmhm…" the brunette said with a smirk, "Chi's only seen him a few times… I think she likes him, too." Both teens started giggling and Pan snickered, "their couple name would be… Kalsana."
"That's actually not bad," Marron mused, "ours is Marub or Uubron."
"Truanny or Panks… Or Punks!"
The two girls dissolved into raucous giggles as they continued to create funny rearrangements of the names of the different couples that they knew, and the laughter only grew in intensity and volume as they continued on.
"Vegulma."
"Godel."
"Chiku."
"Krillhachi."
"Vihan… ick…"
"Bulgeta? Eww…"
"Gochi… not bad…"
"Juulen?"
Pan grabbed a few strawberries from the tray and ate them, "alright, let's quit before we create something that's scar us for life." Marron giggled, taking a sip of her water, "I think Bulgeta already did it for me," she shuddered, "imagine if they named a child that? Poor Trunks, Bra, and Ruma."
"I think Vegeta would have to die first, come back to life, and die again for that to happen, Maz." The Son giggled, and then shook her head, "let's wash the masks off before we do our nails; that way, we won't mess them up."
"Aye aye, captain."
I know; it seems like I blew through the three weeks between the start of the story and the dance, but it's necessary so I'll have time to really get into the destruction that Bra's eventual drug use will cause. I'll try to include a bit more Bra and Goten interaction, because there wasn't much in here. I hope you guys like this.
-SukiChan12^-^