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Prologue
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Why did it have to be so fucking hot?
She flipped her ropes of aqua hair over her head as she pulled the strands into a pony tail. When she was standing back up, wobbling slightly do to the rush of blood to her skull, she took the time to pull a few shorter strands out to frame her face and mumble a few curses directed towards the weather under her breath.
Leaning against the rail of her balcony she switch the phone to her other ear and impatiently bit down on the inside of her left cheek, her lips shifting into a tight scowl as she did so.
The phone against her ear only continued to ring until she angrily flipped it shut. Taking this time to switch her stream of curses from the humidity to her boyfriend.
She released her swollen cheek from her molars and glared ahead at the setting sun.
Soon to be ex-boyfriend - mind you.
The sky, in the midst of the sticky heat and humidity, opened up and a downpour showered the ground below.
The aqua-haired teen on the balcony took this time to glare at the sky above. Only here could she stand in the midst of a torrential rainstorm and feel the fever of precipitation coating her skin.
Watching as a silver vein cracked the nimble sky ahead and feeling the after cry rumble and slightly shake her balcony railing, she opted to seek refuge inside the air-conditioned shelter of her room.
Stepping onto the plush carpet, the aqua haired teen quickly peeled off her drenched shirt and tossed it on the floor. She had almost forgotten about the small cellular phone grasped protectively in her arm until it began to vibrate against her sticky palm.
Cursing the song that rung happily from it, she opened it up - already angered by the sound of her boyfriend's favorite song.
"What?" She snapped, not bothering to hide the fact that she was perturbed with him. For Bulma Briefs was not one to play games nor be trifled with. She didn't hide her emotions behind some undetectable mask and she surely wasn't one to hide the fact that she was upset for the sake of others.
No. Bulma Briefs was selfish. And if she was pissed, whoever she was angry with was bound to know why.
"Bulma, baby." The masculine voice rolled smoothly, leisurely on the other end of the phone.
Her left eyebrow twitched with anger at the sound of his nonchalant voice. It was as if he had done nothing wrong.
"Allen, you fucking prick, don't act like you don't know I'm pissed at you." The girl began, almost calmly, her perfectly plucked brow falling back into place after a few deep breaths, "I told Katrina I was mad, and you know as well as I do that she couldn't keep her big mouth shut for a second. So, now that we're done pretending that everything is fine - I think it's time you confess."
"Confess? Confess what Bulma?" The boy on the phone released a frustrated sigh. So what? He knew that he screwed up, but he didn't understand why he had to physically tell Bulma that he was a useless pig if she had already found it out for herself.
"Okay Allen - here's the deal. I go away with my family for a few days to move my brother into his dorm and when I come back all I hear about is how you kissed Lauren Watson at John's party Saturday night." Bulma took a moment to breath and then she frowned, not really taking into consideration that her boyfriend wasn't exactly able to see the perturbed expression crossing her face at the moment.
"So you're pissed - I get it." Allen commented after listening to his girlfriend's angry voice spell out to him what exactly he had done wrong. "We've been through this before - I'm sorry babe. Will you forgive me?"
"No Allen." She quickly retorted. It was such a snap that he visibly flinched. There was no way in hell that she was going to forgive the prick for making her look like an idiot while she was away.
Truth be told, she wasn't sure what bothered her more - the fact that he had cheated on her, or the fact that she was more upset that he had ruined her reputation than the fact that he had cheated on her.
He was silent on the other end of the phone. Had he known that she wasn't going to forgive and forget like his girlfriends in the past had - he definitely wouldn't have cheated on her. What kind of guy was stupid enough to give up Bulma Briefs? Not only the richest, smartest, and most popular girl at Plaramount High - but the hottest to boot!
"Look Allen, we're done." The thunder rumbled in the background as the rain beat against the glass of her window pane, "So, whatever, bye."
Shutting her phone before giving him time to reply, Bulma leaned against her bed and shut her eyes. The rain and the heat and her idiot ex-boyfriend and the idea that school would be starting in less than a week and her now ruined reputation all adding up and causing her vision to blur slightly. Not because of the tears - Bulma was far to callous to allow something like that make her cry, but because of stress.
She was so stressed the thought of never returning to her stupid high school seemed quite pleasing to her.
Her door swung open and she growled beneath her breath, not wanting to deal with her prying mother at the moment.
"Well don't you look as terrible as ever."
At the sound of the familiar, masculine voice Bulma sat up in her bed and cast an unamused glance at the man standing in her doorway.
She frowned simply at him, not bothering that she was only in her blue jeans and bra, "What the hell are you doing here? Didn't we just drive three hours to move all your crap in your dorm to keep you there?"
He feigned a hurt expression and smiled, "Aw, c'mon sis, you miss me that much already?"
Laughing lightly she leaned back against the door and awaited his real response.
With a simple shrug he replied, "I forgot some of my stuff. And since classes don't start until next week anyway, I thought I would stay for dinner."
She tilted her head to the side slightly and allowed a mocking smile to cross her features, "You still haven't made any friends, have you Tien?"
The bald man rolled his eyes at his younger sister, "Haha. I have friends Bulma." Looking around the room he frowned, "Dumped that jerky excuse of a boyfriend yet?"
Rolling her cerulean eyes she leaned her head back to avoid his piercing gaze, "Just got off the phone with him."
"I'll take that as a no then."
Not bothering to look over at him to see the soon-to-be pleased expression on his face she mumbled, "Actually, it's a yes."
"Good." He stated simply, smiling as he turned from her doorframe, "See you at dinner."
"Yeah." She muttered as she listened to her door smack against the wooden frame as the rain outside came to a halt and silence encompassed the humid air outside her room.
"Mom, Dad."
The couple in question turned their attention to the grinning girl in front of them.
Tien simply look up at his, now dressed, sister while chewing quietly on his dinner. She had a smile that told him that she was up to something but he really couldn't have cared less as to what it was.
"Yes dear?" Their father questioned his daughter adoringly. How could he not be proud of his legacy? Bulma was a genius and showed much interest in science and mathematics. While his son studied business at State to help run the family business, he knew with pride that his daughter would be the one to engineer the products and inventions to come.
"I have a proposition for you."
Her mother merely blinked as her daughter continued.
"I was thinking, and you know how pointless going to high school is for me and everything- I mean, I'm a genius and easily the valedictorian of my class. I begged you guys to allow me to stay for social reasons and all - but now I realize that college has just as many social advantages as high school." She continued to grin, "Not to mention that I'll have the chance to not only mature but to be challenged academically for a change."
Her father smiled with a short nod, "Yes Bulma, you are very smart and will easily be accepted to any University that you chose. However,"
It was her mother that sent a frown in her direction, "However," she stated simply, "We don't feel comfortable sending you across the country. You're only seventeen after all dear."
Bulma nodded, almost ecstatically. Tien frowned, as if that had been exactly what she had expected them to say.
"Yes." She grinned, flipping a lock of aqua hair behind her ear and then using her finger to point towards her family seated around the dining room table, "But what if I went to a University not too far - a University where I would have some family close by to make sure I was safe and stuff - then wouldn't that be alright?"
"Well," Mr. Briefs said, turning to his wife with a small shrug, "I don't see any harm in that. We just don't want you rushing through life is all dear."
Brushing away the thought with her hand Bulma smiled, "No dad, I'll be fine. College will give me all kinds of opportunities to meet new people. But I know how I'll have the security of being close to someone who will make both of you guys feel comfortable about having me away."
She couldn't suppress the grin as she continued to break the news to her expectant family.
"I just got off the phone with the dean of Tien's school. He said that they would be happy to make an exception for me to extend the registration date. It would be an honor to admit the infamous Bulma Briefs." She giggled slightly at her quote, "He said that he would process my transcript and, ahum, perfect SAT score, and I wouldn't have a problem being accepted."
Tien spit his drink out and blinked at his sister in disbelief.
"No … no way. I am not playing babysitter for her all semester!"
Mrs. Briefs smiled at her husband and he nodded back, the pair completely ignoring the protest of their son.
"Well Bulma, I must say, it's a wonderful plan. I think spending some time with your brother and working towards your degree at the same time is a great idea."
"Yeah," his wife chirped in, "And then we could come down and visit the both of you!"
"Wha - but - No!" Tien pleaded, his eyes shifting in astonishment from his sister to his parents.
Bulma ignored her brother's pleas as she smiled, "Well thanks daddy. I'll start packing my stuff." She couldn't suppress her grin at her brother's reaction of her next statement. "I can just ride down to State with Tien in the morning."
He glared at her and she shrugged, her eyes promising him that she would explain more in the morning.
With a defeated sigh he chewed the remainder of his dinner in silence as he listened to his family chatter excitedly about Bulma's new venture into adulthood.
Outside a deluge erupted from the silent sky and the steady pattering of raindrops could be heard echoing against the bustling dining room of the Brief's mansion.