A/N: Well, guess what? This is now my main story, yay! Remember, reviews are love.

Dragonballgeek101 : heh, this soon enough for you?

Moonfire Thunderstorm : I like making Vegeta mean, makes his rare nice moments all the more special.

Cilvanti : Glad you liked, here's the next chapter.

Chapter 3 : How we deal

Chichi nervously tapped her fingernails against her jean clad knee. All night she had been nervous for Bulma's sake and had repeatedly checked her cell phone to see whether she had missed any calls. So far there had been no word.

"Chi, what's wrong with you tonight?" Goku asked the woman sitting beside him on the bleachers, "you seem stressed or worried or something."

Chichi smiled at him slightly and shook her head, "you know me, Goku, I always have to be worried about something."

"So, what is it this time?" Goku prodded.

"Nothing, it's just really stupid," Chichi replied, trying to return her attention back to the martial arts match in front of them. She glanced sideways at the short man sitting to the right of Goku. She felt so bad for Krillin, he looked just as distracted as she was. She didn't know what she'd do if Goku always hung around with one of his ex-girlfriends, but she was sure she wouldn't be sitting idly by like Krillin was. She pulled her cell phone out of her purse and checked it again, still nothing.

Goku finally turned to her, "Chichi, really, what's wrong?"

Chichi sighed, "I'm just worried about Bulma, is all."

"Why? She's safe with Juu and Vegeta." Goku pointed out.

"And you trust those two?" Chichi exclaimed and clapped her hand over her mouth when Krillin turned his head to look at her, "I'm sorry Krillin."

"Nah, that's ok," Krillin replied, "I don't much trust them either. I'm glad Bulma's with them though, makes me worry a little less."

"Oh, Krillin," Chichi pouted, "why don't you say something to her?"

Krillin shrugged, "everyone asks me that but the truth of the matter is, is that I know that if it came down to it, she'd pick him over me. I'm not sure if I want to lose her over something like this."

"So, you'd rather sit here and let her walk all over you?" Chichi asked him, "that's really not fair to you in the least, Krillin."

"Look, Chi, you're like a sister to me, but this is something I have to handle on my own," Krillin told her before looking back at the match.

Monday morning, Chichi caught up to Bulma at her locker before first period, "where were you all weekend? I tried to call you to do something all Saturday."

Bulma looked at her raven haired friend with a smile before shutting her locker, "I was hanging out with Juu, Jay and sometimes Vegeta, when he agreed to grace us with his presence."

"All weekend?" Chichi asked, "I thought this was only a one night thing."

"So did I," Bulma agreed with a nod of her head as the pair started walking towards their chemistry class. "But I had such a fun time with Juu that night that she asked me to go shopping with her and Jay on Saturday. Sure, Vegeta was kind of a downer that night, but Juu is just awesome."

Chichi frowned. 'Juu' and 'awesome' were not two words that she would put in the same sentence. "Well, did you want to come over to my place tonight to study chemistry? There's a test in a couple days."

'Sure," Bulma accepted as they entered the class room and took their seats in the back of the room. "So, I'm pretty sure Vegeta just hates me," Bulma giggled, "but it's so much fun to get him going. He joined us Saturday night and I just couldn't help teasing him."

"Really?" Chichi asked in a disinterested voice, hoping Bulma would get the hint.

"But hey, at least he talks to me now," Bulma continued on, "he used to just glare, now he likes to make threats against my voice box." She paused to wave at Yamcha as he came through the door. Surprisingly he came to the back to sit in front of Bulma.

"Hey, babe," he greeted her, leaning over her desk to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, to what do we owe this marvellous pleasure?" Bulma asked, batting her eyelashes slightly.

"Do I need a reason?" He replied.

"If you need help for the test on Wednesday, come to my house tonight at five," Chichi told him and smiled sweetly at him when he narrowed his eyes slightly at her.

"Thanks," he said after a moments hesitation before turning his attention back to Bulma, "so hun, got plans for this weekend?"

Bulma shook her head, "nope, nothing more then hanging out, why?"

"Well, there's this party that Tien is having Saturday night at his parents cabin. It's a couple hours drive up there, but it should be great," he paused with a goofy smile on his face, "so you in?"

Bulma frowned slightly, she didn't really like Tien or the rest of Yamcha's friends. The idea of spending the weekend with them was not something that was high on her list of things she wanted to do.

Yamcha saw her frown and sighed, "come on Bulma, you're always on me about spending more time with you. Plus, I can't show up to the party alone." When her frown didn't cease, he pressed on, "both Marron and Launch are going to be there."

Bulma rolled her eyes, "I'll think about it, ok? I'll give you an answer in a couple days." That seemed to placate him as he turned back around in his seat to face the front of the class. Bulma laid her arms on her desk and placed her chin on them. She hated Yamcha's guilt trips and the way he always tried to manipulate her. There was one party last year that she didn't go to with him and he ended up taking another girl to it. When Bulma had confronted him about it, he only shrugged and said 'I told you I couldn't show up alone', which basically placed the blame on Bulma for him cheating on her. He irritated, annoyed, and manipulated her, but they'd been together for four years. Bulma just couldn't see throwing all that away.

"And what if I make you choose?" Vegeta asked as he and Juu walked down the middle of a hallway.

"You wouldn't make me choose," she replied, "you'd be too scared of the answer."

Vegeta growled slightly, "I've about had it with that girl."

Juu rolled her eyes and stopped abruptly, grabbing Vegeta's arm to make him stop as well, "I'm asking her to come to lunch with us today, and that's that. If it'll make you feel any better, we'll take Krillin along too."

"Fine, but you owe me," he told her and started walking towards the cafeteria again.

"Whatever," she replied, catching up to him.

Chichi was walking down the main hallways towards the cafeteria when she caught sight of Bulma going in the same direction, not far in front of her. She was about to hurry her steps to catch up to her when Bulma was intercepted by Juu, Vegeta and Krillin. Chichi stopped in the middle of the hallway and watched as Bulma walked off with them towards an exit. "I can't believe it," she muttered to herself as she hurried into the cafeteria to find Goku and Yamcha sitting at a table talking about sports.

Yamcha glanced at her when she plopped herself down, "where's Bulma?" He asked, looking around.

"Out with her new best friends," Chichi huffed.

"Her new best friends?" Yamcha repeated, "who's that?"

"The blonde witch and her bodyguard," Chichi replied. She couldn't believe Bulma would ditch the group purposefully to hang out with them. Ever since her and Bulma had met earlier that school year, they had been practically inseparable. Chichi had never had a really good female friend before and she found herself really enjoying Bulma's company, but now Bulma would rather be around Juu. Chichi hated Juu now more than ever. She had never liked how blunt or insensitive she was and often clashed with her. Secretly Chichi had been hoping for Krillin to break up with her and make her and Vegeta go away.

"Really?" Yamcha exclaimed, "you got to be kidding. My Bulma wouldn't hang around those two. She's the epitome of cheerfulness and pep, they're, well, they're boring and just plan mean." Yamcha had had a previous run-in with Vegeta when he transferred to Orange Star High two years ago. Needless to say, Yamcha was on the receiving end of a beating.

"Thank you!" Chichi piped up loudly, "finally someone agrees with me."

Goku leaned back in his chair and shook his head, "look guys, I know it may be a little odd, but all of them are our friends and their entitled to hang out without us."

Chichi continued looking at her boyfriend for a moment before turning back to Yamcha, "and that's another thing. They, what, just forgot to invite Goku and me? That's ridiculous. That blonde witch is just planning a hostile take over of the group and slowly inching Goku and me out."

"Don't worry, Chi," Yamcha told her, "I'll straighten her out at the party this weekend, remind her who her friends really are. In fact, why don't you come along?"

"Me?" Chichi replied and thought for a second, "well, I guess I could."

"Great," Yamcha said and noticed Tien sitting a couple tables over, "well, I'll see you tonight, I'm going to go hang with my guys."

Chichi nodded absently and watched him get up before turning her attention back to Goku, who was grinning at her. "What?" she asked.

"Do you really think that this is going to go well?"

"Everyone's acting weird," Bulma stated. She was laying on her back on her bed, with her head hanging off the foot of the bed.

Juu rolled her eyes as she walked around Bulma's bedroom. This was the first time she had ever been there. "Don't worry about it, they're just having problems adjusting."

"That's what I thought too," Bulma agreed, changing into a sitting position, "but last night, when we were studying, there was such an underlying tension to it. I mean, it's not like anyone said anything, we just studied Chemistry, but still."

"Everyone seemed fine at lunch today," Juu stated, "Chichi was as unpleasant to me as always." She plopped down in Bulma's computer chair and turned in it to face her. Juu got a disgusted look on her face, "she's too… loud and in everyone's business."

"That's just the way Chi is. She has four younger siblings and her father's a single parent," Bulma told her, "she kind of has to be loud to be heard and has to be in her siblings business to protect and guide them."

"That doesn't mean she has to carry that over to people her own age," Juu replied.

Bulma just shrugged. 'So, I have to give Yamcha an answer tomorrow on the party. He actually invited Chi to it to try to persuade me into going."

"He's nothing but a ball of scum, Bulma," Juu stated as her cell phone started ringing, "just dump him already and find someone better." She fished her cell out of her bag and looked at the incoming callers name before giving Bulma a wicked grin, "speak of the devil," she pushed the 'talk' button, "Hey, Veggers."

Bulma giggled slightly, she could almost hear Vegeta grumbling on the other end of the line.

"I'm over at Bulma's, why?" Juu asked, still speaking to Vegeta, "well, you want to come over? I'm sure she won't mind." a slight pause ensued before she continued, "you can trust her, Vegeta, it's fine." There was another pause before she hung up and turned her attention to Bulma. "You're parents aren't home still, right?"

Bulma shook her head, "no, they won't be back for another four hours or so. Why?"

"Vegeta's coming over," Juu told her and stood to go downstairs.

Bulma followed her down into the front hall, "Juu, what's going on?"

Juu turned and looked at her, "I like you and I trust you. Don't betray that or you will be sorry."

Bulma didn't know what to say to that. "You're starting to freak me out a little."

Juu sighed, "look, Vegeta's got some issues at home is all. His father's a really great guy, I just adore him but he's away on business more often then not. Now his mother is a completely different story. She's a rodent, plain and simple. She's verbally, emotionally and physically abusive to her son and not only that, but she cheats on her husband any chance she gets. Vegeta can't stand to be in the house when she's behaving like that."

"Oh…" Bulma replied, taking it all in, "I had no idea."

"That's because he doesn't want anyone to know. Everyone's got secrets, Bulma," Juu told her, "everyone has a life that they don't tell anyone about. It's how we deal."