Sooo, I thought I should update. The only problem is, I'm caught up to what I have written! Aghhhhhh! For all those who care, I had a lovely party :) Thank you!
Bulma huffed as she threw her backpack down on the floor next to her bed. She ripped her jeans off and yanked her drawers open, searching for a pair of sweat pants. She roughly pulled out the hair-band keeping the braid she had spent a half hour on that morning. Tearing up when she pulled out a clump of hair that was stuck in the band, she rubbed her head.
"I don't care anymore!" she shouted to no one in particular then growled in frustration.
A knock came from her door a moment later. "Bulma, dear. Are you okay?" he mother asked.
"I'm FINE mom," Bulma answered angrily. "I just need to be ALONE!"
Bunny sighed. "Alright." She turned to leave, but remembered something. "Don't forget Vegeta's first match tonight, sweetie. I know he'll want you to be there for him," she finished and left.
Obviously not if he hasn't spoken to me all week, she thought. Vegeta had successfully ignored her every time they were in the same vicinity. He had even managed to disregard her when he was riding on the back of her hoverbike in the mornings. Mrs. Brief would pick him up after wrestling practice after Coach Kai kicked her out of the gym for "complaining too loudly."
Bulma fell backward on her mattress and kicked her shoes off. She had spent hours trying to understand what had happened from Vegeta's perspective. Yeah, he may have initially thought she was frolicking with Yamcha, but Yamcha confessed to her the next day that he told-off Vegeta.
That boy definitely has trust issues. I wonder what happened to him. Bulma thought back to the day she followed him after school. His guardian at that time, Linda, had told her his parents had died when he was little.
Bulma sat up in her bed. That's it! Vegeta has trust issues because of his past. And to get him to trust me, I'll just find out why he is the way he is. She smiled, realizing all she had to do was to uncover his dark past to understand him.
Vegeta was sprawled on the practice mat in the gym. His eyes were closed as he concentrated on his breathing. From somewhere above his head, he could hear Coach Kai yelling at a kid for his improper form and Kakarot goofing off by the back doors. Those blasted doors. Every time he walked down the stairwell to the locker room, he thought of Bulma. It was hard enough to live across the hall from her but to pass by that place every day was testing his limits.
He lifted his head off the mat and pounded it down again, trying to clear his thoughts of her. It's not my fault. I told her I would have no part in her scheme. Vegeta tried convincing himself that it was merely part of the overall plan – that he truly had no feelings for her.
That failed miserably. As he flipped onto his front, he crossed his arms beneath his chin and watched the team. Coach Kai had moved onto his next victim, and Kakarot was walking to the front of the room. Vegeta followed his path and saw Chi-Chi standing by the wall, waiting for him.
He watched the pair with curiosity. What do they see in each other? One is a brainless oaf, while the other is… well, the same. His head tilted to the side in confusion. They are the same. He looked away as he saw Kakarot bend down to kiss her. Their relationship worked because of their equal statuses.
That is why it will never happen, he concluded. It wouldn't have lasted. It didn't last. I need to stop thinking about it. He rolled onto his back, again, and stood up. It was time to get on with the day.
Bulma came to a stop in front of the brick, two-story building. She glanced across the road at the park; someone had taken the liberty to claim the slide and a swing as their own, marking them with purple spray paint. She walked into the hallway and up the steps, quickly finding the third apartment.
Linda answered the door, minus the baby. She stared at Bulma for a moment before saying, "Bonnie? What are you doin' here, hon? Vegeta doesn't live here anymore."
Bulma smiled. "I know," she said shyly.
The questioning look on her face relaxed. "Would you like to come in?" She opened the door wider to allow Bulma to enter. The apartment was dated but clean. "Paul, my husband, took the kids out for a walk. They were gettin' restless," Linda explained. Somehow, that didn't surprise Bulma.
She looked around and saw a small kitchen. There were three, small bedrooms and a bathroom. Linda motioned for her to take a seat on the couch in the living room.
"What can I help you with?"
Bulma looked around, unsure of how to begin. "I… I wanted to know… more, about Vegeta."
Linda looked at her, suspiciously. "Why?"
"Well, my family, sort of, took him in. My real name is Bulma, Bulma Brief."
The woman's eyes widened. "As in the Briefs of Capsule Corporation? You're the one Vegeta's livin' with?"
"Um, yeah."
She let out a long whistle. "Well, I'll be damned. What are you doin' here? I'm sure you can find out anything you want just by askin' around."
Bulma nodded. "I can find out cold facts, yes, but I want to know how he was like with you."
"I only had the boy for two months. The people at the agency don't really tell you much about them. They only said that his parents had died when he was younger, and he kept bouncing around from family to family his whole life. I guess he was a hard kid to manage."
"Did you have any problems with him?"
Linda tapped her chin in thought. "Not really, but he wasn't the most cheerful person to be around. I'm sure you know what it's like. He's moody, doesn't talk. Sometimes he would get into fights with Paul, well, I guess you couldn't really call it a fight – more of like passive aggression, tellin' him that he had no right to tell him what to do. He didn't play with the kids either. He was a loner."
Bulma thought about this information. Yeah he's like that, but not with us. Not with me. "And you never found out why he was like that?"
"The only things I know about him are what I've seen, and that isn't much." Linda shook her head. "How long did he stay with you?"
Bulma glanced up. "He's still living with us." Linda looked confused. "As in, he hasn't left, by force or will."
"Well, I would say I was surprised, but you seem like a determined young lady. That much is obvious since you're here bombarding me with questions about Vegeta." Bulma blushed in embarrassment. "Aw, now I'm only teasin'," Linda amended.
"I'm just trying to figure him out," Bulma explained.
Linda stood up. "Wait here." She left the room and returned holding a piece of crumpled paper a moment later. "Here," she said, handing it to Bulma. "When I was cleaning, I found this under Vegeta's bed after he left. I'm not sure what it meant to him, but I couldn't throw it away, just in case. I guess he didn't need it after all."
Bulma looked down at the paper. It was an address written in the small handwriting she remembered Vegeta had from detention. "You never checked this place out?"
"I wasn't curious about it, and I didn't have time. Somehow, I think you'll manage though."
Bulma thanked her and left. She walked out to the road with a hop in her step. If you think I'm giving up that easily on you, Vegeta, then you have another thing coming to you.
A/N: ok so I still don't know where I'm going with this! Pleaseee give me suggestions/ideas - even if they're out there! I need inspiration any way I can get it! Thanks for reading :)