Last time:

"Yamcha!" she cried.

"Don't you dare judge me," he snapped at her, then shoved her aside and left.

"St-Stop him!" Vegeta managed to say, holding his stomach. "He's going to tell her!"

Chapter 11: No Tears

Bulma closed her locker and leaned against it, sighing with pleasure. She couldn't remember a time she'd been happier—not with Yamcha, not as a child, not ever. She was married, she was in love, and for the first time in her life the future didn't scare her.

What did scare her—though it was in a good way—was that she actually found herself picturing her and Vegeta with children. Chi-Chi had always been the one to want children, she was a mother through and through. Hell, even 18 was more apt to want kids than Bulma. All her life had been about science, furthering her mind, but children had never been part of it. Not until Vegeta showed up, and turned her whole world upside down.

What's wrong with me? she couldn't help thinking, though a smile was plastered across her features.

Her eyes drifted to her wedding ring, and for an instant she was worried about Yamcha and how he would react to the marriage. He was already scaring her with his behavior at their break-up; she couldn't imagine how he was going to take the fact that she dumped him to avoid a long-distance relationship and then turned around and got married.

"Bulma!"

Her heart stopped and she looked up to see the very person she had been dreading running towards her. He looked frantic, but somehow pleased, as if he carried both good and bad news.

"Bulma!"

"Yamcha, please don't—"

But before she could finish her sentence, Goku and Chi-Chi came barreling down the hall, followed laggardly by a keeled over—

"Vegeta!"

"No!" Yamcha cried, shoving her back into her locker. "You have to listen to—"

"Don't touch her!" Vegeta coughed out, and would have tried to grab him had it not been for Goku's lightening reflexes. "Don't you dare!"

"Don't I dare? You're one to talk, Ouji!"

"Bulma!" Chi-Chi cut in. "Bulma wait! You have to understand!"

"We should have told you!" And this time it was Goku. "But you were gone, and we couldn't get a hold of you, and then—and then the twins and Krillin and the car and—We're so sorry."

"No!" Vegeta barked. "I should have told you! These morons—"

"Shut up!" Yamcha hissed. "You had your chance and you made your decision! I refuse to stand by and let you have what I can't!"

"Bulma, listen to me!"

"No, me!"
"Bulma!"

"Bulma please!"

"He only want to hurt you!"

"Me! That's all you do!"

"Not intentionally, Richboy!"

"Don't listen to them!"

"We should have told you! The second you got back! We—"

"SHUT UP!"

The hallway was deafeningly silent.

Bulma took a step back and assessed the group that stood—panting and nearly hysterical—before her.

Subconsciously she grabbed her left hand with her right, twirling her ring.

"What's going on?" she asked, regretting the words before they past her lips.

Everyone opened their mouths at once.

"Vegeta," she said, silencing them again. "What…What happened?" Anything involving her lover and ex-lover, not to mention her closest friends, could not be good. And there had been mention of secrets or lies, something kept from her and her alone.

Instead of answering, Vegeta looked to Goku, and Bulma knew in her heart that nothing would ever be the same. Her insides seized up and she dropped her arms to her sides, fists clenched. She felt the sting of oncoming tears, but couldn't explain it. Nothing had happened yet! But already so much had changed.

"Look at me!" she said through her teeth. "What happened?"

Vegeta open his mouth to speak but, no matter how hard he tried, no words came. He stepped forward and grabbed her hands and made gestures as if to speak. Then, shocking even Yamcha, he threw down her hands and backed up, sneering, scowling, being exactly the person everyone always thought he was.

He couldn't do it, couldn't tell her.

He was giving up.

The group looked at Yamcha, stunned, and so did Bulma. No one had anticipated this. No one was prepared. Not even Yamcha, who could only stare back at them.

"Yamcha, what's going on?" she asked, her voice softer, sadder. "What's this about?" She couldn't even look at Vegeta. Not until she knew.

I—I…I…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out his checkbook. He extended his arm, but the instant her fingers touched the leather exterior, he snapped his arm back, clutching the book to his chest.

He was regretting what he'd put into motion, but it was too late to pull out now. Everything was fine, the revenge was going perfectly, until, that is, he actually had to go through with hurting her, hurting the girl he'd loved since the moment he met her. He could no longer remember why putting her through so much agony had meant so much. All he could see now was her beautiful, innocent face, and she was in pain. She needed the truth, but vengeance was no longer in his heart. He loved her more than he thought he had, more than he thought he could, but he realized it too late.

"Is someone going to tell me?"

"Bulma, I love you," Yamcha whispered. "I love you and I'm so sorry. I did what I thought I had to, I did something stupid and cruel and—"

In the blink of an eye Bulma had the checkbook in her hands, and when Yamcha tried to get it back, she took off down the hall. She only made it past a few doors, however, when she stopped dead, her tear-filled eyes fixed on the information before her.

"What does…it mean?"

"Bulma—"

"What does it mean!" she screamed, pitching the book at him. "Why are you paying Vegeta! What the hell is going on?"

"It's complicated and—"

"I'm a fucking rocket scientist," she hissed. "Try me."

"I was so mad at you when you left me," Yamcha began, unable to look at anyone. If someone had told him revenge would hurt this bad, he wouldn't have even considered it. "I wanted to get you back. I wanted…I wanted to…hurt you so bad, the way you hurt me."

"I already knew you were immature," she bit. "What did you do?"

"I paid Vegeta to…to…I paid him to—"

"He paid me to date you!" Vegeta blurted out, looking angry and terrified and sad all at once. "All I had to do," he continued hurriedly, running his words together, not even thinking as he spoke, as he dug his own grave, "was date you until you fell for me, then dump you, humiliate you like…like you did…to him." He was suddenly short of breath, panting, and now only sadness painted his face. Fear and anger no longer registered. He'd been anticipating this for so long, and now it was here, and he had no idea what to do. For the first time in his life he had nothing at his disposal. He was screwed and he had no one to blame, no way out.

He was in love with Bulma Briefs, but none of that mattered now. Nothing he could possibly think to say would matter.

And she was completely silent, blank.

And that was the worst thing that could happen right then. Everyone waited for—everyone needed—to know what would come of this.

"I," Bulma began, her jaw firm, determined, though her eyes were nearly ready to burst. "I knew…I knew it was too good."

But that was all. No crying. No yelling. No violent tantrums. Only those few words, and then she turned around and walked away.

No one even thought to stop her.

"Oh Kami," Vegeta whispered, holding his chest because he felt as though he would be sick, and echoed by Goku and Chi-Chi, who all continued to stare down the hall after Bulma, willing her to turn around, to listen, to not have a broken heart. Yamcha was the only one not looking after her. In fact, he was backing away, attempting to get as far from them as he could before reality truly sunk in. "Oh Kami…Oh Kami."

Vegeta spun around and, before anyone could even have a thought as to what was happening, Yamcha was against the nearest set of lockers, his nose bloody and his hands up to cover his face from more blows.

"Why!" Vegeta hissed, teeth barred and spitting angry saliva everywhere. "Are you happy now! Is this what you wanted!"

"No!" Yamcha cried, and pushed with all his strength to get free. "No, not anymore…I'm sorry Vegeta. I am. But how am I supposed to change this? It's over!"

"You couldn't accept defeat like a man, could you?" he spat, then let go, and Yamcha dropped to the floor like so much dirty laundry. "No, that would have been too difficult. But crushing someone—that's your cup of tea, isn't it Richboy? It isn't enough that you have money and have never had to worry about a thing in your life! It isn't enough that you had her without trying, without a catch! You had to have it all and now look! Look! Look…" He took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching his fists. "If you don't get out of my sight in the next five seconds I don't think I'll be able to stop myself from killing you."

His words and tone and stance were so determined, so sincere, that Yamcha didn't even attempt to retort, to apologize again. He scrambled to his feet and took off down the hall, nearly colliding with the principal that was advancing on the rest of the students assembled in the hall without passes.

"What is going on here?" the principal demanded, coming up to them. "Mr. Son, Miss Mau, Mr. Ouji. Would you mind explaining yourselves?"

"Forgive us," Chi-Chi piped in immediately. "Yamcha confronted Vegeta just now because he found out that he and Bulma got married. He was furious and tried to hit Vegeta. He was only defending himself."

The principal eyed them with suspicion, then nodded.

"Very well," she sighed. "I believe you. But I will need you, Mr. Ouji, to come to my office at the end of the day. Bring Miss Briefs with you too. We have some things to discuss."

The second she was around the corner Vegeta jumped back, holding his cheek. Chi-Chi stood before him, fuming, her arm still out after having slapped him so hard across the face that her hand stung.

"You are damn lucky that I saved your ass, Vegeta. Nevermind the fact that you betrayed everyone and used Bulma for money. How could you let her fall for you? Don't you get it?" she laughed bitterly, her eyes threatening tears. This was too much. "That's all that matters to her, that's all she's thinking about. She loved you without restraint and you betrayed her. She still loves you and that's the worst thing of all, Vegeta, because now she hates you too. And no one, not even you or Yamcha, deserves that kind of pain."

"I didn't—"

"What does it matter that you didn't mean to, or didn't plan to, or didn't want to—the point is you did and there's no way to change that. So take your own advice: be a man and accept what's happened."

The next day the twins and Krillin returned to school. But they would have much rather been at Capsule Corp., comforting Bulma. Unfortunately though, they'd already missed so many days and it would begin affecting their grades if they didn't go to class.

What they didn't know, what no one aside from her parents knew, was that Bulma hadn't shed a tear, hadn't said a word, hadn't made a gesture or signal that she was even affected by the information she'd received. Chi-Chi had called her mother the evening before—the day it had happened—and told her everything. In turn she had expected to pick up on the signs of sadness from her daughter, but all that happened was she decided to stay home from school for the day and help her father in the lab.

No one spoke to Vegeta. But even if they wanted to, they wouldn't have been able to. He hadn't come to school, and as far as they knew he wasn't ever coming back. Goku went as far as to go and talk to the principal, but she couldn't tell him a thing he didn't already know. He hadn't gone to see her yesterday afternoon like he was supposed to, and he never called in sick.

It was nearly a week later that both parties finally came back; Bulma on a Tuesday and Vegeta the day after. It was a strange time, and no one knew what to do.

"Hey B," 18 said carefully, placing her hand on her shoulder. "How are you?"

"I'm great," she answered; not too quickly, not too hesitantly—exactly the way she normally did. They didn't know whether to rejoice or call a shrink. "I did some thinking, but I'm sick of not being at school."

"You're not—" Goku began, but was cut off when Bulma started to laugh.

"Upset?" she sighed, and laughed a little more. "No. I'm good. Really."

They looked at her as though she'd sprouted an arm from her forehead.

"I'm serious, you guys. I'm fine."

"Have you even…cried?" Chi-Chi whispered, as she put her arm around her. "I talked to your mom the other night and she said—"

"What does she know? She's been with dad for twenty-some years with nothing to complain about. And no, I haven't cried, but I don't need to. I realized that it was silly of me to get so upset about something so dumb. I mean, I only knew Vegeta for what?—six month?—and then got married? What was I thinking? It was a mistake and I'm fine."

"You keep saying that," 17 said, stepping forward, "but that is so easily said. Are you over him?"

She hesitated for the smallest fraction of a second.

"I'm good," she said firmly.

"Bulma," Goku said. "Do you even realize what's happened?"

"Of course I do."

"Vegeta was paid to date you," he said as softly as he could. "Then dump you and humiliate you, and you're okay with that? B, you married him. I thought you—"

"Loved him?" she howled with laughter. "Oh Goku, you're the best. You really are. He was a rebound after Yamcha, nothing more. I've already talked to my parents and I decided that a divorce is the best thing. I mean, really, how could I have been so rash? Marriage while I'm still in highschool? It's a miracle that one of you hasn't committed me yet."

"Have you seen him since?" Krillin asked cautiously. He had to know; they all had to know.

"Yeah," she said nonchalantly, though for the first time something changed in her demeanor. Nothing big, nothing noticeable unless you had been looking for it. "I saw him during second period. We have Japanese together. I was going to go over and ask him when he wanted to see the divorce lawyer, but before I could he 'd handed in the assignment and left. It was strange."

"Strange? Bulma!" Goku cried. "What's wrong with you? Is anything registering? You two were married!"

"Yeah, and now we'll be divorced. Simple as that."

"Simple as that? Are you hearing what you're saying? Simple as that? Bulma, it is not simple as that!"

"What are you getting so worked up for? It's my life. Kami," she sighed. "Listen, I have to see my physics teacher before the bell, so we'll talk about this later."

She was around the corner and gone before they could say a word.

"What the hell was that?" Chi-Chi sighed, biting her lip. "She's in worse shape than I thought."

"I know," 17 agreed. "What are we going to do?"

"What can we do?" 18 asked. "She won't ever admit that she's upset."

"I think she just needs time," Goku suggested. "Let her come to us."

"I guess you're right. I just hate seeing her like this. It's horrible."

"I know…But it's all we can do."

The group walked to down the hall, splitting off at their respective classes, completely at a loss for what to do.

AHHH! Can you believe it! It actually happened! Ahhh! What will happen next!

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