______________________________________________ YOUTH OF THE NATION _______________________
_____________________________________________________________________ Rhapsody~* _________
______________________________________CHAPTER THREE: At the Quarry Pool
The only sign of the previous night's events, that Vejita could see anyway, was a beautiful diamond and platinum ring on Bulma's finger. He had to give her credit for not bragging to her idiot friends about what they had done. He made it a point to avoid her until he could think up of something to say to the girl that wouldn't betray his uncertain feelings. He was rather unsuccessful, so Bulma did not see much of him during school that day.
Not that she noticed much. Chichi and Goku constantly bombarded her with questions. At first she had been annoyed, but as the day went on she realized that she could use them to her advantage. So, when Chichi slid into the desk beside her after taking a test in Lit, she did not wave her away, or even discourage the curious girl, as she had been doing all day. She just went on with her homework half-heartedly, aware of the longing stares a junior guy across the room was shooting her. She did not appreciate the distraction. She shot him a look of disgust and smiled when he quickly looked away, his cheeks red with embarrassment and shame. Then she directed her attention to Chichi, who was gripping her desk in anticipation.
"What is it?" Bulma asked, though she knew very well what Chichi wanted. "I have to finish this, or I'll never get it done, so hurry up!"
"You know what I want to know," Chichi protested. "What HAPPENED yesterday? I've been DYING to know ever since then! And that fire! Don't tell me that you know anything about that."
"Even if I did, it would be Vejita's story to tell," Bulma said mysteriously, enjoying the hold she had over Chichi. "After all, he started it."
"He DID?!"
Bulma held the hand with the ring out in front of her, admiring the beautiful piece of jewelry. Chichi, however, did not suspect anything. Bulma's wealth was quite well-known. "Of course he did. And I swear to God, it was his idea. I was horrified when he first did it! But then again..." She smiled wistfully. "I never knew how much I was attracted to him. He's so much more interesting than Yamcha, that boring son of a bitch."
"You loved him once," Chichi said dryly. "And I've heard the whole 'oh, he's so much more interesting' speech before. Bulma, are you crazy? Vejita?! He's practically public enemy number one around here, for God's sake! He's probably murdered somebody before, and thats why he used to move around a lot."
Bulma was suddenly deathly silent, her face tight and angry. "So what if he HAS? That should make him all the more appealing to me, shouldn't it? Jesus Christ, Chichi, what have I told you about saying things like that?! Do you want to get me convicted or something?" She turned back to her work, her pen scratching the paper angrily.
"I'm sorry!" Chichi snapped, offended. "It was just a suggestion."
"Well," Bulma huffed, obviously not interested in talking to her anymore. "For future reference, keep your suggestions to yourself. What I did yesterday is none of your business, anyway."
Chichi studied her for a moment, then nodded and silently walked back to her seat. Bulma waited until she had gone, then ripped the paper she had been writing out of her notebook and crumpled it in her hands. She tossed it towards a garbage can, missed, and then put her head in her hands, feeling a headache coming on.
"Is there a problem, Miss Briefs?" the teacher asked, coming over to her desk. "Do you need a pass?"
Bulma glared up at the offending teacher, not afraid of his authority. "Do I LOOK like I want help?! I don't need a pass, goddammit! I'm fine! Go away!" She watched as the teacher meekly walked away, and then put her head back into her hands. "This is going to be one hell of a long day."
_______________ ~*~*~*~
Bulma was quite correct in her assumption--it turned out to be a long, incredibly uneventful and boring day. Chichi withdrew all of her ridiculous questions, and she must have advised Goku to do the same, because he did not bother her with them either. Though she did not like people talking about her mood swings, she was a bit grateful for this. She did not know why Chichi's suggestion bothered her so much. Perhaps, she had come to thinking, it was because of how much sense it made to her. Often, she herself had felt like fleeing Pineridge instead of dealing with all of the stress that comes with hiding such a dark, horrible secret. But still, she could not easily imagine Vejita as some kind of fugitive, especially since it had been his whole family that had moved, not just him alone, and his father had been in the military, and it would be sort of hard to hide that kind of thing from him. But then again, why else would Vejita be so interested in associating with her? He had gone out of his way several times now, and their mutual legal problems might be the reason for that.
She was so intent in her thoughts that she nearly ran a red light at the intersection nearest to her house. She slammed on the brakes and after she was sure that she was safe, rested her forehead on the steering wheel, cursing the car gods for being so cruel to her. How was a girl supposed to be able to sort things out when there was a damned traffic light every quarter mile? When the light changed she sped through it like a madwoman. At the moment, all she wanted to do was go home, change out of her cheerleading outfit, and soak in a bubble bath. But when she trudged up to her front door, she discovered that, once again, adversity had followed her home like a faithful shadow.
None other than Vejita was sitting on her stoop, leaning against a smooth white column with a bored expression on his face. Bulma stopped a few feet away and fingered her gym bag anxiously, waiting for an explanation. Vejita looked up at her once, grinned at her outfit, and then looked back down at his hands.
"How did you get here?" Bulma asked, looking towards the long driveway. "I don't see your car."
"Its down by the road," Vejita said. "Didn't think your parents would appreciate me being here."
"Why ARE you here?" Bulma stepped over him and opened the door, peering inside. "Nobody's around. They're probably over in my dad's lab or something. Come on in."
Vejita followed her into her house, observing the rich surroundings as she led him to her mother's parlor, where she disappeared behind the mini-bar. Vejita took a seat and ran a hand over the smooth marble counter. "Damn, what were you doing shopping at the mall? Your old man could probably BUY the mall."
Bulma reappeared with a strawberry wine cooler in one hand and a handful of beers in the other. "Got a preference?"
Vejita grabbed one and set it back down on the table, not really feeling like a drink. He had never been a heavy drinker, not even when his past friends had tried to pressure him into it.
"Daddy would never lower himself to buying a shopping mall. He usually likes to buy out the competition and things like that, for understandable reasons. Chichi's wrong--I don't need college. When I finish high school I'll just start working with my dad so that I can take over the company eventually."
Vejita studied her. She felt as if he had X-ray vision and was tearing her mind apart, looking for all of her secrets. "High aspirations."
"My parents wouldn't settle for anything less," Bulma said breezily, leaning back on her elbows. "You still haven't told me why you're here. You don't strike me as the type to visit just for the sake of socializing."
"Now, THAT'S a stereotype," Vejita pouted, pretending to be insulted. "What gave you such an idea?"
"Screw you." Bulma's words were serious, but her eyes were dancing. "Well, if you're not gonna tell me, then you can forget about the free beer. Hand it over."
"How do you do it?" Vejita stared at her, holding her eyes seriously.
Bulma set down her drink and furrowed her brow. "Do what?"
"Pretend that you're just like every other FOOL out there." Vejita kicked over his chair and slammed his fists on the bar, leaning in closer to her. "I know what happened at that damned party, and I want to know how you can pretend that it wasn't your FUCKING fault when it so obviously was! Are you a good actress or just some kind of idiot?"
Bulma was shocked at the intensity of his tone more than what he was saying. His eyes were hard and angry, like he was truly feeling badly. She involuntarily took a step back at this sudden mood swing. For a moment there, she had felt like he was going to attack her. But that was ridiculous...right? "I don't pretend anything, Vejita, I just don't talk about it. I've had time to recover."
"That girl's parents are going to bring the entire city's police station down on you. And no matter how well-known or popular or clever you think you are, you're not going to be able to do a fucking single thing about it." Vejita removed his hands from the bar and took a step back, apparently calming down a little. "I know, because I'm in the same boat as you, as much as I hate to admit it."
Bulma's jaw dropped. "What are you trying to tell me, Vejita?"
"I'm not TRYING to tell you anything. I'm TELLING you that my family doesn't move around because of my father's profession. We move around because of an idiot bet, much like the one you received."
"You're lying, you bastard! What makes you think that you can manipulate me like this?"
"You want proof? I can take to you to where they hid the body." Vejita smirked. "Hell, I can even show you where the poor little jackass hit the pavement."
"H-hit the...pavement?"
"One of the guys I used to hang around with lived near this old quarry pool," Vejita started, the eerie smirk still on his face. His eyes were expressionless, as if he were looking into a completely different time and place. "There was a platform about a hundred or so feet above it. We used to go there to smoke and shit, but one day this new kid came with us."
"Oh God," Bulma moaned, putting her hands to her throbbing temples. The memories came rushing back to her in one big flash flood of pain. "I don't want...I don't NEED to hear this. I believe you, dammit!"
"He was such a dumbass," Vejita spat, as if he hated him still. "The kid would have flung HIMSELF off of the platform if we'd have told him to. But no, my 'buddy' decided that it would make things so much funnier if someone PUSHED him, just so the kid would get an idea of who was really boss in that town. Come to think of it, that particular 'friend' of mine was a real pushover too, if you'll excuse the pun there." Vejita grabbed the beer and opened it, contemplating taking a sip. "He was also a pussy, so I got stuck with the fucking job. This kid wasn't into football or anything, so the wind could've blown him over the edge. I just...gave him a little head start."
"So that's why we've become so 'chummy'," Bulma muttered. "Well...this is fantastic."
"The kid's parents were just as stupid as he was," Vejita went on bitterly. "When I left, they didn't suspect anything, but I knew that that wouldn't last long. Just like that Mariah or Maria or whatever is such a danger to you. You may be the Queen Bee at Pineridge, but when they started investigating the case again you'll become nothing but a prissy little Prison Princess."
Bulma shook her head. She would not fall for these lies so easily! "You just want to make sure that you have some kind of sick hold on me. Well, let me tell you, you can't scare me with that trick. You've never killed anybody, and we both know it."
"Do we?" Vejita queried, the smirk replaced by a solemn frown. "I'm not telling you this for amusement, woman."
"Then why?" Bulma demanded. "Why, Vejita? You think that we can team up or something, live up to Chichi's whole 'Bonnie and Clyde' idea?"
"No--but it sounds like a reasonable idea. Think of the mall--we've lived up to that reputation already. We're both in a tight situation here. If we can somehow get people to forget the things that they think they know about both you AND me, then maybe we can finally be rid of all of the foolish accusations."
Bulma was doubtful. "We would have to pull one hell of a trick to make them forget something like that. And I'm telling you right now, I'm not going to do anything that's going to get me locked up."
"Who says we're gonna let ourselves get caught?" Vejita asked. "Nobody has to know but the people we choose."
"That's right," Bulma mumbled to herself. "The only people who know that I did it are..." She looked up at Vejita, her bright blue eyes wide. "I'm not going to do anything that's going to hurt them. They're my FRIENDS. We've been partying and stuff together since the sixth grade!"
"It might seem like it now," Vejita quietly, darkly. His eyes were hard with the rememberance of earlier events. "But the moment that they are bribed, threatened, whatever, they won't hesitate to use whatever they can against you."
"That's ridiculous," Bulma scoffed, but she was already half won over by the seriousness of Vejita's mannerism.
"Tell that to me after that harpy of a friend of yours is competing against you for Prom Queen, and your little secret is her desperate ticket to the top."
Bulma was saved from having to answer, because at that moment her father and several collegues came ambling into the room, intent on having a mid-afternoon drink. Vejita stood and started to leave, trying to hide his identity from Dr. Briefs, who know of his controversial nature from his father. He was not sneaky enough. Dr. Briefs looked at him quizzically as he left and slammed the front door behind him. Bulma watched him, too, until her father snapped his fingers in front of her face.
"Care to explain?"
Bulma smiled and hurried to make martinis for her father and his coworkers, who were also watching her curiously. "He was just asking me a question about the football game next week. They're uh...changing the time around a bit, and since I'm the captain of the cheerleading team, he figured that I would be the first to know." She beamed her most kiss-ass smile and handed her father his drink. "Enjoy."
___________________________________________________________________________________________
(A/N): Sorry about the slow update. I've been very busy lately, and I spent all of yesterday in the hospital for my stupid back. Its a long story, but in short I was dirtbiking with my boyfriend (who, is by the way, who I've modeled Vejita after in many of my fics...:-)...) and he swerved to avoid an unexpected obstacle and we were both thrown off the bike. He got off easy but I screwed up my back or something like that, so now I have THAT to deal with. Umm...I'm not going to be able to update from Christmas Eve to January 6th because I'm going to be attending many Christmas parties, and then I'm off to Fort Lauderdale! I can't wait! But anyway I'll try to fit in as many chapters as I can between now and then, okay? Now come on guys, I need some more reviews for this fic! Please do me a favor and click that button right down there! Ja ne!
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________ Rhapsody~* _________
______________________________________CHAPTER THREE: At the Quarry Pool
The only sign of the previous night's events, that Vejita could see anyway, was a beautiful diamond and platinum ring on Bulma's finger. He had to give her credit for not bragging to her idiot friends about what they had done. He made it a point to avoid her until he could think up of something to say to the girl that wouldn't betray his uncertain feelings. He was rather unsuccessful, so Bulma did not see much of him during school that day.
Not that she noticed much. Chichi and Goku constantly bombarded her with questions. At first she had been annoyed, but as the day went on she realized that she could use them to her advantage. So, when Chichi slid into the desk beside her after taking a test in Lit, she did not wave her away, or even discourage the curious girl, as she had been doing all day. She just went on with her homework half-heartedly, aware of the longing stares a junior guy across the room was shooting her. She did not appreciate the distraction. She shot him a look of disgust and smiled when he quickly looked away, his cheeks red with embarrassment and shame. Then she directed her attention to Chichi, who was gripping her desk in anticipation.
"What is it?" Bulma asked, though she knew very well what Chichi wanted. "I have to finish this, or I'll never get it done, so hurry up!"
"You know what I want to know," Chichi protested. "What HAPPENED yesterday? I've been DYING to know ever since then! And that fire! Don't tell me that you know anything about that."
"Even if I did, it would be Vejita's story to tell," Bulma said mysteriously, enjoying the hold she had over Chichi. "After all, he started it."
"He DID?!"
Bulma held the hand with the ring out in front of her, admiring the beautiful piece of jewelry. Chichi, however, did not suspect anything. Bulma's wealth was quite well-known. "Of course he did. And I swear to God, it was his idea. I was horrified when he first did it! But then again..." She smiled wistfully. "I never knew how much I was attracted to him. He's so much more interesting than Yamcha, that boring son of a bitch."
"You loved him once," Chichi said dryly. "And I've heard the whole 'oh, he's so much more interesting' speech before. Bulma, are you crazy? Vejita?! He's practically public enemy number one around here, for God's sake! He's probably murdered somebody before, and thats why he used to move around a lot."
Bulma was suddenly deathly silent, her face tight and angry. "So what if he HAS? That should make him all the more appealing to me, shouldn't it? Jesus Christ, Chichi, what have I told you about saying things like that?! Do you want to get me convicted or something?" She turned back to her work, her pen scratching the paper angrily.
"I'm sorry!" Chichi snapped, offended. "It was just a suggestion."
"Well," Bulma huffed, obviously not interested in talking to her anymore. "For future reference, keep your suggestions to yourself. What I did yesterday is none of your business, anyway."
Chichi studied her for a moment, then nodded and silently walked back to her seat. Bulma waited until she had gone, then ripped the paper she had been writing out of her notebook and crumpled it in her hands. She tossed it towards a garbage can, missed, and then put her head in her hands, feeling a headache coming on.
"Is there a problem, Miss Briefs?" the teacher asked, coming over to her desk. "Do you need a pass?"
Bulma glared up at the offending teacher, not afraid of his authority. "Do I LOOK like I want help?! I don't need a pass, goddammit! I'm fine! Go away!" She watched as the teacher meekly walked away, and then put her head back into her hands. "This is going to be one hell of a long day."
_______________ ~*~*~*~
Bulma was quite correct in her assumption--it turned out to be a long, incredibly uneventful and boring day. Chichi withdrew all of her ridiculous questions, and she must have advised Goku to do the same, because he did not bother her with them either. Though she did not like people talking about her mood swings, she was a bit grateful for this. She did not know why Chichi's suggestion bothered her so much. Perhaps, she had come to thinking, it was because of how much sense it made to her. Often, she herself had felt like fleeing Pineridge instead of dealing with all of the stress that comes with hiding such a dark, horrible secret. But still, she could not easily imagine Vejita as some kind of fugitive, especially since it had been his whole family that had moved, not just him alone, and his father had been in the military, and it would be sort of hard to hide that kind of thing from him. But then again, why else would Vejita be so interested in associating with her? He had gone out of his way several times now, and their mutual legal problems might be the reason for that.
She was so intent in her thoughts that she nearly ran a red light at the intersection nearest to her house. She slammed on the brakes and after she was sure that she was safe, rested her forehead on the steering wheel, cursing the car gods for being so cruel to her. How was a girl supposed to be able to sort things out when there was a damned traffic light every quarter mile? When the light changed she sped through it like a madwoman. At the moment, all she wanted to do was go home, change out of her cheerleading outfit, and soak in a bubble bath. But when she trudged up to her front door, she discovered that, once again, adversity had followed her home like a faithful shadow.
None other than Vejita was sitting on her stoop, leaning against a smooth white column with a bored expression on his face. Bulma stopped a few feet away and fingered her gym bag anxiously, waiting for an explanation. Vejita looked up at her once, grinned at her outfit, and then looked back down at his hands.
"How did you get here?" Bulma asked, looking towards the long driveway. "I don't see your car."
"Its down by the road," Vejita said. "Didn't think your parents would appreciate me being here."
"Why ARE you here?" Bulma stepped over him and opened the door, peering inside. "Nobody's around. They're probably over in my dad's lab or something. Come on in."
Vejita followed her into her house, observing the rich surroundings as she led him to her mother's parlor, where she disappeared behind the mini-bar. Vejita took a seat and ran a hand over the smooth marble counter. "Damn, what were you doing shopping at the mall? Your old man could probably BUY the mall."
Bulma reappeared with a strawberry wine cooler in one hand and a handful of beers in the other. "Got a preference?"
Vejita grabbed one and set it back down on the table, not really feeling like a drink. He had never been a heavy drinker, not even when his past friends had tried to pressure him into it.
"Daddy would never lower himself to buying a shopping mall. He usually likes to buy out the competition and things like that, for understandable reasons. Chichi's wrong--I don't need college. When I finish high school I'll just start working with my dad so that I can take over the company eventually."
Vejita studied her. She felt as if he had X-ray vision and was tearing her mind apart, looking for all of her secrets. "High aspirations."
"My parents wouldn't settle for anything less," Bulma said breezily, leaning back on her elbows. "You still haven't told me why you're here. You don't strike me as the type to visit just for the sake of socializing."
"Now, THAT'S a stereotype," Vejita pouted, pretending to be insulted. "What gave you such an idea?"
"Screw you." Bulma's words were serious, but her eyes were dancing. "Well, if you're not gonna tell me, then you can forget about the free beer. Hand it over."
"How do you do it?" Vejita stared at her, holding her eyes seriously.
Bulma set down her drink and furrowed her brow. "Do what?"
"Pretend that you're just like every other FOOL out there." Vejita kicked over his chair and slammed his fists on the bar, leaning in closer to her. "I know what happened at that damned party, and I want to know how you can pretend that it wasn't your FUCKING fault when it so obviously was! Are you a good actress or just some kind of idiot?"
Bulma was shocked at the intensity of his tone more than what he was saying. His eyes were hard and angry, like he was truly feeling badly. She involuntarily took a step back at this sudden mood swing. For a moment there, she had felt like he was going to attack her. But that was ridiculous...right? "I don't pretend anything, Vejita, I just don't talk about it. I've had time to recover."
"That girl's parents are going to bring the entire city's police station down on you. And no matter how well-known or popular or clever you think you are, you're not going to be able to do a fucking single thing about it." Vejita removed his hands from the bar and took a step back, apparently calming down a little. "I know, because I'm in the same boat as you, as much as I hate to admit it."
Bulma's jaw dropped. "What are you trying to tell me, Vejita?"
"I'm not TRYING to tell you anything. I'm TELLING you that my family doesn't move around because of my father's profession. We move around because of an idiot bet, much like the one you received."
"You're lying, you bastard! What makes you think that you can manipulate me like this?"
"You want proof? I can take to you to where they hid the body." Vejita smirked. "Hell, I can even show you where the poor little jackass hit the pavement."
"H-hit the...pavement?"
"One of the guys I used to hang around with lived near this old quarry pool," Vejita started, the eerie smirk still on his face. His eyes were expressionless, as if he were looking into a completely different time and place. "There was a platform about a hundred or so feet above it. We used to go there to smoke and shit, but one day this new kid came with us."
"Oh God," Bulma moaned, putting her hands to her throbbing temples. The memories came rushing back to her in one big flash flood of pain. "I don't want...I don't NEED to hear this. I believe you, dammit!"
"He was such a dumbass," Vejita spat, as if he hated him still. "The kid would have flung HIMSELF off of the platform if we'd have told him to. But no, my 'buddy' decided that it would make things so much funnier if someone PUSHED him, just so the kid would get an idea of who was really boss in that town. Come to think of it, that particular 'friend' of mine was a real pushover too, if you'll excuse the pun there." Vejita grabbed the beer and opened it, contemplating taking a sip. "He was also a pussy, so I got stuck with the fucking job. This kid wasn't into football or anything, so the wind could've blown him over the edge. I just...gave him a little head start."
"So that's why we've become so 'chummy'," Bulma muttered. "Well...this is fantastic."
"The kid's parents were just as stupid as he was," Vejita went on bitterly. "When I left, they didn't suspect anything, but I knew that that wouldn't last long. Just like that Mariah or Maria or whatever is such a danger to you. You may be the Queen Bee at Pineridge, but when they started investigating the case again you'll become nothing but a prissy little Prison Princess."
Bulma shook her head. She would not fall for these lies so easily! "You just want to make sure that you have some kind of sick hold on me. Well, let me tell you, you can't scare me with that trick. You've never killed anybody, and we both know it."
"Do we?" Vejita queried, the smirk replaced by a solemn frown. "I'm not telling you this for amusement, woman."
"Then why?" Bulma demanded. "Why, Vejita? You think that we can team up or something, live up to Chichi's whole 'Bonnie and Clyde' idea?"
"No--but it sounds like a reasonable idea. Think of the mall--we've lived up to that reputation already. We're both in a tight situation here. If we can somehow get people to forget the things that they think they know about both you AND me, then maybe we can finally be rid of all of the foolish accusations."
Bulma was doubtful. "We would have to pull one hell of a trick to make them forget something like that. And I'm telling you right now, I'm not going to do anything that's going to get me locked up."
"Who says we're gonna let ourselves get caught?" Vejita asked. "Nobody has to know but the people we choose."
"That's right," Bulma mumbled to herself. "The only people who know that I did it are..." She looked up at Vejita, her bright blue eyes wide. "I'm not going to do anything that's going to hurt them. They're my FRIENDS. We've been partying and stuff together since the sixth grade!"
"It might seem like it now," Vejita quietly, darkly. His eyes were hard with the rememberance of earlier events. "But the moment that they are bribed, threatened, whatever, they won't hesitate to use whatever they can against you."
"That's ridiculous," Bulma scoffed, but she was already half won over by the seriousness of Vejita's mannerism.
"Tell that to me after that harpy of a friend of yours is competing against you for Prom Queen, and your little secret is her desperate ticket to the top."
Bulma was saved from having to answer, because at that moment her father and several collegues came ambling into the room, intent on having a mid-afternoon drink. Vejita stood and started to leave, trying to hide his identity from Dr. Briefs, who know of his controversial nature from his father. He was not sneaky enough. Dr. Briefs looked at him quizzically as he left and slammed the front door behind him. Bulma watched him, too, until her father snapped his fingers in front of her face.
"Care to explain?"
Bulma smiled and hurried to make martinis for her father and his coworkers, who were also watching her curiously. "He was just asking me a question about the football game next week. They're uh...changing the time around a bit, and since I'm the captain of the cheerleading team, he figured that I would be the first to know." She beamed her most kiss-ass smile and handed her father his drink. "Enjoy."
___________________________________________________________________________________________
(A/N): Sorry about the slow update. I've been very busy lately, and I spent all of yesterday in the hospital for my stupid back. Its a long story, but in short I was dirtbiking with my boyfriend (who, is by the way, who I've modeled Vejita after in many of my fics...:-)...) and he swerved to avoid an unexpected obstacle and we were both thrown off the bike. He got off easy but I screwed up my back or something like that, so now I have THAT to deal with. Umm...I'm not going to be able to update from Christmas Eve to January 6th because I'm going to be attending many Christmas parties, and then I'm off to Fort Lauderdale! I can't wait! But anyway I'll try to fit in as many chapters as I can between now and then, okay? Now come on guys, I need some more reviews for this fic! Please do me a favor and click that button right down there! Ja ne!
___________________________________________________________________________________________