______________________________________________ YOUTH OF THE NATION _______________________
_____________________________________________________________________ Rhapsody~* _________
______________________________________CHAPTER SEVEN: 'That' Glow
Vejita sat up first, more to his own surprise than to Bulma's, who's head was still spinning like a top. He glanced over at her once, then stood, brushed the snow off of his clothing, and gathered up his snowboard. Bulma sat up, but was not so quick to get herself back in order. She moved a finger to her lips hesitantly, then pulled it away and sighed.
"Today, woman!" Vejita demanded, strapping himself into his snowboard. "Those kids are going to tell somebody what happened as soon as they get their pants back on."
"That's all you can manage to say?" Bulma asked incredulously. "'Today, woman'? Please, Vejita, spare me." She stood and didn't bother to brush herself off. Instead she grabbed her snowboard and began carrying it down the mountain, her expression stormy.
Vejita watched her leave for a few moments before recovering from the shock of her bluntness. He had quite honestly expected her to act as if the kiss had never even happened. She had brushed off all of the other little things that he might have slipped in here and there such as the extra contact when they were luring the three boys in, or the accidental compliment he had given her that night after the whole shopping mall ordeal, and that had led him to believe that SHE was the holding back from HIM. He shook his head and hurried after her, something he hated himself for doing. For some reason, he did not want this particular girl to get away so easily.
"I could manage to say a lot more than that," he said quietly, once he had fallen into step beside her. Bulma raised an eyebrow but otherwise did not comment. Vejita growled in frustration and stepped in front of her. "Listen, what the hell do you want me to say?"
"You could have at least been a bit NICER," Bulma snapped. "When somebody kisses you, you just don't react with a command, and especially not one that...indifferent! You either return the favor or--or...make a 'suggestion', if you know what I mean."
"Okay then!" Vejita mocked a desperate expression and got down on his knees before Bulma, who started in surprise. "Hey baby, why don't you plant ANOTHER one on me? There is nothing that I would rather do..." He stopped for a moment, tried to think of something to say, then went on mischeviously. "Than to fuck around with you." At her dazed expression he got back up and chuckled and smirked. "Is that suffiecient enough for you, Miss Sex Pot?"
Bulma couldn't help but smile. "It'll do...for now, anyways." With that said and done, she bent down to strap herself to her snowboard. As she stood back up, she caught Vejita studying her seriously. He, of course, smirked when their eyes met, and then started down the mountain at his usual breakneck speed. "Hey, asshole, wait for me!" Bulma shouted. With a roll of her eyes and a deep sigh, she set off after him, praying to God that she wouldn't lose sight of him.
_______________ ~*~*~*~
Needless to say, school the next day wasn't exactly the most stimulating experience of Chichi's life. She had been released from the hospital late the previous night, and she was most definitely NOT in a good mood. Because of all of the uneven lengths in her now dramatically-shortened hair, she had been forced to cut it even SHORTER, resulted in a Kelly Osbourne-ish cut that did not flatter her round, pale face at all. And, naturally, the burns on various areas of her body weren't very attractive either. Being a secretly vain girl, being in this kind of condition was one of the worst things that Chichi could imagine happening to her. Under normal circumstances, she might have been able to get past it, especially with all of the extra love and support that Goku was giving her, but underneath her mildly-irritated exterior was a deep, burning rage towards the people responsible for doing this to her--Bulma and Vejita, the most unlikely pair SHE could think of.
She was almost to her classroom when she caught a glimpse of Bulma coming towards her with a purposeful expression on her face. Chichi felt the bitter resentment creeping back at the sight of her flawlessly beautiful ex-friend. And to make the jealousy much worse, Bulma seemed to look especially good today. She was generating an unmistakable glow that only came on rare occasions when...
Chichi ducked into a bathroom to escape Bulma. She could hardly believe what she was thinking! Bulma looked just like she did when she and Yamcha decided to...uh, seal their relationship. But it couldnt' be, Chichi reminded herself, Bulma wasn't with anyone, and though she may be a master flirter, she didn't have the reputation of being promiscuous. Then why did she have 'that' glow? Wanting to get a moment alone (the Ladies' Room was swarming with girls touching up their makeup between classes, as usual), Chichi slipped out of the bathroom, and just then, the answer to her questions walked by.
Vejita.
Before she could find a way to stay out of sight, his black eyes met her brown ones and that horrifying, sarcastic smirk that was his trademark appeared on his face. It was then that she knew why Bulma had participated in the cruel prank. Vejita. She also knew just where 'that' glow had come from. Vejita. Chichi shuddered and hurried in the opposite direction, clutching her books to her chest. Yes, she could see how Bulma could be so easily manipulated by the likes of Vejita. She turned and caught a final glimpse of Vejita's well-muscled body before he turned a corner and disappeared. Vejita was just the kind of classic bad-boy that Bulma had always been especially fond of.
"Of all the twisted, disgusting things--"
"HEY CHICHI! OVER HERE!" Goku shouted from across the way, interuppting her mid-sentence. "CHICHI!"
Chichi grinned at the sight of her very own knight-in-shining-armor and hurried to go to him. She nearly melted in his warm, caring embrace and reveled in the thought that Bulma and Vejita would never be able to share such a pure, heartfelt relationship. Goku pulled away and studied her with concerned eyes.
"Are you okay?" he asked gently. "You look a bit pale."
"Of course I'm pale!" Chichi exclaimed. "A fucking FIREWORKS SHOW took place five inches under my ass! How would YOUR complexion be?"
Goku laughed heartily, and Chichi's heart skipped a beat. "No, I meant that you look pale-ER!"
Chichi looked down at her feet, then back up at Goku with a triumphant smile. "I think that I've discovered a little something about our local Bonnie and Clyde duo..."
_______________ ~*~*~*~
Bulma tugged at the hem of her blue plaid schoolgirl-skirt and forced a smile as she passed the assistant principal on her way to her locker. She had never worn this outfit before, and a new Bulma Briefs ensemble was always a cause for suspicion with the school administrators, and this was no exception. With its tiny skirt, thigh-high socks, and tied-up cardigan, this outfit was a real winner. But, much to her surprise, she was allowed by. She sighed in relief and walked a little faster, which always helped her to think better.
Chichi had high-tailed it out of there as soon as she caught a glimpse of Bulma, who had merely wanted to work things out between them. Thinking of the deal she and Vejita had struck about working together to pull all of those pranks off, Bulma was half-glad that she hadn't gotten the chance to catch up with her. Perhaps it was as Vejita had said--she was much better off without them. She was Bulma Briefs! She didn't NEED a clique to keep on top. And on top of all that, she had Vejita.
Thinking of yesterday's kiss and Vejita's fake (?) plead for sex, Bulma couldn't help but blush a bit. She was sure that everyone could tell that something was up just by looking at her. She sincerely hoped that Chichi hadn't noticed anything, because if anybody were to guess what had happened, it would be her. She shuddered at the thought. She arrived at her locker and proceeded to select a few books and check her reflection. She almost dropped her entire load when she felt a hand on her waistline. Preparing to slap someone, she whirled around and lifted a hand, which was smoothly caught by a grinning Vejita.
"Why do you have to keep on sneaking up on me like that?" she protested, wresting her arm away from him stubbornly and turning back to her locker. "Hold on a sec. Some people actually CARE about their studies, Vejita."
He chuckled and reached out to close her locker. "Yeah, and you aren't one of them. Come with me."
Bulma sighed and shifted her weight. "Come on Vejita, I've missed a hell of a lot of school on your behalf lately. If I miss much more they're gonna call my parents, and then who knows when I'll be able to get out again?"
"Hey, woman!" Vejita exclaimed, snapping his fingers in front of her face. "Come back to Earth. We have this next class together, dumbass."
"Wha...?" Bulma shook her head and frowned. "Oh. I knew that."
"You're slipping." Vejita began walking towards the classroom, which was right across the hall. "You thought I was going to ask you to CUT? Where'd you get that crazy idea?"
They took their seats, which were almost all the way across the room from each other, and didn't communicate for nearly the entire class. It was when there was a quiet moment during note-taking that Bulma looked up and met Vejita's eyes. He was watching her intently, with an uncharacteristically concentrated look on his face. This time, neither of them looked away. The monotonous droning of the teacher and the occasional whisper of a classmate were drowned out to Bulma's ears until all she could hear was the sound of her own heart pounding in her chest. She felt like there was something that Vejita was trying to communicate, but she wasn't understanding it. They were both brought back to reality by the sound of the bell. Bulma remained in her seat until Vejita had already left and the classroom had emptied.
"Miss Briefs?" her teacher questioned. "Bulma? Is there something wrong? Class is over."
Bulma shook her head and stood hurriedly, scattering her belongings everywhere. "Shit! Nothing's wrong..."
Out in the hallway, Vejita stopped walking and leaned against a set of lockers, exasperated with himself. He had almost given something away just then, something that he was not planning on telling anybody, not even Bulma, about. He ran a hand through his hair, made sure that Bulma was nowhere in sight, and walked out of the school. There was nothing of value that the teachers here could pass on today.
_______________ ~*~*~*~
Bulma came home that day to an empty house, which was not surprising. Her parents had always been exceptionally busy, even during her childhood. She supposed that it was more of a good thing now than it had been then. She remembered being a lonely child, that is, until Mariah came along. At the sudden thoughts of Mariah, Bulma froze in her tracks and took a deep, shaky breath. She was never prepared for the onslaught of guilty feelings whenever THAT subject came up.
"I am so over that," she whispered to herself, entering her dark, echoey house. In this light, it looked almost haunted. "I've been over it for over a year now."
She began taking slow, deliberate steps towards her room, clutching her backpack with spastic fingers. To down the eerie factor, she hummed a tune under her breath, which instead of comforting her, made the house seem even MORE large and frightening. Especially frightening. What would Mariah say to her if she had only realized just who was responsible for her untimely death?
"She wouldn't say a single damned thing!" Bulma shouted to the shadows. "NOTHING! Because she's DEAD!"
The girl quickened her step and ran to her room, slamming the door shut behind her. She flicked on the lights and, as she regained her composure, surveyed the room with wide eyes. Reminders of her old friend seemed to pop up everywhere. After Mariah's death, Bulma had discarded every single reminder of her...except for one thing. The picture. She began walking towards where she knew she had stashed it--in the back of her vanity drawer, hiding behind makeup pots and tubes and brushes that had only been a mystery back when she and Mariah had played here.
Bulma pulled the drawer clean out of its spot and set it on her bed as she dug through it. The picture was covered in various colored powders and a bit wrinkled from months of abuse and examination, but the details were burned into Bulma's mind like she had just taken the picture yesterday.
Mariah and Bulma, then somewhere around eleven years old, were inside Mariah's neighbor's barn, playing with that year's litter of kittens among the golden haybales stacked throughout the room. Mariah looked quite pretty, actually. Her gothic makeup and bad hairstyles had masked her beauty as she had grown older, but it was no secret to Bulma that Mariah had always been a pretty girl. Her light brown hair was pulled back away from her face in an innocent ponytail, and she wore relaxed clothing and absolutely no makeup. Bulma herself was casually dressed, though a bit more done up, as usual. Her long hair was piled in a messy bun on top of her head, and though she wasn't wearing very much, you could still see some remnants of sloppily applied makeup. She had just started experimenting with color around that time, and she had obviously come a long way since then.
Bulma smiled faintly at the picture. How innocent and carefree they had been back then! In the back of her mind, somewhere in the deep recesses that hadn't yet been poisoned with guilt and the cruelties of popularity, she desperately wished that she could go back to that time and be that nice little girl again. A tear escaped her shining eyes as she came to a second unexpected revelation; she missed Mariah. Bulma missed her with all of her young heart, and at that moment she began to feel all of the pent-up loneliness that she had been masking for all of these years. Chichi had been a good friend, but no one could hold a candle to the friendship that she and Mariah had shared.
With a heavy heart, Bulma returned the picture to its neglected place and replaced the drawer back into her vanity. When she looked up into her mirror, instead of seeing her arrogant, beautiful face she saw the face of lonely eleven-year-old without a friend in the world.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
(A/N): That last part of the chapter was very...difficult for me to write. I, too, have experienced the loss (though not the death, thank God) of a best friend, and I know how hard it is. Sorry about the reduced length of this chapter! I just didn't want to start mixing things together like a crazy-person, LoL! To Mariah Ashley (sorry if I spelled the pen name wrong!) no, I am not black, but a lot of my friends are, and I most definitely DO have an attitude, and I'm sorry if its offended you in some way...I can't help it! I am just a plain old Mediterrean/Native American white chick with an attitude. Don't be put off by it, I won't bite! ^______^;; Anyway thanks, all of you, for all of the nice reviews you've been leaving! Wow, what is it, 60 now? Yayyyy! Thanks sooooo much everybody! Lets keep the flow going here. And oh yes, if you want to contact me, just e-mail me at HawaiianBabay@aol.com or chat with me sometime (I always love a good chat!)! My screen name is Hawaiian Babay...I hate to be predictable but once again I'll have to leave you on this note---Remember to REVIEW, please!
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________ Rhapsody~* _________
______________________________________CHAPTER SEVEN: 'That' Glow
Vejita sat up first, more to his own surprise than to Bulma's, who's head was still spinning like a top. He glanced over at her once, then stood, brushed the snow off of his clothing, and gathered up his snowboard. Bulma sat up, but was not so quick to get herself back in order. She moved a finger to her lips hesitantly, then pulled it away and sighed.
"Today, woman!" Vejita demanded, strapping himself into his snowboard. "Those kids are going to tell somebody what happened as soon as they get their pants back on."
"That's all you can manage to say?" Bulma asked incredulously. "'Today, woman'? Please, Vejita, spare me." She stood and didn't bother to brush herself off. Instead she grabbed her snowboard and began carrying it down the mountain, her expression stormy.
Vejita watched her leave for a few moments before recovering from the shock of her bluntness. He had quite honestly expected her to act as if the kiss had never even happened. She had brushed off all of the other little things that he might have slipped in here and there such as the extra contact when they were luring the three boys in, or the accidental compliment he had given her that night after the whole shopping mall ordeal, and that had led him to believe that SHE was the holding back from HIM. He shook his head and hurried after her, something he hated himself for doing. For some reason, he did not want this particular girl to get away so easily.
"I could manage to say a lot more than that," he said quietly, once he had fallen into step beside her. Bulma raised an eyebrow but otherwise did not comment. Vejita growled in frustration and stepped in front of her. "Listen, what the hell do you want me to say?"
"You could have at least been a bit NICER," Bulma snapped. "When somebody kisses you, you just don't react with a command, and especially not one that...indifferent! You either return the favor or--or...make a 'suggestion', if you know what I mean."
"Okay then!" Vejita mocked a desperate expression and got down on his knees before Bulma, who started in surprise. "Hey baby, why don't you plant ANOTHER one on me? There is nothing that I would rather do..." He stopped for a moment, tried to think of something to say, then went on mischeviously. "Than to fuck around with you." At her dazed expression he got back up and chuckled and smirked. "Is that suffiecient enough for you, Miss Sex Pot?"
Bulma couldn't help but smile. "It'll do...for now, anyways." With that said and done, she bent down to strap herself to her snowboard. As she stood back up, she caught Vejita studying her seriously. He, of course, smirked when their eyes met, and then started down the mountain at his usual breakneck speed. "Hey, asshole, wait for me!" Bulma shouted. With a roll of her eyes and a deep sigh, she set off after him, praying to God that she wouldn't lose sight of him.
_______________ ~*~*~*~
Needless to say, school the next day wasn't exactly the most stimulating experience of Chichi's life. She had been released from the hospital late the previous night, and she was most definitely NOT in a good mood. Because of all of the uneven lengths in her now dramatically-shortened hair, she had been forced to cut it even SHORTER, resulted in a Kelly Osbourne-ish cut that did not flatter her round, pale face at all. And, naturally, the burns on various areas of her body weren't very attractive either. Being a secretly vain girl, being in this kind of condition was one of the worst things that Chichi could imagine happening to her. Under normal circumstances, she might have been able to get past it, especially with all of the extra love and support that Goku was giving her, but underneath her mildly-irritated exterior was a deep, burning rage towards the people responsible for doing this to her--Bulma and Vejita, the most unlikely pair SHE could think of.
She was almost to her classroom when she caught a glimpse of Bulma coming towards her with a purposeful expression on her face. Chichi felt the bitter resentment creeping back at the sight of her flawlessly beautiful ex-friend. And to make the jealousy much worse, Bulma seemed to look especially good today. She was generating an unmistakable glow that only came on rare occasions when...
Chichi ducked into a bathroom to escape Bulma. She could hardly believe what she was thinking! Bulma looked just like she did when she and Yamcha decided to...uh, seal their relationship. But it couldnt' be, Chichi reminded herself, Bulma wasn't with anyone, and though she may be a master flirter, she didn't have the reputation of being promiscuous. Then why did she have 'that' glow? Wanting to get a moment alone (the Ladies' Room was swarming with girls touching up their makeup between classes, as usual), Chichi slipped out of the bathroom, and just then, the answer to her questions walked by.
Vejita.
Before she could find a way to stay out of sight, his black eyes met her brown ones and that horrifying, sarcastic smirk that was his trademark appeared on his face. It was then that she knew why Bulma had participated in the cruel prank. Vejita. She also knew just where 'that' glow had come from. Vejita. Chichi shuddered and hurried in the opposite direction, clutching her books to her chest. Yes, she could see how Bulma could be so easily manipulated by the likes of Vejita. She turned and caught a final glimpse of Vejita's well-muscled body before he turned a corner and disappeared. Vejita was just the kind of classic bad-boy that Bulma had always been especially fond of.
"Of all the twisted, disgusting things--"
"HEY CHICHI! OVER HERE!" Goku shouted from across the way, interuppting her mid-sentence. "CHICHI!"
Chichi grinned at the sight of her very own knight-in-shining-armor and hurried to go to him. She nearly melted in his warm, caring embrace and reveled in the thought that Bulma and Vejita would never be able to share such a pure, heartfelt relationship. Goku pulled away and studied her with concerned eyes.
"Are you okay?" he asked gently. "You look a bit pale."
"Of course I'm pale!" Chichi exclaimed. "A fucking FIREWORKS SHOW took place five inches under my ass! How would YOUR complexion be?"
Goku laughed heartily, and Chichi's heart skipped a beat. "No, I meant that you look pale-ER!"
Chichi looked down at her feet, then back up at Goku with a triumphant smile. "I think that I've discovered a little something about our local Bonnie and Clyde duo..."
_______________ ~*~*~*~
Bulma tugged at the hem of her blue plaid schoolgirl-skirt and forced a smile as she passed the assistant principal on her way to her locker. She had never worn this outfit before, and a new Bulma Briefs ensemble was always a cause for suspicion with the school administrators, and this was no exception. With its tiny skirt, thigh-high socks, and tied-up cardigan, this outfit was a real winner. But, much to her surprise, she was allowed by. She sighed in relief and walked a little faster, which always helped her to think better.
Chichi had high-tailed it out of there as soon as she caught a glimpse of Bulma, who had merely wanted to work things out between them. Thinking of the deal she and Vejita had struck about working together to pull all of those pranks off, Bulma was half-glad that she hadn't gotten the chance to catch up with her. Perhaps it was as Vejita had said--she was much better off without them. She was Bulma Briefs! She didn't NEED a clique to keep on top. And on top of all that, she had Vejita.
Thinking of yesterday's kiss and Vejita's fake (?) plead for sex, Bulma couldn't help but blush a bit. She was sure that everyone could tell that something was up just by looking at her. She sincerely hoped that Chichi hadn't noticed anything, because if anybody were to guess what had happened, it would be her. She shuddered at the thought. She arrived at her locker and proceeded to select a few books and check her reflection. She almost dropped her entire load when she felt a hand on her waistline. Preparing to slap someone, she whirled around and lifted a hand, which was smoothly caught by a grinning Vejita.
"Why do you have to keep on sneaking up on me like that?" she protested, wresting her arm away from him stubbornly and turning back to her locker. "Hold on a sec. Some people actually CARE about their studies, Vejita."
He chuckled and reached out to close her locker. "Yeah, and you aren't one of them. Come with me."
Bulma sighed and shifted her weight. "Come on Vejita, I've missed a hell of a lot of school on your behalf lately. If I miss much more they're gonna call my parents, and then who knows when I'll be able to get out again?"
"Hey, woman!" Vejita exclaimed, snapping his fingers in front of her face. "Come back to Earth. We have this next class together, dumbass."
"Wha...?" Bulma shook her head and frowned. "Oh. I knew that."
"You're slipping." Vejita began walking towards the classroom, which was right across the hall. "You thought I was going to ask you to CUT? Where'd you get that crazy idea?"
They took their seats, which were almost all the way across the room from each other, and didn't communicate for nearly the entire class. It was when there was a quiet moment during note-taking that Bulma looked up and met Vejita's eyes. He was watching her intently, with an uncharacteristically concentrated look on his face. This time, neither of them looked away. The monotonous droning of the teacher and the occasional whisper of a classmate were drowned out to Bulma's ears until all she could hear was the sound of her own heart pounding in her chest. She felt like there was something that Vejita was trying to communicate, but she wasn't understanding it. They were both brought back to reality by the sound of the bell. Bulma remained in her seat until Vejita had already left and the classroom had emptied.
"Miss Briefs?" her teacher questioned. "Bulma? Is there something wrong? Class is over."
Bulma shook her head and stood hurriedly, scattering her belongings everywhere. "Shit! Nothing's wrong..."
Out in the hallway, Vejita stopped walking and leaned against a set of lockers, exasperated with himself. He had almost given something away just then, something that he was not planning on telling anybody, not even Bulma, about. He ran a hand through his hair, made sure that Bulma was nowhere in sight, and walked out of the school. There was nothing of value that the teachers here could pass on today.
_______________ ~*~*~*~
Bulma came home that day to an empty house, which was not surprising. Her parents had always been exceptionally busy, even during her childhood. She supposed that it was more of a good thing now than it had been then. She remembered being a lonely child, that is, until Mariah came along. At the sudden thoughts of Mariah, Bulma froze in her tracks and took a deep, shaky breath. She was never prepared for the onslaught of guilty feelings whenever THAT subject came up.
"I am so over that," she whispered to herself, entering her dark, echoey house. In this light, it looked almost haunted. "I've been over it for over a year now."
She began taking slow, deliberate steps towards her room, clutching her backpack with spastic fingers. To down the eerie factor, she hummed a tune under her breath, which instead of comforting her, made the house seem even MORE large and frightening. Especially frightening. What would Mariah say to her if she had only realized just who was responsible for her untimely death?
"She wouldn't say a single damned thing!" Bulma shouted to the shadows. "NOTHING! Because she's DEAD!"
The girl quickened her step and ran to her room, slamming the door shut behind her. She flicked on the lights and, as she regained her composure, surveyed the room with wide eyes. Reminders of her old friend seemed to pop up everywhere. After Mariah's death, Bulma had discarded every single reminder of her...except for one thing. The picture. She began walking towards where she knew she had stashed it--in the back of her vanity drawer, hiding behind makeup pots and tubes and brushes that had only been a mystery back when she and Mariah had played here.
Bulma pulled the drawer clean out of its spot and set it on her bed as she dug through it. The picture was covered in various colored powders and a bit wrinkled from months of abuse and examination, but the details were burned into Bulma's mind like she had just taken the picture yesterday.
Mariah and Bulma, then somewhere around eleven years old, were inside Mariah's neighbor's barn, playing with that year's litter of kittens among the golden haybales stacked throughout the room. Mariah looked quite pretty, actually. Her gothic makeup and bad hairstyles had masked her beauty as she had grown older, but it was no secret to Bulma that Mariah had always been a pretty girl. Her light brown hair was pulled back away from her face in an innocent ponytail, and she wore relaxed clothing and absolutely no makeup. Bulma herself was casually dressed, though a bit more done up, as usual. Her long hair was piled in a messy bun on top of her head, and though she wasn't wearing very much, you could still see some remnants of sloppily applied makeup. She had just started experimenting with color around that time, and she had obviously come a long way since then.
Bulma smiled faintly at the picture. How innocent and carefree they had been back then! In the back of her mind, somewhere in the deep recesses that hadn't yet been poisoned with guilt and the cruelties of popularity, she desperately wished that she could go back to that time and be that nice little girl again. A tear escaped her shining eyes as she came to a second unexpected revelation; she missed Mariah. Bulma missed her with all of her young heart, and at that moment she began to feel all of the pent-up loneliness that she had been masking for all of these years. Chichi had been a good friend, but no one could hold a candle to the friendship that she and Mariah had shared.
With a heavy heart, Bulma returned the picture to its neglected place and replaced the drawer back into her vanity. When she looked up into her mirror, instead of seeing her arrogant, beautiful face she saw the face of lonely eleven-year-old without a friend in the world.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
(A/N): That last part of the chapter was very...difficult for me to write. I, too, have experienced the loss (though not the death, thank God) of a best friend, and I know how hard it is. Sorry about the reduced length of this chapter! I just didn't want to start mixing things together like a crazy-person, LoL! To Mariah Ashley (sorry if I spelled the pen name wrong!) no, I am not black, but a lot of my friends are, and I most definitely DO have an attitude, and I'm sorry if its offended you in some way...I can't help it! I am just a plain old Mediterrean/Native American white chick with an attitude. Don't be put off by it, I won't bite! ^______^;; Anyway thanks, all of you, for all of the nice reviews you've been leaving! Wow, what is it, 60 now? Yayyyy! Thanks sooooo much everybody! Lets keep the flow going here. And oh yes, if you want to contact me, just e-mail me at HawaiianBabay@aol.com or chat with me sometime (I always love a good chat!)! My screen name is Hawaiian Babay...I hate to be predictable but once again I'll have to leave you on this note---Remember to REVIEW, please!
___________________________________________________________________________________________