Hi, I'm back! Did I happen to say that it'd take me a day to post the next chapter?! Ha, ha, ha… Well, sorry for taking almost 4 months to do that. Let me explain: I started going to college in March, so most of my time was spent trying to adapt to my new life and trying to keep up the pace. And now I'm happy to inform you that I passed my first three subjects with great grades and that I'm officially on vacations for a month and a half. Yeay! ^____^ I'm quite excited. Being in a good mood broke through my writer's block and my laziness… ¬___¬ So, here you've got me!

Now, to make up for it, I wrote a long chapter. It's a bit corny, but I think you'll like it. It gets a little more into Bulma's and Vegeta's relationship. So far, I'm going very slowly. I kind of had my eyes set on someone (a very cute boy), but my luck drove him away… v_v That motivated my writer's block to increase. I'm explaining this so that you don't find this chappie weird. It's very hard to restart a writing you stopped a long time ago!

Well, enough of my rambling. Go on and read the story. If you like it, review; if you don't like it… also review! ^___~ Before I go, I'd like to thank the following people who reviewed my crappy story and make some announcements/explanations: Claufiles, chibi saiyan sarah, Youko Demon, KamalaKali, Bulma Briefs^Yue Lover, maz (Viv!) and DBZ-fan-JESS thank you all very much for reading my fic, it's really encouraging. ^______^ I'm not writing an insight to Bulma's thoughts as off yet; this is, still, more about Veggie. And now that we're talking about him: I'll apologize now for the inevitable OOC-ness that you'll find here, but believe me it's necessary to my ulterior motives! I think I explain it a bit in here about Vegeta's behavior, but in case you don't see it, I'll tell you that he behaves in different ways according to where he is, ok? Now that all of that has been said, on to the story…

~*~ Love life: like it should be. ~*~

A story by Rei Sakura Li.

*…* = This stands for thinking.

"…" = This stands for talking.

[…] = This stands for my saying stupid things, explaining and stuff that could come in handy at the time.

Chapter III

It was twenty past four in the afternoon. Bulma had just had a bath and was now lying spread on her bed. She was wearing some denim shorts and a white tank top, her usual 'around the house' outfit. That's how she was when the bell rang.

* Finally * she thought. * It was about time *.

She went downstairs (barefooted, as always) and yelled, "I'll get it". She opened the door and there, with crossed arms over the chest and the bag on his shoulder, was Vegeta, scowling.

"Come in" invited a cheery Bulma as she stepped to the side to let him in. Right then, while closing the door, came her mother to greet the guest.

"Oh, hi Vegeta. Have you come to study?" she asked.

The boy –well, the man, really [and, might I add, what a man! ^__~]- simply nodded his head.

"Ok, you kids go up. I'll get you some snacks in a few" she added.

"Thanks mom" said Bulma. "Come on Vegeta. The sooner we start, the faster we'll finish".

And so, they climbed up the staircase and went into Bulma's room. They sat on the king-sized bed. The girl grabbed a note pad and the math book Vegeta handed her, and then laid on her stomach; Vegeta following suit. Both took out pencils and started with some easy problems and equations.

Twenty minutes later and Vegeta was about to lose his head. He understood every exercise done so far and all the theory, but he couldn't manage to apply all that knowledge by himself! He was gonna drive himself mad! And Bulma, almost 'dead' from boredom, wasn't helping much in the matter. She had explained to him very clearly every step to be followed in doing the practice, but she should've known better: math and Vegeta just don't mix! She didn't know what else to do to help her friend. There was only one thing left to do to regain their concentration and start fresh again, and that was… to eat! Oh, yeaaah… eating solves more problems than mathematic calculus [is it said so in English???].

"Hey, Vegeta, don't you feel like stopping this nonsense for a while and grabbing a bite of the snacks mom brought for us?" Bulma asked, looking at him with pleading puppy eyes. God, was she starving!

"Ok. But you won't get away from helping me solve these" he said pointing at the notepad. "Please say you'll help me? I mean," he sobered up a little and continued "you know that I suck at this and I can't afford to fail this test… dad's gonna kill me if I do!"

Well… that's a sight you don't get to see every day: Veggie pleading. But, in all actuality, Bulma and Vegeta have a very nice relationship. No, they're not dating [at least not yet… ¬____¬ muahahahaha], but they've been friends for quite a while and have lived as neighbors ever since they met. One has to admit that they were like cats and dogs in the beginning, but the years past and they grew closer. Not a 'Bulma-Chi chi-18' kind of friendship, but one quite as similar in the possible way between the two of them. They were comfortable around each other and could talk about anything (well, everything except those topics that get boys really uncomfortable… n_n you girls know what I mean…). Living beside one another and being that both families knew the other and got along really well, only helped the matter.

"Veg-head, don't worry that much. I swear you're gonna pass that fucking test, no matter what, ok?" Bulma said carelessly (though a bit cranky), getting up from the bed and walking to her desk, where her mom had put the drinks and the food. "Why is your dad bugging you so much, anyway? It's not like you got your grades that low… is it?!" she asked turning around with a cookie in her hand.

"No, not that low. It's just that he wants me to excel at almost everything…" he answered, dropping his pencil and turning around on the bed to lie there, spread out on his back. "I mean, he keeps comparing me to you, saying 'why can't you get as good marks as Bulma? She should be an example to you!', etc., etc., etc." he finished, turning his head in time to see her smug face while she did her silent 'yeah-I-know-I'm-great' act. He smiled softly. * I knew she'd do that…* "You're so full of yourself sometimes. Did you know that?"

"Mm hmm" she replied nonchalantly with the cookie inside her mouth. After swallowing she continued, "It's very useful to know how great I am". She winked at him, to add to her mocking-arrogant attitude. "This way I know when I should expect envy from other people", she concluded acting all 'high and mighty'. Vegeta laughed.

"Hey B, would you hand me a Coke and some 'M&Ms'?" She threw him the baggy of sweets and got closer to the bed with the Coke-can in her hand, then sat beside Veggie.

"Here you go. But after this break, we rewrite every formula, you practice with exercises for about an hour and then, we watch a movie. Does that sound ok to you?" she asked and sipped some soda. Vegeta sat up, grabbed the can from her, semi-glared at her saying 'hey, that was mine!', took a sip and answered.

"One hour and a half, and you got yourself a deal. I really, really have to pass the damned test. Mr. Tibur gets a sick pleasure from seeing me fail. He's been trying to squish me all semester with awful quizzes. I tell you, he enjoys it a lot!" he said.

Bulma snickered a bit before replying. "Ok. Are ya gonna stay over for dinner?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Don't be dumb. Would I be asking if I didn't? Besides, we could watch the movie up here while we eat! I'm sure mom won't mind!", she answered.

"Ok, then. After we finish studying I'll call home", he returned her the soda and turned sleepily on his stomach on the bed. Bulma put the can on top of her bedside table and turned to her friend. "Hey, B…" came his lazy voice.

"What?" she asked with a suspicious look on her face. Just then, realization hit her. "Oh, no. No. No. No. No Vegeta, I'm not giving you a massage this time! You always tell me you'll rub my shoulders afterwards, but that never happens. You fall asleep every time and that's not fair! I never get a massage!! And remember, you've still got to study" Bulma argued.

Vegeta sat up disappointed. But, he had to face it: she was right. She always got stuck rubbing his shoulders or his back, he then would fall asleep and not wake for several hours. He didn't have that amount of time to waste today. Maybe, after or during the movie… He smirked. * Oh yeah… I'm not about to throw away a very good massage session because of a test. These opportunities don't come along very often *.

"Ok, let's start studying now so we get to see the movie faster" he replied. Bulma looked at him knowingly. * He'd better not be expecting for me to rub his back later 'cause that's not happening any time soon. I've got to get some one day or another! … Oh God! That could have been so misinterpreted had anyone been listening to my thoughts…" She giggled under her breath as the idea crossed her mind.

And so they got back to the books. Math might be easy for Bulma [no shit, Sherlock! She's in advanced math! Duuuh!], but Vegeta had it bad with it. He had to get an 8 on this test or else he'd flunk the first trimester. Then you'd see his father mad! Man, was he obsessed about his son passing every subject! The truth is that Vejita wanted his son to be able to pick between good universities to attend to when the time came. And for one to have great colleges as options, you have to be great in school. So far, Vegeta was doing the best he could. As a matter of fact, he had an average over 7 in almost every class. Almost every, meaning: every class save math, which was on a dangerous 6 below his father's expectancy (he had 'required' from his son a 7 as an average grade).

Bulma, on the other hand, was an A student [ok, now that I've mixed both grading systems, I suggest you go read at the end of the chapter which marks in numbers match which in letters… but that's not really necessary right now, so keep on reading and check it up later! ^__^]. You could say that she didn't need to go to school; she was a genius! But, when given the chance to skip some years of high school and go straight to college, she had refused because she preferred to stay with her friends and the people her age. And she wasn't regretting one bit of it: these 'teen' years in high school had been and would keep on being some of the best of her life [soon she'll see how much better they can get… ¬___¬]!

Anyway, I'm rambling again. On with the story…

After about two hours and a half of getting everything through ol' Veggie's thick skull, some things stuck there and he finally decided –along with a tired Bulma's approval- that he was more than prepared for his exam. Now, it being almost 8 o'clock, they were ready to eat anything offered and, of course, also ready to rest. So, Vegeta called home and told his mother that he'd be staying over at Bulma's for dinner and a late movie; then, he'd go home. At that comment Bulma interrupted him:

"Hey, Vegeta… When we finish with the movie, it'll be too late. Why don't ya stay and sleep here?"

He looked up at her standing next to the end of the bed, nodded and started speaking on the phone again. "Mom, Bulma said I could sleep here, is that ok?… Yeah… Uh huh… Yeah, I've got clothes… Yeeeees, in my bag… Don't worry… I won't forget… Uh huh, ok… Love you too. Say good night to Vega for me and say 'hi' to dad for me too… Bye mom, see ya tomorrow". He finished his conversation and hung up the receiver. He then looked at his friend while scratching the back of his head and told her "Remind me to take Vega to school tomorrow morning". [Ain't he sweet with his family?! Aw! I love him…]

"Ok. Now, let's get food in our systems!!", she grinned. Vegeta stood up and both went out the bedroom door and down the stairs. When they got to the kitchen, where Mr. and Mrs. Briefs were, Vegeta greeted his friend's father (as did Bulma). The girl then spoke to her mother. "Hey mom, do you think we could grab our meals and eat them upstairs? We want to watch a movie…"

"No problem, dear. Just make sure you bring the trays back down after you're finished, ok?" the woman replied. She was concentrating on the food she was making on the stove.

"Thanks mom. Hey, dad?" she said, turning to her father. "Could we finish that project on Saturday? I'll be busy all week".

"That's fine, darling. But wake up early. That way we work all morning and you have the afternoon to yourself. How does that sound?" he answered, smiling at his daughter.

Bulma grinned and hugged the man. "Thanks dad! You're the best!"

After waiting ten more minutes –which felt like hours to the hungry stomachs-, both teenagers got their dinners and went upstairs. The ate all through the first twenty minutes of The Matrix, then paused it, got their trays down to the kitchen, said their 'good nights' and went back up. Before restarting the movie, Bulma put on her pj's in the bathroom while Vegeta got changed in her room; both cleaned their teeth [kids! Don't forget it's very important to wash your teeth after every meal and before going to bed! ^___^], turned off the lights and climbed into bed [T.T You hentais!! Stop getting those ideas! … At least for a while ^__~ hehehe]. Bulma then pressed 'play' and laid her head on Vegeta's abdomen, while he rested his on some pillows up against the headboard of the bed.

It was a good movie, but, nonetheless, sleep took over them. Near the end of it, Vegeta looked down on his friend and noticed her asleep. * I knew it! She fell asleep again * he thought as a smile crept on his lips [drooling over here!!! ^____^]. * Now that I think about it, I didn't get my massage *. He sighed while turning off the TV. He then looked back down at Bulma. * God, is she beautiful when she sleeps! Who would imagine this girl to be the same as the banshee she is during the day?! * He smiled again while smoothing –very carefully- some of her blue tresses out of her face. He lowered himself more on the bed to lay on his back with only one pillow beneath him, trying not to disturb the sleeping woman in his arms. Once comfortable, he looked at her again [he's doing that quite a lot! ^__~ Why, God, why?! Why ain't that me?! v_v Sniiiif…]. * I never get tired of being like this with her… *

This was not the first time he was in this situation, nor the first time thinking that way about her. True, she was his best friend –aside from Goku and Krillin- and they had slept in the same bed a lot of times since they were kids, either in her or in his bed. But in all those years he had never really stopped to think about their 'relationship'. He'd always been comfortable the way it was, and he was sure she thought the same. Never had the famous question 'what if there could be more to this?' crossed his mind, for they were friends; nothing more. But as of lately, he had been having this strange sensation that soon something would change. He didn't know what, but something would. So far, it was all the same as always: mock fighting in school –for fun, mostly, and because of their tempers clashes, sometimes-, and getting along very well around friends, family and by themselves. * God! It's too late to be worrying about stupid 'sensations'! I'll think about it tomorrow. Though, still… there's nothing to ponder upon… * Vegeta closed his eyes and started dozing off into sleep. Unnoticed to him, in an unconscious move, he softly placed his arms around Bulma in a protective manner.

I, being the narrator, am able to tell you that Vegeta's little 'intuition' is far from wrong. Things are going to be changing in the months to follow. But I guess you'll have to tune in next time to read about those developings, right? The only thing I can tell you is that it's going to be interesting…

~*~*~*~

Oh my Goood!!! Are Bulma and Vegeta gonna fall in love soon? … I don't know, I haven't got a clue!!! That's not something I should have said, now is it? Hahahaha… I'm kinda writing as it comes to my mind! By the way, The Matrix does not belong to me! I wish it did, but it belongs to the Wachowsky brothers. So, don't sue. The thing is… I'm kind of a movie 'freak'. So I got to put some of it in here. And I don't own M&M or Coke either! Ok, it's 'til next time around! Ah! Before I forget (though I think I already mentioned it), time is gonna start moving faster in a few chapters. I'm gonna try to give you guys some insight to Bulma's thoughts and feelings, and then things are gonna start happening. ¬____¬ oh yeaaaaah!

Oh, I was about to forget! In my country, in high school and college, we get grades with numbers, not letters. I don't know how you guys get them, but I'll explain anyway, to clear things up for those that don't know about this. A 10 equals an A. A 9 or an 8 stand for a B, while a C is something around 6 or 7. A D is like a 5 or a 4. An E is a 3 or a 2, and an F is definitely a 1. So, there you go…

So, good luck & see ya soon! And for Kami's sake, would you guys stop reading this crap and go do something productive???? ^___~ Like reviewing, for example… hehe.

Rei.