Chapter Six: Changes Part One…
Disclaimer: I only own my characters! Don't sue!
A/N: I shall explain my reasons for bringing Marron into the ficcy. Basically, she kind of has a lotta backlash around and many people don't like her. From what I remember, personality wise, she is more like her father than her mother. But when she's pissed, it's Eighteen's daughter all right. So that's how I'm gonna portray her. Not as the 'bitch' that wants everyone to be miserable so that she can be happy. We already have enough of that from Paresu ^_^
Oh yeah, no more Ms Watton as Principal. She's been replaced by Mr Bellamy.
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A month later…"Hey, has there been any sign of…?" Lil Tak asked hopefully. Remy shook her head.
"Sorry Tak. She didn't turn up for school today. Again." Remy said. "I'm not surprised though, with all the rumours people are spreading about her, I wouldn't want to come to school either. I wonder what really happened that night…" Remy pondered. Trunks clenched his fists.
**More than you can possibly imagine Remy.**
"Hey, what's the matter? You're spacing out." Lil Tak asked. Trunks shook his head.
"I'm fine. A little tired." Trunks replied. "Where's Goten?"
"Where else? Hanging with his girlfriend and her friends." Lil Tak said. "I swear, every kid that has walked pass them today is going to need therapy. They should write for Jerry Springer." Suddenly, the whole lunchroom fell silent. Dominic Walker wheeled in on his wheelchair. Looks of sympathy went his way from all the faces of the lunchroom. Except one. Trunks unknowingly had smashed the bottle of orange juice in his hand with little effort. Remy and Lil Tak looked at him.
"Are you okay?" Remy asked. Trunks said nothing and left the table. He walked to the doors, but just before he exited, he looked down at Dominic.
"You'd better watch your back Walker." Trunks seethed. Dominic snorted.
"I got the whole school watching my back for me. Thanks to that little wench." Dominic said. Trunks' fists shook with anger. "Ah, ah, ah! You wouldn't want to make a scene now, would you?" Trunks threw the doors open and stormed out. It took a while but Goten finally caught up to him.
"Trunks, what is up with you man?" Goten asked.
"You'd know if you had been around." Trunks said icily. Goten frowned.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing. Just get the hell out of my way." Trunks brushed pass Goten and towards the exit.
"You're not allowed to leave Trunks. You'll get detention." Goten called after him.
"This school and everyone in it can kiss my ass as far as I'm concerned." Trunks stormed out.
"I wish I knew what the hell was going on." Goten sighed.
Trunks walked and walked until he finally got to his destination. The hospital. He sighed and walked into the reception. The nurse behind the desk smiled when she saw him.
"Visiting again Mr Briefs?" Nurse Stevens said. Trunks nodded. "Well, I have some good news. Your friend has been taken home."
"Really? She's feeling better?!" Trunks asked frantically.
"Yep. She still needs to rest but she should be up and about in a few days. I'm not surprised that she recovered this quickly from her injuries. She's very lucky to have a friend like you."
"Thank you Miss. Bye!" Trunks said, and left. He sped down the sidewalks and streets until he finally got to her house. Trunks rang the doorbell. A voice came from the speaker.
"No one is home. Go away."
"It's Trunks." The door buzzed and Trunks went in. He went up about three flights of stairs before he got to her bedroom. He knocked on the door.
"Come in." The voice said from inside. Trunks went in and smiled slightly.
"CJ. I'm glad you're feeling better." Trunks said.
"Yep, nothing bruised except my ego." CJ chuckled, sitting up from her position. "Come sit." Trunks went and sat on her bed beside her. "I need…no, I want to thank you. I owe you my life Trunks."
"Look, I know that we don't always get along. And that we argue a lot. But you're still my friend and I care about you. Not in that way, mind you!" Trunks laughed nervously. "You don't owe me anything."
"You're wrong. If you hadn't come along when you did then Dominic might have been…" CJ tried to say, but Trunks interrupted her.
"Don't mention that scumbag's name. He deserves everything he got." Trunks seethed. CJ lay back.
"I bet everyone at school thinks the total opposite." CJ sighed.
"Since when did you care what everyone else thinks?"
"Since everyone else includes my friends. They're not going to believe a word I say. They're all gonna think 'ooh, CJ lost her temper again' bla, bla, bla."
"No they won't."
"Goten definitely will. Remy and Tak are questionable. Juliana, well I could bet my trust fund on her saying that."
"Well this is Jules' fault in the first place. If she hadn't…"
"Hey. I'm not placing blame and neither should you."
"She's lucky we haven't crossed paths lately. Otherwise I would've ripped her a new one." CJ started to laugh. "What?"
"You sound like an overprotective brother!"
"I do not! Well I guess I do. But it's not my fault! Bra and Marron made me that way!" Trunks started to laugh as well. There was a knock on the door and a man in his early twenties came in.
"Hey sis." He said. Trunks eyes boggled out of their sockets.
"You have a brother?! I've never heard you talk about him!" Trunks exclaimed.
"Well because he's the only person in my family that I actually like." CJ replied.
"Ohh."
"Brian, this is Trunks." CJ said. Brian shook Trunks' hand.
"Thanks for looking after Cassie. I couldn't get a flight until last night. So when I arrived I took her home." Brian explained.
"That's okay." Trunks smiled and turned to CJ with an eyebrow raised. "You're name is Cassie?"
"Yes. Short for Cassandra. Tell anyone and your ass is mine Briefs." CJ scowled. Brian laughed.
"She's been like that since the day she could talk. It drove my parents nuts."
"That's why I do it." CJ replied. Brian gave her a glass of juice and left.
"He seems nice." Trunks said. There was a brief silence. "So, when are you coming back to school?"
"I'm not. I'm going to private school." CJ said.
"Give me that juice."
"Why?"
"I'm gonna drink it and then spit it out in shock."
"Trunks…"
"What do you mean you're not coming back to Orange Star?!"
"I can't. I wouldn't be able to keep myself from kicking the snot out of Paresu."
"Why her?" Trunks asked. CJ hesitated a little.
"Well you know why. She won't stop making comments and I won't stop beating her fake nose off her face."
"That's what I'm here for. I'm going to stop you from going crazy."
"You won't be able to."
"Um, remember Ceej? Big muscles, awesome powers yadda, yadda, yadda?"
"As Hal says, 'crazy beats big every time'."
"Please CJ? I want you to come back to school. I want everything to be sorted out and finally put that little prick in his place."
"No. No one but you and me can know about this."
"What?! But you can't let him get away with what he did!" Trunks exclaimed.
"I don't want anyone else to know! It's none of their business!"
"But…"
"No buts Trunks. I'll come back to school for you, but no one knows about this but us. Okay?"
"Okay. I don't like this."
"I know you don't."
That week, Friday…CJ walked through the halls of Orange Star High trying to ignore the stares of the student body. There were looks of anger, confusion, disgust but most of all hate. CJ fought hard to keep her tears from falling down her face. She bumped into someone.
"Sorry." She uttered.
"I don't think I'm the one you should be saying that to." Paresu said. CJ mentally cursed. She tried to walk past Paresu but Paresu wouldn't let her past.
"Move out of my way."
"Or what? You're going to pummel me like poor Dominic. I think it's sick what you did to him. Just because you're a prude."
"If that's how he tells it…"
"Well he's got the injuries to prove it Fujitaka. I'm gonna make sure you suffer as much as he has."
"Right, he's suffered. The whole school is looking out for him and he's the one who's suffering. The world order must have changed while I was out."
"You'd better watch it, or I'm gonna…"
"You're gonna what? Ruin my life again. You've already done it once Paresu, don't think I don't know what you did." CJ hissed. Paresu looked at her, slightly shocked.
"Shut your mouth loser." Paresu said.
"Hey!" Remy said, running over and stepping in between them. "Back off Cruella."
"You're actually defending her? I thought you had more sense than that."
"I don't need to defend an innocent person. The fact that everyone feels sorry for that slime ball proves that there's something else going on here. Everyone in school apart from your posse hated his guts and now all of a sudden he's Tiny Tim? I don't think so." Remy said, taking CJ's arm and walking away.
"Where do you think you're going?" Paresu demanded. Remy stopped in her tracks, turned around and walked back to Paresu.
"Listen you Shannon Doherty clone. You're the one who spouted these rumours in the first place. Dominic hasn't said one thing to anybody. Goten maybe your boyfriend and he may be my friend but CJ is my friend too. You cross her, you cross me too. Got it?" Remy said. "Oh and one more thing, loose the cowboy boots. You're breaking my achey breaky heart." Paresu scowled as the two of them walked off.
"Thank you Remy." CJ said.
"Hey, no biggie! Besides, it was fun digging at her like that. I've wanted to do it for ages." Remy smiled.
"I guess you're wondering what happened that night."
"Nope."
"Huh?"
"Well I figure that you'll tell me when you're good and ready. If I listened to what everyone's saying then I'd be like them. Cattle being guided by a cattle prod." Remy said. CJ nodded. "Come on, what do you say we skip Chemistry and you and me go get some food?"
"Sure."
In Chemistry…"Hmm, that's strange. Remy's not here." Lil Tak said.
"She's probably in hiding." Juliana said. Lil Tak blinked. "You didn't hear? She defended CJ when Paresu was yelling at her."
"CJ's back?" Lil Tak asked.
"Yah! Geez, you're out of the loop." Juliana rolled her eyes. Goten tapped Lil Tak on the shoulder.
"Hey, what did Jules say to you?" Goten asked.
"CJ's back." Lil Tak said, still not able to believe it himself. Goten grinned.
"Really? Great! School hasn't been the same without her." Goten said.
"Hey, don't forget what she did." Paresu said. "I can't believe you're acting like this."
"Hey, I'm not doubting Dominic if that's what you're getting at." Goten said.
"Good." Paresu said. Goten sighed inwardly.
"Whoop-pa!" Trunks said, making a whipping motion. Goten just stuck his tongue out.
"Mr Yamaki, can I please be excused? I need to see the Principal." Paresu said. Mr Yamaki nodded.
"Where are you going?" Goten asked.
"I'm going to sort this out. Once and for all." Paresu said, smiling slightly. Goten gave her the Son Look™ as she left.
"That girl is so strange." Goten said.
"You just noticed this now?" Trunks asked. Again, all Goten did was stick his tongue out at him. Paresu hurried down the hall and burst into the principal's office. The receptionist looked up at her.
"You want to see the principal?" She asked. Paresu nodded. "Go in." Paresu went into the office.
"Ahh, Paresu. What can I do for you?" Mr Bellamy asked.
"You remember I told you about what happened to Dominic? Well Ms Fujitaka has returned and I feel it necessary for her to make a public apology to Dominic." Paresu said.
"I don't know. We haven't got her side of the story yet. And the police haven't made any arrests so…"
"But we have to make an example of her! She can't be allowed to get away with this." Paresu said. Mr Bellamy sighed.
"You're lucky that you're my sister's kid. Otherwise I wouldn't consider it. I trust your judgement Paresu." Mr Bellamy said. Paresu smiled and walked out of the office.
**Heh, let's see her try and get her hands on Goten after this.**
Later…"Thanks for that Remy. I needed it." CJ said.
"That's what I'm here for. But we'd better get to English before the…"
BRRRRRRRRRRRRINGGG!!!
"…bell goes. Ah well, I guess it's lunchtime. And we're full so let's go outside." Remy said. When they stepped outside, they saw Trunks sitting underneath a tree. They walked over and sat with him.
"Where have you two been?" Trunks asked, biting into an apple.
"Out eating." Remy said. Trunks nodded. He looked up and then frowned. Juliana came along with Lil Tak and sat down.
"Hi! It's been a long time CJ. Are you okay?" Juliana asked. CJ nodded. "So, what happened girl? Paresu's been spreading vicious rumours about you."
"I don't wanna talk about it right now." CJ said. Juliana smacked her forehead.
"Of course you don't! Sorry. I do that sometimes." Juliana said sheepishly. "Hey, why is Alex running over here so fast?" Alex stopped in front of them and stood there for a minute trying to catch his breath. "Are you okay Alex?"
"Someone's trashed your locker." Alex said. The gang got up and ran to the lockers. They saw that Juliana's locker had been sprayed full of shaving cream and all the contents had been destroyed.
"Dammit." Juliana said. "I had all my posters of Brad Pitt in there!"
"Who could've done this?" Remy asked. Paresu and her friends walked by laughing.
"I have a pretty good idea." CJ scowled.
"Ooh, what a mess! Better get someone to clean it up before CJ loses her temper." Paresu said.
"Yeah! She might beat up the custodian!" Megan laughed, as did the rest of them. In an instant, CJ was standing in front of Paresu.
"You did that, didn't you?" CJ asked.
"You haven't got any proof." Paresu smirked.
"Circumstantial evidence stands up pretty well in my opinion. Especially when it involves you." CJ said, narrowing her eyes. Trunks stood in between the two of them.
"Okay girls, that's enough." Trunks said.
"Thank you Trunks. I wouldn't want to get savagely attacked by this animal." Paresu said, as she and her friends left.
"Ohh, just give me one minute with her…" CJ said cracking her knuckles.
"Ceej, you're in enough trouble as it is. I swear, I feel like coming clean about this whole thing just so she can shut up." Trunks whispered.
"You promised you wouldn't Trunks." CJ reminded him. Trunks sighed.
"Believe me, it's the biggest mistake of my life." Trunks said, walking off. CJ sighed.
"What's up with him?" Lil Tak asked.
Later that day…"This has probably been the longest school day in history." CJ groaned.
"And it looks like it's about to get even longer." Juliana said. Paresu was walking towards them with her gang in tow and a piece of paper in hand. She handed the piece of paper to CJ.
"What's this? A summons to court?" CJ asked sarcastically.
"Something like that." Paresu said, smirking. CJ read the letter over once and crunched it up in her hand.
"You have got to be kidding me?!" CJ yelled. "This is some kind of sick cheerleader joke, right?"
"Nope, you've read it right. You have to apologise to Dominic in the assembly on Monday." Paresu said.
"I haven't done anything to him!! Why the hell should I apologise?! He's the one who should be apologising!" CJ said.
"Why's that? Because he made you lose your temper?" Paresu asked.
"Ceej, maybe you should consider it." Lil Tak said. There was a brief silence.
"Excuse me?" CJ asked.
"Well, I know he probably started it but if you apologise then all this will stop." Lil Tak said.
"I shouldn't have to apologise if I'm not wrong! And what do you mean probably?!" CJ demanded.
"Me and Jules both think that even though he did start on you…" Lil Tak said, pausing slightly.
"That you beat him up. Even if he did deserve it maybe you should apologise." Juliana finished.
"Et tu, Jules?" CJ gritted her teeth.
"See? Even your friends don't believe your bogus story." Paresu said.
"If they were really my friends, then they would believe me." CJ replied.
"CJ…" Lil Tak said, but CJ put her hand up to stop him from talking.
"Poor CJ, friends who don't believe her, a whole school who's against her and a disappointment to her prestigious family. I'd hate to be her right now. She must feel ten inches tall." Paresu said, as her and her friends burst into laughter.
"You bitch!" CJ said, grabbing Paresu by the collar and smacking her against the wall. "You're acting as if you're queen of this school! Just because the principal is your uncle doesn't mean I have to bend to your every whim. Your friend Dominic is lucky I didn't have him arrested for what he did to me. So this little conspiracy of yours had better stop. I know it was you on the phone that night, setting this whole thing up. I'm very sure your beloved boyfriend would love to hear about it."
"I'll do anything to keep you away from him. Even if it means ending your wretched life." Paresu hissed. Remy took this moment to grab CJ in a full nelson and drag her away.
"Okay honey, that's enough." Remy said, struggling to keep the younger girl in the lock. Of course she wasn't doing very well. "Aiyee!! Trunks! A little help here?!" Trunks came running down the hallway, grabbed CJ and tossed her over his shoulder.
"Let go of me dammit!!" CJ cried.
"What the hell happened here?" Trunks asked.
"As usual your friend here lost her damn mind!" Paresu cried.
"If I wanted your damn opinion I would have asked for it!" Trunks said. "Remy, what happened?"
"Paresu gave CJ a note saying she needs to make a public apology to Dominic in assembly on Monday." Remy explained. "So CJ got pissed off and gave Paresu a piece of her mind. Damn right too."
"If you weren't Goten's girlfriend…" Trunks muttered. He put CJ down. "You, wait for me outside please. And no more violence."
"Whatever." CJ said, shooting Paresu a dirty look before she left.
"Have you lost your damn mind?!" Trunks demanded. "Asking her to apologise to that bastard when he should be the one apologising?! I thought you had more sense than that!"
"Trunks calm down! Maybe this is what needs to happen. So that all this conflict can end." Juliana said.
"Is this what all of you think?" Trunks asked.
"Not me. I think it's a stupid idea. But of course, these cattle are following the prod." Remy replied. Trunks left without saying another word. Juliana then left and so did Paresu and her friends leaving Remy and Lil Tak standing there.
"I don't believe you Tak. How could you say that to her? To her face? She's your best friend!" Remy said. "Oh but what else was I expecting from you? Juliana says jump and you leap over a building."
"That's not fair. My opinions aren't shaped around Jules's." Lil Tak said.
"Yeah, and Prof X is bald by choice." Remy said, and left him standing there.
"Remy wait! Oy, girls."
Outside…"Aaaaaaaarrrggg!!" CJ yelled, kicking a trashcan.
"What pinched you?" Goten asked. CJ blushed in embarrassment.
"Your girlfriend." CJ said. Goten sighed.
"She's been doing that a lot lately." Goten said. "Wanna talk about it?"
"Not really. I think it's kind of a conflict of duty thing for you." CJ replied. "Say, how come you haven't been hanging around with the guys? Get in a fight?"
"Something like that."
"Tell me."
"Nah."
"Come on, you can tell me."
"This is the one thing I can't tell you."
"Oh, I see."
"Yep."
"You don't have to feel awkward you know."
"Can't help it."
"Is that why you haven't been hanging round Trunks and them?"
"Kinda. Sorta. Yeah."
"So, it is my fault."
"No, it isn't CJ."
"I know what I've gotta do." CJ said. Goten looked at her confused.
"CJ, we need to talk." Trunks said.
BEEP!! BEEP!!
"I can't Trunks, my brother's here. I'll see you later." CJ said running off.
"What's going on Trunks?" Goten asked.
"I wish I could tell you Goten, but she made me promise not to."
To Be Continued…
Confused? Good, then that means you've been following the story. Originally, I was gonna post the second part to this as well as one big chapter but I think you guys would have gotten a headache. So, possibly next chappie will be out in a week? We'll have to see.
