*sheepish look * Hello there. Sorry I haven't had an update in a while.
I've been busy with a three-page report in Spanish, plus I've had a little
writer's block. Excuses, excuses, I know, but I think I've worked through
it. Thanks to all those who reviewed. Also, I've received a request for a
mailing list. Would anyone be interested in this idea? Let me know in
your review! *Boy am I smooth *
Not mine, don't sue.
Truth be Told
"Ugh. Try not to mention his name, ok? Just that makes me soo mad." Bulma paused for Vegeta to nod in agreement. "Alright. Prepare yourself for the woeful tale of Bulma Briefs's naivety. Well, I'm about two years younger than everyone else in our class. They're 18 and I'm only 16; I skipped a couple grades in elementary school. So it was ninth grade, we were all excited about being high schoolers. And, of course, being hormonally charged, we started hooking up with anyone and everyone. I swear, some girls went through a guy every two days." She paused to take a drink of her pop.
"I was young and insecure and I stupidly thought that having a boyfriend would make me better somehow. I could be one of the 'in crowd'. I tried my best to be mature and sexy, but it's really hard when you've got glasses, braces and ugly clothes. None of the guys noticed me until we got a new student." Bulma stopped her monologue, remembering the day that Yamcha came and how she decided to make him her boyfriend. Vegeta sat politely for a few moments before interrupting.
"Okay, woman, enough of a stroll down memory lane. I'm assuming the new student was Yamcha?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes, it was him. He came in looking like a complete nerd. He tried so hard to be cool and you could see right through it. He was an extremely dumb nerd, though, so I ended up tutoring him after school. Somehow we ended up seeing a movie together. He confessed that he had been terrified of girls until just before he moved here." Vegeta snorted incredulously.
"That womanizer used to be afraid of weakling onnas? It's nearly too good to be true."
"Hard to believe, isn't it? Yeah, so he confessed his deepest, darkest secret to me and I had the decency not to laugh. We went to a couple more movies before he worked up the courage to ask me out. I thought this would be my chance to see what everyone was talking about. I was so STUPID!!!!!" ::Ugh, why am I telling him all this?:: Bulma wondered to herself. ::He doesn't deserve it. No, I asked him about his past, it's only fair that he get the same chance. I'm giving him way more to work with, though. Maybe I can try him another time. I wonder why he got so pissy?::
Vegeta let the woman do some reminiscing. It gave him time to think about her story so far. ::How did the onna delude herself into thinking that prick would make her happy? I'm glad she recognizes how dumb she was. It sounds like she's changed a lot since then-for the better. Ah, it looks like she's returned.::
"It was great in the beginning. I was convinced he was better than any other guy because he could see the real me. He made me feel...special. He was always doing sweet things: putting notes in my locker, sending me flowers. He went away over Christmas break and when he came back he'd changed somehow. I didn't see anything wrong with the way things were going, so I forgot about it. Valentine's Day came around and he told me he had something special planned. We went to a nice restaurant and then drove to a little point above the sea. It was very romantic-just like the bastard had planned. He knew it would get to me and he used that!" Bulma stopped abruptly. ::Damn! I feel like I'm going to scream or sob, maybe both. I thought I was over him. Yeah, I don't miss him, that's for sure, but I miss being a girlfriend. All those stupid, sappy, wonderful things that go along with having a boyfriend. Guess I'm not as tough as I thought.::
Vegeta was surprised at the venom in her voice. ::What did he do to make her hate him so? I barely even know the onna, but I would most definitely not want her pissed at me. Strange, though, it sounded like she was going to cry at the end.::
"He used me." she said quietly. "I was naive and trusted him completely. He started out innocently enough, a few kisses, some hand- holding. That was earlier in the evening. Sometimes I think he had it all planned out, move-by-move: 'kiss, tongue, fondling, then I'll have her!'. And I was stupid enough to go along with him." She paused again, wondering if she really wanted to tell Vegeta this and if she had enough strength to hold back the tears that were forming. "I didn't want to, not at first. I had a feeling that it wasn't right and I tried to tell him that. He didn't even listen to me, not really. Just mumbled something about 'everyone' doing it while he unzipped my dress. 'Everyone' was who I wanted to be, so I gave in. I ignored my good sense and let that asshole take my virginity." The tears broke free then, falling into her lap. Bulma bowed her head quickly to try and hide them, but it was too late.
::This just confirms my opinions of that bakayaro.:: Vegeta thought angrily. ::only someone as self-centered and cowardly as he would take advantage of an innocent 13 year old. He never has changed in his liking for the young ones. And probably only because they haven't heard about him yet. Gah, I must be getting soft, I don't want the onna to cry. At least she hasn't broken into hysterics, but these strangled sobs are worse somehow. I didn't even make her cry and I feel bad! Well.......it was me who wanted to hear this; maybe I can get her to stop.::
"Woman!" Vegeta said, more harshly than he had intended. He tried again. "Woman, stop your weeping, If you still feel this strongly, I don't feel...justified in making you tell me. I refused, so can you."
"Really?" she asked, glancing up at him through reddened eyes. "That's really nice of you, Vegeta." ::Wow. He sounded like he cared about me. That's more than I ever expected; more than he planned, I bet.:: She quickly wiped her face before continuing. "Umm, if you don't mind, though, I'd actually like to go on. It helps, to talk about it." Vegeta nodded.
"So, where was I? After that night he seemed happier and paid a lot more attention to me. He was so nice that I thought it wasn't such a bad trade-off. Him being wonderful lasted until the next time he wanted sex. The first couple of times I tried to get him to stop, but I always gave in. I guess I thought it was part of the price I had to pay for getting such a great guy. Towards the end of that year we were having sex virtually every night. It... it wasn't so much the physical part that was hard. I'd gotten pretty good by then. What I hated most were the emotions that came with it. I still had myself convinced that he loved me and I loved him back. It was so hideously easy to fool myself into thinking that he wanted me for something other than my body. No, that wasn't hard." Bulma spoke in a monotone, as if this was something she'd long since resigned herself to. "I hated myself. I had become just as bad as him. I needed the sex too, but for different reasons. It made me feel...whole. I was with someone who wanted me, couldn't get enough of me. It's a great feeling to be needed, it makes life worth living. Back then I thought no one in the world would care if I died, but Yamcha would. He'd miss me terribly and sink into depression. Now I know that he would notice only when I didn't come around that night and have soon replaced me." She stopped again, wondering where she wanted to take this.
Vegeta still couldn't fathom why Bulma was confiding all of this in him. ::I told her she could stop, yet she continues to put herself through what are obviously painful memories. She's either stronger than I gave her credit for or more dumb than I suspect. Is she trying to get me to react? I don't believe that she wants my pity. But I do feel like I should feel something. And I think I do. I feel sorry for her, sorry she can't kill him legally! Stupid emotions! They're not helping anything.::
Bulma had gone to get another pop and resettled herself on the couch. "It continued like that through the summer and the first semester of sophomore year. At the last dance of the basketball season I went to the bathroom and came back to find him hitting on some freshman girl. I got mad, but not as mad as I should have. I dragged him outside and made him explain. He came up with some stupid excuse that I can't remember now and I forgave him. I forgave him when he 'accidentally" sprayed the girl in the white t-shirt with the hose at the class car wash. I forgave him when he fell out of his chair staring at the waitress's butt. I saw what was happening, but I didn't connect the dots. Over the summer we spent more time apart and when we were together it seemed like we were fighting all the time. I'd try and set up dates, and on rare occasions so would he, but he was always running a little late or had to cancel suddenly because of a 'family emergency'. That was the summer I met ChiChi and 18. It was at a rave that I'd found somehow. 18 had dragged Chi there with her and I recognized them both from school. That was also the night Chi met Goku. He'd come with Krillen for moral support because Baldy was looking for a girl. Chi and Goku hit it off immediately. He was so sweet to her, that sticky sweetness that makes you want to gag. I realized that what Yamcha and I had was nowhere near a typical relationship. I still couldn't dump him, though. I thought I could get him to change."
"If you think you could do-" Vegeta began.
"Yes, I know. It was a dumb idea."
"A good theory, perhaps. I was going to say that if you thought that, you're dumber than that fool."
"Anyway..." Bulma continued, trying to hurry the story along. "So I tried and tried, but nothing worked. It made it worse, if anything. About two weeks into our junior year I couldn't take it anymore and I dumped him. We've been enemies ever since." Vegeta could tell that Bulma was leaving something out, but he chose not to press her for it. She'd already gone far beyond what he wanted to know.
"Glad to see you found your common sense, woman." Vegeta was going to add a derogatory comment, but stopped when he saw how Bulma was sitting numbly, staring into space. It was nearly four a.m. when Vegeta looked at the clock, but he thought he'd better stay a little longer. ::I don't want the onna to have a nervous breakdown without someone around. It'd be a shame to ruin her nice furniture.:: he added to justify his actions to himself.
"Onna?" he tried again, more softly. Bulma still didn't respond, nor did she when he waved his hand in front of her face. Bracing himself for a shriek of outrage, he reached out and lightly touched her on the shoulder. "Bulma?" he asked a little hesitantly. "Are you alright?"
"Hmmm?" she muttered, blinking her eyes and looking like she'd just woken up. "Did you say something Vegeta?"
"I just wondered if it was okay to leave you alone with all this expensive stuff." he said harshly. ::Good, doesn't sound like she heard my moment of weakness. I hope I can leave soon or I might go even softer.::
"Um, yeah, I guess it's okay if you want to go. What time is it anyway?"
"It's almost four in the morning. I suggest you get some sleep, onna."
"Wow, you're right. It is late, or should I say early? So you're going to go now?" At Vegeta's nod she continued. " Do you need a ride, or do you want to call someone to pick you up?"
"No, I can walk. It's not that far and I think the night air will do me good." The two made their way back down the hallway and the stairs. The sky was just beginning to lighten and the grass was wet with dew. They walked in silence to the gates and stood a while, each wanting to make the moment last and not sure how to. Finally the said an awkward goodbye and Bulma closed the gate behind him. Her feet crunched on the gravel as she walked back to the house with plenty to think about.
Whew. That was an emotionally exhausting chapter for all involved. How will they act at school? What will Bulma's 'rents do when they find out she had a boy in her room overnight?!?!
Not mine, don't sue.
Truth be Told
"Ugh. Try not to mention his name, ok? Just that makes me soo mad." Bulma paused for Vegeta to nod in agreement. "Alright. Prepare yourself for the woeful tale of Bulma Briefs's naivety. Well, I'm about two years younger than everyone else in our class. They're 18 and I'm only 16; I skipped a couple grades in elementary school. So it was ninth grade, we were all excited about being high schoolers. And, of course, being hormonally charged, we started hooking up with anyone and everyone. I swear, some girls went through a guy every two days." She paused to take a drink of her pop.
"I was young and insecure and I stupidly thought that having a boyfriend would make me better somehow. I could be one of the 'in crowd'. I tried my best to be mature and sexy, but it's really hard when you've got glasses, braces and ugly clothes. None of the guys noticed me until we got a new student." Bulma stopped her monologue, remembering the day that Yamcha came and how she decided to make him her boyfriend. Vegeta sat politely for a few moments before interrupting.
"Okay, woman, enough of a stroll down memory lane. I'm assuming the new student was Yamcha?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes, it was him. He came in looking like a complete nerd. He tried so hard to be cool and you could see right through it. He was an extremely dumb nerd, though, so I ended up tutoring him after school. Somehow we ended up seeing a movie together. He confessed that he had been terrified of girls until just before he moved here." Vegeta snorted incredulously.
"That womanizer used to be afraid of weakling onnas? It's nearly too good to be true."
"Hard to believe, isn't it? Yeah, so he confessed his deepest, darkest secret to me and I had the decency not to laugh. We went to a couple more movies before he worked up the courage to ask me out. I thought this would be my chance to see what everyone was talking about. I was so STUPID!!!!!" ::Ugh, why am I telling him all this?:: Bulma wondered to herself. ::He doesn't deserve it. No, I asked him about his past, it's only fair that he get the same chance. I'm giving him way more to work with, though. Maybe I can try him another time. I wonder why he got so pissy?::
Vegeta let the woman do some reminiscing. It gave him time to think about her story so far. ::How did the onna delude herself into thinking that prick would make her happy? I'm glad she recognizes how dumb she was. It sounds like she's changed a lot since then-for the better. Ah, it looks like she's returned.::
"It was great in the beginning. I was convinced he was better than any other guy because he could see the real me. He made me feel...special. He was always doing sweet things: putting notes in my locker, sending me flowers. He went away over Christmas break and when he came back he'd changed somehow. I didn't see anything wrong with the way things were going, so I forgot about it. Valentine's Day came around and he told me he had something special planned. We went to a nice restaurant and then drove to a little point above the sea. It was very romantic-just like the bastard had planned. He knew it would get to me and he used that!" Bulma stopped abruptly. ::Damn! I feel like I'm going to scream or sob, maybe both. I thought I was over him. Yeah, I don't miss him, that's for sure, but I miss being a girlfriend. All those stupid, sappy, wonderful things that go along with having a boyfriend. Guess I'm not as tough as I thought.::
Vegeta was surprised at the venom in her voice. ::What did he do to make her hate him so? I barely even know the onna, but I would most definitely not want her pissed at me. Strange, though, it sounded like she was going to cry at the end.::
"He used me." she said quietly. "I was naive and trusted him completely. He started out innocently enough, a few kisses, some hand- holding. That was earlier in the evening. Sometimes I think he had it all planned out, move-by-move: 'kiss, tongue, fondling, then I'll have her!'. And I was stupid enough to go along with him." She paused again, wondering if she really wanted to tell Vegeta this and if she had enough strength to hold back the tears that were forming. "I didn't want to, not at first. I had a feeling that it wasn't right and I tried to tell him that. He didn't even listen to me, not really. Just mumbled something about 'everyone' doing it while he unzipped my dress. 'Everyone' was who I wanted to be, so I gave in. I ignored my good sense and let that asshole take my virginity." The tears broke free then, falling into her lap. Bulma bowed her head quickly to try and hide them, but it was too late.
::This just confirms my opinions of that bakayaro.:: Vegeta thought angrily. ::only someone as self-centered and cowardly as he would take advantage of an innocent 13 year old. He never has changed in his liking for the young ones. And probably only because they haven't heard about him yet. Gah, I must be getting soft, I don't want the onna to cry. At least she hasn't broken into hysterics, but these strangled sobs are worse somehow. I didn't even make her cry and I feel bad! Well.......it was me who wanted to hear this; maybe I can get her to stop.::
"Woman!" Vegeta said, more harshly than he had intended. He tried again. "Woman, stop your weeping, If you still feel this strongly, I don't feel...justified in making you tell me. I refused, so can you."
"Really?" she asked, glancing up at him through reddened eyes. "That's really nice of you, Vegeta." ::Wow. He sounded like he cared about me. That's more than I ever expected; more than he planned, I bet.:: She quickly wiped her face before continuing. "Umm, if you don't mind, though, I'd actually like to go on. It helps, to talk about it." Vegeta nodded.
"So, where was I? After that night he seemed happier and paid a lot more attention to me. He was so nice that I thought it wasn't such a bad trade-off. Him being wonderful lasted until the next time he wanted sex. The first couple of times I tried to get him to stop, but I always gave in. I guess I thought it was part of the price I had to pay for getting such a great guy. Towards the end of that year we were having sex virtually every night. It... it wasn't so much the physical part that was hard. I'd gotten pretty good by then. What I hated most were the emotions that came with it. I still had myself convinced that he loved me and I loved him back. It was so hideously easy to fool myself into thinking that he wanted me for something other than my body. No, that wasn't hard." Bulma spoke in a monotone, as if this was something she'd long since resigned herself to. "I hated myself. I had become just as bad as him. I needed the sex too, but for different reasons. It made me feel...whole. I was with someone who wanted me, couldn't get enough of me. It's a great feeling to be needed, it makes life worth living. Back then I thought no one in the world would care if I died, but Yamcha would. He'd miss me terribly and sink into depression. Now I know that he would notice only when I didn't come around that night and have soon replaced me." She stopped again, wondering where she wanted to take this.
Vegeta still couldn't fathom why Bulma was confiding all of this in him. ::I told her she could stop, yet she continues to put herself through what are obviously painful memories. She's either stronger than I gave her credit for or more dumb than I suspect. Is she trying to get me to react? I don't believe that she wants my pity. But I do feel like I should feel something. And I think I do. I feel sorry for her, sorry she can't kill him legally! Stupid emotions! They're not helping anything.::
Bulma had gone to get another pop and resettled herself on the couch. "It continued like that through the summer and the first semester of sophomore year. At the last dance of the basketball season I went to the bathroom and came back to find him hitting on some freshman girl. I got mad, but not as mad as I should have. I dragged him outside and made him explain. He came up with some stupid excuse that I can't remember now and I forgave him. I forgave him when he 'accidentally" sprayed the girl in the white t-shirt with the hose at the class car wash. I forgave him when he fell out of his chair staring at the waitress's butt. I saw what was happening, but I didn't connect the dots. Over the summer we spent more time apart and when we were together it seemed like we were fighting all the time. I'd try and set up dates, and on rare occasions so would he, but he was always running a little late or had to cancel suddenly because of a 'family emergency'. That was the summer I met ChiChi and 18. It was at a rave that I'd found somehow. 18 had dragged Chi there with her and I recognized them both from school. That was also the night Chi met Goku. He'd come with Krillen for moral support because Baldy was looking for a girl. Chi and Goku hit it off immediately. He was so sweet to her, that sticky sweetness that makes you want to gag. I realized that what Yamcha and I had was nowhere near a typical relationship. I still couldn't dump him, though. I thought I could get him to change."
"If you think you could do-" Vegeta began.
"Yes, I know. It was a dumb idea."
"A good theory, perhaps. I was going to say that if you thought that, you're dumber than that fool."
"Anyway..." Bulma continued, trying to hurry the story along. "So I tried and tried, but nothing worked. It made it worse, if anything. About two weeks into our junior year I couldn't take it anymore and I dumped him. We've been enemies ever since." Vegeta could tell that Bulma was leaving something out, but he chose not to press her for it. She'd already gone far beyond what he wanted to know.
"Glad to see you found your common sense, woman." Vegeta was going to add a derogatory comment, but stopped when he saw how Bulma was sitting numbly, staring into space. It was nearly four a.m. when Vegeta looked at the clock, but he thought he'd better stay a little longer. ::I don't want the onna to have a nervous breakdown without someone around. It'd be a shame to ruin her nice furniture.:: he added to justify his actions to himself.
"Onna?" he tried again, more softly. Bulma still didn't respond, nor did she when he waved his hand in front of her face. Bracing himself for a shriek of outrage, he reached out and lightly touched her on the shoulder. "Bulma?" he asked a little hesitantly. "Are you alright?"
"Hmmm?" she muttered, blinking her eyes and looking like she'd just woken up. "Did you say something Vegeta?"
"I just wondered if it was okay to leave you alone with all this expensive stuff." he said harshly. ::Good, doesn't sound like she heard my moment of weakness. I hope I can leave soon or I might go even softer.::
"Um, yeah, I guess it's okay if you want to go. What time is it anyway?"
"It's almost four in the morning. I suggest you get some sleep, onna."
"Wow, you're right. It is late, or should I say early? So you're going to go now?" At Vegeta's nod she continued. " Do you need a ride, or do you want to call someone to pick you up?"
"No, I can walk. It's not that far and I think the night air will do me good." The two made their way back down the hallway and the stairs. The sky was just beginning to lighten and the grass was wet with dew. They walked in silence to the gates and stood a while, each wanting to make the moment last and not sure how to. Finally the said an awkward goodbye and Bulma closed the gate behind him. Her feet crunched on the gravel as she walked back to the house with plenty to think about.
Whew. That was an emotionally exhausting chapter for all involved. How will they act at school? What will Bulma's 'rents do when they find out she had a boy in her room overnight?!?!