Love and Other Bruises

2: Boys' Night Out, Girls' Night In

After banishing her brother and his friends, Bra went to the kitchen, and returned with a carton of ice cream. She offered it to Pan, Paresu and Marron. "Want some?"

When they all declined, Bra shrugged, and started eating the ice cream straight from the carton by herself.

Paresu scowled, light-heartedly. "I hate you so much."

"What for?" Bra asked, mouth half-full.

"You know exactly why. If I had half a spoon of that stuff, I'd get totally fat, but you could eat three cartons, and probably end up skinnier than you started out. You're a bitch!"

Pan laughed. "We can't help it; it's in our genes."

"It's still not fair." Paresu lazed on the couch she was sitting on. "So, what are we going to do?"

"Well, I've got some DVDs, if anyone wants to watch them," Bra suggested. "Or, we could just put on some music and gossip."

"Oh, I like that last option!" Pan piped. "Are we getting pizza for dinner?"

"For sure! I also have some bubbly left over from something."

"Oh, no, I can't drink," said Paresu. "I have to drive home tonight, remember?"

"You're not staying?" Marron asked.

"No, sorry, sweetie. I have work tomorrow morning, so I'll have to go later. Probably eleven or something."

"Yeah, I have to go too," Pan apologised. "Unlike the rest of you, I have school tomorrow."

Marron gave a little laugh. "Oh, yeah, I forgot it was a school night. I'm surprised your dad let you out at all."

"He's not always strict, you know! I think he remembers what his mother made him do."

"I'm going to put some music on!" Bra called, walking over to the stereo. "We seem to have already started on the gossiping."

While Bra was busy with the music, Pan turned to Marron. "I didn't get the chance to ask you what happened. Bra was pretty sketchy on the details."

"Only tell us if you feel okay," Paresu added, with a stern glare at Pan.

Pan just rolled her eyes. Because Paresu had dated Pan's uncle, Pan sometimes felt like the older woman was trying to control her life. It was really just how Paresu acted all the time, but occasionally it really irked Pan. On this particular occasion, she managed to ignore her.

"I'm okay," Marron admitted. "I wasn't earlier, but I guess I realised what a jerk Acheta really was."

"Told you so!" Bra said, returning from the stereo. She grinned. "You're gonna hate me so much, Marron."

"Why what did you put on?" Marron glanced at the stereo. Immediately, "Rock Your Body", by Justin Timberlake started. Marron scowled; she hated that song. "Bra!"

"Told you that you'd hate me."

"You are so in love with him," Paresu stated.

"I am not!" Bra defended. "I just like a couple of songs." She paused for a moment, and saw that her three friends were giving her rather sceptical looks. "Alright, alright. Maybe I'm in denial."

"I'd say so," Marron laughed. "You could hook up with him if you really wanted, couldn't you?"

"Yeah, probably. I met him once or twice, during the N*Sync days. But he reminds me too much of I guy I went to school with." Bra shovelled another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. "So, I believe we were discussing a certain dickhead before JT so rudely interrupted."

"Actually," Marron stated, "you were the one who interrupted. But anyway…yeah. Acheta called me yesterday and asked me to come out for lunch with him today. I guess I should have suspected something. He hardly ever asks me anywhere. Sorry, asked me anywhere. So, yeah, we were sitting at this nice little café, having this really uncomfortable conversation, and he just came out saying, 'I don't think we should see each other anymore'. I nearly choked on my Caesar salad."

"Caesar salad isn't very good for you," Paresu stated, in a half-joking tone. She smiled supportively as she said it, and squeezed one of Marron's hands.

"And neither are losers," Bra added. "You're better off without him."

"Yeah, I suppose I am." Marron gave a little smile. "And I'd hate to think what would have happened if we'd gotten really serious, and I had to tell him about my family."

Paresu laughed. "I can say, from his point of view, it would have been a huge shock. I can still remember when Goten first told me. I didn't believe him, until he actually took me flying."

"Acheta probably would have hated the fact that his girlfriend could kick his arse with one hand tied behind her back," said Pan, with a grin.

"Oh, come on, I'm not that strong," Marron laughed. "But I suppose Acheta was pretty weedy."

"Try very weedy."

As the girls continued chatting, Marron could feel all of her worries drifting away.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Trunks took another drag from his expensive cigarette and scanned the room again, hoping to see at least one girl that was half-decent. He was completely oblivious to Uub's disapproving glare until the younger man spoke up.

"You know those things are terrible for your body," he stated, matter-of-factly.

Trunks simply shrugged. "What are you? The health commission?"

"A true warrior knows to treat his body well. That's what Goku-san tells me."

"Guess I'm not a true warrior then."

"You'd better hope your dad didn't hear that," Goten laughed. "I can just imagine him dragging you into the Gravity Room, and not letting you out until you're a true warrior."

"Yeah, but my dad isn't here, so I should be fine." Trunks smoked, and raised his glass of beer to his mouth. As he did, he motioned to the identical glass that was in front of Uub. "And I suppose that beer isn't doing anything at all to your liver."

Uub grinned, knowing he was defeated. "Touché, my friend."

Goten also grinned, but it faded as he glanced around the room. "What is with this place? I give it a negative score in the chick quality." He cringed as a heavily made-up, overweight woman winked at him. "Talk about nasty."

"We should have stayed at your place, Trunks," Uub sighed. "Now those four are some good quality chicks."

"What does Goku-san say about you having dirty fantasies about his granddaughter?" Trunks asked. "And, hello, one of those chicks is my little sister."

"Yeah, but the other three aren't. And as for what Goku says…he says it's perfectly healthy to have affections for women."

"Especially when they're damn fine, huh?" Goten grinned. "But that's not what Trunks said. Dad doesn't know you like Pan, does he? Gohan's gonna kill you when he finds out."

Uub blushed slightly. "It's nothing really. Just a crush, I guess. She's really grown up."

"Tell me about it," Trunks agreed. He drained his glass, and looked at it sadly. "Goten, go get us another beer. I reckon we'll need a few before any of these girls even start to look attractive."

"I'm broke, Trunks," Goten replied sadly.

Trunks tossed a wad of noted in Goten's direction. He smiled his million-dollar smile that had won him Bachelor of the Year for five years running. "My shout."

Goten was quick to leave the table, and even quicker to return with three beers. Over the next hour, he made several of the same trips. By that time, the women in the bar had begun to look slightly less ugly to Trunks and Goten, and to Uub (with his lesser tolerance to alcohol), many of them were edging towards "hot".

"Hey, what do you think of her?" Uub slurred, pointing to a girl dancing near the edge of the dance floor.

Goten shrugged. "I suppose she's okay."

Trunks snorted. The girl Uub had pointed out was certainly not what he would classify as attractive. However, Trunks had the most alcohol tolerance of the three, and when sober, had the highest standards when it came to women. He was quite certain, that had Uub been just a little less drunk, he would agree that the girl was not the belle he currently believed.

But still, Trunks liked to have his fun. Uub probably wouldn't remember much the next day, which made it all the more enjoyable. "Go for it, mate. She's so yours."

With that encouragement, Uub was quickly out of his seat and onto the dance floor. Trunks lit another cigarette and sat back to watch the situation unfold. Goten was also watching, and cringed as he saw the girl in better light than he had previously.

"That was so mean, Trunks," he said, bluntly.

"No, mean will be us bagging him out for it tomorrow." Trunks smirked, and Goten returned it. Things had not changed much from when they were kids; Trunks was still a troublemaker, and Goten was still his partner in crime.

It wasn't too long before Uub had achieved lip-lock with his chosen prey. And Trunks and Goten couldn't help but laugh hysterically. Uub was really going to get it the next day.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Meanwhile, back at Capsule Corp., the girls were continuing their gossip session. The doorbell had interrupted Bra half-way through her story about a young man she dubbed "Hot Bus Stop Guy", because she saw him every morning as he waited for a bus.

Knowing full well it was the pizza delivery boy, Bra purposely didn't put a gown over her rather revealing pyjamas. The pants could hardly have been called shorts, and the top ceased a far way from her navel, but Bra had a model's body and she knew it.

"Good evening, here's your…" the poor pizza boy trailed off as he saw Bra standing seductively in the doorway. "Uh…here's your boobs…I mean pizzas! T-two Hawaiian, a vegetarian, and th-three me-me…"

"Meatlovers?" Bra asked, in a husky voice.

"Uh, yeah…"

Bra handed the young man a few notes, far more than what the pizzas would have cost. She leant close to his ear and whispered, "Keep the change."

Closing the door, she erupted into giggles. Her friends shook their heads sadly, and Paresu even rolled her eyes. "That was so pathetic, Bra. Do you have to do that every time we get pizza?"

"Come on! I made that guy's night!" Bra defended. "He must have only been about seventeen – how many times in his life will he get to see a supermodel close up?"

"Could your ego possibly get any bigger?"

Bra pretended to be hurt for a moment, then smirked. "I think it could. Maybe just a little." She placed the pizzas on the coffee table, in reaching distance for them all. "I'm starving, let's eat!"