--Original character alert!!: Those of you who don't like non-DB/Z/GT
characters in stories, be forewarned. There IS an original character in
this chapter. I hadn't planned on it happening, but it did. Sorry for any
inconvenience.
Versus
--Crawling Back to Start--
Bra was less angry today. She'd come to grips with the fact that she would have to wipe all her feelings for Goten aside and concentrate on moving on. It wouldn't be easy. He WAS, after all, her teacher AND her tutor. It would be a challenge, but she was a Saiyan. She was the daughter of the great Prince Vegeta. There was no way she could lose if she put everything she had into it.
So she took a deep breath and entered the school. There, outside her first class, stood its teacher. As always. Hm. Getting over him really wasn't gonna be easy. The moment she laid eyes on him, her heart began to race.
Oh no. He was walking toward her. He had that big Son smile on his face. What was this all about?
"Wow, Bra," Goten said. "Your hair looks really nice like that."
Oh yeah. She forgot about her little mishap. She'd ended up cutting her hair to about the middle of her ears. She'd tried to brush it all back, but some of it escaped and some stuck straight up. Why would he LIKE her hair like this? It wasn't even styled.
Just as she was about to speak, he reached over and pushed some of the loose strands from around her eyes. And she stopped breathing. She had somehow forgotten how to breathe for a moment. Then she cleared her throat. "Um...thank you. It's not really—"
"Yeah, you can see more of your face than when it was long," Goten added. "You shouldn't hide behind your hair."
Bra gasped quietly, yet it was loud enough to be heard. Especially by Saiyan ears. She blushed and immediately wished she had her automatic curtain. Her already whimsical heart went into a state of emergency. She wasn't sure why she'd let him touch her hair. All she knew was that she'd wanted him to touch her in other places as well. For a girl who wasn't supposed to be thinking about this man, she sure was willing to have him near her in every possible way.
She'd simply have to change her tactics. She gave Goten a small smile and hurried past him into the classroom. Straight away every eye in the room greeted her. Her new haircut would undoubtedly be the talk of the town. Since when did so many students start showing up for class this early? Maybe she was late.
Before she sat at her desk, she scanned the room for a guinea pig. There were plenty of guys around who had a crush on her. Sure, both she and Pan had reputations as tomboys, but guys were still attracted to both of them. One of these young men was her science partner at the end of the year last year. They had hit it off pretty well, but she, of course, never conversed with anyone unless she had to. Unfortunately, he had the same reputation, so today was the day she would have to make an exception. She moseyed over and sat in front of him for the time being.
Randall—age: 17—He had mid length dark brown hair and dark brown eyes that were slightly magnified by a pair of thin-rimmed glasses. Everybody thought he was a nerd, but he'd always seemed really nice. He was the shy sort, but he was smart, funny and respectful.
The two of them made small talk for a while. They talked about their project for science class last year. He'd complimented her hair and she'd complimented the drawing he was doodling on his desk. They asked about each other's summer as well. He also mentioned something about transferring to another school soon.
He'd given her the strangest look the entire time they talked. Certainly it was common knowledge that Bra never EVER approached people socially. She couldn't blame him for being a bit baffled.
"Well...," Bra began. She played at her hands. She was nervous. She'd never asked a boy out before. And when boys asked her out, she usually said no. What if this guy had a girlfriend or something? He was the only person she'd ever even consider dating other than.... "There's this fancy little get-together this weekend. I was kinda hoping...you'd be my date." Cross your fingers. Close your eyes. Count to ten. And then, surprise.
He was silent. When she looked back at him, she saw the most familiar look on his face. It was a look of confusion. It was an expression she'd seen plastered on another certain face more times than she could count.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Randall asked.
Did she look like the joking type? Was it so hard to believe that she would seriously ask a guy out? Well, considering her track record, it wasn't very likely. As a matter of fact, this moment should probably go in Guinness.
"It's not a joke," Bra assured him. "Now, will you be my date or not?" It wasn't a nice attitude to take with someone you wanted a favor from. Maybe she should have used a kinder voice. "I just need an escort this one day," Bra said, changing her tone.
"Well, okay," Randall said.
"Great. Thank you so much. I'll give you the details later," Bra said. She kissed him on the cheek, and then sashayed over to her regular seat.
He was transferring to another school. What kind of luck did she have? The only guy in the entire school she would consider was leaving....
Pan was looking at her strangely. "What are you doing kissing Randall?"
"He's gonna be my date for the gala," Bra answered.
"Come again?" Pan said.
"He's my date for the fashion show," Bra repeated. "You got an invitation, right?"
"Of course I did. That's not the part I wanted you to explain," Pan told her. "You're actually gonna have a date for this thing?"
"Yeah," Bra replied. Man, how many times was she gonna have to answer that question?
"Someone asked you out and you actually said yes?" Pan asked, still flabbergasted.
"No. I asked him," Bra told her.
"YOU asked HIM?!!" Pan hissed, obviously stunned.
Was there an echo in here? Pan really knew how to overreact about things. "I asked him. That's right." Well, coming from her, maybe it was a little astonishing.
Pan looked at Bra out of the corner of her eye. "Do you have any idea how strange that sounds?"
Bra raised her eyebrows.
"He's the King of Nerds!!" Pan stated plainly.
"He's really nice. And I don't appreciate you talking about him like that," Bra said. She should have slapped this girl silly for insulting her taste in men.
"Have you gone nuts?" Pan asked. "Of all people, I never pegged you as the type to lose your mind."
She must not have been paying attetion over the past few days.
"Now I'll be the only one who doesn't have a date," Pan pouted.
"Go with my brother," Bra suggested.
Pan blushed. "What?"
"Go with Trunks," Bra said. "You're really hard of hearing today. It's no big deal. It's not like it's a DATE kinda date. It's just an escort like me and Randall."
Pan was still blushing. "He wouldn't wanna go to something like that with a high school girl."
"Trust me. He won't care," Bra told her. She didn't even know if her brother had a girlfriend already or not.
"Maybe I just shouldn't have a date," Pan said. "Especially with the shenanigans I've got planned for this little party." She had on a very mischievous grin.
Bra never liked that look. She'd seen that look on this girl's face a million times before. Pan was willing to do something totally ridiculous. Something that was sure to make everyone at the gala remember who she was. Bra just hoped that she wouldn't have to get involved.
"Okay, class. It's time to begin today's lesson," Goten stated indifferently.
It wasn't his usual cheerful take on beginning class. What had changed in the short time between meeting him in the hall and starting class?
- & - & - & -
--after class--
Bra had gathered her things while the rest of the class was packing to leave. It was a first. She'd always stuck around to try to talk to their teacher. Not today. It was all a part of her new strategy to keep herself from thinking about him all the time.
But just as she was about to exit with the crowd, she felt a hand lightly touch her shoulder. She turned to see Goten looking at her quite seriously. Very unusual.
"Bra, I wanted to talk to you just for a second," he informed. "If that's okay, I mean."
Bra sighed. What now? He'd already started dating their counselor. Why did she have to endure his presence now? It was already hard enough for her to keep him out of her mind without having his face be the last thing she saw before her next class. Couldn't it wait till they had their tutoring session?
"I just wanted to ask if it was okay for us to take the afternoon off from studying today," Goten said. "I mean, you've been studying really hard and I think that missing one day couldn't hurt."
That was a flat out lie. He was obviously canceling tutoring this afternoon. But why? She gave him a questioning look.
Goten looked away. "It'll give you some time to do other stuff.... Like hanging out with that guy you were talking to this morning...."
Ah ha! He'd seen her talking to Randall before class. She wondered if he'd heard their conversation. That should be none of his concern. Why was he butting in on her affairs?
As they stood silently by the open door, someone knocked on it. The two of them turned around startled.
There stood Red. That sickeningly sweet woman Goten was now seeing. She had a bad habit of walking in on them at critical moments in a conversation.
"Hi," Paris said to Goten. She walked past Bra, completely ignoring her. "I had a FANTASTIC time last night." She had the nerve to plant a kiss right on Goten's lips.
The bravado of this woman was enough to make Bra insane with jealousy. Yet she honestly had no reason to be. Paris had won fair and square. She'd made all the right moves while Bra stood aside and watched the man she loved be snatched away from her like so much candy from the hand of a child. Fair was fair. Besides, Bra had a new focus in life. Randall. It would only be for a short while, but every arduous journey had to begin with one step.
"I'll see you tomorrow morning." Bra bid farewell to Goten with a wave. She'd have to control her emotions. Hell, she was doing a great job of it considering what had just happened. She cleared her mind and set out for her next class.
It wouldn't be easy to keep her mind off of the man she'd loved all her life. But with the right amount of willpower and strength, she just might pull it off again.
--End Crawling Back to Start--
--There we go. Ah, I feel a little better about this one than I did about the first one. Thanks for your help. And now that it's a LITTLE less crappy, I'd like to hear from you again. Not much changed, but please review anyway.
--Sorry again for the surprise character. I can't express enough how I'm not the biggest fan of outside characters. That's probably another reason why I'm not the biggest fan of this particular episode.
--Thanks for reading this episode of Versus. Thank you for all the past reviews. We're getting closer and closer to the last episode. So, please try to hang in there.
Versus
--Crawling Back to Start--
Bra was less angry today. She'd come to grips with the fact that she would have to wipe all her feelings for Goten aside and concentrate on moving on. It wouldn't be easy. He WAS, after all, her teacher AND her tutor. It would be a challenge, but she was a Saiyan. She was the daughter of the great Prince Vegeta. There was no way she could lose if she put everything she had into it.
So she took a deep breath and entered the school. There, outside her first class, stood its teacher. As always. Hm. Getting over him really wasn't gonna be easy. The moment she laid eyes on him, her heart began to race.
Oh no. He was walking toward her. He had that big Son smile on his face. What was this all about?
"Wow, Bra," Goten said. "Your hair looks really nice like that."
Oh yeah. She forgot about her little mishap. She'd ended up cutting her hair to about the middle of her ears. She'd tried to brush it all back, but some of it escaped and some stuck straight up. Why would he LIKE her hair like this? It wasn't even styled.
Just as she was about to speak, he reached over and pushed some of the loose strands from around her eyes. And she stopped breathing. She had somehow forgotten how to breathe for a moment. Then she cleared her throat. "Um...thank you. It's not really—"
"Yeah, you can see more of your face than when it was long," Goten added. "You shouldn't hide behind your hair."
Bra gasped quietly, yet it was loud enough to be heard. Especially by Saiyan ears. She blushed and immediately wished she had her automatic curtain. Her already whimsical heart went into a state of emergency. She wasn't sure why she'd let him touch her hair. All she knew was that she'd wanted him to touch her in other places as well. For a girl who wasn't supposed to be thinking about this man, she sure was willing to have him near her in every possible way.
She'd simply have to change her tactics. She gave Goten a small smile and hurried past him into the classroom. Straight away every eye in the room greeted her. Her new haircut would undoubtedly be the talk of the town. Since when did so many students start showing up for class this early? Maybe she was late.
Before she sat at her desk, she scanned the room for a guinea pig. There were plenty of guys around who had a crush on her. Sure, both she and Pan had reputations as tomboys, but guys were still attracted to both of them. One of these young men was her science partner at the end of the year last year. They had hit it off pretty well, but she, of course, never conversed with anyone unless she had to. Unfortunately, he had the same reputation, so today was the day she would have to make an exception. She moseyed over and sat in front of him for the time being.
Randall—age: 17—He had mid length dark brown hair and dark brown eyes that were slightly magnified by a pair of thin-rimmed glasses. Everybody thought he was a nerd, but he'd always seemed really nice. He was the shy sort, but he was smart, funny and respectful.
The two of them made small talk for a while. They talked about their project for science class last year. He'd complimented her hair and she'd complimented the drawing he was doodling on his desk. They asked about each other's summer as well. He also mentioned something about transferring to another school soon.
He'd given her the strangest look the entire time they talked. Certainly it was common knowledge that Bra never EVER approached people socially. She couldn't blame him for being a bit baffled.
"Well...," Bra began. She played at her hands. She was nervous. She'd never asked a boy out before. And when boys asked her out, she usually said no. What if this guy had a girlfriend or something? He was the only person she'd ever even consider dating other than.... "There's this fancy little get-together this weekend. I was kinda hoping...you'd be my date." Cross your fingers. Close your eyes. Count to ten. And then, surprise.
He was silent. When she looked back at him, she saw the most familiar look on his face. It was a look of confusion. It was an expression she'd seen plastered on another certain face more times than she could count.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Randall asked.
Did she look like the joking type? Was it so hard to believe that she would seriously ask a guy out? Well, considering her track record, it wasn't very likely. As a matter of fact, this moment should probably go in Guinness.
"It's not a joke," Bra assured him. "Now, will you be my date or not?" It wasn't a nice attitude to take with someone you wanted a favor from. Maybe she should have used a kinder voice. "I just need an escort this one day," Bra said, changing her tone.
"Well, okay," Randall said.
"Great. Thank you so much. I'll give you the details later," Bra said. She kissed him on the cheek, and then sashayed over to her regular seat.
He was transferring to another school. What kind of luck did she have? The only guy in the entire school she would consider was leaving....
Pan was looking at her strangely. "What are you doing kissing Randall?"
"He's gonna be my date for the gala," Bra answered.
"Come again?" Pan said.
"He's my date for the fashion show," Bra repeated. "You got an invitation, right?"
"Of course I did. That's not the part I wanted you to explain," Pan told her. "You're actually gonna have a date for this thing?"
"Yeah," Bra replied. Man, how many times was she gonna have to answer that question?
"Someone asked you out and you actually said yes?" Pan asked, still flabbergasted.
"No. I asked him," Bra told her.
"YOU asked HIM?!!" Pan hissed, obviously stunned.
Was there an echo in here? Pan really knew how to overreact about things. "I asked him. That's right." Well, coming from her, maybe it was a little astonishing.
Pan looked at Bra out of the corner of her eye. "Do you have any idea how strange that sounds?"
Bra raised her eyebrows.
"He's the King of Nerds!!" Pan stated plainly.
"He's really nice. And I don't appreciate you talking about him like that," Bra said. She should have slapped this girl silly for insulting her taste in men.
"Have you gone nuts?" Pan asked. "Of all people, I never pegged you as the type to lose your mind."
She must not have been paying attetion over the past few days.
"Now I'll be the only one who doesn't have a date," Pan pouted.
"Go with my brother," Bra suggested.
Pan blushed. "What?"
"Go with Trunks," Bra said. "You're really hard of hearing today. It's no big deal. It's not like it's a DATE kinda date. It's just an escort like me and Randall."
Pan was still blushing. "He wouldn't wanna go to something like that with a high school girl."
"Trust me. He won't care," Bra told her. She didn't even know if her brother had a girlfriend already or not.
"Maybe I just shouldn't have a date," Pan said. "Especially with the shenanigans I've got planned for this little party." She had on a very mischievous grin.
Bra never liked that look. She'd seen that look on this girl's face a million times before. Pan was willing to do something totally ridiculous. Something that was sure to make everyone at the gala remember who she was. Bra just hoped that she wouldn't have to get involved.
"Okay, class. It's time to begin today's lesson," Goten stated indifferently.
It wasn't his usual cheerful take on beginning class. What had changed in the short time between meeting him in the hall and starting class?
- & - & - & -
--after class--
Bra had gathered her things while the rest of the class was packing to leave. It was a first. She'd always stuck around to try to talk to their teacher. Not today. It was all a part of her new strategy to keep herself from thinking about him all the time.
But just as she was about to exit with the crowd, she felt a hand lightly touch her shoulder. She turned to see Goten looking at her quite seriously. Very unusual.
"Bra, I wanted to talk to you just for a second," he informed. "If that's okay, I mean."
Bra sighed. What now? He'd already started dating their counselor. Why did she have to endure his presence now? It was already hard enough for her to keep him out of her mind without having his face be the last thing she saw before her next class. Couldn't it wait till they had their tutoring session?
"I just wanted to ask if it was okay for us to take the afternoon off from studying today," Goten said. "I mean, you've been studying really hard and I think that missing one day couldn't hurt."
That was a flat out lie. He was obviously canceling tutoring this afternoon. But why? She gave him a questioning look.
Goten looked away. "It'll give you some time to do other stuff.... Like hanging out with that guy you were talking to this morning...."
Ah ha! He'd seen her talking to Randall before class. She wondered if he'd heard their conversation. That should be none of his concern. Why was he butting in on her affairs?
As they stood silently by the open door, someone knocked on it. The two of them turned around startled.
There stood Red. That sickeningly sweet woman Goten was now seeing. She had a bad habit of walking in on them at critical moments in a conversation.
"Hi," Paris said to Goten. She walked past Bra, completely ignoring her. "I had a FANTASTIC time last night." She had the nerve to plant a kiss right on Goten's lips.
The bravado of this woman was enough to make Bra insane with jealousy. Yet she honestly had no reason to be. Paris had won fair and square. She'd made all the right moves while Bra stood aside and watched the man she loved be snatched away from her like so much candy from the hand of a child. Fair was fair. Besides, Bra had a new focus in life. Randall. It would only be for a short while, but every arduous journey had to begin with one step.
"I'll see you tomorrow morning." Bra bid farewell to Goten with a wave. She'd have to control her emotions. Hell, she was doing a great job of it considering what had just happened. She cleared her mind and set out for her next class.
It wouldn't be easy to keep her mind off of the man she'd loved all her life. But with the right amount of willpower and strength, she just might pull it off again.
--End Crawling Back to Start--
--There we go. Ah, I feel a little better about this one than I did about the first one. Thanks for your help. And now that it's a LITTLE less crappy, I'd like to hear from you again. Not much changed, but please review anyway.
--Sorry again for the surprise character. I can't express enough how I'm not the biggest fan of outside characters. That's probably another reason why I'm not the biggest fan of this particular episode.
--Thanks for reading this episode of Versus. Thank you for all the past reviews. We're getting closer and closer to the last episode. So, please try to hang in there.