"Just wait till I get my license." Trunks mumbled as he, Goten and I made our way to the bus stop that morning. "I can't wait till I can drive. No more bus."

"The bus isn't THAT bad, Trunks. Come on!" Goten replied, pulling his jacket around him more tightly to fight back the autumn breeze.

"Yeah? Well you only say that so you can catch the bus with Marron." Trunks answered slyly. Goten blushed a light pink and suddenly became very interested in his shoes.

"So, I guess we'll see Uub at school?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

"Who? Oh yeah, that guy. I suppose...why do you care?" Trunks smirked very much like our father.

"No reason." I shrugged. I had a hunch as to where this was going.

"Don't give me that crap, Bra. It's obvious you like him!" Trunks sniggered and Goten burst out laughing before adding. "I never thought I'd see the day Bra had a crush!"

"Oh shut up!" I cursed. Really, boys! Just because I asked them a simple and meaningless question, they decide I, Bra Bulma Briefs, have a crush on someone! That's the problem with our generation; we are not open minded enough to see that because someone is simply curious about something in the day-to-day life of someone of the opposite sex, means we have to like them physically!

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted when we arrived at the bus stop and Trunks was bombarded with hyperactive teenage girls praising him for a 'totally cool party' and wishing him happy birthday yet again, even if his birthday had already been and gone. I slipped away and found a place to sit and do some extra reading.

.:.

I didn't see or hear of Uub until our first class, math. I was one of the first into the classroom and took my favorite seat near my brother. I watched gloomily as the classroom slowly filled up until there was only a couple of seats left. I noticed that neither Uub or Marron was present in the classroom. That was odd seeing as I had seen Marron on the bus this morning so I knew she was at school. It wasn't like her to be late for class.

I tapped Goten on the shoulder and he turned around to face me. He had saved a seat beside him for Marron especially, turning everyone else away. Mrs Morgan was entering the classroom so I mouthed 'Where's Marron?' and Goten only shrugged and turned around in his seat.

About halfway through the lesson, the door suddenly swung open and the school secretary pushed a very pale faced Marron and a terrified looking Uub into the classroom.

"This must be Uub, the new student in our school." Mrs Morgan said as she stood to shake the miserable looking boy's hand. "Everyone, give Uub a nice warm welcome."

The class was mostly silent except for a few people who at least managed to mumble 'Hello'. Except Goten, of course, who's greeting upheld it's usual enthusiastic jolt. But I had a feeling his greeting was more for Marron then Uub, who stood beside him, completely unnoticed.

"Take a seat Uub and we'll get you started on some work." Mrs Morgan instructed with a sickening smile, her large red lips shining with lipstick.

I wanted to get Uub's attention. If we sat together, it would mean two less people who were forced into sitting alone. But Marron grabbed Uub's sleeve roughly and the poor guy nearly toppled over, letting out a small squeak of fright.

"I know Uub from out of school. He can sit with me." Marron said firmly. What!? Marron was being nice to someone? HIGHLY UNLIKELY! And I noticed she didn't seem to be feeling well by the lack of colour in her cheeks. I was confused; what was going on?

Mrs Morgan noticed Marron's presence for the first time that morning and scowled so the wrinkles in her cheeks sagged with her baggy skin even more than usual. "And where have you been, Marron? It's not like you to be late to school."

"I overslept. I'm sorry." Yeah right! How could that be true considering she caught the bus with us! My hypothesis was that she had been purposely stalling to get away from something. But what?

Marron grabbed Uub by his sleeve and led him to the table at the back behind Eliza and the Chief Leader of the 'Goten Fan Club' (or better known as Jane). Eliza turned around in her seat and whispered something, while I secretly praised myself for bothering to learn how to lip read back when I was seven and thought spying on my parents was the most important thing in the world.

"Don't worry. It's for the best, Marron."

"I feel so rotten."

"It couldn't be helped. You can still be friends. Just don't sit next to him all the time and stop flirting."

"I know."

Ah hah! I understood now! Ever since Marron started spending more time with Goten, a rumor had spread that she was two-timing with Goten and Trunks. Of course, this was preposterous and they should have noticed by now that Trunks simply wasn't interested. But still, it meant Marron's 'popularity' was at stake and therefore she was prepared to suddenly stop sitting with the person she had been sitting with for the past month and a half of school and for the sake a total stranger! Now what? Were they going to start thinking she was seeing three boys at once simply because she decided to sit with Uub?

I looked at Goten forlornly. If I could, I would have sat with him, but the lesson was half over and Mrs Morgan wasn't one to let you move for no reason. Instead, I busied myself with what was left of the period working on my math and sneaking glances at Uub, who, judging from the look of him, was more terrified than anything else I had ever seen.

After class I pushed past everyone else and met him at his desk. "Hey Uub, how was class?"

"Ok...kind of." He mumbled as he gathered his things. I noticed for the first time that he was wearing the same red jacket and black pants he wore on Saturday. Didn't he ever change clothes!?

I opened my mouth to say something when I felt a hand on my shoulder and I was suddenly pushed into a nearby desk. I scrambled to my feet, wondering what my father would say if he knew that a mere human had managed to knock me over and met eyes with Mez.

A very powerful human, I argued inside my head, who caught you off guard.

"Uub!" Eliza shrieked and burst into hysterical laughter. "What sort of a name is that?"

"Hasn't it got something to do with science?" Uub asked, oblivious to the fact that Eliza was laughing at him. I had to admit, I was impressed. His memory capacity far exceeded his knowledge.

"Oh, he's a smart one, isn't he?" Eliza sniggered to Anna. "You can join the nerd club with Bra! Here that, Bra? Now there's two members!"

"Yeah well it's better than being in the bitch-with-no-life-outside-her-own- selfish-greed club!" I retorted from behind Mez, who was keeping me in the corner.

"In fact," Eliza continued, ignoring the last comment. "you might make a nice couple. Think about it, both little smart-ass's, both with stupid names, it all fits!"

"Aw, the perfect nerd couple!" Anna said sarcastically so all three of them laughed.

"Now, Bra, remember our little proposition from last week?" Eliza asked, moving on me instead of Uub.

"Yes. And again I must say no considering neither Anna or Marron fit the correct physical and mental image desired by Goten and Trunks."

"Can the smart talk and say it in English." Mez threatened.

"I did. Or are you too thick to understand your own native language?"

"Come on, girls." Eliza said sullenly. "We'll get the nerd couple after school."

Once they were gone, I stalked out of the classroom and headed to the next class, with Uub trotting behind me.

"You'll have to learn how to deal with them." I said over my shoulder. "It seems Eliza has shown an interest in you as well, so you'll just have to learn to handle them. Remember, the worst thing you can do is ignore them, or get angry with them. They like it when you do that."

"You seem to have a lot of experience." Uub mumbled.

"I've been going to this school much longer than you have, Uub." I grinned as we reached the classroom. "Besides, with a first name like Bra, you have to learn this stuff."

Uub laughed. It was the first time I had heard him laugh at something. It didn't sound at all like his ordinary voice which was meek and no louder than a whisper. It was a loud, sunny laugh that rung throughout the hall until he caught himself and silenced his voice as we entered the classroom.

.:.

Uub trailed around after me for what remained of the day and I trailed around after Trunks. At least I did most of the time. I wasn't idiotic enough to follow my elder brother to his locker or to the bathroom. However, Uub almost walked into the girl's bathroom once, stopping himself just in time. And when I reemerged, he was waiting outside the door patiently as if he couldn't go anywhere without me.

By the end of the day, this was really beginning to get on my nerves. Especially when school ended and he followed me to the locker rooms.

"I don't think you really need to see this, Uub." I said, not bothering to look around and speak to him directly. "It isn't going to be pretty, especially if we walk in there together. Do you really want to make this more painful then it has to be?"

"Kind of." I whirled around, bewildered. Couldn't he make one single decision for himself???

"So you want to make life more terrible than it has to be, do you?" I said with a scowl.

"Well, if you want me to."

"NO!" I screamed, startling the few passers by that were left.

"Ok then. I'll see you tomorrow." He gave me a friendly wave and hurried out of the building. I stared after him in shock for a while, unable to except their might be someone on this earth thicker than Marron.

"Hey Bra." Eliza frowned, emerging from the darkness of the locker room after waiting for almost a full minute (poor thing!). "Where's your boyfriend gone?"

"Home." I grinned evilly and marched into the locker room, followed by my confused prosecutors.