A/N: In accordance to one of my reviewers, Kylelewin, I had been planning
to make the entire Briefs family key characters to this story, unlike in
'Marron the teenage drama queen'. So their opinions and such would be
included quite a bit. Yet I guess that I have been leading up to a big
'Vegeta gets pissed' scene without realizing it, so I am going to take your
advice by making Vegeta VERY important to this story as it progresses.
Thanks for the advice.
.:.
I was back at school the following day and in obvious high spirits. I could hardly wait to see Uub again, although yesterdays events were bound to bring up some confusion and awkwardness. It would be interesting to see his reaction....and even more interesting to see my reaction.
Sure enough, he was standing beside my locker when I arrived at school, wearing his usual ensemble and a shy smile. It was hard for me to believe he could cope in such heavy clothing considering summer was drawing closer as the school year was beginning to come to a close.
"Morning." I smiled, throwing the door of my locker open fiercely. Uub ducked only in the nick of time. "Oops, sorry about that."
"You're feeling better, right?" Uub asked, a hint of red in his cheeks. "I was worried...you could still have been sick."
"Yes...err...about yesterday." I leaned closer to him, whispering faintly in his ear. "I was hoping we could keep things low-key for a bit. As you may have gathered from watching the way our fellow classmates react to the announcements of new couples, things could become a little, shall we say, irritating."
"Well, if you want me to." He whispered back before helping me find my books for first period.
We hardly had a chance to speak with each other because of class and such. I also had to explain my absence from class to countless teachers, who had sorely missed my presence in their classroom and took joy in reminding me I wouldn't win the award for perfect attendance at the end of the year.
Finally lunch arrived, and it was strangely greeted with happiness on my part. It became clear, when Uub and I made our way onto the school grounds after making a silent agreement to skip our trip to the cafeteria, that the weather was becoming hotter by the second. Everything felt humid, dry and sticky; I could hardly believe that Uub could survive in clothes meant for winter.
The hot weather also meant the end of the school year, and the promise of upcoming exams! My first exams in an advanced class for my age level. I had a feeling that they would sneak in a few extra questions at the grade eleven level in all our tests just to trick us, so I was going to prepare in advance of everyone else.
Uub and I sat underneath a tree and I placed a text book on my lap while he stared lazily across the grounds. I couldn't help snatching glances at him every now and then, just to remind myself that he was there and I was no longer alone. He caught me staring the fifth time I broke away from my text book and frowned.
"Is something wrong?" He asked worriedly.
"No," I laughed. "Just wondering if you're going to even bother studying for exams."
I expected him to say something along the lines of 'If you want me to', yet he surprised me with a definite 'no'. I gaped at him, clasping a hand over my mouth.
"Wow, you gave me a definite answer!" I gawked sarcastically. "But seriously, Uub. You really have to study for exams. If you fail, they'll hold you back a year. And that won't be good, trust me. The current grade nines don't look too kindly on those with an IQ above or bellow average."
"I don't need to study, Bra." Uub smiled, meeting my eyes. "I remember everything we learnt this year."
I raised my eyebrows. "Everything?"
"Kind of." He shrugged.
Feeling slightly annoyed, I turned back to my text book. I didn't doubt his memory capacity, but even Uub would find it difficult to remember everything he had learnt in the previous semester.
"Fine then." I said sourly. "I'll test you. Define the word biome."
"A biome is a word used to describe the way flora and fauna learn to adapt over a period of time to better suit their current environment." He quoted. I stared at him in astonishment. Had he just quoted the definition of a biome that I had said aloud to the entire class three weeks ago?
"Ok, then." I hid my impressiveness carefully. "Tell me who invented the telephone, when it was invented and for what purpose."
"It was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1800 for the purpose of making long distance communication easier." Yet another quote I had given him. I had to smile; he actually listened to me. For that matter, he listened very well. Perhaps he really didn't need to study.
"Alright, so you can remember and quote all you have learnt this year, but you must remember that you only arrived at school halfway through the second semester. They'll put things we learnt at the beginning of the year in this test as well, not to mention a few questions at the grade eleven level. So you really do need to study more than the rest of us do."
Uub pulled a face, and I had to focus all my bodily energy on stopping myself from kissing him right at that moment by reopening the textbook and turning to the front page.
"Don't worry, I'll try my best to help you. It should posses a problem, since you have proven your memory capacity to be substantially high. If I read aloud to you, you should be able to mentally note it in your head, right?"
"Kind of." He was making my resolution to stop myself from kissing him even harder. "But will I have time to learn it all?"
"Possibly." I pondered. "Perhaps we'll have to work in some out-of-school study as well." I smirked as an idea sprung to mind. "Why don't you come home with me this Friday and we can start revising."
Uub seemed to like this idea as well, for his deep eyes glowed with glee. "If you want me to."
"I do want you to." I grinned as the school bell rang and I hurriedly gathered my things. "Come on, then."
.:.
"Have you ever thought about changing your name?" Asked Lucas as he and Uub followed me back towards the locker room at the end of the day. "What about being called Brianna instead of Bra?"
"My mother choose to curse me with a revoltingly uncouth name yet I have grown up under this term and therefore I have decided to live by it." I answered. "What bothers me is what force possessed her to name me Bra in the first place."
"I don't really want to think about that." Lucas laughed. "I suppose I'll see the two of you at school tomorrow, then?"
"Ado, Lucas." I waved as he departed for his own locker room. Uub trailed behind me, keeping at my heels like a puppy.
"No need to come with me today, Uub. Get your own things and meet me outside the school."
I had predicted Eliza, Anna and Mez to arrive later than us, although I had to admit I was surprised when they didn't arrive at all. I actually managed to have my bag packed before they had even arrived.
I didn't take the time to ponder this, instead seeing it as an opportunity to arrive home early. I hurried out of the building and met Uub, who was waiting patiently in the front entrance.
"Strange." I mumbled. "Eliza, Anna and Mez weren't even present in the locker room at all..."
"Trunks, Goten and Marron have already left." Uub sighed. "Sorry, I told them you would take a while so they took the next bus."
"Like I care." I scowled. "It may appear that I desperately cling to my elder brother, yet it is simply a charade to stop me from being an outcast. But I'm not anymore...am I?"
"Well....kind of." He moved towards me; and that was all I could recall before he kissed me for the second time in two days. We broke away moments later, both (especially me) feeling dazed and dreamy.
"Make sure you come on Friday, alright?" I almost begged, before realizing how desperate and teenage-like I sounded and changed my tone. "For your own benefit."
"Oh I will, don't worry." He winked (Wow...he winked!) and then departed in the direction of his village, leaving me to fly home myself, still with an odd feeling lingering in my stomach.
.:.
"BRA!" Trunks screamed only moments after I stepped into my house. "GET YOUR BUT IN HERE!"
"What's your problem?" I scowled, reaching his bedroom and tearing the door open. He was sitting beside his computer, his schoolbag resting beside him. "Wow, didn't even have time to get some food, huh?"
"I need your help." He gestured to the computer. "Do you understand this damn math algebra?"
I peered over his shoulder to read the calculations he had typed up on his computer calculator. "Well, it's the sum of pie times 'x' and dived by double 7.2." I concluded. "Not the sum of pie times 'x' and double 7.2. You missed out on the division."
"Do I need to rephrase the question?" Trunks shouted. "WHAT....IS...THE....ANSWER!?"
"You won't learn if I tell you." I moved away. "Work it out yourself, ok?"
"Fine, I will!" He focused intently on the computer screen and I yawned, stretching out my arms as I left his room.
"By the way, Uub is coming over this Friday afternoon. Make sure you tell Mum when she comes home, ok?"
"You can..." Trunks muttered distantly while scribbling on a piece of paper. "I'll still be hear at midnight trying to figure this out."
I gave him a sympathetic look. My poor elder brother did have a ton of pressure resting on his head with Bulma and my grandfather constantly reminding him he needed to be ready to take over the company when the time came and Vegeta shooting him curt remarks about his lack of training whenever the opportunity arose.
But if he didn't learn himself, he wouldn't be able to pass anyway. So I was doing him a favor...at least I thought I was....
Being a little sister is tougher than it may seem.
.:.
I was back at school the following day and in obvious high spirits. I could hardly wait to see Uub again, although yesterdays events were bound to bring up some confusion and awkwardness. It would be interesting to see his reaction....and even more interesting to see my reaction.
Sure enough, he was standing beside my locker when I arrived at school, wearing his usual ensemble and a shy smile. It was hard for me to believe he could cope in such heavy clothing considering summer was drawing closer as the school year was beginning to come to a close.
"Morning." I smiled, throwing the door of my locker open fiercely. Uub ducked only in the nick of time. "Oops, sorry about that."
"You're feeling better, right?" Uub asked, a hint of red in his cheeks. "I was worried...you could still have been sick."
"Yes...err...about yesterday." I leaned closer to him, whispering faintly in his ear. "I was hoping we could keep things low-key for a bit. As you may have gathered from watching the way our fellow classmates react to the announcements of new couples, things could become a little, shall we say, irritating."
"Well, if you want me to." He whispered back before helping me find my books for first period.
We hardly had a chance to speak with each other because of class and such. I also had to explain my absence from class to countless teachers, who had sorely missed my presence in their classroom and took joy in reminding me I wouldn't win the award for perfect attendance at the end of the year.
Finally lunch arrived, and it was strangely greeted with happiness on my part. It became clear, when Uub and I made our way onto the school grounds after making a silent agreement to skip our trip to the cafeteria, that the weather was becoming hotter by the second. Everything felt humid, dry and sticky; I could hardly believe that Uub could survive in clothes meant for winter.
The hot weather also meant the end of the school year, and the promise of upcoming exams! My first exams in an advanced class for my age level. I had a feeling that they would sneak in a few extra questions at the grade eleven level in all our tests just to trick us, so I was going to prepare in advance of everyone else.
Uub and I sat underneath a tree and I placed a text book on my lap while he stared lazily across the grounds. I couldn't help snatching glances at him every now and then, just to remind myself that he was there and I was no longer alone. He caught me staring the fifth time I broke away from my text book and frowned.
"Is something wrong?" He asked worriedly.
"No," I laughed. "Just wondering if you're going to even bother studying for exams."
I expected him to say something along the lines of 'If you want me to', yet he surprised me with a definite 'no'. I gaped at him, clasping a hand over my mouth.
"Wow, you gave me a definite answer!" I gawked sarcastically. "But seriously, Uub. You really have to study for exams. If you fail, they'll hold you back a year. And that won't be good, trust me. The current grade nines don't look too kindly on those with an IQ above or bellow average."
"I don't need to study, Bra." Uub smiled, meeting my eyes. "I remember everything we learnt this year."
I raised my eyebrows. "Everything?"
"Kind of." He shrugged.
Feeling slightly annoyed, I turned back to my text book. I didn't doubt his memory capacity, but even Uub would find it difficult to remember everything he had learnt in the previous semester.
"Fine then." I said sourly. "I'll test you. Define the word biome."
"A biome is a word used to describe the way flora and fauna learn to adapt over a period of time to better suit their current environment." He quoted. I stared at him in astonishment. Had he just quoted the definition of a biome that I had said aloud to the entire class three weeks ago?
"Ok, then." I hid my impressiveness carefully. "Tell me who invented the telephone, when it was invented and for what purpose."
"It was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1800 for the purpose of making long distance communication easier." Yet another quote I had given him. I had to smile; he actually listened to me. For that matter, he listened very well. Perhaps he really didn't need to study.
"Alright, so you can remember and quote all you have learnt this year, but you must remember that you only arrived at school halfway through the second semester. They'll put things we learnt at the beginning of the year in this test as well, not to mention a few questions at the grade eleven level. So you really do need to study more than the rest of us do."
Uub pulled a face, and I had to focus all my bodily energy on stopping myself from kissing him right at that moment by reopening the textbook and turning to the front page.
"Don't worry, I'll try my best to help you. It should posses a problem, since you have proven your memory capacity to be substantially high. If I read aloud to you, you should be able to mentally note it in your head, right?"
"Kind of." He was making my resolution to stop myself from kissing him even harder. "But will I have time to learn it all?"
"Possibly." I pondered. "Perhaps we'll have to work in some out-of-school study as well." I smirked as an idea sprung to mind. "Why don't you come home with me this Friday and we can start revising."
Uub seemed to like this idea as well, for his deep eyes glowed with glee. "If you want me to."
"I do want you to." I grinned as the school bell rang and I hurriedly gathered my things. "Come on, then."
.:.
"Have you ever thought about changing your name?" Asked Lucas as he and Uub followed me back towards the locker room at the end of the day. "What about being called Brianna instead of Bra?"
"My mother choose to curse me with a revoltingly uncouth name yet I have grown up under this term and therefore I have decided to live by it." I answered. "What bothers me is what force possessed her to name me Bra in the first place."
"I don't really want to think about that." Lucas laughed. "I suppose I'll see the two of you at school tomorrow, then?"
"Ado, Lucas." I waved as he departed for his own locker room. Uub trailed behind me, keeping at my heels like a puppy.
"No need to come with me today, Uub. Get your own things and meet me outside the school."
I had predicted Eliza, Anna and Mez to arrive later than us, although I had to admit I was surprised when they didn't arrive at all. I actually managed to have my bag packed before they had even arrived.
I didn't take the time to ponder this, instead seeing it as an opportunity to arrive home early. I hurried out of the building and met Uub, who was waiting patiently in the front entrance.
"Strange." I mumbled. "Eliza, Anna and Mez weren't even present in the locker room at all..."
"Trunks, Goten and Marron have already left." Uub sighed. "Sorry, I told them you would take a while so they took the next bus."
"Like I care." I scowled. "It may appear that I desperately cling to my elder brother, yet it is simply a charade to stop me from being an outcast. But I'm not anymore...am I?"
"Well....kind of." He moved towards me; and that was all I could recall before he kissed me for the second time in two days. We broke away moments later, both (especially me) feeling dazed and dreamy.
"Make sure you come on Friday, alright?" I almost begged, before realizing how desperate and teenage-like I sounded and changed my tone. "For your own benefit."
"Oh I will, don't worry." He winked (Wow...he winked!) and then departed in the direction of his village, leaving me to fly home myself, still with an odd feeling lingering in my stomach.
.:.
"BRA!" Trunks screamed only moments after I stepped into my house. "GET YOUR BUT IN HERE!"
"What's your problem?" I scowled, reaching his bedroom and tearing the door open. He was sitting beside his computer, his schoolbag resting beside him. "Wow, didn't even have time to get some food, huh?"
"I need your help." He gestured to the computer. "Do you understand this damn math algebra?"
I peered over his shoulder to read the calculations he had typed up on his computer calculator. "Well, it's the sum of pie times 'x' and dived by double 7.2." I concluded. "Not the sum of pie times 'x' and double 7.2. You missed out on the division."
"Do I need to rephrase the question?" Trunks shouted. "WHAT....IS...THE....ANSWER!?"
"You won't learn if I tell you." I moved away. "Work it out yourself, ok?"
"Fine, I will!" He focused intently on the computer screen and I yawned, stretching out my arms as I left his room.
"By the way, Uub is coming over this Friday afternoon. Make sure you tell Mum when she comes home, ok?"
"You can..." Trunks muttered distantly while scribbling on a piece of paper. "I'll still be hear at midnight trying to figure this out."
I gave him a sympathetic look. My poor elder brother did have a ton of pressure resting on his head with Bulma and my grandfather constantly reminding him he needed to be ready to take over the company when the time came and Vegeta shooting him curt remarks about his lack of training whenever the opportunity arose.
But if he didn't learn himself, he wouldn't be able to pass anyway. So I was doing him a favor...at least I thought I was....
Being a little sister is tougher than it may seem.
