When I arrived at school the following Monday, Uub was waiting patiently beside my locker, looking slightly embarrassed but somehow managing to uphold his composure long enough to bid me a cheery hello, something I simply couldn't muster until I gave him a proper apology.

"Uub, about Vegeta," I mumbled, feeling the skin on the back of my neck burn hot and sweat drip down my forehead. "I'm really sorry. Usually, we get along well and I find him the easiest to talk with out of the lot of them. But overall, what he did on Friday was inexcusable and I apologize on his behalf."

I had been staring intently at anything other than the person I was directing my speech to, yet another out of the ordinary action I had per taken since I had met Uub. Standing beside me now, I felt his breath on my neck until I turned reluctantly to meet his eyes, watching me with concern.

"Bra," Uub whispered in a voice so low only I would be able to hear. "Don't feel like you have to take the blame for what happened. You didn't do anything initially-"

"You copied that word from me." I interrupted, smirking. He smiled in reply, helping me to dig through the mess in my locker to find my history book.

"Just making sure..." He trailed off briefly before finding the right choice of words. "We're still going to....I mean....we'll."

"That was the general idea." I grinned, slamming the locker door shut with force, causing several bystanders to spring back in alarm. "Let's get to class, shall we?"

Feeling as if an unbearable weight had been removed from my back, I let Uub lead me for a change, out of the locker room and down the corridor.

.:.

Despite what had happened last Friday, I still wasn't prepared for the shock I received upon entering a classroom and finding Mez sitting as far away as possible from Anna and Eliza. It seemed I was not the only one to notice this, because the entire class continued to steal glances at all three of my prosecutors throughout the lesson.

The same thing happened in every class for what remained of the day, and gradually most came to accept it, though none dared ask Mez the reason for her isolation. While some tried to provoke and answer from Eliza and Anna only to fail, most proceeded with the rest of the day acting as if nothing was unusual. However, I decided not to follow suit and set off searching for Mez as soon as school ended.

A sneaking suspicion told me that she was not going to be waiting for me in the locker room. Even so, I checked there as well as everywhere else for her, finally stumbling upon Mez in the girl's bathroom doing absolutely nothing. Simply standing idoly in the middle of the bathroom and giving an impression of derangement.

"Mez." I nodded to her in greeting, acting as if I had suspected to meet with her there.

"If you want to ask about Eliza and Anna, I'm not going to tell you." She scowled. "So save your breath."

"Oh I wasn't going to ask anything." I said, attempting to hide the smile forming on my lips. "I'm just in here to wash my hands."

I proceeded to the nearest bathroom sink and twisted the tap on, draping my hands under the cool waters. I spied Mez eyeing me in the bathroom mirror's reflection, a look of both aggravation and mingled curiosity. It didn't take long for her to break down and start babbling.

"They're on drugs." Mez suddenly stated, taking me by surprise. Eliza and Anna on drugs? That wasn't possible! I knew Eliza wasn't the perfect role model student but it seemed she'd taken things a step too far. I scarcely worried about Anna, she had probably been copying Eliza as she always did. What I really did need to ponder on was what would posses Eliza to do something like that to herself.

"How long?" I questioned, focusing on washing my hands in the hopes that she would give me more information. I wasn't let down, because soon after, the information poured from her lips like rain from a cloud.

"Only about a month. Eliza's always been rebellious, that's what makes her popular. But she took things a step too far when she started on pot. Anna only copied her, she clings to Eliza so desperately in order to keep up in the social ladder. They both tried to persuade me into taking it also, but when I said no, we started fighting. I told my parents and they said I wasn't allowed to have anything to do with Eliza or Anna anymore. That's when they started to get really pissed off and...."

"That's when you broke friendship, isn't it? Only this Friday?" I said, turning to face her completely and rejecting the bathroom sink. I only needed a curt nod from Mez to justify this, thoughts spinning through my mind. So this was why they hadn't been late to all our usual 'afternoon meetings'.....

"I don't know what to do. They're my friends, so I want to help them. But they'll just get angry if I do. You're smart, Bra. Tell me what I can do." Mez almost pleaded. It was odd to have someone with a reputation like Mez's to plead with me. In all my life, I never pictured myself standing here and having this conversation with my long-time enemy.

"There really isn't anything you can do, Mez." I sighed after regaining my confidence and leaning against the bathroom counter. "It isn't your problem, it's theirs. If I were you, I'd report them because it isn't just about your friendship, it's about the lives of others. Once they have help, things will start getting better and then they'll realize they were wrong."

"Are you always such a smart-ass?" Mez asked sadly, holding back the tears that were obviously stinging her eyes.

"It's a burden I carry with me everyday." I grinned.

"She's jealous of you, you know." Mez said darkly. "Eliza, I mean. It isn't just about some stupid play back in grade 7, it's about you in general. I've been Eliza's friend for some time now and I know that her parents are strict when it comes to marks and schoolwork. If she get bellow the average on any test, she is banned from social activity and she falls down on the social ladder. She has always wished she could be smart enough to have the grades and still have a social life. That's why she hates you so much, Bra."

"Perhaps I'm not so intelligent." I shrugged. "I always thought she hated me because of the drama production."

"Not exactly." Mez said through a faint laugh. "Eliza's having a few issues, that also helped her to make a choice when it came to drugs. It's much simpler for Anna, she just wants to do whatever Eliza does. And I just didn't know what to do, I felt so lost and alone...."

"The sooner you let Eliza's parents know, the better." I suggested, thinking aloud. "They'll realize that they've been putting too much pressure on Eliza and perhaps they'll loosen the load a little. Anna's parents will find out eventually anyway, and no doubt she'll stop once Eliza does so there isn't any problem there. That's all I can say for now, after that, you'll just have to let nature take it's coarse and see if they're as forgiving as they seem to be."

"I'll keep that in mind." Mez smirked. "Now let's get out of here, ok?"

.:.

After our meeting in the bathroom, Mez and I became instant friends. Having abandoned Eliza and Anna, she sat next to Uub and I during classes and eventually, Lucas attached himself to our 'friendship group'. It amazed me that I had grown from being an irritating attachment to my brother's group to having my own made out of people I wouldn't have expected to ever befriend.

Mez and I found we had plenty in common like our interest in fighting even if hers was stronger than my own. We also disagreed on plenty of things as well, such as the value of schoolwork and tests and frequent arguments made our friendship much more interesting.

I found out more and more about Mez as time went on. She even shared the secret of her real name with me at one stage after I swore never to repeat it and risk damaging her reputation. I must admit that I received the biggest shock of my life when Mez, (Someone well-known for a reputation as a "bad-ass") told me her real name was actually Maryellen Zoƫ, thus forming the nickname from her initials.

In a few short weeks, I had grown to know Mez better than I had ever thought I would or could know a person. What interested me the most was that if I had bothered to speak with her towards the beginning of the year when I faced isolation, I could have prevented an entire year of bitter loneliness.

Mez, Lucas, Uub and I had taken to spending lunchtime in the library doing nothing in particular other than sitting and engaging in conversation. Somehow, during one of these frequent meetings, Lucas brought up a topic I had completely forgotten about.

"So the school dance is at the end of the week." Lucas shrugged, flopping down at the table beside the rest of us. "I guess you're going with Uub, Bra?"

I gave Uub a sideways glance, meeting his eyes and shooting him a quick smile. "We planned to go originally only to irritate Eliza, but since that idea seems irrelevant now, I don't see why we should go anyway."

"They aren't as terrible as you think, Bra." Mez said, pausing halfway through her sandwich. "I've been dragged to a few over the years by Eliza and Anna and it isn't all just dancing and flirting."

"What else can you do then?" I asked, the question dripping with sarcasm.

"Well....you can eat as well." Lucas mumbled so quietly that we had to lean in to hear him properly. "And you can just stand to the side and watch other people dance. If you're feeling a bit game, you could even try bobbing up and down a bit."

After regaining from a laughing fit, I decided. "Why don't we go together anyway? I see no harm in pointless teenage social activity. And since we're teenagers now and won't be after several more years, we may as well make the most of our time while we have it."

"As long as I don't have to wear a dress." Mez protested and I failed to argue. The image of her in a dress didn't quite fit into reality.

"You can turn up with a garbage bag tapped around your but for all I care." I said truthfully. "Just as long as you do turn up."

While Mez and Lucas discussed ways to make themselves look hideous, Uub silently edged towards me and whispered quietly into my ear.

"So, we'll go after all, then?"

"Looks like it." I answered. "Just promise me you'll wear that outfit, ok?"

Uub looked briefly to his usual attire of baggy black pants and an oversized red jacket before replying. "What else?"

.:.

"What are you wearing to the dance, Bra?" Bulma asked excitedly as we finished washing up after dinner.

"Well," I placed a finger to my temple in mockery. "I was thinking along the lines of a giant garbage bag tapped around my but."

Bulma shot me a disjoined look, choosing to pretend she hadn't heard this comment. "What about the outfit I bought you for Trunks' birthday party? I know everyone's seen that already but it saves you a trip to the shopping mall."

"If so, then I'm all for it." I said brightly, glad Bulma wasn't planning to drag me through the torture zone anytime soon.

Vegeta breezed into the room loudly, causing both Bulma and I to brake away from conversation and watch silently as he moved to the fridge, found himself a drink and then left the kitchen as quickly as possible. I wasn't surprised when he didn't even register my presence because we had been avoiding each other since the day he ordered Uub out of the house. And frankly, I was silently thankful for this.

"Why doesn't Dad like the idea of me having a relationship with anyone closer than as family or as friends?" I asked, hopefully casually.

Bulma raised an eyebrow to the question, but replied nevertheless. "Your father didn't really have an ideal childhood, Bra, despite the fact he was a prince. No doubt you've been taught about your Sayian heritage?" I nodded before she continued. "Well, he spent most of his teenage years on a ship working for the monster that destroyed his people. All parents want their children to have a better life than what they had, and even if he won't admit it, Vegeta feels the same way about you. He's going to do everything in his power to ensure that your childhood is a perfect one. He just cares about you, Bra, that's all."

"You still haven't answered my question." I frowned. "Why won't he let me have a boyfriend?"

"He was a teenage boy himself at one stage." Bulma sighed, gazing out the kitchen window. "Hard to believe, isn't it? He must have been one cute teenager as well." Catching the disturbed look upon my face, she added hurriedly. "From knowing what teenage boys are like, and coming back to what I said earlier, he thinks that it's best if you keep away from members of the opposite sex for now. He's just doing what he thinks is best for you, Bra."

"Could it also be from previous experience?" I wondered, adding to what Bulma had already told me. "You told me once that Trunks was an accident, wasn't he?"

Bulma nodded. "I never expected to have Trunks and neither did Vegeta. He left earth in order to train to fight the androids away from 'distractions' not realizing he was leaving me behind with his child. When he came back, he must have realized what he did effected me greatly. Even if he won't admit it, he loves me, you and Trunks very much and probably regrets leaving me alone here to have his child while he trained on a distant planet. So maybe you're right and he doesn't want you to turn out like me. Although, having Trunks was the best thing that ever happened to me, other than having you. Now has that answered your question?"

"A detailed enough explanation." I said, drying my hands. "I'm going to bed, night."

I ventured upstairs, still lost in deep thought.

A/N: Again, I apologize for the long wait and hope these two chapters make up for it. Thanks for reading and please review!