A/N: Blah, blah, coasting right through the boring stuff. That's so bad of me to admit that... anyways, thanks for the good feedback already, guys! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

-MalRev

DEEP - SIX

2 - How To Make Friends

The first morning of classes was a flurry of activity I hadn't really prepared myself for. I ran around my small room, turning on the hair straightener and struggling into my jeans and sweater for the cool September day. My mouth still tasted like the Heineken from the night before and I hurriedly brushed my teeth while the straightener slowly rose to 300 degrees. I was a mess.

My mother called me while I was stumbling around on the slippery floor and I didn't bother to answer her. She only wanted to see how my first night went and know if I had stalked Owen like she requested. I pinned my back my bangs and quickly ran the flat iron along my short hair, aiming to tame it rather than go out looking like a runway model. I had three classes that Monday—chemistry, biology, and calculus. Being pretty was not important when I would be slumped across my desk.

Then I was out the door with my pink bag slung across my shoulders, at least ready for calculus and chemistry. Biology was later on in the afternoon and around five I had to meet with the other tutors in the library to get my assigned student for the year. My first day was anything but boring.

Mila and Anna had each left me texts about how their first day at our community college back home was going. I answered them in a hurry as I walked through the crowded halls to the stairs and headed into the chilly morning, shivering in my sweater. Living down South made the North's weather tough to tolerate—I was used to sunlight and warmth all year long.

Calculus took place in a normal classroom that looked a lot like the ones from high school. I slid into a seat in the back of the room and exhaled with relief, pulling out my notebook and textbook while other people began flooding inside. A lot of them looked older than me and they were talking and laughing. Were all college students morning people? I assumed they slept a lot.

A girl sat beside me and flipped her long black hair over her shoulder, catching the eye of several guys throughout the room. She wasn't drop-dead gorgeous like Bulma but still very pretty and apparently, very aware of that fact. I blinked at her stupidly a few times before turning back to my notebook.

"Are you Owen's little sister?" she asked.

I turned to see her dark eyes focusing on me. She was smiling slightly.

"Uh, yeah," I said. "I'm Ellie. Nice to meet you."

"My name is Chi-Chi," she replied, offering me her hand. "It's nice to meet you, too. Bulma texted me last night going on and on about how nice you were."

A guy with black hair and a goofy expression sat in front of Chi-Chi and winked. He was tall and built like some kind of pro-wrestler, with weathered tan skin and a strange scar. I blanched.

"What's up, Chi?" he said. "Heard you stayed in last night instead of partying."

My new friend regarded him irately. "Yamcha, this is Ellie, Owen's younger sister. Ellie, this is Yamcha, captain of the baseball team and resident dweeb. Don't pay too much attention to him; he's graduating this year so he'll be out of our hair soon enough."

"It's my third time in calculus!" Yamcha chirped.

Another newcomer named Tien sat in front of me and greeted Yamcha and Chi-Chi politely. He had a bandana wrapped around his forehead—I wondered if he was hiding some kind of tattoo. He shook my hand before turning back to the front as the professor strode in looking very agitated.

It was surreal being surrounded by so many friendly people. I could hardly pay attention to the formulas on the chalkboard in my strange, mystified excitement. Did they like me? Was Owen actually opening a door for me instead of it happening the other way around?

Chi-Chi tapped Yamcha on the shoulder when class was finished. "Is Goku coming to the movies with everyone tonight? Krillin is bringing that weird blonde girl and Bulma's too busy with her new boytoy to keep me company."

"Nah, Goku's gotta get tutored tonight," Tien said, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "He's about to get booted off Roshi's martial arts team and that's the last thing we need. Don't try to sway him."

What a bunch of strange names. West City was turning out to be a very unique place. I slowly packed my things into my bag, straining to listen in on their conversation.

Yamcha made a repulsed face. "Don't even bring Vegeta up, please. He's such an asshole—and I bet he's in that crazy gang that's been stirring trouble around the city. What were they? The Saiyans?"

"Probably," Tien said, "but it's none of our business. C'mon, we've got training to do." He pulled Yamcha from his chair and smiled at me again. "It was nice meeting you, Ellie. Hopefully we'll see you around somewhere."

The two of them left and Chi-Chi turned to me instead, frowning.

"Do you like martial arts?" she asked.

"Uh… not really. I'm more of a science and math person."

"Oh, so you're like Bulma." This seemed to satisfy Chi-Chi and she rose from her chair, beaming. "That's cool. I'm gonna head to the gym with the guys and see if I can make Yamcha cry like I did the other day. Have fun in your classes, Ellie!"

The rest of the day didn't feel quite as strange. I attended my chemistry class and didn't meet anyone nearly as interesting as the group in calculus, which gave me plenty of time to collect my thoughts and write neat notes. In biology I met a nice girl with dark blue hair nicknamed Launch for unknown reasons, and she introduced herself as Tien's girlfriend. She was bubbly and friendly.

Three o'clock rolled around and I made my way to the cafeteria to grab myself some lunch. The din surrounding me wasn't disorienting and instead let me blend in with the crowd, slipping between people to find food with muttered apologies.

I paid for my food with my meal plan and turned with tray in hand to find a table when a person barged into me, knocking everything out of my hands and onto the floor. My eyes widened with embarrassment as the noise in the cafeteria died down and milk trickled across the linoleum. What the fuck.

The aggressor laughed. "Watch where you're going, girly."

Slowly, I raised my head to see a tall guy with long, black hair tied in a low ponytail grinning at me. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt that accentuated his muscles but I was more focused on the cruel expression etched in his face. I held my empty tray loosely at my side as all eyes turned to us. I was too pissed off to feel any more humiliated by their stares.

"Maybe if you got your head out of your ass I wouldn't have to," I snapped.

There was a collective murmur. The stranger scowled and stepped closer to me, tilting his neck menacingly, but I didn't back down. He wouldn't dare put his hands on me in a crowded cafeteria.

He leaned down so we were eye-to-eye and I was stuck staring into pools of black. "You must be Hayworth's younger sister—the resemblance is uncanny. Tell you what: I'll let you walk away without a scratch if you take back those words, little girl."

Goddammit, Owen really needed to stop making so many friends.

A person suddenly wedged themselves between us—a short bald guy with books under his arms. The rude man backed away but curled his lip in disgust.

"Hey, Raditz, don't you have other stuff to do?" the mediator suggested in a nervous tone. "All your buddies just threw me out of the exercise room so you could go there if you've got some aggression to take out instead of bullying a freshman."

"Oh, I'm gonna enjoy punching you later, Krillin," Raditz said. He waved to me sarcastically and I bristled. "Have a nice day, mini-Owen."

Krillin held firmly onto my arm when I took a step toward Raditz and he sauntered off down the hall, bathing the cafeteria in noise again. I clenched my hands into fists and began collecting what I could from the floor with the help of the newcomer, who remained silent the entire time. He was awfully short but he didn't have body proportions like a midget.

I nodded stiffly. "Thanks for your help."

"Don't mention it."

Krillin tossed the floor-food in the garbage and escorted me back into the cafeteria, where I picked out my second lunch for the day. We sat at a table together and I angrily wolfed down my food. He watched me with wide eyes for a while and suddenly burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked, mouth full of food.

"Nothing, you just remind me of someone. So you're Ellie, right? Owen's sister."

"Yeah, I am, and I'm also curious to know how my brother is acquainted with 90% of this school. I mean, he's always been popular but this really surprises me."

"Got me," Krillin said, sipping his soda. "He and Goku became friends so that might be why."

Who was this "Goku" character? I picked at the remainder of my spaghetti, frustrated beyond comprehension with the day's events. Everyone I met either knew him or my brother and apparently, Owen wasn't a favorite in everyone's eyes. He would have a lot of explaining to do when I got back to the dorms after I met my tutoree. I'd make sure I ripped him a new one.

A tall, attractive blonde girl with a serious face sat beside Krillin and he excitedly introduced her as his girlfriend, Anayte. She was another stunner like Bulma but didn't have the same openly personality and only inclined her head politely as greeting. There was something strange about her but I was so deeply involved in all the other oddities that I didn't bother ruminating over it. Maybe I was just jealous.

The two of them left for their classes after and I made my way to the library to meet the student I would be tutoring. I hoped she would talk fast and get things over with quickly, because Owen wasn't answering my text messages and he needed a serious vocal beating. People drifted past me in the hallway and I kept my face buried in my phone, waiting impatiently for my brother to reply.

The library wasn't as quiet as it should have been. I shouldered my bag and walked upstairs to the soundproofed area where the other tutors wanted to meet, surrounded by rows of shelves and very few students. They weren't allowed to talk upstairs so most of them hung out in the common area.

The four other tutors were sitting together at a table and I was told to go to one towards the back and wait for my student. I sat down and immediately took out my calculus textbook to brush up on everything I had missed, nervously gnawing on the cap of my pen. Maybe I wasn't a good fit to tutor math. If I couldn't even pay attention in my own class, who was I to teach?

Someone collapsed in the chair beside me and I heard books on the table. I didn't glance up from my notes quite yet, expecting they needed to organize themselves first.

"Sorry I'm late," said a distinctly masculine voice. "I got caught up in the gym and… and…" His sentence drifted off.

"It's okay, I don't mind. My name's Ellie. Why don't you tell me your…"

Then I looked up into two unfathomable dark eyes that appraised me through the harsh overhead lighting bathing the library. My gaze swept across him, drinking in each detail: he was built like the others, muscular and obviously an athlete, and he had crazy black hair that stuck out in fifty different directions. To my surprise, he was staring at me with equivalent shock.

I didn't know if it was love at first sight, but it was the closest I would ever come.

He swallowed. "Uh… I'm Goku, and I'm really bad at math."