It was strange. The art lessons were separated into guys and girls because the teacher found that the male students were more willing to express themselves without the girls around. It had been a week, and Yamcha was a no-show, which was probably for the best. It was unclear how they felt about him right now. Goku wanted to talk to him and ask how he was doing, but even he was still mad, wondering how Yamcha could do such a thing. Goku knew the teen was sorry, but that didn't mean he deserved forgiveness yet.

The boys were sitting around a shared desk, free to express themselves, though they weren't overly thrilled about art. Vegeta glanced over at Goku's drawing. "What the hell is that supposed to be?"

Goku looked down at his paper. "It's a bunny."

Seventeen snorted a laugh. "Why did you draw a bunny?"

Goku shrugged. "Bunnies are cute."

Krillin shook his head with a smile. "That's our Goku."

Goku tilted his head. "What's wrong with the bunny?"

Seventeen rolled his eyes before grinning and lifting his paper. "Check out my futuristic car. It's got thin obsidian wheels, and an automatic drive mode. The car doors open upwards, and it doesn't need gas."

Vegeta scoffed. "Then how the hell does it run, genius?"

Seventeen grinned. "Water."

Vegeta gaped at him. "You're a moron."

Goku's eyes lit up, and he snatched the paper from Seventeen. "Wow! That's amazing! You have this car? When can we see it?" The group looked at him and laughed. "What? What'd I say?"

"Scratch that. He's a moron, you're an idiot. A car that runs on water? Are you high?"

Seventeen clicked his tongue. "What did you draw then?"

Vegeta shrugged and showed his paper. "I didn't." His whole page was colored black.

Krillin grimaced. "Oh, how nice."

…..

"This is lame," Eighteen commented as she drew different forms of knives, wondering what one she would prefer for her collection.

"I'm so bored. I haven't drawn anything yet. I just want this lesson to end." Bulma casually glanced at Chi Chi's page, but before the raven-haired female could hide it, Bulma snatched it from her. "Oh my god! That's the cutest thing!" It was a picture of Goku's head with pink hearts around it. Eighteen started laughing, and Chi Chi snatched it back from Bulma before shoving it into her bag.

"You guys are mean," she pouted.

Bulma smiled at her. "We're only teasing. You and Goku make an adorable couple, and at least he'll treat you right, unlike Yamcha."

Eighteen scoffed at the name. "Speaking of the cheating scumbag, have you heard from him?"

Bulma sighed. "Not a word. I think he feels that if he comes back, some of the guys might beat him up."

Chi Chi frowned. "I'm not one for wishing violence on someone, but he would deserve it."

"At least one of our friends would do the honors," Eighteen remarked.

Bulma looked at her, knowing exactly who she was talking about. "Vegeta. I know. I thought about that, but it's not fair that Yamcha should stay away from school because of this. Even after everything he did, I still wanna be friends. I mean, I have known the guy since the first year of middle school. Is that crazy?"

Eighteen and Chi Chi exchanged worried glances. "Bulma, you're not thinking of forgiving him, are you?"

Bulma laughed. "Oh, god no. I'm over him. He can have that slut all to himself. They're practically made for each other."

Her friends grinned at her, and Eighteen wrapped an arm around Bulma's shoulders. "Meow!" the blonde commented. "That's our Bulma!"

Bulma giggled. Her friends were awesome.

….

Another school day had ended. The group made their way out of school, talking about the upcoming formal dance in December.

"Hey, guys," a voice called to them from near the parking lot. They looked up to see none other than Yamcha.

"What do you want?" Eighteen frowned at him.

Seventeen shoved his hands in his pockets. "I guess it was wishful thinking that you would stay away for good."

Goku smiled at him. "How are you?"

Yamcha hunched and glanced at Bulma. "I've been okay…sorry that I haven't been around."

Krillin looked at Goku; he wanted to stay friends with Yamcha, but it was hard when he knew how much the teen had hurt Bulma. "Teachers were asking about you, but we weren't sure what to say. The principal thinks you dropped out."

Vegeta's rage began to rise, but he didn't know why. The moment he saw Yamcha, he simply saw red. The more he looked at him, he saw the image of Bulma's broken form and seethed. This weakling doesn't deserve a second chance with anyone, be it a relationship with Bulma or a friendship with us. Vegeta's hands curled into fists.

"I was just on my way to talk to him. My dad arranged a meeting for me. He thinks if I explain what happened, and what with me being on the football team, I could come back since it's only been a week."

Vegeta growled quietly, but everyone was too busy talking to notice. That's right. He's on the team, but what makes him think he has such an impact that we can't win our matches without him? Kakarott and I are the best players the team has. He's a player, but not in football.

Krillin nodded. "I guess that makes sense."

Goku smiled. "We're glad to see you're alright." Seventeen and Eighteen scoffed while Vegeta grunted in disproval. "Or some of us anyway."

Yamcha tensed. Even if Krillin and Goku were talking to him, he'd never be allowed back in the group. Yamcha looked at Bulma again. "Bulma, can I talk to you?"

Eighteen narrowed her eyes. "Whatever you have to say, you say it in front of everyone."

Chi Chi frowned with a nod. "Bulma really has nothing left to say to you."

Yamcha frowned. "I wasn't asking you two, I was asking Bulma."

Vegeta clicked his tongue. "You're not going anywhere near her again." Vegeta didn't care how that might sound to everyone; his anger had taken over. "As a matter of fact, I can't stand the sight of your face, so I'd rather you didn't come anywhere near us either." Vegeta stepped forward and stopped directly in front of their former friend. "Leave."

Yamcha threw his hands up in frustration. "Come on guys! I know I messed up and everything, but I was your friend too. It's not like I did something really bad. I didn't physically hurt her or anything. You think she's innocent in all this? She's the one who led me on all the time, telling me that her parents were out of town. We've been friends for years, so I thought it would be easier, but how long was I supposed to wait!" The group fell silent in shock at Yamcha's words; even Seventeen was fuming. "Shit… I didn't mean-"

Before Bulma could defend herself and yell some obscenities back, Vegeta lost it. His fist connected with Yamcha's jaw, flooring him with one punch. Vegeta growled and lunged at Yamcha, pinning him to the ground and raising his fist. The teen seethed with every punch. "You're pathetic! You're lower than dirt! You didn't even have the decency to break up with her! You're even worse than the slut you slept with you fucking man whore!"

Seventeen, Goku, and Eighteen reached down to drag Vegeta away. The angry teen growled and fought back, shoving Eighteen off and clocking Goku in the cheek.

Bulma couldn't believe it. She had never seen Vegeta like that before; no one had. This – this was what was behind that rough exterior. This was what kind of life he and the twins had come from before high school. "Vegeta! Stop it!"

Chi Chi and Krillin could only stare in shock. Seventeen wrapped his arms around Vegeta from behind as tight as he could. "Calm down, man! Get it together! We're better than this now! Look what you're doing! I know he deserves it, but you went too far."

Vegeta struggled for a moment before his breathing calmed, and he came to his senses. Seventeen released him when he felt the tension leave. Vegeta looked at his friends, at Eighteen, who sat up from the floor; he was sure he hadn't hurt her; otherwise, he'd be on the ground with Yamcha. Vegeta looked at Goku, who was seeing to a beaten Yamcha with a growl. The anger was still there, but seeing the bruise forming on Goku's cheek struck him with guilt. He wondered if Chi Chi would forgive him for that, but that didn't bother him much because he knew Goku would; at least, he hoped. Vegeta hesitantly looked at Bulma; she was glaring at him, but he could see the shock and almost fear in her eyes, something he never imagined he'd see when she looked at him.

Bulma didn't know what to say. She was beyond angry, but she didn't even know what she was angry for. Those words Yamcha said were out of frustration, but she knew him well enough that he meant them even if he did feel guilty about it. What Vegeta did was out of line, but she knew his actions were partly because he cared about her. Vegeta did it on her behalf, but he must have known she never wanted that. If the others hadn't been here to stop him…. Bulma shuddered at the thought. Bulma wanted to be angry, but she could see the shame in Vegeta's eyes that he allowed Yamcha to get under his skin so much that he'd jeopardize friendships. Another reason for Vegeta to be angry with Yamcha.

All eyes were on him, but Vegeta was at a loss for words as his eyes stayed locked on Bulma. "I'm sorry…." Before anyone could say a word, Vegeta turned and ran for his bike, revved the engine, and sped out of the parking lot.

Yamcha stood up, holding his bleeding nose, cupping his face. "What a lunatic…. he's insane."

Bulma frowned tearfully, continuing to stare after Vegeta, who was long gone by now. "Enough…."

Chi Chi wrapped her arms around Goku's waist, and he held her close.

Yamcha cringed at the blood in his hand, feeling his bruised ribcage. "Man, good riddance, am I right guys? He's dangerous…"

Seventeen and Eighteen turned with a glare. "If anyone should leave the group, it's you," Seventeen replied. "This whole thing started because of you. Vegeta has a past of fighting, but even we've never seen him like that."

Eighteen nodded. "For your sake, it's better that you don't come back. What you said to Bulma was unforgivable, and Vegeta might have gone too far, but you didn't deserve to get off easy either."

Krillin couldn't believe it had come to this. "We – we can't decide this, can we? It's not our decision. I mean, sure we can be mad, but we can't kick Yamcha out of school and just never see him again."

Yamcha was furious now, and if he was honest, he was past the point of caring anyway. "Give it rest already, Krillin. I don't need your pity help. Everyone knows you're the weak link of the group, and I gotta say, you really don't have a chance with Eighteen, so if anyone doesn't belong, it's you." Krillin frowned, but inside, Yamcha's words hurt because he thought they were good friends. "I see it clearly now that this group of friends isn't even worth it. I knew you lot were only friends with me because of Bulma, and now I'm free of both."

Chi Chi looked up at Goku because she could feel him tense and knew he was angry; hell, she was positively fuming. "Shut up, Yamcha. I think it's time you leave. I wanted you to stay. I wanted us all to work this out and stay friends, but I guess events showed your true colors."

Yamcha laughed before coughing and spitting blood to the ground. "Ooo, look out, Goku's mad. What are you gonna do? Talk some sense into me? Please." Yamcha turned from them and headed for his car. As he opened the door, he looked back at his former friends, almost saddened by the loss; it seemed like such a waste. Seven months of friendship gone. Whatever. "By the way, Goku, stay with her, and you won't get any either."

Goku's eyes narrowed, and Chi Chi held him tight to stop him from going over there and adding more bruises to Yamcha's face.

"And don't worry, I won't go to the police or anything. In fact, you can thank Vegeta for me, cause now I won't have to deal with your crap," he looked at Bulma, "nor will I have to subject myself to such mush for nothing in return."

The group glared daggers as Yamcha shuffled into his car and left. Bulma watched the boy she thought she knew leave forever. She had never seen that side of Yamcha before; Bulma didn't think he was capable of such cruelty, but it was obvious to her now that she didn't know him at all anymore. Middle school days seemed so innocent to her now. "I'm sorry," she said woefully.

Her friends looked at her in surprise. "What the hell do you have to be sorry about?" Eighteen asked angrily; she so wanted to kill Yamcha, but him leaving was just as good and probably for the best. If Vegeta had been around to hear the rest of Yamcha's insults, the boy wouldn't be alive. Eighteen was amazed at Goku's control. "You did nothing wrong."

Bulma wrapped her arms around herself. "If I knew – if I knew this was what he'd become, I would have never-"

Krillin smiled sadly. "Hey, he sure hid it well, but we don't blame you, Bulma."

Bulma gasped and looked up through tears. She grabbed Krillin's arms. "Krillin, what Yamcha said, we don't think that way about you. You know that, right?"

Krillin laid a hand on Bulma's arm. "It's okay, Bulma. I know I can be a bit of a dork and maybe I am a coward, but because of you guys, I'm getting better."

Bulma shook her head. "No, you don't have to change. We like you for you. You're a true friend." She released Krillin's arms and looked at the rest. "All of you, I love you all. I'm sorry that this happened, I really am. Vegeta did what he did, and it's my fault." Bulma covered her face with her hands. "It's all my fault."

Chi Chi and Eighteen moved to Bulma's side and wrapped their arms around her. "Shh, everything will be okay now," Chi Chi told her softly.

"Yeah, Chi Chi's right. This group is solid, so don't worry. Yamcha was the weak-link, not Krillin." Eighteen frowned at Krillin. "You got that, dork? You give us anymore self-loathing crap, and I'll kick your ass." Krillin stared at Eighteen in surprise, a slight tinge to his cheeks, barely managing a nod. "Good."

Goku laid a hand on Bulma's shoulder. "You're not to blame for any of this. I guess in the end, at times like this, you really can tell who your friends are. Don't worry, okay? We'll always be here for you."

Seventeen wasn't good with the comforting thing; even his sister was better than him, but he wasn't going to allow Bulma to blame herself. As weird as it was, she was his friend, too. "Hate to admit it, but none of us saw any of that coming. I didn't consider Yamcha a friend. I tolerated him, but even I didn't expect that. Don't worry about Vegeta. He'll be alright after he cools off. He just needs time to think."

…..

Vegeta sat on his bed with his knees pulled to his chest. He looked at his hands; they were still shaking. How could he let his anger get out of control that much? His friends would never look at him the same way again, and Bulma…. "What have I done?" Vegeta buried his face in his arms, wanting to hide from the world. Asaki and Lilith had tried to talk to him, but he just told them to go away. One of the seven-year-olds, Kei, who seemed to follow him around a lot, had tried to come and talk to him, but Vegeta refused to see anyone. Seventeen and Eighteen knew him better and had left him alone. Why would they want to be around him? It was cold, and Vegeta wore only black slacks, but he didn't care.

Vegeta raised his head when there was a sudden noise against his window. Thinking it was probably a bird, he ignored it, but the tapping came again. Vegeta opened his curtain, lifted the latch on his window, and opened it. A small gasp escaped him when he looked down. Bulma was the last person he expected to see. Why is she here? Why would she want to be here?

It was dark, but Vegeta could see it was her. His phone bleeped, and he grabbed it from the nightstand. 'Can we talk?' By now, everyone had gone to bed, so the house was quiet. Vegeta sighed and shut the window, pulled a loose T over his head, and made his way downstairs. He was four floors up, so he couldn't exactly ask her to climb to his window. Vegeta opened the front door to Bulma standing there.

Bulma swallowed the lump in her throat. She had every intention of remaining strong in front of Vegeta, to say what she wanted to say. To tell him he wasn't to blame and that no one hated him for what he'd done. She wanted to tell him not to distance himself because they couldn't possibly be afraid of him because there were reasons behind his actions that he couldn't control. When Bulma saw him, her resolve broke when he stepped back from her, obviously afraid of hurting her; he was wrong!

Vegeta wanted to tell Bulma to go away because he didn't want to be someone else in her life who made her cry.

Bulma lunged forward, giving Vegeta no time to react, and burst into tears. "Vegeta…."

Vegeta stiffened in surprise; how could he possibly push her away now?

"I'm so sorry…." Bulma gripped his shirt tightly, unwilling to let go for fear of losing him too. "I'm sorry…it's all my fault." Vegeta's eyes widened. What did she say? Surely, he hadn't heard that right. "I didn't mean for this all to happen…. I thought he was just the same boy I knew, but he changed, and I'm sorry for ever not believing you…."

Vegeta frowned. "Woman, look at me." Bulma shook her head. Vegeta sighed and shut the door before dragging her to the couch, sitting them both down. "Now, you listen to me." Vegeta forced Bulma to look at him, growling at her tear-stained face. "That pathetic louse isn't worth crying over. It's hard to admit, but he deceived us all. What we warned you about was his player trait, not this. I'm sure you're not the only girl this has happened to, but this – I don't think we expected him to go this far, not even me, so don't you dare blame yourself – ever. What I did-" Vegeta shuffled away from her. "I never wanted anyone to see that – I don't get like that for no reason, and I've never lost control like I did back there."

Bulma frowned, wiping her tears with her sleeve before scooting closer to him. "Vegeta," she began, "what you did was unforgivable."

Vegeta cringed; he knew it. Bulma hated him.

"But I don't care." Vegeta turned to her in shock. "No one has ever done anything like that for me before. I see now that the only reason you lost control was because he hurt someone you cared about, and I'm not going to go into detail, but after what he said when you left, you're not the only one who wanted to kill him. I've never seen Goku so angry."

Vegeta would rather not know what Yamcha had said even though he was curious; what the hell did Yamcha say that made even someone like Goku want to hurt him? "Aren't you – aren't you afraid of me?"

Bulma smiled and shook her head. "No one is, nor do we hate you. Vegeta, we love you."

Vegeta didn't understand; how the hell was this possible. "You're insane. You're all insane."

Bulma giggled despite her still tearful eyes. "That's what real friendships are all about. We've gotta be crazy to put up with you three." Bulma smiled mischievously and looked toward the bottom steps. "Yeah, I'm talking about you two." Seventeen and Eighteen grimaced at their not-so-obvious eavesdropping and stepped into the living room. "You guys are the worst hiders."

Vegeta turned to them with a frown. "Haven't you ever heard of privacy?"

The twins moved to the front couch, where their two friends sat. "Never cared for it," Seventeen replied with a grin. "By the way, we love you, man."

Vegeta glared at him. "Don't even think about it."

Eighteen grinned. "We love you, Vegeta!" The twins lunged themselves at Vegeta and embraced him humorously in a hug.

"Get off you pair of freaks! Woman, this is your fault!" Bulma laughed apologetically.