A Day at the Mall

Bra's Morning

"So I said nu uh and she said uh huh. I was like, are you kidding me? She just laughed." Bra shifted the phone to her other ear and grabbed an apple from the bowl on the kitchen table. "She's going out with him this weekend. I bet he doesn't show up." She took a bite and her nose wrinkled at her friend Kimi's response. "I am *not* being mean! That boy is a first class player. Do you know how many other girls he dates? Well, I do. Ami isn't the cutest girl in school nor the sluttiest so Taite isn't going to be with her very long. That's the way it works."

Trunks rolled his eyes as he placed his cereal bowl into the sink. "You are impossibly shallow. Did you know that?"

She stuck out her tongue and turned her back. "That was only Trunks, nobody important." She covered up the mouthpiece. "When are you going to move out? Goten's got his own place and he makes a sixth of what you do, if that. You're twenty-eight for Kami's sake!"

"Mind your own business, Bra," he said as he grabbed his briefcase. "Stick to your goofy teenage soap operas."

"Kimi, he's pathetic. Really, he is."

Her conversation lasted another twenty minutes and would have been longer if  call waiting hadn't interfered. She told Kimi that she would talk to her later and ended the call.

"Moshi moshi."

"Hey, Bra-chan. Are you free later today?"

She recognized that voice anywhere. It was her boyfriend, Benjiro. They'd been together for a year and most people said that they made the perfect couple. "I'm always free for you." Bra felt the goofy grin come over her face and was powerless to stop it. "What do you need me for?"

"Tousan has this new game show that's going to debut at the mall later today, but he didn't get enough contestants. I was wondering if you knew some best-friends that would like to be on television."

"Pan and I can do it!" she said excitedly. "I'll be down there later once I get her, okay? Thanks for telling me about it. Ai shiteru, Ben-chan. Ja."

"Ja."

Pan's phone number was programmed into the speed dial and it rang several times before it was answered.

"Moshi moshi," Pan answered with a yawn.

Bra's voice was a high-pitched squeal. "Guess what! Guess what!"

"If I say 'what' will you lower your voice?" She massaged her temples, trying to ward off a headache. After a moment, she went on to ask, "What?"

"There's this game show at the mall that Ben-chan told me about! We can get on TV., Panny-chan! It's all about best-friends."

Pan yawned again. "Can you give me a little while? I haven't finished breakfast yet."

"Okay, but you better be there before eleven! We have to go buy matching outfits before the show!"

The younger girl was a little wary about that. Their styles differed so much that it would be very difficult to agree on something. Pan mentally prepared herself for a long, arduous shopping trip.

Bra wrinkled her nose at the extended period of silence. "I know what you're thinking, Pan-chan. I promise I won't make you wear a skirt, a dress, or anything girly like that."

"Okay, good. I'll see you there."

***

"How about this, Pan?" Bra held up a pair of hot pants and a tube top. Pan's eyebrow's rose and she shook her head.

"My tousan would kill me and you know it!"

Bra sighed and waved her hand at the racks of clothes. "Why don't you find something, now? You've said no to everything I've picked out."

She hunted through several racks before pulling out a pair of black capri pants and a pale yellow tank top. "This is doable."

"Hmm," Bra studied the shirt from all angles. "Find a better design for the top and we have a deal."

"What's wrong with it? There's nothing even on the shirt!"

"Exactly!" Bra searched through the racks of shirts and found blue ones with starbursts done in beads. She held it up to Pan and pursed her lips. "It would look nice on you."

"Fine, let's just get the outfits and go."

Bra took them both to the cash register and pulled out her Capsule Corp. credit card. "Put your money away, Pan-chan. I'll buy."

"I can't let you do that in good conscience. At least let me pay you back." Bra handed over the receipt with a smirk and Pan's eyes widened. "Um, nevermind. I can just consider this a very early birthday present."

As they were walking to the shoe store, both girls suddenly frowned and looked skyward. "Who's power is that? Don't tell me some other evil nasty is coming here to kill us again."

"Iie..." Pan paled. "Um, I need to be going now."

"What's wrong, Pan-chan?" Then she concentrated and knew. "Is that your tousan?! At least he hasn't gone to level two, yet."

"That's not the point and you know it! This is all your fault!" She pointed. "Look, I can't stay with you because you can't hide your ki. If noon comes and I'm still not there, promise me you'll mourn my death."

Bra blinked as she took off running in the opposite direction. "Wait a minute! We still have to go to the shoe store!"

-End of Bra's Part-