I Miss Her
By Ms. Kinnikufan
Disclaimer: I don't own anybody in this fic.
She loves Gohan now. She hates me now. I still love her.
No, not in the sense you're probably thinking of right now. Not that sort of love. I am capable of feeling love other then sexually, no matter what everyone thinks. And I know that they do.
As hard as it may be able to believe right now, Videl and I were the best of friends when we were young. Back before puberty happened. Way back before her father saved he world from Cell.
As I was more innocent back then as was she. I didn't have many friends. Many of the other kids were afraid of my parents. My mother drank, though she made every effort to hide it. My father always working. When he's at home, he is a very angry man.
Every parent on the block or in my class told them to avoid me told them to avoid the kid with the messed-up parents. I guess that they thought I would contaminate their children.
Not Videl. She was a latchkey kid. Her father was always at his dojo, so maybe that was the reason he used to let her hang around with me.
She was the bravest girl I ever knew. Hell, the bravest person I ever knew. She would climb the tallest trees, go into the yards of the scariest old people to retrieve Frisbees, stare down the scariest strays. She seemed to be the only person not afraid of my parents. Once she even entered in an argument with my father and won.
She was not like other girls. She was a tomboy and happy with it. Other kid's teasing just seemed to bounce off her.
I still remember the time we climbed on the rooftop of a church, playing with remote control airplanes:
"Videl, do you think we'll get married when we grow up?" I asked.
"I'm going to not get married for the rest of my life" she responded.
"But, Videl I think the law says you haveta get married at some point in your life or else! And I don't wanna married Jodie McDoobie, she scares me." Even though I was only nines years at the time, my legal knowledge was appalling.
"Sharpner, don't be such a dumbass. None has to get married if they don't want to. I asked my mother yesterday.
"Videlhasn't your mother been dead for a while?" I asked cautiously.
"Yeah, Sharpner! I know she's dead. But sometime when I ask questions, I canya know picture what she would answer. And I know she would tell me that you don't have to get married if you don't want to."
"Videl do you suppose if we don't get married, we'll still be friends?"
"Of courseya can remain friends with someone without marrying them or being their boyfriend or girlfriend!"
"But on TV and in the movies, every boy and girl who are friends end up getting married or being boyfriend and girlfriendor they grow apart or it turns out one of them is hobosexual!"
"It's homosexual, Sharpner. And my mother says what's on TV isn't always true, or else we would have 4 fingers and yellow skin like on the Simpsons."
"Your mom is so smart VidelI really wish I lived on the Simpsons, that way when my mom was drunk, it would be funny instead of scary. Oh well. At least my father has yet to strangle me when he angry with me like Homer."
"DAMN! My airplane just flee into that tree!"
"Children, you get off of the rooftop right now!" A nun came out and ruined out idyllic childhood play.
For nearly three good years, we were the best of friends. Then her father saved the world from Cell, that guy who was sucking up people and wanted to destroy the world.
Kids wanting to play with her or talk to her or just be around her surrounded Videl. We were growing apart and I didn't like it at all.
One day I went to her doorstep, (it didn't have masses of people for once) and rang the doorbell.
Mr. Satan opened the door. I was surprise to see him, for now he was out doing endorsements and such.
"You're Sharpner, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I am. Man Mr. Satan, it's so awesome the way you managed to save the world and everything-"
"Sharpner, won't you come in-"
"I can! Cool!" never in my life did I imagined I would be invited in by someone who had saved the world.
We sat down at a table.
"Sharpner, maybe it's my fault you two are such good friends" he began.
"Huh?" I had no idea what was going to happen next.
"Maybe it was good that you and Videl were friends. She wasn't very popular. Very headstrong like her mother. GodI miss her. Anyway she has a lot of new friends nowshe doesn't need a friend like you anymore."
"Butbut I'm a good friendI share all candy with her and everything. And those" new friends" of her only like her because she's famous sirI'm sorry if I appear rude, but even a brain dead wombat could tell that!"
"Maybe at firstbut when they get to know how great my daughter is, they'll want to stay after the shine wears off. I am deeply offended that you would suggest otherwise!"
"But I didn't mean it like that."
"Sharpner, you may think that when you grow up, you'll be normal. That you'll still be able to be a good and caring friendboyfriend."
"But Videl and I don't plan to be Videl's boyfriend."
"That's what you say nowbut I know the way pre-teen friendships work out. It's how I got together with Videl's mom. I want my daughter to have a good boyfriendnot an alcoholic, abusive one."
"But I'm not-"
"Maybe now you think you won't be. But your parents are, and because of that, you'll be too."
"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" I shouted, surprise at my own foolishness or daring.
"We won't stop being friendsit's impossible. We go to the same school! We see each other everyday! We-"
"Boy, I've always planned to move and put Videl in a better school ever since she was born. Now that I have saved the world from that evil Cell, I can now afford to."
"But-"
"I think it's for you to go now boy."
I did as I was told.
Soon, without prior warning, Videl was gone from school. From my life.
For whatever reason, she came back in my life our junior year of high school.
We both had changed. I had found a new sanctuary from home in after-school activities. Most of them sport. Some of them even earning praise from my usually angry father.
She had changed too. Some of her boldness had changed into bossiness. Which isn't quite as bad as you would think, for Videl actually has skills to be a good, efficient boss. She had always held her head up high, but now she held it up even higher.
I had quite missed her. Apparently she hadn't missed me as much. I was just another guy trying to get her attention now. I guess she had forgotten my friendship with her, or wanted to forget it.
I was quite upset when she had paid more attention to a stupid nerd instead of me.
What did that nerd have over me? It's been mine experience that nerds have no passion over books and studying, and don't even use the knowledge. They just learn, learn; learn, like there's nothing else. They don't go outside, or express emotions, they just dispassionately learn.
I thought, or at least thought at the time, that I had far more superior qualities then this Gohan dude.
So I decided to show off my superior abilities over the nerd in front of Gohan. Then she would notice me.
Well, it sounded like a good idea at the time.
Then the martial art tournament rolled around.
It seemed the only way she would even acknowledged me in any sort of manner was if I was her boyfriend.
I made the clumsiest attempt at suggesting so. She wasn't interested. She was interested in this "Great Saiyanman" fellow.
I tried to track down his identity. I almost had had him, but my camera broke for some reason.
Sometime later, The Great Saiyenman was revealed to be Gohan. I would have never guessed.
My memory is really hazy on what happen after that. So are my classmate's memories.
Anyway, She and Gohan are now together. Saying them together brings me great pain.
Gohan probably thinks I'm a big, horndog jerk now, and would not likely let me near Videl. Videl avoids me.
After I first saw them together, it brought me pain. But not the type of pain I expected. Not the jealousy type of pain. Instead, a lonely sort of pain. I miss Videl. I miss being her friend.
I miss having real friends. The only real friend I have now is Erasa, and she's going to live with her aunt because she can't stand her father and her bimbo of a stepmother.
Reading this now, I sound like some wishy-washy girl on a bad TV teen soap.
Screw this. I'm not giving up on being Videl's friend again. I'll apologize to Gohan. I'll apologize to Videl.
A few days later:
Videl scrunched up her face in discomfort when she saw Sharpner coming near her and Gohan.
"Gohan, I admit I've been a jerk to you. I'm sorry about that. I'mreally insecure on the inside I guess. I never really give you a chance before judging you. VidelI've probably made you feel like an object instead of a person. I'm sorry about that. Gohan, Videl, you two make a very balanced couple. I wish you two well. If possible, I hope we all can be friends."
Videl was very surprised. Sharpner sounded like the Sharpner she had a friend, not the school jock/bully he was now.
Gohan's face brightened. Gohan was like his father, ready to forgive.
"Sure, being friends sounds better then being enemies! Maybe we could hang out with you and Erasa sometime!"
Sharpner's world brightened.
After-notes/rant: Writing this fic was exceedingly satisfying for me.
People often portray Sharpner as a rapist non-stop. I respect their right to do so, who am I to tell people what to do or what not to do? But what bugs me about this is that he barely rarely portray in any other way. This guy got it ever worse then Yamcha even. Worse of all, I don't think Sharpner even had more then 12 lines on the entire series. I don't know why exactly, but I like Sharpner. He's not entirely stupid and I think he deserves to be portrayed as something other then a rapist. This is what inspired me to write this sympathetic fic.
