She Will Be Loved
I don't mind spending every day out on your corner in the pouring rain.
Seven thirty-two. It had been exactly three hours since she had that fight with her boyfriend. It had been three hours since she admitted to Alec that he just wasn't who she wanted to be with. She didn't have the heart to tell him the truth, the person she really wanted wasn't a jock at all. The person she wanted was shy, quiet, and surprisingly amusing. It took her almost a year to realize it, and now that she had, it was too late.
Her hand hovered over her cell phone. He'd texted her, but she didn't have the nerve to write back. She didn't quite have all her bearings in order to talk to him; the man she really loved and cared deeply about. She'd been stuck in an abusive relationship with Alec for nearly a year now, one that she hadn't attempted to get out of, because she'd resolved herself to believe it was meant to be this way. Meant to be…
She flipped open her cell phone and stared at the icon that allowed her to know she had a message. A few silent moments passed before she pressed the button to read it. Videl, are you alright? I heard you got into a fight.
Word traveled fast, her hands trembled over the phone's illuminated buttons before she broke down and whimpered a bit, the tears threatening to spill. He cared so much to ask, but not enough to return her feelings. When she'd asked him about it, he told her that school came first…school always came first…there was nothing there. I'm alright, Gohan. Thank you for asking. She texted him back, smiling to herself.
It took a mere two minutes for him to write back, she wasn't surprised at his response at all. Do you need me to kick his ass? It's been a long time coming, I can take him out…he wouldn't bother you anymore. The response made her smile wider, but the tears still spilled freely. She really did love him, but the feeling wasn't shared.
Vi, you need to end that relationship – now! The text from Erasa came shortly after Gohan's, she chose to respond to neither of them. If it was important that they discuss it at that moment, one of them would call.
Her thoughts drifted away again, reminding her that life was not going to be easy now that Alec knew her feelings weren't true. What she wanted to do was crawl outside her skin and understand how everyone else felt. Why was everyone so worried about her? The knock on her window startled her. She stepped over to the window and gasped when she saw who floated on the other side. Like her own little angel, he flew there, waiting to come in from the rain.
She'd grown accustomed to Gohan's late night appearances at her window. They'd often share stories, or chat, or do homework in the hours. Things they couldn't normally do together. He reminded her of a lost puppy in the way he was climbing over the pane, staring at her menacingly. "So, this guy broke your heart, huh?"
"Not like that, I think it was more the other way around. I told him I loved someone else; he said he didn't understand, he thought it was real." Videl sat on the edge of her bed, folding her legs daintily as she watched him cross the distance between them. He'd sat in her bed, slept in her bed when he was sick, but he'd never done more than that. Friends he wanted to stay, friends they would remain.
"You told him you loved someone else," it was more of statement than a question; one that he didn't fully want to know the answer to. If she loved someone else, that made the statistics higher that it wasn't him. "So he hit you?"
"I hit back," She responded, texting Erasa quickly. When she slammed her phone shut, indicating she was done, she leaned back onto her pillow and stared at the ceiling. "Truth is? I love someone else."
"I kind of figured that; there's no way you'd go out with someone like him willingly." Gohan's hopes fell when she said she loved someone else. He didn't know what else to do, she was a friend, and that was what she wanted. "Who is it?"
"Well, he's kind of quiet…a little on the awesome side…somewhat of a geek." She looked at the floor, closing her eyes a moment, knowing he wouldn't get it. After all, he didn't know all those rumors were about him, why would this be any different?
"Well, I hope it gets better. I'll see you after school tomorrow." He climbed out the window as if he'd never been there. The only thing left behind was the scent of his soap. She quietly stared at the window after he'd left, biting her lip.
"It's you. I love you!" the words would remain unspoken – they were friends, nothing more. If he wanted more, she'd give him more, but that wasn't what he wanted. She wasn't what he wanted.
Quietly, in the distance, Gohan stared at the sky in mid flight, reaming himself for not saying anything. He loved her, why couldn't he just say it? It was easy enough in the movies…"I love you, too…Videl." Now if only he could find the nerve to say it to her. He smiled; maybe she'd initiate this time…she usually did take charge.