Chapter 1. Hi, I'm Goku.
It is my third year at south city college, winter term has just started and everyone is busy scouting for girls, studying hard and partying even harder. Then there is me. I'm just here for the football. some of the other lessons are cool, and I have some great friends here, but honestly, it's mostly the football.
Girls? meh, I can take or leave them. Don't get me wrong I have a lovely girlfriend, she is the most beautiful girl in college, so all the guys tell me. I'm just not preoccupied with girls like everyone else seems to be, I have much more important things to think about, like the next game for example. Which is in one week. We are fourth in the league and if we can just beat Oakview college of fine arts we will actually have a chance of winning this. My collage hasn't won the league for fifteen years and I so want it to be me that finally leads our team back to greatness. I can just picture it now, everyone chanting my name as I held the cup high above my head, it was going to be awesome. Me and the guys were gonna train hard, make sure we are all on point for the match. No one was allowed to slack off.
I stand in the dying light leant against one of the tall sycamore trees that line the wide walkway leading to our college, leaves on the floor at my feet as the trees shed the last of their summer foliage. The huge sandstone buildings looking slightly gloomy in the fading evening light. Its usual hustle and bustle slowing down by this time in the day. Nearly all the hundreds of windows are just black squares against the light stone now, very few teachers remain to teach the few over eager students who take evening classes.
"Hey Gokuuuu" a bunch of giggling girls wave as they sashay past me. I give them a weak wave back
"He's so hot" I hear one of them gush as they totter away in their way too high heels. I run my fingers through my spikey black hair. I've always thought of myself as quite plain, pale skin, eyes so dark they are almost black, thin lips, tall, six foot one to be exact, big muscles. I suppose I am what most girls are looking for, all the girls here, at least, seem to think I am the bee's knees. I watch them leave, their short skirts and tiny belly tops leaving little to the imagination. I wonder how they are not frozen as the crisp air nips at my cheeks. One of them was wearing a cute little orange get up the exact same colour as our team's kit, I really like that colour.
"Hey, Goku, my man" Yamcha slaps me hard on the shoulder, he already has his kit on, as do I. His long flowing black hair swishing to the side like a waterfall as he moves, I return the gesture. It's kinda like a ritual for the guys on the team, we all have to slap each other as hard as we can. We all know it's as hard as possible but everyone pretends like they have put no effort in at all. And of course, it really hurts. But we all pretend we didn't even feel it. It's just to show how macho we are I presume.
"Yamcha, how's it going?"
"Going good, what one of those hotties were you checking out?" he asks wiggling his eyebrows at me.
"Actually, I was just admiring the colour of one of their skirts" I admit, then immediately regret it when I see Yamcha's deadpan expression.
"Ha-ha, I'm joking dude, I was checking out the little blond, gosh you're too gullible" I lie, praying that there was a little blond amongst them.
"Hahaha, you crack me up man" he says as he clouts me again.
Phew that was close. You see the problem with being the team captain is everyone expects you to be the most manly, strong and cocky guy there is, and that's just not me. I mean I'm strongish, possibly stronger that some of the older guys, but cocky? no way. Manly? nuh-uh. I'm doing a sound job of pretending though, essentially, I just copy what the other guys do, act like the brainless thugs they all are and so far, I'm fitting in just fine, actually, I'm fitting in great. I am one of the popular, trendy guys, everybody loves Goku. And, why wouldn't they? I play the part of the confident, hot college guy perfectly. Sometimes I wish I could just be me, but then, who would like that guy? He wouldn't fit in at all.
We hit the field, divvy up into two teams and start the game. This is when I feel alive, this is what I breath for. When I'm on this field I don't see a bunch of twenty something guys running around in orange shorts, I see my battle ground. My team are my soldiers and I'm their king, we get in formation and attack their goal, I predict every move they make before they even figure it out themselves. On the field, I'm invincible. Of course, my half of the team wins three to two, they didn't stand a chance. Don't get me wrong all my team are excellent players, but I am the one that gives the team the confidence needed to win.
"Nice game, who's coming to Caspar's for shakes?" Tien, one of the older guys asks. Caspar's is the chosen place to hang out after school. Its where all the "cool" kids go. The interior is garishly decorated in sparkly black and neon pink, with long leather benches and mirrors everywhere you turn. In the places defence, despite their terrible taste in décor, they make an amazing milkshake, and their waffles are out of this world.
I sit down and someone hands me my favourite milkshake, I never have to buy my own, people are just queueing up to buy me a drink. God knows why, but I'm not moaning about it. I have money, well my parents are loaded so I never want for anything. I also have a Saturday job, its twelve hours for minimum wage, there's not much point in me having the damn job at all but my parents insist. God intended men to go to work, so go to work I must.
God makes a lot of the rules in my house, my family are Roman Catholic. God says I have to go to church every Sunday. God says I must pray morning, noon and night, God says I must keep my room tidy, cleanliness is close to godliness after all. God says I must pray before each meal. God says I can't drink alcohol. God says I'm not allowed girls to stay over even though I'm nineteen, nice one God, that's the only rule I approve of. God says I can't have a PlayStation, pretty sure my mum is making that one up, but who am I to argue with God?
I drink my chocolate caramel milkshake, with whipped cream and chocolate chips on top, it's really yummy. If my mum saw this she would have a heart attack, she likes me to eat clean. I stay quiet and observe the other guys as they banter and tease between themselves. Various girls have joined us at our usual table, some sit on the laps of the over eager guys while others just subtly flirt.
Chichi is at my side, as usual. Her long black hair pulled into a tight bun, with a thin strand of hair hanging down and framing her beautiful face. She is dressed conservatively compared to the other girls, a purple jumper with diamantes round the neck line and a pair of black skinny jeans. Her olive skin is not plastered in makeup, she has no need to wear the stuff her skin is flawless without it. She catches me looking at her and smiles. She is such a nice girl. everyone tells me I'm so lucky to have her, and I am, really lucky. She is smart, she likes football, she is understanding and she never acts like the other girls. Some of them girls want to jump into bed with every guy that looks at them, but not Chichi. She wants to wait, and I am such a perfect gentleman that I would never try to rush her. Little do they know that I'm not ready yet either. Sex out of wedlock is a sin. I'm not sure I completely agree with that rule, my cousin Bulma has had sex loads and she is still one of the nicest people I know, but again, who am I to argue with the man upstairs, if he says it's a sin, it's a sin and that's final. I know that sex can ruin people though, I've seen the most dedicated players leave the team all because they got a girlfriend and had sex. I don't wanna be that guy, I wanna put my morals first and everything else second, I'm not going to hell for some girl. I don't need something like sex ruining my football for me either.
Once my shake is finished I stand to leave.
"Oh, Goku you're not leaving already?" Chichi asks pouting.
"Yeah babe, sorry, I got work in the morning."
"But it's still early."
"I gotta be in work at 7 in the morning, sorry Chichi" I ignore her pouts and the protests from the rest of the guys and make my way down the darkened, deserted street to the bus stop. It's started to rain and a couple of people run from shelter to shelter holding umbrellas or newspapers over their heads in an attempt to keep dry. There are never many people around here when it starts to get dark though, I live in a quiet little town where nothing ever happens. In some ways that's a good thing, there is never any crime, apart from maybe a few teenagers from my college having too much to drink and fighting. But sometimes it's just boring. There's a high street with some cool shops, like Caspar's, there's a supermarket, a little pub a few schools and churches, and that's all really. The rest is just houses. If you want to go into the city it's an hour-long bus ride. The rain is getting heavy now, I'm not too bothered, I like the rain.
I stroll to the bus stop at a slow pace, I'm not really in that much of a hurry to get home. My mum knows I had training after college and she hasn't called me yet so I know she's not panicking about my whereabouts. Honestly, I just couldn't wait to get out of that place and work was the perfect excuse. Sometimes I feel like I don't belong with that crowd. The constant pretending to be someone I'm not can get a bit wearing at times. Sometimes I wish I could just be myself around my friends, whoever that is. I've spent so long being the cool, cocky Goku that I can hardly even remember what the real Goku is like.
There's a cute little baby screaming its head off on the bus, its mother tries continuously to calm it all to no avail. I see other people around me tutting and shaking their heads. I feel sorry for the mum, she can't help it after all, she is trying her best. I can see she is feeling anxious, twirling her scruffy ginger hair round her fingers. I give her a smile when her eyes catch mine. At least she knows not everyone is cross with her.
By the time I reach my front door I am soaked through, but I still hang around outside for a moment. The rain pelting down on me is somehow refreshing, cleansing. Everything smells fresh and cold when its raining. I look up and hold my eyes open, the raindrops look beautiful as they fall towards the earth, like a million scattered crystals falling from heaven, I wonder if anyone else noticed their beauty, probably not.