A/N: Hi. I goy two more reviews! Whoooo! Thanks for them! Anyways, it was brought to my attention that the dialogue was too formal for casual speak. Meaning, I was not using enough contractions (won't, don't, isn't, etc). I sincerely apologized if this affected the flow of the dialogue and I will do a better job of having the characters speak as teenagers would. It's just that I have been writing formal English essays for years now that I subconsciously separate the contractions. If there are any other concerns, please don't hesitate to point them out.
Song or Suicide
Chapter Three
Social Hierarchy
"…Shakespeare is essential to this years curriculum, and…"
As the door swung open, the teacher, and every other student, ceased their chatter and turned their eyes toward Gohan. He immediately blushed and smiled weakly at them all as he strode toward the English teacher.
"Hello, I am the new student, Son Gohan."
"Aah, the boy who received perfect scores on the various sections of the entrance examinations. Welcome to my English class. I am Mr. Sunada."
Gohan gave a slight bow.
"Tell us a bit about yourself, Mr. Son."
Gohan coughed sheepishly. "Umm, well, my name is Gohan and I live in the Mt. Paozu district. I love martial arts; I learned it from my father. I have a little brother, Goten…"
He stopped abruptly at the looks he was receiving, looks of sheer boredom. It was obvious, even to one as naïve as Gohan, that his schoolmates didn't care.
"Very interesting, Gohan. Please, take a seat."
"Where would you like me, sir?"
"Let's see, umm. The only one that seems to be available is the one next to our resident devil, Miss Satan. I hate to say it boy, but please sit next to it."
It? Did I miss something here? Gohan searched the rows of seats until he found the vacant chair next to… The girl from earlier. Wow! What are the chances?
He nodded to his professor and walked toward the girl. On the way, a very attractive brunette with long, straight hair waved at him with a strange smile gracing her red lips. Gohan, in all his innocence, waved back. She turned to her friend and covered her mouth while she giggled.
He reached the seat and sat down. He turned to Videl, a huge smile on his face.
"Fancy meeting y—"
"Don't you dare speak to me, boy." She growled.
Gohan's eyebrows shot up in obvious surprise.
"Oh, Videl, don't treat him that way. He seems very nice."
Gohan turned toward the source of the friendly voice and found a grinning blonde. She was very attractive, Gohan noted.
"Forgive her. Every since her…well, you know."
"Know what?"
"You don't know?" Videl, to his left, said in a low voice.
He turned to her and noticed, with the added strength of the fluorescent school lighting, that she had faint streaks of red in her lustrous locks. "Should I?"
She looked at him then, hair still covering the left half of her face. "Yes. Yes you should. I am constantly reminded of it each day. If you want to know, go and ask Akira." At his look of confusion, she added," The girl who waved at you."
"Oh, her. And what should I ask?"
"What my deal is."
Erasa sighed. "God, Videl, I don't understand why you keep insisting—"
"ERASA!" Videl exclaimed quietly, "Not here. And, in any case, we have already discussed those events. Why can't you understand that I," Videl flicked her eyes toward Gohan, "did it."
"Because. I know you too well. I know you don't have that in you."
"My record says differently. My father says differently. I say differently."
Erasa sighed and shook her head. Gohan perceived that their cryptic conversation was over. He tried to strike up conversation with Videl. "So, what was with those guys this morning?"
"What guys?" Erasa interjected.
Videl groaned and smacked her forehead. "Nothing, Erasa!"
"Gohan," Erasa said in a sickly sweet voice, "what happened this morning?"
"Well, I was about to walk into the building when I saw Videl surrounded by a large group of guys. One of them slapped her…"
"Hoji and his gang again?"
Videl slightly nodded, though her eyes, which where aimed at Erasa, held a silent warning.
"Again? This has happened before?"
"Almost everyday. Lucky it's only a slap she got." A different voice had now entered the conversation.
"Good morning, Sharpie!" Erasa said in a chipper tone, though she and Videl still held gazes.
Gohan looked at the boy. He had long blonde hair that was ramrod straight. He had an air of narcissism, though not an extremely strong one.
"Want me to take care of them for you, Vi?" Sharpener asked, though his face said that he already knew the answer Videl would give.
"No. They have every right to do what they did."
"Hey! You three! Unless you want detention on the first day, face the front and close your mouths."
All three of them whipped their heads toward the teacher sharply. He continued on with his lecture on Shakespeare.
Gohan, growing bored with Sunada's speech, he had learned this when he was six, began to look about him.
He noticed that that Akira, the girl she would question about Videl later, was staring at him. He gave her his famous family grin and earned another giggle. He then turned slightly toward Erasa and whispered, "Why does Videl insist that I go and talk to Akira? Why can't she just tell me?"
Erasa, just as quietly, said, "Because, though she doesn't show it, talking about what happened pains her greatly."
"Then why don't I just ask you? Why is this Akira so important?"
"Well, I would soften it a bit. Videl wants you to get the most cruel account possible, to scare you off, probably. Akira is the one who tells it as such. In high school, Gohan, there is a very prominent social ladder, a hierarchy, if you will. Akira and her friends are at the top, the most popular in this establishment and, therefore, the most liked by all, students and teachers. Sharpener and I are just a step below that, popular but still kind enough to associate with those under us. I think it's complete and utter nonsense, but I and a few others are the only ones who see it that way."
"Where am I on this ladder?" Gohan asked, though he felt a bit silly doing so.
"You, since you are new, have yet to be placed anywhere. Though, by the way Akira has been looking at you all day, I can guess near the top."
He felt oddly worried by that. Gohan was only here to learn social skills, not to become popular and, as Erasa seems to think, a jerk. "And…where is Videl?"
Erasa cast a look at her friend, who was staring down at a sketchpad, oblivious to their talk. "Videl is nowhere."
"What? I thought everyone was included in this stereotypical ladder."
"Videl isn't included because no one here sees her as worthy. I doubt that they even view her as a human being as all." Erasa ended their private conversation by turning her attention toward the teacher.
Gohan, surprised by Erasa's answer, shifted slightly to gaze out of the corner of his eye at the one so hated. She was still looking down. Is she drawing in English class? Gohan thought to himself in disbelief. To him, that was a bit like blasphemy, taking education for granted. He turned his full attention toward her work.
The picture was amazing. He would have never guessed she was artistic. It was of a pure white wolf, very detailed. Behind the wolf were three others, all of them white with blue streaks. One of them was an adorable pup, tongue lolling out of his mouth. About them, there was a swirl of snow. He noticed that their eyes where of a light, crystal blue. He immediately compared them to Videl's. No, they aren't the same. Hers are much darker. He then noticed that in the background, upon a hill, there was the shadowed form of another wolf, male, he deduced, because of it's sheer size. It seemed to be looking down among the pack. Gohan felt as if he could stare at that beautiful piece of work forever.
Videl had since stopped drawing and stared unblinking at her picture. She noticed that Gohan, too, was staring at it. She promptly tore it out of her sketchbook. Gohan was afraid that she was going to rip it up, but she then did something unexpected. She slid it in his direction.
"Would you like it? I couldn't help but notice that you where looking at it."
Gohan accepted the piece of paper and placed it in an empty folder in his bag. "Thank you. You are an amazing artist. That must be your best class."
"Apparently, I'm not as good as you think. I'm failing art."
"You've got to be kidding me."
"No, I don't kid."
"Why are you failing, you are really good."
"Talk to Akira, and then you will understand."
At that, the bell signaling the end of class chimed. Videl was the first to rise. She gave Gohan a sideways glance and walked out of the room. Gohan watched her go, entranced by her graceful gait, though it held no confidence. He shook his head to rid himself of her retreating image. He looked around for Akira. He stood up and jogged over to her.
"Hey, Akira, I have something to ask of you."
"Really? What is it, Gohan?"
"What is Videl Satan's deal?"
She laughed, a sound that was slightly maniacal to Gohan's ears. "You don't know? Wow, you are just too cute." Ignoring Gohan's prominent blush, she continued. "Sora, Semonosuke, Kenji, and Raven. Sora and Semonosuke, twins. Kenji, a ten-year-old child. Raven, a beautiful mother. They were Videl's family five years ago."
"Were? What happened?"
"Five years ago, Videl murdered them."
A/N: Okay, I hoped you liked it, my longest chapter yet. I also hope that I did better on the dialogue this time around. Please REVIEW. I need more opinions! My goal is at least five more, but that is up to you. I suppose the ending isn't a cliffhanger exactly, but it is a dramatic note. Bye, see you next week, good fiends. Thanks for reading.
Kibafang666
