Hello Otakus fans around the world of Anime and Manga. Good Morning, Afternoon or Nights, the time you are watching this.
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" This story is based in AU, so don't expect any power or fights from characters, they are totally normal humans, this story is completely based on Drama and Romance between Goku and Lucy. There will be several characters who will make appearances from both Anime"
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RIGHTS DISCLAIMERS:- I AM NOT THE OWNER OF THE DRAGON BALL Z SERIES AND FAIRY TALE, THE CHARACTERS ARE BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE CREATORS.
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The Boy Next Door
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With sore muscles from my stupid run earlier, I crash on the couch and thank god the local TV station is playing a marathon of a show I actually enjoy. Soap operas and court TV shows get really old after a while. Even after a hot shower and three hours of television, I can't get SatZ off my mind. I feel like an idiot because I knew we weren't officially dating. He had made that perfectly he didn't have to lead me on like that if he was just going to drop me for some skank he met at a party.I can't believe I sent him that cell phone picture of myself. A cold chill runs down my spine.
What if he sent it to other people? I don't want the guys at my school seeing , I am so stupid. Suddenly, getting back home for the first day of school doesn't sound so great marathon ends at midnight, and I finally drag myself from the couch to my room upstairs. A moving orange glow catches my eye from the window. I head to the balcony and peer out of it, finding a bonfire in Goku's back yard, Goku sitting in front of it in a lawn chair. He's staring into the fire, his eyes somewhere far away.
I don't know his story, but it sure seems a lot worse than mine. Sure, I'm stuck here with no friends and nothing to do, but my life is boring. He is a somebody where he's from. He's in magazines. And now he looks like the loneliest person on earth.
I lean against the balcony railing, watching him under the moonlight. Even the back of his head is sexy. What is wrong with me? I can't start liking someone immediately after getting over someone else. And yet, it happens.
As if he can read my mind, I watch in horror as Goku's head turns toward me, his eyes squinting to see in the dark. I press my back against the outside of the house, not knowing if he can see me in the darkness.
"You out there?" he calls out in my direction.
Embarrassment floods through me. How did he know I was standing here? Does he think I'm spying on him? I take a step forward, leaning over the balcony railing. "Yes," I say. "I just walked out...I wasn't here long or anything."
He motions toward the fire. "Come on down. I could use the company."
I sneak out of the house, which doesn't require much work because my grandparents sleep like the rocks, and I cross the grass into Goku's yard. I sit in an empty chair next to him and he nods a hello. Classic rock music plays from an Ipad in his lap.
"This bonfire could use some marshmallows," I say after an awkward amount of silence has gone by.
He smiles, taking out his cell phone from his pocket. "I'll remember that for next time." I watch his eyebrows draw together as he reads a text on his phone and then types out a reply.
More awkward silent minutes pass, and I start to wonder why he bothered inviting me over if he didn't want to talk. All he's doing is texting. He didn't text at all when we watched a movie together.
"You okay?" I ask. "You're being super quiet."
He shrugs. "I'm fine. I'm just...I don't know."
I lean forward in my chair. "You might as well let it out. It's not like you have anyone else to talk to." I glance at the phone in his hand. "Well, anyone who's physically here."
He turns toward me, studying my face. The muscles in his jaw flex. He slides the phone back in his pocket. "I'm not gonna babble on like some kind of child," he says, taking a stick and poking at the fire. "But, if you have to know, I guess you could just say I've totally ruined my life. I'm stuck. I don't know where to go from here."
"You're eighteen," I say. "Your life isn't over yet. Just like how I know my life isn't technically over, but it sure feels like it."
He drops the stick and leans back in his chair. "What's so bad about your life?" he asks in a condescending tone,
"Well for starters I'm stuck here all summer. Do I even need to go on?"
He snorts. "Please do."
I suck in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm stuck here all summer without my friends, I'm grounded from everything including my phone which is killing me, and my sort of boyfriend just officially became my not-boyfriend."
He lifts an eyebrow. "Sort of boyfriend? How is that a thing? Did he ask you to be his sort of girlfriend?"
I shake my head. "Screw you. I don't want to talk about it."
His phone beeps again, but he ignores it. "How did you get grounded?"
I cross my arms and stare into the fire. "I don't want to talk about that either."
"Okay I'll go." Goku pops the knuckles on his left hand and then his right.
"I just lost a two million dollar contract over a fucking girl."
My mouth falls open. He continues. "I had just signed to ride with a factory sponsorship when I lost it all because I got thrown in jail. My agent says there's no way in hell they will give me the contract again now that I'm out. Apparently motocross is a family sport and they don't think my bad attitude fits in with the family vibe."
I picture the magazine article in the gas station. I knew he was a big deal if he's in magazines, but I had no idea he was a two million dollar big deal. "Wait," I say. "How does a girl play into this?"
"I was in jail for four months on an assault charge," he says somberly, ignoring a phone beep once again.
My heart races as I try to ask the question I'm thinking but no words come out of my mouth.
Goku doesn't seem like he's a violent person...but what if he is?
"Did you..." I start, unable to make myself finish the sentence. Beat up your girlfriend?
With a sigh, Nastu takes out his phone again and skims through all the messages he ignored.
My heart aches, wishing I had my own phone back. I have no idea how people survived before phones existed.
"He was a guy I raced with, and he pissed me off. He got what he deserved."
"Did you hurt him?"
He stares at me, unwilling to answer. "Oh my god," I say. "What'd you do to him?"
He waves his hand through the air. "He was fine. I just taught him a lesson." He throws his head back and stares at the night sky. A laugh escapes him. "At least I thought I taught him a lesson. He may have fucked my girlfriend but in the end, I'm the one who got fucked."
"I'm sorry," I say, feeling like I'm intruding on his very private emotions. I shouldn't have asked him to talk. He lifts his hands and covers his face, dragging them slowly through his hair.
If I didn't know better, I'd think he was holding back tears. "She never should have done that to you."
I rack my mind for something comforting to say. He looks at me. "No, she shouldn't. But he knew what he was doing. I was his competition, and he got rid of me." He shrugs his shoulders in defeat. "Smart guy."
kick at the small bits of firewood near my feet. "So when you got out of jail you banished yourself to Salt Gap, Texas?"
Nastu nods. "I've officially owned the place ever since I turned eighteen. I never came out to see it because I was too busy. I never understood why a man I'd never met would leave me everything he owned...but maybe he knew I'd need it someday."
He grabs his Ipad off the plastic table next to him and searches for a new song to play. "I'm sick of this playlist. I think it's time for some online radio, eh?"
My heart skips a beat. "You have WiFi on that thing?"
He nods, his eyes going wide a second later. "Why are you giving me that look?" he asks.
I lean forward in my chair, clasping my hands together in front of my chest. "Do you think...maybe I could... um...?" He rolls his eyes, probably guessing what I'm going to say.
"Could I check my Facebook? Please, just real fast?"
He pulls the Ipad toward his chest and gives me a condescending glare. "Do you think your father would approve of that?"
"Come on, Goku, pleeease?" I make my best puppy dog face. He laughs and tosses the Ipad to me. I catch it and pull up the Facebook app before he can change his mind. The pretty icon at the top of the screen shows me that I have one new message, hopefully a detailed list from Becca of everything I've missed back at home. I touch it and my heart falls to my stomach.
it's from SatZ.
" Hey Beautiful. I got your note at work. Your Dad's the world's biggest bitch, but it's probably a good thing that you aren't here... some stupid shit is going on. I'm not going to get into details because it will probably be over by the time you read this. I know you're grounded, but something tells me you'll find a way to sneak online. Give me a shout when you're back in town. I miss that cute face of yours."
My face flushes red and I glance up, hoping Goku isn't watching me, but he isn't even in his chair. He must have gone in the house while I read SatZ's message. I start typing a reply, but then I think better of it. Guys don't want to hear girls whine and complain all the time. I'll play it cool. I mean, I'm supposed to hate him now, right? So why does his stupid message give me butterflies?
I erase my original reply and type something short and cute instead.
Having a blast in Salt Gap, Texas. LOL. See ya.
Warm breath touches my neck and I jump, almost throwing the Ipad in the air. "Dammit, Goku you scared me!" I swat at him with my free hand. He laughs.
"I've been standing here a while, but you were so damn immersed in writing to your boy toy that you didn't notice."
A lump forms in my throat. "He's not my boy toy," I murmur under my breath.
Goku falls back into his chair with a sigh. "Whatever you say, Lucy. You should forget that dude. You're better than him."
I narrow my eyes at him. "You should forget that girl, then." He starts to object but I cut him off with a wave of my hand. "You've been texting her all night. So, maybe you shouldn't be the one lecturing."
He holds up his hands in surrender. "You're right," he says matter of factly.
"I won't text her again. It's not worth it. All we're doing is reminding each other how much we don't get along."
We share a triumphant smile, both of us happy with our new decision. "I'm glad you're here," he says, handing me an unopened can of soda.
"I came here to take my mind off things but it's hard when I'm all alone."
"Glad I could be of service," I say with a wink. Oh gosh. A wink? What is wrong with me?
A chat window pops up in the middle of the screen. It isn't from Facebook-it's from a messages app under Goku's account.
The username is Chi-Chi and the avatar is of a beautiful white girl with pale skin. The message says, "I'll do whatever it takes to win you back."
I glance over at Goku, the beautiful boy who lives next door to me for the summer. His eyes are closed, his neck resting on the back of the chair as he faces the stars. He looks serene, happy. Not stressed out like he was earlier.
I delete the message.
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I may or may not spend the entire day peeking through my balcony window, hoping to see Goku outside, wearing those funny-looking dirt bike pants. And I may or may not jump at every single noise, every car passing by, and every grunt of disapproval my grandfather makes at the off chance that it's really the sound of Goku's dirt bike starting up.
I can't exactly call him because I don't have a phone and even if I did, I don't have his number. It's funny that he's so ridiculously close to me, yet so far away. I wonder if Grandma has a carrier pigeon I could send.
Grandma drinks a cup of coffee in the living room, a roll of yarn bobbing along the floor as she crochets. I plop down next to her and watch as her knobby fingers work the metal hook through the yarn, growing her creation more with each stitch.
"That's really cool," I say after a few minutes. Our house is filled with Grandma's throw blankets and doilies, but I've never put any thought into how they're made. She flexes her fingers, wincing from the arthritis and continues crocheting. It's a labor of love, no doubt.
"I could teach you," she says, continuing to loop and hook the yarn while she looks at me.
"I don't know, that looks really hard." Maybe something hard is what I need right now, to take my mind off the boredom.
Grandma shakes her head. "It only looks hard. I could have you making granny squares in ten minutes."
"Granny squares?" I laugh. "That sounds lame. Do you have any teenager squares you could teach me?"
Grandma playfully slaps me in the arm and then hands me a pink metal hook and a ball of multicolored yarn.
It took way longer than ten minutes, but I finally got the hang of this granny square thing.
It's essentially the same few stitches over and over, and the yarn I'm using cycles between pinks, purples and blues that look pretty on the finished piece. Technically, the squares are supposed to be a few inches wide and then you make a bunch of them and stitch them together to make a blanket. But I opt to just keep going around and around, making my square as big as it can be.
A few hours and several soap operas later, I have a mini lap blanket and my mind is completely off thinking about Goku.
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Well, you know...mostly.
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The doorbell rings, a loud ding dong that thunders throughout the whole house, making me jump. Grandma pats my leg as if to comfort me, and gets up to see who's at the door. It's probably one of their old people friends, so I keep working on my crochet. I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm loving making this blanket. It's cool to see something productive come out of my time that would otherwise be wasted.
"Oh, hello." Grandma's startled voice makes me look up. I can't see who's on the other side of the door. What if it's a robber or a scam artist or someone who preys on elderly people? I pull the yarn off my dull crochet hook, gripping it tightly in my hand as I stand, my heart racing. I'm not equipped to fight off an intruder, but neither is Grandma. She closes the door and calls for my Grandpa. She looks concerned, but she doesn't lock the door.
"Who is it?" I whisper. She waves a hand for me to sit down. Grandpa emerges from the kitchen holding a steaming cup of coffee.
"There's someone here to see you," Grandma says, nodding toward the door.
Grandpa pulls open the door with a friendly smile on his face. I can't see who's on the other side.
"Good afternoon, sir."Grandpa's smile fades into a hard glare. I still can't see who the visitor is, but my stomach twists into knots as I recognize the voice. Goku must have a death wish.
Grandpa slips through the front door and closes it behind him, leaving him and Goku on the front porch. I notice Grandma peering at me over the top of her glasses and she walks back to the couch and sits down. I let out a casual sigh and pretend I'm not at all freaking out about why Goku is here. Whatever the reason, it can't possibly be good.
Five decades seem to pass in the thirty minutes that follow. My crochet loops don't make sense anymore, because all I can concentrate on are the two men on the porch who are talking about things I can't hear. Grandma doesn't appear concerned, but she doesn't know what I know.
What if he found that I deleted his ex-girlfriend's Ipad message? What if he's ratting me out for using his phone and internet? As much as I like Goku, I don't exactly know him that well. He may not be on my side at all.
The door opens and Grandpa comes inside, alone. I try catching a glimpse through the open door but I don't see Goku.
"What was that about?" I ask, trying to sound casual. Grandpa isn't fuming mad-or at least he doesn't look like it.
He takes a seat in his recliner across from where Grandma sits on the couch. "That boy next door sure had a lot to say," he tells her, glancing at me for a split second before returning his gaze to Grandma.
"Did he?" she asks, sounding unconcerned as she continues her crochet. The anticipation nearly kills me, but I can't exactly beg for him to talk faster. I stare at my yarn ball until the fibers get blurry.
"He came over to apologize for being a reckless heathen who disregarded Gohan's property."
I lift an eyebrow and peek at him. He watches me as he continues, "Well, those weren't exactly his words, but that's the gist of it."
Grandma smiles. "That's wonderful news, honey. Maybe he won't make your blood pressure go up so much now."
Grandpa snorts and takes a sip of his coffee. "He said he never knew his grandfather and he invited me to come over and take any of Gohan's belongings that might have some importance to me. I told him that was awfully kind of him, and that Gohan had some fishing poles that were sentimental to me. I'm going over there this afternoon."
I can't help but smile. When I first told Goku that my grandpa didn't like him, I expected Goku to be angry about it. Instead, he came over to apologize. I can't picture SatZ doing the same thing, were he in Goku's position.
"What ya smiling for, girl?" Grandpa peers at me over his cup of coffee.
I shrug. "No reason. That was just nice of Goku to do that. He never meant to piss you off in the first place."
"Ladies don't use words like that," Grandma chides me.
"Sorry," I say, trying not to laugh. She'd die if she heard the words I used that are way worse than piss. Grandpa must know what I'm thinking because he winks at me.
"That boy is fond of you," Grandpa says. I almost choke on my own spit.
"What do you mean by that?" I stammer.
He shrugs. "He asked permission to take you to the county fair tonight. Seems he probably likes you a lot if he had the guts to ask me." He leans back in his chair while I turn a deep shade of red. "But what do I know? I'm just an old man."
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Goku climbs out of his soccer mom rental car and holds the door open for me. I roll my eyes and slip into the passenger seat. "What's with all the formality?" I ask, poking him in the arm when he gets in the car next to me. "You don't strike me as a gentleman."
"Hey now, jerk," Goku laughs. "I may not be a gentleman, but I know better than to show my true colors when a girl's grandfather is watching me through the window."
"What!" I look toward the house, and sure enough, two fingers pull down the blinds in the front window, watching our every move. "I'm sorry about that," I say.
Goku smiles and backs out of the driveway. "If I had a daughter, I wouldn't let her go at all."
"Are you saying you're a bad influence?" I ask him playfully.
"Yep." He reaches over and squeezes my knee. Unlike SatZ, Goku doesn't let his hand rise up any further than that. "I am the worst kind of influence. Especially when it comes to all the junk food we're gonna eat tonight."
The county fair is exactly what I expected, despite having never been here before. The fair grounds share land with the county rodeo, so the air reeks of horse poop and hay bales mixed with the scent of kettle corn and sausages on a stick.
Goku buys two tickets and we get our hands stamped by an elderly woman in a wheelchair.
The stamp is shaped like the state of Texas, with a blue dot over where Salt Gap would be. We walk through a barn that's been converted into several vender booths, selling things from handmade cowhide purses to paintings of Indian chiefs to body jewelry. For once, I don't care that I don't have any money. There's nothing worth buying here.
Goku and I walk shoulder to shoulder through the crowds of people who all seem to have their own agenda: the children ride the rides, the men drink beer and stare at the women, the women flirt and laugh and find ways to eat cotton candy seductively. I think I'm the only girl here who isn't wearing cut off jean shorts and some kind of plaid pearl snap shirt.
I glance at Goku in his dark wash jeans and black T-shirt with a Dragon's head logo on it.
"I'm surprised they let us in," I say. "We're not exactly the type of people who come here."
Goku takes my hand and pulls me around a blue plastic trashcan that's overflowing with paper food wrappers and beer cans. "Speak for yourself. I'm wearing my genuine leather chaps under these jeans."
I look at his legs. "Really?"
He laughs and leads me toward the carnival game booths. "Better watch out, your gullible is showing."
Goku buys us several rounds of carnival games, despite me telling him they're totally rigged.
He throws a dozen baseballs at a triangle of stacked bottles and doesn't hit them once. I lose count of how many rings I throw at a painted red tube, but none of them go over it.
The carnie at the balloon booth calls us over. "Stop lettin' Kevin rip ya off," he shouts over the carnival music. "I'll give ya five darts for a dollar. That way you can win somethin' for yer sweetie."
"I ain't ripping nobody off!" says the carnie at the ball booth as he pockets another twenty dollar bill from Goku. Goku looks at me and gives me devilish smile.
"What do you say...sweetie. Want me to win you something?"
"Only if you let me win you something," I retort, snatching a dollar from his hand.
The balloon booth is a lot easier because it's basically just a wall with balloons attached to it, and you throw darts at it. If you pop a balloon, you get a prize in the category of that color wins a stuffed doll that looks a lot like SpongeBob Squarepants, but for copyright reasons, this one is called Fungi Fred.
The carnie hands the doll to Goku and then Goku presents the gift to me with an overdramatic flourish of his hand. "For you, princess," he says as he bows to me. I take the doll, knowing that it's just a stupid toy, but I can't help thinking that SatZ never gave me anything. And I came close to giving him my everything?.
I throw my final dart toward the balloons, and hit a yellow one. Yellow is the most abundant color, so my prize choices are from the crappy section. "What's the most embarrassing thing I can get?" I ask the carnie.
His eyes light up. "I know just the thing," he says as ducks under the booth to dig through a box. He returns with an oversized chain necklace with a pendant the size of my face, made of silver plastic. It's huge, like the kind Mr. T would wear. He turns the pendant over in his hand, flips on a battery switch and shows it to us. The word bootylicious blinks in several LED colors as Goku lets out a soft, "Oh my god, no."
I take the necklace and place it over his head. "You look beautiful," I say with a wicked smile. The carnie gives me a high five.
Goku leaves the tacky necklace on despite the looks we get from kids and adults alike. I don't know if he would have this much confidence if he were in his own hometown. There's something about being surrounded by strangers you'll never see again that can change your perspective of what's embarrassing.
We head to the scariest-looking carnival ride and take a spot in the long line of people ahead of us. Goku's blinking necklace lights up his face in several different colors.
"This is fun. I never expected my self-inflected summer punishment would turn out this great."
"Same here. I thought I would have died of boredom by now." My hand reaches to my back pocket, then to the other one.
"What are you looking for?" Goku asks. I stare at my hand as if it were a foreign body part I only just now discovered.
"I don't know," I say, tapping my pocket again. Realization dawns on me. "Shit, I was looking for my cell phone," I laugh. "Ugh, it's such a habit, you know? I can't believe I'm not over it yet."
Goku pretends to look offended by placing a hand on his chest. "Am I so boring that you need to find someone else to talk to while you're around me? Ouch, Lucy. I'm heartbroken."
We move a few places forward in line. "Maybe I'm having such a great time I felt the need to post it to Facebook or something."
He smiles. "That's better."
When it's our turn to ride the PukeMax 5000, Goku hops in the metal carriage and places his harm around the back of the seat. My stomach leaps into my throat at the realization that these carriages are way smaller up close than they looked like from the ground. I squeeze in next to him and we close the lap bar over our legs. His hand wraps around my shoulders.
"Let's aim all puke toward that direction," he says, pointing over my side of the carriage.
I've never been someone who throws up on rides, but with the way his cologne teases my senses has butterflies doing all kinds of acrobats in my stomach. I swallow as the ride cranks to life. I really, really hope the PukeMax 5000 doesn't live up to its name.
Hours fly by when I'm with Goku, and before I know it we've ridden every ride twice and I've eaten more fair food in one night than I have in my whole life. Goku checks the time on his watch. "I promised Ed I'd have you home by eleven," he says. "That gives us time for one more ride. What will it be?"
I look down at the empty tray of what used to be nachos in my hand. "How about something slow?"
Goku leads the way to the Ferris wheel. A sadness falls over me as we climb into the carriage. This was one of the best nights of my life, but the fair only lasts one week.
"What are you thinking about?" Goku asks, once again sliding his arm around my shoulders.
Tingles flitter from the top of my head down to my toes. I wonder if he knows what his touch does to me.
"Nothing," I say out of habit as the Ferris wheel lurches forward, abruptly stopping a few seconds later to let the next set of people onboard.
"Doesn't look like nothing," he prods, nudging me with his shoulder.
I shrug. "I guess I'm just realizing that we had an awesome time tonight, but that only makes the rest of the summer sucky because after tonight, there won't be anything fun to do. At the end of the day, I'm still grounded, I'm still stuck here and I still don't have a phone or computer."
"You can't think that way," he says. His hand plays with a strand of my hair behind my back. "Now that Ed doesn't consider me a soulless bastard, I'm sure he'll let you come over. We'll find something fun to do."
Our eyes meet, and I hope we're thinking the same thing. The Ferris wheel stops at the very top. I glance over the side of the carriage and my eyes go wide. Goku leans closer to me and whispers in my ear, "You're braver than I am."
I turn toward him, fully planning on making fun of him for being afraid of heights. But the moment my head turns, his lips catch mine in a soft, slow kiss. The carriage lurches forward and he slides his hands behind my head, holding me steady as we swoop downward through the air.
I lean into his kiss. His lips are warm compared to the cool breeze dancing across my face as the Ferris wheel makes another loop.
Chills prickle down my arms as his hand slides down my neck and wraps around me. His tongue parts my lips as he deepens the kiss, his mouth tasting like the best kind of cotton candy.
A tiny sigh escapes me and I feel him smile under our kiss.
He pulls away when the ride decelerates a few minutes later, leaving my whole body flushed. I know I'm smiling like a dork but I can't help it. Our carriage comes to a stop and Goku taps my nose with his index finger.
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"You're cute when you're flustered."
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Well that's it for this chapter.
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One more thing guys, Next Chapter will not be published until i get some Reviews!, it's really hard to imagine that people's only read but does't want to just write what ever you think about this story...I'm not saying comment only good things...just let me know waht you think ! and I'll try my best to improve in next chapters.
Hope to see you guys in next Chapter!
Until then GOODBYE.
