Hey. Fast update. It's only translation to me so be rather thankful to Kalebxdd for that.

Thanks for the nice feedback.

Chapter 10

Gohan was sitting on the bench behind the gym. It was an isolated area of the campus, overlooking a huge lawn with a few trees. Despite the cold breeze the young man enjoyed the peace of the place and the greenery all around reminded him of the nature he was missing since he lived in town. Having some time off between classes, he had decided to come here and read the book the intendant had given to him. Everything had been quiet so far but he could sense Sharp approaching.

"Still reading? What's that book anyway?" the boy asked as he sat next to Gohan.

Gohan shrugged. "A story about a whale(*). Weird – Aren't you supposed to attend your support classes by the way?" he replied while grudgingly moving away to leave some space for his friend.

"Support classes? I guess I forgot that," Sharp mumbled.

Gohan eventually unlocked his eyes from his book and looked up at him. Sharp was busy rolling a cigarette. Gohan sighed. "You'll end up being kicked out of the school, Sharp."

"Don't worry, man. They wouldn't want to miss out on my mother's dough," Sharp growled, still focused on his task.

Gohan didn't answer but Sharp looked up at him with a smirk. "She pays well to have people raise her kid in her place. Trust me. She has seventeen years of experience. Well, sure enough, the price gets higher each year," he chuckled, running his tongue on the paper.

Sharp never mentioned his mother in a sentence if it wasn't also about money. Anyone would think it was a way to rub his money in people's face. Gohan knew better though and he had long figured out that it was mostly because paying bills seemed the only parental duty Sharp's mother was able to fulfill properly. "Will she be at the Savior's ceremony?" Gohan asked out of curiosity.

Sharp sneered. "Sure. My step-father is campaignin the mayor's election so needless to say they won't miss an opportunity to show off as good parents. What about yours? Will they come?"

"My mother won't be able to travel so far."

"And your father? Are they divorced?" Sharp asked absently.

"My father's dead."

Sharp gave him a side glance and frowned in confusion. "Shit. Sorry for that, I didn't know."

"Talking about it won't change a thing," Gohan said flatly.

As a matter of fact, him and Sharp scarcely mentioned their parents. Gohan was too reserved for that and Sharp seemed to hate the topic.

Erasa had told Gohan that Sharp's father was a famous musician – although Gohan had obviously never heard about him. He'd left Sharp's mother just after their son's birth and he spent most of his time on tour all over the world, each place with a different girl. The main thing he ever did for Sharp was pay senseless allowances while Sharp's mother would ask for more money each time he'd release a successful album. Sharp hardly saw him once a year.

Sharp's mother was a very beautiful woman according to Erasa. She had remarried very quickly with an influential businessman. In the middle of that mess, Sharp had been raised by successive nannies and later on, he had gone to some renowned boarding schools. All of them had sent him back to his mother with some despair until Satan Middle School had accepted him.

"And what about the ball after the ceremony? I hope you'll be there, won't you?" Sharp resumed as he lit up the cigarette.

"I don't know," Gohan mumbled absently while going back to his book.

Sharp slammed his palm on the page he was reading to get his attention back and Gohan looked up in amazement.

"Hey! Forget your book for a minute, will you? You can't miss the party," Sharp claimed.

Gohan raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Can't I?"

"Good God, Gohan, you're going to die a virgin or a hermit, or both! Just let go!" Sharp exclaimed by rolling his eyes.

Gohan smiled and closed his book. Sharp's overdone indignation amused him. He was definitely theatrical sometimes and it was part of his charisma. "So, how do you say we avoid a disaster like that?" Gohan asked.

Sharp smirked at the question. "First of all, you have to find a girl to go with you. Angela - Well, it's too late now. She's dating a guy in third year. You're too slow, man."

Gohan shrugged. "Too bad, then."

Yet, Sharp wouldn't give up so easily and he bit his lips while mulling over the issue.

"Maybe I could go with Videl, what do you think?" Gohan offered.

Sharp raised his eyebrows. "Videl?"

"Yeah, why not? I don't know any other girl here anyway. I mean, save for Erasa but you wouldn't like it if I'd go with her, would you?"

Sharp looked down and frowned. "Erasa is going with a third year too, but – Videl?" He paused and a smirk stretched his lips. "Of course. How didn't I see that before? You have a crush on Videl." he declared.

Gohan was caught off guard by the statement. "Of course not! Why would you say that? We're just looking for a girl so that I can go to this party, that's all. It would be best if I knew her and it's not like we have much choice."

Sharp nodded knowingly and Gohan realized his friend wouldn't buy his explanation. Sharp's moronic face was definitely getting on his nerves. "I told you already that I'm not looking for a girlfriend and that's the point. At least things will be clear with Videl. We're only friends. So, drop that idiotic smile from your face and stop believing that everyone is as perverted as you," Gohan insisted.

Sharp chuckled. "When I hear you talk like that, I really get the feeling that you've spent your whole life in a cave," he mocked him. "Of course, everyone here is as perverted as I am, but not everyone will admit it openly, that's all."

Gohan sighed in weariness. "Whatever. Forget it. I won't ask Videl and I won't go to that party. I don't feel like being shamed the whole night by your crude jokes."

Sharp's smile faded at once and he gave Gohan a pleading stare. "Don't drop me, please. Come. Invite Videl if you want. I swear I'll be a gentleman. I'll keep my mouth shut about that crush of yours, I promise."

Sharp pressed his palm on his heart and raised his other hand as if swearing an oath. Gohan just shrugged. He was well aware that such a pledge couldn't be worth much in his friend's mind, especially if there were beers at the party.

Sharp pursed his lips at this disbelieving silence. He took a drag of his cigarette thoughtfully, then he resumed. "If you don't do it for me, do it for Videl then."

Gohan gave him a questioning gaze and Sharp couldn't help a smile. "True. Nobody ever dares to invite her save for some stupid boaster. Being the savior's daughter isn't always a bed of roses," he added.

Gohan stared at him in disbelief. He was hesitant to trust him. Sharp leaned toward him and carried on in a low voice as if disclosing a secret. "Last year, Erasa nagged at me so much that I had to put off my girlfriend to go to the ball with Videl instead. No kidding, our poor Videl has a hard time dealing with guys."

With that, he laughed coarsely. Gohan frowned. If Videl had been there, she would doubtlessly punch him right in the nose both for telling this story and for laughing about it. Gohan knew that Sharp didn't mean it bad. He liked Videl and she was his friend but, he would always laugh at anything implying boys bonding with girls. As a matter of fact, he would always laugh at anything sensitive - anything that wasn't supposed to be funny.

"All right," Gohan snapped as a way to cut off the joke. "I'll invite her. We'll all go together."

"It'll be cool," Sharp sighed with satisfaction.

"If they don't kick you out, that is," Gohan added.

Gohan leaned against the backrest of the bench and looked up at the sky. He'd just done exactly what he had sworn not to do. Before Sharp mentioned Savior's Day, Gohan hadn't even mulled over the possibility to go to this ball. His mind had put this event aside; he wasn't concerned by it. It felt as if he wasn't even invited. Gohan was well aware that these kinds of things –Savior's Day, his life at school and even his little talks with Sharp – would create the confusing decoy that he was an ordinary boy. All these little things were bonding him to a world he couldn't fit in and yet, he tended to get used to its soothing carefreeness.

He had to remember that he was only attending high school in order to pass the final exam. If everything worked out, he should be able to do it at the end of the year. In the meantime, he should keep his distance from that attractive world though. It was a rule difficult to keep in mind and going to Savior's Day wasn't going to help.

Of late, the only moments when he couldn't forget who he was were at night. Nights were always filled with dreams of a wincing face with a filthy blond hair or of a pin-up in fur splattered with blood and screaming.

Above the two boys, the blue of the sky couldn't get rid of the few clouds lurking around, each one chasing the other. Before he knew it, Gohan was trying to make out familiar shapes in the clouds. The wind was moving them around and transforming them, but they would never look like anything else than mere clouds.

"Ain't that my friend Gohan?" a nasal voice exclaimed, snatching him out of his contemplation.

Sharp and Gohan cringed at once as they found out a group of three boys was walking to them. Gohan recognized Sharp's friends. The one who'd called him was named Joon. He was taller than Sharp and as muscular as him. Gohan knew him as the guy would only gave him wordless and scornful glances each time they met. Gohan had no doubt that the greeting he'd just been addressed was nothing near friendly and he didn't bother answering.

Joon resumed while coming closer to him. "I was told that you were pretty good at writing assignments and that kind of shit."

"Maybe," Gohan replied.

"I hope you're at least better at that than at choosing your clothes because I need you to do me a small favor," Joon stated causing his friends to laugh.

"Let him be, Joon," Sharp muttered in annoyance.

"Don't worry, Sharp. I'm not going to cling to him. I just have a very boring assignment to do and the teacher is kinda bustin' my ass about it, so I thought about my friend from the countryside. Huh Son? What do you say?" Joon replied.

"I don't write assignments for anyone," Gohan said calmly.

"Don't you? Then you've got plenty of time to do mine, "Joon snarled while stepping closer in a threatening stance.

Gohan and Sharp were still sitting on the bench. They instinctively stood up in one motion to be at Joon's level.

"Stop your show, now," Sharp hissed while throwing his cigarette away and positioning himself between Gohan and Joon.

Joon glared at him with a smirk. "What's going on Sharp? Are you afraid for your girlfriend?"

He had hardly enough time to finish his sentence. Sharp punched him and Joon fell backward out of surprise. Gohan didn't move but his eyes shifted immediately to Joon's friends. They were watching the events in disbelief and Gohan realized that no one had expected Sharp's reaction.

Joon sat up in a jerk and kicked Sharp's ankle causing him to lose his balance and stumble down on the ground. "You're nuts, Sharp! You're dead," Joon barked in anger as he pounced on him.

Gohan contemplated the two guys fighting on the ground for a moment. He should step in. It would have been so easy. Joon's movements looked so slow and so messy that Gohan would have stopped him in a heartbeat. Yet, he dreaded underestimating his strength. He'd never fought normal people. Besides, he wasn't supposed to be violent here. Sharp seemed to be doing well, either way.

However, Joon's friends were getting closer to them and the prospect of a general brawl became unavoidable to Gohan.

"Are you all crazy? Stop that now!" A voice yelled all of a sudden.

Looking up in astonishment, Gohan found out Videl had just showed up through the back door of the gym. Her command stopped Joon's buddies, unwilling to cope with her. Yet, Sharp and Joon kept fighting like dogs in the dust. They were spitting fierce insults and furious threats while punching each other.

"Sharpener! Joon!" The voice of a supervisor took over from behind Videl.

The man was heading their way and this time, the order had immediate effect. The two boys parted brutally and struggled to their feet. Joon had a dirty swollen eye and Sharp's nose and mouth were dripping blood. He wiped them roughly on the back of his sleeves while eyeing the supervisor.

The man glared at them in disapproval. "James Sharpener, aren't you supposed to be in support class?" he asked sternly.

"Maybe, sir," Sharp admitted halfheartedly. His face was still blushed in anger and Gohan felt he had a hard time soothing his fury. Actually he was hardly able to hide his annoyance at the interruption.

The supervisor stood in front of Joon and grabbed his chin between his fingers to study his wounded eye. "Joon, medical bay. After that, I want to see you in the general supervisor's office," he claimed.

Then, he turned to Sharp still wiping his blood with a tissue he'd found in his pocket. He looked in quite better shape than his opponent. "Sharpener-"

"Yeah, I know the tune. General supervisor, huh?" Sharpener cut off in a growl.

The supervisor gave him an annoyed stare. "No. As for you, you'll go directly to your intendant. Now. All the others, I want you back to whatever you were up to," he ordered.

Videl and Gohan cringed. Sharpener was granted a special sentence and that was no good. In addition to fighting, he was skipping support classes so it might make his case somewhat more serious. Meeting the intendant save for the monthly interview was never a good omen.

"Sir!" Gohan protested.

"Mind your own business, Mr. Son. I don't want to see you around anymore," the supervisor broke off.

Gohan insisted. "But, it's Joon. He –"

"I told you, I'm not interested in what you have to say. You should go to the library instead of hanging around since it seems you can't stay away from trouble," the supervisor snapped again.

Gohan wanted to plead further for Sharp's sake but Videl grabbed his sleeve as a way to tell him to shut up. Joon and his friends were already gone while Sharp had picked up his belongings. Gohan and Videl watched him head wordlessly to the intendants' building under the supervisor's escort.

"We still have a good half hour before our next class. We'll wait for him over there," Videl suggested in a low voice.

They reached the intendant's building through a separate path, and sat themselves down on the steps leading to the entrance so that they could meet Sharp when he got out.

"God, what happened with this guy? I thought he was Sharp's friend," Videl hissed.

Gohan had a second thought before answering. He felt guilty of what had happened. He hadn't considered a single minute that Sharp would step in for him and react that way to Joon's mockery. Gohan was aware that the situation had been somewhat dangerous, given he was supposed to be a nerd with no skill for fight but he had never wanted things to turn out this way. Everything had gone too fast. "That guy – Joon – he threatened me. He wanted me to write an assignment for him and Sharp – huh, he just wanted him to calm down," he explained sheepishly.

Videl frowned and stared at him in disbelief. Gohan could read the disapproval in her eyes. He assumed that she still believed that he was the "golden ninja" and since he was able to withstand a burst of machine guns, he might have dealt pretty well with a prick like Joon. When she spoke at least he expected her to blame him for having Sharp believe that he couldn't make it through without his help. "Sharp is a moron," she just stated.

Gohan looked down in embarrassment. What Videl said wasn't fair. Sharp wasn't a moron. Gohan had lured him like he always did.

Videl seemed to read his mind and she resumed. "He's a moron because he told everyone that he had you write down his assignments and that was why Joon came to you in the first place. Don't be mad at him. Sharp likes to show off but he never thinks about the consequences. He's also a moron for believing you needed his help though."

Gohan kept quiet and lowered his head. What could he say?

A wild wind was gathering the clouds and darkening the blue sky little by little as they sat silently for a while.

"Either way, I hope he won't be kicked out," Gohan eventually sighed.

"I don't know. I don't think so. His mother is quite influential, but meeting the intendant is still a bad sign, not to mention Sharp spends his time skipping his support classes, getting caught smoking on campus and a bunch of other things. He's kind of exhausting," Videl replied.

She sighed thoughtfully and turned to Gohan. "You know what? You should help him a little."

"Me?" Gohan repeated in disbelief.

"Yes. I noticed he likes you somehow. I've known him for a long time. He doesn't listen to anyone. You should give it a try. You know, like trying to avoid him getting into trouble and to have him focus a bit more on his studies. You owe him that a bit, don't you?"

Gohan mused over Videl's suggestion and shrugged. "Maybe. I'm not sure he would listen to me. What do you think they'll do to him now?"

Videl had an amused smile. "I think that the worst punishment for him would be to be banned from the Savior's ball. He loves these kinds of parties so much. Now, since his mother and stepfather are supposed to come to the ceremony, I guess the school wouldn't like to miss such a great opportunity for publicity."

Gohan was relieved to learn that the sentence couldn't be more serious than the meaningless decision to forbid Sharp to attend Savior's Day. If truth to be told, Gohan didn't only feel guilty about Sharp's trouble, he was also somewhat afraid. He was realizing that if Sharp was to be kicked out of the school, they would probably stop seeing each other and Gohan disliked the idea. Videl's explanation reminded him of the talk he had with Sharp. "Speaking of that Savior's Day, would you like to go to the ball with me?" he asked.

Videl flinched. As Gohan looked up at her his features were so innocent that she had a second thought about the true meaning behind his offer. Regardless, she knew at once that she would accept. First of all she was craving for it, but furthermore she had no will to attend the ball alone or once again with a boring partner. "Of course. No problem," she murmured shyly.

The door behind them slammed open and Sharp surged out of the building with a scowl. His lip was split and slightly swollen. He stopped on the porch as his two friends stood up at once, staring eagerly at him. "So?" Gohan asked impatiently.

"Three days of suspension and a week of chores. I can live with that. My mother will be glad – she's been asked to come meet the intendant too," Sharp declared.

Gohan and Videl heaved a sigh of relief in unison.

Sharp's wounded lips twitched into a smirk as he looked at Gohan. "You'll have to be aware of these three morons though. You and I are in their crosshair from now on. Too bad we were interrupted, I was doing good."

ooo0ooooo0ooo

(*) The book Gohan is reading is Moby Dick by Herman Melville (1851)