Note: Possible discrepancies in my writing since I've been tweaking with my style of late (trying to improve). Any kind of sincere (and polite) feedback is always greatly appreciated! Cheers! ︎

Fanfare, huh?

I watched Trunks' back until he was swallowed up by the sea of students flowing to their respective classes. The end-of-lunch bell chimed intrusively in the backdrop of my mind on top of the general rowdy commotion. But I really didn't hear anything.

There was only one thing ringing in my mind then…

Our latest conversation to do with… my "fixation" with Cello Maoh…

5
Rhetorical Answers

"Heeey, Gohan! How is your—uhh… how're Humpty and Dumpty? Still whole I hope?"

"Oh," Har-har. "…it's you."

"Ha-ha! Wow. What a reaction! That's gotta be the first time I've seen you this overjoyed to see me. I'm touched. Let me guess… Is it 'cause you've finally realized I was right all along about what you really want with our dearest Miss Maoh?"

"Yeah, about that—" My locker slammed shut with a bang that made even me jump. I abruptly turned to face him hoping that would cover it up. "I've realized what I want alright. But you're still wrong about it."

His snort mutated into a chortle. And as a bonus, it is joined by an encore of sniggering from an entourage I didn't even notice was there.

"Is that what you think? Well, that's fine. But sooner or later you'll find out that I'm right after all. Whatever 'noble' thing it is… I'm telling you… it's only fanfare to the main event, Gohan."

…

Fanfare.

Whatever happened to the time when friends actually acted like… well—

Like friends…?!

…

The sights and sounds of that encounter with Trunks and his theatre club posse didn't disperse with the crowd as I had hoped. It sloshed around like sewage waste inside my skull as my feet took me to my own first period for the afternoon that day—and, lamentably, pretty much badgered me with its unwelcome presence the entire week.

I wanted to make Cello Maoh smile.

There wasn't anything wrong with that. I wouldn't be ashamed to shout it out to the world if that weren't completely unnecessary (not to mention stupidly melodramatic). But it sure as hell wasn't fucking "fanfare" and there was no fucking "main event". Though, if you take into account what things I've been doing to try and get close to her, I'll be the first to admit that it wasn't exactly the sanest justification.

If I were to really pick it apart for the sake of argument… For a full-grown teenage boy in the height of puberty wedged into a sex-crazed environment that's nurtured by equally sex-oriented media- it would sound too suspiciously ingenuous and out-of-place… Therefore overly romanticised, ergo—unrealistic and flighty. Like I said: not exactly sane.

Be that as it may, it was the best reason I had. It was the truth.

All the same, I took huge comfort in the tiny consolation that I didn't let my "best friend" in on that particular bit of truth. His sadistic proclivity for poking fun at my social ineptitude ever since we were grade-schoolers would have made it like handing him the perfect ammunition that he would only be too eager to use on me. Our most recent exchange confirmed as much…

…

"…It's only fanfare to the main event, Gohan.

"I'd wish you luck but it wouldn't do you any good. You'd have a better chance at success in trying to achieve world peace."

…

He didn't even need to know it, he was going to shoot me down, no matter the why—boring truth or prettified lie. Which brings me to a curious conclusion…

It wasn't the fact that Trunks was being so antagonistic that I found so hard to believe. He may be the kind of friend whose personal mission in life (next to providing the pixie dust to make his fans' fantasies fly) was to poke fun at others—the bulk of which was directed at his "childhood friend"…

But he was also the same friend who had never vetoed the idea of his childhood friend getting it on with the ladies- regardless of who. In fact, because that childhood friend of his wasn't as much of a go-getter as he was, he doggedly endorsed it. It was the only thing you could count on Trunks Briefs to be serious about.

So now that this "childhood friend" of his—after all these years—is finally interested in a girl (even if she was, in his own words 'a little kooky'), I honestly expected him to be the first one enthusiastically backing me up.

Only he wasn't.

Instead, he was enthusiastically buzzkilling me.

Had I broken some unwritten guy code by being exclusively interested in Cello Maoh?

Was she too audacious for a first-time venture and Trunks was –in his own special tardish way- really just concerned about me?

Another explanation which had crossed my mind—although rather offbeat—was that he was actually afraid…

While it was normal for Trunks to drop out of my radar for weeks—sometimes even months when he was in one of his dating phases, I didn't have my own "social" recreational activities to get caught up with so I'd be left solo during those times, but I didn't mind it at all. Solitude never bothered me; I was cool with it. Until Cello Maoh happened, I was always the wallflower; that perpetual introvert who was never as hung up as everyone else about playing the dating game. Sure, I had a couple of friends outside our two-man circle and some admirers of my own; but no matter how long he went off to do his own thing, he would always find me where he had left me and nothing much would have changed. At least, nothing that had significant bearing on our friendship. As it was, Cello Maoh was already shaking my world and throwing everything I've ever known in a whole new perspective; how much more if I actually succeeded in making her a part of my life? If that happened, there were certainly no guarantees that the comfortable arrangement Trunks Briefs and I have always had was going to remain unchanged.

Could it be that Trunks felt that Cello was a threat to our friendship…?

Trunks never struck me as the jealous, possessive type of friend, but I actually really didn't know that for sure.

Whatever his reasons were, I knew there was no way I'd get a straight answer from him without some sort of coercion involved. Trunks Briefs was too proud of his spotless picture-perfect social image to own up to something that would tarnish that. Lucky for him, I was still willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now, and settle for whatever proxy reason in my mind to justify why he was being a "who-needs-enemies" kind of friend. I wouldn't be surprised if those secret in-campus bets pitting guys against Cello Maoh already had my name on it. It wasn't the first time students made sport and amusement of other people's lives. However, it was the first time an underdog like me stepped up to the plate. I could practically feel the hushed tension closing in on me at school each day, building up to what they most likely anticipated to be one splendid—and by all means, "entertaining"—failure on my part. And with how much of an ass Trunks had been acting lately? It wouldn't be a stretch if I found out that he was part of the majority who stood to profit from my impending doom at the hands of the 'nefarious villain' of this tale, the "insane" Cello Maoh.

Well…

Everyone counting on that can kiss my bruised virgin keister! because this 'underdog' is hell-bent on denying them that satisfaction.

(Which, of course, as always—was much easier said…)

As days piled into weeks and eventually into months, I began to entertain the thought that maybe Trunks was right. Perhaps it would be wise to reassess my goals and accept that some were more achievable than others. As things were, my seemingly simple goal to make a certain girl smile was sinking deeper and surer into the "impossible" and-or-otherwise "divine intervention needed" category.

It didn't mean that I was giving up though. You could say that I just ran into another… unforeseen complication.

It was at that point after everything so far, that I realized, with much chagrin, that not even once—

…Have I seen Cello Maoh smile.

While it's true that I wasn't with her twenty-four seven, I might as well be. I already secretly chaperoned her to and from the school building every day. I also managed to shift a few of my classes so we shared a couple of subjects which allowed me to legitimately be within her proximity. As an extra precaution, I even stationed myself on the rooftop during break time, just so I could check on her in her usual lonesome and inconspicuous spot in the school grounds and make sure she ate her daily packed lunch of two sandwiches and an apple in relative peace. Then, as much as after-class club activities would permit, I catch up with her in the library, where she read alone in the more secluded areas for what remained of daylight; which I gathered was the high point of her day because this was where she appeared to be most relaxed—the closest thing to happy I've ever observed on her general aura, as I again, watched from an unobtrusive post. After that, I'd "walk her home", and the next day it would be the same ninja-esque (okay fine, "stalker"-ish, if you will) routine.

Yet, all through all that… not even the slightest turn of lips, nor a hint of a smile anywhere on her pretty face… nothing.

If I didn't know better, I would think she didn't even know what it was or how to do it… But that was impossible, right?

One thing I did find out from all that, which she did know how to do well and did a lot of—

Was shed tears.

I could have said "crying" if I wanted to be generic about it; but it wasn't like the usual crying with the hand-in-hand sobbing, shaking, and overall expression of anguish. It really was just that. She shed tears.

At first, I wasn't so sure because she did it so casually and then she would nonchalantly rub the moisture away like something simply got in her eyes. There were times when she didn't even seem to be aware of it that she forgot to wipe the glistening wet trails that adorned her cheeks entirely; she would just keep reading her books or doing whatever it was she was doing like it wasn't even there.

One glum day of many, as I stood under the inclement August downpour watching from a distance that might as well have been a lifetime apart, I found myself spellbound as she paused in mid-stride and turned her face up to the heavens.

I knew there were tears there, even if the raindrops camouflaged it—washed it away, I knew there would always be more… On the outside, it seemed like she has learned to overlook it—live with it. But I also knew, somehow, that in her heart… a storm was raging, one that probably never stopped…

And suddenly, though it didn't look that way from where I was standing -the world was still gloomy and sorrowful and I wasn't going to be able to change that- but as a formidable clap of thunder and lightning cracked the horizon, an epiphany struck me. It felt like the gods finally smiled down upon me and had given me my first real clue on how to get closer to Cello Maoh…

If I wanted to make Cello Maoh smile…

I first needed to find out what made her forget how to…

And that storm in her heart- that was the key…

It didn't necessarily make things easier, I know.

But at least now, I knew where to start…

End of Chapter 5
Continued in Chapter 6: "Braving the Storm"…

Notes:

This story was meant to be an exercise in patience for me (and for anyone interested in it too, I imagine, haha). I wanted to experimentally utilize a slow-build for its pace in shorter, more manageable chapters. But I'm also trying to be more systematic from now on so I plan to focus on finishing this one (of all my other ongoing AU multi-chapters) first. If all goes well, I should have another chapter or two up within the coming days. I hope you continue to look forward to it! For bearing with me, thank you so much, lovelies! ︎

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To XZanayu:
Thank you so much for reading and leaving feedback! So true, no one wants to deal with crazy, especially one like Cello. She's not only crazy, she can crush your, err, spirits, hehe. But yeah, sometimes when love is involved, it does tend to blur all those lines... XD