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Male Order Bride
Chapter 12
" Movie Night"
Beep, Boop. Beep, Boop.
Gohan's ears twitched at the familiar noise the automatic doors made, which alerted him whenever a customer entered the store. He had never noticed the sound until after he started working at the convenience store. Sometimes he even heard the annoying sound in his dreams.
"I'll be right out," he called from within the walk-in cooler. He moved quickly as he finished stocking the cartons of milk and bottled sodas. He used the back of his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, then took a deep breath to compose himself. His wrist watch told him he had one more hour until his shift was over, one more hour until he had to meet his wife at the Satan City Cinema. He was nervous. Dealing with stumbling drunks and troublesome teenagers wasn't doing much to calm his nerves, either.
Gohan strode down the last aisle full of chips, peanuts, and candy bars. He abruptly stopped once he caught sight of two familiar blond teens. The guy looked like he lifted weights everyday and ate steroids for breakfast—his back muscles were huge! The woman was leaning over the counter, as if expecting to find Gohan hiding beneath the counter or something. She was wearing her usual strapless top, and Gohan couldn't help but notice that her shorts were especially short today. He guiltily tore his eyes away from the woman, focusing on the guy's long blond hair instead.
"Helloooo?" The woman leaned further on the counter and her feet lifted off the floor." Is anyone here?"
The man repeatedly hit the bell on the counter." Hurry up and come out already! I know you can hear us!"
"Oh," Their names suddenly registered in Gohan's memory. Sharpener and Erasa. They sat next to Videl and him in homeroom, but Gohan hardly ever got the chance to speak to them. "You're Videl's friends, right? What can I help you with?"
Sharpener narrowed his eyes as Gohan took his place behind the counter. His scowl deepened as he took in Gohan's appearance, starting at the end of Gohan's neon green work vest, to his "Hello, my name is GOHAN" name tag, then really narrowing at Gohan's clueless face.
"I heard you're taking Videl out to see a movie," Sharpener blurted out, seizing Gohan by his shirt collar and pulling him within inches of his face. Gohan winced as spit hit him in the face with each word Sharpener spoke." Since you're new around here I'll let you off with a warning. Videl is MY girl! And I'll be damned if I'm going to lose her to some nerdy exchange freak like you."
For a second, Gohan was confused. Exchange freak? Oh, that's right. Videl didn't want the media to know that she was married. She told everyone at school, including her best friends, that Gohan was just an exchange student living at her house.
Gohan couldn't suppress a smirk. If Sharpener was freaking out now, then what would the poor guy do once he found out Videl had gotten married without him?
Unexpectedly, Sharpener shoved Gohan back with so much force that he didn't have time to stop himself from crashing into the shelves behind him. Adult magazines, boxes of cigarettes and lighters rained down on him and all over the floor.
"That's enough!" Erasa screamed, slapping Sharpener's upper arm, leaving behind a red mark." I thought you wanted to welcome him into our group, not be an ass!" She turned to Gohan, her blue eyes glistening with emotion." Gohan, I'm so sorry. I never would've told him where you worked if I knew he was going to behave like this."
Sharpener scoffed." I barely touched him."
"Get out now, or else I'll tell Videl about what happened here today," Erasa threatened, placing her hands on her hips. Sharpener stared her down a few seconds before backing off.
"Fine, I'll leave." He pointed at Gohan, who was slowly rising from the floor, being careful not to crush any of the merchandise beneath him. " All you have to do is stay away from Videl. Stay away from her and I'll leave you alone."
"And if I don't?" Gohan asked, straightening his posture.
Sharpener walked away. The automatic doors opened. He glanced over his shoulder one last time and smiled." I know you're not stupid enough to challenge me, nerd. You'll back off. I know you will."
"They always do," Sharpener lowly muttered to himself as he turned away.
.+.+.+.+.
Erasa knelt on the floor and started to help Gohan clean up the mess Sharpener had caused.
"I'm so sorry about this," she said. Her eyes sparkling with sincerity.
Gohan smiled. " You have no reason to be sorry. It wasn't your fault." He scooped up the adult magazines sealed in plastic. His face reddened after reading the vulgar headlines and the model on the cover. His voice trembled as he spoke." So, why do you choose to hang out with a guy like that?"
Erasa shrugged." He's my cousin. He's really not a bad person once you get to know him."
Disbelief shadowed Gohan's face. Sharpener was the definition of the stereotypical bully his mother had warned him about for years.
"He really is a good guy," she laughed. "He can just be a little overprotective of Videl. She's our best friend you know. He doesn't want to see her get hurt in any way."
"I'd never hurt her," Gohan responded defensively. The trace of anger in his voice shocked him.
Erasa's eyes widened and she studied Gohan for a moment.
Erasa smiled." She's lucky to have such a sweet guy like you staying with her. You know, you're the first brainy type to chase after Videl. Most guys that try to date her are athletic since Mr. Satan has that rule that only the guy who defeats him in a match can date his daughter."
Brainy type? Oh, she was trying not to call Gohan a nerd. It wouldn't be an insult. It was true. He was a nerd. He scored the highest at the school's entrance exam, and continued to get top scores in everything. If not for baseball and his after school job, Gohan would probably never stop studying.
" Trust me, I'm not chasing after Videl. It would be stupid of me to chase after Videl with Mr. Satan and Sharpener in the way. I wouldn't stand a chance in a fight against them." Gohan turned away from Erasa, placing the last of the fallen lighters back on the shelf. He hoped Erasa wouldn't hear the lie in his voice. His mother could always see through his lies the second they flew from his mouth.
"I agree. That would be a stupid move," Erasa giggled." Good thing you're not stupid. Does this mean you're going to cancel your date with Videl tonight?"
A bead of sweat trickled down Gohan's forehead.
"Uh…Well…"
Erasa leaned into Gohan as if trying to peer into his thoughts. A mischievous smile crossed her face. " Hmm. I can see you don't want to cancel your date. Ha! I knew it! You're in love with Videl!"
"NO I'M NOT!"
"Then why's your face turning red?"
"It isn't!" Gohan stuttered, feeling the heat of his blush creeping down to his neck. He felt trapped in the small space behind the counter with his back against the wall and Erasa in front of him. He wasn't ready to explore the new feelings he had about Videl, and he sure as hell wasn't ready to discuss these feelings with a pretty girl he barely knew.
" If you're not in love with her, then why are you willing to risk your life to see her tonight?" Erasa folded her arms in front of her and jutted out her hip, making it clear that she wasn't going to leave Gohan alone until she got some answers.
Gohan gulped. He didn't want to cancel his date with Videl. He knew he'd probably never get the courage to ask her out again, and Videl would never forgive him for cancelling their date. She'd certainly shoot him down if he ever did gather the courage to ask her out again.
" I'm not going to cancel on Videl. I can't do that. I promised I'd never hurt her, remember? I know Sharpener isn't going to like it, but nothing's going to happen tonight. We're seeing an action movie, not a romance movie. We're not going to fall in love. I just…I just wanted show how grateful I am to Videl for bringing me into her house and showing me how to fit in at school like everybody else. Is that so wrong?"
Erasa didn't know how to respond to that. She guiltily stared down at the floor, ashamed for teasing him earlier.
"I have a lot of work to do before the next guy gets here for his shift. Excuse me."
Erasa moved out of the way and watched as Gohan squeezed past her and started to walk down the aisle, intending on returning to the walk-in cooler to stock things.
"Don't worry about Sharpener, I'll make sure he never finds out about this!" Erasa called out in her bubbly voice. " I want you to buy my best friend all the popcorn she wants! She's going to call me tomorrow, and if I hear you were too cheap to buy her a candy bar…I'll make you sorry."
Gohan nodded slightly and smirked. He was unsure about Erasa earlier, but now he knew that he could trust her. She had a pure heart. Gohan hoped someday Erasa would think of him as a close friend, too.
