Author's Note: Okay, it appears that a lot of "Gohan and his class take a field trip to CC" have been written. Well, I didn't copy off of them; this is the ORIGINAL, where it all began. So no flames about how I copied off of someone or how it's unoriginal, okay?
*~*
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. BUT, but, BUT!!!! The "field trip idea" is MINE! As indicated in my AN, a lot of people have been using this idea without giving credit. I don't suppose I mind . . . well, I kinda DO, but there's nothing I can do about it. I'm just sad to see that my idea has turned into a cliché, overdone plot line . . .
*~*
EDITING COMPLETED: 4/10/2004
*~* Chapter Seven *~*
Field Trip
The next morning, Videl felt as if she was walking on air. Evidently the feeling from last night hadn't washed away, but she didn't mind.
As she got dressed, this time choosing a pair of jeans and a red shirt, she found herself humming the tune from the box that Gohan had given her last night. Videl brushed her hair to the same tune.
She grabbed her book bag and practically skipped down the stairs and into the kitchen where she found a plate of food waiting for her.
"Morning," said Videl.
Her father looked up from his newspaper. He noticed the unusual smile on her face and the faint blush in her cheeks. "What are you so happy about?" he grumbled.
"Nothing."
As she placed a glass of milk in front of Videl, Iria grinned knowingly at the teen. "So, you had a good time last night?"
Videl nodded. "The best."
"I could tell," said the housemaid. "You look like a woman who's tasted love for the first time."
Videl's eyes widened and she flushed. "My relationship with Gohan isn't like that at all! We're just friends!"
Hercule, of course, took Iria's words the wrong way. "YOU SLEPT WITH HIM?!!" he exclaimed.
Videl jumped up put of her seat and snatched a piece of toast off of her plate. "I gotta go! See you later." She dashed out of the house, ignoring her father's angry shouts.
*~*
When Videl entered the school later that morning, a large group of girls flooded over to her. They began to pull on her, yanking her in all directions. Videl tried to shove the girls away, but there were just too many of them to shake off.
"You are, like, sooooo lucky!" cried one of the girls.
"Yeah!" agreed another. "Like, Gohan is, like, so HOT!"
Videl glared at the girls. "What in the world are you all talking about?!"
"Like, everyone in, like, school is talking about how you and Gohan are, like, going out!" said a girl with red hair as she jumped up and down. "So, like, tell us how good of a kisser he is!"
"Gohan and I are NOT going out," growled Videl as she tried to pull herself out of the grasp of the girls.
"You don't have to, like, lie, Videl! Everyone, like, saw you two at the dance. You were, like, all on each other and stuff."
I've got to put an end to this! I'm already tired of the way they overuse the word 'like'.
"Okay, listen up!" shouted Videl, quieting all of the giggling girls around her. "Maybe someone should write this down, cause I don't want to have to say it again." And that way, word will get around to the school newspaper where they can announce it in the next issue!! "Gohan and I are NOT, and I repeat, ARE NOT going out. There!"
"So does that mean that he's, like, up for grabs and stuff?!" shouted a girl. The other's waited eagerly for Videl's response.
Up for grabs my ass! Not to any of you!!
"Sure. Whatever." With that, Videl stomped off towards her locker.
Those . . . pea-brained bimbos! Talking about Gohan like he's just some piece of meat or something . . . Uh! Disgusting!!
When she got to her locker, she found Angela and her preppy groupies leaning against it. All of Angela's friends were just like her- obsessed with fashion, snobbish, popular and ANNOYING.
There goes my good mood! "Get out of my way," growled Videl.
"I don't think so," Angela replied, tossing her hair over her shoulder. Her friends did the same and shot evil grins at Videl.
"I said-"
"I'll consider moving . . . if you answer my question. Everyone in school is just dying to know what you did to get Gohan to go out with you, but I'm the only one with enough guts to ask. So Videl, what did you have to do- sleep with him?"
Videl was getting angry. VERY angry. "How dare you suggest something like that, bitch! Now get the hell out of my way, before I move you myself."
Angela snickered. "Oh, I'm scared. You know, Videl, if you want to keep Gohan, you might want to do something with your appearance. You look like you've just crawled out of a dumpster."
Her groupies giggled and they all tossed their hair again.
Take a deep breath, Videl. Oh, wait! I can't. All of their damn perfume making me sick.
Seeing the angry look on Videl's face and the sneer on Angela's, a large group of students formed around them, anxious to see a fight.
"Gohan must have hit his head or something," she continued, "or he would have never agreed to take you to the dance."
Count to ten, Videl . . . One, two, three . . .
"What'd you do- give him a blow job?" Then she flipped her glossy hair over her shoulder with a laugh . . .
Videl snapped and let out a mighty growl. She lunged at Angela, causing both of them to hit the ground. Angela's groupies jumped back and let out screeches of horror.
"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!!!" chanted the crowd.
A boy stepped forward, rubbing his hands together. "Alright, people! Let's start placing the bets! I've got a hundred Zeni on Videl!"
*~*
Gohan was just entering the school when some guy came up to him and slapped him hard on the back.
Gohan stumbled forward, catching himself in time.
"Hey there, Gohan!"
Gohan looked the student over and he was sure that he'd never seen the guy before in his life. "Do I . . . uh, know you?" he asked, trying to be polite as usual.
The guy laughed as if Gohan had just said the funniest thing in the world. "Hell no! Not yet, anyway!"
"Oh . . . okay . . ."
"I just came by to congratulate you," said the boy.
"For what?"
He laughed again. "Man you're funny! No one has been able to get Videl to go out on a date. A lot of guys have asked her, including that Sharpner dude, and the girls say that he's one good looking fellow. So, what I wanna know- and every other guy in school- is how the hell did you get her to go out with you?"
"Our names came out of the class drawing," answered Gohan truthfully.
The guy gapped at him. "That's all? And she AGREED to go?"
"Yeah. Actually, I had to convince her a LITTLE but . . ."
"Ah. A little smooth talking, huh?" He winked at Gohan.
What is UP with this guy? "Uh, sure . . . Hey, look, I gotta go. It was nice talking to you, though."
"Sure! You da man, Gohan! You da man!"
Gohan watched, a little dazed, as the guy walked off. I wonder what that was all about. Oh, well. I'd better go to class.
Gohan ran up a flight of stairs and rounded a corner where he heard cheering and saw a large group of students watching something.
"I wonder what's going on here?" Gohan went up to the crowed. He pushed his way to the front, his eye's widening when he saw what everyone was looking at.
Videl was straddling Angela's waist, her hands trying to rip out her hair. Beneath Videl, Angela was wiggling around, unable to shake Videl's strong grip.
"SOMEONE GET THIS CRAZY BITCH OFF OF ME!!!!!!" exclaimed Angela as she began to kick her legs up into the air. "SHE'S RIPPING OUT MY BEAUTIFUL HAIR!!!!!"
"SHUT!! UP!! I'm tired of you running your fucking mouth!! And I'm tired of you flipping your damn hair around all the time!!!!"
Gohan entered the fight, pulling Videl's hands out of Angela's blond hair and hauling her off of the other girl. He grabbed Videl's wrists to prevent her from lunging at Angela again.
"Let me go! I'm going to kill her!" cried Videl as she struggled to get away from Gohan.
"No, you're not," said Gohan in a stern voice.
Videl sighed, recognizing Gohan's voice. She pulled herself from his grip with a huff, sticking her chin into the air. After all, she hadn't done a thing wrong.
"What is going on, Videl? Why are you and Angela fighting?" asked Gohan, taking over the authoritative role.
Angela picked herself off of the floor as gracefully as she could. She brushed back her hair with her hand and let out a cry when she saw that she'd broken a nail. "She just attacked me! For no good reason, Gohan! She's crazy!"
"NO GOOD REASON?!! You basically called me a whore!" shouted Videl.
Gohan let out an exasperated sigh. "Okay, okay. Calm down, both of you. First of all, Angela, you shouldn't have called Videl names. And you, Videl, shouldn't have attacked her. Now why don't you two say you're sorry and apologize . . ."
Videl stared at Gohan incredulously. "But-"
"Go on!"
"Fine. I'm sorry." Like I mean it, bitch. I would have beaten your ass if Gohan hadn't come along!
The other girl flipped her tangled hair over her shoulder. "Sorry." She and her friends turned and left.
The students groaned and broke up, heading to their classes.
"You're destroying my image," muttered Videl as she opened her locker.
Gohan laughed. "I just saved you from a suspension. You know the rules- no fighting."
Videl rolled her eyes and removed the books she needed from her locker. She slammed it shut and stalked off.
Gohan quickly caught up with her. "I was just looking out for you."
Videl sent him a quick smile. "I know. But she's so damn annoying . . . always flipping that damn hair of hers in everyone's faces. If you'd let me rip out her hair, I would've done everyone in the school a favor."
Gohan chuckled and shook his head. "You'll never guess what happened to me today." He went on to tell her about the guy he'd met in the hall.
Videl laughed. "Well, some girls came up to me and told me how LUCKY I was to be going out with you. Of course, I had to set them straight about us. We're just . . . friends."
"Right."
They entered the class together. It seemed as if news traveled fast around Orange Star High because many girls came up to Videl and told her how they'd wished that she'd taken out all of Angela's hair.
"See? I was right," said Videl as they took their seats.
Erasa and Sharpner then entered the classroom and went up to Videl and Gohan.
Erasa congratulated Videl for shaking Angela's confidence and took the seat next to her, leaving Sharpner in his regular seat. She then whispered into Videl's ear. "Yes, Videl, you can have my seat. I know how much it means to you to be next to Gohan."
Videl flushed. "It's not like that," she hissed, realizing her mistake.
But Videl could not figure out why she'd taken the seat next to Gohan, knowing that Erasa sat there. It was an accident, she told herself. I didn't take her seat INTENTIONALLY . . .
The bell rang and the students began to take their seats. The sensei entered the classroom and began to hand out some papers, which turned out to be permission slips.
"Okay, students, I've got a surprise for you. We're going on a field trip tomorrow with another class," announced the teacher.
As Videl's classmates began to cheer, she muttered, "Aren't we too old for field trips?"
"We're going to the Capsule Corp. headquarters where you'll get the chance to meet Bulma Briefs herself!"
Gohan almost fell out of his chair. His class was going WHERE? He hadn't expected THIS!
"Then after we leave Capsule Corp., we'll do a little shopping and go to a nice restaurant for dinner. What do you guys think about that?"
When the class erupted in another cheer, Gohan lost himself in his thoughts.
What in the world was Bulma thinking when she agreed to do this? What if Vegeta blows up the gravity room again while we're there? What if Trunks accidentally shows some of his real strength? What if some guy hits on Bulma and Vegeta beats him up? What if . . .
*~*
Erasa stared at Gohan as he walked back and forth on the bleachers with a look of concentration on his face. He hadn't touched his lunch, which, she knew, was not like him at all.
"What's wrong with you, Gohan?" asked Erasa, seeing that no one else was.
"It's about that field trip we're going on tomorrow . . ."
"What about it?"
"I don't know what Bulma was thinking when she agreed to show some students around Capsule Corp. Things could get dangerous."
"Will you SIT DOWN? You're making me dizzy!" When he sat, Erasa took a deep breath and then continued. "You make it sound like you KNOW Bulma Briefs personally."
"I do."
This got Sharpner's attention. "Like hell you do. Stop lying."
"He does," said Videl.
"Wow," Erasa muttered. "How cool is that?"
"You worry too much, Gohan. Nothing's going to happen tomorrow," said Videl. And why would it? Unless . . .
Unless it had something to do with Gohan's secret? She couldn't see the connection at all, but now she was positive that she would be going on the trip.
Gohan rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess you're right Videl. Nothing's going to happen . . ." Ah, my famous last words . . .
*~*
Sharpner was furious by the end of the day. He was tired of seeing people go up to Videl and Gohan and ask them if they were dating. He wanted to break something. In fact, he had. The bell before, he'd spent the whole time snapping pens and pencils in half, envisioning Gohan in place of them.
He decided to skip his last bell and headed out to the racetrack. Sharpner noticed Angela Lockwood and several of her friends sitting in some bleachers. He couldn't help overhearing their conversation, considering the fact that Angela's groupies had high pitched voices.
"I can't believe her!" cried Angela. "She broke my nail!" She cradled her hand to her chest.
"She's, like, so barbaric or something," one of her friends added. "I can't believe she, like, jumped on you like that!"
Angela growled. "I'm going to find some way to get Gohan away from her, if it's the last thing I do! Someone like her shouldn't be going out with a great guy like Gohan."
Angela's groupies nodded in agreement and flipped their hair. When Angela tried to do the same, she winced. "Oh, my head still hurts!"
"Like, poor thing," cooed all of her friends.
Sharpner snickered at them, then thought the situation over. Hmm . . . maybe I can use this to my advantage . . .
Sharpner approached the girls, his hands in his pockets. "Hello, ladies. Isn't this a fine day?"
Angela looked Sharpner over. Sharpner was decent-looking, but didn't come close to Gohan. His big muscles caught her attention, though. She decided to give him a chance rather than telling him to get lost. "I suppose so. Or it would have been, if that friend of yours hadn't attacked me this morning."
"Yes, well, she was wrong to do that," said Sharpner. "You know Angela, the two of us might be able to help each other out."
She wrinkled her nose. "If you think I'm going to make out with you or something, then-"
"No! It's not that. I think you can help me separate Gohan and Videl," he said quickly.
"Oh. That's what this is about?"
"Yeah. I know you want Gohan and I want Videl. If they were to split, then everything would work out for the both of us."
One of Angela's friends spoke up. "But this morning Videl said that, like, she and Gohan weren't, like, going out and stuff."
Angela sent the girl a glare. "She was lying, obviously! Did you see the way Gohan pulled her off of me and then took her side?"
"Well . . . he seemed, like, fair to me . . ."
"Shut up!" she snapped. Angela then turned back to Sharpner. "What do you have in mind?"
He told her about his plan with the Hercule drawing.
"That's a good plan . . . but how are we going to make sure Videl finds out that Gohan entered the contest?"
"This is where YOU come in. The entries for the contest will be put into a computer and then randomly drawn. Your dad's company is going to be in charge of that. All you have to do is get a print up of all the names of the people who entered."
Angela gave Sharpner another look. "How'd you find this out?"
"I did a little nosing around. But that doesn't matter. Will you help?"
She smiled. "Of course I will, Sharpner! And if your plan fails, then I'll have another one ready. How does that sound?"
"Great. But my plan WON'T fail. It can't." There's no way I'm going to loose Videl.
*~*
When Gohan arrived home later that afternoon, the first thing he did was hand his mother the permission slip for the trip. After she read it over, she looked up at Gohan suspiciously.
"And you'll be excused from all of your classes?" asked Chichi.
"Yes, Mom."
She stared up at her son for a while. "Well, I honestly don't see why you want to go. You've been over to Capsule Corp a million times and there's nothing new there."
"MOM! Come on. I know everyone else is going to go. You want me to be with my friends, right?"
Chichi thought it over. "If you told me you wanted to go to be near Videl, THEN I might consider it . . ."
"Mom . . ." groaned Gohan. He then gave her his patented puppy dog look.
She let out a huge sigh, unable to resist. "Fine! You can go!" Chichi signed her name at the bottom of the paper.
Gohan gave his mother a huge hug. "Thanks!"
Just as Gohan was about to leave, Chichi said, "You know, you never did tell me about your date. How was it?"
"Just fine, Mom." Don't ask anymore, PLEASE!!!
"You're not getting off that easily, Gohan! Tell me what happened."
Gohan told his mom about the 'date' he'd had with Videl. He skipped the kissing part- she didn't need to know that.
Hearts immediately formed in Chichi's eyes. "You see? I'm not the only one who thinks you two would make a great couple!" she said, speaking of the photographer from the other night. "And I want to see those pictures! Now!"
Gohan went to his room and got a few. He returned to the kitchen and handed them to his mother. Chichi sighed romantically as she gazed down at the pictures. "How I wish that Goku and I had gone to a dance together! You two look adorable! Imagine how your wedding photos will look!!!"
He took a step back and held up his hands. "Woah, Mom. We're JUST FRIENDS."
Chichi threw up her hands in frustration. "Okay, Gohan! Don't listen to your mother! But I'm telling you, you two are going to end up falling in love!"
Gohan kissed his mother's forehead. "I've got a ton of homework, Mom. I better get started."
As her eldest son walked away, Chichi shook her head. I wish you were here, Goku. Maybe that boy would listen to YOU, if not me.
*~*
Hercule looked over the permission slip. "Capsule Corp, huh? I met Bulma Briefs before. That is one hot lady. Too bad she's married to that crazy looking guy with the big forehead . . ."
Videl rolled her eyes and gagged in disgust. Oh, yeah. I really want to hear my Dad talk like that about Gohan's friend. "Do you mind? I'd like to keep my dinner in my stomach."
He sent his daughter a look and scribbled down his name onto the permission slip. "Here. Now leave me alone." He tossed Videl the paper.
She folded it up and slipped it into her pocket.
"While you're at Capsule Corp, try and find out if that Bulma woman really has a special training room there. I've heard some rumors about it," said her father.
Videl raised a slim eyebrow. "Really? What's so special about it?"
Hercule shrugged his shoulders. "I know that oaf of a husband of hers trains in the room and, for a tiny man, he's got a lot of muscles. Not that he's any stronger than me!"
A training room, hmm? Maybe I could take a peek and try it out, see what's so great about it.
Videl had found another mission to replace her old one- to discover the 'secret' to Bulma Brief's secret training room.
*~* The Next Day *~*
Gohan stepped onto the yellow school bus, taking a seat on the bus near the front. He watched as the more rowdy students filled the seats in the back. Gohan smiled when Videl stepped onto the bus and looked around for an empty seat. When she caught sight of Gohan, she slid into the seat next to him.
Gohan eyed Videl appreciatively. She'd done away with the old-Videl look. Her hair was down like it had been at the dance. Instead of wearing form-concealing clothes, she'd opted for a more feminine look. He flushed slightly as his thoughts floated back to the kiss they'd shared two days ago and how beautiful she'd looked that night in her dress . . .
Videl turned to Gohan, noticing the faint blush in his cheeks. "Still worried?" she asked.
Gohan shook himself from his thoughts and nodded. "A bit."
"Hmm . . . Well, try not to worry too much, Gohan. I'm sure everything will be just fine." Videl began to feel a little guilty about deciding to look for the secret training room when Gohan was so worried that something could go wrong. But Gohan was not going to stop her- she was going to hunt for that room and find out its secret.
As the two sat in comfortable silence, Sharpner and Angela stepped onto the bus, their eyes falling on Gohan and Videl. Neither of them noticed the heated looks that they were receiving from the two jealous teens- they were engrossed in a conversation about something. Sharpner and Angela took a seat together, not too far behind Gohan and Videl.
"I can't stand it, Sharpner! When the hell is that drawing?" hissed Angela, shooting death glares at Videl as she laughed at something Gohan said.
"In two days. Just hold on, Angela," Sharpner said. "I don't like seeing Gohan and Videl together like that any more than you."
Angela's gaze narrowed even more. She tapped her newly manicured fingers on her thigh. "You'll soon find out, Sharpner, that I'm not a very patient person. Nor am I a push over, OR someone who gives up easily."
Sharpner smirked. "Believe me, I know that already."
Angela ignored his last comment and kept her eyes on Videl. Enjoy him while you can, bitch, because in a few days, Gohan will be mine.
A few hairs on the back of Videl's neck stood up. She shivered, rubbing her arms. What was that? It got so cold all of a sudden . . .
Gohan sent her a concerned look. "Are you alright?"
She nodded hesitantly. "Yeah . . . I'm fine."
Gohan noticed the goose bumps on her arms. "You sure? Are you cold? Do you want my jacket?"
Videl rolled her eyes. "I said I was okay. It was nothing."
Gohan eyed her, then sat back in his seat. There was nothing he could do if she didn't tell him what was wrong.
Suddenly the students began to shout as the bus took off. About forty-five minutes later, they arrived out side of Capsule Corp. People began to stick their heads out of the window, anxious to catch a glance of Bulma Briefs.
Bulma, Vegeta and Trunks were standing out front, waiting for them. Gohan groaned when he saw the irritated look on the Saiyan Prince's face, his arms crossed over his chest in his usual way. But his glare was more intense than usual, causing warning signs to flash in Gohan's mind.
"Wow! He's handsome!" some girl on the bus cried out, referring to Vegeta. "If that's Bulma's husband, then she's lucky!"
Gohan groaned again when several guys began to stare at Bulma's shapely form and comment. They're all going to be dead before this trip is over . . .
The students practically tripped over each other to get off of the bus. Videl and Gohan waited until everyone else had stepped off, then exited.
As the students gathered in front of her, Bulma immediately began to search for Gohan. She spotted him walking next to Videl. There they are . . . My, don't they make a cute couple?! Chichi was right!
When the students had all quieted down, Bulma gave them a smile. "Welcome to Capsule Corp. headquarters! I'd like to introduce my son, Trunks and my husband, Vegeta. They'll be accompanying us on the tour."
Just then, Trunks ran off into the crowd of students and emerged with his Gohan as he pulled him to the front of the group. "Hiya Gohan!" he exclaimed, waving his arms madly.
The students gawked at Gohan, not believing that the son of Bulma Briefs knew Gohan on a first name basis.
The same guy who'd attacked Gohan in the hall the morning before spoke up. "Whoa! You know the Briefs, Gohan?"
Seeing Gohan's flushed face, Bulma answered for him. "Gohan and his family are old friends of mine. Now, how about we get started."
"Before we begin," grunted Vegeta, his harsh voice stopping the students dead in their tracks, "I'd like to say that if I see any one of you looking at or touching my . . . Bulma, I'll knock the . . . crap out of you. Understand?" He gave the males of the group a meaningful glance.
The guys nodded hesitantly and the group started forward.
Gohan shook his head, a sweat drop rolling down the back of his head. He'd known that this was going to happen.
"Why are ya looking so sad, Gohan?" asked little Trunks.
"I'm not sad," he answered.
Videl caught up with them. She smiled down at the little boy who'd practically attached himself to Gohan's leg. "Goten talks about you a lot," she said.
Trunks grinned. "Really? Well, he talks about you even more than he talks about his own brother! And Gohan's the one who defeated- ummmph!!!"
Gohan slapped his hand over Trunks' mouth. "SHUT UP, Trunks!"
"Oops!" Then little boy giggled and hopped on Gohan's back. "Onward ho! To the house!" he cried.
Videl laughed and walked really fast to keep up with Trunks and his pony, Gohan.
When they arrived, Bulma began to speak about how the Capsule Corp headquarters served as a home as well as a laboratory. "It's really convenient! I don't have to get up early in the morning and drive to work. I can walk down some steps and end up in my office."
The students went "ohhh" and "ahhh" as they looked around.
Vegeta glared at the students, particularly Gohan who was playing with Trunks. He used the link that he and Bulma shared due to the fact that they'd bonded to speak. 'I'm going to train. Yell through the link if you need me.'
Bulma gave him a look. 'Don't blow anything up. You might hurt a kid.'
'Then make sure they don't get anywhere near the gravity room. Is that too hard for you, woman?'
Bulma rolled her eyes. 'No. Go away then.'
Vegeta walked off, heading outside.
Videl took notice of Vegeta's sudden departure. She remembered what her father had said about Vegeta training in the room. She glanced around- no one was watching. She made her way over to the door that Vegeta had used and slipped outside.
Videl looked around. Where the hell did he go? He couldn't have gone anywhere that fast!
"Looking for me?"
She let out a squeak and turned around. There stood Vegeta behind her, giving her a menacing glare. How did he do that?
"What do you want? Why aren't you at the tour with your boyfriend and the rest of those fools?" he asked, taking a step closer to her.
Videl refused to be intimidated. She tilted her head up a bit and stared right at Vegeta. "Gohan's not my boyfriend, if that's who you mean."
Vegeta smirked. "Oh, yeah? GOHAN! GOHAN!!" he exclaimed, mimicking the reaction that Videl had had the day of the parade when the city hall building had blown up. "And I saw the way you threw yourself at him. Disgusting, really."
Videl flushed. What the hell was Bulma Briefs thinking when she married THIS creep?! "I'm looking for a special training room. Do you know where it is?" she said, choosing to ignore his previous remark.
Vegeta's gaze grew more intense and his smirk faded. "There is no special room. Get back inside. Now."
When Videl didn't move, Vegeta grabbed her arm and shoved her inside. She blinked several times and stumbled back into the dome shaped house.
Dad was right! That guy IS crazy! Videl shook her head and caught up with the rest of the class.
*~*
Halfway through the tour, Videl's thoughts began to float back to the secret room. She was SURE that there was one. She just had to find it. As Bulma led them through a long hallway, she began to walk slower until she was separated from the group.
Videl took off. She remembered passing a hallway that Bulma hadn't led them down. She suspected that the room was down that hall.
Videl found the hall and slowly walked down it. At first she didn't see any doors, then spotted one all the way at the end. She slowly pushed the door open.
"Ah ha! A room!" she gasped as she stepped in. It was sort of bare, with no weights or anything. What kind of place was this?
She wandered over to a set of controls and eyed all of the buttons. She then turned her attention to the rest of the room. "But what's so special about it?"
"Would you like for me to show you?"
Videl jumped and whirled around. Sitting in a dark corner was Vegeta. "Where the HELL did you come from?!"
"Why the hell are you snooping around my house?"
"Why the hell do you insist on sneaking up on me, then annoying the HELL out of me?!"
"Why the hell do you insist on being a nosy little onna?"
Videl threw up her hands. "You are SOO annoying!" She then glared at him, then looked around the room. "You lied. This is some sort of training room, isn't it? But where is the equipment?"
Vegeta stood. "There is none."
"So . . . then what does this place actually do?"
"None of your business- girl. Now get out."
"No!"
Vegeta eyed the Videl. "You remind me of that brat's mother, Chichi." He began to circle Videl, eyeing her and secretly reading and analyzing her ki. At least she's stronger than that idiot father of hers.
Videl gave him a look. "What are you doing? Are you crazy?"
"For your first question, I'm trying to see if you're as good at fighting as everyone says you are. And as for the second . . . that is debatable."
She looked at him as if he were a psychopath.
"It was a joke, onna. I'm sure you've heard of a JOKE before."
"Excuse me if it wasn't very funny," she growled.
Vegeta continued to judge her strengths. "Hmm . . . you have potential. With a little work you could easily take down that idiot Krillin."
"Who?"
Vegeta walked over to the controls. "Would you like to test out the room? Do you think you can handle it?" he sneered.
Videl placed her hands on her waist. "I can take whatever you can dish out, buddy."
He snorted and began to fiddle with the controls. "Hardly. Now brace yourself."
"For what?"
Vegeta did not answer her. Videl was about to give him a piece of her mind when she felt weight being pressed down on her body. She groaned and felt her knees beginning to shake. "What . . . is . . . this? What are you doing?"
"It's gravity. This is a gravity room," he said as if she were stupid.
"And . . . what does that . . . mean?"
"The gravity in this room can be changed. I've made it ten times the normal gravity on earth." Vegeta laughed as Videl slid to the ground. "I can see it was a bit too much."
"NO!" She struggled to her feet only to fall again.
Vegeta reduced the gravity to five times. Videl could stand in this setting. She tried to do a few kicks and punches, finding that it was extremely hard. She continued for a few minutes under Vegeta's gaze. There was a faint whizzing sound as he shut off the machine.
"Hey!" cried Videl. "I wasn't done!"
Vegeta lowered himself into a fighting stance. "You are now. I challenge you, girl. Do you accept?"
Videl was never the one to back down from a challenge. "You've got it, buddy."
*~*
Gohan was half-listening to Bulma's speech about her newest Capsule home and half listening to Trunks talk about how he was going to defeat Vegeta the next time they spared when he felt someone's ki flare up a tiny bit. He looked around. I must be imagining it. It's not Vegeta . . . I can recognize his . . . Who . . .
Gohan noticed that Videl was missing. "Oh, no," he groaned. Bulma raised an eyebrow at him. He gave her a look that said trouble, untangled Trunks from his leg and took off.
*~*
Videl growled as Vegeta easily blocked each and every one of her attacks. He was grinning evilly at her.
"Come on, girl! Is that all you've got?" he cried, laughing at her.
This made her more determined. She brought her fist up to punch him. As Vegeta moved to block her punch, Videl lifted her leg to kick him.
She let out a startled cry as Vegeta shoved her leg away from him. Videl, stumbled, regained her balance and then resumed her attack.
Vegeta chuckled and shook his head. "This is just too easy!" He caught Videl's leg as she tried to kick him again, then yanked her other leg from under her. She fell onto her back.
Gohan entered the room, throwing the door open and racing inside. He gasped when he saw Videl picking herself off of the floor. "What happened?" he asked Vegeta. He's gone too far this time!
"I was just testing her out," he muttered. "She needs work. She's too slow and her moves are too predictable. Not to mention the fact that she's just weak overall."
Videl shot him a glare. "Not everyone has a gravity room, buddy! Back off!"
Gohan was surprised. "You told her about it?!"
Vegeta nodded. "Now you two get out of here. I need to train."
"But-" began Videl.
"GET OUT! I won't get any decent training done with a weakling like you as my partner." Vegeta smirked. "Why don't you tell Trunks to come in here? At least with him, I'll get some work done."
"Are you suggesting that a KID is stronger than me?! Why, I otta-"
Gohan pulled her out of the training room and led her down the hall.
"What were you thinking?" he demanded. "Vegeta's dangerous! He could've killed you!"
"I doubt it. Besides, I know I can take him!"
"No, you can't! Please listen to me. If he wanted to, he could have really hurt you. I'm surprised that you're able to walk right now."
Videl eyed Gohan. "You're serious?" When he nodded, she said, "Well, I bet he isn't strong enough to beat my Dad."
" . . . . " came from Gohan.
"But that training room is amazing! I wonder if Bulma will let me come back and use it once and a while. Imagine the progress I could make in there!"
"Just . . . don't tell anyone about the room," said Gohan. "It's supposed to be a secret, right?"
Videl nodded. "Right. I won't."
Gohan and Videl caught up with the group a few minutes later. They were back where they'd begun, out in front of Capsule Corp.
"I hope you all had fun and enjoyed the tour," Bulma was saying. "It was a pleasure having you all."
As the students filed back onto the bus, Bulma pulled Gohan aside. "What happened? Where'd you go?"
"I found Vegeta sparing with Videl in the gravity room."
"What?! Is she okay? She's not hurt?" asked Bulma frantically.
"No, she's fine. But she says that she wants to come back sometime and use the room, if that's fine with you."
"That's okay with me! Tell her that she can stop by anytime she likes!"
Gohan nodded. "Alright. I'll see you later, Bulma."
When Gohan got on the bus, he was a little surprised to see Sharpner sitting next to Videl. He'd picked up on the fact that Videl didn't like him very much, even if Sharpner hadn't.
Videl shot Sharpner a glare and then gave Gohan an apologetic look. Gohan just shrugged his shoulders and took the only empty seat left . . . next to Angela.
She beamed up at him as he sat down on the very edge of the seat, as far away from the girl as possible. She grabbed his arm and roughly yanked on his arm, forcing Gohan closer to her.
"I didn't see you at all during the tour!" she exclaimed, keeping his arm clutched against her breast. "Now we can spend time together while we shop!"
"Uh . . . sure . . ." Gohan removed his arm from her tight grasp. "How about we ask Videl to shop with us? Yes, that sounds like a good idea!"
Angela's smile slipped a bit. "Sure, Gohan. If . . . Sharpner gets to come." There goes my chance to be alone with him!
"Okay . . . if Erasa comes."
She let out a sigh. "FINE! Why don't we invite the whole damn school along?!"
Gohan gave her a look and raised an eyebrow.
She flushed. " Sorry."
Meanwhile, Videl was trying to get Sharpner off of her back.
"Where'd you disappear to during the tour, Videl?" he asked. He draped his arm over the back of the seat, drawing himself closer to her."
"I went to the bathroom."
"Really? Did you happen to run into Gohan along the way? Because he left too. That guy is always disappearing some place . . ."
"I don't know where Gohan went, but I was in the bathroom, like I said the FIRST TIME," she growled out. "Now back off."
"Whatever. Say, Videl, how about we shop together, huh? How does that sound?"
Absolutely horrible! "I . . . already promised Gohan that we'd go together."
"No prob. Then I'll go with you," he said smoothly. "And then we can invite Angela, too."
"WHAT?! Are you nuts?!"
"Come on, Videl! She's not that bad!"
She groaned. "Fine. But then Erasa gets to come. There's no way that I'm going to be the only girl in the group besides that valley-girl bimbo."
*~*
The bus stopped in front of the Satan City Mall and the students once again almost fell over each other to get off of the bus. Their teacher announced to them that they had to meet in front of a restaurant called The Grape Vine at six for dinner. Then the students were free to go.
Angela latched herself onto Gohan's arm again, much to his dismay. "Let's go," she chirped.
"W-wait! We've gotta go get the others, remember?"
She pouted. "Alright."
Gohan managed to gather Videl, Sharpner and Erasa. They walked into the mall together.
Videl glared at Angela as she clung to Gohan like Saran-Wrap. So disgusting. She can't even tell that Gohan doesn't want her around! Talk about dense! She then sent Sharpner a glare as he tried to slip his arm around her shoulders.
"What do you think you're doing?" she growled.
"Aww, come on, Videl. I was just-"
"Spare me." She spotted a store that focused on martial arts. Videl went over to Gohan, pried Angela away from him, and dragged him into the store.
"Gee, thanks, Videl," he said breathlessly. "I really appreciate it."
"Yeah, well, I hate leeches too." Videl walked over to a rack of fighting gi for women and began to sort through them.
Angela entered the store and frowned. "What is this place?" She spotted a Chinese style outfit hanging on the wall. "Ohhh, is this a costume shop?"
Erasa forced back her laughter. "It's a martial arts store. They sell tapes and books and fighting clothes. Stuff like that."
Videl took out a gi and turned to Gohan. She held it up to herself. "How does this look?"
He looked over the outfit. It was attractive with long blue sleeves that flared at the end. Gohan raised an eyebrow at the bottom of it- it was a skirt. There was a Ying-Yang symbol in the middle. "You'd actually wear a skirt?"
She rolled her eyes and lifted up the hem of the skirt. "There are SHORTS underneath."
Gohan grinned sheepishly. "Oh. Well . . . it looks nice. Looks like it would allow a lot of movement, too."
She stared down at it. "Hmm . . . does that mean you like it?"
Before Gohan could answer, Angela shoved Videl out of the way and held up a gi of her own. "I think that this one looks a lot better! Maybe I should buy it and save it for Halloween . . ."
Videl wanted to strangle to girl but Erasa held her back. "Calm down," muttered her friend.
She took several deep breaths and went to pay for the outfit, mumbling under her breath the whole time.
They left that store and began to wander throughout the mall, window shopping.
"So Videl," said Gohan, "What did you buy the gi for?"
"My Dad said that a Tenkaichi Budokai is coming up pretty soon. I'm going to enter," she announced.
Gohan was surprised. "A Tenkaichi Budokai? Really?"
"Yep. All the best fighters will be there and I want to test my strengths, see how I can improve and stuff like that. And I'm doing it for the challenge."
Gohan didn't know if he liked that idea. After all, all sorts of strange people ended up fighting in the tournament-- people with powers beyond Videl's comprehension. "Well, you just tell me when it is, and I'll come out and watch, okay?" And make sure nothing goes wrong.
Videl smiled. "Okay. I'll be sure to do that."
Angela yawned loudly. "You guys are so boring. Let's talk about something EVERYONE can enjoy, okay?"
Videl shot the girl a look. "Okay." Bitch.
"Okay," mirrored Angela, her voice sugary sweet. Bitch.
*~*
Videl groaned as Angela dragged Gohan into another perfume store. For the past few hours, the group had gone into every store that Angela wanted to go in, which turned out to be stores that Videl hated.
"She's doing this on purpose," grumbled Videl as she followed them into the store. Her nose immediately began to burn as the different fragrances in the store mixed together.
Gohan began to look around for something his mother might like. Now, what would an OLDER woman buy . . . He picked a body wash set and sniffed it. He smiled. It smelled like apple. He went over to Videl and showed her the set. "You think my mother would like this?"
"You know she'd like anything that you gave her," said Videl with a smile. "You're a bit of a momma's boy, Gohan."
He frowned, pretending to be hurt. "I am not!"
"I'm sure Chichi will like it. Maybe I should get her something, too. After all, she was very nice to me when I came over to your place, even after . . . you know."
Angela, who'd, of course, been eavesdropping on their conversation, gasped. "You've been over to Gohan's house?!"
Videl gave the other girl an evil grin. "I sure have. I've even been in his bedroom . . . He has the most comfortable mattress . . ."
Gohan's eyes widened. "VIDEL!!" He turned to Angela. "It wasn't like that . . ."
Angela glared at Videl, then gave Gohan a sweet smile. "I'm sure it wasn't. What an awful thing to imply, Videl. Why don't you go pay for that, Gohan?"
When he left, Angela turned to Videl and hissed, "Look, bitch, stay away from Gohan."
"I can do whatever I want."
The other girl flipped her hair over her shoulder and smirked. "Okay. But in a few days, Gohan WILL be mine. I can guarantee that."
What the hell is she up to? "If Gohan wanted you, then he'd be your boyfriend."
Angela just smiled secretively. "Enjoy his company while it lasts, Videl. He won't be yours for long."
*~*
Videl's thoughts were still focused on Angela's words as the group headed over to the restaurant they were supposed to meet the class at. When they reached The Grape Vine, their teacher checked their names off of a list and told them to grab a table and order their food.
They chose a booth near the back of the restaurant. Videl slid into the booth, followed by Gohan. Just as Erasa was about to sit next to Gohan, she was pushed out of the way by Angela. The blond girl took the space and gave Erasa a fake smile. Of course Gohan didn't notice any of that- he'd been to busy looking through his menu.
Videl wasn't really hungry. She had a weird feeling in the bottom of her stomach, one that wouldn't go away. She nibbled on her bottom lip, then glanced quickly at Gohan. Whatever Angela was up wouldn't be good for either of them. She was absolutely sure about that.
But what could Angela do? Not much. She was just some ditzy airhead and, if she wanted to, Videl could kick her scrawny ass into the next millennium. And besides, if she wants Gohan, she can have him. He's not mine. For some reason, that thought really didn't sit well with her. But . . . he deserves better. MUCH better than her.
"Videl! Hey, Videl!"
She shook herself from her thoughts. Erasa was leaning across the table, waving at her. "Hello, anyone in there?"
"Wha . . . what's going on?"
"We're ordering, silly! Now tell the nice waiter what you want. Then you can go back to daydreaming."
Videl flushed. "Umm . . . I'll have a burger, well done, fries and a milkshake," she said.
The waiter took her order, then left.
Angela wrinkled her nose. "How can you eat all of that greasy food? You'll be as big as a house!" she exclaimed, trying to sound innocent as she spoke.
"I work out," growled Videl. "But thanks for your concern. I really appreciate it."
"No problem."
*~*
As they waited for their food to come, Gohan was vaguely aware of the tension between Angela and Videl. It was obvious that they didn't like each other, but for what reason, he didn't know. And being sandwiched in between the two feuding girls didn't help him much. On his left, Videl was sitting very stiff. She was staring down at the table, not paying any attention to the conversation they were having.
I can't stand it! I wish I knew what was going on. Gee . . . why am I always left in the dark about something . . .
He jumped when he felt a hand rest on his thigh. What the . . . heck?! Gohan glanced once again at Videl. Both of her hands were fiddling with her straw. Then he slowly turned to look at Angela . . .
What in the world does she think she's doing?! Calm down, Gohan. Maybe she's doing it by accident . . . Yeah, that's it. He, he.
Those thoughts washed away as her hand slid even further up his thigh . . .
When she pinched him, he jumped up, hitting his knee on the table. "AWWW, CRAP! OW, OW, OW!!"
"Something wrong, Gohan?" Angela asked innocently.
"Errrr . . . no! Not at all! Just ignore me! Uh . . . on the other hand . . . will you switch seats with me, Videl?"
She looked disgusted at the idea. "Why?"
"Just do it!" he hissed, shooting nervous looks at Angela. Videl rolled her eyes.
"Fine." She stood up and she and Gohan switched seats.
The rest of dinner was uneventful. Videl was spaced out while Angela constantly tried to flirt with Gohan. Erasa kept most of the conversation going. Sharpner, however, was very quiet.
When dinner was over, the students returned to the bus. This time, Gohan made sure that he was sitting next to Videl. He didn't want Angela hanging all over him again.
The bus ride back to school was just as loud as it had been before. Videl and Gohan sat in silence as usual until they arrived at school. The sun was beginning to set, turning the blue sky peach.
The class exited the bus and the students went their separate ways. As Videl headed to her copter parked in the student parking lot, Gohan followed her.
"Bulma said that you could stop by any time to use the room," said Gohan.
She smiled up at him. "Really? Awesome."
"Just . . ." Gohan frowned. "Don't push yourself too hard in there," he said. "You could get hurt."
"I can take care of myself, Gohan. Like I said before, you worry too much!" She began to unlock the door to her copter. "Do you . . . uh, need a ride home?"
"Nah. I'm fine." Gohan took a step back.
" . . . Okay then." She hopped in and started the copter up. She gave him a tiny wave and flew off.
*~*
Gohan used his Instant Transmission technique to get home. He gave his mother the gift he'd bought her and presented Goten with a talking Saiyaman action figure. His face lit up light a Christmas tree as he tore the box open and ran off to call Trunks.
As usual, Chichi wanted to know every single detail about the trip. When Gohan got to the part about the dinner, Chichi exclaimed, "SHE DID WHAT?!! WHAT DID YOU DO?!!"
"Videl and I changed places. After that, everything was fine."
Chichi looked thoughtful. "Hmm . . . romantic competition! It sounds like this Angela girl likes you and she's jealous that you hang around Videl a lot."
"What? No way!"
"Come on, Gohan! You told me that she was clinging to you like second skin throughout the entire trip. And you said that she was rude to Videl, too. Well, when a teenage girl hates another like that, she's usually jealous of the other girl."
"So what am I supposed to do? How do I get her to leave me alone?"
"Tell her off!"
"MOM!"
Chichi sighed. "Okay, since you're Mister Nice-Guy, I guess you should let her down gently. Is that better?"
Gohan sighed. "I never knew that high school would be this hard . . ."
Next Chapter: It's the day of the big drawing!! Need I say more?
