Episode 23: Memories of What Once Was

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"GOTEN OPEN UP NOW!"

I jumped up in fright as I had been sitting alone an hour after Paris had left without an exchange of words except

"Good-bye Goten... I hate you for making love to me when you didn't mean it... but I still love you. Goodbye..."

Then she left... and all I did was lay there reading Bra's words over and over...the pounding kept coming on the door.

"GOTEN!"

I got up placing the note in my pocket. I walked to the door with my hand on the knob I began to panic...I hope Bra isn't on the other end of this door! Please, not now, I can't face her please please please. Slowly I opened it. Once it was fully opened I got one good *SLAP* across my face. Followed by the door slamming from behind her.

"HOW COULD YOU?"

Once I opened up my eyes and saw the blonde hair that stood before me, I was a little relieved, but afraid!

"Huh?"

"Don't play dumb with me Goten! Bra told me... she told me everything!"

My eyes were wide open in shock and I stood there frozen. Not wanting to believe what Marron had just said, I did nothing but stand there quietly listening to the hard anger she was throwing at me with her voice and the piercing words that felt like I was getting slashed with a whip with every word.

"Paris? You... You had..." There was another slap from her. This time it was hard, she had poured her emotions into the slap as I felt the heat on my cheek grow hot.

"That was for Bra."

"H-how- Marron, how does Bra know?"

"Why would it matter how she know, the point is she found out! and Don't even give me that 'Well Bra and I aren't together so it's not like I cheated on her' shit. You should already know how she feels about you, so Goten tell me huh? Was the only way you could stop Bra's feelings was to sleep with the one person who she doesn't like?!"

"MARRON, It's not like that!"

"Then how is it?"

"You know I'm not that kind of person!"

"NO, Goten, I DON'T know you. The Goten I knew would NEVER have done anything REMOTELY similar to this!"

I stood there, my heart crumbled into pieces. She knew... if this was Marron's reaction, Bra's would be unbarable...heh, Bra's, I can't even begin to imagine without feeling like my heart had exploded... imagining how her's must be... HOW COULD I HAVE BEEN SO STUPID! After a while Marron took a deep breath and looked to the side for a bit to calm down before looking back at me.

"After calling your phone she had stopped by, after you didn't answer your door she thought you might've been in your room sleeping. So she went to your window and saw you with her."

"She was there?"

"She came running, crying to me."

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Marron:After I had opened the door she gave me a hug and was crying as well as trying to catch her breath

"I HATE HIM MARRON! I HATE GOTEN! I HATE PARIS! I HATE YOU GOTEN!!!"

"Bra whoa hey Bra what's wrong what's wrong?"

We sat in the living room, after letting her cry for a while she started telling me what had happened. I couldn't even begin to think what had gone wrong.

"I saw them Marron."

"Who?"

"I called his phone probably four times. Then I decided to just go to his house as a surprise since I knew he was by himself. I knocked on the door a couple times, after he didn't answer I thought he might've still been asleep because he was up so late with me. So I went to the back and I peeked in before knocking on the window just to make sure he was there... and he was... but he wasn't alone Marron... he... Paris was there... and they were... they..."

"It's ok Bra, take your time..."

"THEY WERE FUCKING MARRON!!!!"

I didn't know what to say... Goten and Paris... after everything he had told me this morning with Bra, he has the guts to do something like this? It's one thing if Bra had just heard this from Goten's mouth but for her to NOTICE it was another.

"Bra are you sure Gote--"

"I'm NOT lying Marron. They're clothes were all over the floor. I saw him lying there with his hand on her hips while she was on top of him. Marron how could he? After everything that happened last night... I even slipped the note I wrote almost 2 weeks ago in there... Everything I wrote... how could I have been so stupid? How could he hav--"

Then she just started crying again...after a while of sitting there in silence not knowing what to do next she had asked if she could go to my room alone for a while... I agreed and watched her sadly walk there before quietly closing the door... after about an hour or so I went to check up on her. I had found her fast asleep with a picture laying on the floor of Goten and Bra in what seemed to be the place where they played laser tag. They seemed so happy, his arm around her while she smiled with a peace sign and the biggest smile she could give, but it was now ripped in quarters. I then decided to give Goten a little visit. I gently shook Bra to wake her up.

"Bra, Bra sweetie wake up."

Slowly she opened her puffy red eyes and tried looking at me

"I'm going to go get something really quick. I'll be back. Are you going to be ok?"

Slowly she nodded her head and I left placing the picture on the nightstand.

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"So Goten... did you even read the note?" Goten: She talked in such a serious tone. I had never seen her this angry and talking with such a tone since Geeno had broken off the engagement. Anytime she talked in this tone, it was always so serious, too serious

I took the note out of my pocket and handed it to her

"I found it after everything had happened. Then I asked Paris to leave. After she did I read the note over and over again."

"Before or after, Goten it doesn't matter when you read it. The point is you did what you did."

"I didn't want it to happen, but it did... so now I don't know how to explain this to Bra."

"I don't know how you should talk to Bra about this... but I'm going to tell you one thing that Trunks had once told me... it works both ways Goten. Why didn't YOU stop yourself if you didn't want this to happen?"

I stood there with nothing to say. I had no reason for not stopping it myself... then Marron began to open the note and reading it while shaking her head.

"Everything she said in here... I was with her when she found out the way she felt about you... I was even there when she wrote it. She was up for hours writting the perfect note just for you."

She folded the note back up and handed it back to me.

"I have to go before Bra notices I'm gone too long. Of course, that's the least of her worries. Goodbye Goten."

She began opening the door when I said something.

"DON'T YOU THINK I'M HURTING TOO?"

She looked down at her feet

"Hurting...Goten, Geeno came by a couple days ago. He wanted me back, I'll admit that we started making out, but when I felt he wanted to take it on a level beyond that I refused. Do you know why Goten?"

knowing very well she wanted to answer that herself I kept quiet.

"Because I knew for some strange reason in the back of my mind that Trunks would not approve of this at all. I didn't want to hurt him after all he's helped me through. Goten, you should've known how Bra felt regardless of the note."

"How?" She lifted her head and looked straight outside

"Don't be so naive Goten, the actions speak louder than words... think about everything before this, after you broke up with Paris, the passed week you've spent every waking moment with her it seemed, and everything that happened last night...can you honestly say you didn't have the SLIGHTEST idea that Bra liked you."

"I didn't know she was IN LOVE with me though."

She turned around slowly facing me. Just from the body language, it seemed like she was much more upset at me. "Stop Goten, you're making all these excuses. It doesn't matter if you didn't know she was in love with you... Bra's heart has never gotten to her before. Through all the guys she been with, you're the first guy she's ever fallen in love with and she hated it, but she loved everything about you. But no matter how hard she tried to forget about being in love with you, you kept her heart beating whenever she'd see or talk to you. With everything that happened last night in her room and the park, you have no excuse to do what you did Goten." She turned around and took a step or two outside before I spoke again

"Marron please don't be mad at me too, I need you the most right now."

"Goten I'm not mad. I sympathize with you. Right now Bra needs me, I know you're always there for me, but this time... I'm on her side. I'll talk to you later Goten, Bye."

and she left... but could she have made me feel any more guilty then I do now... ah what am I complaining about that's the LEAST Marron could've done for what I did to Bra.

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Marron:I arrived to my apartment and headed straight for my room... I opened the door and saw her sitting there with a pillow on her lap and the pieces of the picture as she looked at me.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like shit." She said with a bit of sarcasim in her voice and a fake smile as she looked back down at the picture putting it together.

"Yeah?...are you going to be ok?" I sat next to her and placed my hand on her leg

"I don't know... part of me is saying 'What's the big deal it's not like he was yours to begin with.' and the other is saying 'How could he, after everything... all I felt... everything i wrote in that note... how?'"

"I say the second part of you." She forced out a little smile. With the pieces of the picture in her hand, she had Goten in her left and herself in her right. She looked up, closed her eyes and let out a sad sigh and crushed her left hand...

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Pan: I was outside walking around... the wedding was already over and I didn't feel much like hanging around during the reception... but I couldn't go back to the house to change either... There was a park right around the corner... that's where I am right now... yup me in my brides maid dress at the park... can you even picture that? I walked around the park just thinking about Marron's actions from this morning... I took a seat by the playground and looked down at my shoes when I felt a very familiar ki close by... I looked up, a big smile grew on my face when I saw him... the purple hair... a pair of jeans and a blue collared shirt... standing on the other side of the playground... He was facing to my right looking at his watch then straight...like he was waiting for someone...

"TRU--"

"TRUNKS!" another girl's voice called out the same name... I looked and saw some girl waving to Trunks

"KIREI!" she started running up to him and practially jumped on him for a hug. Once her feet were back on the ground she placed her hands on his face and gave him a kiss. Kirei huh? "I think I've fallen in love with her." Sure you did Trunks, that's why you're all over Miss Get Away Girl Kirei huh? I see now, Trunks didn't run away because he was in love with Marron, he ran away to see Kirei. I got up and was ready to punch him for lying to me when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey?"

"Huh?" I turned around and saw my escort for the wedding. Tall, dark hair, green eyes, in his suit of course, well presented I say. Oh yeah I forgot to mention his name... Sura Taki

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you like that, but they're taking pictures inside and they need us- or you..."

"Oh...uh.. ok"

"And Pan..."

"Yes?"

"Will you dance with me after the pictures? I was going to ask you back inside but I couldn't find you when I got there. Then I asked my Uncle Sharpner and they asked your parents and they said you went outside for a bit... So if it's ok, will you dance with me?"

WOW he's hitting on me... but wait Trunks... I turned around at the same time I tried saying 'wait trunks' it came out gibberish though... But he wasn't there anymore.

"Are you waiting for someone?"

"Uh... well.. he... I guess not."

"Shall we then?" He lent his arm to me and I went along with him back to the reception... Taki, wow... no wait Trunks and Kirei... I HAVE to tell Marron... maybe later tonight.

"So can I ask you something?"

"Um, Sure."

"Back at the wedding and now... you seemed kind of... down. Is there anything I can do?"

I looked up at him and gave him the biggest smile I could without looking stupid

"Oh you noticed huh? Well it's nothing really, I just got in a weird argument with my friend before I came here."

"Oh... well I hope everything's going to be ok when you get back."

"Me too." My mood had suddenly changed to being serious. He then took a step in front of me and placed his hand on my arms.

"Hey now, if it's bugging you that much why don't you call her up and make up... here." He reached in his pocket and held his cell phone out to me.

"No it's ok, it's not the arguement that's bothering me it's just something I found out about this guy she really likes... I can't tell her yet... maybe when I get back but thank you." He placed the phone back in his pocket and lent me his arm again as we continued walking to the building where the reception was taking place.