The night of the dance had finally arrived and still I was at a loss. I
tried to think about going to the dance with Trunks. I tried to think about
what it would be like to spend the whole night in his arms.
But each time I did, my mind turned back to Goten and I thought of all the times we'd shared. Mucking around in class, going camping, going to the movies, babysitting Pan and all the other great times we had had. And I thought about him sitting at home alone on the night of the dance, writing his thoughts in his diary.
I rummaged through my cupboard to find something to wear and found my red dress. After I took a shower, I stood in front of the mirror putting on makeup and then at the last minute, changed my mind and rubbed it all off. I styled my hair, took it out again, then styled it again. So by the time I was ready, I only had ten minutes to get to Trunks' place so he could take me.
"By the look of it, you've decided to go." 18 said when she saw me come downstairs.
I nodded gloomily and then stopped in front of the phone. I was frozen, unsure of what to do. Images of Goten were filling my mind. Unconsciously, I began to cry silently and ran my hand over the phone.
"Marron, you have to leave now." Krillin rested an arm on my shoulder. "Unless you want to be fashionably late."
I shook my head and wiped my eyes. I was ready to follow my father out of the house when I rebounded and leapt onto the phone. I was seconds away from dialing Goten's number when I changed my mind and put the receiver down again.
"Something wrong?" He asked me. I shook my head.
"Is something right, then?" 18 asked standing beside me. I shook my head again. I was so confused.
"Mum, when you realized you were in love with Dad, what did it feel like?" I asked her. 18 smiled to her husband from across the room.
"It felt like nothing I have ever felt before or will ever feel again. It has it's own original feeling for everybody. Everyone experiences it in their own way."
"So then how do you know if it's love or not? If you can't compare feelings with someone else?"
"You'll know, Marron. Trust me." Krillin spoke this time. He crossed the room and took my mother's hand then turned back to face me again. "Ready to go?"
"No." I said firmly. "Never."
I knew it now. Sure, it had taken a long time to figure it out but now I was sure that I was in love with Goten. I am in love with Goten. There was nothing I could do to change it. I was in love with him, weather I wanted to be or not.
"Marron? What are you doing?" Krillin asked as I ran to the phone and began to dial Goten's number.
"I'm calling Trunks and telling him I'm not going to the dance." I said firmly.
"Why?" Krillin raised his eyebrows.
"Because I am in love with Goten Son and I cannot go to the dance if I know he'll be sitting around at home on his own and wallowing in self pity."
18 burst out laughing and collapsed onto the couch. Krillin shrugged and sat down beside her.
"This is obviously a chick thing because I have no idea what's going on." He said with a laugh and then stood up again. "I guess I better order a pizza seeing as you're not going to the dance, Princess."
"Don't bother, Krillin. I don't think we'll be staying very long."
The phone was already ringing and I was relieved when it was Trunks who answered it. I wasn't in the mood for speaking to Bra, Bulma and especially Vegeta.
"Trunks, I need to talk to you about tonight."
"What about it?"
"I know that the only reason you asked me to go with you was because Goten asked you to. Well, the funny thing is that I am in love with Goten, not you. Sure, you're a very nice guy and I will always love you as a friend. But I will never love you in that way. I realize I love Goten now and I can't go to the dance with you if he won't be happy. Please understand this."
There was silence on the other end of the phone. I was worried I might have hurt Trunks' feelings now too. I wouldn't be able to stand it if I ruined both of them. But Trunks started to laugh friendly and somehow I knew everything would be ok.
"What are you telling me for? You should be telling him! Now get off the phone and go over there."
"You're not mad?"
"Course not! Truth be told, Marron, I never wanted to ask you anyway. It was all Goten's idea. I know how much he likes you. Now hang up and go over to his place and tell him everything you just said to me."
"It's too late. He hates me now." I said gloomily and tears streaked down my cheeks again.
"I know Goten. He's my best friend! He could never hate you. He loves you too much."
"Thank you Trunks.....for understanding."
"I don't understand you at all Marron. But I can understand Goten and I know he loves you and he needs you very much. So hang up already."
I put the phone down with a laugh and turned to face my parents who were sitting on the couch, utterly speechless.
"Mum, Dad, would it be alright if I went over to Goten's place for a little while?"
"As long as you're back before midnight. How do you plan on getting there?" 18 asked with a wide smile.
"I was hoping someone could give me a lift for now. And maybe you could teach me how to fly this weekend, Dad? Then I could get to Goten's place on my own."
"That shouldn't be a problem, Marron." Krillin stood up. "I wanted to visit Goku sometime this week anyway. Heck, we can all go."
I beamed brightly, wiping the tears from my eyes. I felt as if an elephant had just fallen off my back. The stress was over. I had reveled my feelings to myself. I felt like a whole new person. A whole new Marron.
We landed outside Goten's house and I jumped out of my father's arms and raced inside. Chi-Chi and Goku, who had been sitting at the table looking grim, jumped to their feet when they saw me.
"Marron? What are you doing here? Goten said you went to the dance with Trunks." Chi-Chi gasped as she ran to my side.
"I'll explain it all to you later, Chi-Chi. But right now I need to see Goten more than anything else. Please tell me where he is."
"But...." Chi-Chi trailed off, lost for words.
"He's in his room, Marron." Goku spoke for his wife. "Be careful with him. He's pretty upset."
I nodded and ran upstairs, leaving my parents to explain it all to Goku and Chi-Chi. Goten was sitting in silence in his room. He was cross-legged on his bed and dressed in his favorite purple pants and long sleeved white shirt. When I opened the door with a creek, he turned sharply to face me and his eyes widened when he saw me.
"What are you doing sitting here in the dark, idiot?" I said with a laugh as I shut the door behind me so now the only light in the room came from the glossy silver moon and the twinkling stars that surrounded it.
Goten didn't answer my questions directly. "Marron? I thought you were at the dance! Where's Trunks?"
"Trunks went to the dance alone. I came here to be with you." I smiled kindly through the darkness and sat on the bed beside him. Goten was still staring at me as if he was unable to believe I was there.
"So you called Trunks on the phone and told him...."
"I told him that I was in love with someone else and I couldn't go to the dance with him if I knew that person would be sitting alone at home in the darkness. So I came to see him."
"Me?"
"No, your father." I said sarcastically, but Goten actually believed me.
"You like my father!?" He cried, jumping to his feet but I pulled him down back onto the bed.
"I was being sarcastic."
"Oh. So......you do love me?"
"Depends if you love me back." I knew he did. But I wanted to hear him say it. I wanted to here the whole sentence.
"I love you Marron." He said it plainly and without stuttering once. "Do you love me?"
"Yes. I love you Goten."
We sat in silence, having a staring competition that we both had silently agreed to have. His eyes were gleaming brightly, filled with love and compassion. For me! I knew I was the luckiest girl in the whole world.
"So......can I have a kiss?" I finally gained the courage to ask him. He laughed and leaned forwards, wrapping his arms around me and pressing his forehead against my own.
"You want fries with that?" He asked jokingly. I would have laughed but he didn't even give me a chance to because he pressed his lips against my own and locked me in my first kiss.
But each time I did, my mind turned back to Goten and I thought of all the times we'd shared. Mucking around in class, going camping, going to the movies, babysitting Pan and all the other great times we had had. And I thought about him sitting at home alone on the night of the dance, writing his thoughts in his diary.
I rummaged through my cupboard to find something to wear and found my red dress. After I took a shower, I stood in front of the mirror putting on makeup and then at the last minute, changed my mind and rubbed it all off. I styled my hair, took it out again, then styled it again. So by the time I was ready, I only had ten minutes to get to Trunks' place so he could take me.
"By the look of it, you've decided to go." 18 said when she saw me come downstairs.
I nodded gloomily and then stopped in front of the phone. I was frozen, unsure of what to do. Images of Goten were filling my mind. Unconsciously, I began to cry silently and ran my hand over the phone.
"Marron, you have to leave now." Krillin rested an arm on my shoulder. "Unless you want to be fashionably late."
I shook my head and wiped my eyes. I was ready to follow my father out of the house when I rebounded and leapt onto the phone. I was seconds away from dialing Goten's number when I changed my mind and put the receiver down again.
"Something wrong?" He asked me. I shook my head.
"Is something right, then?" 18 asked standing beside me. I shook my head again. I was so confused.
"Mum, when you realized you were in love with Dad, what did it feel like?" I asked her. 18 smiled to her husband from across the room.
"It felt like nothing I have ever felt before or will ever feel again. It has it's own original feeling for everybody. Everyone experiences it in their own way."
"So then how do you know if it's love or not? If you can't compare feelings with someone else?"
"You'll know, Marron. Trust me." Krillin spoke this time. He crossed the room and took my mother's hand then turned back to face me again. "Ready to go?"
"No." I said firmly. "Never."
I knew it now. Sure, it had taken a long time to figure it out but now I was sure that I was in love with Goten. I am in love with Goten. There was nothing I could do to change it. I was in love with him, weather I wanted to be or not.
"Marron? What are you doing?" Krillin asked as I ran to the phone and began to dial Goten's number.
"I'm calling Trunks and telling him I'm not going to the dance." I said firmly.
"Why?" Krillin raised his eyebrows.
"Because I am in love with Goten Son and I cannot go to the dance if I know he'll be sitting around at home on his own and wallowing in self pity."
18 burst out laughing and collapsed onto the couch. Krillin shrugged and sat down beside her.
"This is obviously a chick thing because I have no idea what's going on." He said with a laugh and then stood up again. "I guess I better order a pizza seeing as you're not going to the dance, Princess."
"Don't bother, Krillin. I don't think we'll be staying very long."
The phone was already ringing and I was relieved when it was Trunks who answered it. I wasn't in the mood for speaking to Bra, Bulma and especially Vegeta.
"Trunks, I need to talk to you about tonight."
"What about it?"
"I know that the only reason you asked me to go with you was because Goten asked you to. Well, the funny thing is that I am in love with Goten, not you. Sure, you're a very nice guy and I will always love you as a friend. But I will never love you in that way. I realize I love Goten now and I can't go to the dance with you if he won't be happy. Please understand this."
There was silence on the other end of the phone. I was worried I might have hurt Trunks' feelings now too. I wouldn't be able to stand it if I ruined both of them. But Trunks started to laugh friendly and somehow I knew everything would be ok.
"What are you telling me for? You should be telling him! Now get off the phone and go over there."
"You're not mad?"
"Course not! Truth be told, Marron, I never wanted to ask you anyway. It was all Goten's idea. I know how much he likes you. Now hang up and go over to his place and tell him everything you just said to me."
"It's too late. He hates me now." I said gloomily and tears streaked down my cheeks again.
"I know Goten. He's my best friend! He could never hate you. He loves you too much."
"Thank you Trunks.....for understanding."
"I don't understand you at all Marron. But I can understand Goten and I know he loves you and he needs you very much. So hang up already."
I put the phone down with a laugh and turned to face my parents who were sitting on the couch, utterly speechless.
"Mum, Dad, would it be alright if I went over to Goten's place for a little while?"
"As long as you're back before midnight. How do you plan on getting there?" 18 asked with a wide smile.
"I was hoping someone could give me a lift for now. And maybe you could teach me how to fly this weekend, Dad? Then I could get to Goten's place on my own."
"That shouldn't be a problem, Marron." Krillin stood up. "I wanted to visit Goku sometime this week anyway. Heck, we can all go."
I beamed brightly, wiping the tears from my eyes. I felt as if an elephant had just fallen off my back. The stress was over. I had reveled my feelings to myself. I felt like a whole new person. A whole new Marron.
We landed outside Goten's house and I jumped out of my father's arms and raced inside. Chi-Chi and Goku, who had been sitting at the table looking grim, jumped to their feet when they saw me.
"Marron? What are you doing here? Goten said you went to the dance with Trunks." Chi-Chi gasped as she ran to my side.
"I'll explain it all to you later, Chi-Chi. But right now I need to see Goten more than anything else. Please tell me where he is."
"But...." Chi-Chi trailed off, lost for words.
"He's in his room, Marron." Goku spoke for his wife. "Be careful with him. He's pretty upset."
I nodded and ran upstairs, leaving my parents to explain it all to Goku and Chi-Chi. Goten was sitting in silence in his room. He was cross-legged on his bed and dressed in his favorite purple pants and long sleeved white shirt. When I opened the door with a creek, he turned sharply to face me and his eyes widened when he saw me.
"What are you doing sitting here in the dark, idiot?" I said with a laugh as I shut the door behind me so now the only light in the room came from the glossy silver moon and the twinkling stars that surrounded it.
Goten didn't answer my questions directly. "Marron? I thought you were at the dance! Where's Trunks?"
"Trunks went to the dance alone. I came here to be with you." I smiled kindly through the darkness and sat on the bed beside him. Goten was still staring at me as if he was unable to believe I was there.
"So you called Trunks on the phone and told him...."
"I told him that I was in love with someone else and I couldn't go to the dance with him if I knew that person would be sitting alone at home in the darkness. So I came to see him."
"Me?"
"No, your father." I said sarcastically, but Goten actually believed me.
"You like my father!?" He cried, jumping to his feet but I pulled him down back onto the bed.
"I was being sarcastic."
"Oh. So......you do love me?"
"Depends if you love me back." I knew he did. But I wanted to hear him say it. I wanted to here the whole sentence.
"I love you Marron." He said it plainly and without stuttering once. "Do you love me?"
"Yes. I love you Goten."
We sat in silence, having a staring competition that we both had silently agreed to have. His eyes were gleaming brightly, filled with love and compassion. For me! I knew I was the luckiest girl in the whole world.
"So......can I have a kiss?" I finally gained the courage to ask him. He laughed and leaned forwards, wrapping his arms around me and pressing his forehead against my own.
"You want fries with that?" He asked jokingly. I would have laughed but he didn't even give me a chance to because he pressed his lips against my own and locked me in my first kiss.