The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret
--I Think You Already Know How Far I'd Go Not to Say--
Pan entered the classroom and sat in her usual seat behind Bra. "I don't care what anybody says. That was just weird."
Bra rolled her eyes. To what was Pan referring? She always left her statements so vague and generalized. That could mean anything. So maybe she should ask this time. "What was weird?" In a way she was almost afraid to ask. What if Goten had said something to her?
"Well, our counselor's out there talking to Uncle Goten," Pan began.
Bra's eye twitched. She was glad she hadn't turned toward Pan to talk to her because her friend would have seen the contempt written on her face. That woman never gave up. The red-headed home-wrecker.
"She asks him out. And he says no," Pan continued. "So why would he say no to her? I think something's up.... Bra?"
Bra turned to her with the most somber look she could muster.
"Do you think my uncle's gay?" Pan asked, raising an eyebrow.
Bra's eyes bulged and her mouth dropped open.
"I mean, she's a nice enough lady. And she's pretty," Pan reasoned. "So, I think he's either gay or he's up to something."
"Maybe he just doesn't like her," Bra said. She thought for a moment. This just might be another one of Pan's little schemes to get her to talk. Her friend was always coming up with something new. She would out-smart Pan this time. All Bra had to do was tell Goten to start dating that idiot counselor. That would shut Pan up. HA!! She was a genius.
"And then there's you," Pan continued. "I've heard how guys talk about you. They'd give anything just to have a chance with you. And he treats you like a sister?" She gave Bra a strange look. "Does that sound 'straight' to you?"
Bra was awestruck. She tried not to let it show, but she was truly without words on that one.
"Don't get me wrong. I know my uncle's a good guy, but there is something seriously wrong with him if he's not jumping at our counselor or you or any of the other girls in this class that ogle him constantly...," Pan preached.
Bra began to lose track of what all Pan was saying. Pan said so much in such a short amount of time, it was sometimes hard to keep up. She just stared blankly at her.
Goten finally entered the classroom and began their lesson.
--after class--
Bra was gonna stick around this time for sure. She sat in her desk and watched as Goten performed his usual task of erasing the blackboard. She was always fascinated by the way he moved. How the muscles in his back flexed with each stroke....
"Hey, Bra," Pan interrupted, gathering her books. "Are you coming?"
Bra snapped out of her daze. She was losing control of herself again. That wasn't a good idea when the ever-wary Pan was present. "Yeah. I'll catch up with you in our next class."
Pan gave Bra a strange look. "You know, you're always hanging around after class."
Was Pan calling her out here and now? Bra only looked at her.
"We've got a lot to talk about," Pan told her. "I'll see meet up with you there." She left.
Bra was confused like she always was when it came to the things Pan said. But she couldn't let this veer her from her mission. Her objective: To give Goten the order to date Paris. It wouldn't be easy. She didn't want things to have to be this way. But all the rules and all the laws made all the difference. Sure, it would cut into her time to see him. Sure, she'd probably turn into a jealous upstart. Sure, she stood a chance of losing him if she allowed this. But it would allow Goten to keep his job, his freedom and his life.
Goten was standing beside her suddenly and she gasped. He always seemed to do things like that to her. Show up when she wasn't looking for him to be there.
"We have to talk," Bra began. She was gonna cut to the chase this time. Especially seeing how that red-headed rambler could show up at any minute.
"What is it?" Goten asked, a look of concern on his face.
Bra stood from her desk. "People are asking questions. I think they're suspicious."
"Yeah, tell me about it," Goten said. He folded his arms across his chest. "So, what are we gonna do?"
Bra took a deep breath. The suggestion would surely kill her. But did they really have a choice? "Goten, I think you should date Paris...."
Goten just stared at her strangely.
Bra raised her eyebrows.
"Why?" Goten asked after a moment of silence.
"It might keep suspicions down," Bra replied. She paused. "Pan thinks you're gay."
Goten frowned. "What makes her think that?!"
Just then, the counselor made her entrance. She ignored Bra, as usual, and flounced her way over to Goten. "Hey." She kissed him on the cheek.
Bra fumed internally. It was like the ditsy red-head knew how much she hated for people to flirt with Goten. To think that this was her only alternative. To think that this was the only way to keep people from suspecting them. If there were something she could do to avoid it, she would. She would give anything for Paris to not be involved.
Goten looked at Bra. The look on his face asked the question 'Are you sure about this?' Bra didn't know what to tell him. But she couldn't lose confidence in the fact that her plan would work. She also had to show him that she was mature enough to deal with this situation. Let's be serious here. No other high school girl would. So she nodded.
"I'll see you at the library after school. Okay?" Goten said slowly. He sounded very unsure. She could almost hear the wheels in his head turning. He didn't really want this (or at least she hoped he didn't), but in the end, it would be for the best.
Bra left. She wasn't sure what to think. She had always had it easy when it came to love. She never had to worry about anything because her love life only consisted of one thing. Pining for Goten. And now that she basically had him, she already stood the chance of losing him to another woman. Another woman that he's not even interested in. It made little sense. She began to wonder if she had a couple of screws loose. She couldn't believe she'd made such a suggestion, even to keep their feelings for each other a secret.
As of now she had a few people to keep her eye on during this ordeal. One was Pan. One was her brother. And the other was her father.
Soon she would have to face the first one. Pan.
--End I Think You Already Know How Far I'd Go Not to Say--
--Once again, I apologize for the long wait on this part. But it's in better time than the prior. I'm getting to the fun stuff soon, I promise. It's just taking a while to get there.
--The Random and Ambiguous Vent: I've been very angry for the past few months. I have very little spare time on my hands. Work is a bitch. School is a catastrophe. Neither my car nor my computer equipment is falling through like I'd hoped. The quality of my work may be less than expected, but eventually things will turn around..... At least I hope they will.
--On to more important things: What's going to happen now? Will Goten agree to start dating Paris? Or will Bra come up some new scheme to keep their love for each other a secret? And what about Pan? What does she want to talk to Bra about? Find out next time.
--I Think You Already Know How Far I'd Go Not to Say--
Pan entered the classroom and sat in her usual seat behind Bra. "I don't care what anybody says. That was just weird."
Bra rolled her eyes. To what was Pan referring? She always left her statements so vague and generalized. That could mean anything. So maybe she should ask this time. "What was weird?" In a way she was almost afraid to ask. What if Goten had said something to her?
"Well, our counselor's out there talking to Uncle Goten," Pan began.
Bra's eye twitched. She was glad she hadn't turned toward Pan to talk to her because her friend would have seen the contempt written on her face. That woman never gave up. The red-headed home-wrecker.
"She asks him out. And he says no," Pan continued. "So why would he say no to her? I think something's up.... Bra?"
Bra turned to her with the most somber look she could muster.
"Do you think my uncle's gay?" Pan asked, raising an eyebrow.
Bra's eyes bulged and her mouth dropped open.
"I mean, she's a nice enough lady. And she's pretty," Pan reasoned. "So, I think he's either gay or he's up to something."
"Maybe he just doesn't like her," Bra said. She thought for a moment. This just might be another one of Pan's little schemes to get her to talk. Her friend was always coming up with something new. She would out-smart Pan this time. All Bra had to do was tell Goten to start dating that idiot counselor. That would shut Pan up. HA!! She was a genius.
"And then there's you," Pan continued. "I've heard how guys talk about you. They'd give anything just to have a chance with you. And he treats you like a sister?" She gave Bra a strange look. "Does that sound 'straight' to you?"
Bra was awestruck. She tried not to let it show, but she was truly without words on that one.
"Don't get me wrong. I know my uncle's a good guy, but there is something seriously wrong with him if he's not jumping at our counselor or you or any of the other girls in this class that ogle him constantly...," Pan preached.
Bra began to lose track of what all Pan was saying. Pan said so much in such a short amount of time, it was sometimes hard to keep up. She just stared blankly at her.
Goten finally entered the classroom and began their lesson.
--after class--
Bra was gonna stick around this time for sure. She sat in her desk and watched as Goten performed his usual task of erasing the blackboard. She was always fascinated by the way he moved. How the muscles in his back flexed with each stroke....
"Hey, Bra," Pan interrupted, gathering her books. "Are you coming?"
Bra snapped out of her daze. She was losing control of herself again. That wasn't a good idea when the ever-wary Pan was present. "Yeah. I'll catch up with you in our next class."
Pan gave Bra a strange look. "You know, you're always hanging around after class."
Was Pan calling her out here and now? Bra only looked at her.
"We've got a lot to talk about," Pan told her. "I'll see meet up with you there." She left.
Bra was confused like she always was when it came to the things Pan said. But she couldn't let this veer her from her mission. Her objective: To give Goten the order to date Paris. It wouldn't be easy. She didn't want things to have to be this way. But all the rules and all the laws made all the difference. Sure, it would cut into her time to see him. Sure, she'd probably turn into a jealous upstart. Sure, she stood a chance of losing him if she allowed this. But it would allow Goten to keep his job, his freedom and his life.
Goten was standing beside her suddenly and she gasped. He always seemed to do things like that to her. Show up when she wasn't looking for him to be there.
"We have to talk," Bra began. She was gonna cut to the chase this time. Especially seeing how that red-headed rambler could show up at any minute.
"What is it?" Goten asked, a look of concern on his face.
Bra stood from her desk. "People are asking questions. I think they're suspicious."
"Yeah, tell me about it," Goten said. He folded his arms across his chest. "So, what are we gonna do?"
Bra took a deep breath. The suggestion would surely kill her. But did they really have a choice? "Goten, I think you should date Paris...."
Goten just stared at her strangely.
Bra raised her eyebrows.
"Why?" Goten asked after a moment of silence.
"It might keep suspicions down," Bra replied. She paused. "Pan thinks you're gay."
Goten frowned. "What makes her think that?!"
Just then, the counselor made her entrance. She ignored Bra, as usual, and flounced her way over to Goten. "Hey." She kissed him on the cheek.
Bra fumed internally. It was like the ditsy red-head knew how much she hated for people to flirt with Goten. To think that this was her only alternative. To think that this was the only way to keep people from suspecting them. If there were something she could do to avoid it, she would. She would give anything for Paris to not be involved.
Goten looked at Bra. The look on his face asked the question 'Are you sure about this?' Bra didn't know what to tell him. But she couldn't lose confidence in the fact that her plan would work. She also had to show him that she was mature enough to deal with this situation. Let's be serious here. No other high school girl would. So she nodded.
"I'll see you at the library after school. Okay?" Goten said slowly. He sounded very unsure. She could almost hear the wheels in his head turning. He didn't really want this (or at least she hoped he didn't), but in the end, it would be for the best.
Bra left. She wasn't sure what to think. She had always had it easy when it came to love. She never had to worry about anything because her love life only consisted of one thing. Pining for Goten. And now that she basically had him, she already stood the chance of losing him to another woman. Another woman that he's not even interested in. It made little sense. She began to wonder if she had a couple of screws loose. She couldn't believe she'd made such a suggestion, even to keep their feelings for each other a secret.
As of now she had a few people to keep her eye on during this ordeal. One was Pan. One was her brother. And the other was her father.
Soon she would have to face the first one. Pan.
--End I Think You Already Know How Far I'd Go Not to Say--
--Once again, I apologize for the long wait on this part. But it's in better time than the prior. I'm getting to the fun stuff soon, I promise. It's just taking a while to get there.
--The Random and Ambiguous Vent: I've been very angry for the past few months. I have very little spare time on my hands. Work is a bitch. School is a catastrophe. Neither my car nor my computer equipment is falling through like I'd hoped. The quality of my work may be less than expected, but eventually things will turn around..... At least I hope they will.
--On to more important things: What's going to happen now? Will Goten agree to start dating Paris? Or will Bra come up some new scheme to keep their love for each other a secret? And what about Pan? What does she want to talk to Bra about? Find out next time.