Please Friendzone Me!

Chapter 9

I Promise You


As soon as Gohan reached the shore, a swarm of teenagers started fussing about him. He did his best to reassure everyone, saying over and over that he was okay and that he was sorry he made them all worry about him. He assured them that he hadn't been in any danger, that he simply hadn't seen the time and was just floating out there and going with the flow.

"But that's dangerous!" Erasa interjected, echoing Videl's earlier lecture. "What if the current pushed you too far away for you to be able to swim back?"

"Yeah dude, what the hell?" Sharpner snapped. "I thought you were supposed to be the smart one here. You should know better!"

Gohan smiled dryly. "I… I know. I'm really sorry, guys. I wasn't thinking. It was… reckless of me."

His stomach tightened into knots as he forced the words out. After his altercation with Videl, when he failed to make her understand why he had indeed been completely safe, Gohan figured that it was best to simply nod along and apologize.

But it didn't sit right with him. From his first day of school, and despite all the things he was hiding from his peers, he had managed not to tell a single lie to anyone. Until now.

"Don't you ever do something like that again!" Erasa berated him, looking close to tears.

"I'm sorry. I promise I won't be reckless again."

"You better not! We really thought you had drowned!" added Kit, another girl from his class.

Gosh, he really was awful. He made everyone worried sick about him, and now he was even lying to them.

He hated it so much – lying, faking, pretending. It was the worst. It may have been naive of him, but the Son boy had honestly believed he could get by at school without being forced to lie. Omitting the truth wasn't lying; it wasn't like anyone would feel comfortable opening up to new friends and acquaintances after only a few weeks, so he had nothing to feel guilty about. At least, he didn't use to.

But what choice did he have? Gohan hadn't hidden the fact that he was a skilled martial artist precisely because he didn't want to lie about it and pretend he was weak, but none of his classmates had any idea just how powerful he was. They could never fathom just how colossal and destructive his raw strength could be; they didn't even know such a thing was possible. Even if he were to try explaining it to them, it was unlikely that they would believe him without proof. And what, was he supposed to turn Super Saiyan in front of them and out himself as an alien hybrid?

Alas, the reasoning wasn't enough to assuage his guilt about his lying, no matter how much it made sense.

He abhorred lying so, so much.

Over the heads of the teenagers surrounding him, Gohan caught sight of Videl from afar, walking away with her beach bag. She hadn't bothered getting dressed over her swimsuit, didn't even put on her shoes, and simply had a large towel wrapped around her shoulders as she stomped through the dunes. Considering that their hotel was only a couple blocks away from the beach, it made sense that Videl would rather just go to her room to wash up instead of getting sand and saltwater all over her stuff.

"Alright, alright," Sharpner cut in, waving his hands to motion everyone to calm down. "Brains gave us a scare but he's obviously fine. It's getting late, so let's head back to the hotel and get ready for dinner. I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

The teenagers nodded in agreement, some kept glancing at Gohan in worry, but they finally scattered away. Gohan could have kissed Sharpner.

"Thank you," he said earnestly, placing his hand on his blond friend's shoulder. "I owe you one."

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't scare us like that again."

"I won't."

The Son boy didn't linger around and jogged away, his stare fixated on the back of Videl's head.

He hated this tension between them. She wouldn't even look his way now. Worst of all: she had cried because of him.

He had to make things right with Videl – no, he needed to. He couldn't bear the idea that she wasn't talking to him. And he didn't want to wait it out, to let time fix everything on its own, to endure her silence until it was "water under the bridge". He had to talk to Videl; he needed them to be okay again this very minute and not a second later.

He picked up the pace while Videl reached a set of stony stairs and paused to look for something in her bag. She dropped a pair of flip-flops on the ground and slipped them on. Gohan reached out and put his hand on her towel-clad shoulder before she could go up the steps.

"Wait," he croaked out.

She shrugged him off and didn't turn around. "Leave me alone. I'm mad at you."

His stomach tightened into knots. "I know, and I hate it. I'm really, really sorry, Videl. You were right to lecture me. Please, can we just make up?"

She clenched her fists. "I know you don't mean it. You're just saying that because you want to put it all behind us and act as if nothing happened." She shook her head. "But that's not how it works. You shouldn't pretend you agree with me when you don't. I thought you were better than that."

He winced at her words. "But I… I do agree." He swallowed before adding, his voice small. "To some extent… I-I mean," he kept going, trying to sound more confident, "I know I shouldn't have gone that far in the sea, and I should've realized everyone would worry about me."

She looked at him over her shoulder, finally, but her eyes were ice-cold. "But you maintain that you weren't in any danger, don't you?"

He pinched his lips together. No, he couldn't do it. He couldn't lie to her. And even if he tried, Videl would see right through him anyway.

She scoffed. "Thought so. I can't believe how arrogant you're being. It doesn't suit you."

He clenched his fists, his shoulders tensing up.

He wanted to tell her; he couldn't take this anymore. He couldn't bear seeing the look in her eyes saying that she had been wrong about him, that he wasn't the guy she thought he was.

If only he could just tell her everything.

"Is that really what you think of me?" he let out in a hoarse whisper, unable to conceal the hurt in his voice.

Gohan saw a flash of sympathy in her expression. Did she believe in his sincerity this time?

Videl averted her gaze, lowering her head. "Let's just go back to the hotel. I'd like to wash up."

He wanted to protest, to hold her back, to keep trying to find a way to make things right again, someway, somehow – but Gohan stayed rooted on the spot. With a thick lump constricting in his throat, he could only watch as Videl started going up the stairs.

He raised a hand and covered his eyes. Why was this happening? It had been such a great day up to now; why did it have to take a turn for the worse? How did it come to this?

His expression hardened as he recalled what, exactly, drove him to swim away without thinking of the consequences. That damn dream. It was all because he couldn't control how attracted he was to Videl. Because he felt the need to try and clear his head with a long swim into the sea.

He just knew nothing good could come out of his stupid hormones acting up. It was all their fault; they spoiled everything.

Gohan sighed and massaged the back of his neck, turning his gaze to the beach. Almost all of his classmates had left already, yet nobody had passed him and Videl on their way to the streets. The few that remained quickly avoided his eyes when he looked toward them.

He searched for the spot on the sand that Sharpner and Erasa had chosen for their group of four, but it now lay empty. A slight frown creased his brow as he wondered who had his things. Sharpner was the most likely. Gohan kept looking around the beach. Was the blond gone too? He was only wearing his swimming trunks, and he didn't even have a towel to cover himself. He couldn't go out on the streets like that.

He spotted the long-haired jock standing by the outdoor showers, and he indeed had Gohan's sports bag. Sharpner met his eyes with a scowl.

He winced slightly. It looked like his friend had been waiting for him and wasn't too happy about it. Sharpner did say he was hungry. Still, Gohan was grateful that he hadn't left him without his stuff.

He jogged up to the other boy. "Sorry to keep you waiting," he said, "and thanks for holding my bag for me."

"What did you say to Videl?" Sharpner nearly barked at him, his teeth bared. "Why did she look so pissed?"

Gohan inhaled sharply, his eyes wide open. "I…"

Sharpner's gaze glowed dangerously as he took a step closer, invading his personal space. "Don't you dare hurt her. Don't you fucking dare. There's a reason Videl is only close to me and Erasa, and if you turn out to be one of those who ends up letting her down, so help me God, Gohan –" He closed his fist tightly, the muscles in his arm giving a nervous jerk, as though he was physically restraining himself. "I may not be able to kick your ass, but I will ruin you."

The blond shoved his sports bag back at him and turned on his heels with an indignant huff. Gohan watched him go and hugged his bag, his chest tight and heavy. Under normal circumstances, Sharpner would never call him by his name.

The black-haired boy tried to will his fingers to quit trembling as he unzipped his bag. He fished out his green shirt from earlier. He set the sports bag on the sand so he could put it on, then picked his bag back up and shouldered it. He didn't bother with his pants or dress shoes since his feet were full of sand and went on his way as is.

Everything was going wrong. And now Sharpner was mad at him too. Would Erasa turn her back on him in the same way? How did everything escalate so fast? All this, just because he swam a bit too far into the sea? Was that really all it took?

He clutched the strap of his bag, his lips a tight line as he went up another set of stairs to get to the urban streets. Sharpner was wrong to expect the worst of him. He would never let Videl down like others had before him. No way. Gohan refused to ever let that happen. No, he was going to fix this mess, one way or another. He had to.

He was aware that the most effective solution would be to tell Videl the truth about him. It would explain everything: his thoughtless behavior, why he didn't like it when she called him reckless, and it would prove to her that he wasn't being arrogant. Then, Videl would see things from his point of view, and she would have no reason to be mad at him.

Gohan distractedly stopped at a crosswalk. Was it really the only way to resolve this? Although he did plan to tell Videl everything eventually, he had known her for only a few weeks; it was way too soon to drop that bombshell on her, and he wasn't ready to take that step yet, either.

He felt that the people around him advanced across the asphalt and followed their lead to the other side of the street. A quick look around told him which way to get to the hotel.

Gohan had concluded that he would need six months in total at the very least; that way, he and Videl should be super close by that time, and he would be almost certain that she was going to take it well. But, as it was… It was just too soon. He still had a lot to learn about Videl and she about him. Before today, he didn't even know she had lost her mother. As close as they had gotten over the past few weeks, it just wasn't enough to reveal something so big to her.

He passed through the hotel entrance and continued into the stairwell; he felt too restless to stand around waiting for the elevator, and it wasn't like eleven floors would be hard for him to climb up.

His face scrunched up as he tried to think of a way to fix this mess. This situation was unbearable to him; he had to find a way to diffuse the tension. He just had to.

He got to his room and was glad to find it empty. He did not need to deal with Booker's animosity on top of everything else. He strode to the bathroom and took a quick shower.

As he dried his hair with a towel, Gohan decided that the only thing he could do was try to talk to Videl again and hope for the best. It was either that or wait for her to cool off on her own, and while the latter might be the wiser option, Gohan didn't want to imagine how long it may take Videl to get there if he just let her be. What if she stayed mad at him for the rest of the field trip? What if it went on for days or even weeks after they got back? He couldn't risk it.

Keeping the towel in place around his waist with one hand, Gohan opened the closet and considered the clothes he had unpacked this morning. Then a thought occurred to him, and he glanced at his satchel where he had stored the capsules with his shopping bags. Perhaps he should wear one of the outfits Erasa had picked out for him. Videl said he looked nice when he was trying them on. Surely, that could only work in his favor, right?

He decapsulated the shopping bags and emptied their items on his bed one by one. A frown taking up his brow, he looked them over, trying to decide what to wear. After some thought, he went with the black polo shirt and gray chino pants combo.

Gohan got dressed. He looked at his reflection in the full-length mirror hanging on the closet door. Erasa said polos were best worn untucked, but it felt weird not to tuck in his shirt. Still, he trusted the girl's fashion sense, so he followed her advice. The short sleeves were tighter around his biceps than he remembered, or maybe it was because his arms were flexed while he combed his damp spiky hair with his fingers.

The hotel room door opened at that moment. Booker pursed his lips when their eyes met.

"They told me to come get you. Everyone's already at the restaurant for dinner."

"Right… I just need to put on my shoes and I'll be right down. Thanks for letting me know."

Booker looked him up and down with a barely contained sneer. "You sure look fancy."

Gohan grabbed a pair of white and black tennis shoes and sat on his bed to put them on; he offered a friendly smile to his roommate despite the apparent dislike. "I went shopping this morning, so I thought I'd put on one of the outfits Erasa picked out for me."

Booker's expression darkened. "Must be nice," he muttered before heading back out and closing the door behind him.

Gohan's eyebrows scrunched up as he tied his shoelaces. Maybe Sharpner was onto something. Maybe Booker was indeed jealous of how close he had grown to Videl and her two best friends in the short time since he started school.

Well, Booker might change his mind if he knew how tense things had gotten between him and Videl, not to mention Sharpner's threats to him, and who knew how Erasa felt about all this.

What a mess. It was nothing to be envious of, truly.

His face serious, he nodded at his reflection in the mirror and went out the door. Once again, he chose to take the stairs instead of the elevator, and he got to the ground floor in no time. He followed the signs pointing to the hotel's restaurant, and soon enough, he was stepping through the open doorway.

The knots in his stomach only tightened at the smells and sights of food. He was so not in the mood to eat right now – which, considering his usual appetite, might be somewhat alarming. Gohan scanned the room for Videl. He found her sitting at a table with Erasa, Sharpner, and a few of their classmates. She was picking at her plate with her fork, her expression taut in a deep frown.

Gohan breathed slowly, in and out, before walking toward her table. His heart pounding, his throat dry as a drought, he hoped he didn't look like a nervous wreck as he wiped his hands on his pants. He could do this; he just needed to get Videl to talk to him, and then he could make things right again.

He came up to her and lightly tapped on her shoulder; Videl scowled darker at her dish and refused to look up at him. He went for it anyway.

"Can you come with me, please? I really need to talk to you."

"I'm eating," she said, even though she made no effort to look interested in what was on her plate.

Gohan observed her untouched food. "If you're not going to take a bite of your rice, at least give one of us a chance."

Giggles and snickers broke out around the table at his play on words. Videl's lips twitched upward, but she pinched them tightly together to stop herself from reacting to his joke.

Erasa nudged her, giving her an expectant look while nodding to Gohan. He sent the blonde a grateful smile for her help. It was a relief that she didn't seem to hold any resentment toward him after the whole thing at the beach.

Videl grunted and pushed her chair back. "Fine."

She got up and took long and quick strides on her way out of the hotel's restaurant, not bothering to check if he was behind her, but Gohan had no trouble matching her pace with his longer legs. He followed her to the end of a corridor where scarcely anyone passed by. Videl leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms, her expression still taut in a frown while her ice-cold eyes seemed to pierce right through him.

"You wanted to talk. So talk." Her voice could give her eyes a run for their money.

Gohan wiped his hands over his pants again. Good thing they weren't a pale color. He cleared his throat and clenched his fists, trying not to show how terrified he was to get this wrong. You'd think he was preparing to fight to save the world again.

"I get why you're mad at me," he started, hoping he was headed in the right direction. "And I deserve it. You thought something horrible had happened to me, and I dismissed you when you expressed your very legitimate worries." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair; it was still damp. "I'm not used to it, being around all of you… being around people who don't know that I'm… that…"

He fumbled. How the heck was he supposed to finish that sentence? He racked his hand through his spiky locks and let out a groan.

Videl squinted at him. "There's something you're not telling me, isn't there?"

"Yes," he replied without hesitation, hoping he could explain himself without having to actually reveal to her the truth about him. And maybe his sincerity could earn him a few points. "I can't tell you what it is, not right now, not just yet, but I will, I promise I will… And then, you'll get it, why I reacted the way I did. When I tell you everything, it'll all make sense."

"Then just tell me. Why does it have to wait?"

He gave a dry laugh and pressed his thumb and forefinger against his eyelids. "If only it were that easy…"

Videl fell quiet. Gohan moved his hand to the back of his neck and tried to unknot the tense muscles there. He didn't dare to look at her.

Her voice was heavy with emotion when she finally spoke again.

"I thought you had drowned."

He closed his eyes with a painful wince. "I know. I'm so, so sorry, Videl."

She stepped toward him. "Sorry doesn't cut it, Gohan. No, look at me." He obeyed, meeting her tear-filled gaze. "Do you have any idea how I felt? Seeing what looked like your limp body floating away?" Her voice was breaking. "Rushing to you on that jet ski, imagining what I would find when I reached you? I thought you died!" She groaned in frustration and swept the back of her fingers over her eyes. "Damn it, now I'm crying again. I hate this. This… This is all your fault." She raised her hands over her face. "You made me care about you, and now look at me, look at the mess I've become because of you." A sob forced itself out of her, making her shoulders shake. "Sometimes I wish we'd never met because I care so, so much about you, and-and it'd just wreck me if something ever happened to you and I were to lose you, and-and–"

He couldn't stand it anymore – Gohan pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her trembling frame, holding her close while she cried and sobbed in his chest.

"And it's terrifying," Videl went on, her cracked voice muffled by his polo shirt. "And it's so stupid because it's barely been three whole weeks and yet look at the mess you've made of me."

"I know. I feel the same," Gohan breathed out. "If something were to happen to you, I'd… I'd… I don't even want to think about it." He tightened his arms around her. "It's laughable, honestly, how fast I've grown attached to you and how much everything about you affects me already. Has it really not been three weeks yet?"

Her shoulders shook as she laughed through the tears. She put her arms around his waist and snuggled up to him. "Don't be cute. I'm still mad at you."

He rubbed her back in a soothing motion. "And you have every right to be. I'm an idiot. It's like my brain won't work like everyone else's and won't let me grasp the most basic human thinking. I should've realized everyone would get worried about me, and yet it didn't even cross my mind."

"You're the worst," she mumbled against his chest. "You're so insensitive. You scared us half to death, and you weren't even thinking about us." She sniffled. "Or… about me."

He wondered if Videl noticed his heart beating a little faster when she said that. He gave a half-smile.

But I was. You were all I could think about… That's what started this whole mess.

That wasn't something he could share with her, however. It would just make things awkward, and he was trying to diffuse the tension between them here, not create more of it.

He pulled back slightly to look at her and wiped her tears with the back of his fingers. Videl averted her gaze and sniffled, rubbing an eye with the palm of her hand.

"I really am the worst," he murmured. "I made you cry."

He brushed her bangs away, tucking a few strands behind her ear. With the tips of his fingers, he angled her head back. Videl raised her teary eyes at him, and he gazed back at her with a sad smile.

"I will never give you a reason to cry again – I mean it. I promise you, Videl, I will never make you feel this way again, not if I can help it. You have my word."

She sniffled again. Her chin trembled. Cupping her cheek, Gohan leaned in and pressed his lips on her forehead. His eyes fell shut as he let the kiss linger; he moved his other arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer to him.

"I promise you," he vowed once more, his voice barely above a whisper. He pulled back and looked deep into her eyes, his thumb stroking her cheek. "You believe me, right?"

She nodded. Gohan caught her last tear just as it slipped from her eyelashes.

"I believe you," she murmured.

The pressure in his chest finally loosened, unburdening his heart and his lungs. He could finally breathe.

"Do you feel better?" he asked softly, distractedly playing with a lock of her hair from her left pigtail.

Her voice was small as she answered. "I… I do, actually. How did you know it… it would work that way?"

He cracked a smile. "Just a little trick I've picked up since I became a big brother."

Videl looked away, her brow slightly furrowed. "Right, of course… Your brother… He… he's lucky to have you."

He tipped up her chin, searching her eyes. "You have me too, Videl. I'm not going anywhere."

Her frown melted away as she gazed back at him, and she rewarded him with a cute smile. "Okay."

She was tugging at his heartstrings here. Unable to resist, Gohan pulled Videl to him again and hugged her close. Letting his eyelids fall shut, he allowed himself to soak in her lovely scent, to revel in the wonderful feeling of having her in his arms. He sighed in pure bliss.

After a time, Videl spoke again.

"Is this, like, a regular thing now? The two of us hugging?"

"Gosh, I hope so," he replied honestly, tightening his hold around her for emphasis. "Because this is the best."

"Oh really? Does that mean I've beaten your little brother after all?"

He could hear her smirking. Gohan flushed, and he was grateful that Videl couldn't see his crimson face in their current position. He hid in her hair for good measure – not because her smell was so intoxicating, mind you.

"… No comment."

Her shoulders shook with a laugh. "I did, didn't I?"

His chest felt lighter. He was so glad the mood had shifted, that she was no longer crying. He would rather go a second round against Cell than ever be the cause of Videl's tears again.

"Let's call it a tie," he offered.

"Nuh-uh. You said hugging me is the best. So I win."

A grin was digging in his cheeks. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" Videl made a show to start pulling away. "Well, if your brother's so great, you go hug him then."

Gohan refused to let her go, and Videl didn't protest. "Okay, fine, you win. Your hugs are the best of the best. But don't tell him I said that."

She hugged him back. "I wouldn't brag to a child. I'm not a monster."

He chuckled, his chest rumbling against her cheek. "Of course not. You're an angel."

There was a pause. "You're an idiot," she mumbled into his polo shirt. "And my dad's Mr. Satan, in case you forgot."

"Well, my name's Gohan, but that doesn't mean I'm made of rice."

Her shoulders shook around his arms. He placed his cheek against the top of her head, a silly smile glued to his lips.

"You really are an idiot," she laughed at him. But he didn't care. It was okay if it was Videl, so long as she never lost her smile.

"You're the one who started with the name puns," he reminded her. "Mine and yours."

"Hmm, I guess I did."

They fell quiet, the silence comfortable and peaceful while they enjoyed this embrace, neither of them ready to let go.

Gohan felt Videl tighten her arms around him and his smile widened as he responded in kind. He breathed in deeply; the fresh smell of her shampoo was making him drowsy.

Hugging Videl truly was the best of the best.


March 7, 2022