Everybody Lies

Chapter Thirteen

Even Though You Abhor Lying

The guilt was harder to deal with than she thought. Slumping on her chair, Videl drew circles with the straw of her iced tea in her glass. She was having a hard time looking up at her friend. How could she face Erasa when she was now in a relationship with the boy they both loved?

Gohan should've fallen for Erasa. It shouldn't have been her. Things would've been so much easier – Videl was much stronger than her friend, she could have dealt with it. It was sad to say but she was accustomed to heartaches.

"So, how was your date with Reece?"

Her brow furrowed as she stared at the ice cubes in her glass. She may not be all that attentive today, but Videl knew her best friend well enough to pick up when Erasa was faking her cheerfulness.

Well, it was no wonder Erasa wasn't her usual self. She was probably still processing what Gohan had said to her…

"It was nice, but…"

Videl trailed off. She had meant to say, "but I don't think I'll be seeing him again," but she didn't have the heart to tell Erasa the truth. Reece was Erasa's one hope that the boy she loved wasn't going to end up with her best friend.

A little too late for that now, wasn't it?

"Let me guess. You didn't feel the spark, right?"

There was a kind of resignation in her tone that made Videl's chest tighten painfully. She looked up at the blonde. Erasa was staring at her cold drink, just like she had a second ago, and the smile on her lips was subdued and defeated.

As though she knew.

Videl felt a lump rise in her throat. She didn't know, did she? She couldn't know. Nobody except Gohan and herself knew that they got together. Erasa couldn't read it on her face, could she? She wasn't that obvious, was she?

"I…" She swallowed. Trickles of sweat formed on her forehead. "I guess not."

Erasa heaved out a deep, long sigh, her shoulders slumping in utter dejection. "Because you're in love with Gohan."

All blood drained from her face. Videl stared at her best friend with wide, shocked eyes. "Wha…?"

Erasa finally met her gaze. "You're in love with Gohan. And he's in love with you."

"I… I'm not… What makes you think… I'm not… What…?"

Her brain had short-circuited. It could no longer function properly. It was incapacitated, unable to comprehend what Erasa was saying.

"You never lie, Videl, it's one of your most admirable qualities – so don't start now."

"I'm not lying!" she protested vehemently, anger rising to her head. Anger at herself for letting her feelings for Gohan show, and for being too much of a coward to admit the truth – when this was the perfect opportunity to come clean to Erasa, once and for all.

But everybody lied, and she was no exception. She had been foolish to think she could be the single human being that was one hundred percent honest. She had been naive to believe the world could function without lies. Her father got that, and he certainly used that little tidbit of knowledge to his advantage.

Erasa frowned and tilted her head, a look of confusion knitting her eyebrows. "But…"

"I'm not lying!" she said again, her fists clenching on her lap. "I know that Gohan likes me, but I turned him down. I don't… I don't like him that way." Videl swallowed. "I like him a lot, but as a friend, and that's what I told him."

"He seems to believe you share his feelings though, from what he told me."

Stupid Gohan and his big mouth. "Well I don't know where he got that idea but he's wrong. It's not like he's an expert in that kind of thing. He's pretty clueless about these things, really."

Doubt and hesitation scrunched up Erasa's delicate features. "So you're not holding back on him for me? I thought…"

"You thought wrong," Videl spat angrily. How she hated herself right now. She was such a hypocrite. And an excellent liar to boot. It shouldn't be long before she got Erasa convinced.

Like father like daughter, as they said.

"I do like him a lot, which might have made you think I liked him as more than a friend. But I don't." Her tone was final. Absolute. Clear-cut. "He's a great guy, but I don't see him that way."

A small curl started forming on Erasa's glossy lips. "You're crazy, then." Her voice was playful, and her eyes gave away how relieved she was feeling. "There's a reason all the girls are all over him, even though he's not what you'd qualify as the popular type."

"Yeah, I know. But I guess he's just not my type."

A nonchalant shrug ended her perfectly executed performance.

"He's crazy about you though," Erasa said with a sympathetic grimace. "I felt awful seeing him so hurt… I thought I was the reason you were holding back on him."

"I felt terrible when he confessed to me, too," Videl admitted quietly, saying something true for the first time since the beginning of this conversation.

"Poor guy…" Erasa sighed deeply in empathy. "I hope you let him down easy?"

"Of course…" Videl leaned forward, crossing her arms over the table and slumping her shoulders. "I told him I wanted to stay friends with him, and he looked so heartbroken that I gave him a hug…"

"Aww, poor thing. That's just too sad. I'd rather you accepted his feelings, if only to spare him the heartbreak…"

Of course, Videl knew that Erasa didn't actually think that, but that she was really quite relieved to hear about the way things went between her and Gohan. She looked away, to the streets around them, her chest tight with guilt.

"I feel bad for Reece too, he seems to genuinely like you. And he's pretty hot too."

Videl shrugged. "I guess I'm too picky."

"As you should be. You're Videl Satan, after all; you can't just pick anyone to be your significant other."

Glancing back at her friend, a small, sad smile formed on her lips when she was met with Erasa's trademark, cheerful smile.

Maybe the truth was overrated. How bad could lying be if it managed to cheer up her best friend? Erasa must have felt awful just minutes ago, thinking she was the reason her two friends were miserable. But now she was happy and carefree again, all thanks to a few little white lies.

Really, how bad lying could be?

At least, that's what Videl kept telling herself.

x

It was like a huge brick had just been removed from her chest. Erasa felt lighter than ever.

Sure, the fact remained that Gohan had fallen for the wrong girl, but now that everything that happened between him and Videl was cleared up, Erasa couldn't help feeling hopeful again. Sure, he loved Videl, but he was bound to get over her, right? And, surely, he was going to have to move on at some point, wasn't he?

"I should've probably asked him out a while ago, huh?" she mused with an awkward smile. "It was just so painfully obvious that he liked you, so I didn't have the courage…"

"It's…" Videl took a deep breath, but Erasa was too relieved to notice anything odd about her behavior. "It's not too late for that."

"Maybe I could ask him out as a friend? To try and cheer him up. And then, who knows what can happen…"

She felt like everything was possible. The sky was the limit. Why wouldn't Gohan grow to like her in time? He wasn't going to stay hung up on Videl, especially since she clearly rejected him. Erasa felt pretty confident in her charms. They were close friends already, but with how clueless Gohan was, indeed, about these things, she was probably going to have to be a LOT more obvious about her feelings for him if she wanted anything to happen between them.

Her smile grew and stars shone in her eyes as she imagined her future with the boy she loved. Now that Videl assured her that she didn't, in fact, have romantic feelings for Gohan, she felt so much lighter and at peace. Erasa knew how much her friend abhorred lies, so it didn't even occur to her that Videl might have not told the truth. Videl was always one hundred percent honest, period. No exception.

What a relief. It was such a great feeling, to be able to trust someone so completely, without a single doubt. It was one of the things she loved most about being best friends with Videl.

A chime sounded off, but it wasn't the musical tone she had specifically chosen on her phone. Erasa looked at Videl expectantly as she took her phone out of her bag and checked her messages.

A glint of interest twinkled in her eye when she saw Videl pinch her lips together as they twitched to curve upward, as though she was forcing a smile down.

"Who is it?"

Videl seemed to freeze all of a sudden. Erasa tilted her head in confusion.

Then the girl sitting across from her seemed to be thinking about it, like she was weighing her options. Erasa frowned. Why wouldn't she just tell her what that was about? It wasn't like Videl to hide things from her…

"It's Gohan."

Ah. So that was why. Her friend probably thought she might feel hurt that she got a text from Gohan. The boy had never texted her, for that matter. Erasa had just figured it wasn't his thing, which seemed plausible enough given his upbringing and introverted personality. Well, obviously he got into it, but he just didn't text anyone.

"What did he say?"

It did hurt. More than she would like to admit.

"Ah, nothing much… Just an inside joke."

It was undeniable that, even though Videl didn't share his feelings, these two were still quite close. Even after she had rejected him, they had managed to power through it and stay good friends.

Could she really compete with that kind of bond?

x

And another lie… How many had it been so far? Videl was afraid to start counting.

Gohan had actually asked her on a date tomorrow on his text. Although, his message could also be considered as an inside joke, so at least it was only a half-lie.

So now she was lying to herself, too? There was no stopping this, was there?

Hey Videl, his text had read. I hope you're well. I'm doing fantastic, and I think you can guess why, can't you?

I was thinking we could go on a date tomorrow? I've got some things to take care of today, and besides, it's a little short notice and I want to get things ready good and proper for our first date. Don't worry, I'll take you to a place far more exciting than a school library… Not that I have anything against our beloved library – it is our sanctuary after all – but I want to take you somewhere more special tomorrow. And outdoors, if possible. I hear it's always sunny out south. I'm open to suggestions if you've got any ideas. The moon's the limit – if that.

Let me know if you're available tomorrow.

Love,

Gohan

What an adorable dork. Geez, it was a wonder she had been able to convince Erasa at all that she wasn't completely head over heels in love with that silly boy.

"I'm glad you two are still friends," Erasa commented. Turning her gaze to her friend, Videl felt an umpteenth pang of guilt prickling at her chest.

Her eyes were so trusting, her smile so gentle.

She felt like crap.

"It would've been awkward for me to keep hanging out with him if you two didn't talk to each other anymore," Erasa added with a playful glint in her blue eyes.

Videl did her best to smile back at her, and she supposed she did well enough, for Erasa didn't look like she had a clue about her inner turmoil.

Geez. She was ridiculously good at this. Lying was like second nature to her. Was it really all due to her father's genes? Maybe she'd always been tainted. Fooling herself that she was righteous and honest.

But she was just another liar.

God, she hated herself so much.

ooOoo

Gohan couldn't stop grinning. His cheeks hurt from the constant tug of his lips. He touched down on Videl's balcony, his dress shoes making a soft clacking sound as he landed. He stood tall, his broad grin ever so present on his lips and lighting up his whole face.

He didn't know how good it looked; he had picked the flowers himself in a meadow on his way, on a whim, but Gohan supposed the bouquet looked nice. There was a lot of yellow, pink and white, as well as some green from the leaves. He wished he could've found violets or periwinkles as well, to match Videl's magnificent blue eyes, but alas, there had been none in the meadow he had flown over.

His mother told him he had to look extra nice for his date with Videl, and he agreed, but Gohan had assured her that he didn't need help picking out his own outfit. He was seventeen years old, after all. Eighteen, really, but that part was always a little complicated to explain, given that his birthdate was, indeed, seventeen years ago.

Black dress shoes, dark gray dress pants, and a black button-up shirt. He had left the first couple buttons off, and he was kind of regretting not choosing a short-sleeved shirt with this heat, but the long sleeves looked better, right? He had them rolled up to his elbows, which gave him a casual appearance, he believed.

The curtains were drawn, reminding him of the night he came over, two days ago. Gohan grinned wider at the thought. Bless his mother for pushing him to keep fighting for Videl. He probably would've been wallowing in self-pity right now if not for her.

He watched his reflection on the glass door, unsure of whether he actually looked good for his date. Maybe it wouldn't have hurt to listen to his mom's advice on what to wear…

Ah, well. Too late to mull over that now. Videl didn't care about these things anyway. His grin was back in a jiffy, and the young man in love extended his arm and tapped gently against the glass.

"Wait a moment! I'm not ready!" he heard Videl's muffled voice from the other side of the glass doors.

Gohan chuckled in amusement. It was such a "girl" thing to say. He wouldn't have thought he would ever hear something like that come out of Videl's mouth.

His grin widened. He still had so much to learn about her, and it was such an exciting prospect. He wondered what else he was going to learn about the girl he loved, if there were any new expressions he hadn't seen yet on her face, and if she was still going to surprise him in years to come…

His heart swelled. In years to come, he repeated in his head in pure glee. Yes, indeed – he fully intended to spend his whole life with this girl. He had already found her – she was the one. She was the love of his life, and nobody else could replace her. Gohan wouldn't want to be with anyone else anyway.

The glass door slowly slid open, revealed the object of his thoughts. His heart skipped a beat as their eyes met.

She looked stunning. She was wearing white capri pants and a strapped yellow top, along with white sandals. The outfit was so simple, yet it made her look so delicate and feminine. She had let her hair down, and her face looked… even more beautiful than usual, somehow. There was something about her eyes… and her lips were shiny and glossy. Gohan raised his eyebrows. Was that makeup? Videl was wearing makeup?

She smiled sheepishly at him, an adorable blush on her face. "Hi. You look really nice."

"You look beautiful," he breathed out. He cracked a playful smile. "Even more so than usual, which I didn't think could be possible."

She rolled her eyes through an adorable blush, and the twitch on her lips rapidly became a wide grin, as though she had failed to force it down.

"Are those for me?" she asked, motioning to the flowers in his hold, her blue eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Nah, I just like flying around carrying a big bouquet of flowers," he joked with a shrug of his shoulders.

She laughed. "I didn't think you as a flower guy."

"Well, we have a lot of things to learn about each other still," he said. "And, yes, these are for you." He extended his arms, bringing the bouquet closer to her. "Do you like them?"

"Yeah," she said, taking the bundle from him. "Thank you. They're beautiful."

She closed her eyes and breathed in the flowers. Gohan's expression softened as he gazed upon her, his heart swelling with tenderness. He felt so happy right now, so at peace, so blissfully lucky.

His feet moved before he realized what he was doing; he cupped her cheek and leaned in, losing his breath in hers.

Her lip gloss tasted like cherries.

ooOoo

"Are you really dressed appropriately for this?"

The laughter in her voice betrayed her amusement. Videl put her hand over her mouth, trying to muffle her sudden fit of giggles.

"What, you mean dress pants don't go well with a picnic in the mountains?" he joked along, taking on an exaggerated shocked look and placing his hand over his heart for emphasis.

"Not really, no." She grinned at him. "I mean, my outfit is much more suited for a place like this, and I didn't even know where you were taking me."

"What if I just…" He took off his shoes and socks, feeling the breeze graze his toes. "Is that better now?"

She bit her lips, trying to hold down another fit of giggles. "It's… a start, I guess."

"Okay, what about…" He started unbuttoning his shirt. He was wearing a white tank top underneath, and soon enough that was the only top he had on.

The mirth had gone from her eyes. Gohan smirked. She was staring at his arms, his shoulders, his torso; her lips were parted slightly and a bright blush streaked across her face as her eyes ran over every bulge, every muscle he exposed to her.

"Liking the view?" he teased her.

She grinned through her crimson cheeks. "Very much so. You're so hot." She giggled as she said that.

He blushed in turn, and wished he wasn't so easily flustered. And then something occurred to him and Gohan smirked again. On a whim, in just a second, he was a Super Saiyan. Gohan felt the rush of power boost his ego.

Videl was staring at him with wide eyes, her mouth hanging. "Woah…"

"I've never shown you the actual transformation, have I?" he said, moving closer to her on the picnic blanket. He brushed a few strands of hair off her forehead and leaned closer, his lips almost touching her ear when he whispered, "What do you think?"

She swallowed. "What's with the… How can you change so much? I mean, it's like you have a completely different persona. It's no wonder I couldn't recognize you right away…"

He chuckled. With his hand, he moved her hair over her back, uncovering her strapped shoulder. Gohan pushed her gently on her back and lay beside her, before pressing his lips on the exposed skin of her neck. Her breath hitched.

"But then I got careless. Like this, right?" And then he kissed her neckline, on the spot her throat and her jaw met. He felt Videl shiver beside him. She swallowed.

"Y… Yeah…"

He was towering over her, holding himself up onto his elbow. Her breathing was short and erratic, her chest was heaving up and down rapidly. Her eyes didn't leave his, not for a millisecond. She swallowed again.

With his spare hand, Gohan cupped her cheek, his thumb grazing her lower lip.

"You liked me as Saiyaman too, right?"

She nodded her head, her breathing deepening. Her heard her swallow thickly once again.

He smirked. "Do I make you that nervous?"

Her eyes narrowed half-heartedly. "Bastard. You know you do."

Gohan chuckled in amusement. Oh, this was so much fun. He loved the rush of the transformation, how it felt like he could do anything, that nothing was off limits.

He loved teasing Videl with the overconfidence it brought him. He loved seeing her so… defenseless, so vulnerable to his every word, his every look, his every touch.

He leaned in and seized her mouth possessively. The spark between them was electrifying. Gohan deepened the kiss, and his aura made the wind rise around them as his ki skyrocketed. He moved to lie on top of her, pressing his body down against hers, feeling a coiling fire burn wildly in his lower abdomen.

He wanted her. Like never before – he wanted to take her, right here, right now; he wanted to make her his. He wanted to feel her bare skin against his, to devour every inch of her body, to bury himself deep inside of her, again and again, making her writhe in ecstasy.

This was bad. He didn't want to stop. He was kissing her neck now, and Videl was moaning in response. His hands were moving down her waist, before going up again under her top, caressing the smooth skin of her flat stomach.

She felt so incredible, she tasted so amazing. His lips lowered, trailing down to her cleavage. God, he wanted her so much. His crotch was aching to take her.

Not now. It was too soon. They weren't ready. They had only just gotten together. They had all the time in the world to get there, they didn't need to rush it.

Damn it, her skin was so delicious… Gohan cupped her breasts over her bra, his teeth grazing the exposed part of her chest.

"G… Gohan…"

Her moan made him want to tear her clothes off and possess her savagely.

It jolted him right out of it.

Gohan pulled back abruptly, breathing hard, then rolled off the dazed girl and sat up, closing his eyes as he let the transformation fade out.

He swallowed thickly, his face the brightest crimson. His desire for Videl had heightened a thousandfold when he was a Super Saiyan. What in the world…?

"S… Sorry… My ego isn't the only thing the transformation can boost, apparently…"

Geez… This was so awkward. He couldn't even look at her. Not to mention, there was a visible tent tugging at his pants.

x

Videl blinked at the sky. And blinked again. What just…?

"Huh?"

"Do you want some… uh, my mom made a pie. Do you want a piece?"

Videl slowly sat up. Gohan was showing her his back, his shoulders hunched over. She ran a hand over the back of her neck. What just happened? She had never felt such urgency and lust in the way Gohan touched her, not even the first time he had cornered her between the bookcases in the library. Was that really the effect of his transformation? It was just so disconcerting… One second he was blushing and awkward, and the next he was this sexy god, oozing off arrogance and self-assurance.

His ego wasn't the only thing the transformation could boost, so he said.

No shit.

"Um… Sure."

Might as well take the bait, even as lame as his attempt to change the subject was.

ooOoo

And so the awkward atmosphere eventually faded away, and they were back to bantering playfully with each other.

They took a stroll in the woods, enjoying the pleasant weather and each other's company as they walked together, hand in hand.

When the sun was setting, it was with a pang in his chest that Gohan reminded Videl that it was time to go home.

"Let's have another date next weekend," he promised. "This time you get to choose where we go."

She grinned. "The moon's the limit, right?"

"If that," he grinned back, quoting his text as well. "I'm sure I can arrange a trip to the moon if that's where you want to go."

Videl laughed, bringing her spare hand over her lips. "Oh, I have no doubt."

Stars shone in his eyes as Gohan gazed upon his lovely girlfriend. He just loved her so much. He couldn't wait to spend the rest of her life with her.

April 30, 2021