Chapter Eleven
Her Bitter Win
A smirk of satisfaction curled Paige's lips and she strutted along the hallways of Orange Star High on Monday morning. Her weekend couldn't have gone better. She'd been practicing her special skills for the past two days, and the psychic girl was quite happy with her progress indeed. She intended to try out her now stronger powers this very moment, for that matter.
Her destination came into view, and luckily Gohan wasn't late for school this morning. He was by his locker, a carefree smile on his face as he placed his satchel inside and took what he needed for class until the morning break.
And then she scowled as Sharpner gave the handsome boy a strong pat on his back as a greeting, and Gohan perked up. She growled in frustration. What was it about that jock? Couldn't he leave Gohan alone already? This wasn't the first time Sharpner had beat her to getting to the new kid, and frankly, it was getting old. What was a jock doing with a nerd, anyway? Didn't they know about the different social classes in high school? Okay, so Gohan also happened to be remarkably good at sports, but he was still a nerd! Why was Sharpner always glued to him? It was so annoying!
But then Paige smirked. How about she used her newly honed powers on the long-haired blond first? She got closer to the pair of friends, just enough for her magic to affect Sharpner better.
She squinted at the back of his head, sending waves into his mind. She used her power of persuasion, instilling thoughts into his head and making him believe they were his own.
Paige stood there for several long moments, using her psychic powers on her unsuspecting classmate. And then he paused in mid-sentence.
"Oh, wait, I'll be right back. I forgot something in my locker," he told Gohan, before jogging away.
Gohan chuckled to himself, shaking his head slightly, then closed his locker, hugging his books to his chest.
Paige was jubilant. It had worked! It actually worked, and she had only needed to focus on her target for about twenty seconds to make it work this time. The girl was sure that with time and practice, she would probably be able to make her magic work instantaneously.
She walked over to Gohan and greeted him with a sweet smile.
"Hello, Paige. Did you have a nice weekend?" he asked, his tone kind and polite.
She grinned. Now, for sure, Gohan wasn't going to miss her very obvious advances. She was going to ask him out, leaving no room for misunderstandings, and use her power of persuasion on the boy to make sure he would say yes.
And she was going to make sure he would never look twice at Videl, stealing all of his attention to herself.
"I had a great weekend, thanks for asking. How about you?" she inquired in return, laying out the groundwork before getting to the main course.
"My weekend was pretty nice, thank you. I used to study every day when I was homeschooled, and I didn't really take the weekends off back then, so it was a nice change of pace I guess," he said.
Paige was happy that Gohan felt comfortable enough with her to share something personal with her. Perhaps she wouldn't even need to use her power of persuasion on him ━ but one could never be too careful.
"I still had to do my homework of course," he added with a chuckle. "But the workload was a lot bigger back when I was homeschooled."
"Oh, that reminds me, I had a lot of trouble with our Math homework," she said, which wasn't even a lie. "Would you help me study? We could meet after school. I know a nice quiet place we could go to."
"Sure, I can help you," Gohan agreed with a kind smile.
Well, she hadn't quite asked him out, but she hadn't even needed to use her power on him since Gohan was the kind of guy who was always happy to help.
"But I'm not sure I'll be free today after school. I'll let you know later, okay?"
Paige frowned. No, that wasn't okay. She couldn't let him and Videl get close, and even though so far it didn't look like she had anything to worry about in that regard, she wasn't leaving anything to chance. Fate wasn't her best friend right now, what with her tampering with it. It was too risky to let Gohan or Videl out of her sight. She needed to make sure fate wasn't going to come back with vengeance.
She smiled sweetly at him, focusing her psychic powers on the boy's mind as she tried again, "Are you sure you can't today? We have a Math test on Thursday and I'm so not ready for it. I really need your help, Gohan. Please?"
The seconds stretched on as she sent waves into Gohan's brain to make him say yes, whether he wanted to or not. A frown creased his brow while his gaze dropped, and more than twenty seconds passed as Paige kept using her power of persuasion on him.
"I…" He trailed off, his frown deepening.
Could it be that Gohan was fighting her magic? How could it be possible? Everybody that she had practiced on during the weekend had easily complied to her will, so why would Gohan be any different? He may be a genius and an exceptional athlete, but other than that he was just like everybody else. So how could he be able to counter her powerful magic? Could it be that his willpower was just that strong?
But shouldn't the same be said about Videl? The crime-fighter was well-known for her stubbornness and her unwavering willpower, yet Paige had had no trouble at all to make her believe that the dreams she used to have were visions of her future. Granted, it was quite different than the kind of magic she was using on Gohan right now, but surely if countering her powers was possible, Videl wouldn't have been able to be so easily manipulated?
What made Gohan so different, then? How could he be fighting her magic when nobody else had been capable of it?
"Please, Gohan?" she pleaded again. It had been over a minute since she started using her power of persuasion on him, and it didn't seem to have the expected effect on the boy. How was it possible?
Paige focused harder, sending stronger waves into Gohan's brain.
His frown began to fade away. The girl smiled in satisfaction. Finally, it was working. His eyes were blank and emotionless for a few seconds, and Paige used that opportunity to strengthen the spell she had on him.
He opened his mouth, and Paige felt giddy with excitement as he inhaled to start speaking, having no doubt that he was going to agree to meet her after school.
A familiar laugh sounded then, and Gohan blinked out of the daze. He shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts, and then looked over her shoulder, behind Paige. A smile curved his lips.
Inwardly fuming, the girl turned around and followed his gaze, and then her jaw dropped. Videl was standing some distance away, chatting and laughing with her best friend, Erasa.
No way…
Could it be…? Did Gohan manage to snap out of her spell because he heard Videl's laugh? Or was it just a random coincidence that it happened to be Videl? But then, why did he have that gentle smile on his face as he looked at the girl?
Her throat tightened. What the hell? Did something happen during the weekend? Damn it, she should've been more careful. She should've kept an eye on Videl to make sure fate wasn't going to get in her way. But how could she have suspected that anything could have happened between those two? Gohan didn't even live in the city!
She exhaled slowly. There was probably a better explanation. She was becoming paranoid. Still, Paige made a silent vow to herself not to be as careless in the future. She had to keep an eye on Videl at all times, especially when they weren't in school. Perhaps she should even bring her crystal ball with her every day, despite the risk of getting caught with it. It would at least ensure that she didn't miss anything important when Videl was out of her sight.
"Um, I'll catch you later, Paige," Gohan said, without looking away from Videl. And then he walked towards the two friends, completely oblivious to the livid red-haired girl he was leaving behind.
Paige turned around once more to watch the scene unfold. They weren't very far so she could hear what they were saying. Gohan greeted Erasa first, before turning to Videl with a nervous smile. The girl rolled her eyes.
"You can say hi to me too. I won't bite," she said in a playful tone. Gohan grinned in response, scratching the back of his head.
"That's good to know. I couldn't be too sure ━ that you didn't bite, that is," he bantered along, making the girls laugh and giving a chuckle himself.
Paige watched the exchange in horror. What. The. Hell. Why did those two seem so much closer all of a sudden? Damn it, something must have happened during the weekend somehow. She couldn't believe how stupid and careless she had been! She should never have let her guard down just because things had gone so perfectly last week. How could she let this happen?
The psychic girl breathed deeply, in and out, calming herself down. She was working herself up over nothing. Even if Gohan and Videl did get closer, there was just no way Videl would ever let things get too far between them ━ the dreams Paige had put into her head would make sure of that.
The smirk was back on the red-haired girl's face. Yes, it didn't matter how close Videl and Gohan got with time. It made things even better, actually, because the deeper Videl's feelings for Gohan got, the more it would hurt to force herself not to be with the boy she loved.
It was perfect, really. And her spell had almost worked on Gohan just now. If not for the interruption, Gohan would've said yes and they would've agreed to meet up after school for a potential first date.
Even if Paige didn't understand how Gohan had managed to fight her magic, she was still able to take the upper hand, and with more practice she would become more powerful, and Gohan would soon be at her mercy.
She had time, anyway. Fate could try all it wanted, Videl was never going along with it since she falsely believed that her dreams would become a reality. As long as Videl had no clue as to what her real future should have been like, Paige had nothing to worry about. The distorted visions she gave Videl would ensure that her destiny would never come true. Videl would never have that perfect life fate had had in store for her.
Her eyes narrowed at the way Gohan and Videl looked at each other, the glint in their eyes unmistakable, not to mention the faint blush on their faces and the awkwardness between them. It all proved that they had mutual feelings for each other, and Paige gritted her teeth despite her earlier conclusion.
Gohan wasn't supposed to develop feelings for Videl. How did that happen? It was going to make things more complicated for her when she asked him out. Well, she would just have to get more powerful, and then, even as strong-willed as Gohan was, not even he would be able to resist her spell.
Gohan was going to become her boyfriend, it was just a matter of time. And it was going to break Videl's heart.
Paige smirked at the thought. Yes, indeed, it was only a matter of time. She was going to hit Videl where it hurt the most. And the best part? Videl would be so scared because of her distorted visions that she wasn't even going to fight for the potential love of her life.
And it was all she deserved. That bitch.
When the bell rang for the lunch break, Sharpner and Gohan shared a meaningful look and nodded at each other. Videl observed the exchange with a thoughtful frown, wondering what those two were cooking up ━ her detective sense was tingling.
Gohan gathered his things and turned to their mutual female blonde friend. "Erasa, may I speak with you, please? If it's not too much trouble. We can have lunch together maybe?"
Erasa perked up, and Videl's frown deepened. She was pretty sure that wasn't what Gohan meant, but it did sound like he may be asking her out. Having lunch together, just the two of them, certainly sounded like a date. Erasa was probably thinking the same, and given the blonde's interest in the "cute new guy", her words (not that Videl disagreed), she may be getting her hopes up about Gohan.
"And I need to have a chat with you, Videl," Sharpner said, and she turned her head to the other side, eying her friend with suspicion. She glanced back at Gohan, then looked at Sharpner once more, putting two and two together. Those boys were definitely up to something. But what was the point of separating the girls to talk with them one-on-one?
"What's going on?" she asked, crossing her arms.
"What? Can't I have something to say to one of my best friends?" Sharpner said in an overly dramatic way, exaggerating the hurt in his voice while making his face look extra shocked.
Gohan and Erasa laughed, but Videl only scowled at him. Did he really think she would fall for his crap?
"Just tell me what you two are up to," she demanded, leaving no room for argument.
And yet it didn't faze Sharpner. "I just have to talk with you about something, and Gohan has to talk to Erasa about something too. Why are you getting so defensive?" He quirked an eyebrow at her.
"Well, I don't mind having lunch alone with Gohan," Erasa chirped happily as she stood up, throwing the spiky-haired boy a flirty wink. Her advances went right over his head, as usual, and Gohan simply smiled and stood in turn.
"Great. We'll catch up with you guys later."
And with that, the two went down the stairs on the side of the classroom, and Videl eyed them all the while until they left through the door, her bullshit radar still going off in her head.
"Come on, Videl. This is kinda important," Sharpner insisted.
"Fine," she finally relented. Her arms didn't unfold as she stood and walked out of the classroom, Sharpner on her tail.
He suggested they went to the roof for more privacy, because he didn't want to take a chance at being overheard. Videl's frown deepened as she walked with him, her mind reeling at what her friend could possibly want with her.
He hadn't mentioned what she had tried to tell him on Saturday, nor did he seem to have blabbed about it to anyone, which Videl was very thankful for. Could it be what Sharpner wanted to talk to her about? She scowled, her head digging between her stiff shoulders. She had hoped he wasn't going to bring it up. Like, ever. It was bad enough that Sharpner had somehow figured out exactly what and who she meant, even as vague as she had tried to be. Yet, Gohan's extraordinary physical prowess always went right over his head, much like any flirtation attempt with the clueless dark-haired boy from any girl went over his. Sharpner sure picked his moments to get cunning…
She really hoped he wasn't going to bring it up. She did not want to deal with that right now ━ or ever, really. It was hard enough having to deny herself her unwanted wish to be with Gohan, she did not want to dwell in the matter any further, or talk about it with anyone, ever.
Well, she would simply have to cut it short, Videl decided. Sharpner wasn't getting anything out of her. If that was what he wanted to talk about, that is. The girl still hoped it could be about something else.
Besides, why did Gohan need to talk to Erasa alone? Why would that be part of whatever plan they had cooked up? How could those talks possibly be related?
The two friends got to the roof. Videl leaned against the wall of the staircase house, her arms still tightly crossed as she regarded the long-haired boy with a scowl.
He rolled his eyes. "Geez, what's with the mean face?"
"What did you want to talk about?" she asked point-blank, not answering him. She had no time to beat around the bush.
"About what you tried to tell me last Saturday," he replied in the same blunt way, a smirk curling on his lips. Videl's scowl darkened.
"What makes you think I want to talk about it?"
He shrugged. "If you tried talking about it that day, it means it's been nagging at you, hasn't it? I'm just trying to be a good friend and offer a listening ear."
She sighed, some tension leaving her shoulders. Sharpner was just trying to help; she didn't need to be so harsh with him, even if she had no desire whatsoever to ever mention what she tried to tell him over the weekend.
"Look, I appreciate you trying to help and all, but I'd rather never bring it up again if it's not too much to ask." Her tone was still blunt, but the harshness was gone at least.
Sharpner crossed his arms. "Sorry Videl, but I can't let it go. I saw Gohan Saturday ━ and no, don't worry, I would never blab about something you tell me to anyone, you know me better than that," he added quickly when her eyes widened. "I was just trying to make sense of all of it. And I think those dreams you had really were visions of your future with Gohan."
"Didn't need you to know that," she said, irony lacing her words as she rolled her eyes.
"Yes, but I wanted to make sure," Sharpner went on, unfazed. "And the only way was to find out how Gohan felt about you."
This perked her interest ━ against her better judgment.
"Because from what I understand, in those visions of yours, you and Gohan are together, right? Like, in a romantic relationship."
Videl pinched her lips together, her gaze shifting sideways as a burning sensation tingled her cheeks, unable to stop the blush from tinting them. Her reaction seemed to be enough to confirm Sharpner's hypothesis, and the boy kept going.
"That's what I thought. And I got the info I needed from Gohan, too ━ he definitely likes you."
Her heart jolted without her consent, and Videl couldn't help looking at Sharpner with hope in her eyes.
"He told me himself," Sharpner added with a smirk, leaving no room for doubt.
Videl flushed. "Wh… What?"
"He didn't really know until I pointed it out to him, but then he admitted to having feelings for you."
Her heart was now hammering hard against her ribcage, as though it was trying to burst out of her chest.
Was he serious? Gohan… liked her? She had been so sure that her feelings were one-sided, and now he was telling her that Gohan felt the same way?
Videl swallowed thickly, her face still ablaze. She covered it with her hands, trying to hide the very obvious blush, trying to make sense of what was happening.
"Why are you telling me this? I didn't want to know!"
Anger had replaced the initial shock and ━ yes ━ happiness at the news. But now that she knew about how Gohan felt about her, it just made things so much worse. Now, she had to deny not only herself, but Gohan too, when they both wished to be together. Now she would always wonder of the what-could-have-been, because it actually could have been, because Gohan had feelings for her too.
"Because I think you're being stupid," Sharpner replied bluntly, not mincing his words. They always had that in common. "I don't know what you've seen that's making you push him away, but that's stupid. You two are perfect for each other, and whatever you saw in your visions, you just have to stop it from happening."
"You think it's that easy? You think I didn't think of it myself?" she snapped at him, baring her teeth. "You have no idea… I can't take that risk, I just can't! I can't let it come true."
"Then don't," he said, as though it were that easy. "Use what you saw to avoid the bad thing from happening. But don't close yourself up just because you're afraid of getting hurt, Videl. You can't keep pushing people away like that, Videl, it's not healthy. And you'd be missing out on something great, I just know it."
"You don't know anything!" Her voice was rising the more frustrated and vexed she got. "It has nothing about getting hurt ━ Gohan would never hurt me."
Sharpner's eyebrows quirked in confusion. "Then what is this about? What are you stopping from happening?"
Videl scowled. "Like I'm gonna tell you."
"And why not? You've told me this much. I could always make you spill it, but I'd rather you be willing to tell me on your own."
"Oh yeah, you could make me, huh?" Her anger was boiling. "And how would you do that, pray tell?"
He frowned, like he didn't like what he was going to say.
"Simple. If you won't tell me, I'm going to talk to Gohan about your visions."
Her throat tightened, her eyes wide with horror. If he told Gohan, who knew what the boy was going to do with the information? What if Gohan decided to fight for her anyway, with no regard to what she would be risking if they ever got together?
"You… You bastard," she gritted out. Angry, frustrated tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. "I can't believe you would… Do you have any idea what I'm risking? Don't you think I have a damn good reason for turning my back on the potential love of my life?"
Sharpner's eyes widened at what she'd let slip up, but Videl didn't even care. What did it matter anyway? Her so-called "friend" was leaving her no choice.
"Fine, I'll tell you ━ but if you let me tell you, we're done, Sharpner. I don't care that we've been friends since we were kids. If you force me to tell you about my visions, then our friendship is over."
His jaw dropped. "W-Wait, wait a minute… You're…" He swallowed hard. His shoulders slumped. "Okay, fine, I won't ever tell anyone about what I know…"
"You better," she said, her tone threatening. The look Sharpner gave her then was so full of hurt, her heart gave a painful pang of guilt.
"I can't believe you would do that, that you would just dump me like I'm nothing after everything we've been through together," he croaked out, shaking his head in disbelief.
"I… I knew you weren't going to risk it," she admitted. "I'm sorry I had to go that far, Sharpner, I really am, but you gave me no choice. I can't let you ruin all of my efforts by telling Gohan what you know. I don't even want to imagine how he'd react, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be good for me."
"You're an idiot," Sharpner stated, his traits hardening. "Gohan really likes you, and he's the best guy you could ever find."
"Who says I'm trying to find anyone?" she retorted heatedly. Why did he have to go and tell her that her feelings for Gohan were mutual? As if this whole mess wasn't hard enough on her!
"You'd be stupid to pass up someone like him. Seriously, Videl, what could be so bad when you said yourself Gohan could very well be the love of your life?"
She silently cursed her slip-up. "It's worse than bad, Sharpner. You have no idea…"
"I really don't," he confirmed with a deep frown.
"And you never will. Nobody will."
He shook his head at her. "You're an idiot," he said once more.
But at least I'm still me, Videl answered that part for herself. It was her only consolation for turning her back on true love.
Gohan and Erasa went to the courtyard to have lunch together, sitting face-to-face on one of the picnic tables. Unlike Sharpner, who had addressed the issue with Videl directly, the half-Saiyan had no idea how to talk to Erasa about his friend. But he had promised Sharpner, and he did want to help, even if the other boy said himself that he didn't really need it.
"So…" Erasa started after a while, stretching out the word. She was already halfway done with her lunch. "What did you want to talk to me about?"
Gohan chewed slowly, a blush forming on his face as he stared at his lunch box. Erasa perked up at that, wrongly assuming that he might be nervous about asking her out.
"I wanted to talk to you about Sharpner," he finally said after swallowing his food. Erasa tilted her head in confusion.
"What about Sharpner?"
"Well… We hung up for a bit this weekend, and we ended up talking about you."
"Oh, really?" Erasa said with a coy smile, quite pleased with the information.
"…And him," Gohan added, still staring at his lunch box. He took another eggroll and chewed slowly, his face burning in embarrassment at what he was insinuating. Why did he go and volunteer himself to talk with her when Sharpner could very well ask Erasa out himself? Why would he willingly put himself in such an awkward situation?
"What do you mean?" she asked in confusion, apparently clueless as to what he was trying to say.
He felt frustrated that she didn't get it, and suddenly he understood Sharpner perfectly when he'd tried to ask him if he liked Videl as more than a friend on Saturday. He empathized with his friend, but also with anyone who had ever tried to make him understand something by subtly hinting at it, which never worked with Gohan.
He bit his lip. "I mean… You and Sharpner. I've always had a feeling you guys could be more than friends."
Erasa, much like Sharpner had, raised her eyebrows and blinked at him. But she got over it much more quickly than his male friend ━ he had to give that to her.
"You mean…"
And then her hand raised to her mouth, her eyes averted, and she flushed. Gohan couldn't help smiling at the very promising reaction.
"Me… and Sharpner?" she murmured, her voice muffled by her hand. And then the hand fell on the bench, and a smile started forming on her lips, while she stared at nothing in particular on the wooden table. "Me… and Sharpner."
I knew it, Gohan thought happily, giving himself a mental pat on the back. He may be clueless about many things, but he wasn't blind either.
"So you like him too?" he asked for confirmation.
She looked up at him and her breath hitched. "Too? You mean…?"
Gohan gave an awkward smile. Well, it was too late to take it back now. Besides, it was better if Erasa knew about Sharpner's feelings, at least that way she wouldn't doubt his sincerity when he asked her out.
Besides, Sharpner had asked him about Erasa's feelings too, and his answer turned out to be a correct assumption.
"Yeah, he likes you too. He reacted a lot like you when I brought it up, for that matter," Gohan recalled fondly.
Erasa's blush deepened. "Oh, geez, oh, gosh… Does that mean he's going to ask me out?" she asked him, a hopeful glint in her eyes.
"He's planning to, yes," Gohan replied. "I was just making sure I was right about you liking him back."
"Wait… You figured it out? For real?" she asked in disbelief, and her tone made him frown.
"I do notice these things," he muttered and crossed his arms, vexed at how astonished she sounded at the mere idea that he could have put two and two together all on his own. He wasn't that bad!
"Except when they're about you, I guess," Erasa added with an amused giggle. "Do you know how many girls have been hitting on you since your very first day of school? Me included!"
Gohan blinked. "Huh? Really? When?"
Erasa laughed heartily. "Exactly!"
He gave an awkward smile. Okay, she had a point here.
Well, at least he kept his promise to Sharpner, and now all that was left was for the blond boxer to ask out his childhood friend, who was definitely going to say yes. Not too shabby, was he?
"What is Sharpner talking to Videl about, by the way?"
Gohan looked down and flushed at the question. "Pretty much the same thing as us… but about Videl and me."
Erasa's face lit up. "Oohhhh! You like Videl? Can't believe I missed that!"
His blush worsened. Gohan swallowed hard. "But something's holding Videl back. Because we do get along, but for some reason she won't be friends with me." He bit his lip. "And Sharpner said he was going to put some sense into her… whatever that means."
"How intriguing," Erasa commented with a coy smile, tapping her chin with her forefinger while her baby blue eyes shifted upwards and to the side. "Well, I can't wait for you two to get together!" She clasped her hands together close to her cheek, her finger intertwined. "Oh, and we could go on double dates, too!"
Gohan couldn't help the fond smile that curved his lips at the thought. Even though he told Sharpner he was fine with just being friends with Videl… a part of him still wished for more. And he liked the idea of going out with Videl. Going on a double date with his friends sounded fun, too.
His heart was picking up, unable to help feeling hopeful. How was the talk going between Sharpner and Videl? His male friend had seemed pretty confident he could change Videl's mind, and Gohan really hoped that was true.
Man, to think, just a few days ago, he had no idea he even liked Videl like that… And now she was all he'd been thinking about. Granted, he'd been thinking about her a lot already, even before Sharpner made him realize that he liked her, but now it got so much worse.
His heart jolted in excitement. He'd never felt this way before, and he couldn't help how happy it was making him. When he started high school, Gohan knew he would be experiencing new things, but never did the thought that he would get his first crush ever cross his mind. And yet, here he was, unable to stop thinking about the girl he liked…
Surely Sharpner and Videl's talk went well, right?
January 6, 2021
