Exhale
Chapter 4: Closer To Home
SeverelyAlone
"Good morning, everyone," came the sound of my uncle's voice. He quickly made his way downstairs pulling a very flustered Bra behind him. Hmm, she doesn't look so good.
I caught her gaze and noticed she looked fairly confused. After pulling her downstairs, Goten quickly headed for the kitchen leaving Bra just standing there with her baffled thoughts. I walked over to Bra to get her attention. I stood there for about a minute waiting for her to say something, anything.
"Hey, Bra, are you alright?" I asked feeling concerned for my friend.
"Uh, I-" Bra was interrupted as my uncle appeared in the doorway with a plate piled with food.
"C'mon, guys! You're missing out on all the food," he said while stuffing his face. He looked over at Bra and finally noticed she wasn't being her usual self. She seemed withdrawn. He walked over to her, and I realized that was probably my cue to leave. I would have plenty of time to talk to her later. I left the two alone.
oOoOoOo
No, Pan. Don't leave me, I mentally screamed. My eyes were fixated on her as she practically abandoned me with the one person I couldn't bare to be around at the moment.
"B, what's wrong?" Goten asked looking at me with a pretty concerned stare, "If it's about what happened earlier, I'm really sorry," he said while his voice trailed off. He dropped his stare to the ground.
"No, Goten, it's okay," I said trying not to make my nervousness show, "I was just thinking, that's all."
He smiled slightly and said, "Alright." I quickly snatched a piece of bacon from his plate and took a bite.
"Hey, now," he said as he jerked his plate out of my reach, "get your own food." We laughed as we followed the delightful aroma of food into the kitchen.
oOoOoOo
"Hey, Trunks," I said as I sat down next to my boyfriend, "I think something's up with your sister and my uncle." I laughed as he immediately almost choked on his breakfast.
"Whoa! What? Did he make a move on my sister?!" He yelled slightly above a whisper. He balled up his fist and furrowed his eyebrows. He looked as if he was about to kick some major ass.
"Calm down, Trunks! That's not what I meant!" I said trying to get him to compose himself. I brought his fist back down and grabbed a hold of his arm.
I giggled as he put his other hand over his chest and took a slight breather. I ran my fingers through a few strands of his hair.
"You need to keep your cool, Mr. President."
"Pan, you do realize that you almost gave me my first heart attack?" I couldn't help but laugh at the seriousness of his tone.
"No, I didn't. I wasn't expecting you to overreact like a maniac," I said trying to keep my voice down as I saw Bra and Goten come into the kitchen.
"Hope we're not interrupting anything?" Goten asked with a mischievous grin.
"Actually, I was just about to kick you-"
"Trunks!" I interrupted as my overprotective boyfriend was about to make the wrong move. "We'll continue our conversation after breakfast," I emphasized while glaring daggers in his eyes. I was thankful that Bra and Goten weren't paying attention to Trunks and I at that moment. They had already wandered off into the dining room.
He looked at me and decided to give in, "Ok, ok."
"Great," I smiled and released his arm from my grip. He leaned down and kissed me, drawing me closer to him.
I pulled away to catch my breath. "Hey, I'm going to see if Bra wants to hang out today. You can spend some time with Uncle Goten if you want."
"Only if you promise to tell me what's going on when I get back," he said.
"Alright, I promise. That's if I find out what's going on," I grabbed my purse off the counter and gave him one last kiss, "See you later, Trunks."
Now to find Bra.
oOoOoOo
I sat alone in the dining room with a dozen empty plates stacked in front of me. Bra had been dragged off by Pan to have some girl time or whatever it was that girl's did when they were together.
I couldn't help but think about the kiss Bra and I shared. I wonder if she's going to tell Pan. Doesn't really matter, it's not like she would tell anyone. Should I tell Trunks? I mean it was an innocent mistake after all. It's not like I did it on purpose. Bra probably hates me now. She was acting so strange after it happened.
Way to go, Goten. You've made your best friend uncomfortable to be around you. I wish I had never kissed her, then she wouldn't feel so awkward around me now. Something was unmistakably different with her though. A kiss has never had such an effect on me before. It was unreal.
I sighed and dropped my head in my hands, "What am I going to do?" I asked myself.
I hadn't noticed Vegeta standing right behind me. "What are you going to do about what, boy?" I shot up as I heard his unmistakable voice. I turned around rather quickly and saw him leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed.
"Oh, uh, it's nothing Vegeta. I-I was just talking to myself." I said trying not to act surprised; however, I couldn't stop myself from pulling off the old trademark grin I had inherited from my father. Damn, genes, I mentally cursed myself. He didn't look like his normal self, something was different. I noticed he had a sly grin on his face which was obviously replacing his normal everyday smirk. It wasn't something I was use to seeing very often.
I slowly turned around in my seat and tried to avoid that fact that he was staring daggers at my back. I wonder if he knows about Bra and ? I lowered my gaze to my hands folded in my lap.
I listened as he slightly laughed. "Did you forget that I can read minds, boy?"
My eyes almost popped out of their sockets while my head shot up. "Uh, exactly… how long… were you, uh, standing behind me?" I asked very uneasily while turning to face him.
"Long enough to know what's on your mind." He smirked.
"Oh, shit," I murmured.
He turned around and nodded in the direction of the gravity room. "To the gravity room, boy. You and I need to talk," Vegeta said with a lighter tone than usual. I got up and cautiously trailed behind him.
oOoOoOo
"Where are we going, Pan?" I asked.
"You and I are going to the mall. They have a big sale I know you'll love!"
Unbeknownst to Pan I wasn't really in the shopping mood, but hopefully I would be able to get Goten off of my mind for at least a little while.
We pulled into the West City Mall parking lot and made our way into a very crowded shopping area. The place was packed and was only adding to my already heightened anxiety.
After going in and out of several stores, Pan finally realized I wasn't interested in being here. I followed her to the food court and gloomily plopped myself down in a seat at one of the empty tables. I brought my hands up and rested my chin on them. I sighed loudly and focused my stare on the middle of our table.
"Bra, are you going to-"
"He kissed me," I said before she could ask me anything. I didn't move.
"What?" she asked. I glanced up at her and saw an overly confused facial expression.
"Goten kissed me," I removed my hands and leaned back as far as I could in my chair. "He ruined everything."
"Wait… what?" Pan was shocked.
"He didn't mean to kiss me. It was an accident, just an accident," I crossed my arms.
We sat in silence for about five minutes before Pan could muster up something to say.
"How did it ruin everything? I thought you loved him?" she asked not grasping the entirety of the situation.
"I do. That's what makes this whole ordeal worse. His kiss was everything I thought it would be and more. I can't just forget it ever happened, I can't forget him. How am I suppose to go on with my life knowing I'll never have that moment again?"
I felt the tears once again begin to sting my eyes. I knew in my heart that this was a feeling I would have to get used to. I covered my face and promised myself I wouldn't cry. I quickly removed my hands and exhaled.
The section of the food court we were occupying was basically empty due to all the sales and that fact that it was still fairly earlier. I looked up at Pan. She was about to say something when we heard an all too familiar voice. Pan's head glanced in the direction of the voice and her jaw dropped.
I couldn't help but lean forward and glance in the same direction. My jaw about hit the floor. There in front of my very eyes was Goten's girlfriend, the love of his life, Paris. But she wasn't alone, she was with a man, and it definitely wasn't Goten.
It wouldn't have been so bad if she wasn't holding his hands and dangling only inches away from his lips. Yes, this was bad. This was very bad. And if Goten found out, it would only end up worse.
I covered my mouth while I watched her close the small gap between the two as she leaned into a passionate kiss that I had never even witnessed her give to Goten. I couldn't help, but feel extremely pissed at that moment. She apparently had no idea how much Goten loved her, and she obviously didn't care if he did or not.
I removed my hand from my gaping mouth as I watched the couple walk away hand-in-hand. I slowly leaned back in my seat and looked up at Pan who was just as shocked as I was. We were both at a loss for words. Neither of us said anything for a few minutes.
"What the hell was that?!" Pan yelled as she pointed in the direction they had disappeared to. "Who the hell does she think she is?!" Pan was beyond angry. I've never seen her this mad, I thought.
If ever there was a button that could set Pan off, Paris had definitely pushed it. This wasn't going to be pretty.
oOoOoOo
I closed the door behind me after I entered the gravity room. I could feel my hands trembling. I was incredibly nervous because I had no idea what Vegeta had planned for me, but my senses were telling me I already knew. I braced myself for the hit that surprisingly never came.
I carefully turned around while keeping my guard up only to find that Vegeta was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and eyes shut like he was meditating.
"You can let your defenses down, boy. I'm not going to hurt you," he said.
What is with him?, I thought. Maybe I should just confess and get this pounding over with.
"Look, Vegeta. It was a complete accident. I didn't mean to," I said hoping he would take it easy on me.
He just shook his head and laughed it off. He sure is getting a kick out of letting me squirm, I thought
"You and my daughter have been best friends for how long now, 3, 4 years?" he asked as he focused all of his attention on me.
"Uh, 4 years now. But why? What does that have to do with anything?" I asked not understanding what he was getting at.
"You're absolutely oblivious to her feelings aren't you?" Her feelings? Whose feelings? What's he talking about?
"I figured since you've been friends with her so long, it would be pretty obvious to see that she has a strong bond with you," he said.
Vegeta can't actually think that Bra has feelings for me, can he? There's no way Bra would see me as more than a friend. She couldn't hide something like that from me.
"Oh, yes she can. And she obviously did an excellent job of it," Vegeta said interrupting my thoughts. I glanced up at him to see if he was at all serious. Sure enough, I could tell he was dead serious.
"Vegeta, are you out of your mind? She can't possibly see me in that way," I said hoping he would burst out into a fit of laughter and tell me it was all a joke. But this was Vegeta we were talking about, he wasn't one to joke about serious manners, especially concerning his daughter.
Vegeta walked slowly towards the entrance of the gravity room and rested his had on the door handle. "Bra knows I'm in a relationship. She knows I love Paris," I said trying to convince him away from what I knew could possibly be the truth.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that, boy," he said with a smirk. And with that he was gone.
Of course I love Paris!
I made a mental note to have a more in-depth conversation with him later, but for now I wasn't going to worry about it. I needed to find out the truth because apparently I was far from it.
oOoOoOo
"I can't believe she had the nerve to cheat on my own uncle! She means everything to him!" Pan threw herself onto my bed and covered her face with her hands.
"How are you going to tell Goten about this Pan?" I asked.
"I'm not!" I looked over at her confused. She removed her hands from her face and leaned up, "You are."
"What? Pan… I can't tell him!" I said trying not to raise my voice.
"Bra, you have to! You're his best friend. He would know it was the truth coming from your mouth. He trusts you more than any of us."
"I don't know, Pan. He's going to have a hard time believing that the love of his life would do such a thing," I said with great emphasis. I really didn't want to get caught in the middle of this mess. I mean sure I was his best friend, but I don't think I could handle such a big confrontation.
"Bra, please. You have to," she began to pout and beg.
"Alright, alright already. But… I'm not going to tell him until after we get back from Vegas. I don't want this to ruin his trip. He's been looking forward to this forever," I said not realizing what I just got myself into.
"Thanks, I agree. And you know what?" she asked getting a little excited.
"What?" I asked calmly.
"This means you might have a shot at getting with my uncle!" she hugged me until I couldn't breathe.
"Pan, let me go," I said while trying to break free of her death grip. "I don't think I have that much of a shot. We're only friends, nothing more."
"Right now you guys are only friends, but maybe one day I'll be calling you Aunt Bra!" Pan yelled. I reached over and grabbed a pillow trying to smother her laughter with it.
"Quiet down, Pan. Someone might hear you!"
She forcefully pushed the pillow off of her face and tried desperately to fix her now messed up hair.
"You're always so loud, Pan-chan," I stated, "You need to learn how to control yourself!"
"Sorry, you're right," she said quietly.
"Well, I'm going to go see where your brother is. I told him he could hang out with Goten while we were out, but you and I were only gone for an hour. I doubt they've even left yet," she said getting up.
"Alright, well, I'll see you later, Pan," I said as I waved goodbye.
"See ya," she left the room and I found myself somewhat troubled.
"Great, what did I get myself into. Goten will never believe me, even if I am his best friend." I said while holding a picture of the two of us. I smiled to myself and began to worry again.
I laid down on my bed and wondered where this all would lead.
oOoOoOo
"Hey, Goten. Where the hell have you been? We were suppose to hang out today, man," said Trunks as he came barging into the living room. I sat there wondering whether I should even mention the fact that Vegeta and I had an important discussion. Oh, what could it hurt?
"Your dad and I were having an actual conversation," I said while rolling my eyes. I sunk deeper into the seat of the sofa I had been sitting in.
"Whoa! What?" he said. Apparently that caught his attention because he quickly made his way over to me and took a seat. "Did you just say you and MY dad had a conversation?"
"Yea, we did. Weird, huh?" I crossed my arms and tilted my head upwards leaning back even further into the sofa.
"What could you two possibly have to talk about?" he said trying his best not to laugh.
"You'd be surprised," I said and tilted my head downwards. He was about to say something when Pan walked in.
"Hey, you guys," she said. She walked over to Trunks and reached her hand out to him. "I figured you guys hadn't left yet. You want to go out, Trunks?"
Trunks took her hand as she helped pull him onto his feet. He wrapped his arms around her and took both of her hands into his. I looked down and noticed their fingers were intertwined. For the first time in my life, I felt a pang of jealousy. Of course I had Paris, but it seemed like lately we had been so distant. She was always busy. We barely held hands like that anymore, let alone seen each other.
I found myself wishing Paris and I were like Trunks and Pan. They were always happy, and lately I just wasn't feeling too great. I sat there and watched the two lovebirds for a brief moment until I remembered something.
"Hey, Pan? I thought you and B were going to hang out?" I watched her intently and noticed she became a little uneasy. "I, uh, I mean, Bra wasn't feeling to great, so she, wanted to come home," she said not so positively. Pan's eyes told a different story. Something wasn't right. I knew when Pan was lying, but for some reason I felt like I didn't want to know the answer. I just let it go.
"Oh, okay," I said as I pulled myself off the sofa. I grabbed my coat and headed for the front door. "I guess I'm going to head home you guys. I need to finish up some stuff."
"Alright, see you later, man," I heard Trunks say.
"Oh, and Trunks. Tell Bra I'll pick her up at 9am Friday. That's when we're heading out." He nodded in agreement and said, "Will do."
I looked over at Pan. She seemed like she was debating on whether or not to tell me something. But instead, she simply settled for a goodbye.
I walked over to my car and quickly got inside. It had been freezing outside the past few days, and the last thing I needed was to catch a cold before our big trip. I glanced up at Bra's window and saw her standing there. She faintly smiled and put her hand to the glass. She waved goodbye and I did the same. A smile crept onto my face as I began to leave the Briefs' property.
She didn't look sick to me, I thought. I let out a small laugh as I realized that there was more to the story then everyone was letting onto. Something was obviously looming around, and it was beginning to look as if I was in the middle of it all.
oOoOoOo
"Okay, Pan. What's going on?" I asked my uneasy girlfriend.
"Trunks," she looked up at me and opened her mouth. She was having trouble trying to find the right words. She sighed, "I trust you."
"I know you do," I said. I let go of one of her hands and led her over to the couch with the other. We sat down and she turned towards me.
She smiled half-heartedly. "If I tell you something. Can I trust you enough to not tell my Uncle Goten?"
"Sure. You have my word."
"Bra and I went to the mall today, Trunks. But we saw somebody there, doing something we weren't meant to see," she said looking a little hurt.
"Ok," I said. I knew this wasn't going to be good.
"It was Paris, Trunks," she said softly. "She was with another man."
"What?!"
"Yea, that's what I thought when I saw the two of them, holding hands and kissing," she said slightly angered.
"But, are you sure it was her?" I asked frantically.
"Positive," she said with not a doubt in her voice. I leaned back into the sofa just as I seen Goten do earlier. I began to wonder where Goten and Paris's relationship could have went wrong. Those two were always so happy. What went wrong?
"Trunks, she wasn't like she is with Goten. She kissed this guy with so much passion," she said, "like they were the only two people in the world. Like you and I." She shook her head.
"I don't know what to do, Trunks. Goten loves her. He would be heartbroken."
I clasped my hands together with my elbows on my knees.
"Is that why you and Bra came home early? Because you saw the two of them together?"
"Yea. I had to keep myself from powering up and smacking some nonsense into her," she said with no hesitation.
"We have to tell him Pan. You know that," I said looking over at her.
"Bra's going to. I told her it would probably be best if she did. Being his best friend and all, I think he would handle it better."
"Yea, I think so too."
I laid down on the sofa and pulled Pan down beside me. We laid there for awhile not saying a word. We both knew this would hit Goten hard. We just never imagined how hard.
oOoOoOo
I stood by my window as I overlooked the vicinity of my home. Goten was just getting into his car. He looked up at me, and I smiled. I rested my hand on the glass that was separating us. I waved goodbye and he repeated my gesture. He smiled as he began to pull out of the driveway.
I only wondered if he would be able to smile like that again once he found out the heartbreaking truth.
A/N: Wow. Sorry it took so long for me to update. I've had quite a few finals over the last couple weeks so I've been doing some much needed studying and I got stuck on how to go about this chapter. I liked how it turned out though. I'll be going out of town this weekend and I won't be able to get much writing done so expect the next chapter in no more than 2 weeks. Let me know what you guys thought. Reviews are always appreciated.