"What?" Gohan raised his eyebrows at the paper in his hands and had a confused look on his face.

"A karaoke party." Erasa repeated with a lovely smile on her lips. "You're going, right?"

"Uh…" He scratched the back of his neck. "I'm not sure… I can't sing, so a karaoke party isn't for me. I'm sorry, Erasa."

"Hmmm…" She didn't bother hiding her disappointment. "I understand that, but are you really going to let that stop you?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You never try new or different things." She looked right into his dark eyes and he felt his cheeks burning. "How do you live?"

"How do I… live?"

"That's right." She nodded. "You don't seem to do things teenagers do. When do you have fun?"

"I… I…" Gohan looked around nervously, desperate for a reason to end that conversation, but couldn't find any. So he went for the only option left for him. "Oh, look at the time! It's getting late and I need to go home. My mom must be worried. I'll see you tomorrow, Erasa!" He yelled over his shoulder and waved at his friend while running down the hall.

"Gohan, we're not finished! Come back here!"

"I'm sorry, I really can't."

.

Gohan sat on the rooftop after dinner that night. He stared at the full moon and the stars as he let his mind wander for a while. He couldn't stop thinking about what Erasa had asked him earlier, and he hated to admit it, but she was right. He never had fun. It wasn't like he didn't want to sometimes, but his future was on the line. Besides, he didn't socialize much because things could get out of hand. He sighed deeply and lied down.

"Gohan?" Chi-Chi's voice echoed in his ears and he turned his head to his left, where she was standing. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine, mom. Do you need anything?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." She moved to sit beside him and embraced her knees, avoiding any eye contact with him. "I need to know what's on your mind."

Gohan couldn't help but let out a small laugh at that. He placed his hands behind his head and stared at the sky once again.

"I was invited to a party."

"That's great, son!" She cheered and pressed her hands together. "Whose party is it?"

"Ah, it's from a friend from school."

"Videl?"

"No." Gohan shook his head. "Erasa. I don't know if you remember her. She only came here once."

"Hmm, I don't remember hearing that name before." Chi-Chi placed her index finger under her chin and looked up, trying to search about it in her mind. "Either way, are you going?"

"No, probably not."

"And may I know why not?" She inquired and their eyes met for the first time since she joined him.

"Huh?" The teenager raised his eyebrows with surprise. "What do you mean by that? I have to study."

"There's nothing wrong with taking a night off, sweetheart." He was taken by surprise when he felt her hand over his.

"Mom, are you okay?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, normally you'd say I should study as much as possible, to become a great scientist."

"Yeah… I started looking at things differently when your father died and Goten was born." Chi-Chi squeezed his hand lightly. "So I say you should go to this party."

Gohan bit his lower lip, clearly contemplating the idea, but still unsure about it.

"If you want to, that is. If you don't, it's fine too. As long as you're okay with whatever decision you take."

"I know. Thanks, mom."

"You're welcome." She smiled warmly at him and then looked up again. "Are you feeling better now?"

"I am." He nodded. "I really needed to have this conversation."

"I'm glad to hear that." She give his shoulder a light squeeze before standing up. "Alright, being here makes me a little dizzy, so I'm going in. Are you?"

"In a few minutes. The sky is very pretty tonight, so I want to look at it a little more."

"Okay, don't take too long to go inside. It's getting a little chilly here."

"I won't."

.

The week went by in the blink of an eye, to Gohan's relief. Everyone was talking about Erasa's party and what they'd be wearing for it. Eventually she stopped asking him if he was going, but he could still see the disappointment in her eyes sometimes when they exchanged glances. They made him feel uneasy. To make things worse, he couldn't stop thinking about what he and Chi-Chi had talked a few nights ago. Maybe he should go to Erasa's party after all. If he wanted to embrace his earthling side, he would have to act like a normal teenager. That included socializing with other people, even if they did things he didn't agree with.

.

Goten was happily swinging his legs on his bed and laughing quite loudly while reading a comic when Gohan walked into their shared bedroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist.

"What are you reading?"

"It's a comic Trunks lent me. It's so funny, Gohan. You should read it."

"What is it about?"

"Oh, it's about a boy who tries to be a super hero, but fails incredibly."

Gohan couldn't help but think that story sounded a lot like Great Saiyaman, except the last part. He could never be a failure as a hero.

"Let me see it."

"Gohan, don't you think this boy's disguise looks like yours?"

The older boy looked down and raised his eyebrows. "It really does. I guess the writer found inspiration on his outfit."

"Suddenly it's not so funny anymore." Goten frowned and threw the comic aside, crossing his arms right after. "You're so much cooler than him."

"Haha, thanks Goten." Gohan chuckled and turned to grab some clothes in his drawer and wardrobe.

"Where are you going?"

"I have a party tonight."

"I thought you weren't going."

"Yeah, I changed my mind."

"Can I go with you?" Goten asked full of hope and Gohan felt his heart break into a million of pieces.

"I'm sorry, Goten. It's not a party for children. But I promise I'll take you to that park nearby tomorrow."

"You promise?"

"Of course!"

"Yay!" He jumped out of his bed and went to tell Chi-Chi the big news.

Gohan couldn't help but smile at his little brother and his naivety.

.

Gohan was in awe when he landed outside the place Erasa was having her party. He knew she had a rich family, just like Videl, but he had no idea it was this rich. After a moment of admiration, he shook his head and walked in.

If outside was already stunning, the inside was hundred times more. Gohan couldn't help but wonder how much her family must have spent on that party. Probably thousands. The floor looked like a chess board, with black and white floor tiles, and the whole place was decorated with golden and silver, with some red mixed in. It looked like the inside of a castle or a palace. It didn't take long until a piercing scream echoed in his ears, and he turned towards where voice was coming from.

"You made it!" Erasa came to him with a large grin on her face. "I can't believe you're here!"

"Well, you better believe it." He smiled back at her and felt his cheeks burning when he noticed her outfit. He was taken aback when she threw her arms around his neck and jumped on him.

"I'm so glad you came!" She pulled away from him and grabbed his hand, pulling him further down the place. "Come on, let's go meet everyone."

Gohan gradually felt more relaxed as time went by. He chatted with both Videl and Sharpner and even watched them go to the dancefloor and dance to a few songs together. Then his eyes fell on his blonde friend and he felt his cheeks burning red for the second time that night. There was something about the way she was dancing that got him mesmerized. Before he knew it, a smile appeared on his lips and he started moving his foot in the rhythm of the song. He followed Erasa as she went to the dancefloor and felt his cheeks become even more redder when she met his gaze and gave him a beautiful smile. It didn't take long for her to get near him and grab his hand softly.

"Don't you want to dance?"

"Uh… no." He replied, looking at her. "I'm a terrible dancer. Believe me, you wouldn't want to dance with me."

"Don't be ridiculous. I don't see why anybody wouldn't want to dance with you because of that. Besides, I'm sure you're not that bad."

"Ah, no. I am. believe me."

"I'll decide if you're a good dancer or not when I see it." She pulled him to the dancefloor, with much more strength than Gohan was expecting.

.

The cool breeze messed up Gohan's hair when he walked out on the rooftop of the building. At that moment, almost all the guests had left. The hybrid Saiyan was about to go home as well, so he went looking for the birthday girl everywhere. Eventually he had to resort to finding her by her ki. And that's where it led him.

"So this is where you are."

His cheerful voice echoed in Erasa's ear and she turned around with the most beautiful grin. This time, not only Gohan felt his cheeks turn bright pink, his heart started beating faster in his shook his head, trying to hide the blush on his face.

"Yeah, I needed some air."

"Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine." She put a locker of her long blond hair behind her ear. She had put on extensions for her party, but Gohan thought she looked pretty with them. "Did the guests leave yet?"

"All of them, to be honest." He hoped she wouldn't feel upset because of that.

"I see. So in other words, you're the only who stayed."

"Actually, I…" He gave an awkward smile and rubbed the back of his neck. "Basically, yes. Everyone else didn't know where you were and ended up leaving without saying goodbye. I'm sorry, that wasn't a nice thing to do."

"Well, they would have to leave eventually, wouldn't they?" She sat on a bench nearby and stared at the wall ahead of her.

"Well, yes." Gohan stopped beside her, behind the bench. He wasn't sure whether he should sit down or not.

"You can sit down if you want." Erasa said in a reassuring tone, still not looking at the boy next to her. Instead, she was combing her hair with her fingers.

Without saying a word, he followed her instructions, trying to keep a safe distance from her, so their arms wouldn't touch accidentally.

"I'm happy you came, Gohan." She spoke softly beside him, and for the first time since he came out there, they made eye contact.

"I'm glad too." He confessed with a smile. "I've had a great time tonight."

"You have no idea how happy that makes me." She beamed with happiness. Then she looked over her shoulder and her smile disappeared. "Too bad the party is over now. It went by so fast."

"Yeah. Speaking of that…" He motioned to stand and was surprised to feel her holding his hand. He looked over his right shoulder towards her. "Erasa, what are…"

"Do you really have to go?" Her bright blue eyes looked into his black ones and Gohan felt a lump on his throat.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. My mom will be worried if I take too long to arrive."

"Come on." She insisted. "Just for half an hour, I promise."

.

And so the thirty minutes turned into a whole hour. Erasa and Gohan were having fun at the karaoke. The boy felt much relaxed when it was just the two of them and even sang a cheerful pop song that was a big success at the time. He had heard her and Videl sing it a lot of times, though the latter never admitted that out loud.

"That was amazing, Gohan!" Erasa exclaimed with a grin and clapped her hands a few times. "You should sing more often."

"Uh… no, thanks." He chuckled and scratched the back of his neck. "I'm just as bad at it as I am at dancing."

"I've seen it and I guarantee that you're not as bad as you think. I've seen worse guys, trust me."

"Thank you, Erasa. That means a lot to me."

"You look cute when you're embarrassed." She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek, feeling her own burning with embarrassment.

It was when she had an idea, so she went to put a love song on the karaoke. Gohan shifted with discomfort in his seat when the first chords of the song started playing in the room. She started singing the first few lines and suddenly stopped; her eyes still locked on her friend. She stood right in front of him.

"Erasa… aren't you going to sing?" Gohan didn't know how he managed to speak, with her so close to him.

"I could… but I thought of something more interesting to do right now." She grabbed his hand; still looking at him intensely.

"R-Really?"

"I've had a crush on you for a while now, and I've caught you looking at me a few times."

"I… I…" Gohan felt his hands sweating. He absolutely had no idea how to react in a situation like this.

The following events happened so fast he barely had time to react or understand what was going on. Erasa had her lips pressed against his, and it was only when she had her arms wrapped around his neck that he reluctantly did the same around her waist. She didn't want to push her luck in deepening their first kiss and scare him. There'd be time for that in the future, she was sure. So she pulled away after a few seconds and giggled when she saw his blushing cheeks.

"I knew you felt something too!" She beamed with happiness and then went to turn off the karaoke. The hybrid Saiyan, on the other hand, looked like a statue. The blonde couldn't help but find the situation a little funny. "Gohan, you don't need to be so embarrassed. It was just a kiss."

"I-I know." He shook his head and looked at her, offering her a half smile. Then he shoved his hand in his pocket, to pick his phone up. His eyes widened when he realized it was way past the time he promised Chi-Chi he'd be home.

"My mom is going to kill me." He was happy the words found their way out of his mouth, yet he cursed himself mentally for not saying anything about the kiss instead.

"I can talk to her if you want. After all, I was the one who begged you to stay."

"Thank you. I'm sure she will understand though."

"Well, in case she doesn't… I'm here."

"Thanks, Erasa." He motioned to leave the room, but to his surprise – and hers – he came back and kissed her on the left cheek. "Tonight was amazing."

.

Gohan looked around the street, to make sure there was no one around. When he was sure it was safe enough, he whistled and softly called for the flying nimbus. Flying was usually much better, but he didn't want to go home that way, considering how much his mind was racing with the last event. Sitting on the fluffy cloud would give him time to think about it. He was sure things between him and Erasa would change from now on, and if he had to be honest, he didn't mind it at all. He knew they would find a way to get through it.