Hiro stood at the top of stairs at the entrance of the university. It was colder outside than normal and the shadows of the outside of the university had made her imagination run away with her. Already the young girl could picture a Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees wanna be stepping out from the side of the tree and facing her. Unnerved she tried to put it out of her mind and had decided to try and make her way back home by herself. Aunt Cass was still running the café right now and Tadashi wouldn’t be back from her group project till later. Perhaps Hiro shouldn’t have lied about the fact that she already went home. Deciding that standing about wasn’t going to help her she eventually gathered enough courage to start walking.
It was pretty uneventful at first and there were a few people out and about. Some were couples and some were other students making a late trip home. Hiro felt vaguely comforted by this and enjoyed the cool breeze that softly hit her face. Not too much later it was then she realized how quiet it got. And that she was alone. Unease began to creep up her spine and she sped up her walk. Nothing but the still buildings, quiet breeze, and the yellow lights glowed from the lamp posts. Once again her imagination began to conjure up looming shadows with red eyes and malevolent smiles all leering at her. Suddenly the sound of an engine running jolted her out of her mood and jerked around. A bright white light illuminated the quiet street and began to speed closer.
The bike was colored black with a purple line going down the middle. Instantly Hiro recognized it as one of her sister’s friends, Gogo, the motorcyclist. They had only met a few times and yet Hiro felt she had somehow made a bad impression on the quiet boy. Their conversations were somewhat one-sided, and he didn’t seem to care for her company, not after her less then welcomed teasing of their “nerd school” and overconfidence. Thankfully the rest of the group were welcoming to her, but now and then Hiro couldn’t help but wonder if they were just being nice. After all she was Tadashi’s sister, would they treat her differently if she had no relation to the good-natured girl?
She would have to stew in her doubt later if she wished to avoid yet another awkward encounter. Quickly she pulled her hood over her head and slumped her form slightly as avoid attention. The bike sped past her but suddenly came to a screeching halt. Gogo stopped and pulled off his helmet, glancing backwards.
“Hiro?” he called out.
The young girl felt her cheeks grow red as she fiddled with the sleeves of her grey jacket.
“Uhhh… yeah?” she replied.
“What are you doing here?” he asked as he made his way towards her.
“I was taking care of some late work and I guess I just lost track of the time.” Hiro answered, forcing a small laugh.
“I thought Tadashi said- well, never mind, hop on, I’ll give you a ride.” He said.
“No, no it’s fine, home is just another few blocks away and-“
“It’s not safe for you to be walking alone Hiro. A lot of weirdoes wander around at this time of night.” Gogo said making the other stiffen a bit.
“Well- all right. If you really don’t mind.”
“Course I don’t, come on.” The two went over to his bike, the older one getting on first, then Hiro in tow. “Okay, hold on tight.” He said, though it sounded more like a command rather than a request. Hiro reached over and wrapped her thin arms around his waist. He felt warm and strong right to the touch and the younger one couldn’t help but blush. Even if she would never admit it, Gogo was quite handsome. She hugged onto him tightly, then he put the bike in gear and drove down the road. Hiro had never been on a motorcycle before, so it was frighteningly exciting, in a strange way.
The wind hit them like ice sheets, and she buried her face into his back. The leather he was wearing felt slightly charred against her face but smelled good. She couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was, but it just seemed comforting. Gogo had always loved speed, so part of her wondered if he was just out and about just for the sake of a joyride. Before long, she caught sight of the warm café and breathed a sigh of relief. Getting home safely had never felt so nice. They both came to a stop and soon pulled over in front.
“All right…” Gogo muttered, mostly to himself. Hiro hopped off and turned around to meet his gaze.
“Thank you, I really appreciate the ride.” She said.
“No problem. Was it fun?” he asked, leaning against the handles.
“Yeah. It really was. I’ve never ridden a motorcycle before. Aunt Cass would probably have a heart attack if she knew.” Hiro replied, double checking behind her that the woman wasn’t in sight. Gogo let off a small chuckle.
“Sounds like her.”
“Yeah… well, you have a good night. Don’t wander too late.” Hiro replied, and was about to turn around before the other stopped her.
“Hey.” He said.
“Hmm? Is something wrong?”
“Do you have your phone on you?”
“Yeah, why?”
“What’s your phone number?”
“Oh- it’s-“ Hiro quickly fumbled for it and pulled it out of her pocket to read him the numbers. He sent a test message just to make sure it got through.
“Got it. Just call me if you need a ride okay?”
“Okay. Um- thank you, that’s really kind of you.” Hiro replied, earning a small grin from the older boy.
“I’ll see you next week, bye.” He said before speeding off.
Hiro watched him as he disappeared down the road and no longer in her sight.