NATSU NO SAIGO NO HI

Shi

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The warm sun with yellow hues was still reining the day, but as time goes by it was slowly transforming into a different color. The free skies were not just blue but also endless, stratus clouds all over, making it a better and refreshing day despite the heat.

"So you're new here?" Pluto asked, walking slowly to match my mine and Klio's pace. Lucky him, the floor is not shiny and smooth, he managed to walk while wearing those wheels. He introduced himself to me earlier so I also did. "I'm always here at the park, practicing almost every day. So I kinda familiarized some faces that come here usually."

"Uh, yeah. My family just moved here recently," I answered.

"Really?" Wide eyes, lips almost smiling. He stopped for a while to confirm what I just said. That's when I nodded. "I thought you're with someone who's living here since you know, it's vacation." He added.

"I was originally from Vancouver." It was a village near the city proper, where our former home was.

"Kayo ba yung bumili ng bahay sa may California street?"

"Yes, the one with a blue gate." I stared at the cemented pavement, too shy to look at him. "How did you know?"

"Small village. We often know what happens in every corner. I also heard that that house was for sale months ago. Though no one bought it until your family did."

We continued walking. He invited me to the skate park when I said I have nothing to do, which is basically just a few meters from the main park. He's still a stranger to me, but I have this difficulty in saying no to someone, that's why I joined him. Mukha naman siyang mapagkakatiwalaan.

The skate park was empty as always. Except that there's a duffle bag with a pair of vans off the wall shoes on the center. I assumed it was Pluto's, since he said earlier that he saw Klio sniffing his shoes while he's practicing. That might be it.

We slide down to the sunken skate park. The aggressive ramps are intended for skateboards and their tricks. I can imagine Reki and Langa will usually hang here, spending their vacant time doing some ollies.

[Reki and Langa are characters from the anime Sk8. Ollie - a maneuver in skateboarding in which the skater kicks the tail of the board down while jumping in order to make the board pop into the air.]

"So, do you skate?" Pluto asked. He sat beside on the duffle bag, putting his vans shoes inside his bag. I'm even impressed that he managed to left that unattended.

"Skateboards?" I asked him back, sitting next to him but a little far.

"Yeah, or roller skates, anything that you can enjoy in this kind of place."

"I have a skateboard at home," I said. "But I don't use it."

"Then why did you bought it?" I shrugged. To be honest, I just bought that when I watched Sk8 Infinity. Langa's kickflip got me and I thought buying one isn't bad. But I didn't really rode it, I'm scared I might fall.