"I challenge you, Joe."
"Is she for real right now?"
"No way, dude! She's gonna get herself killed!"
"Who does she think she is? She's gonna get destroyed!"
The crowd around them began to erupt into a roar upon the declaration. Whispering to one another, readying their phones to capture live footage of whatever was about to go down. Joe appeared more than pleased he'd found himself an opponent, even if he wasn't sure it'd be much of a match to begin with. To be honest, the woman in front of him didn't look like much, especially with the loose grip she held on to her board and the lack of markings the deck held. It looked like she'd never even touched it. When really, she was so excited to try out her new board, especially at a place like this where she hoped others would share the appreciation.
Cherry could only roll his eyes as the two readied themselves at the starting line. Red lights flashed one by one. Joe held his stare to the woman beside him, even as the crowd roared out his name, cheering on the man they all knew and loved. Surely he had the upperhand, there was no way some nobody could beat the best.
Hoshiko's hands grew shaky as the crowd counted down following the lights. Taking a deep breath, she tried to remind herself what she was about to do; this wasn't entirely about beating Joe. That's not all she was about to do. She was about to skate, and skating was fun. As she dared to glance over to her opponent, she noticed that signature smirk that played on his lips. The overwhelming confidence this man had should've intimidated her, but it only made her blood boil more. So maybe this was about having fun, but she couldn't help but think about how much fun it would be to also wipe that snotty smirk off of his face after she won.
So, when the light flashed green and the alarm sounded, the two were off.
"Try not to break a nail, babe." Joe called out to her, taking the lead on his board. "Or worse, that board."
The only sounded that could be heard were from the various groups of girl who cried in dismay as their number one favorite skated called another woman "babe." Through, the girl herself could only gag and choke back the disgust that she felt when he called her it. Was that the second sexist comment of the night? What a guy he was turning out to be.
The board began to buzz and shake violently beneath her feet at the sheer speed she'd been skating. People were quick to notice the dilemma as the camera zoomed in on her feet. Sucking in a deep breath, she let the air around her engulf her, feeling the concrete graze against her gloved fingertips as she rounded a corner. When she returned to the straight away, the board stilled. She was on solid footing again, but ahead of her was Joe's dumb face staring back with that same smirk he wore at the start. He was as good as they said he was, and she needed to catch up.
Leaning her body forward in an attempt to up her speed, the girl began to whip her head around violently in search of an edge. Anything to give her the upper hand she needed, and there it was: a conveniently placed stone angled upward. There wasn't much time to overthink it, it was now or never, and it was definitely worth the shot.
"Where do you think you're going?" Joe called out to the girl as she suddenly took a sharp left.
"Keep your eyes on the sky." She replied, a smile of her own hidden beneath her mask. "That's where you'll find me."
He wasn't exactly sure what that meant, sending a look of confusion toward the girl as she was lifted into the air. And suddenly it all made sense. His breath hitched in his throat as he looked up and saw her floating through the air like a feather. Her laughter echoed through the area around them as she took the air. A night sky above them riddled with little lights, and somehow she was all he could manage to see.
From the sidelines, people cheered louder than before for the mysterious stranger as she grabbed her board from beneath her feet and held it away from her body, her limbs outstretched as the wind whipped her hair all around. A Christ Air. She'd performed a Christ air. And not only that, but landed herself ahead of Joe in the race for the first time so far. Now, it was her turn to look back to the emerald haired man. Though his face only appeared impressed now, his mouth slightly agape.
"You know," She called back to the man with a giggle. "you look a lot cuter when you aren't talking."
That's what snapped him back to reality. A chuckle of his own escaping his lips as the woman pushed on ahead of him without a second thought. The race felt endless. Every corner rounded, the two found themselves dangerously close to one another again and again. The two remaining neck and neck until the very end of it all started to approach.
The downside of taking the lead on a track she'd never been before was that she wasn't quite sure where to go next. Shokichi had vaguely described the ending of the races typically took place in an old abandoned warehouse, but because of the dumb rule that you couldn't talk about "S" in the outside world, her knowledge of it was still extremely limited. So as she entered the foreign space, she felt herself begin to slow, trying to quickly familiarize herself with the new surroundings. Guards rails were broken off and rusted over, the once definitive path was now unclear, branching off into several different directions. Navigating through the several safety hazards alone was going to be it's own challenge. Even Joe took notice to the girl's hesitance as she rolled into the creaky warehouse.
"Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now, babe." He haunted, grinding down one of the busted rails and taking his place ahead of her once more. "Not when we're so close to finishing."
"Told you, you look better when you aren't talking." She scoffed, attempting to grin down the same guard rail he had, but at the end of it, felt her board shoot out from under her feet.
The crowd let out a scream as the girl started to fall, calling out for anyone to help her or catch her before she reached the harsh pavement several feet below. Had she landed on her back, she wasn't sure she'd be able to ever walk again, let alone skate.
Her hands moved swiftly as she fell through the air. One hand reached above her, latching onto the edge of one of the pillars while her other hand desperately reached out for her board, just barely catching it within her fingertips. Left dangling, she felt her wrist begin to scrape against the concrete corner and a thin line of blood slowly trickled down her arm.
"Damn!" She shouted, heart beat hammering against her chest as she helplessly hold on, feeling her own fingers beginning to slip against the concrete.
She was so sure Joe was already at the finish line. Reveling in his victory while surrounded by adoring fans, while she helplessly hang off the edge of some metal platform in some dodgy warehouse. She knew her priorities were no longer in order as she felt herself become more disappointed at the thought of losing than she did at the thought of dying. Skating was funny like that though. Hoshiko would willingly put her life on the line a hundred more times if it meant she got to feel as alive as she did soaring through the sky with a board beneath her feet. There was something in the risk, the adrenaline that pumped through her veins, she signed up for it and all the consequences that came with it.
Skating was the escape she desperately needed. Waking up every morning at five a.m. to get ready to live the same day over and over again: driving to work in her shitty little red car to be met with bored teenagers who didn't really want to be listening to some lecture on how the Earth was dying, or how solar energy really works. Teaching was it's own passion, but skating brought a thrill to her life that she was severely lacking. Wind whipping through her hair as she felt lungs begin to fill with clear air. It was the only way she felt herself doing more than merely just existing.
And yet, here she was.
So close to not even existing at all.
"Looks like you could use a hand." A newly familiar voice spoke up, gripping onto the woman's forearm and pulling her toward him.
"Guess you could say that." She had mumbled in return, feeling her body press against the man's chest as he pulled her away from the edge, a subtle blush creeping to her cheeks as their closeness. Secretly thankful for the mask that covered her face. "Thanks for that."
"Not a problem." Joe nodded, this time the smirk was vacant from his face. Instead, a genuine smile grew as he retracted his hand from her forearm, noticing the blood that now stained his hand. "You're hurt?"
"Yeah, but it's not that bad." Hoshiko brushed it off nonchalant, before quickly dropping her board onto the ground and skating away from the man when he least expected it. "Something tells me losing's gonna hurt a hell of a lot more."
"Joe was tricked?"
"She's pulling ahead!"
"What's he doing just standing there?"
"Go Joe, go!"
But the warnings were no use. Even as Joe rushed back onto his board. Even as he managed to catch back up with the girl. Even as they reached the finish line together - she pulled ahead by a hair. Flashing the man a smile he could sense as she crossed the thick white line, despite it being hidden beneath her mask. Tumbling off of her board after making too harsh of a stop, she laid with her back against the concrete as the crowd cheered for the stranger who had bested one of their best. Heart pounding against her chest, she could only laugh.
Once more, a familiar hand lent itself out to her. Graciously accepting, she used to to help pull her back onto to her feet, really starting to feel the bruises that would soon form against her knees and elbows from her fall. She could only stare up to Joe as he towered above her, unsure what he could possibly say next.
"Sorry to catch you off guard like that." She spoke up, skating the man's hand. "But I think that was the most fun I've ever had."
"You know what? I deserved it for underestimating you." He replied with a hearty chuckle. "So, what's your name stranger? So we all know what to call you from here on out."
"My name?" She grew hesitant as the question left his lips, unsure what answer to give. "J-Just call me Star, okay?"
"Star." Joe repeated with a nod, shoving his hand into pocket and pulling out a tiny slip of paper and a pen, beginning to jot something down.
"Listen, I can tell you're quite the lady killer around here, but I'm not interested in having your number or anything." She replied with an eyeroll, kicking her board back under her feet. Feeling herself grow a little frustrated. "Give it to one of the girls calling out your name, okay? They'd appreciate it more than I would."
"No, no." He shook his head, passing the paper in her direction. "I've got a restaurant that you should come by sometime. Give them that when you're done, order whatever you want. Meals on me."
"Free food?" The girl responded with a giggle, glancing down at the business card, noticing the little star he'd scribbled into the corner. "Maybe I will come by sometime."
"Please do." Joe urged with a warm smile. "I'd love to see you again."
"I'll think about it, pretty boy." She called back to the man with a laugh, making her exit through the crowd that departed for her, chanting her new name in congratulations. Some even holding out their hands in a hopes to grab a high five from her.
She definitely wasn't used to the attention, and quite frankly she couldn't tell if she liked it or hated it. But it felt nice to be homered for something she'd worked so hard for. In teaching, there wasn't much thanks. That much she could already tell, and that was fine, she never expected in the first place. It was just, sometimes it felt nice to feel important. To feel accomplished and proud. Perhaps this was why Joe and Cherry could hold their heads so high, because there were people out there who supported them in such a way.
With the night reaching it's end anyway, and a stack of papers to grade still sitting on her coffee table, she figured it was time to retreat. Plopping her board back onto the ground, she started to weave her way through the passing people, waving to anyone who'd decided to acknowledge her existence. That's when she locked eyes with someone so oddly familiar. A boy with firetruck red hair cheered as she rode on by, eyes that once gleamed turned quickly to confusion as he was met with a set of baby blue eyes. He couldn't quite place it, but they looked so familiar. She tried to snap her half hidden face away from the young boy, quickening her speed as she b-lined toward her car, hoping with all of her heart he hadn't seen through her disguise.
"That was totally Reki." She cursed beneath her breath as she slammed her front door shut behind her, dropping her deck to the floor, scaring her cat as it jumped from the couch and ran toward the kitchen with a screech. She latched onto her phone, ripping it from the charger as she checked through her missed texts. "Shokichi, what the hell? Why didn't you tell m-"
"Can't make it tonight. Might have a date? Stay safe. Also, Reki goes to these things. So keep your eyes peeled and stay out of the spotlight!"
"Oh fuck."