I see taxis around the streets but I've never gotten the chance to ride in one. Dad says that taxis are way too overpriced and that it's better to take the bus or the train. The last time I took the bus, a giant villain picked it up and threaten to fling the vehicle and everyone inside to oblivion. I fell through the window, but it turned out fine since a hero caught me.
I usually take the train, but because of another run-in (some guy decided to flip out at Burger King), I missed the train. I didn't want to walk home, since I'm more prone to getting mugged by some thug. So today, I decided to change things up a bit. I decided to take the taxi home from school.
And Dad was right. Taking the taxi is overpriced.
I sat in the back seat of the car as the driver made his way to the supermarket. Mom told me to grab some tomatoes for her on my way home from school. She was going to attempt to make lasagna. Last time, it didn't turn out so well. You could probably kill someone with that thing, because it came out looking completely black. When Dad tried to cut it, his knife broke.
I stared out the window in a daze, and I watched as cars zoomed beside us. The taxi stopped at a red light, and I noticed Midoriya walking across the street.
After the sludge incident, Bakugo hasn't really been teasing him anymore. In fact, he's stopped teasing others too, myself included. I wonder if the whole hostage situation and being saved by the Quirkless kid he bullied got to his head. Not that I'm complaining though. It was peaceful at school since he wasn't bugging Midoriya every hour.
The light turned green, and the taxi driver immediately honked at the car in front of us, even though it's literally only been 2 seconds. Unfortunately, the traffic happened to be really bad at this hour, and the vehicle only inched forward a bit before having to stop again. I heard the cab driver mutter some not very PG things under his breath.
I wonder if I should just get out. It might be faster.
I heard the rumbling of thunder. Within a minute, everything went gray and it started downpouring like k-drama rain. Civilians walking outside all rushed undercover to escape the rain. I noticed a lady with an unbelievably huge stomach hurriedly make her way over to the taxi. She tried opening the door but it was locked. Her eyes glanced up at me. She pointed at the driver.
"Uh, there's a lady that wants to come in," I informed the driver.
Without a word, he unlocked the car doors. The woman flung the door open and jumped inside, slamming the door shut behind her so hard that it rattled the entire vehicle. She received a dirty look from the driver for being so rough. With an irritated tone, he asked her where she was heading. She told him that she was heading toward Gin Co., the place where my mom works. The light turned green again, and the vehicle started moving again. But something was wrong.
"Um, that's not the way to the grocery store."
"I know. I'm going to Gin Co."
I noticed that the lady next to me was wearing quite expensive clothing, which was obviously dripping wet now. Her outfit probably cost more than everything I owned. In her lap was a Gucci handbag. Around her wrist were a gold bracelet and a huge watch. She wore a black fur coat with shiny leather boots. On her finger was a ring with the largest diamond I've ever seen in my life.
So that's why the taxi driver is going to Gin Co. This lady's rich. He's probably expecting a hefty tip. My eyes gazed down at her round belly that looked like someone stuffed a soccer ball underneath her shirt. Or maybe, it's because she's extremely pregnant. It looked like her belly was ready to burst.
The rich lady caught me staring at her stomach, and her red lips formed an upside down U. "I know what you're thinking," she spoke. "You're thinking, This woman is extremely pregnant. It looks like her belly is ready to burst.'"
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, hugging my backpack to my chest. How the heck did she manage to say the exact words in my head? Was it by chance?
"And now you're thinking about how I was able to repeat what was exactly in your mind."
Again? Now, this is just creepy...
"Creepy?!" she exclaimed, slamming her fist on the car seat. I scooted away from her cautiously, making sure to never break eye contact.
"It kind of is," I mumbled. "Is it your Quirk?"
The woman folded her arms. "Of course it is. How else was I able to repeat what you thought?" she replied simply. She suddenly winced to herself and placed her hand on her belly.
"Is it kicking?" I asked, peering over.
"Don't say it. The baby's a boy. Say he."
"Is he kicking?" I repeated.
"Yes, yes it is," she replied.
"You called the baby it even though you just said not to call the baby that."
"Oh, shush! I'm new to this whole thing!"
Yeesh, she has a loud voice. "Is that-er, is he your first kid?" I questioned.
"Yes. And he's been giving me hell," she said tiredly. "It's only going to get worse."
That didn't sound very mother-like.
"I know it didn't sound mother-like!" the woman snapped, reading my mind again. "In actuality, I'm just...a bit concerned about what's going to happen."
"So, you're scared?"
"No! Why would I be scared?"
"Because that's your first kid," I said. "I think it's fine to be scared over something like this. Raising a child is hard."
Trust me, I totally know that. I'm evidence of that.
The woman pouted and looked the other way. She insisted that she wasn't scared, but I totally knew she was.
Immediately upon thinking that, she glared at me. "I told you, I'm not scared!" she said. "Why would I be afraid of Junichi?"
I asked if that was the name of her baby. The woman gazed down at her belly, with a soft look overcoming her face. She rubbed her belly tenderly. "Yes. Junichi's his name."
That was oddly wholesome. I thought rich people hated children. The woman didn't bother to comment on my thoughts. Instead, she gazed at my school uniform asked if I was in junior high. I told her that I was. Eyeing at her lavish clothing, I asked her why she was going to Gin Co.
"My husband owns it," she casually said. Turning a bit pink, she said, "I am going to visit him."
That was oddly wholesome. I thought rich people hated their spouses.
"Enough with the stereotypes! We're not all the same!" she hollered, pointing at me. She winced again and touched her stomach. "Jeez, can he quit moving around all the time?" she muttered.
I stared at her as she rubbed her stomach. I wonder if her belly is soft. But if it's soft, wouldn't it not protect the baby? She noticed me staring and read my mind, because she asked me if I wanted to feel. "Don't get any wrong ideas, though! I'm only offering so you'll quit staring at me!"
I let out a snort. What a total tsundere!
In response, she retorted that she wasn't a tsundere. I ignored her outrage and reached over. I gently placed my hand on her belly. It was unexpectantly harder than I thought. I guess it needs to be that way to protect the baby.
"You're not going to feel anything if you stay in one spot," the woman huffed. Grabbing my hand, she began to move it across her belly. It was a bit awkward since my hand was getting wet. Her clothes were still damp from the rain, after all. Suddenly, I felt something inside touch my palm. It felt like someone covered a soccer ball with a blanket and rubbed it on me. I pulled my hand away. The lady sensed my discomfort.
"What's with that unpleasant look on your face?" she demanded.
"That was kind of gross..." I blurted. I rubbed my hand, staring at her belly as if it harbored an alien.
"G-gross?" she gasped. "How dare you call him gross!"
"It felt weird, though."
"He's not an it!"
The taxi suddenly jerked forward without warning. The two of us nearly crashed into the seats in front of us. Upon falling back down in our seats, the woman pointed her perfectly manicured nails at the driver. "Hey, watch it, will you!?" she exclaimed.
The driver didn't even have time to respond because his door goes flying open. A skinny hand reaches in and yanks him out. The driver rolls onto the street as a tall, pale, man with curly dark hair wearing a fedora slams on the pedal and speeds off.
Luckily the rain had stopped or else we wouldn't be able to see where the heck we were going. But it was hard to tell what was happening with all his swerving and such. The two of us in the back held onto the seats to stop ourselves from playing bumper cars with each other. I was beginning to get nauseous, and it looked like the woman was about to puke.
"Can you maybe drive a bit better?" I asked.
"Just beat it!" he snapped.
Despite all the craziness that was going on, the woman next to me let out a snort that slowly ascended into flat-out laughter. That annoyed the driver. "Shut it! Or else I'm driving off this bridge!"
The woman tried her best to quiet down, but she was practically shaking with laughter. That seemed to piss him off even more. "What's so damn funny?!" he demanded, taking his eyes off the road.
"You...Y-you look like..." she started, before laughing again. "You look like Michael Jackson!"
Michael Jackson's eye twitched slightly. It looked like he wanted to jump out of his seat and sock her in the face.
The car jerked left, and the woman's body flew at me. She crashed into me, and my face hit the window. It kind of hurt. I asked him again to drive better.
He spun his head to look back at me. "I don't wanna see your face! You better disappear!" he barked. "I don't take orders from anyone!"
"Turn right!" The woman screamed.
I heard the sound of honking. Looking ahead, I saw that a huge truck was heading straight toward us. The thug let out a loud curse and spun the wheel. I heaved to the right and this time I was the one doing the crushing. I tried my best not to fall on the lady's belly though. We were really close to hitting the guard rails on the bridge, because the car door was skidding against the metal poles.
"Drive better!" The woman cried.
"Shut your trap!" the driver snapped. "Damn it! The heroes are gonna be here any second..."
"I don't think he can drive any better," I retorted, turning to her. "Because he's bad."
She instantly read my mind. "You know he's bad."
"And the whole world has to answer right now."
"Just to tell you once again-"
"Who's bad," We said in unison. With that, the woman burst out laughing while I snorted.
"I guess you can say he's a Speed Demon," I remarked.
"Didn't I tell you two to shut up?!" Michael Jackson screeched. His phone buzzed, and he scrambled to answer it. "Fucking useless... She didn't even kidnap the right person..." he muttered. He began to hurriedly reply back the person he was texting while he continued to drive. Pretty dangerous. Don't do this, kids.
"Uh, texting and driving are illegal," I remarked.
"You're concerned about him texting and driving? He tried to kidnap someone!" the woman exclaimed.
I scratched my cheek. "Technically, didn't we get kidnapped?"
"Hm, well, now that you mention it..." she said, rubbing her chin. "I suppose that makes him a smooth criminal."
"Oh well," I said nonchalantly. "He probably really needs to text Annie back. Probably to ask if Annie's okay."
The car jerked to the left again. Michael Jackson made a wide turn while running a red light. The lady fell on me again, and my face got squashed against the window again.
"Ow... That hurt," I muttered, rubbing my cheek. I glanced at the lady to see how she was but saw that her face has gotten considerably paler. Her eyes were wide. I asked her if she was okay.
She gulped. "I think my water broke."
"...What?"
And that's when everything broke loose.
"Can't you drive faster?!" The lady screamed at Michael Jackson while she clutched her stomach.
"Sh-shut! Shut it!" he stuttered, with his hands trembling. "Oh god, I did not sign up for this! Wh-what do I do?"
"Go to the hospital?" I remarked.
"No shit!" Micheal Jackson screeched. "I-I can't do this! Lady! Can't you hold it in?"
"Don't call my baby it!"
She continued to moan in pain, while the driver continued to freak out. I just sat there watching the scene unfold. Someone could make a renaissance painting out of this. It was so chaotic yet strangely beautiful. But there was no time to think about renaissance paintings since Michael Jackson decided to clock out.
The car began to swerve toward the sidewalk where plenty of people ready to be used as speed bumps. The woman screamed either in pain, fear, or maybe a mixture of both. I couldn't tell.
I regret taking the taxi.
Springing up to the driver's seat, Micheal Jackson's body flew into the passenger seat with such force that I heard the sound of his skull smacking the window. I set my hands on the wheel and turned left. The car let out a metallic screech as we swerved back toward the street. Cars angrily honked at us while people ran away from the street.
"When did you learn how to drive?" The lady asked, with her face stained with sweat.
"Just now."
"What?!"
My hands shakily tried to control the steering wheel as the vehicle swayed left to right. "I mean, how hard could it be?" I said, with a nervous smile. "It's like Mario Kart but in real life." From the corner of my eye, I saw her sigh in the mirror.
I have to say though, she wasn't looking so well. She was going into labor after all. Her face was drenched in sweat, her face was flushed, and she was breathing heavily. Seeing her look distressed, I began to feel a bit bad for her. She must be in so much pain right now. I didn't really know what to do to make her relieve her pain. There was nothing I could do...except drive.
"Uh, let me try putting on some music to calm you down," I suggested, reaching over to the radio. I turned it on.
"The next song on the Greatest Hits of All Time that will be playing is Deja Vu. Please enjoy!" Shortly after, the sounds of the Eurobeat tunes of an electric guitar and a piano began playing.
"Seriously? Initial D?" My disbelief was cut off with the moans of the lady in the backseat. No time to think about the perfect timing of the song. I better get her to the hospital before the baby pops out.
"I'm just gonna turn this up..." I mumbled, twisting the volume knob to the right. Maybe if I make it loud enough I won't be able to hear her screaming.
I slammed my foot on the gas, and the car roared. The car zoomed on the city street. I tried my best to avoid hitting any cars as I swerved around them. They honked at me and some guy even gave me the finger. The lady in the back was still in pain, except she looked like she was going to throw up now.
I was actually doing pretty well. I used to go-kart a lot when Hiro was still here, so maybe that helped me prepare for this moment. Well, except for the part where Michael Jackson steals the car but faints when some pregnant lady starts going into labor while the police chase us.
Wait, police? From behind, I heard the distant sounds of sirens. Peeking up in the rear mirror, I saw a black cop car speeding straight at me. Red and blue lights flickered, signaling everyone else on the street to get out of the way. The car in front of me pulled over while everyone near me did the same. Just when I thought things were already bad, the police had to come. Fantastic!
The sound of the police siren was getting louder and louder. The line of shops went by in a blur as I pushed harder on the gas. Everything looked like a line of colors. I noticed the woman in the back mouthing something. Turning down the music, she said to me, "I know...a...shortcut..."
"U-uh, alright. Where is it?" I replied as the driving wheel shook left and right.
"When I tell...you to take a right..."
"Huh?"
"Whoever is in the taxi, I'm going to need you to pull over!" I heard the police say from behind.
"What did you say?" I asked.
"Turn...once we get up to the bookstore!"
My eyes snapped onto the bookstore that was speedily getting closer. "But you can't turn right," I said, confused.
"Alley...way..." she breathed before letting out another cry.
I squinted my eyes at her through the mirror. "You...You want me to go through the alleyway...?"
"Stop the vehicle, right now!" The police warned. Squinting a bit harder at the car, I saw two officers. The one calling to me looked fresh out of police academy, since I didn't recognize him. The driver was a man in his 40s. He had an irritated expression and a receding hairline. Realizing this, I gulped.
Oh god... Why did this have to happen to me? I just wanted to get tomatoes for my mom, but now I'm here driving a pregnant lady to the hospital while I get chased by my dad! Hiro'll go nuts if he found out about this; he would go nuts if he knew the amount of trouble I went through everyday.
A nervous smile appeared on my face. "Well... here goes nothing!" Turning the wheel right, the car swerved into the alleyway. Surprisingly, the alleyway was bigger than expected, and the taxi was able to fit in there. Well, barely. There was at least a good 3 inches of space between the car and the wall.
I heard the sirens zip past us as we drove away. Meanwhile, I glued my eyes to the road. Or alleyway. It doesn't matter since I can see the tall white hospital building ahead of us. It was the light at the end of the dark tunnel.
The woman let out a loud cry of pain. I can hear sharp breaths even over all the chaotic noise. Please hold on for a bit longer. We're almost at the hospital...
I can hear the radio still playing. I reached over and turned the volume up.
See your body into the moonlight
Even if I try to cancel
All the pictures into my eyes
I peered over at the gas meter. As expected, it was almost out. But, it was just enough for me to accelerate one more time.
Don't you see my condition?
The fiction is gonna run it again
Can't you see now illusions?
Right into your mind
I took a deep breath.
Deja Vu--
I think accelerated too much because before I know it, I'm crashing into the lamp post near the entrance of the hospital. And I'm going to say, everything did go in slow motion. It was like in the movies. But interestingly, my life did not flash before my eyes. What did flash instead was my outstretched hand reaching over to the woman in the back, who was trying to shield her stomach while the window shattered.
Her baby...!
I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for impact. But nothing happened. I didn't feel anything at all.
...Did I just die? Did we just die?
I slowly peeled my eyes open. Next to me was the metal pole of the lamp post. It was right where the radio was at. Everything was crushed. Glass shards were everywhere: on the dashboard, on the car seat... But surprisingly, I didn't get any glass on me. There were no injuries either. Even Michael Jackson, who had fainted, didn't have anything happen to him. The closest thing to an injury was the pounding headache I had.
I hardly had enough energy to turn around to look at the woman. She was curled up, with her knees up and her head hanging low. Her arms were wrapped around her huge belly. Around her was glass and just like Michael Jackson and me, she was unharmed. I noticed that the shards were positioned strangely around her. There were lined out perfectly around her body, like something pushed all the glass away. But I didn't think too much about it. I gotta get her out of here.
I got out of the car and dragged the lady out, nearly tipping over trying to pull her. She was heavy! Not to mention, all my limbs felt like soggy noodles.
I didn't even get inside the hospital yet because I was met with a flood of nurses, doctors, and paramedics. They all immediately took notice of the pregnant woman. Someone ordered a stretcher and within a minute, they were rolling her into the hospital. After that, they went to get Michael Jackson out of the car. Although he had fainted, he was going to be okay. Then, they asked me how I was. I told them that I felt dizzy and tired, but I wasn't injured or anything. They told me that they were amazed that everyone in the car was unharmed. They said it was literally impossible for us to bear no injuries.
"You were very lucky that you weren't hurt," the nurse speaking to me said.
"...I get that a lot..." I muttered.
"So, what happened to the taxi driver?" she asked. "I'm assuming that the man in the car was driving, right?"
I hesitated before speaking. Should I really tell her that he was actually a thug who pulled the real taxi driver out of the car and drove off but fainted when the rich lady went into labor, and I had to end up driving to the hospital while getting chased by the police?
Nope.
"Well, when the lady wakes up, can you tell her something for me?" I said, completely dismissing her question. "Tell her that I think she has nothing to worry about. She'll be a great mother."
The distant sounds of the police siren were heard from afar. That was my cue to leave. I know that once the police get involved, it's gonna get messy, especially if it's Dad. It's awkward for the both of us whenever he has to escort me out of trouble while he's on the job. I don't want my face to be plastered all over the news and then have Hiro and Mom freak out over it either. So, I always made sure to scram before they came.
I started to quietly slip away from the scene while everyone else was busy checking Michael Jackson's vitals. I made sure to stop by and grab my backpack that was in the car before I left. Luckily, I was able to get away before anyone noticed. I began to walk away.
I still need to run to the supermarket and get tomatoes for Mom, but it's on the other side of town. My legs feel like jelly, and I don't know if I can walk that far without face-planting. I wonder if I should take the bus...
The entire taxi ride replayed in my head like a tape.
"Forget it. I'll just tell her that they were out of tomatoes."