Frozen Rose (Langa x reader)

Chapter 16

(Y/n)'s POV

I peered at Cherry, blinking innocently as he plastered a fake smile on his face. The class stared wide-eyed with some whispering excitedly about his beautiful appearance.

Reki and Langa looked between Cherry and I, finally making the connection. The teacher had told us a special guest would be making a visit to our art class, and I might have pulled a few strings to get Cherry here...although he believed it was a promotional event for my father's company.

"This is Sakurayashiki Kaoru, who I'm sure you all know. I believe (Y/n) knows him personally. She was the one who presented this opportunity," informed our teacher.

The class turned their eyes towards me, some perfumed with awe and others drenched in dislike. Langa's electric blue eyes pierced through, making me send a glance.

"I know her very well. She's a good friend of mine," Cherry exclaimed whilst sending a quick, hard look my way.
"That's great, isn't it? If any of you have questions for Sakurayashiki-san in the future, I'm sure (Y/n)'ll be happy to pass them along," said the teacher.

I offered a charming smile, not mad yet not ecstatic either. Cherry had his own life. He didn't need a stack of questions composed by a group of high school students to add on to his work.

The class began shortly after, where I simply retreated into my mind. Due to my uncle being good friends with him when he was still here, I had been brought along to Cherry's work numerous times in the past and so, I knew the basics.

Reki was clandestinely watching skateboarding videos on his phone while Langa twirled his pen around, nonchalantly listening to Cherry's explanation. Cherry began walking around, still with that subtly irritated look plastered on me.

A sudden crash could be heard behind me as my skateboard fell to the ground, the straps of my bag broken. Cherry had just stepped on the board as it rolled along. Instinctively, he performed a trick to stable himself, catching the attention of everyone, including those who had not been focusing before.

"Whoa, you know how to skateboard?"
"How did you do that, sir?"
"Hey, do that again...please!"
"That was just beginner's luck. I won't be doing that again. (Y/n), if you could kindly put your skateboard away," Cherry exclaimed.
"Sure Kaoru."
"Do not call me by that name."

Some boys snickered at our little exchange. I poked my tongue out and made a face as Cherry turned around, earning another round of chuckles.

~After school~

Langa and I would be meeting up with Reki at his workplace, seeing as how his manager had an urgent matter for him to take care of and so, he had left class as soon as the bell rang.

A smile reached my lips as Langa held up his skateboard before his feet were planted on the board. His eyes flashed a challenge, to which I returned with a grin of my own.

"Where are we going?" he asked.
"To pick up Yuu."
"Race you there?"
"Pfft, silly. Do you even know where his school is?"
"*blush* Good point."
"Come on."

I took the lead, beginning to ride down the familiar path heading to Yuu's school. The same railings, the same ramps, yet different tricks every time. It was exactly as Luke said, every time is a different story.

I performed a grab, doing a tumble turn in the air and landed effortlessly on a railing to which I skated across. A nonchalant smile crossed my face, my eyes meeting Langa's wide gaze.

He quickly rode over to skate beside me, the excitement building in his chest. The look of awe was enough to get my heart beating. It seemed as if there was nothing around us as we slid along this smooth road.

"Teach me," he said breathlessly.
"Heh, you wanna learn? Get the basics down first, the 'proper' skateboarding tricks. What comes after is your own style."
"My own...style?"

A loud honk caught our attention, where a drunk driver was speeding across the road whilst shouting and whistling with the windows down. Langa hurriedly grabbed my waist, pulling me onto the grass littered with pebbles and rocks.

He himself fell over me but neither of us had time to react. The man barely missed the fence beside us before driving away, still yelling like a madman. Our hearts were pounding, our breathing short and fast.

"A-are you alright?" asked Langa.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for that."
"You're welcome."
"More importantly, are you okay?"
"I'm all good."

He hurriedly stood up, extending a hand to help pull me up. A smile graced my face as we collected our skateboards. It was only later I realised his hand was slightly shaking, to which I squeezed reassuringly.

Yuu waved from the other side of the street, before I raised my hand to wave back. He rode over on his bike, his eyes trailing over the small dirt scratches on our clothing and our intertwined hands. I silently let go of Langa's hand, using it to ruffle Yuu's hair.

"Are you guys alright?" Yuu asked.
"Yeah, just had a bit of an accident. Come on, we're meeting up with Reki. You got his stuff ready?"
"All ready and packed. Let's go."

I immediately threw down my board and skated away. Yuu and Langa weren't far behind, with the two vying for purchase on the narrow roads. A cheeky grin turned the corners of my lips as I accelerated, pulling the two along like two magnets attracted to each other's bodies.

My feet kicked the board up, executing a simple railslide. Yuu hurriedly followed with a trick on his bike. Langa tried with an air of his own, making the two of us stare in subtle amazement.

As he landed, his feet wobbled slightly before I reached out to steady him. Reki was standing by the entrance by the time we arrived, where I greeted him with a fist bump.

"Ready for some practising?"
"You bet. I'll show Adam what it's like to lose."