15. K O K O : Return

MACKENZIE.

Koko stood next to his Corvette, tapping his foot and biting a claw as he waited for MacKenzie to show up. Hope she didn't dip on me, he thought anxiously. Did she just play me? Did I come on too strong? Oh, man, I hope she doesn't think I'm a total—

Koko shrieked as someone tapped his shoulder, sneaking up on him for the second time that night. He spun around, hands raised in what he hoped was a self-defensive position.

MacKenzie—who was no longer wearing a dress, but a red tank top and jeans—burst out laughing at his reaction. "Gotchya, didn't I?" she teased him.

Koko's face turned red, and he quickly shifted into wolf form to hide the blush. "Uh... no," he lied defensively. "I was just... testing my... karate pose."

"Testing your karate pose? What does that even mean?" MacKenzie asked as she slid into the passenger seat.

"Not important," Koko replied quickly, dismissing the subject as he hopped into the Corvette. He cleared his throat and asked, "So where're we goin'?"

"I dunno. This was your idea," MacKenzie pointed out.

"Oh, yeah." Koko scratched his head. "Uh..." He racked his brain for something they could do, but found to his dismay that he was drawing blanks.

MacKenzie giggled. "Okay, well, I guess I'll come up with something, then." She rubbed her chin. "Let's see... oh!" Her eyes lit up. "There is one thing I've been wanting to do recently," she told Koko, giving him an eager smile. "There's this new roller-skating rink that opened up not too far from here. It's supposed to be really cool, and it's open 'til midnight."

"Roller-skating, eh?" Koko tilted his head. "Never done it—but I always wanted to try it." He grinned and revved the car's engine. "Alright—gimme the directions an' I'll getchya there faster than you can say 'Corvette, Corvette'."

MacKenzie quickly looked up the location with her phone and placed it in the phone-holder on Koko's dash. "Okay, so like, Xirxine's really touchy about the speed limit," she informed him. "You should be fine, as long as you don't go too FAAAAAAAAAAAAST!"

Her warning turned into a screech of terror as Koko peeled away from the curb and performed a power-drift U-turn, howling excitedly as his Corvette took off into the night.

-

By the time they reached the parking lot of Roller Rockets—which was full—MacKenzie was gripping the armrests so tightly her knuckles had turned white. "W-Why do you a-a-always d-do that?" she stammered.

"It's kinda my thing. Sorry if I scared ya." Koko grinned and climbed out of the car, opening the passenger side door.

MacKenzie staggered out of the Corvette and took a deep breath of fresh air, the green in her face fading. "How would you have felt if I'd thrown up in there?" she asked, turning and giving Koko a disapproving look.

"Like a pile a' crap," Koko replied truthfully as he fell in step with her, walking toward the rink's entrance. "But that's all in the past now. So let's enjoy ourselves, huh?"

"I'll have to get you back for that somehow," MacKenzie said, rolling her eyes.

-

After they rented their skates, MacKenzie stepped out onto the rink and began skating around in an experimental circle. "You ready?" she called to Koko.

"Uhhhh... no," Koko called back as he clutched the wall. "Just—just gimme a sec!"

MacKenzie laughed and skated over to him. "Come on! It's not that hard!" She grabbed his hand and began pulling him away.