Frozen Rose (Langa x reader)

Chapter 93

(Y/n)'s POV

Nerves electrocuted every vein in my body. The thick, intoxicating air did nothing to calm my beating heart. People cheered and whistled as I skated past, giving the occasional highfive to those who eagerly waved their hands.

Joe and Cherry waved from where a crowd of their fans had surrounded them. Reki had managed to fight his way through the magnetic throng of people though I had little difficulty getting through.

Although Yuu had fashioned new gloves and shoes, his latest inventions, and shoved them into my hands before I had left, my body felt made of lead. The gloves were unbelievably soft yet magically durable, which did ease a little of the butterflies in my stomach.

"Took you long enough. A few more minutes and you would've been late," commented Cherry.
"Sorry Mr FussyPants. I had trouble convincing my mum to let me go out."
"Are you ready for the biggest beef of your life?" Joe teased.
"Oh yeah, I'm gonna stuff his ass down his throat."
"That's the spirit!"
"I was being sarcastic."

The male shrugged. Miya arrived, making his presence known by grabbing my sleeve. Shadow came not long after, his arm around Langa's shoulders. The rest of us stared at the two of them as they made their way over.

"Found him hesitating on the way here. Snow, you wouldn't want to miss this for the world," Shadow exclaimed.
"That's right. (Y/n), I'm not taking my eyes off you tonight," Reki added.
"Is that a confession?" Miya asked.
"Like hell it is!"
"If he does anything to you..." Cherry started.
"Don't worry, I can take care of myself."

It was at that moment that Adam chose to make his dramatic entrance. The crowds parted as he jumped out of a helicopter, earning an eruption of heavy cheering from the skaters at S.

He seemed to take in the attention with the arrogance of a king yet dubbed the legendary skater, I wondered if anyone even cared. He held out a single rose, beautifully bloomed and pitch black.

"A gift for you," he said.
"Wow, almost seems like you expect me to lose."
"I would never. I have very high expectations. Don't disappoint me."

I inspected the rose in my hand, finding that it was an obsidian black and had the softest of petals, reminiscent of royalty crowned in darkness. I handed the rose to Langa, who hesitantly took the flower, unintentionally brushing his fingers against mine.

Adam was already at the starting line waiting for me. I stood beside him, getting into position. My nerves seemed to be throwing the party of the century; however, my heart was lying in anticipation, as if this beef would be enough to replace the excitement I had lost.

"(Y/n), you've got this," Reki called.
"If you lose, I'm downgrading you from hero to slime," added Miya.
"Go kick his ass," Joe exclaimed.
"If you get hurt, I'm not taking responsibility," Cherry said.
"Rose, don't lose this!" yelled Shadow.

A large smile graced my face. The lights flashed as the countdown began. I took in a deep breath. The second green overtook red, we were sprinting. I hopped on my skateboard, swerving to the right to cut in front of Adam.

He didn't seem to care and simply moved to the other side. We accelerated and continued to skate faster and faster. Wind pulled and scratched at our clothes, a meagre obstacle compared to my tingling nerves.

A sharp corner was in sight. Neither Adam nor I slowed down, earning loud cheers from the crowd. I went low, spinning to accomodate for the increase in speed. Adam had done the same, accelerating so that we were head to head.

I skated up a slanted rock, grabbing onto the tree branch to swing myself forward. I flipped several times in the air, smiling as I caught sight of the view. This was the highest I had ever been and it was exhilarating.

The thrill was short-lived however, as Adam slipped an arm around my waist and swung us in the air. He smiled ferociously before dread dropped like an iron weight in my stomach.

A yell caught in my throat as he threw me away. I had mere seconds to right myself and landed gracefully on my feet due to my practice in gymnastics though my arm was not so lucky. I had instinctively held out a hand to protect myself though the landing was too rough.

My wrist was positively sprained, twisted. Pain ricocheted up my arm. Adam landed a few metres ahead, turning back to flash a smirk. I accelerated, pushing the pain to the back of my mind.

"Come on, Rose. I expected more from you," he exclaimed.
"Well, sorry for not meeting your unwarranted expectations."
"Is something on your mind? What's stopping you from reaching your full potential?"

I ignored him, cutting in front of him to perform a quick flip over a rock. A corner appeared just as I landed smoothly back on the ground, switching to regular to accommodate for the direction I had flipped.

Adam suddenly grabbed my injured wrist, making me let out a string of curses. He manoeuvred our bodies so that it appeared as if we were dancing, with his arm wrapped around my waist.

"My little Rose, how I do enjoy your looks of pain," Adam breathed.
"Let me go."
"The fun's just beginning."
"Adam-"

He twirled us as we skated, occasionally pushing me against the rock walls. Pain exploded down my back though a hollow laugh escaped my mouth. I effortlessly crouched before springing up and around so that I was clinging to his back.

The annoyed male turned, attempting to shake me off but my grip was iron tight. Despite the constant protesting from the unfortunate pain my body had suffered, I twisted and flipped in the air to land next to the legendary skater.

"Rose, that wasn't very nice," he commented.
"Says you."

My eyes widened as a lone girl stumbled onto our path. Adam paid no mind to her, seemingly intending to crash into her if she didn't decide to move. The cogs of recognition turned in my brain. Ayaka...she was always looking for ways to sabotage me just like her vengeful sister.

Langa's face suddenly flashed in my mind. An angry cry left my lips as I accelerated, going past Adam, much to his surprise. At the last minute, I pushed Ayaka away before Adam jumped off his board and swung it at me. I had no time to dodge.