Sleep

You Call Me Up From a Pay Phone, I Said, "Hang Tight, I Can Drive You Home"

Sk8 the Infinity - Kojiro Nanjo (Joe) & Miya Chinen

How was last week's chapter better than the one about MY OWN CHARACTER-

- TW: Implied Child Abuse/Neglect -

Miya wasn't dumb.

Sure, he couldn't add fractions for the life of him or know what timezone Japan was in, but Miya knew right from wrong.

And the way Miya's parents treated him was the farthest thing from right.

So, it was no surprise Miya was sitting outside a convenience store in the middle of the night after running away. Miya was used to it, as he and his parents would always repeat the same pattern: Miya runs away for a night, goes back for a few days and is punished, then runs away again.

Miya didn't remember when the cycle started, only that it repeated each time he convinced himself to head home because surely his parents would treat him better than before.

They never did.

Rain poured down on the aglow store, and Miya's hoodie was no match for the onslaught of rain. He stared down the pay phone at the edge of the small parking lot, his cold, dead phone weighing down his pocket.

Miya knew exactly who he would call, who always picked up.

Miya stood with a sigh, picking up his skateboard and began the walk to the telephone booth. All that was left to do was hope it accepted coins.

Miya kicked the box when he realized it did. He really didn't want to call, but he also didn't want to skate back home in the rain and catch a cold.

Miya dialled the number.

-

The last thing Joe was expecting at closing time was a phone call.

Taking a break from sweeping his restaurant, Joe figured it was just Kaoru bothering him about forgetting their planned movie night. He never forgot, and always showed up with more popcorn than he and Kaoru could eat.

Joe was surprised to find it was an unfamiliar number.

Contrary to public advice, Joe always answered the phone. He didn't care if it could be a scammer, or if it was a private caller. Joe figured if someone took the time to type out his number, he could pick up the phone.

"Hello?" Joe answered, leaning on the bar.

The line was silent, save for the distant sound of crickets. Why crickets, Joe didn't know.

"Hello?" Joe tried again.

"Hey, Joe."

The response sent alarm bells ringing in his head. Joe only trusted a few people with that name, and the quiet voice that came through the phone was more nervous than usual.

"Miya? Is that you?"

"Yeah. Can you come pick me up?"

Joe stood, grabbing his jacket from behind the counter. "I'm on my way. Where are you, exactly?"

"The convenience store at the edge of town."

"I'll be there soon." Joe stepped outside, immediately taking in the downpour of rain.

"Are you outside? You're going to get soaked."