* ˚ ✦ sidelines then skateparks (sk8 the infinity x male oc) * ˚ ✦

chapter 9

"Look who's in the first group!"

"I'm in a heat with Shadow?"

"Hey, I don't see your name."

"Neither of us are facing Adam upfront." Joe acknowledged.

"I'll get there. I just have to keep on winning." Cherry said.

"If you're in the top two of your group, you'll be able to move on to the main tournament." Miya said.

"That sounds easy enough."

Slow footsteps came from behind Miya. He turned around and saw Nerine walking up. "Nerine. Where's Langa? Reki?"

At the sound of his name being called, Nerine spun around to face the direction of the voice. Miya took a step back when he saw the look in Nerine's eyes.

Despite the unsettling expression on Nerine's face, he made his way towards Miya, skateboard in hand. With each step, his movements seemed almost robotic. Miya wondered what could be causing this sudden change in his demeanor.

"I thought they would be with you, but I guess they decided not to enter the race after all." Miya put out.

Nerine looked down at his shoes. "Yeah." he sighed out.

Miya picked up on the obvious distress Nerine displayed. "What happened?"

"We uh..."

"I bet Reki's just being a wiener about Adam." Shadow laughed. "You can only take so much before it gets too much!"

Nerine's eyes widened as he gaped at him. His frown deepened as he grit his teeth and clenched his hand into a tight fist, walking up to Shadow.

As he raised his fist, ready to strike the side of Shadow's head, a rough hand suddenly stopped his movements. The unexpected intervention caused Nerine to jump.

He turned to the side as Joe was clutching his wrist in his hand with a disapproving look on his face. When Shadow realized what was going on, he clicked his tongue and laughed.

"And what's got your panties in a twist? Sad your slave isn't here to serve you?"

Nerine tried to get out of Joe's grip to no avail. "Reki is not my slave, you-!"

"Nerine, back down. Shadow, go. You're making it worse." Joe said, roughly turning Nerine away from the clown punk.

Shadow smirked and walked off, whistling a tune.

When Shadow got out of Joe's point of view, he let go of Nerine, watching him calm down again.

"Yo, kid. What was that?" Joe asked.

Miya walked up to them with Nerine's skateboard in his hand, giving it to him. "Yeah. Never took you for one to get mad like that... or at all."

Nerine took the skateboard and huffed. "It's nothing. I-I'm sorry, guys."

┌─── ∘°❉°∘ ───┐

The first group of the qualifiers lined up at the start, Adam and Miya front and center.

"What a lovely first." Adam said. "Skating along side you."

"Except I'm not one of those slimy little troll boys. And I won't be taken out easily."

"'Taken out'? What do you mean by that?"

"You're not that dumb."

"Sweetie, love is not dumb. And I always fall hopelessly in love with my skating partners."