Racing to You ✓

04 | serendipity

I was jolted awake the next morning by Makua's voice, which boomed from downstairs. "Keiki, sun's up!"

I let out a loud groan and used my pillow to cover my ears. Māmā had to stomp upstairs to scare me out of bed. "Get up now, you're running late!"

I jumped out of bed then, rushing to the bathroom to pull myself together and get ready. I carefully undid the silk headscarf around my head, that was used to stop my curls from tangling into a mess. When I was younger, I had wished that I had straight hair, not only because it seemed 'neater', but also due to the less maintenance it seemed to require. I had also loved watching YouTubers do different braid hairstyles, but it was always a tug-of-war with mine. But nowadays, there was more access to haircare and hairstyles suited for mine, so I did wear and care for my hair with pride. 

Once I was downstairs, Makua smiled at me fondly. I groaned internally and braced myself. "Why are you smiling like that?"

"Because my favourite, beloved daughter going to help me pick up my motorcycle from the repair shop after she get back from school today."

I threw my head back in dramatic protest. "Makua, I'm going to be exhausted. You want me to walk home?"

"Last time I checked, the repair shop is on the way home. It's convenient for you. I'll even let you ride back. Pushing it all the way back would be pathetic."

"It'll be good exercise for you to prepare you for your audition," Māmā added from the kitchen.

I pulled a face, causing Makua to tsk at me. "Uh-uh, none of that face stretching. You will get wrinkles."

"Okay, I've gotta go," I said, stuffing my lunchbox into my bag. 

"Don't forget to bring your helmet!"

***

By the time I finally made it to my last class of the day, I was completely out of fuel. I sank into my seat with a long sigh, and put my helmet on the floor. At least Mr.Dubois was a nice teacher, and it was Social Science, a class I willingly chose to study.

"Okay, class, we'll be going over the Social Construction of Identity..."

Suddenly, the front door swung open, revealing a dishevelled Deandre Williams standing at the door. I had forgotten that there was a chance I might see him in a class of mine.

Mr.Dubois frowned at him. "Are you Deandre Williams?"

Deandre grasped his bag tighter. "Yes, sir."

"No need for all the 'yes, sir' stuff," Mr.Dubois chided lightly. "Anyways, take a seat."

Deandre nodded. Mr.Dubois did a sweep of the classroom with his eyes, noting the students had all stopped what they were doing and were glaring at the newcomer. "As I was saying..."

I felt the colour drain from my face as Deandre walked briskly to the seat on my left. He flopped into his seat, and was about to drop his bag on the ground but stopped mid-way when he caught sight of my helmet.

I followed his line of sight, suddenly feeling rather self-conscious. Were my customised flowers too much?

But when I looked back at him, he was already scribbling down whatever was on the board. I sighed and returned my attention to the front of the classroom, ignoring the weight of multiple gazes on my back. I mentally prepared for the onslaught of questions from their classmates later.

The class dragged on longer than it usually did, but I resisted the temptation to look over to my left. When the bell dismissed us for the day, I watched Deandre hurry out of the classroom and released a breath I didn't realise I had been holding. I didn't know what I was expecting... a hello? 

I scoffed at myself, but as I packed my things, the other classmates rushed towards me.

"Did you smell weed on him?"

"Or alcohol?"

"Were his eyes red? Was he high?"

"No, no, no and no," I replied as light-heartedly as I could. "I'm really sorry, but I have to get going and run some errands for my dad."

I shivered as I stepped outside and was hit by the cool wind. It was still autumn, but as the weather as Canada was, it was already chilly. At least, the sky was a soft blue, spotted with some light fluffy clouds. Perhaps having to walk was a blessing in disguise -- it gave me time to calm down and enjoy the sights and sounds around me.

The repair shop was about fifteen minutes from school, so it wasn't too long of a walk. It was also hard to miss the huge Cohen's Mechanics sign above the shop. When I entered the shop, Mr.Cohen's daughter, the current head mechanic, recognised me and greeting me excitedly. "Hey love, it's been too long! I thought you were in L.A already."

I grinned. "Hey, Talia. Nah, I'm still in school and have about a year more to go. Is Nathan still there?"

"My lil cuzzie?" She smirked. "Yeah, he seems to be living the life at Disneyland. He hopped around with his girl Dwynwen -- I think they were performing at Tokyo's Disneyland for a bit, as well as for the Disney Cruise Line."

"It sounds super fun," I laughed and shook my head.

Talia rolled her eyes endearingly. "I think their next stop might be Universal Studios. They're planning on staying at theme parks for as long as they can."

"I'll be sure to let you guys know when I visit L.A," I chuckled. "Anyways, I'm here to pick up my dad's bike."

She barked a laugh. "That man making you run errands? Ha. He paid upfront already -- just go deeper into the garage. An assistant should be wrapping up."

"Thanks so much."

I walked deeper into the shop and stopped short when I noticed who was tending to Makua's bike. "Deandre?"

His head whipped up in confusion. "Leilani?"

I chuckled. "Hey! Surprised to see you working here!"

He stood up and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I have been for a while. It's more surprising to see you here."

I shrugged and nodded towards the bike. "I'm here to collect my dad's motorcycle."

Deandre took a step back and glanced at the motorcycle once over. "It's a Suzuki Hayabusa right?"

I glanced back at him, a little stunned. "Uh-yeah."

A faint blush tinged his dark brown cheeks and he quickly looked away. "I like motorcycles."

A hint of suspicion flared up as my intrusive overthinking had me imagining it was due to his gang background. I cleared my throat quickly. "Thanks for fixing it up. I'll take it from here."

Deandre gestured towards my helmet. "Ride safe."

"You too," I replied automatically. It wasn't until I was zooming down the road did I realise how embarrassing it would've been if he wasn't riding. What if he drove? Or caught the bus? Or walked home... wait, what?

I shook my head to clear the distracting thoughts and turned on my right signal. I've said 'you too' to worse prompts, such as 'Hope you've enjoyed your shopping'.

But all of that faded in comparison to the importance of making it home, getting cleaned up, and hopping onto Justin's livestream. I revved the engines, determined to make it back in time.

I flopped onto my bed, staring at the ceiling that had DIY clouds hanging from them. I couldn't understand why my chest felt tight and uneasy, like I was sinking beneath the surface of a pool. It was a foreign feeling -- I was a pretty strong swimmer.

"Keiki! Dinner time!"

That yanked me out of my thoughts immediately. Māmā's vocal projection was no joke -- no wonder she was such a hit in theatre.