The Boy Next Door

four

Just as Sou instructed me to, I arrive at what (I think) is the bridge by the rice fields, at 8:30 sharp. I know I took a different route on my bike ride to school yesterday. But I do recall coming by some rice fields the day I moved here--just a couple days ago--and with Sou when we were coming back home from the Markets yesterday. If we ever did cross this bridge then I must've been too caught up with Sou's presence to have noticed. But these are definitely rice fields, and they're hardly a block from our houses, so I assume that I'm at the right place. It's such a short walk that I suppose it was a good choice for me to walk here instead of bike.

I pull out my phone to check the time. 8:32. Personally I am a sucker for punctuality. These past two minutes have felt like ten. I grip the handles of my school bag with both hands and rock back and forth on my feet impatiently.

"Oy!" A male voice calls out. I turn towards the houses to see Sou just several houses down, waving to me with one hand as he steers his bike with another. Aw, man, why didn't I bring my bike too? He slams his foot on the ground to stop his bike just a foot short in front of me. "Good morning Rika-chan!" the boy sings cheerfully.

"Good morning," I grumble. "You're two minutes late."

Sou's smile turns into a playful frown. "Sorry, I always tend to be a little late. The school's only five minutes away, and class doesn't start until 9:00 anyways." He turns his bare wrist and stares at it with squinted eyes, like an old man trying to read his watch. "And it'sss....8:33!"

I giggle a little bit. "You don't have a watch on, stupid."

His entire face lights up when he hears my little laugh. "Well, let's get to school then before it's too late!" he exclaims dramatically. He sets a foot into each pedal and prepares to ride forward.

But when I don't join him Sou looks back at me and almost seems surprised to notice that I'm bike-less. I shrug my shoulders. "You can go on, I can walk from here. Nice talking to you." I begin to continue across the bridge and away from my neighbor. Right as I step off the bridge a couple piercing rings sound from behind me. I'm about to turn around to find the source of the sound when Sou slows down on his bike to remain at my walking pace. His hand is still on his bike bell when he catches up to me.

"You don't even know where you're going!" he says.

I purse my lips. He's right. I honestly have no clue where this is, but I'm sure that if I keep going forward I'll find a way. "I'll look for people with the same uniform as us," I state.

But Sou seems unconvinced. He keeps pedaling at an insanely slow pace beside me with eyes focused forward and brows knitted like he's contemplating something.

He suddenly speeds up just a little bit to get ahead of me and turns to stop in my path just a few feet away. He stands up and pats the top of the bike seat. "Hop on," he says.

"Huh?"

"Hop on!" he repeats. "I'll give you a ride."

"Uhh..." I stare at him, open-mouthed, for a couple seconds. "It's okay, I'll find a--"

"Do you honestly have any clue where you are right now?" Sou interjects. "Shizuoka is a lot more widespread than normal Japanese cities, you know."

"Erm--" I stay silent for a few moments longer.

"Come on! We're gonna be late for school!"

I hesitate for a moment. But I guess he's right. I can just learn the way from here. "Excuse me, then." I give him a small bow and step forward to the seat. Sou takes my school bag and puts it with his in the front rack.