Frozen Rose (Langa x reader)

Chapter 4

(Y/n)'s POV

Days ticked by, rushing past like it was pressed for time. The monotonous ticking of each second sped up with the beating of my heart. Time's wretched fingers wrapped around my throat, slowly squeezing the flowing life within me.

I risked a glance back, catching Ruka's boyfriend's murderous gaze. Frankly put, he was but a plaything for her yet he was completely devoted to her. He was just a puppet tasked with scaring me.

I had no doubt I could beat him in a fight but leaving unscathed would prove to be difficult. Mother would be home tonight and I couldn't risk a single scratch least she has an 'episode'.

"Oi, stop her! She's a thief!" he yelled.

What a damn annoyance. Irritation overtook my heart, threatening to tip over to the menacing side of anger. Clenching my fingers, gritting my teeth, I pushed through the overflowing crowds of people.

A sudden hand grasped my arm, pulling me to the right. My body was hidden beneath Joe's as the boy rushed past and disappeared down the street.

"Thanks."
"You could've fought him," he exclaimed.
"I could've."
"But?"
"My mum's gonna be home early tonight."
"I see..."
"You coming to S tonight?"
"Yeah, are you?"
"Yep. I promised a friend."
"Oh? The stone-cold princess has a new friend?" he questioned teasingly.
"Hmph, whatever. Thanks for before, I have to get going."
"Come on, are you gonna ignore an old friend?"

I elbowed his stomach, yet his toned muscles proved to be a suitable cushion for the hard bone jabbed into his flesh. Boisterous laughter escaped his lips as his hands came to rest on my arms.

"Alright ojou-chan, I'll let you go now. Come to my restaurant when you have time. I'll give you a discount," he exclaimed.
"No freebies?"
"Then would you care to go on a date with-"
"Not a chance, Mr Playboy."

I was on my skateboard before he had a chance to reply. It didn't take long for dull caresses to overtake my mind. Why couldn't I enjoy skateboarding the way I used to? Why was my heart so damn useless now? Blood trickled through its unfixable cracks.

~Timeskip to evening~

Hurriedly tying my hair into a ponytail, I rushed down the stairs, skateboard in hand. Yuu stopped me by the arm, reaching up on his tippy toes to wipe a nonexistent speck of dust off my cheek.

"You should really check in the mirror once in a while," he commented.
"So should you."
"(Y/n), Yuu, where are you going?" asked mum.
"You know them, (M/n). They'll be back before you know it," dad replied, giving us a secretive wink.

I quickly ushered Yuu out the door after thanking father. A car honked on the other side of the street, catching our attention as soon as we stepped off the driveway. Yuu and I climbed into Cherry's car before we were headed towards the location of S.

Yuu, who had snatched the front seat, played around with the radio until a jazzy pop song blasted through the speakers. Cherry's brow furrowed in irritation. He immediately turned it off.

"Hmph (Y/n), why are you friends with such a grumpy old man?" Yuu grumbled.
"I'm not old and I'm not grumpy," said Cherry.
"Why not?"
"Utter another word and I'm kicking you off the car."
"You becoming Joe with that musclehead thinking?"
"Do not compare me to that gorilla."

The rest of the ride continued with the two arguing like a bickering couple, with not a second wasted where one wasn't talking. Although it was amusing to see a grown man argue with a 12-year-old, I found myself escaping into the quietness of my mind.

Soon the loud cheers of the crowds could be heard through the windows. We exited the car once Cherry finished parking, having to navigate through the sea of people.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up," said Yuu.
"But-"
"Sis, stop worrying. I'll be fine."
"...fine but if anything happens, call me straight away."
"Yeah, I know."

After a quick side hug, Cherry and I were off on our skateboards. We rode along the path, swerving around people and doing small manoeuvres and tricks to avoid obstacles.

"Omg, it's Rose and Cherry!"
"Rose, I love you!"
"Cherry, look over here!"

We slowed to a stop at the start line. There weren't any notable beefs occurring tonight, much to my dismay. Cherry's fans crowded behind him whilst mine surrounded me.

My eyes searched faces amongst the living sea, looking for a few familiar people. Two hands suddenly grabbed my waist and tickled. Out of instinct, I flipped over their body and locked their head with my legs whilst securing their arms.

"I-I can't breathe!" Reki managed to say.
"S-sorry..."
"Killer instincts you have."
"I warned you. Don't try to surprise my sister like that," Yuu commented.

Langa tugged at my sleeve, his eyes embodying enchantments of awe and surprise. I offered a cheeky smile, taking his hand and allowing him to pull me back to my feet.

"Everyone's cheering for you," he exclaimed.
"Of course they are. She's Rose, she's on par with Cherry and Joe," replied Reki.
"Eh?!"
"Come on, you're making this sound impressive," I said dismissively.
"Because it is! I bet Langa hasn't seen your gymnast skating yet."
"Gymnast?" questioned Langa.
"She's crazy good at gymnastics," Joe answered as he came over.
"That reminds me, I saw your skating the other day when you challenged Shadow. It was sick!"
"*blush* Thanks..."
"You used to do snowboarding, didn't you? Have any tricks you can teach me?"

Joe pulled me back, seeing as how I was eagerly leaning towards Langa. I caught myself, smiling sheepishly once I saw how flustered he was with my unwarranted excitement.

"Sorry, she sometimes gets a little too excited-"
"Not now, Joe."

I sent him a glare, to which he held his hands up in surrender. Langa watched our exchange with a question in his eyes but held his tongue. He suddenly had his arm out, positioning himself in front of me as Shadow stepped forward and shouted.

"Rose, I demand a rematch!"
"You lost big time against her. There's no way you can win against her," Yuu pointed out.
"T-that's because I went easy on her! She's just a weak little girl," Shadow replied while jabbing a finger at me, with Langa shadowing me even more with his body.
"'Just a weak little girl'?"
"*sigh* He's getting himself into some trouble," muttered Cherry.
"Tch, you damn monkey. I accept your challenge. The winner gets to redesign the loser's board. How's that?"
"You're on!"

Reki touched my hand, concern reflected underneath his cheery exterior. He knew how much I treasured my skateboard. He knew the story. However, that was all the more reason for me to win.