Flowers Blossom In Night Rain | Vinny Hong

five

<3

"That's it Flora! you're doing it." Flora winced in humiliation and regret. She shouldn't have agreed; she should have stood her ground. Now she was outside teetering on a blue bike uncertainly with a man with a full beard in a neon pink bodysuit coaching her. If anyone from school - no anyone in general - she would just die. She would dissipate into the earth, turn into a cloud of smoke, or even go back to her mum. That was always an option. 

Flora pushed the pedals of the bike hard and sped forward, suddenly remembering how to ride a bike. It was just like everyone said: once you learn how to ride a bike or swim you never forget. This was partially true in Flora's case as she had learnt to swim after she had learned to ride a bike, but just a few years later she had to be rescued by a life guard in a community pool. That was nowhere near as embarrassing as this though. The muscles in her calves and thighs flexed and relaxed as she heard Mario Nam's deep voice fade into the distance. 

She had forgotten how nice it was to ride a bike - she had gotten so used to running as her coping and relaxing mechanism, she hadn't bothered to try anything else. Biking was different to running: your feet didn't touch the ground in that comforting rhythmic procession she loved so much, but there was this slightly annoying, but comparable squeak and creak of the gears as they worked. It was the way that she was in full control of the bike like she was of her body when running. The wind still flowed through her hair like delicate fingers, and the breeze whispered at the back of her, causing goosebumps to appear. Everything was so beautiful and peaceful. 

Flora turned a corner sharply, her bike dipping towards the ground, threatening to tip her off if she leaned just a bit further towards the ground. She cleared it and just as she was about to congratulate herself in this amazing achievement, her wheel hit a small rock and turned off its intended course. The being of this small rock caused the bike to throw Flora to the ground with a loud thud and scratch on the concrete. 

Blood trickled down her legs into her socks and down her forearms onto the concrete that conflicted the damage upon her. Flora heaved herself up and surveyed the damage: on the bike and herself. The bike was alright because it was made of steel and had landed in someone's plant bed. Flora, however, looked like she had been in several fights and played rugby in a parking lot. The only thing of nature Flora didn't like was random stones, rocks and obstacles obstructing her path, when she was running, or riding now. 

Limping slightly, Flora attempted to get up, and succeeded, but winced in pain at every time the skin on her knee stretched a bit too much on her joints. 

"I can't believe I fell." Flora said out loud to herself.

"I can, and I can't believe I witnessed all of it." A deep voice sounded above her, filled with amusement. Flora looked up and saw the red hair and eyes, staring at her, with such interest, sincerity and contempt. 

Just a glance.

She knew it was him and suddenly she felt that shiver. It was a good and bad feeling something that she couldn't explain just yet, but she knew she would be able to sometime in the future. 

<3

Vinny stood over his classmate with a playful smirk on his face; his eye crinkled slightly at the touch of a smile, a grin. He raised his hand to run it through his hair, and his every move was tracked by the fascinated eyes of Flora Amaya. She just stood and stared, not in fear, anger, sadness or vengeance like all of the other stares he had experienced before, but on of pure interest and amazement. She looked like she was in a trance. 

"Don't be an idiot and just stand there and stare at me. What's so interesting?" Vinny said eventually. He had liked the staring at first but now it was getting out of hand, and creepy. 

"Oh, yeah, sorry." Flora shook herself physically out of her mental trance and lunged to pick up her bike. She barely felt the striking pain of her injuries like she had earlier and picked up the scratched bike. She turned back to Vinny's eyes and was met with a questioning look. "I'm learning to ride a bike."

"I can see that. Why are you so bad at it? Isn't it supposed to be common knowledge - how to ride a bike?" 

"Yes. You see I know how to ride a bike but it was ages ago and I was for- " Flora started babbling but was cut off.

"Is it common knowledge to know the necessary skills to beat Deokbong Kim? Is it pretty boy?" A deep voice accompanied with long flowing hair, a full beard and a neon pink bodysuit was heard behind the two, making Vinny and Flora jump a little. This was a not a sight you could get used to. 

"I have started training Flora in order to beat Monster." Mario - Nam paused and silently observed Vinny; his eyes drifting from his red hair and eyes to his bike. "I say, you look different, pretty boy. How do you know Flora? Do you go to the same school?"

Vinny stared in shock and humour as Maio Nam approached them. "Yeah. She's in my class, just joined today."