Chase The Dark Together || Nishimura Riki (Ni-Ki)

6 ¦ Skin as white as the snow

Time Skip; Friday 05:00 PM after school

There were worse things than being left at the Campus alone during a snowstorm. For example, I could be running from a rabid tiger intent on mauling me into the next century. Or I could be tied to a chair in a dark cold basement and forced to listen to ABBA's "Mamma Mia" on repeat until I'd rather gnaw off my arm than hear the son's eponymous phrase again. But just because things could be worse didn't mean they didn't suck.

"Stop. Think positive thoughts" I mumbled to myself. "A car will show up... now" 

I stared at my phone, biting back my frustration when Jay was clearly not picking up his phone for the last past half hour. 

Normally, I'd be less stressed about the situation because I mean I at least have a working phone and the roof of the school entrance to keep me mostly dry from the falling snow.

I mentally scrolled through my limited options. The bus that stopped at our school didn't run anymore because of the snow that has been falling since the morning and Vic was at home, with a fever. 

My uber app wasn't working, and I hadn't seen a single car pass by since I stepped out of the building. Not that I would hitchhike anyway – I've seen to many horror movies, thank you very much. 

I only had one option left – one I really didn't want to take – but beggars couldn't be choosers. I pulled up the contact in my phone, said a silent prayer, and pressed the call button.

One ring. Two rings. Three.

Come on, pick up. Or not. I wasn't sure which would be worse – getting murdered or dealing with Sunghoon since Jay was obviously very busy. 

Of course, there was a chance said brother would murder me himself for putting myself in such a situation again, but I'd deal with that later. 

"What's wrong?" I rolled my eyes at his greeting. 

"Hello to you too my favorite brother. What makes you think something is wrong?" Sunghoon snorted. "Uh, you called me. You never call me; you always call Jay, and HE is your favorite brother so please cut the crap. You never call unless you're in trouble."

 True. I preferred texting him, still I don't do that very often as well. 

"I wouldn't say I'm in trouble," I murmured. "More like... uhm stranded. I really was trying to call Jay in the past half hour, but he didn't pick up. Not even once." 

I heard some mumbling, but I couldn't understand what he was saying or doing. 

"For Christ's sake, Cami. Where the fuck are you again?" 

I told him. 

"What the hell are you still doing there? School ended 3 hours ago!" "Don't be dramatic. I was reading in the library and forgot the time... again." 

The wind was howling and branches of nearby trees were shaking. I winced and shrank further back to the entry of the school, not that it did me much good. The snow slanted sideways, splattering me with thick snowflakes.

A rustling noise came from Sunghoon's end, followed by a soft moan. I paused, sure I'd heard wrong, but nah, there it was again. Another moan. My eyes widened in horror. "Are you having sex right now??" I whisper-shouted, even though no one else was around. 

The pizza I ate at lunch threatened to make a reappearance. There was nothing – I repeat nothing – grosser than listening to a relative while they're mid-coitus. Just the thought made me gag. 

"Technically, no." Sunghoon sounded unrepentant. The word 'technically' did a lot of heavy lifting there. It didn't take a genius to find out decipher Sunghoon's vague reply. He may not be having intercourse, but something was going on for sure, and I had zero desire to find out what that something was. 

"Park Sunghoon." 

"What, you're the one who called me."

 He must have covered his phone with his hand because his next words came through muffled. I heard a soft, feminine laugh followed by a squeal, and I wanted to throw myself of a cliff. 

"One of the guys took my car to go buy some snacks for the party tomorrow," he said, his voice clear again. "But don't worry, I got you. Keep your phone close and someone from the boys will come pick you up." 

 "Yea thanks." My sarcasm went over my brother's head. 

"You're welcome. Stay put and he'll be there soon. We'll talk about your complete lack of self-preservation later." "I'm self-preserved," I protested. Was that even the right word? 

"It's not my fault there are no- wait, who do you mean with 'he'? Sunghoon!" 

Too late. He already hung up. 

I sat on the floor hugging my bag, letting the leather warm my skin a little. I waited for the mysterious 'he' to show up. 

It could be anyone. Well, no not really, it for sure got to be one of the boys. 

I probably would've been at home by now if I had a car but not if my phobia had anything to do with it. My damn phobia. I knew it was all mental, but it felt physical. The nausea, the racing heart, the paralyzing fear that turned my limbs into useless, frozen things...

I wasn't sure how long I've been hugging my bag cursing my lack of foresight when I thought it was a good idea to go to the library after my lessons. 

It was getting dark and a part of was worrying that the mysterious 'he' wouldn't show up, but Sunghoon had never let me down. 

If one of his friends failed to pick me up like he'd asked, they wouldn't have working legs tomorrow. Sunghoon was very educated, but he had zero compunction about using violence when the situation called for it – especially when the situation involved me. 

The bright beam of headlights slashed through the snow. I squinted, my heart tripping in both anticipation and wariness as I weighed the odds of whether the car belonged to my ride or a potential psycho. 

This part of New York was pretty safe, but you never knew. 

When my eyes adjusted to the light. I slumped with relief, only to stiffen again two seconds later.

 Good news? I recognized the sleek, black Audi pulling up toward me. It belonged to one of Sunghoon's friends, which meant I wouldn't end up a local new item tonight. 

Bad news? The person driving said Audi was the last person I wanted – or expected – to pick me up. 

 He wasn't an I'll do my buddy a favor and rescue his stranded little sister kind of guy. He was a look a me wrong and I'll destroy you and everyone you care about kind of guy, and he'd do it looking so calm and gorgeous you wouldn't notice your world burning down around you until you were already a heap of ashes at his feet. 

I swiped the tip of my tongue over my frozen and dry lips as the car stopped in front of me and the passenger window rolled down.