I'm pretty sure I was the one who was the most startled by Miku showing up. I saw her standing out by the entrance of the shop, for a split second, and almost reflexively, I had shrunk into the corner, lamely attempting to hide.

And then Yuma grabbed both my arms and shoved me right into the changing room. I put my ear to the door and listened.

"What would look nice on me?" Miku said.

"W-Well, nothing, really." This sounded like Gakupo.

"He just kept going on about how everything would look so nice on Luka, like, 'oh this shirt would look so cute on Luka' and 'these glasses would really bring out her eyes' so we asked him to stop." This was definitely Piko.

"That's all there is to it," Oliver said. I pressed my forehead to the door, exhaling. Miku was giggling.

"Yuma, right?" She asked. "What're you wearing?"

"Midriff exposure," said Gakupo.

"It's only temporary, dear," Yuma said, his tone rubbing me the wrong way. Miku had a boyfriend, after all.

"It looks funny," she said. "Very different from what I've seen you wear."

"It's my shirt," said Piko.

They kept yammering away about the shirt and other strange, little things, before suddenly going quiet. I heard footsteps, but nothing else. I turned and saw my shirt hanging on the hook, so I decided to change back.

"Well, alright," I heard Miku say as I pulled an arm out of my sleeve. "See you guys at school!"

I exhaled, pulling both arms out of the too-expensive sweater. If she had seen me, she'd probably wonder what I was doing here. And earlier, I had told her that I'd be busy this afternoon, so we wouldn't be able to hang out. I didn't want her to think I was lying to her. Except I kind of was.

As I was mulling over my actions and questioning my inherent capability of being her friend, someone pulled the door open and I stared at him.

Piko screamed and slammed it shut. I was a little too frightened to scream, honestly.

"What, what?" Yuma opened the door as my fingers started to fiddle with the lock. I looked up at him, holding the sweater to my chest.

"Go, go! Shoo!" I said, my cheeks flaring.

"Put it back on, Gumi!" He said, very calmly. "We're not done the photo shoot!"

"Okay, okay! Close the door!" I pushed the door with my side, hard, nearly getting his fingers caught in between. Quickly, I pulled the sweater back over my head and opened the door again, looking out at the guys.

"Everything alright?" Yuma asked. My face was red.

"What was that?" I asked.

He shrugged. "It's not like I saw anything," he said. Piko nodded furiously, perhaps looking redder than me. "Are we going to finish the photo shoot?"

"I don't really see the point," I said.

"The point is to have fun!" Oliver said. I shook my head.

"I'm tired," I said. "And I still don't have anything for Miku."

"She almost saw you, you know," Oliver said.

"Well, crisis averted either way, eh?" Yuma proclaimed proudly.

I frowned. "Look, can we get this over with, please? This silly photo shoot thing..."

"Hah! Right away, milady..." Yuma started snapping pictures almost immediately.

Funny thing is, I actually listened to him and did what he said.

And you know, maybe it was kind of fun.

Or maybe it was just the guys' antics, finally getting to me. By the time we walked out of the mall, I was holding my stomach and laughing. There was a small shopping bag hanging from the crook of my left elbow and a water bottle in my right hand.

"Goodness, don't choke on that, pumpkin," Yuma said, snatching the water bottle away.

Just before we had left, he and bought a long, baggy shirt and changed into it, giving Piko his shirt back. Though, he had let Piko keep his shirt, too.

"What's so funny?" Gakupo asked. We reached the bus shelter, Piko and Oliver following close behind.

I paused, leaning against the glass wall and wiping my eyes, taking a breath,

"You know, Gakupo," I began, "I really don't know..."

"It's nice to live!" Oliver grinned. "Gumi's learning to live again!"

"Bah, did she ever forget?" Gakupo crossed his arms. "She's messing with you guys."

"I got stickers!" I yelled into the sky, waving my little baggie around. "Stickers! Fruit stickers, veggie stickers, cat stickers...sticker stickers!!"

"She's lost it, guys," Piko said.

"Hah!" I said in his face. "I have not lost anything! See, I'm all right here, my feet, both arms..."

I giggled. Piko groaned. The bus arrived and we climbed in. I sat down next to Gakupo, with Piko and Oliver sitting across from us and Yuma a little further away.

"Better not miss your stop, Gumi," Gakupo said.

"Oh, shush," I said. "My stop's far, far away."

"Don't fall asleep, either," Oliver said.

"You guys are being silly. I've never fallen asleep in the bus!"

"Today might be the first time," Gakupo said. "We all get off before you, so take care of yourself."

I nodded. It wasn't a big deal. We sat there and I watched the guys — mainly Gakupo and Piko, really — yammer away about everything from tennis to chess and the mall and Miku's birthday.

Then Gakupo got off at his stop. Soon after that, Piko left. A few stops later, Oliver said goodbye to me and I waved.

After that, I might have closed my eyes for a bit. It was really only for a couple of minutes, and I made sure to listen for my stop. My eyelids just felt really heavy.

"Pumpkin!" Yuma yelled into my ear. I yelped, starting, looking up at him.

"W-What?" I asked.

He looked out the window. "We're almost at my stop, and given where you usually get off in the subway, I'm guessing you don't live on this end of the city..."

"Huh?" I spun around and looked out the window. My face paled. "Did I fall asleep?"

"I think so," he said. "You look prettier already."

I scowled at him. "Will you give it a rest? I'm kind of busy freaking out right now."

"Hey, I'm just trying to help," he said with a shrug. "If you ride back, it'll easily take you an hour..."

"But it's not like I have a choice," I said. "Dammit! How'd I fall asleep? I said I wouldn't!"

"You just did, kiddo," he said. "And yeah you have a choice! I could drive a lovely lady like you over to your place. It'll take no more than fifteen minutes if we take the freeway."

I pressed my lips together, looking at him. He sat down next to me. The bus was nearly empty.

"So, you want me to get in a car that you're driving. On the freeway. Alone."

"Well, I'll be driving. So you won't technically be alone."

"That still counts as alone," I said.

"Look, okay, fine. You could do that. Or you could just ride this bus back," he said with a grin. "But that would take you a long time."

I looked at him. "You'd really drive me back?"

He shrugged, like the answer was obvious. The bus stopped.

"You coming, then?" He asked.

I looked out the window, and then back at him. He was standing with one foot in the bus and one foot out.

"Yeah, I'm coming."

We got off at the stop and I had just started looking around when Yuma had started walking. I looked at him, a few feet away, and broke out into a jog to catch up.

"Hey!" I called. He slowed down and turned, looking at me. He was doing something on his phone.

"Sorry," he said, grinning. "Do you like it?"

"Like what?"

He motioned towards our surroundings with a turn of his head. "My neighbourhood."

"Oh...right."

I looked around. It seemed like a quiet neighbourhood. There weren't any kids running around, and I didn't see any tall buildings, either. There were just houses, lots and lots of houses.

"You must live in a house," I deduced.

"How'd you figure that out?" He was clearly being sarcastic. He started to walk again and I followed.

"Well...houses," I said. I looked up at the sky. It was darkening, taking on shades of orange and pink. "Could we hurry?"

"Right, right. Can you run?" He looked back at me with a wild grin.

"Hah! Of course I can run!" I said, crossing my arms. "I mean, I'm no athlete, but I can run."

"Really..." He looked me up and down, like he was trying to gauge my running capability through my appearance, somehow.

"Yeah...really," I said.

He snickered. "Well, good to know." He pointed towards a house in the distance. "See that one? Dark blue roof? That's my house. Go ahead and run over."

"And what about you?" I asked.

"I'm coming," he said. "Just chewing the scenery."

I glanced back at him and then towards the house the was pointing to. "Suit yourself," I said before breaking out into a jog.

I slowed down when the road merged with the path to the house, leaning back against the fence and watching Yuma. He waved to me and started walking a bit faster.

"Lots of memories here," he said, standing next to me. He leaned against the fence and looked up at the sky. The sun hung low behind the buildings in the distance.

"Makes sense," I said. "I feel the same way about my neighbourhood."

"Yeah." He was fiddling with the hem of his shirt, tugging at a stray thread that barely stuck out.

I watched him for a moment. He looked back at me, the usual fire of his eyes cooled to a gentle flame. I looked back at the hem of his shirt, the fabric bunched in between his thin fingers.

"I'll get the car out," he said. "You want to see the garage or wait here?"

"I'm fine either way," I said. He nodded, walking along the fence, towards the garage next to the house. He motioned towards me with a flick of his wrist. I hurried over.

"Here it is," he said as we entered a door at the side of the garage. He turned the lights on and pulled a set of keys out of his pocket, jangling them at me. "Shotgun?"

I nodded slowly. "Sure, I guess," I said.

The car was a dull grey, nothing too fancy but still amazing, because there was no way that my mom would let me drive hers, ever. Yuma unlocked the door and held it open for me. I headed around the front and got in. He opened the garage door and got into the car.

"Before you ask, no, this isn't my car," he said with a laugh. "It's my mom's."

"Shouldn't you ask her before we head out, then?" I asked.

"Already did." He held out his phone, showing me the screen.

Rambunctious Kitten Sandwich: Car?

Mom: Yes.

"Rambunctious Kitten Sandwich?" I asked, looking up at him.

He put the phone away. "Don't judge me," he said with a grin. "And yes. Because I am a rambunctious kitten...sandwich."

I shrugged. "If the shoe fits..."

"Hey, I was gonna tell her that a girl from my class missed her stop," he said.

"You don't have to tell her that!" I said. "This is embarrassing enough as it is. The fewer people who know about it, the better."

"Welp. I already told the guys."

"You what?"

He started the car. I yelped, startled, and immediately put my seatbelt on.

"Oh, don't worry," he said. "I go slow."

"I'm not trusting you," I said.

He started to drive, pulling the vehicle out. Sunlight splashed in and I squinted, shielding my eyes.

"This'll take just a second," he said, stepping out. He closed the garage door and got back in.

"Now, shall we?" He said, winking.

I crossed my arms. "Yes," I said. "We shall."

He was driving down the street when he suddenly pulled over and looked at me. I frowned.

"What?" I asked.

"I don't know where your home is," he said.

"I..." I paused and looked out the window. I looked back at him. "Well, you know the general direction. Just head that was. I'll point it out."

"Will do." He started driving again.

We had passed a few traffic lights, both of us silent. The roads weren't crowded at all, and Yuma was driving decently.

"The weather's calmed down," he said, taking a turn onto the freeway. He lowered both our windows a bit. "You think your mom's worried?"

"Maybe," I said. "Probably not. I told her I'd be home late. And she'll call me if she is worried."

He nodded, turning the radio on. "Just making sure."

The freeway was wide open, barely a vehicle in sight. Yuma chuckled softly, his laugh barely audible over the music. He slammed his foot down on the accelerator and I screamed, my back plastered to the seat.

"What're you doing?" I yelled. I pushed my hair out of my face and held it in bunches by the side of my face.

"Driving!" He yelled back, fiery eyes on the road.

"Slow down!" I said.

"What was that? Go faster?" He pushed on, driving even faster.

I closed my eyes, taking deep breaths. I did not want to die this way. The cold wind burned against my ears. I felt the car slow down.

"Geez, pumpkin, I didn't mean to scare you," Yuma said.

I opened my eyes. We were still moving, though nowhere near as fast. I scowled at Yuma and swatted his arm.

"You could have killed us!" I said.

"I was just having some fun with you," he said. "If I had known that you'd react the way you did, I wouldn't have done it. Sorry."

I crossed my arms and sat back in my seat. He glanced over at me.

"Your eyes are wet," he said.

"No, they're not."

"You were going to cry," he said.

"That was the wind," I said.

He shrugged. "Whatever you say."

We kept driving for a while, and then Yuma took an exit onto another road. I looked out at the signs passing us.

"Not here," I said. "There's still a ways to go."

"I know," he said. "Just give me a minute."

We were on a wide road with small houses on once side. Out of my window, I could see the setting sun cutting across the lake in the distance. The pinks and oranges shimmered, so far way but no less brilliant.

"We're at the lake," I whispered.

Yuma kept driving, turning another corner and pulling up in a parking lot.

"Stay," he said, getting out.

I stuck my head out the window and looked at him. "I'm not a dog!"

He seemed to ignore me and walked away, towards a truck parked on the other end of the street. I waited, watching the water not too far away from us. The air was cold and I rubbed my nose as I waited for Yuma to come back.

"Here." He stuck his hand in through my window, holding an ice cream cone in front of my face. I looked up at him, eyebrows arched, bizarre expression on my face, but eventually I took it.

He got back into the car with an ice cream of his own. I looked at mine. It was vanilla with caramel. I looked at his. It looked like chocolate, coffee, or something in between. He grinned.

"I know it's getting colder but if you wait too long, it'll melt," he said before starting to eat.

I nodded and hesitantly took a bite. Yuma gobbled his down and started the car again, heading down the street and back onto the freeway. He was quiet, and I was quiet, too. I ate the ice cream and looked out the window as the sky turned to a dark blue.

It didn't take very long for us to arrive at my home. I gave Yuma directions once we had reached my area and he had parked the car on our driveway.

"All right," he said, taking the keys out. He unlocked the door. I stepped out and walked around the front of the car.

"This is it," I said, looking down at him through his window. He nodded.

"Sorry I took so long," he said. "I said fifteen minutes, but this was more like..."

"It's fine," I said, smiling.

He seemed a little surprised, maybe because I wasn't upset. He smiled as well.

"Thank you," I said. "For the ride. For the view. And for the ice cream."

He nodded again, raking a hand through his hair. "Goodnight."

"You too," I said. "I'll see you in class."

"Yeah."

He started the car and I headed up the steps and knocked at the door. As I waited for my mom to open up, I watched him wave and then drive away. I waved back.

"Gumi, I was just about to call you!" My mom said as she opened the door.

I gave her a hug and assured her that everything was all right. I headed up to my room, set Miku's gift aside, washed up and pulled out my phone to text the girls.

Gumi: I think I know someone who could drive us.

Hey guys, happy Monday. *hears booing in the audience* Well, I meant to publish this on Saturday but I couldn't finish it in time, and Sunday was just SO busy...so here it is. I hope you guys like it! I'm working on HUGE writing projects right now (hint: manuscripts so that I can MAYBE get published but probably not <_< ) so it's really hard for me to take time out to write these stories. 

...But I'm still trying and I do it because I want to see them to the end and I do it for you guys, dear readers...I really hope I don't disappoint you!

P.S. There will be another chapter tomorrow! If all goes well, that is...but I'm going to try. So, check back tomorrow around this time! See you next chapter and thanks for reading.