As usual when Sawyer drove, Zach prayed to whoever was listening that he’d get to his destination alive. He never enjoyed his rides in the General Pee, but with his brother having show he was the better driver once again, Zach firmly fixed his eyes on the floor of the car. This achieved little to stop the sensation of high speed and he still felt the lack of regard for personal safety. As such, he closed his eyes and felt his knuckles whiten around the assist grip.

It did not come as a surprise that Sawyer suddenly hit the brakes. The tires skidded across the asphalt and Zach waited for the sound and impact of the crash.

It never came.

Zach slowly opened his eyes and frowned, glancing at the speedometer, finding to his confusion that Sawyer was driving below the speed limit. He glanced in the mirrors, looking around to find the cop that had caused Sawyer’s sudden careful driving. There was none.

“Why?” he finally asked.

Sawyer, who’d opened the window, simply nodded to a girl that was running along the road, dressed in little more than a bright yellow pair of shots and matching top.

“Cute butt,” Sawyer said.

Zach frowned, wondering if Sawyer had slowed down just to ogle some girls ass. He had to agree though, it was a cute butt.

“That hair’s not it,” though, “Sawyer continued his assessment, which was when Zach recognized the swishing high ponytail.

“Oh,” he said, “That’s Yuki. Let me out.”

“You’re going to be late for dinner,” Sawyer warned.

“Don’t care. Let me out.”

Zach pushed the gas, overtaking the girl, then neatly slid the car sideways, blocking half the road.

“Tell her you can do that too,” Sawyer said as Zach stumbled out the gull wing door, “That’s a freebie from me!”

Zach waved to Yuki, who didn’t wave back, instead opting to avoid the car by running diagonally across the road. She could’ve kept running straight however as Sawyer left just as fast as he’d stopped, leaving her and Zach to breathe in his exhaust fumes. The

Zach coughed and put his arm over his mouth. Yuki simply checked her breathing, took a short sprint to make for lost time, then continued to run.

Zach, who realized he had probably made a big mistake, set off after her.

Yuki had let Zach all the way back to the strip mall, where she finally stopped to get in some stretches. Zach stopped to catch his breath, shifting his jeans, which hadn’t had time to dry and now chafed his skin.

Yuki stretched out, looked at the sky, which was that specific golden yellow that generally popped up after rain, then grinned at Zach.

“Don’t bother a girl during her run.”

“Duly,” Zach gasped, “Noted.”

He remained bent over, clutching his knees, “Man, you run fast.”

“Sounds like you do not get enough exercise, karate kid,” she teased, “I am going to run back in a bit. You want to…?”

She pointed down the road to show where she was going to run.

“Yeah, no…” Zach shook his head, “I’m almost home anyway, but before you go…”

Yuki arched her brows, “Keep it short please.”

“The show. The schoolgirl one… Can I borrow the other tapes? If you have them?”

Yuki’s smile turned to a smirk, then a soft laugh.

“You still want more?” she asked, “Even if you are not able to understand?”

“Sucky’s cool,” Zach muttered, “I liked the action stuff.”

“Sucky?”

“The girl with the yo-yo? The main character?”

“Sa-ki,” Yuki corrected, “Say it with me, Sah-key.”

“...Sucky?”

“No, the last Sa… It is like the sa in salsa. The last one.”

“Sa-sa-sa,” Zach tried a few times, then tried the name again, “Sa-key?”

“Good,” she said, clapping her hands, “So you want to see more Saaa-ki?”

“I do…”

“Even though you can not understand? Do you have, what is the word, do you have a crush on Saki?”

Zach sighed, wondering why everyone was accusing him of having crushes on every girl he paid more than five seconds attention to.

“I just like the show, okay?”

Yuki giggled, “Sure, Zach…”

“You could come and explain what I’m watching?” he suggested.

“Oh,” Yuki said, her grin widening and her tone getting slightly more teasing, “It is not about Saki. You like me?”

Zach, who had not considered this eventuality, felt a lump in his throat, his face turning red and quietly considered if she was right.

“It is a joke,” Yuki laughed, “I barely know you, so you barely know me…”

Zach sighed in relief. Was it relief?

“I would come,” she said, “But it is a bit far. I don’t have a car.”

“You could borrow Sawyer’s old bike, if that helps?”

It was Yuki’s turn to look at her feet, shuffling them, then smiled, “I can not ride a bike.”

“You can’t?” Zach frowned, “Why not?”

“Back in Japan, I walk to school. Never had to learn.”

Zach considered his options, then grinned triumphantly, “I could teach you?”

“You think you can?”

“It’s not that hard. … Definitely easier than learning Japanese, I think.”

“Well, then I think we have a deal. But…”

“But?”

“I do not like talking through television…”

“...So?”

Yuki thought for a moment, then brightened, her lips parting in a crooked smile… She was cute, Zach admitted to himself.

“I can make some basic subtitles!”

“…You can put those on the video?””

“No, she laughed, “On paper. You can read and watch.”

“Sounds like a lot of work.”

Yuki stared blankly.

“For you, not me. Transcribing and writing the subtitles.”

“It is a good lesson for me.”

“Okay,” Zach said, unsure how to continue. He looked at his watch. It was a little past six.

“Oh,” he said, “Sawyer was right, I’m late for dinner.”

“Well. Then you do not have to hurry.”

“Why?”

“You can only be late. Not double late.”

Zach cocked his head, “I don’t want my food to get cold, Yuki. But we have a microwave so…”

“When do you want to start?” Yuki asked.

“Dinner? As soon as possible.”

“For my bicycle lessons,” she said, opening her mouth to let out a an a, much like the one in Saki, but swallowed it before she could finish the word.

“A?”

“Forget that. When do you have time?”

“I’m free every day. It’s vacation.”

“No work?”

“Dad’s got money,” Zach laughed, “He mostly wants me to do well in school.”

“Smart man,” Yuki observed.

“You think so? Ask him about horses sometime…”

Yuki cocked her head this time, “Whatever. I am working tomorrow, but I have time the day after.”

“I’ll pick you up at the video store then? Twelve?”

“One?”

“One it is. Well, Yuki. I have to see if Sawyer covered for me.”

“Ah, the man with the ukulele” she smirked. The last word seemed unfamiliar, slipping back into her native accent and pronouncing it as ukurere.

“I told him not to call you that,” Zach assured her.

“I’ve been called worse!” Yuki grinned, then finished her stretches. She gave Zach a smile and a wave, then ran back the way she came, “Bye!!!”

“Bye, Yuki!” he said, making sure not to pronounce it wrong, watching her run off. Sawyer was definitely right about her butt. When she was too far to make out any of her assets, he checked his watch, then ran off in the opposite direction, hoping his dinner wouldn’t be cold…