3.
Drake dove when a blue Subaru nearly crushed him. He jumped back until there was pavement under his butt. People avoided him like dog shit as he lay panting. He stared at the sky for a minute before getting up and dusting himself off. No one helped, fine.
He watched the tar hoping it'd open like it had for everyone else. After ten minutes he tapped out. There was…
…school…
It was fourth period by the time the bus dropped him at the gate. The first plan, find Paige, it wasn't even a question. It'd take something special for Paige to miss class. Like her birthday or an inspired plan by Jin.
He hovered from class to class. He should have been sneaking, hiding from faculty or anyone who might ask why he was lurking around. But a confident walk was better than a hall pass.
No Paige.
A bell rang closing fourth period, students moved, Drake asked around for Paige, hell, even Naya, but failed.
Stopping at the tree, he took a breath, a bead of sweat trickling down the side his head.
Jin could handle himself, Drake was sure of it… well… almost. It took effort to keep his breathing calm.
It was Paige he was looking for.
He tried Naya's friends namely Natsumi Sakurazawa, Erica Mukai and Jubei Hatake.
The only thing he got was the understanding that someone like him asking for Naya was wrong. Along with the bitter taste of knowing that she'd have to explain herself… to them!
Where'd they go? Where'd they disappear to?
Drake spun around the open pavilion looking for someone who knew what was going on.
That was when Futaro appeared, flanked by Kataoki Naoki and Ohba Kazuki.
"Why you looking for Naya?" Futaro asked.
There was fight in all their eyes. One he had neither the time nor patience for.
Pride begged to differ.
"I'm surprised you know who I am." Drake said.
"I didn't, had to ask around. We should get you a name tag."
"Instead, could you get me some chips too and something to wash it down with. Coke if they have, otherwise beer." Drake snapped his fingers.
Every word made no sense, it was dumb, but… quick? That counted, right?
The casualness of the finger snap hit all three like sledgehammers especially Kazuki, who could not handle the destructive force of the nonsense words.
He had an idea on finding Jin, but first he had to survive a fight between three people. Noaki was little more than a paper weight, Kazuki a stick insect, a tall one, fair enough, but Futaro…
Drake was the bigger man but the gap in definition could have filled a dictionary.
The idea of crushing Naya's 'man' was sweet enough to be hated by nine out of ten dentists, but there was the possibility of being wrong, getting hurt, being left behind while Naya took command again. She had skills. He had none and there'd be no running away clean, not against Kazuki's stilt like legs.
The bell rang, no one moved, somehow it was happening.
Drake looked over Naoki's shoulder.
"I'm on my way to class senpai!"
All three turned. Which teacher dictated the reaction. Some were weak and pathetic, others a mix of lazy lecturers and sadistic punishers.