Hello everyone, i havent updated this story in so long, but the second chapter is finally done. I know this is starting out slow but i have great plans for it trust me. Read and review please, enjoy!

"Thirty...twenty nine...twenty eight..." he mentally counted, staring eagerly at the clock hanging above the chalkboard in his final class of the day. It was the horror of this last hour of school he hated above all else. The class was calculus, which he had steadily grown to despise. His brain felt like it would explode each time the teacher spoke in his dry, emotionless, robotic voice. It was like he made the material as mind-draining as possible. Figures and equations he could find no practical use for in real life was cranked out and scribbled all across the board. He was always told he would need to use math everyday. He was convinced nobody in their right mind would want to use math everyday, especially this kind. The seconds were grinding down, the hand of the clock slowing to a crawl at his anticipation. The muscles in his body were tense, ready to bolt from this heathen calculus class. Still his teacher spoke as if he could get so much more accomplished in the nine seconds remaining. "Six...five...four...hurry up you piece of bovine scatology." The electronic ring of the school bell rang like sweetness in his ears. He shot up from his desk having already packed his books and made no effort to wait to see if any homework was assigned.

The halls were already in an uproar as the students flooded from their classes. He squeezed his way through the crowded halls and out into the lot. He smiled as refreshing sunshine bathed his face. There was a soothing effect to the suns rays and just the fact he was outside, in fresh air away from school. He walked over to his bike and pulled it from the metal railing where he had placed it. The spokes whirred as he jumped on it and pedaled down the road away from school. He made a few turns down side roads and bumpy sidewalks towards his home. He was itching to play his Jackson Soloist and he found himself humming a Judas Priest song. It was called Ram it Down and he recalled the melodies and lyrics instantly to mind. He had heard it too many times to count but never got sick if it. He made a few more turns, avoiding potholes and stopping to watch for cars, all the while singing silently to himself.

He came to another small intersection, a one way street only big enough for a car to drive through. Since it was so small he only gave a passing glance up and down the road and pedaled on without stopping. In doing this he failed to note a screaming yellow vespa barreling straight for him. All he heard was its horn as it blared in his eardrums causing him to panic and pedal straight into the curb. He flew over his handlebars and landed flat on his back on the sidewalk, forcing the air from his lungs. The bike crashed on top of him the pedal digging into his chest and the handlebar smacking him in the forehead. Unable to even groan he gasped and wheezed in an effort to get air back into his lungs. He clutched his now throbbing forehead as oxygen returned to him. He was then able to let out a low aching groan of pain. The sound of screeching brakes pierced his ears causing him only more discomfort. He removed the bike off of him and stood searching for what had almost taken him out. At the end of the one way street at the next intersection he saw what he believed to be a moped of some kind. Its yellow exterior sounded like it masked its true power as he listened to the engine. It sounded like it belonged on a Harley, not on the comparatively laughable moped. It had halted and was facing back towards him. More so than the vehicle that caught his attention was the driver.

She wore black jeans which ended in big black, probably steel toed boots. A red hoodie with no sleeves covered a white long sleeved shirt. On her hands she wore brown leather gloves. Her face was obscured due to the big pair of goggles she was wearing. Most noticeable about her though was her pink hair. It wasn't a neon "look at me" kind of pink but was lighter, borderline on a purple color. She appeared slender and athletic and as she lifted her goggles to stare directly at him, he noticed she was extremely cute. Along side her on the bike were two guitar cases, no doubt securely strapped down after seeing how fast she flew by him and the sudden stop she made.

They stared at each other for a few moments before a sinister smile spread about the woman's face. An expression of confusion and worry came about Nathaniel's face as she revved the engine. "What is she doing?" He cautiously picked up his bike never taking his eyes off of her. She eagerly gunned the engine again and again as if she was waiting for him to get on his bike. Quickly he jumped on the seat of his bike and pedaled around the nearest corner ahead of him. Behind he heard the roar of the mopeds engine and the squeal of the tires against the pavement. "Oh ....," is all he thought as he turned to see the moped round the corner he just made. Her goggles were again covering her eyes but the evil grin remained.

The road dipped downward so he put it in the highest gear he could and pedaled with all his might. He instantly kicked up speed, rocketing down the sidewalk. Still Nathaniel was no match for the souped up moped and she came pulling up along side him after a few seconds. They both looked at each other and then concentrated on driving again. The woman had to swerve to avoid both parked cars and cars that were coming straight for her since she was driving in oncoming traffic to get near him. Nathaniel was swerving around pedestrians as best he could but lost speed dramatically, clipping his arm on a telephone pole as he dodged people but ignored the pain. He noticed no one else walked on the sidewalk and so he again started to speed up. He could hear numerous horns honking and tires burning rubber.

Turning around Nathaniel noticed the yellow moped driving in the middle of the street again gaining on him. He was quickly running out of sidewalk and so applied the brakes. They were only moderately effective as the back of his bike started tipping upward threatening to launch him into a parked car that was approaching. He released the front brake and he skidded to a halt just before he slammed into the car. He aimed the bike down the next stretch of walkway and bolted. The road was flat and so he lowered the gear to gain as much speed as he could. Behind him the woman came skidded to a halt and squeezed her moped between a telephone pole and a pickup truck onto the sidewalk in pursuit. Nathaniel cursed as he took note in a few seconds she would be riding his ass.

He could only wonder, "Why? What did I do? She is the one that was speeding, im minding my own business, what is she trying to do??" With her roaring moped gaining, he steered the bike onto the street, past oncoming traffic for two lanes and their blaring horns. He reached the other end of the avenue without being run over and didn't stop to look if the woman was following him. Sure enough in a few seconds he heard the demon on wheels on his trail. The sound of her voice alarmed him, he could barely hear it above the rushing of the wind and the sound of her engine but she was yelling something to him. Distracted he turned his head to look at her. She was almost along side him and was yelling and pointing her hand forward. It was too late though, Nathaniel got only a second or two to apply his brakes and take the edge of his velocity before he slammed into another parked car. A metallic crunch was followed by his body flying over the car and connecting with a white picket fence. He hit it back first and the fence immediately broke. It was then flattened by his body and his head smacked on something a lot softer than concrete. Dazed and sore he stared up into the sky with its wispy white clouds sailing gently along. His view was abruptly blocked by that girls head, her pinkish hair falling about her face. She revealed a gleeful smile with what almost appeared like a pair of fangs among her ivory white teeth. Her face was without blemish and she stared down at him with her greenish yellow eyes.

A gloved hand presented itself to him. Nathaniel took her hand and sat up slowly as a sudden jolt of pain ran down his back were he had hit the fence. When he was finally on his feet he looked around at where he had landed. He was in someone's yard. He had flown completely across the street which he was glad was small or he would have hit asphalt. Flattened green grass and pieces of the picket fence marked where he had landed. He breathed a sigh thankful for how lucky he truly was. Brushing the dirt and grass of his clothes he also was happy he wasn't .....ing.

Nathaniel was interrupted by an enthusiastic, "Hi!"

His immediate reply was, "What were you trying to do?? Kill me? What kind of a moped is that??"

Rolling her eyes she said, "It's not a moped...it's a vespa, I think its Italian or something, who knows? I wasn't trying to kill you I just wanted to talk!"

Angrily, "There are a lot better ways of getting peoples attention than trying to run them down."

"I know, I just wanted to have some fun."

Surprised at her response he said, "You could have got us both killed, then what? That really doesn't sound like fun to me!"

She yawned and then gave him another joyous smile, "Nah, I knew what I was doing, anyways, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Haruko." She extended her hand again eagerly.

He wanted to say more, wanted to make her feel bad but he couldn't help but feel most of his anger melt away. It was that smile, it was her face. He didn't feel like arguing with her and so he grasped her hand and she shook heartily as he introduced himself, "My name is Nathaniel."

Haruko released her grip on his hand and said, "It's nice to meet you, I'm not actually from around here, just in town on...business you could call it."

Nathaniel still had an air of grimace about him as he started to cross the street, not only from his injuries but because he was afraid to see what the crash had done to his bike. Haruko followed close behind. As he reached the car, he muttered to himself, "Damn...it."

The front tire was bent at a 90 degree angle where it connected and the handlebars were imbedded into the side of the car, a gaping whole where they had busted into the side of it.

He felt his anger growing once again and looked at her who was also examining the damage, "Great...great! I am probably going to have to pay for this as well as having to get my bike fixed, I can't afford this!"

Haruko without taking her eyes off the bike said, "Well...if no one saw, no one has to know it was you." She grasped the bikes handlebars and placed her foot on the car. In one mighty tug she wrenched the bike free giving them a clear view of the whole he had made.

"What do they make cars out of? Plastic?" Haruko ignored him and was being shifty eyed, looking down both ends of the street. Somehow no one had heard that commotion and if they had they didn't bother to investigate. After surveying the area around them, Haruko grabbed Nathaniel's arm, his bike in tow and started towards her vespa parked not far away. Nathaniel confused, resisted some and was surprised at her strength as she still managed to drag him.

As he was tugged along he spoke, "What are we doing exactly?"

Without facing him she said, "We are getting out of here."

Nathaniel jerked his arm free and stopped a few feet away from her vespa. Haruko placed his mangled bike on the back of her vespa near her guitar cases. There would be little room for him to ride with her.

"Whoa, wait. We are just going to get out here, not tell anyone about this?"

Thrumming the vespa's engine she placed her goggles that were on her head over her eyes and yelled above the noise, "Oh I see, so you want to pay for the damages?"

After that comment he decided her argument made sense and so squeezed in behind her on the vespa. As he suspected with his bike and those guitar cases there was little room for him to sit. "Hang on!" she cried as the vespa burned rubber, accelerating forward and almost causing Nathaniel to tumble backwards onto the road. He managed to grab her sides and pulled himself close to her, wrapping his arms tight around her waist. Through her clothes he could smell her, not the scent of perfume but her own unique fragrance. He buried his face in her shoulder, shielding his face from the wind that was severely messing up his hair. He could feel his cheek grow warm, he knew he was blushing. Just being that close to such a cute girl made him anxious.

He kept thinking, "Is she mad im holding her this tight? I wonder what she thinks of me. I have to get her phone number..." Nathaniel glanced up from her shoulder only to direct her to where he lived and otherwise was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he hardly noticed when they arrived. Haruko turned off the engine and he hoped off pulling his bike off the back of her vehicle. Sensing her eyes upon him, he slowly turned to face her. Sure enough she was staring at him with a discreet smile.

He returned the smile and spoke with a hint of nervousness in his voice, "You could...hang around if you want, or if you have someplace to be its ok, I wont hold you up."

Her smile grew wider, "Well actually, I don't have anywhere to be, like I said im not even from around here. I got no place to be." With a playful voice she added, "So...maybe I could stay with you for a night or two."

This caught him off guard. They barely even knew each other, they had met less than an hour ago when she had nearly gotten him killed and she wanted to stay in his house. He thought about it for a minute and decided if she really didn't have anyplace else to be, he would sympathize and let her stay. "Well, its fine with me, im sure my mother wouldn't mind."

Haruko let out and ecstatic "Yay!" and immediately was taking her guitar cases off the back of the vespa, along with a couple of bags she had crammed into a compartment where his bike was placed.

"Slow down, let me talk to my mom first." She nodded a response and he about faced and walked to his front door, dropping off his damaged bike by the stairs leading into his home. As he entered the familiar smell of paint fumes assaulted his senses. No matter how many times his mother painted and how many windows were open, he still was overwhelmed by the sheer odor of it. He went into the living room to see his mother in an apron soiled with paint both old and fresh, applying it from a palette to a canvas in front of her. Interrupting her thoughts Nathaniel entered and said, "Hello mother, how was your day?"

Never removing her eyes from the painting she answered, "Pretty good, same old, yours?"

"Good as well and actually..." now for the tricky part, "I have a...friend from school, who would like to know if she can stay the night."

That got her to take her eyes off the canvas, just to stare perplexed at him a moment and then to answer, "Well if she wants to, its alright with me."

Even though she didn't sound too happy about him and a girl spending a night in the same room together he decided to thank her promptly before she changed her mind. "Thank you mother," he said as he walked over and hugged her. She smiled and went back to her masterpiece. Nathaniel went back outside and remembered the bike. Oh well he thought, he would explain it later. Haruko was still standing in anticipation at her vespa. He walked over to her and whispered into her ear, "I told her you were a friend of mine from school so just play along, ok?" She nodded and hugged him tightly and grabbed her guitar cases. Nathaniel grabbed her other small bags and carried them into the house behind her.

Upon entering his room Haruko gasped in awe. Nathaniel wasn't sure what was up as he brushed past her and set her bags by his dresser. He then noticed she was staring at his guitars. "Pretty nice collection you got there..."

He beamed with pride, "Yes I do enjoy music and my guitars a great deal." Interested to see what kind she had he asked, "Mind if I see yours?"

She placed the cases on the floor and opened both of them to reveal a white Gibson Flying V and a red Gibson EB Bass with gold hued strings. He recognized it because of its similarity to their SG model guitars. "I used to have a blue Rickenbaker bass but I let a friend have it," she added. Nathaniel looked at them impressed, since they truly weren't cheap guitars to come by.

"Maybe we will get a chance to play later," he added glad he would finally have the chance to play with a descent musician, so he hoped. Haruko agreed with a smile. She placed them by his own guitars and they both proceeded downstairs. Nathaniel's mother had finished painting yet the fumes still hung fresh in the air. He looked at the painting which wasn't quite finished but he could tell it was a bird, a heron if he was correct, sitting amongst a reedy pond. Supper was being made and so he and Haruko lounged in the living room watching whatever happen to be on the television. They didn't converse but Nathaniel snuck in a stare at her. Her eyes suddenly met his and he looked away blushing. When he mustered up the courage to look back at her she was smile pleasantly which served to calm him.

Supper was prepared and Alice called them in to eat. The selection consisted of cheeseburgers, fries, and mixed vegetables. They sat at the table as Alice placed the food in front of them along with plates and utensils. As she sat, they all began to fill their plates with the food that had been made. Haruko seemed especially fond of the cheeseburgers and took three. For a time they all sat in silence enjoying the meal. Alice was the first to speak, "So what was your name again? We were never properly introduced."

Haruko took a moment to swallow and then extended her hand, "My name is Haruko, Mrs..."

She smiled and said, "Just call me Alice. So you're a friend from school, you live near here?"

Unsure as to what to tell her Haruko stalled some by taking another large bite of her cheeseburg and then continued, "Yes...not far from the school, im not sure if you would know where it is though."

Nathaniel not wanting his mother to question Haruko further interrupted, "Oh by the way, I almost got run over today."

Stunned his mother looked at him, "What?"

"Yeah, some madman almost ran me over as I crossed the street, I managed to avoid them but I hit a telephone pole pretty fast. The bike will need repairing. I believe just the front tire is all." It seemed he had succeeded in drawing attention away from Haruko.

Alice's face had that motherly protective look about it and she said, "I see, im glad your alright, I wouldn't want anything to happen to you." As she looked down to eat, Nathaniel shot a glance to Haruko and winked. She too winked and they continued to finish supper with no other conversations.

The rest of the evening was spent in Nathaniel's bedroom as he and Haruko played their guitars. Occasionally they would switch and try out each others as they talked about music. She wasn't familiar with many of the bands he listened to but then he didn't know about a lot of the bands she liked. Still they played songs for each other, neither of them singing but just playing the guitar. Nathaniel was surprised at how skilled she was, nearly as good as him if not better in some aspects. He couldn't solo as well as she could but she couldn't fingertap, a technique he had learned from listening to a lot of Van Halen.

Time sped along and before either of them knew it, it was past midnight and Nathaniel's mother had started complaining about the noise and for them to get to bed since school was tomorrow. Haruko had decided to sleep in the clothes she was wearing. Nathaniel went to the bathroom to change his shirt and brush his teeth. When he returned to his room he let Haruko take his bed. He took some spare sheets and a couple pillows they had and placed them on the floor. The sheets did little to soften the hard wooden floor and he doubted he would get much sleep.

Nathaniel heard a whisper from his bed, "Hey, Nate."

He rolled to face Haruko and replied, "What?"

"Thanks for letting me stay here, it's a big help." With what light filtered in through the shades of his room he could see she was smiling.

He smiled in return, "No problem."

"Do you think I am cute?" She added without warning.

Nathaniel shifted nervously in his blankets and stuttered, "Well...I don't know, I guess. You are interesting I will say that much." In actuality he thought she was beautiful.

Haruko chuckled and relaxed into his bed saying, "Goodnight Nathaniel."

"Night..." he replied wondering to himself why she would ask him that. He rested his head on the soft pillows. Despite being uncomfortable and confused he closed his eyes and let his dreams consume him.