Disclaimer: All are my characters except for Ephram, Amy and the mention of Dr Brown and Colin.

Welcome back colorado2 :).

"You know what the problem with you is?"

I coughed and sputtered, choking on the smoke going down my throat again before managing a strangled, "What?" Emily had been right. This was therapeutic. I breathed another puff in deeply, but not so hard lest I start having a coughing fit again. The smoke felt like fire going down my throat, burning away all my troubles so that none were left. What was the word to describe this? Ah, sadomasochism. The derivation of pleasure from the infliction of physical pain.

"You," Emily punctuated her point by pointing her cigarette at me. I wondered how many times I'd seen her do that. "--care too much," she continued. After saying her words of wisdom, she let her head fall back against the brick of the school building and eyed me smugly.

"What (cough) do you mean?" I asked, confused. Maybe starting with Reds wasn't such a good idea, but Emily didn't carry any other type of cigarette.

"But you're a tough girl right? You can take it," she'd said, smiling with a knowledge I didn't have.

"Yeah, you do," Emily laughed now. "If you didn't care so much, you wouldn't even be in this predicament. You've got to chill. Relax. Don't let the teachers bother you so much. They're full of it," she shrugged as she threw her finished cigarette stick onto the ground and crunched it underneath her boot.

"But- but how? I've always cared about my grades...I even...I even..." somehow, I felt too embarrassed to say it now.

"Come on, spit it," Emily waited.

Oh, what the heck. I might as well.

"I even wanted to win the grand scholarship," I admitted. I waited for Emily's reaction. She was looking at me, her expression unchanged. Then slowly, stiltedly, a small smile cracked its way into her lips, and her mouth trembled before she suddenly let out a huge guffaw.

"Oh Hana! You are too adorable!" she gasped and doubled over with laughter, clutching her stomach.

"What's so funny?" I asked meekly. Emily rose up, looked at my face again, and stifled another bout of laughter.

"Come on, I wanna show you something," she said.

"What is it?" I asked. Emily seemed to be looking out for something. Or someone.

"Damn that idiot. Always late. He was supposed to pick me up an hour ago," she said, her brows knit. We were waiting at the school's front gate. The road outside looked empty as far as I could see.

Then moments later, I thought I heard the rev of an engine in the distance. It became louder and louder until a motorcycle emerged into view from the end of the road.

It was a dirt bike. I couldn't see the rider because he or she had a helmet on.

Emily was grinning that wolf grin of hers again. "That's my bro," she said.

I gulped as the motorcycle came closer. It didn't look as if it was slowing down. I prepared to jump out of the way just as the bike swerved and its tyres screeched, sending small bits of rock flying. It halted not a foot away from us.

"Show off!!!" Emily laughed and smacked the rider's back. He took off his helmet. I found myself gulping again, this time for another reason. Leather jacket, striking good looks, cocky smile. The ultimate bad-boy.

"So who's this, Em? Got yourself a friend at last?" he teased, his brown eyes twinkling with mischief. His unruly brown hair made him look younger than he was. I guessed that he must be somewhere in his early twenties.

"Shut up," Emily replied. "This is Hana. And this," Hana looked at me now, "is my obnoxious brother Jake".

"Pleased to meet you," Jake now smiled. Wolf smile. He held out his hand and I shook it.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Alright Jake, when you're done flirting, I'd like you to give her a ride on the bike. You know what I mean," the two of them exchanged glances.

"You sure?" Jake looked at her then at me uncertainly.

"Hell yeah. She's tougher than she looks. Just needs a little bit of pushing," Emily told her brother. I wondered what in the world they were planning to do with me.

"Alright," he said in a you-know-better tone and pulled his helmet back on. "Climb on," he yelled, muffled, over the revving of the engine.

"Come on," Emily helped me on behind him. I had trouble putting my second leg over the bike, but together we managed.

"A-are you sure?" I asked her, feeling afraid now that I was on the bike. This was so unlike being in a car. I felt so vulnerable, so helplessly exposed. The fact that I couldn't even see what was on the road right in front of me because of Jake added to my fear.

"Yeah, you can do it. You'll be hooting in no time," she said as if it were no big deal, a big smile on her face. "I'll be waiting right here till you guys get back".

"But- but..." I stammered, but she shushed me and pulled a helmet over my head. Clasping it on under my chin, she said, "Hang on and have fun!"

Then we were off, my arms tight around Jake's waist.

Holy— I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!! I'm gonna die!!!

Currently, I'm screaming my head off inside my helmet. Now I know what that exchanged look between Emily and Jake was for. Jake's going at light-speed! We're going to fly off the face of the Earth!! We're going to crash at light-speed into an oncoming car, or lorry!!!

I'm imagining my entrails splayed all over the road.

"Having fun back there?" he shouts and tilts his head so that I can hear him.

Look in front for God's sake!!!

I reply with more screaming. Finally, after a blur of more scenery, the bike slows down and stops. Traffic light.

"Hana, you mind loosening your grip a little...I'm kinda finding it hard to breathe," Jake lifts the visor from his helmet and says.

I lift my visor and shout at him, a tremble in my voice, "Yes I mind at the speed you're going!!!" Jake laughs. I'm shaking. My hands are cold and clammy. I hope they don't slip off his waist. Is that possible? Would I fly off if that happens?

"Aww...Emily thought you could take it," he replied.

Was that a challenge?

I swallowed. "Of course I can!"

I feel him touch my hand. "Whoa...is that cold. You sure?"

I remove my hands from their death-grip around his waist and wipe their clamminess against the fabric of my pants.

"I'm sure," I say, resolved. I feel like I have to prove this to myself. I have to prove this to Emily. And I especially have to prove it to Jake, for some reason.

"Alright," he says in that you-know-better tone again. He pulls down his visor and I pull down mine too. The traffic light turns green. My arms are back in their death-grip position.

We speed off.

"You guys sure were gone for a long time," Emily gets up from the curb as we slow down and stop beside her. I'm laughing. I jump off the bike and almost fall, my knees and ankles feeling weak. In fact, my whole two legs are feeling like jell-o, but I don't care.

"It was incredible!!!" I laugh as I bound over to Emily. She's laughing too.

"Told you!" she says.

Jake gets off the bike and removes his helmet. "This girl is crazy. You should've seen her Em. In the beginning she was all screaming and freaking out, then all of a sudden she's laughing and hooting and shouting at me to go faster!" He shakes his head, a big smile on his face as he looks at me.

Emily suddenly turns mock-serious. "You know what this means don't you?" she says to me.

"What?"

"You've had it in you all the time!" she laughs. Cool.

"What do you think if we made her a part of the gang huh?" she suddenly turns to her brother.

I laugh uncertainly now. What? Gang? I'm not so sure about this.

"Are you serious?" her brother asks her, an incredulous look on his face.

"Yeah, why not! I could do her up. She's got it in her bro, even you saw that," Emily convinces him. "Besides, I'm sick of being the only girl".

"Well..." he thinks about it. "Sure," he finally decides. "If she wants, that is".

"So whaddya say?" Emily asks. They both look at me now.