Komi Komi Literature Club!
Chapter 27: The Skate Rink
Monika: Okay everyone! The end of summer break is coming up real soon. I would like to have at least one more big group activity before classes start back up again. Any suggestions?
Natsuki: Not really. The arcade thing was fun. I don't mind if we all just hang out personally
Yuri: I feel similarly. I am open to any activity you all suggest.
Sayori: I was planning on going roller skating tomorrow night! They've had a special going every Wednesday!
Monika: That sounds like a great idea, Sayori! All in favor?
Alex: Haven't been roller skating in awhile. Am down
Yuri: I may not be the best suited for roller skating but I can give it a try.
Natsuki: I've never been roller skating actually. But I've been taking up skateboarding over the break, so how hard can it be? Heheheh
Komi: I have also never been roller skating.
Monika: Then it sounds like it's settled then! Thanks Sayori. Send us the address and we'll meet there tomorrow night!
Komi wore jeans and a black long sleeve top; she wasn't sure what would make for appropriate roller skating attire. When she looked it up online, all she got were these really flashy looking pictures in weird outfits – too loud for her tastes.
The scheduled time that Sayori had sent was 6pm, so Komi opted to be there earlier. She arrived at 5:30pm. When she got there, she could see that people were already beginning to gather and form a line. But she was the first one to arrive.
Should she make the line? Should she wait for the others to arrive? Perhaps they would get upset with her for not saving a place for them. But then what if the line moved up before they got there? How would she be able to ensure that all of her friends arrived?
Thankfully for her, most of the group arrived before the line had moved at all. Monika, Yuri, and Natsuki all got there within a few minutes of each other and joined up with Komi.
"Hey, Komi! Thanks for making the line! How long have you been waiting?" Monika asked.
"Mm..." Komi paused for a moment before holding up 3 fingers.
"Oh good, not long then," Natsuki nodded. "How does Sayori manage to be late when this whole thing was her idea?" She noticed.
"She isn't necessarily late yet, Natsuki. There's still a few more minutes until 6pm, which was the agreed upon meeting time. Although, it is polite to arrive ahead of schedule, but it isn't necessarily a requirement either." Yuri commented on the matter.
"I'm sure that Sayori and Alex will be here soon. There's nothing to worry about. Bad comes to worse, they'll just have to wait in line by themselves." Monika said with a smile and a shrug.
"A suitable punishment for being late if I do say so myself." Natsuki said smugly.
Sayori and Alex both arrived at the same time just before the others were about to go inside. They met up with the others, both of them seeming out of breath after running to catch up with them on time.
"Well well well, look who finally got out of bed to join us." Natsuki teased.
"Heheh, sorry. Our train was delayed. Thanks for waiting up on us though, waiting outside in line like it's a nightclub." Alex joked.
"Heheh, oh we were totally gonna leave you behind if you didn't get here fast enough. But you're welcome." Natsuki chuckled and folded her arms while grinning.
"Thankfully it didn't come to that." Monika chimed in with a giggle.
"Yeah, because I've been looking forward to this! I almost couldn't sleep last night I was so excited!" Sayori exclaimed.
"Mhmm!" Komi hummed and nodded in agreement. She had also been unable to sleep last night, but that had just as much to do with anxiety and nervousness as it did her excitement.
The group of 6 got into the skate rink now. Music was already playing and people were already skating. The skating area was lit dimly with colorful lights panning around to the music. Komi realized then that this might be a little more difficult than she was anticipating.
Next they all got their skates, trading in their normal sneakers for rentals. Komi sat down and slipped her feet into the skates, tying them neatly while everyone else fought to get them on. She sat and waited patiently until they were all ready to go.
"Alright! Let's go, Komi!" Sayori said, skating up to her. She grabbed her by her hands and pulled her to her feet, making sure that she was steady before sweeping her away to go skating.
"Mm!" Komi shrieked meekly, caught off guard by this. Once on her feet, she had to figure out real fast how to keep her balance. Her knees shook a little as she was basically letting Sayori tow her wherever she wanted to go.
"Sayori! Go easy on her! Oh boy. Be right back!" Monika said to the others before skating after them.
"Somehow it feels on brand for Sayori to like roller skating," Alex commented with a chuckle, standing up carefully now and stretching his back out a little. "You got it there, Natsuki?" He teased, noting how she was still struggling to get her skates on.
"I do! These things are just tight." Natsuki said. She finished tying up the laces and stood up now. She quickly had to spread her arms out to balance herself. Her feet almost slipped out from under her, but she seemed to be able to get her bearings while holding still.
"Are you sure you'll be able to handle this, Natsuki? I would recommend taking things slowly for now." Yuri said, carefully standing up as well.
"There's some little walkers on wheels for kids over there if you want." Alex offered teasingly, pointing to them while grinning at her. Natsuki pouted and balled her fists, hitting Alex several times on the arm and shoulder.
"I got it!" She said irritably before uncertainly skating away. Alex chuckled at first until he realized that Natsuki was probably actually mad at him now...
"And just like that, Naijimi Osana has joined the party yet again!" Naijimi laughed and skated by Sayori and Komi, causing both of them to flinch in surprise.
"Oh hey! Naijimi! We just keep running into each other, huh?" Sayori noticed with an ironic laugh.
"Oh I love coming here on Wednesdays! The music, the colored lights, the free food!" Naijimi emphasized happily.
"Right?! It's the best! Are you here by yourself?" Sayori asked.
"Oh no, haha, I'm like double-booked – it's been a slow summer for me. Oh hey, Komi! I didn't expect to see you here," Naijimi chuckled, leaning forward to look at her closer. "You must be struggling here without Tadano."
Komi's eyes widened at this comment. Her cheeks grew red with embarrassment.
"Komi said she's never been roller skating before, so we figured this was the perfect time to fix that! And I'm helping her!" Sayori said with a bright smile.
"Awesome! Well hey, if you need me, you know where to find me: chowing down! Bye!" Naijimi laughed and skated away.
"Bye, Naijimi!" Sayori waved.
Komi meekly waved goodbye also. This caused her to almost slip, and so she needed to cling on to Sayori yet again. She just let out a lighthearted giggle.
"I got you, Komi, don't worry. I'm not gonna let you fall." Sayori said with a smile to reassure her.
Komi nodded appreciatively before holding onto her again and closing her eyes...
Meanwhile, Komi wasn't the only one who was struggling. While inexperienced, Monika and Yuri had found their pace already. Sayori was comfortably assisting Komi, and Alex was just enjoying the music as he skated by himself.
Natsuki, however, had overestimated her ability to adjust to roller skates. She figured that since she had picked up skateboarding, she'd be able to get this down no problem, but having the wheels attached to the bottom of your feet was a different deal entirely.
She was doing her best to observe and imitate what the others were doing, but after awhile she had to resort to clinging to the sides just to safely stay upright, which she found to be very embarrassing.
"Why did you have to pick roller skating, Sayori...? This is...whoa!" Natsuki yelped as one of her feet slipped out from under her yet again, causing her to fall back a little. She pressed her hands onto the wall to try and stop herself, but another hand went onto her back to catch her.
"Woops! You alright?" Alex asked, helping her get back up and keeping a hand on her after she was balanced again.
"I'm fine...it's not like riding a skateboard." Natsuki admitted in a grumble, pouting and looking away from him.
Alex chuckled and smiled at her. He slid his hand to her forearm down to her hand, taking his right hand in her left. She looked up at him in surprise, her eyes widening and her face reddening. She looked away again.
"I-I don't need you to baby me." She grumbled again.
"I'm not. Come on," He gestured with his head before gently pulling her, causing her to roll away from the wall. She gripped his hand a little tighter and started to follow him now.
"Just focus on one foot at a time, that's all." Alex said, helping her along. Natsuki looked down, silently skating with him for a while.
"I think I'm starting to get it...thanks." She said.
"No problem. Sorry if I came off too harsh or insensitive before, by the way." Alex took the opportunity to rectify her getting upset with him earlier.
"It's fine. I don't care that much. I was just...flustered, I guess, frustrated. I'm embarrassed and I look stupid tripping over and over again." Natsuki lamented quietly.
"Yeah, I gotcha. Well hey, if you fall now, you can just blame me for it." Alex joked lightly. Natsuki scoffed and shook her head at this.
"If you let me fall, I will take you down with me. And then I'll hit you for letting me fall." She said with a smile growing on her face. She looked up at him and he chuckled as he looked back at her.
"I'm not gonna let you fall...tempting as it is." He joked. She looked away, shaking her head again and smiling to herself.
"Hey! You guys are doing great!" Sayori called to Alex and Natsuki as she skated by with Komi still in tow.
"Thanks! How're you holding up, Komi?" Alex asked, looking over at her.
Komi was too busy clinging to Sayori's arm and staying crouched down low to look at him or answer in her usual nonverbal way.
"Hey, Sayori! Wanna trade?" Alex offered.
"Sure! 3 2 1 go!" She quickly counted off before letting Komi drift away on her own.
"Whoa!" Natsuki shifted in surprise as she changed hands. Alex let go of her hand and Sayori took her other hand, leading her back around.
Komi's arms flailed in surprise. She didn't know what to do now. She was just aimlessly drifting across the floor at an awkward angle. Alex dug the front of one of his skates into the floor to stop himself, pulling up next to her and grabbing her to stop her in place.
"Jeez, Komi, I didn't take you for the clumsy type." Alex said with a chuckle. He could feel Komi's jittery shaking now. He helped her stand up straighter, grabbing her hand to keep her from rolling away again. Komi held onto it while holding her other arm out to try and stay balanced.
"Mm...mm mm!" Komi still seemed pretty uncertain on her feet without assistance. Alex chuckled at this.
"Maybe we should try going ice skating instead," Alex joked. Komi shook her head quickly at this, making him laugh. "Haha, alright. How about we go get some of that free food Naijimi was talking about?" He suggested as an alternative.
"Mhmm..." Komi nodded queasily.
Alex smiled at her, gently guiding her along while holding her hand and his and using his other hand to hold her by the arm. Komi's grip on his hand tightened, and then she blushed for having to hold onto him so tightly. Despite her embarrassment, she was grateful to him for helping her safely get off the skate floor...