#24 Revving Up
"Okay Honey Lemon, are you still sure you want to do this?" Go Go inquired, obviously still wary about her best friend's decision. It was a late sunny June day and now was the time that the two heroines planned to make good on trying to ride the speedster's motorcycle together.
The bubbly chemist emphatically nodded her head as she put on her new motorcycle helmet and fastened the strap; it was standard headgear until Honey Lemon hit it with a pink glitter ball and adorned it with pictures of angel wings, cute birds and smiling clouds. "I said I wanted to try riding your motorcycle and I meant it. You worried about something?" the taller woman asked with a touch of concern.
Go Go shook her head and replied, "No, it's just I…don't want you to have a bad time." That was more than she intended to admit, but the speedster didn't want Honey Lemon to think she'd rather not have her along.
Upon hearing this, the yellow-clad woman gave a reassuring smile and sincerely said, "Oh, it's okay Go Go. I think this will be a lot of fun and you're like the best driver I know.
The engineer subtly blushed, hoping it wasn't too visible as she now gave a small cough and slipped on her own purple and black helmet. "Alright then. Let's get started."
Honey Lemon nodded again as she followed Go Go's lead and hopped onto the sleek, black motorcycle behind her best friend.
Before she started the engine, the shorter woman turned her head and asked, "Got everything stowed away?"
The chemist pondered for a moment and answered, "Yep. Everything's stashed in my purse and it's secured under my sweater."
Satisfied, Go Go faced the front again and flipped her visor down as she turned the motorcycle on. The loud rumble it made became the dominant sound to the two sets of ears and the vibrations coursed through them, just as it had when they rode the jet skis earlier that month. The chemist couldn't help but smile as the motorcyclist told her to hang on, to which she wrapped her arms around the other's waist. This made Go Go feel flustered for a moment before she soon recovered and checked that she was free to pull into traffic. Once clear, she steered their ride to the left as they crossed to the right side of the road leaving their apartment and heading up Bonsai St to go further north.
They soon drove by Joe's Diner where a line was running out the door. Honey Lemon did her best to peek through the window, but couldn't see any sign of their reformed friends inside. Oh well, she simply shrugged it off as the wind began wiping her hair into a frenzy. The other buildings briefly passed by rapidly for a few seconds until suddenly Go Go had to brake for stopped traffic ahead, making her lurch forward and almost hit her friend's helmet. "Oh, sorry," Honey Lemon felt the need to apologize.
"What for?" the engineer asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked behind her.
Now it was the sticker fanatic's turn to blush slightly before bashfully replying, "I uh, guess nothing. Sorry."
Go Go gave a small smirk as she returned her attention back up front and revved the engine some to move forward. The duo proceeded to drive down the street for a couple blocks, passing by dozens of people walking along the store fronts, many of whom were probably heading to lunch right now. With the speedster's focus on driving, Honey Lemon's gaze fell on some of the businesses like "Scently Divine," "Asado Butchers" and "Paper Hearts Book Store," reminding the young woman to stop by later and see if they had her newest art book in. She then leaned to the right as the purple-streaked haired driver maneuvered them into the left turning lane. They remained there for all of 10 seconds when their light became a green arrow and Go Go took off down Piccolo Dr.
Now heading west, the duo was faced with more stop lights and making the ride considerably longer, but for once the speedster wasn't particularly worried or irritated as she was enjoying the comforting embrace of the other. Go Go still tried to pass around as many cars as she could though in an effort to give a little more of a show for her passenger. After their fourth stop in traffic, the two women could discern they were coming up on the pass between the Two Siblings Hills and Aoshima Park.
While swerving around a green 4-door car as they entered the more secluded road, Honey Lemon quickly looked from side to side so she could at least see some of each geological feature as they drove by. The chemist caught sight of the tall sage and green slopes that were the hills on her right, where no doubt people were getting some hiking in; on her left, the flatter area of the park gave way to sporadic trees and the campus for the Aizawa School of Fine Arts, which was marked by the large cement building. Behind the Learning Center, another batch of hiking trails that serpentined through the denser forest were given only a second of a view before they were gone, hidden behind the building once again. Honey Lemon left out a brief sigh at thinking it would be fun to go there, but quickly returned to viewing all the other surrounding sights.
Go Go revved the motorcycle again, causing them to lurch back momentarily and making the bubbly woman grab a little tighter out of reflex. The engineer smiled for a moment at this embrace as she weaved through the other cars, clearly not sightseeing as much as her best friend.
Coming up on their left was Mt. Freeman covered by dark green foliage and rising above the road they traveled on. They then came across another cluster of businesses, ranging from a pizzeria to a flower store to a pond shop. The taller female proceeded to spot a school coming up on her right and could decern some kids playing basketball in the open court they had. In a matter of minutes, Go Go then spotted their next turning point as she got in the right turning lane and shouted, "Hang on." Honey Lemon obeyed and they shortly found themselves on Soba Blvd.
The wind continued to blow on them while they journeyed down their new path, but with this change of direction, it reminded the chemist that she could look more than just left and right. She proceeded to tilt her head up and smiled at the view above, consisting of a bright sun poking out behind a few fluffy, slow-moving clouds; there was even a flock of seagulls overhead that was heading west too. Hey! We must be heading all the way to see the ocean, Honey Lemon excitedly thought. She then resumed her sight tour at ground level as she saw Son Naka Park and Recreation on her right. Despite their speed and distance, the bright young woman could see dozens of people dotted throughout the area; some were playing frisbee golf at one end, playing a few matches of tennis in another and several people were even having a big picnic in the open meadow section too.
They then approached the dog park, where many pairs of humans and their canine pals were enjoying the start of summer. The light auburn-haired woman's eyes followed some of the people on the flat patch of grass and saw a handful of people were flying kites, some in the traditional diamond shape with long tails while others were spread out like the wings of bats. She gave a small giggle at the thought of how long it had been since she had done that and how much fun that was.
Go Go managed to hear the little exclamation and glanced over to where Honey Lemon was watching. Well, looks like that's something new I learned about her, the engineer internally noted as a smile appeared on her face. She then returned to driving on through traffic, continuing to pass local businesses, weaving around slower cars and trying to constantly sense whether her best friend was still doing okay, which she seemed to be doing.
The duo soon hit a section of residential 2-story structures, more or less looking the same except for their colors. They saw several littered with toys from the children that lived there, where a few of them were even playing outside in their wacky sprinklers and slip-n-slides. Seeing them got another joyful giggle out of the artist as she went "Awww" before returning her eyes forward.
Now was time to take the right turn to continue on Soba Blvd, so Go Go swerved and maneuvered both of them off the busy section as they found another exciting feature coming up.
"Eeee!" the chemist audibly squealed. "The San Fransokyo Zoo! Oh, they have the cutest penguins there and it makes for an amazing day of photos," she informed Go Go.
What a surprise. Honey Lemon loves cute animals, Go Go lightheartedly thought as she smiled again. The road proceeded to curve around the aforementioned place, giving the view of various shades of greens and browns to denote the different areas/animals that resided there.
The chemist continued to stare, eventually letting out a sad sigh that did not go unnoticed by the other, but their trip wasn't over yet so she kept moving forward. Finally, once the curve straightened out, the majestic view of the sparkling blue ocean laid before them. The breeze became stronger with the scent of salt water as they neared the end of the road; as the traffic grew too, Go Go had to slow down before they made it to the Sugio Kaiyō Hwy, which traveled all along the beach.
When it came time to turn, the shorter woman shouted back, "Now here comes one of the best things about being on a motorcycle." She then put them in the right turning lane and the duo found themselves with the endless ocean on their left while dozens of businesses began to pass by on their right.
Honey Lemon was completely transfixed as she couldn't stopped looking out over the tan sand to the lapping waves that crashed along it. There were countless people that they passed, either in the water, playing on the hot beach or just walking along the paved sidewalk. Several could be seen surfing while others were just relaxing in inflatable rings. Seeing everyone reminded both of the women of their own beach day a few weeks ago, making the two smiled fondly although neither could see the other's face at the moment.
From those building sand castles to those working on soaking up the sun, the whole stretch of sand was alive and busy today. Eventually, they found a line of food trucks parked on the opposite side of the road with names like "Naan Mah Naan," "Creamy Confections," "Vixen's Fixins," and "Smorgasbord Bus." These and so many others managed to waft their delicious aromas through the air as they drove passed, garnering some involuntary "Mms" out of the superheroes.
"We should stop by on the way back," Honey Lemon suggested and receiving a thumbs up a moment later from Go Go before she throttled the engine again. On and on the two women travelled along the highway, with the ocean on their left and the developed city on the right, both enjoying the view on either side; there were coffee shops, antique stores and even a giant soccer field as part of the fixtures they saw. They traversed all along the border of San Fransokyo, only stopping briefly when traffic got thick until they reached the end. At the northern point of their journey, the duo came across Kage Heights, a relic of the old city that was mostly a tourist spot but was still pretty to look at with its dense tree cover. It was at this point that the road turned to the left, giving Go Go the perfect spot to get off. She slowed down and when clear, pulled into the Umi Point Viewing Spot, which rested on the edge of the cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. When the engine was finally turned off, the sound of crashing waves thundering below was ever present; in addition, there were a handful of chattering tourists that stood by getting scenic pictures and looking through the binoculars at Sentry Rocks.
Honey Lemon was the first to remove her helmet as she stood up, positively beaming from the whole experience. Once Go Go was standing alongside her, the chemist embraced the other in a tight hug. "Oh, that was so much fun! Thank you, thank you, thank you for letting me ride. No wonder you love that bike so much," she told her best friend, who welcomed the hug and in fact had been expecting it.
The speedster gave a small pat on the other's back and replied, "Yeah, well, I'm glad you had a nice time. Maybe you'll think about getting one of your own," Go Go said with the last sentence meant to be in a slightly teasing manner.
Honey Lemon quickly shook her head and informed her, "I'd be so worried about driving that I wouldn't get to enjoy everything around me. I mean, that's part of the reason I don't like to drive anyway; it saves on car maintenance too."
Go Go gave a small smirk before it turned into a sincere smile and stated, "Alright, but if you ever change your mind, you know I'm available to give you some pointers."
The long-haired woman grinned upon hearing the offer and said, "Aww, really?"
"Yes really," the engineer simply answered, which prompted another hug. During this show of affection, Go Go then looked a little more apprehensive as she quietly asked, "Hey, Honey Lemon?"
The other scientist made a "Huh?" sound before she released her and gave the shorter one her undivided attention.
"I just wanted to let you know that I, well…I enjoyed this whole trip with you too, and this sort of thing, motorcycle or otherwise, it doesn't just have to be today," she slowly told her best friend, trying hard to actually get the words out.
Honey Lemon let the words sink in at what Go Go was really saying before smiling warmly. Not wishing to come off as teasing and actually happy at what her best friend had to say, she then clasped her hands together and simply replied, "I'd love to Go Go."
The motorcyclist's expression went from nervousness into relief over her words, knowing that she had taken the first hard step and was met with success. The yellow sweater-wearing woman then proceeded to pull out her phone and requested, "I know you're not big on photos and all, but maybe just because?"
Go Go's face softened as she sighed, followed by saying, "For you, I can."
The duo then went to the viewing deck's wall as they turned their backs to the ocean. Honey Lemon raised the phone up to take a picture of them, but not before Go Go put her arms around the taller one as she knew she wanted to. The camera clicked and now there was a brand-new moment of them captured, complete with dual smiles, bright sunshine and sparkling blue water in the background.
It was now Honey Lemon's turn to be a bit nervous as they walked back to the motorcycle and she asked, "So, uh, you ready to get lunch? My treat."
The engineer gave an affectionate smirk and answered, "Sure, but only if we find a spot that's not overrun with seagulls. I don't want to have to fight for my food."
Honey Lemon giggled as she reached for her helmet and fastened it. "Agreed."
Go Go then mimicked her actions and they both hopped on with the chemist putting her arms around the other. This was a good idea, is all that flitted through their minds simultaneously as the former pulled out into traffic, ready to make the journey for the food they were both hungry for.
NOTES
I hope you liked this little story and I'm definitely on board the HoneyGoGo ship, so I may try writing more about them in the future. ;) Also, I think I got the right name of the food bus that's run by Mbita in there as an Easter egg. ;)
The next story will be about Globby having his first Nega-Globby nightmare and Felony Carl trying to ease his worry. O_O
