Anyway, this is Keisuke's introduction scene.
Chapter 3 (A
friend locked away)
Keisuke
squeezed the bridge of his nose then
packed his kickboxing gloves and
pads into a long brown duffle bag. I’m
glad Ami bolted as soon as class ended.
To Keisuke’s left, Taisei lifted a red, blue
and white backpack onto his shoulders.
The gym emptied, and they were left
alone with the instructors. Despite that, the stench of worn tube-socks still
stuffed the gym from padded wall to padded wall.
Keisuke gagged. “Let’s get out of
here.”
“Agreed.”
Together, they stepped from the gym
and into the refreshing night air.
Through his nose, Keisuke inhaled
then sighed. No Pain-in-the-ass Ami to be
seen or heard? Bliss.
Cars rushed through the traffic
light ahead of them. On their left, tires screeched across the bridge over the
train tracks while storefront music played on their right. When the light
changed, people bustled across the street like a wave of undulating bodies.
Keisuke moved forward. “I’d like to —”
The traffic light changed, and the
cars began to flow once more.
“Never mind.” Keisuke shook his head
and stopped on the curb. “Anyway, Ami was being such a bitch earlier.”
Taisei
chuckled. “You’re only saying that because she knocked you out.”
“I
could have beaten her if I wanted to.” Using my collection of bells.
“Sure
you could have.” Taisei rolled his eyes. “Honestly, the only one of us who could
even challenge her is John.”
Keisuke
scoffed.
“You
know it’s true.” Taisei jabbed Keisuke in the shoulder.
Keisuke
rubbed at his shoulder. “I guess you’re right?”
“You
guess?”
“Yeah,
yeah. By the way, what happened to
John?”
“Your
guess is as good as mine. The only thing I’m sure of is that Ami will not like
the results.”
Keisuke spat. “Better for John. Do you
really think he would want to get roped to
that beast?”
“She
is cute.”
“Ha!”
“And
the two of them like a lot of the same things. I don’t think it would be so
bad.”
“Then you haven’t known her long enough.”
Before
grinning, Taisei narrowed his eyes. “You would know since she’s —”
Keisuke
shoved Taisei and pointed at him. “Don’t finish that sentence.”
Taisei
winked. He clearly wanted to say something else. It was written across his smug face.
On their way to the HUB — a
chain-British pub — they crossed the
street and walked over the large bridge. Trains blared their horns while they
zipped down the tracks beneath the bridge.
Keisuke pressed a finger into his
ear then pulled out his smartphone. He called John over and over again.
All went directly to voicemail.
One
inside the HUB, Taisei snatched the table
by the bar in the center of the room. Their usual spot.
Alone,
Keisuke strolled up to the bar and ordered two pints of beer. Then, he
returned to the table. “It feels weird without John here.”
Taisei
took his beer and raised it high. “I know. But that’s not going to stop me.”
Keisuke
laughed. “Well put. Kanpai.”
“Kanpai.”
For
some reason, beer always tasted better after working-out.
The
sweet foam caressed Keisuke’s lips and danced across his tongue. The icy, golden liquid that followed sent a
jolt of ecstasy from the roof of his mouth to the tips of his toes. By the time the beer had reached his throat, he had
already melted. This was wonderful. If
only life could be as smooth.
Taisei
nodogoshied — a gulping swallow followed by a relaxing sigh.
Keisuke
returned the gesture. “Despite the god-like taste, it still doesn’t feel right
without John.”
“I —”
“One, two, three, four!” Taisei’s
cellphone said while it rang and played Jpop music. “I want you! I need you! I
love you!”
Taisei flipped his cellphone open
and answered it.
A muffled voice buzzed on the other end.
Taisei’s eyes bulged.
Keisuke
frowned, and his brow furrowed.
“What is it?”
Taisei
hung up and stood. “John … .”
“Don’t tell me —”
“He …
has been arrested.”
Keisuke
scrambled to his feet. “That can’t be right!”
###
Next: Update #22 Painting revised chapter 1
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