#cutehorror

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Hinata bit back a scream, hoping the flat grunt that escaped him as his stomach met with the staircase handrail sounded appropriately masculine.

He avoided looking toward the health center window, instead bending down to pick up his skateboard and set it back on its wheels.

"Any reason you're not practicing ollies today?" Nanami leaned on the handrail, peering over the edge of her Gamegirl.

"I'm trying something new," Hinata said, re-rolling the cuffs of his sleeves. "I'm too much in my own head to ollie today."

Nanami held her gaze on him for another second or two before dropping her eyes back to the game screen. "So you're trying a new, more difficult move instead?"

"Yeah. Gotta change things up to keep my skills sharp."

"Hinata-kun, I don't think acquiring skill works that way. I think you have to master the basics first."

What do you know about acquiring skill, Hinata thought.

Though that wasn't fair--Nanami had been nothing but sleepily supportive since his announcement that he would be the future SHSL Skater. She'd blown through the entire Tony Hawk series over the course of a single night in order to learn the terminology.

"It's like…Super Mario," Hinata said. Nanami stopped tapping buttons and looked up. "You're supposed to finish all of World 1, then go on to World 2, etc., right?"

Nanami nodded.

"What I'm trying to do here is basically take a warp pipe. To like, World 4."

"You think grinding a rail is World 4?"

"Y-Yeah."

"And the rail you want to grind is this one." Nanami patted the metal she was leaning against. "A sloped one. On a staircase."

"Um, yes…"

"…In full view of the health center."

"L-Look, if you're bored, you can go to the arcade ahead of me and I'll just meet you there."

Hinata grabbed the skateboard and carried it to the top of the steps.

I can do this.

Nanami backed away, stuffing the Gamegirl into the pocket of her hoodie.

Hinata backed up to build speed, skating forward with his gaze intently on the rail. He pictured the guys in the videos he'd seen online, readying himself for the jump.

Concentrating hard, he jumped up onto the rail.

Hinata let out a celebratory yell.He was doing it!

He noticed a flicker of movement in the window, and suddenly the nurse's aide's face was there.

With a yelp, Hinata fell backwards off the handrail, landing hard on the concrete steps.

There was a shocked scream from the direction of the health center.

The last thing he heard before mercifully blacking out was Nanami's voice beside his ear.