Chapter 23 – I'm Not Okay, I Promise
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Alone in the Nerd Lab, Hiro contemplated of possible places to bring GoGo to after the long day. After an and a half of consulting Fred and Wasabi, the three decided that he bring her somewhere cool. If he's to confess and raise it to the next level, Hiro better get GoGo to the mood. As if it was easy.
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How will he even tell her about being in something true? He pondered and pondered, trying to take a good angle about things, but ended up with nothing. He ended summoning Baymax, and the fluffy bot inflated somewhere within his room in the lab, and for some reason got stuck on the door.
"I have received your distress call. Hello, Hiro. I am stuck.", the health bot said.
Hiro chuckled with the comedic spectacle, and after busting him in, went to use the Healthcare Companion to brainstorm.
"It would be best to be straight and true.", it advised.
"Now for a place… Wait, you can fly us tomorrow!", Hiro gleefully said, "That's it!"
"Will flying improve your emotional states?"
"Yes, definitely!", and he reached for a bag of Gummi-bears, "Now, what am I to say?"
The nerd walked around, back and forth, for three times, then seemingly had a light-bulb.
"Okay, we're going to rehearse.", he added as he munched some gummies, "Baymax, you'll be GoGo for now."
"But, I am not fast."
"No, I don't need you to be fast."
"Hiro, explanation. Now.", the bot tried to replicate. The genius facepalmed.
"Unbelievable. Just stand right there. That's all I need."
The health bot did. And for a whole 8 minutes, Hiro tried to construct his sentences, only to fail everytime.
"We are not making any progress.", Baymax concluded.
"I know. It's not easy.", Hiro sighed.
"Maybe this will help.", and the bot projected a picture of GoGo. Hiro struggled to stop him for a bit, believing that it was contacting her. Speaking of trying not to blow things up.
"Alright.", he took a deep breath, "GoGo…"
"Yes, Hiro."
"Just don't do that."
"You said I'm playing to role of GoGo."
"Baymax, just stay still and let me talk."
It was already 10 PM when he began to rehearse. Ideally, he's not to blabber cheesy lines. That's what he thought. That's exactly NOT what he got. After 42 tries…
"GoGo, um… it's been sometime, you know… I might not be the one to demand things, but I want to go the extra mile, I wanna be with you forever, I want this to be real. Will you… Okay, it sounded like a marriage proposal.", Hiro stopped and concluded on his 43rd try. And yeah, it's quite early for that.
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Trying to squeeze out any ounce of idea, Hiro walked around the room. Coincidentally, everytime he reached a corner, he tried to spur a line. Fun, maybe, but really not. He ended up having the cheesiest lines. At one point, he even compared her to a bubblegum, which might raise concerns especially if it's chewed. Simply outrageous, he thought.
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It so happened that his eyes fell upon that magnificent speed machine. At first look, everything was perfect. Still, something felt terribly off. As he went around it, his heart sank. The wheels were misaligned. One or more parts of the electromagnetic suspension most likely fell to failure.
"Baymax, we've got a problem.", he declared. The nurse bot looked in concern.
Swiftly, he tried to tinker what possibly went wrong, but since the difference in fields were no longer trivial, he couldn't understand just why it failed. It wasn't like designing and incorporating the Maglev concept into a streamlined suit. These have some parts and whatnots. Baymax, on the other hand, projected the faces of their teammates, with the intent of calling them.
"Wait!", Hiro pleaded as he scampered to find related books, "Don't call GoGo and Honey. The girls ought to have their rest!"
The robot did as it was told, contacting Wasabi and Fred almost immediately. They got nothing. Chances were they're already asleep. They tried once more, then another. For the fourth time, Fred answered.
"Thank goodness, Fred! We've got a situation here. GoGo's bike-"
"Hello, Hiro. Why aren't you asleep yet? You still have a long day.", Fred answered groggily, before a thud sound was heard.
"Wait, Fred! No!", Hiro groaned. Now was the best time to panic.
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Hiro and Baymax crammed researching and application in one night to try and save GoGo's chances for the race. Uneasy and unlucky at the same time? What a time to be alive! But seriously, they're on a pinch that Hiro forgot thinking of lines to say. All that matters now was the bike.
"Baymax, we need more details on how to do this.", the genius said.
"Researching makes me a better health companion. But before that, you have an email from GoGo."
"From GoGo? She's still awake?!", and he hastily read the email for an unexpected, but welcome, boost.
Hey, nerd.
This is a scheduled email. I'm betting that you're still awake, so whatever you're doing,
STOP IT AND GO TO SLEEP.
We still have a long day tomorrow. How about we eat somewhere if I win?
Good night!
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Woman up,
GoGo
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Today was the big day. GoGo woke up at the first sound of her alarm. It was rare since she always did so after the third snooze. Anyway, that's what a "legal" racing bout could do, and maybe enough sleep too. Excited, she speedily fixed herself up and did another rarity: she spent an hour longer in the bath. The adrenaline junkie was in full anticipation that Hiro was the first that she'd meet on the Nerd Lab. Might as well bring up her A-game in the looks department, she thought.
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As she was eating breakfast, GoGo was thinking of what to do for the day. Win the race, win Honey's fashion battle, and have some dinner with Hiro on some good restaurant since they're to be there. Then, maybe, just maybe and all depending on him, have a contract extension of sorts or make it all real. Her parents saw her subtle smirk which led to a good breakfast chatter. Her Mom and Dad were quite cool on what she wanted on life, and the reason why was for another story. Moreover, they're quite confident on her, for she's got a high-ceiling for morals. All her Dad wanted was to have his princess "not hurt, not pregnant too soon, and not cheated upon", and that he'd "kill, revive, then kill again" anybody who would do so. The purple-streaked girl ended sighing that she's "not a princess". Good times.
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The adrenaline junkie reached the premises of SFIT somewhen 9:30 in the morning. Wearing her signature get up, she dashed towards the Nerd Lab in a bit of a warm up. She also had her email validated. No one's there. No Hiro, no chem whiz, no neat freak, no sign-spinner. Just her bike and a couple of her books beside. Kinda weird, but she nonetheless tidied them up.
"That nerd did stayed up late.", she said to herself.
Not so long after, Honey Lemon, together with Wasabi who carried her fashion thingies, arrived. Poor Wasabi, helping around in two different rivers.
"GoGo! Today is the day!", Honey Lemon squealed. In the background, Wasabi blurted an "Oof" after putting down the baggage.
"Yeah. Hiro, Baymax, and Fred aren't here…"
"…yet.", Honey tried to do an impression of her.
"Those dorks.", GoGo deadpanned, chewed a gum, and popped it.
"Hey, don't worry. I'm sure they'll be here before eleven."
The race would start at exactly 11 AM, so they had less than 1 and a half hours to show up. For the meantime, GoGo went to give her bike a ride. For some reason, she doesn't feel so good.
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Regarding the race, it spanned over four hours of regular-speed ravel (i.e. 55 mph). Half of the track was in the city, and the other half was on the edge, right of San Fransokyo's border. The part within the city was so intelligently designed that takin a shortcut won't really help improve your time. Talk about killjoys.
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The literal eleventh hour arrived. The racers were now at SFIT's front, the starting point, and were ready to go. Having not yet arrived, Honey Lemon texted Hiro and Fred to proceed, rather, to the midpoint, which was basically a pit stop.
"Are you nervous?", Honey Lemon asked GoGo as she's on the way to the line.
"Me, nervous? About the race? Not a chance.", she snarked, "I'm more about that dork."
"I've texted them to be at the pit stop. I'm sure they'll be there."
The speedster just nodded as she popped a gum. Honey went back to the sidelines.
And just as they know it, it's go-time.
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The sound of the starter pistol reverberated the area. In an instant, the racers, all 30 of them, went on a grueling 4-hour ride. Most of them went full-speed ahead, while a handful, including GoGo, did not. In long races, being ahead immediately wasn't the idea scenario. It was knowing when to be ahead. The speedster knew of this very well.
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Having reached a favorable position, GoGo took her time. She couldn't fathom that Hiro was nowhere around to cheer for her, just as he said he would. It was nothing at first, but as she went to think of it, it felt different. It stinged. Was she mad? No. Upset? Undeniably.
With a deep breath, she pacified her wondering mind. Surely, that nerd was at the pit stop.
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She upped her speed a little, pedaling faster, and raising her bike to 2nd gear. Man, being able to put a gear mechanic on the Maglev raised the speed possibility she could pull off. However, after a sharp turn, she found her world whirling around. She fell. Rolling around to safety, she's greeted with an entirely horrific sight. It was a chain reaction of racers falling down the sharp curb. Apparently, a trailer truck tried to maneuver on a supposedly closed turn and went down. Racers then would have no choice but to force stop and tumble for an unpleasant surprise of a blockage. Just as she thought that it was bad enough, a bike came flying as she helped a fellow racer up.
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GoGo swiftly shoved the girl away. Knowing that she'd be hit, she leaped out of harm's way but in vain. She felt a hit on her casted leg. It's over.
Except, it's not.
The cast didn't even bulge! Sweet heavens, the cast was sturdier than expected! With a sigh of relief, she helped the other racers up. Sportsmanship at its finest.
Needless to say, some would abuse the situation to gain a lead. Unfair? Maybe. But, jokes on them. With GoGo, no lead was safe.
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Eventually, the adrenaline junkie reached the midpoint. There's a voice calling her. Fredzilla.
"GoGo! Here!", Fred waved, and passed a bottle of water as she stopped.
"Where's Hiro?" GoGo sternly asked.
"Hiro? Isn't he at SFIT?", he absent-mindedly replied.
GoGo said nothing more. She gulped down her bottle of water and went on her way. Fred froze with the realization. The way her expression changed, it's gonna be so bad. He immediately dialed on his phone.
"C'mon, Hiro, pick it up!", he blurted in despair.
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Meanwhile, GoGo was biking the edge of San Fransokyo in great speed. She's now on 4th gear, and she's been given misfortune after misfortune. Who would have thought that the day they've waited for be so awful? Definitely not her. And, her man wasn't even around to support her!
It was upsetting. It was maddening. It was disenchanting.
Then what? As she's now leading the race, someone darted past her with a booster. It never ends.
"That's it!", she furiously declared, taking out her gum and sticking it on the bike. It was not long before her catchphrase sounded around the enticing view of San Fransokyo, and she went to a daredevil-ish 6th gear speed.
"WOMAN UP!"
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At the Hamada residence, a genius was taking his sleep. That freak of an emergency took a toll and it couldn't be helped. He and Baymax finished the repair somewhen 3:30 AM. Very late.
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It was not long until he got disturbed by the ringing of his phone. For the record, he had missed 29 calls and 15 texts, and it was ringing for a while now.
"Baymax, please answer the phone for me.", Hiro pleaded and buried his face on the pillow. Baymax inflated and did as it was told.
"You have 29 missed calls and 15 unread messages. For calls, 1 from GoGo, 5 from Wasabi, 8 from Honey Lemon, and 15 from Fred. You also have a voice message from Fred."
"Wait. What? Play the message.", and the bot obliged.
"Hiro, dude, where are you?! We've been contacting you for a while now! GoGo just passed this midpoint! She doesn't look very pleased! Wherever you are, proceed to the finish line in SFIT! Come on, Hiro!", and the message promptly ended.
From the sound of it, it was surely Fred, in frustration and in a tone of a sane human. Not that he's insane, but it was really uncanny. But why? The answer didn't need much time to reveal itself.
Hiro's eyes widened with the awareness upon sight of the clock. It was two freaking thirty in the afternoon. He overslept, he did not set his alarm, and he's on a bad time. He bade Baymax to go down the garage while he scampered to fix himself up. If the estimated time for the racers to complete the course was 30 minutes from now, flying might get them there in time.
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Like the purple-streaked girl of his dreams, Hiro flew full-speed ahead to the institute. While in flight, he's building up his sentences. He's got a lot of explaining to do, and considering what Fred said, GoGo's mad at him. Amidst the wonderful nature-technology view of San Fransokyo, and the cool breeze on the flight, he felt butterflies.
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Stealthily, the duo landed behind the Nerd Lab. After a bit of a while, they were in. Honey Lemon was busy rechecking her wardrobe entry. Doesn't really mean that she won't notice them.
"Hiro, where have you been?!", Honey Lemon asked in a very Honey Lemon way.
"Where are the others?", Hiro asked in return.
"Fred's on the pit stop. Wasabi's on the finish line, I mean on the audience beside the finish line. And, GoGo's still out racing. Seriously, what happened? GoGo's waiting for you all day!"
He felt the pressure rising. It hit him. He did promise to cheer for her, but what could he do? Nothing, but explain.
"L-Let me explain."
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Not for long, Hiro and Honey Lemon went to where Wasabi was, while Baymax was left on the lab to look for the clothes. Same questions were asked, and the same answers were said. As they were talking, a cruel mix of good and bad snapped right before their eyes.
Somebody dashed pass the finish line, the first one! But, due to the incredible speed, she lost balance and had her fell for the second time that day. This time, it was a pretty bad fall.
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Hiro never ran as fast as he just did. His heart raced at the sight. GoGo was down, her bike was in ruins, and he could hear her groans. It was never a good trade-off to a victory. Not a chance.
He cradled and helped her up. She's holding on to her right hip. She had scratches everywhere. Her right shoulder was even outright bleeding! If didn't know how to fall right, who knows what could've happened.
"Thanks heavens.", Hiro said as he tried to assist her, "Everything will be fine. We have Baymax to treat you."
"Hey.", she coldly replied and shoved him off. Her meek, pained face suddenly shifted to a cold glare, once she identified him. Mercurial.
"GoGo, wait, let me explain."
All he got was another shove. She's not taking it. Her serious eyes pierced to his being. She's mad. She's upset. She's disappointed.
I broke my promise. She hates liars.
Definitely, she's not okay.
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Notes:
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The future is bulletproof! The aftermath is secondary! It's time to do it now and do it loud! Hirogo shippers, make some noise!
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Hello everyone, Type 0 here. Before anything, please do have a peek on my profile page. I've done quite a lot of changes and quite a lot of explanation about my looooong absence here. And of course, some changes in plans. Come on, take a good read.
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I missed this so much that I've went back to one of my traditions in fanfic writing. Yep, this chapter was named after a song and it goes like this:
I'm okay, I'm okaaaaaaaay! I'm okay now! (I'm okay now)
But you really need to listen to me
Because I'm telling you the truth
I mean this, I'm okay! (Trust me)
I'm not okay. I'm not okay
Well, I'm not okay
I'm not o-(bleep)-kay
I'm not okay. I'm not okaaaay (Okay)
Yeah, that.
And, man, I'm itching to put that song title on as a chapter title. This is the perfect time.
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So yeah, feel free to follow, favorite, suggest, and share! (I've missed this line)
Up next, the ending. Expect the unexpected. That's all I can say.
(Maybe expect the update somewhere last week of August to first week September since this is a special month and I'm gonna be busy)
It's good to be back.
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PS: I've drafted 7 special chapters for this. Just sharing some working chapter titles I have in mind.
Nearly Witches
Dirty Little Secret*
A Cruel Angel's Thesis/Theory
The Good, the Bad, and the Dirty*
Homesick*
Ready to Go
Be Calm
PPS: There has to be a loss meme here somewhere…
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PSA: Upload delayed for sometime. Currently too busy due to LOTS of things like work, Worlds 2018 (League of Legends, yeah! Too bad Cloud9 didn't make it past semifinals), wooing some angel, and watching the series. To be fair, I already have THREE drafts of the last chapter and they're all for polishing (plus drafts of some special chapters above, indicated by an asterisk). So yeah, I'll be putting up soon, when things are a little bit more free. Thanks!