A Breath of Fresh Air

Riker

Jenn clutched her bag to her chest as she took a seat in the bright red top-down convertible. She felt a bit weird getting into someone's car that she had just met, and her mind immediately flashed back to the dozens of crime shows that covered cases of abducted people. She realized a bit too late that she was making the same mistake that tons of people have made before: trusting a stranger. Yet she still felt that the stranger she was trusting seemed pretty harmless, and the guy more or less saved her life, so the least she could do was allow him to drive them to school together.

Riker was his name, Jenn learned. The guy talked quite a lot, so Jenn also ended up learning that they were around the same age, the car was given to him from his dad, and that he has an immense love for cheese. Jenn's ears were nearly talked off, though it felt even worse when Riker started asking a bunch of pointless questions that she more or less bullshitted answers for. She just wanted to get to school, and she was incredibly relieved when they finally pulled up into the parking lot of the university.

"Here we are, you need help getting to class?" Riker asked, seeming ready to assist her at the drop of a hat.

Jenn quickly shook her head, already reaching for the car door handle. "No, I'm okay, thank you so much though."

Jenn only got one foot on the ground before Riker was gripping her shoulder. She tensed at the sudden touch, her head whipping back around to face him. "Hey, just be careful, okay? Don't run and stay away from smoking areas."

Jenn rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Jeez you sound like my mom..."

"I'm your school mom then, I need to take care of my asthmatic daughter." Riker said, a small smile climbing onto his face.

"Okay mom, see you around." Jenn said with a chuckle, playing along with the joke, though she was sure that this was probably the first and last time she'd ever see Riker. She stepped out of the car, closing the door behind her.

"Oh, wait." She heard Riker call from behind her. Jenn turned, her brows raised at the man. "Um... do you want a ride home too after class? I don't mind it."

Jenn hesitated, not sure exactly what to say. She was taken aback by the offer, and she wasn't exactly sure as to why Riker was willing to drive someone he just met that morning home too. It was kind of weird to suddenly suggest. "That's um... nice if you to offer..."

"I just don't want to be worried about you getting home safely..." Riker quickly explained as if he heard the hesitation in Jenn's tone.

Jenn was sure Riker was trying to be nice, but she didn't really need anyone to worry about her getting home. She was confident in taking care of herself, and she didn't need anyone to suddenly be concerned for her well being. "I appreciate the concern, but I've been getting to and from school on my own pretty well for a while now. Asthma doesn't stop me from doing what I need to do."

Riker faltered, looking down at his lap. His eyes dimmed a little, the seemingly confident man awkwardly clearing his throat a little. "I didn't mean to offend you, I'm sorry..."

"No I'm not offended! I-I'm just saying, um..." Jenn trailed off, realizing her response may have been a tad bit passive aggressive. She can quickly turn into the defensive type depending on the subject of conversation, and her asthma was definitely something that pulled that trigger, even if it were being pulled accidentally. She let out a sigh, cursing at herself for having a heart. "Y'know, a ride home sounds nice actually. I'll take you up on the offer."

Riker's eyes widened with excitement, his face seeming to brighten up now that Jenn had accepted the offer. "Really? Um, when does your last class end?"

"In the afternoon. 3 o'clock." Jenn stated, though she was already rethinking her choice to agree with meeting this guy she just met after class. 'This is how they kidnap people, Jenn, you're literally being the dumbass in horror movies that gets killed first.'

"Mine ends at 2:30, so I'll wait for you in the parking lot, right here." Riker said, gesturing to the spot he and his car were in.

"Oh you don't have to then if it's a burden..." Jenn stated, now unsure of whether she actually wanted to meet Riker again. Sure the guy helped her out, but to suddenly get a ride home from him too was kind of weird. Then again, Jenn knew she would feel bad for turning down someone who so desperately wanted to do something for her, especially since the sight of Riker's hopes being let down tugged at her heart for some reason.

"It's not! Trust me, it's not. I don't mind, I have nothing else to do with my life." Riker stated with a chuckle, hopping out of his car to stand level with Jenn.

Jenn chuckled as well, relating a bit too much to the statement. Riker seemed like such a sociable guy though, it was difficult to believe he had all the time in the world to spend on some asthmatic girl he helped out earlier in the day. "Okay. Thanks."

"No problem." Riker replied, pulling Jenn back with a tug on her sweater when she started walking away to head to class. "Uh, one last thing..."

Jenn glanced back, subconsciously pulling her arm away from Riker. "Hmm?"

"Phone number?" Riker asked while pulling out his phone.

Jenn's eyes trailed over to the phone, still feeling awkward about getting all 'buddy buddy' with practically a stranger. "Oh..."

"Um, so we can stay in touch. Or in case anything happens, we can text each other or something... only if you want to..." Riker mumbled, for some reason being shy.

Jenn hesitated before taking Riker's phone, deciding to just f**k it and give her digits. The most she'd get would probably be a few annoying texts or what not before their conversation dries up and they never speak again. She handed Riker back the phone, deciding to smile a bit wider while doing so. "Thank you, Riker."

Riker's eyes lit up as he gazed at the phone, his cheeks turning pink after Jenn gave her thanks. "No problem, just trying to be helpful."

Jenn felt that the least she could do was genuinely give her appreciation for all of Riker's concerns and what he had done, and honestly Riker's reaction to it all was pretty cute. That was established already though; Jenn would reluctantly admit that Riker was a treat to look at, but he was still pretty unknown. "Are you usually this helpful to people?"

"Um... well, depends I guess..." Riker mumbled out with a shrug.

Jenn had no idea what that meant, but she just smiled in response since she really needed to get going to class. "Well, I'll see you after class then."

"See you! And be careful!" Riker called as Jenn quickly widened the distance between them.

"I will mom!" Jenn called back, deciding to throw in their little joke from earlier in an attempt to be a bit more friendly.

Riker collapsed with laughter, and Jenn was sure that the joke wasn't even that funny, but the positive reaction put her in a pretty good mood. She could only wonder what she'd learn about Riker when they met again later on.