Derek D. Roid or Derek Droid as everyone except his closest friends called was taking pictures of the cheerleaders for the yearbook this year and he was making sure that he made this yearbook the best the school had ever seen, and every once and a while he would get the opportunity to take the perfect picture which he would save to a different SD card than the rest to keep it safe. One of his friends Kasey Iving sat down by him and handed him a sandwich. She was one of two people that he trusted with his camera, he easily unwrapped the sandwich making sure that he didn't rip the fragile and beautiful hand drawn picture that was wrapped around the sandwich which was also wrapped in plastic wrap to keep the picture clean, but before he took a bite out of the sandwich he carefully looked at today's drawing.
"I see you were busy for a while before sitting down with me." Derek told Kasey
"There are so few times that you are completely still for the needed period of time that I had to draw you." Kasey told him
"Thanks it looks amazing like every drawing of yours that I've seen." He told her
"You can keep it if you want to Derek, but you better hurry your sandwich won't stay warm forever." Kasey told him
Derek at first looked at her like she was talking nonsense but then he remembered the sandwich in his hand. Kasey laughed softly at his expression and smiled as he bit into it slowly. She looked at his face with lines of his late nights working on the yearbook have started to give way a couple of months ago, she hasn't been keeping track of how many times she found him asleep at his desk in the same clothes from yesterday when she came to walk with him to school with Sherrie since they all lived right next to each other and only a couple of blocks from the school. Kasey looked at his sapphire blue eyes that hid the pain of losing his mother to lung cancer that she had fought for so long, and his brown hair that rarely see the barbershop unless Kasey and Sherrie force him to go. She quickly looked away from Derek as he looked at her from the corner of his eye, he balled up the plastic wrap, and chucked it into the trashcan on the other side of the gym.
"Why don't you play basketball or any sport for that matter?" Kasey asked him as he gently took his camera from her
"Become a mindless ape like Chad and his friends, not saying all people that play sports are dumb, a lot of the people I actually like play at least one sport and they are pretty intelligent." Derek told her
"I've seen how fast you can run, that's good for track, baseball, or even basketball." Kasey replied
"Yeah, but then who would take the pictures." Derek asked her
"Isthat really all that you're worried about, a yearbook, sure it would be great if you created the best yearbook this school has ever seen, but how long would that recognition last a month, two months maybe if you're lucky." Kasey replied
"I don't care how long the recognition last, but this is the only thing that I have shows that I'm my mom's son." Derek told her
"Really Derek⦠is this really what you think your mom wants you to spend your life doing?" Kasey asked him
"To tell you the truth I don't know anymore." Derek laughed
Sherrie walked over to them and sat down on the other side of Derek.
"Okay, I'm done with practice I'm just going to take a shower and then we can get out of here." Sherrie told them
"We'll be waiting for you right here Sher." Derek told her
Sherrie quickly hugged Derek and Kasey before runninginto the girls locker room in the gym as one Derek other friends walked into the gym. He sat down by Derek and wrapped his arm around him.
"Dude, you missed it, Chad got it handed to him, and it was amazing." The guy told him quickly
"Jason calm down, slow down, or I'll tranquilize you again and I will do it." Derek threatened
Jason quickly scooted away from Derek before repeating what he said slower this time so that at least Derek understood him, but Kasey still was looking at Jason like he was crazy. Derek laughed which made both Kasey and Jason finch since his laugh was deep and sort of demonic, but when Sherrie came out of the locker room Derek stopped laughing.
"You okay Sherrie?" Derek asked her
"Yeah, I just got a little light-headed that's all." Sherrie replied
"Okay, you can lean on me if you want to, but tell me if you feel light-headed or are about to vomit." Derek told her
"Thanks, does anyone else hear a high pitched ringing?" Sherrie asked us
"I do, it been annoying me all day." Both Kasey and Derek told her
Jason looked at the three of them like they were crazy, but being who he was he didn't leave. Instead, he took Sherrie's bag, slung it over his shoulder and walked behind them all the way to her house. When they got there Derek took it from him, and with Kasey holding the door open he got Sherrie into the house and onto the couch.
"Kasey, call my dad, and tell him I'll be home late so that I can help Sherrie." Derek told her
"Okay where's your phone?" Kasey asked him
"First left side pocket." Derek replied while touching Sherrie's forehead
He jerked his hand away quickly due to the fact that it felt like Sherrie's skin felt like it was on fire, but when he looked at his fingertips they weren't burnt.
"Okay, your dad knows, and is there anything you need me to do?" Kasey asked Derek
"Could you get a washcloth and get it wet?" He asked her
Kasey ran to the kitchen and quickly came back with a wet washcloth, Derek placed it gently on Sherrie's forehead, but he jumped back as it quickly started to steam up. He looked at Kasey who was staring at him in disbelief, even though she had his speed before it still surprised her. Derek suddenly heard a loud ringing in his head, the world around him slowed down, and then it when dark.
