DISCLAIMER- I don't own Life With Derek...at all

No one said love was easy. But they didn't mention that it would be this hard. Sitting on the sidelines, watching in the distance as he loves someone else, wishing with everything you have that the girl he's holding could be you. Some how I got caught in this position. Everything about him amazed me; his voice, his eyes that showed his amusement towards everything, and when I got the chance to see it, that smile that could brighten up the whole room. But that voice barely spoke to me, those eyes always looked past me, and that smile was never for me; they were all for…Sally. I tried, or at least tried to try, to hate her but how do you hate someone just because the one you love loves them?

Sally was great but she wasn't great for Derek. I was. I was the one who knew everything about him; what made him tick, what made him laugh, and I knew when he was upset but he hid his emotions from everyone because he's a guy and as he says, "Guys don't show emotion. That crap is for girls." There wasn't anything I didn't know about Derek and, yet, he still chose Sally.

I knew Derek front to back; I lived with him for God's sake. What did Sally know? That he worked at Smelly Nelly's and liked to make out? But if she was who he was happy with, who was I to stand in the way? I loved him and would do anything for him and if that meant stepping aside for another girl…I would do it. If Derek was happy than I was happy; but some how that didn't make me feel much better.

I threw my book across the room. What was the point in reading if all I could concentrate on is Derek? As if he was reading my mind, Derek came flying through the door, at that exact moment I threw my book, slamming the door almost making the house shake.

"Nice date?" It hurt a little to say the word "date" when I wasn't the one going on the date with him.

"Girls suck you know that?" Derek's face was red with anger, "They are good for nothing, clingy, whinny bit-."

"Derek!" I cut him off, "Are you okay?"

His face was red, he was panting, and he looked like he was waiting to punch someone. But he also looked sad, like his heart had just been broken.

"Does it look like I'm okay?" Derek snapped.

"Don't snap at me, I'm the one trying to help you." I shot back. I was used to Derek snapping at me but I wasn't going to back down.

"What happened?" I asked, with a little more force than before.

Derek looked at me and all I could see was pain in his eyes. He looked away when my eyes met his.

"She…she cheated on me." He whispered so low I had to move closer to hear him, "She got back with Patrick while we were dating. I saw them making out on the side of Smelly Nelly's."

Derek may have been a jerk, a liar, a ladies man, or a bully but he was never a cheater. He had more respect for girls than people realized and it disgusted him when people cheated on each other. Derek was a strong guy, he could handle almost anything but I don't think he could handle cheating.

"Derek…" I was at a loss of words; I knew how much he liked Sally.

"I…I just can't believe she would cheat on me. If she wanted to break up with I could've dealt with that but… but to cheat. It hurts more than anything." He said, looking any where but at me.

"It hurts now but Sally wasn't the one who was meant for you and when you realize that your pain will go away. I know you really liked her but you'll see you're better off without her." I said, "And better off with me." But I kept that part to myself.

"You're right, you always are, I am better off without her. But there's something that hurts more than Sally cheating me."

"What?" I asked, willing to listen to anything he had to say.

"The fact that I was too worried about getting Sally to date me that the one I'm meant to be with is the one who's always here for me and I've completely ignored her. And now I'm afraid I missed my chance." Derek spoke gently.

I looked at him again and now all I could see was love and this time his eyes never left mine.

"Derek…" Again I was at a loss of words.

He pulled me into his arms and kissed me. I went weak in the knees but he was there to catch me and neither of us stopped kissing until we needed to breathe.

"Please tell me I'm not too late." Derek pleaded with me, "Please tell me there's still hope."

"For you Derek there's always hope."

A/N- SO I THINK THIS ONE-SHOT CAUGHT A DIFFERENT SIDE OF DEREK BUT I THINK IT TURNED OUT GOOD! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!

MUCH LOVE,

XOJONASLOVEROX :)