Age 13

"I'm here bitches! Happy Birthday, Meredith!" Izzie exclaimed, throwing her bags on the ground as she entered Christina's room.

Meredith waved to her friend and smiled. "Thanks, Izzie."

Today was finally the day that Meredith was becoming a teenager. She turned 13 today and her friends decided they would celebrate at Christina's and have a slumber party. Of course Meredith's mother was too busy at the hospital and neglected to tell her own daughter happy birthday. Meredith wasn't surprised, nor did she really care. She was just happy to be spending her birthday with her friends.

Christina shook her head. "Girl, why are you so loud?"

Izzie shrugged with a smile and sat next to her friends on the bed. "I don't know. It happens."

"Only to you."

"So where are the guys?" Meredith asked, looking out the window anxiously.

Christina rolled her eyes and sighed. "Don't worry, your boyfriend will eventually show up."

Izzie stifled a giggle, causing Christina to glare at her. "I wouldn't laugh if I were you. Your boyfriends will eventually be here as well. And yes, that was plural. You're kind of a whore."

"I am not!" Izzie whined. "You don't think so, do you Meredith?"

Meredith shifted her gaze to the floor. "You know I love you, Izzie.

"Meredith..." Izzie glared at her friend.

"You are kind of putting yourself out there. I can't keep you straight between George and Alex."

"Right?" Christina exclaimed in agreement. "That's what I'm saying. One day your flirting with George, the next day your on top of Alex."

"You need to stop leading them on, Izzie." Meredith said, rubbing her friends shoulder.

"You both are bitches." Izzie replied, crossing her arms.

"As your friend, I'm telling you not to hurt our other friends. This needs to end or you need to choose one."

"Or better yet, go for Derek or Mark. Derek is never going to get a girlfriend, and Marks hot." Christina suggested with a smirk.

Izzie raised an eyebrow at Christina and looked to Meredith. "I could never go for Derek. He's Meredith's, not that I would want to. He's too scrawny and awkward, and I don't care for the curly hair. And Mark is hot, but too stupid for my liking."

"Okay, let's get one thing straight." Meredith demanded. "Derek is not "mine" and he is not my boyfriend. And he's not awkward."

Izzie and Christina looked to each other, shaking there heads. "Yeah, and I'm not Korean."

"Whatever." Meredith said, looking back out the window. "What do you even see in George and Alex anyways?"

Izzie shrugged, staring at the wall intently. "Well George is cute and kinda sweet, but Alex is really cute and also a bad boy."

"And Mark is hot and stupid. What's your point?" Christina replied, bluntly.

"Why don't you go for Mark?" Izzie inquired. "I mean, I'm kind of curious to why you keep mentioning him."

Christina shrugged. "I don't date. There's no time for that."

"Sure..." Izzie and Meredith replied in unison.

Derek, George and Alex all piled out of Alex's moms car and ran up the lengthy driveway. "Why are we here again?" Alex asked, knocking on the front door. "Because. It's Meredith's birthday and we're celebrating it here." Derek replied, shuffling his feet.

"Yeah, well I don't like Christina."

"Who does?" Derek asked.

"I kind of do." George replied.

Derek and Alex glared at George before the front door was opened. The boys all greeted Christina's mom and quickly ran up the stairs to Christina's room. "Hey!" The boys yelled as they walked in the room, throwing their belongings onto Izzies.

"Happy Birthday, Mer." Derek said, wrapping his arm around Meredith and joining her on the bed.

"Thanks, Der." Meredith replied, hugging her friend back. Christina gave her a friend a stern look and shook her head. For awhile now Christina has suspected something going on between Derek and Meredith. Even though Meredith denies having any feelings for Derek, she knows there is something. And she doesn't even have to talk to Derek to see a connection.

"Hey Izzie!" Alex and George both said, sitting on either side of Izzie. Christina looked between everybody in her room and shook her head. "I'll be right back, if anyone cares."

Meredith watched as her friend left. "I wonder where she's going?"

Derek shrugged, leaning back on the bed. "Who knows? So hows your birthday going?"

Meredith leaned back next to Derek. "Alright. It's really not different from previous birthdays. I thought turning 13 was suppose to be a big deal."

"Not really. You remember on my thirteenth birthday when I went out of town?"

Meredith nodded, remembering how her best friend left for four days.

"Yeah, I spent my birthday sitting on a dock with my grandpa trying to fish. Not very fun if you ask me."

"Doesn't sound like it."

Derek looked over to George, Izzie, and Alex and raised an eyebrow. "Is she dating one of them?"

Meredith looked over and shook her head in response.

"Are all three of them dating, like, each other?"

"Nope."

"Huh?"

"I'm back!" Christina yelled as she entered her room. "And look who I brought with."

All eyes fell on Mark as he entered the room. "Hey guys."

Mark was slouched over the side of the couch, grasping a jug of root beer. Christina was on the other end of the couch holding her own bowl of popcorn. Izzie was passed out on the floor with Alex on one side of her and George on the other side, all three of them sleeping soundly. Derek was leaned up against the coffee table with Meredith next to him.

"Interesting birthday that you had." Derek observed as he looked at all of his friends sprawled out in the living room.

"It sure was." Meredith replied with a nod. "Mark really looked like he enjoyed himself."

"Or maybe just the root beer." The two best friends laughed to themselves quietly. Meredith smiled at her best friend and rested her head on his shoulder. "Did you know that we're the only ones that are 13?" Meredith whispered.

Derek leaned his head against the wall and look to the ceiling. "What does that mean?"

Meredith shrugged. "I dunno. We're the only teenagers out of our friends."

Derek grinned, lightly nudging Meredith in her ribs. "Hey, that means we're the responsible ones then. Plus, we get to do things the others can't."

"Like what?" Meredith asked, curiously.

Derek put a finger to his chin and thought about it for a few seconds. "Good question. We could start dating." He suggested.

Meredith quickly pulled away from Derek with a horrified expression on her face. "What?"

Derek shrugged, not looking towards his friend but looking to Izzie and her boyfriends. "Sure, Izzie is practically dating two guys and she's only 12. We could start dating."

Meredith shook her head and shifted her gaze to anywhere but her best friend. "Derek, you're my best friend and all, but I don't want to date you."

Derek raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "Good. I don't want to date you either."

"But you ju-"

Derek held up a hand to stop Meredith from speaking. "I meant, we could just date people in general. I didn't mean we should date." Derek explained.

Meredith nodded and moved towards her best friend. "Good, but I'm not sure I want to date anyone right now."

"Why is that?"

"I'm not sure how to do it, really. And I'll miss you too much."

Derek gave his friend a sympathetic look and pulled her into his side. "I'm not going to go anywhere. No matter who we date I'll always be here for you."

Meredith nodded. "Like wise, but I can't see myself with anyone. I'm not very pretty, and that's really important when it comes to dating."

"I think you're pretty."

"Really?" Meredith asked with disbelief.

Derek shook his head. "Sure I do. And you'll find someone."

"I don't think so."

Derek shifted his body so he was facing Meredith. He took her hands in his and turned her so she was now facing him. "How about if when we're older, like ten years from now and one of us aren't dating anyone we date each other?" Derek suggested.

Meredith shrugged. "We can do that?"

Derek threw his hands up. "I don't know. Probably! We can do whatever we want."

"Well what if I don't want to date you when we're older."

"You have to!" Derek whined. "We're going to pinky promise this so that way neither of us die alone."

"Well, what if you have a girlfriend and I don't have anyone?" Meredith asked with a frown.

Derek smiled and grabbed his best friends arms tightly. "Don't worry about that! I'll be with you forever!"

"You promise?" Meredith questioned, holding her little pinky up in the air. Derek wrapped his slightly bigger pinky around Meredith's, shaking their hands. "I promise!"

Whoa! Derek is making a big promise there. Sorry this chapter kind of sucked. After the next couple chapters everything will get better! I promise ;)

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