Hey guys. Sorry about the really long wait. I got a job for the summer and I'm about ready to pull my hair out. Luckily I'm going to a baseball game tomorrow and I'll get a nice break…and probably really bad sunburn.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Darkest Powers
I peeked out from under my blanket at my clock. I still had five more minutes before I had to get out of bed and ready for the day. Pulling the blanket back over, I closed my eyes and tried to evict the butterflies currently taking residence in my stomach. I'd been dreading this all week. A whole day with Simon and Liz and…Derek. It wasn't like I haven't been out with them outside of school before. It was just that today was different. I had to talk directly to Derek, which wasn't a simple feat. I've talked to him before without my nervous habit of stuttering coming into play, but that wasn't an entire conversation.
My phone began vibrating and I pulled the blanket down just in time to see it vibrate off the edge of my nightstand and onto the floor. Reaching down, I saw Simon's number.
"I hope you're not calling to make sure I haven't chickened out," I said, pushing the blanket completely off me and getting out of bed.
"Actually," he said, sounding hesitant. "It wouldn't be a bad thing if you had chickened out."
"What do you mean?" I asked, my hand stopping in midair as I reached for my closet door.
He sighed. "Derek can't make it. Something came up."
"But my interview…"
"I know, I know," he said. "And I tried to argue, believe me, but he wouldn't budge. And I tried to convince Liz to help persuade him, but she refused. Then I tried arguing with her, but she went off on some long rant about privacy. Long story short, interview cancelled."
I dropped down on the edge of my bed. "Do you think he'll reschedule?"
"I'll try my best," Simon said. "It'll take a lot of work and might involve a blood sacrifice, but I'll try."
I smiled weakly at his attempt to cheer me up. "Thanks anyway."
"Of course, your Saturday doesn't have to be completely ruined," he said. "I'm still free."
"What did you have in mind?" I asked.
"Catch a movie, empty our pockets at the arcade, eat until we puke," he said. "You know, just a normal Saturday."
I laughed. "Okay, I'm in."
"Great," he said. "I'll pick you up at noon, okay?"
"Sounds good," I said. "I'll be here."
I hung up and tossed my phone onto my nightstand. Sighing, I fell back onto my bed and pulled my pillow over my head. I'd love to say I was disappointed about Derek cancelling, but honestly I was relieved. He was so against the interview in the first place that I wasn't even sure I would have gotten a coherent answer from him. And while I was happy to say that I could now distinguish between a handful of his grunts, I don't think I'd be able to understand his answer to "so why did you join the football team?"
Dragging myself out of bed, I rid myself of my pajamas and stepped into the bathroom. After completing my usual morning routine, I stood in front of the mirror and gently tested the now almost completely faded bruises. The one on my stomach was barely visible and only a smidge of yellow still remained. The one on my breast was a little more yellow, but it was over a smaller area, so I was okay with the trade-up. Mr. Delaney had called yesterday after school to check up on me and assured me that he was doing everything in his power to make sure Malloy was held responsible. I understood that 'everything in his power' meant he had rules he had to follow and that the likelihood of holding Malloy responsible was fading with the bruises I sported. If this were a movie, I'd lure him into a trap and catch him repeating his offense with the police standing behind a convenient tree ready to slap on handcuffs and take him downtown. However, this isn't a movie and I had to play the hand that I've been dealt, even if the dealer's been hiding aces up his sleeve.
Walking out of the bathroom, I returned to my closet and stood in front of it for at least ten minutes without moving. It wasn't one of those cliché moments where I have an entire closet full of clothes and I still have nothing to wear. It was an 'oops I forget to do laundry and I really don't have anything to wear' moments. Settling with a ratty t-shirt and a pair of jeans spotted with bright yellow paint, I threw on Derek's sweatshirt to complete the look. This time wasn't to annoy Amber. It just happened to be the only one big enough to cover the rather large yellow paint splatter coating my butt.
Stuffing my phone into my pocket, I walked out of my room and into the kitchen, where Aunt Lauren was sipping on a mug of coffee that was billowing steam. Her attention was on the newspaper sprawled out in front of her and she didn't notice me until the toaster erupted with my now golden brown waffle.
"Morning," she said. She shook her head disapprovingly at my breakfast. "Is that all you're having? Sweetie, I can make you pancakes if you like."
"Waffle's already done," I said as I poured on a barely legal dosage of syrup and carried it over to the table. Pouring myself a glass of orange juice, I joined my waffle at the table.
"What are your plans today?" Aunt Lauren asked. "Because I was thinking I could take you to the mall and we'd see what's new."
"Sorry," I said. "I made plans with Simon."
"Simon?" she said. She thought it over before her eyes lit up. "Oh, Simon! Christopher's son. He seems like such a nice boy. And his father is a lawyer. I'm happy to see you dating someone so reliable. I'm sure he'd never take advantage of you."
I bit back my retort at her obvious slander of Derek. "I'm not going out with Simon, Aunt Lauren. I'm hanging out with him. We're friends, that's all."
"Mm-hmm," she said, obviously no longer listening and probably planning the names of Simon's and my children.
I ignored her and finished my breakfast. She's been making remarks all week about the efficiency of my decision making. While she was almost catatonic with rage for the guy who attacked me, she also felt the need to throw in that perhaps if I chose my social activities more carefully, I'd be much safer and wouldn't have regrets in the long run. I could have pointed out that if perhaps she had chosen her social activities more carefully, she wouldn't be a single 37 year-old doctor who had separation problems with her 16 year-old niece. I could have, but didn't. I didn't need that guilt hanging over my head. She tried, she really did, but working clinic hours with teenage girls coming in six months pregnant didn't really help my case much.
A knock on the door had me looking up at the clock. Simon was an hour early. Getting up, I set my dishes in the sink and ran back to my room to quickly grab my wallet and keys. After saying a brief goodbye to Aunt Lauren, I ran to the door and pulled it open to see Simon casually waiting on the other side.
"Hey," I said. "You're early."
"I was hoping to catch you still in your pjs and get a picture to use for blackmail, but damn you've gone and foiled my evil scheme," he said, grinning.
"That's my job," I said, pulling the door closed behind me. "Scheme foiler and dastardly deed thwarter extraordinaire."
"Sounds exciting," he said.
"Pays the bills," I said, shrugging.
We burst out laughing on our way down the stairs. We could finally breathe again by the time we stepped outside and he led me to his car.
"So what's the plan?" I asked.
"Just like I said. Movie, arcade, puke," he said.
"My kind of Saturday."
The movie didn't start until noon so we spent the excess time driving around and each pointing out important places in the city, such as the street corner that Simon wiped out on when the brakes of his bike broke when he was nine. When we had exhausted the sites driving around, we went around on foot. He showed me the exact tree at the park that he fell from when he was thirteen and sprained his wrist and I showed him the bench that Matt tried to kiss Mila at in ninth grade and ended up receiving a broken nose instead.
After the movie, we drove to the mall and headed straight for the arcade. It was empty when we walked in, so we didn't stop ourselves from looking like total idiots while we had fun. I challenged him to a game of air hockey and actually managed to smoke him, not that he wasn't trying. However, had he been able to contain his laughter, he probably would have beaten me. He did manage to beat me in skee ball and pretty much every other challenge I sent his way.
Once Simon had decided our ticket stock was high enough, we stepped up to the counter. The prizes were rather lame, but Simon seemed quite pleased with his plastic harmonica and I rocked my new plastic shades. I also had enough tickets for a tiny plastic whistle, which actually was amazingly loud and shrill. I stuck it on my keys in case of emergencies. And because my bead lizard was sadly down to his last row.
"Well, I'm an old fashioned guy," Simon said as we walked out of the arcade. "I think every lady should be treated to a fancy dinner every once in a while."
"Mall food?" I asked.
"Only the best for you," he said, holding out his arm.
I wound my arm through his and we made our way through the Saturday crowds to the food court. It was busy, but I was able to get us a table while Simon bought the food. As I waited, I pulled out my phone and saw I had a missed call from a number I didn't recognize and a new voicemail. Typing in my password, I held the phone to my ear and listened as the message played.
"Hello, Ms. Saunders, this is Beth from Ray's Diner. We will be opening a waitressing position in December and we came across your résumé. If you are interested in the position we'd be happy to hear from you. Thank you and have a nice day."
The message ended and I hung up, grinning from ear to ear.
"Good news?" Simon asked, setting the tray down on the table and sitting down across from me.
"I just got offered a job," I answered, grinning down at my phone.
"That's great!" Simon said. "What's the job?"
"A waitress at a diner I applied at," I explained.
"Cool," Simon said. "If I come in while you're working, can I get free food?"
"I don't even officially have the job and you're already mooching?" I said, tossing a fry at him.
"Hey, a guy can try," he said, returning fire.
The guy behind the counter gave us a look and I popped my next fry in my mouth instead of what I had originally planned.
"So, if you're working, how are you going to film practices?" Simon asked.
"She said in the message that the job starts in December and the season is over by then, right?" I said. "So I'll switch from going to practices after school to working."
"Practice sounds more enjoyable," Simon said, "Of course, if you ever get bored, just shoot me a text and I'll find a way to make it interesting."
"I don't doubt you would," I said. "Which is why you won't be receiving that text."
He grinned. "A little fun, is that too much to ask?"
I shook my head and bit into my burger. As we ate, I kept glancing up at Simon and hesitating.
"So, you said something came up," I said, trying to sound casual. "It wasn't something bad, was it?"
"Dunno," he said. "Derek just called and said he couldn't make it because something came up. He sounded really irritated though, so I'm thinking whatever it was wasn't bad, just something he really didn't want to do. Well, something he didn't want to do more than he didn't want to be interviewed."
I nodded, a little relieved. I was still curious, but if Simon didn't think anything was wrong, then I was probably just worrying for nothing. I mean, Simon's Derek's best friend. If he didn't know when something was wrong, who would?
After lunch, Simon dropped me off at home and I waved to him as he drove off. When he was out of sight, I raced upstairs to change into something a little more professional, even if it did need to be washed. I needed to talk to the diner and it would look bad if I showed up in clothes smeared with paint. Settling for my least wrinkly pair of dark jeans, I pulled off Derek's sweatshirt and pulled on a light jacket instead. With one last glance in the mirror, I raced back down the stairs and outside into the slightly nippy November air.
The diner wasn't a far walk, but I could definitely feel the change in season by the time I walked through the doors. The heat was on inside and I shuddered from the change in temperature. Looking around, I saw the woman I gave my résumé to standing behind the counter.
"Excuse me?" I said, walking up to her. "My name is Chloe Saunders. I'm here about the job."
She looked up at me and smiled. Closing what looked like a book of schedules, she held out her hand.
"Hi, I'm Beth. I'm hoping you're here to say you want the job," she said.
"I am," I said.
"Great," she said. "I was really hoping the position would be filled before December. I don't think the customers would have liked to see my water breaking while they were served."
She stepped back and for the first time I noticed she was heavily pregnant, something really hidden behind the counter. She gestured for me to follow her back to the offices and I obediently did as I was told. As I followed behind her, I noticed how young she looked. If I had to guess, I'd say nineteen at the oldest. Her black hair was held back in a ponytail with strands sticking out every which way.
"So, what year are you?" she asked as we walked into an office.
"I'm a junior," I said.
"Ah," she said. "Trying to save up for college?"
"A car, actually," I said. "Something without an engine threatening to fall out."
She laughed. "I don't even bother trying to save up for a car anymore. Whenever I need wheels, I take my boyfriend's."
"That's nice of him," I said.
"I meant that literally," she said. "Of course, if he didn't want me to borrow it, he should have found a better place to hide his keys."
I laughed. It was a shame that it was her job that I was taking. I would have loved to work with her. I watched as she opened drawer after drawer of the desk before finding what she was looking for.
"We can do the official paperwork in December when you start your training," she said. "That way it will be fresh in your head. This is the contact information for everybody here, plus a short guide that Ray, the owner, thinks is helpful. You won't meet him today, but it would help if you read this before you do. I'm not saying you won't impress him without it, but you'll definitely be on his good side if you read it."
She stuffed the contact information between the pages and I took it from her.
"I'll walk you out," she said. "My shift is over, anyway."
She took her coat off the hook and walked out with me behind her. When we returned to the counter, I noticed a blond man standing by the door. He looked up as we came into view and smiled at Beth.
"Your boyfriend?" I asked.
She nodded. "That's Austin. He'll probably be here a lot while you're working fetching food for me. If you ever have any problems while he's here, just let him know. He's sat through a lot of complaining from me and can solve pretty much any problem here."
I nodded and watched as she walked over to him. He wrapped an arm around her waist and they walked out together. I walked around the counter and was about to leave when I noticed two people sitting in the far corner of the diner. Derek was facing me and I watched him as he stared out the window. I couldn't see the other person's face, but he was tall with blond hair. He stood up and started walking toward the counter. I spun around and pretended to be using my phone. He stopped at the cash register and I risked a peek. He was young, maybe a couple years older than me. He was cute and seemed to like flirting with the girl taking his money. He looked a little familiar, but I didn't know why. I didn't think I'd ever met him before, but something had my brain working to figure it out. When he turned and walked back toward Derek, I fled before Derek could see me.
I don't know why I was against Derek seeing me. Maybe it was because his something that came up turned out to be lunch with some guy. Or maybe it was because I didn't want him to feel like I was stalking him or something. Whatever the reason, I walked home wishing I had went to the diner later rather than sooner.
As I shut the door behind me, I was pulled from the murky abyss that is my mind to the present. Someone was clanking pots and pans in the kitchen. Shucking my shoes, I walked in expecting to see Aunt Lauren cooking. Instead, I was surprised to see Dad reading a recipe, looking completely lost.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Making lasagna," he said without looking up.
"I wasn't aware that was how you made lasagna," I joked, referring to the massive pile of pots spilling from the cupboard and the random ingredients lining the counters.
"I'm trying to find your mother's recipe," he murmured, flipping the page.
"Aunt Lauren might know it," I said. "Where is she, anyway?"
"Lauren decided that her presence was no longer needed," he said.
"You kicked her out, didn't you?" I asked.
The corner of his mouth twitched. "We had a lively discussion in which the end result was her decision to leave."
"Sure," I said, smiling.
"Where did you go racing off to?" Dad asked, ignoring my comment.
"The diner," I said. "I got the job."
He looked up. "That's good. When do you start?"
"December," I said. "I'm taking over for a woman who's about to have a baby."
He nodded. "Well it will give you some experience. And maybe if you're working you won't be destroying my kitchen after school."
I stuck out my tongue and headed to my room to change. I'd give Dad a few more minutes to admit defeat and then go help him. In the meantime, I had algebra homework I needed to get started on.
The rest of the weekend passed without event and before I knew it so did the week. When Friday rolled around, Mila was in a foul mood and so was Sam, but for entirely different reasons. Sam's private tutoring for math was taught by Mr. Lyle, who also taught my algebra class. A few days ago, he had shown up to class completely baked and the school security found his car's trunk filled to the brim with almost every kind of drug I'd ever heard of, plus some I hadn't. Suffice to say, he'd been arrested and his position at school was terminated. We've had substitutes in class for the last two days, but for Sam it was different. The substitutes had no idea what they were doing and couldn't teach her anything. So, for the last two days she's been doing math she did freshman year and is getting behind.
Mila, on the other hand, was in a foul mood for a much less justified reason. Today our football team plays for State so the school has been celebrating all week. The constant stream of excited, happy people was finally getting to her and I had to take away her writing utensils for fear of her actually impaling someone. So far today she's made a freshman cry, destroyed a girl's fake pompom, and snapped at Simon when he stopped by my locker and it's only fourth hour. I think the only person in this entire school whose bad mood rivaled Mila's was Ms. Davis. If I didn't know better, I'd think Mila was Ms. Davis' clone. They were both just as cynical and happy people made both of them just as annoyed. I could take away any sharp implements from Mila, but I had no power over Ms. Davis and I feared for the chipper girls in the front row's lives.
When lunch rolled around, I opted out of heading to the cafeteria and decided to spend the time working on my footage since today was the last day of filming. Ms. Davis let me stay in her classroom after English since I would just be coming back anyway for study hall. She ate her lunch at her desk and graded papers while I took out my laptop and worked on yesterday's practice and the last game. I was disappointed in the footage from the last game. Even standing by the railing hadn't guaranteed me that great of footage. I really wanted to capture everything in tonight's game, but the only way to do that would be to actually be down on the field by the benches like my practices and I didn't have nearly enough brownie points to pull that off. Plus, I had a feeling that Coach was reaching his breaking point with me on the bench. I tried to stay out of his way and not bother the players, but that didn't stop the team from talking to me. It started with Corey and the other guy who spoke to me the first day, Peter. They'd sit with me when the team took its break and talk to me. Eventually more of the team would sit with me as well. And while I enjoyed the company, I had a feeling Coach wasn't liking how distracted his team was, especially with the big game so near.
The phone on Ms. Davis' desk began to ring. She answered it on the last ring, but I didn't pay any attention to her conversation. However, when she hung up and said my name, I was forced to give over my attention.
"That was Coach Stevens," she said, writing down something. "He expects you on the field today during study hall for final practice. Here's a note so you don't get stopped trying to get on the field."
I walked over and took the note she held out. Turning around, I walked back to my desk and gathered my laptop. I might as well make it to the field early and avoid the crowded after-lunch hallways.
I expected the field to be empty when I arrived but I was surprised to see at least half the team in full garb already running plays. Coach Stevens was among those yet to arrive, so I found my usual seat and took out my camera. I wasn't expecting to film any more practices but I had brought my camera with me just in case.
As I was flipping through the different settings, a shadow fell over me. I looked up and jumped. Biting my lip, I tried to force myself to breath as Malloy stood in front of me with the same predatory look, except this time the anger outweighed the lust.
"You didn't deliver my message," he said.
I swallowed. "I didn't have a chance. I was in the hospital."
He leaned down until I could smell his rancid breath. "You're lying."
"And if I am?" I asked trying to keep my voice steady.
He opened his mouth to answer, but something swung up and clocked him over the head lightly. I looked up to see Derek standing behind Malloy. He was pulling his bag over his head and apparently hit him with it in the process.
"What the hell?!" Malloy asked, standing up straight.
"You're in the way," Derek said, dropping the bag next to my feet.
"You're going to regret that," Malloy fumed, storming off.
I watched him walk out onto the field and sighed in relief. I looked back over at Derek and stopped myself from thanking him. He probably didn't do it for me. Most likely he just did it to piss off Malloy. He didn't pay me any mind as I ogled him in his gear. He reached down and drew his water bottle out of his bag. I looked back down at my camera as he set the bottle down next to me.
"Don't let Liam get this," he said.
I looked down at the bottle and back up at Derek as he picked up his helmet and joined the team on the field. I looked down at the bottle again and wondered if Derek was worried Malloy would slip something in his water and I suddenly realized Malloy would do just that if he had the chance. So, I pulled the bottle closer and guarded it with my life.
After about ten minutes, Coach Stevens finally appeared and the team gathered around him as he gave his usual speech. When he sent them back on the field, I started filming. I was getting into the zone when Coach walked over to me and held out a USB drive.
"I want you to put today's practice and the game on this and I want it on Monday," he said. "That's along with the usual drive."
"You want me to put it on two different drives?" I asked.
"This one isn't for me," he said.
I took the offered flash drive and stored it in my backpack. Picking my camera back up, I pointed it back at the field and took it all in. I filmed for half an hour before someone sat down beside me. I looked over to see Liz. She looked a little tired and based on the sweat dripping down, I'd bet the cheerleaders were also using study hall to practice.
"Is this yours?" Liz asked, pointing to the water bottle next to me.
I shook my head. "It's Derek's."
"Oh, good," she said.
She picked it up and guzzled it down without another word. When she was finished downing the almost full bottle, she set it down next to me.
"Thirsty?" I asked.
She nodded. "We skipped lunch and study hall to practice and I'm exhausted. I'm also starving."
"I think I have a granola bar if you want it," I said as I reached down and unzipped my bag.
I pulled out the bar and held it out. She eagerly took it from me.
"Thank you," she said, tearing it open.
Coach Stevens blew his whistle to signal time out and the team stopped. A few walked over to rehydrate while some just stayed and roughhoused on the field. Derek was among those who walked over to the benches. He came straight toward Liz and me, or more likely towards his now empty water bottle sitting between us.
"It's empty," Liz said when he pulled off his helmet and reached for the bottle.
He gave her a look and she said, "It was really good water."
I pulled out my own and held it out to him. "Here."
He didn't hesitate before taking it.
"Ready for the big game?" Liz asked when he was done.
He grunted and returned my water bottle.
"Well, you could at least act more excited. Or you could be a little sad," she said, crossing her arms. "It's your last formal football game ever. That should count for something."
"I'm close to tears, really," he said sarcastically. He picked up his helmet and said, "Just do me a favor and tell Shawn not to spread it around the precinct, okay?"
"You got it," she said, saluting him.
He gave her another look, one she was probably very familiar with, and put on his helmet. I watched him run back onto the field and then I turned to Liz.
"What doesn't he want spread?" I asked.
"Oh, just that it's the State Championship and it's his last game and it's actually a big deal but he thinks it isn't," she said. "Just Derek being Derek."
"Oh," I said.
She got a distant look on her face and said, "I'm going to miss football season. It's when Derek's the most social. And he won't admit it, but I think it's when he's the happiest, too."
I didn't question her last comment. If she wanted to elaborate, she would, but she remained silent. Sensing a change in atmosphere, I turned my attention back to practice and started filming again. I got another fifteen minutes of uninterrupted footage before Liz spoke again.
"What are you doing after the game tonight?" she asked.
I looked over at her. "Nothing, why?"
"We're going out to celebrate the end of the season after and I was wondering if you wanted to come," she said. She gave me an apologetic smile. "I know we keep dragging you out and bothering you, but I'd really like it if you celebrated with us. I know Simon really likes hanging out with you and I'd like to get the chance, too."
"Why are you so keen on spending time with me?" I asked.
"Because you seem really nice," she said. "And you like Derek."
I dropped my camera and rushed to pick it up. When I straightened, Liz didn't seem even remotely fazed by my reaction.
"Does everybody know that?" I asked. "Or just Derek's closest, most personal friends?"
She smiled. "Stop worrying. When it comes to anything concerning himself, Derek's an idiot."
I wasn't reassured by her comment.
"So, will you come?" she asked.
I thought about it for a minute. I would be going out with Derek and his friends again, but I wouldn't be alone with Derek so I wouldn't end up a stuttering mess. And I did actually enjoy hanging out with his friends.
"Alright," I said, a little reluctantly.
"Great," she said as Coach blew the whistle.
I looked over to see the team stop practice. Some headed straight for the locker rooms while others came over to the benches to retrieve their belongings. Being that practice was over, I turned off my camera and leaned down to store it in my backpack. As I faced the ground, a large, calloused hand reached out in front of my face and wrapped around the handle of Derek's bag. I glanced up to see Derek himself swing the bag over his shoulder and pick up the water bottle still sitting between Liz and me. He didn't say anything as he turned and left, but he did nod slightly to Liz.
Liz left for the girls' locker room and I was left to walk back to the school alone. I made it to geography just as the first bell rang and everybody came flooding out into the hall. And then there was the people who had lined up before me that I had to wait for, which meant that I pretty much got inside at the same time as usual. However, as I walked to my usual seat, I had déjà vu. Somebody grabbed my arm and yanked me down into a seat farther back that I had intended. Looking over, I couldn't believe I was actually surprised that it was Tori.
"Remember that favor?" Tori said. "You're going to do me another one."
I sighed. "What am I putting in his locker this time?"
"You'll see," she said. "Same time same place."
With that, she shoved me out of the seat and I staggered. Catching myself on the desk, I steadied myself and found my seat. Throughout geography and theatre that followed, I couldn't help but wonder what it was that Tori wanted me to deliver this time. I really hoped it wasn't another pair of panties. I hadn't bothered to ask if they were even clean and I spent a large amount of time scrubbing a few layers of skin off just in case. And then there was the embarrassment of being caught by Derek. I suppose this time I knew which locker I was looking for so I could get in and out without being seen…hopefully.
When the final bell rang, I walked as slow to my locker as I could manage without getting hit by flying shoulders. And when I actually made it to my locker, I stalled as long as possible. By the time I had my books inside and reorganized, I had managed to put off my 'favor' for a good five minutes. Deciding I didn't want to piss Tori off too much by making her wait forever, I shut my locker and weaved my way through the crowd as I made my way to her locker. I found her there talking to Simon, which was odd considering they seemed to hate each other. As I got closer, I realized they were arguing. It was the first time I'd seen Simon remotely angry. I slowed my step so that I wouldn't walk in on an awkward moment. However, when I was just within hearing distance, my shoe hit a pen lying on the floor and it was sent skidding across the tiles until it came to rest against Simon's shoe. He looked down and then over at me. His angry expression dimmed a little, but his mouth was still tight.
"Sorry to interrupt," I said.
"Finally," Tori complained. To Simon, "Now run off like a good boy. The grownups need to talk."
He sighed angrily at her smirk and walked off, but not before asking me to wait and meet him by the front doors at 3:30. I agreed and watched him storm off.
"You sure took your sweet time," Tori said.
"I was doing something," I said.
"Whatever," she said, reaching into her locker. "You know the drill."
She held out the matching bra to the panties I hung up before. I sighed and pocketed it.
"And just so we're clear," she said. "I owe you one favor."
"But this makes it two," I argued.
"Uh uh," she said. "I just repaid one. You can thank me later."
She spun on her heels and walked off without so much as an explanation. I stared after her, confused. How did she repay me if I didn't even ask for anything? And what were Simon and her arguing about to make him so angry? When my questions weren't magically answered, I took off for the locker rooms to complete my job and meet Simon.
The girls' locker room was completely empty when I walked in so I went straight for the separating door. Pressing my ear to it, I listened for any noise. When I came up empty, I eased open the door and stepped inside. This time I knew which locker was Brady's so I could get in and out and no one would be the wiser. Unfortunately for me, however, my timing always seemed to be less than perfect and what I had perceived to be empty silence turned out to be just a momentary silence. As I was turning the corner of one of the locker rows, someone grabbed me from behind and put their hand over my mouth. I struggled to break free until I heard more voices and whoever had me pulled me behind the lockers and out of sight. I watched as two guys walked past, not noticing anything was amiss. My eyes fell for a moment and I snapped them up and closed. Both guys were naked and dripping from the showers.
When they were out of sight, I felt movement behind me and remembered my snatcher. I slammed my elbow back into his gut, but he merely grunted. I froze when I recognized that grunt and looked up to see Derek standing over me. He, too, must have just stepped out of the shower because water dripped down from his head and fell onto my cheek. He gave me a look that clearly meant to keep quiet and let me go. I stepped away from him and turned to face him, instantly realizing my mistake. I was correct when I assumed he had just stepped out of the shower. Water trailed down from his hair down his broad, naked chest and farther to the towel wrapped around his waist. I swallowed and my eyes snapped up to his.
"If you're going to continue sneaking around our locker room have the decency to do it when it's empty," he said, his voice low.
"I-I-I'm sorry," I whispered. "I thought it was."
The voices of the two guys from before were getting closer again and Derek pulled me farther behind the lockers.
"Just hold on," he murmured, turning to open his locker.
I was enjoying the view from behind when he pulled out boxers and I realized he meant to get dressed. Silently gasping, I spun around and covered my eyes. I could hear the soft plop of the towel hitting the floor and bit my lip at the knowledge that Derek Souza was standing naked behind me. Hearing the rustle of fabric, I knew he was pulling on his boxers. I heard further rustling as the voices became distant again and then Derek's hand was on my shoulder. Gasping I spun around, my hand over my racing heart. Derek's chest was still bare, but he was wearing jeans that hung a little low and would have had me drooling if I wasn't trying to calm my nerves.
"Hurry up and do whatever it is you came for," he said, his voice still low. "You have thirty seconds."
I nodded and ran off toward Brady's locker. It took me ten of my thirty seconds to remember which row it was in and when I finally found it, my heart plummeted. It was locked and I obviously didn't have the key. I considered shoving the bra through the vents in the door, but they were too narrow to feed it through.
"Hurry up," Derek said, standing at the end of the row with his arms crossed over his now t-shirt-covered chest.
"It's locked," I whispered loudly.
He sighed in frustration and walked over. I moved over as he picked up the lock and examined it. Before I could ask what he was about, he dropped the lock and walked away, returning with two thin pieces of metal. I watched as he stuck the metal into the key hole of the lock and fiddled with it. As he picked the lock, I thought back to an earlier conversation between Mila, Sam, and me about Derek knowing every cop in town and suddenly I wondered if maybe there was some validity to it.
"There," he said, pulling off the lock. "Do it and be fast about it."
I refused to look at him as I pulled out the bra and hung it over the top hook like I did the panties. When I shut the locker, he put the lock back on and snapped it shut.
I opened my mouth to thank him, but he was already halfway down the aisle. Hearing more voices somewhere in the maze of lockers, I remembered that I wasn't supposed to be here and rushed out. Luckily nobody else caught me and I crossed my fingers that this would be my last adventure in the guy's locker room. Unless Tori had a garter and lace stockings, her seduction was probably dressed now.
Still reeling from my experience, I wondered over to the front doors to meet Simon like he asked. I was a little early, so I was surprised to see him already there. He was also still in a bad mood and it hadn't seemed to ease up at all.
"Hey," I said. "What's up?"
He turned at the sound of my voice. Sighing in frustration, he said, "Tori conned Dad into letting her have the car this weekend so I can't drive us to the game tonight."
"What about your car?" I asked.
"It is my car," he said.
"What does she wan-"
I cut myself off when I realized exactly what she wanted the car for.
"Maybe I can get Mila to drive us," I suggested. "Oh wait, her Dad still has her keys. That's not going to work."
Simon looked like he was thinking of something when he spotted something over my shoulder and his eyes lit up and a grin broke out.
"Hey, D!" he called, waving his arms.
I turned to see Derek walking over with a scowl on his face at Simon's attempt to get his attention.
"What do you want?" he asked.
Simon held his hand to his heart. "What makes you think I want something? Do you think I'm incapable of just wanting to have your company? That hurts, Derek."
"What do you want?" he repeated.
"Your car," Simon said.
"No," Derek answered.
"Come on, man," he said. "I only need it to get to the game and back."
"No," he said.
"What about Chloe, hmm?" Simon said, placing his hands on my shoulders. "You're going to subject her to missing the game of the year just because of our petty differences?"
He looked down at me and I could tell he couldn't care less if I couldn't go to the game.
"No," he said.
"How about this," Simon said, holding his hands up in a last ditch effort. "If I drive your car to the game, then you don't have to ride the bus back to the school with the rest of the team. And then we can head to my place for the weekend."
Derek seemed to think this one over, but he still didn't seem convinced.
"Tori's not going to be there," Simon added.
"Fine," Derek said. "Meet me at the school at five."
"Five?" Simon asked. "What am I supposed to do until then?"
"Figure it out," Derek said, walking past him and out the door.
"Great," Simon said, throwing up his arms. "What am I going to do until five? I can't get home without a car."
"You can come home with me until then," I offered. "And then we can walk to the school together."
"Really?" he asked. "Your dad won't mind you bringing strange guys home?"
"He won't be there," I said. "He's in Berlin until Monday."
Simon stared at me like I was crazy.
"What?" I asked.
"You have your apartment to yourself for an entire weekend and you're not even going to do anything?" he asked, surprised. "You're not even having friends over?"
"Well, he's on business trips a lot, so the thrill of having the place to myself sort of died down long ago," I said, shrugging.
"I would kill to have my house to myself for a weekend," Simon said as we walked outside. "There are so many possibilities!"
"How many of those possibilities could result in police action?" I asked, unlocking my car and getting in.
"That's where knowing like half the cops comes in handy," he said. "I could totally get away with it."
"You know half the cops?" I asked.
"Course," he said. "You know how many Fourth of July parties I've been to at Liz's?"
I shook my head. "You could know that entire department and you still wouldn't get away with it."
"Why do you say that?" he asked.
"Well, they might not charge you with anything," I said. "But don't you think they would tell your dad?"
He shuddered. "You're right. And anything they charge me with wouldn't be as bad as what he would do."
I laughed. "I think that's a reason to keep your nose clean."
He went cross-eyed and rubbed his nose. "Did I get it?"
I opened my mouth to explain, but he was smiling and I just smiled back, shaking my head.
"I'm starting to question the people I'm acquainted with," I said. "I don't think I should be hanging out with people who know so many cops."
"But those are the best people to hang out with," he argued. "Because you know that you're safe with them."
"Or does that mean that you're less safe because they require rescuing more often?" I asked.
"Hmm," he said. "That's a tough one."
I pulled into my spot and killed the engine. Unbuckling my seat belt, I pulled my bag from the backseat and we headed upstairs. Simon had already been to the door of my apartment, so I didn't have to blindly lead him, which was good because his attention kept getting drawn away. It probably had something to do with the woman who lives two floors beneath me who always gets her mail in what she wore to bed, which just happens to be a pair of sweats and her bra. The men in the building have never complained, especially since she's 25 and a marathon runner, and the women have stopped complaining since they found out their husbands weren't what she was interested in.
"Can I move in?" he asked, craning his neck.
"No, but I'll let you come over and ogle her if you do my algebra homework for me," I said, joking.
"Deal," he said. "I'll be right back."
I grabbed the back of his collar. "Oh, no you don't. I don't need her to tell the owner that I'm bringing guys over to stalk her. Besides, you're supposed to be ogling Liz, remember?"
"Porque no los dos?" he asked, shooting a grin back at me.
"Smart ass," I said. "Come on, we're here."
I unlocked the door and held it open for him.
"Sweet digs," he said, whistling. "You sure I can't move in? I come equipped with an Xbox and throw an awesome party. Your dad won't even have to know I'm here."
"I think he'd get suspicious when he finds hair dye in the bathroom garbage," I said.
"Hey, I'm all natural," he said.
"Don't think I didn't know you dyed your hair in 7th grade," I said. "Nobody gets highlights like that in a weekend no matter how much sun you get."
He grinned. "Derek's the only other person who noticed. He gave me shit for it all day."
"Of course, I never did find out why you dyed your hair," I said.
"Nicole Tillson," he said.
"I don't think I know her," I said.
"She was only here for a year," he explained. "I heard she went crazy. Killed another student."
"I didn't hear about that," I said. "You'd think they would have had a school assembly or something."
"Oh, the girl didn't go to our school," he said. "She went to some private school."
"So," I said. "You tried to impress a homicidal nutcase?"
"Yeah, that probably wasn't my best idea," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.
I dropped my bag in the living room and made my way to the kitchen with Simon behind me.
"Do you want something to eat?" I asked.
"Sure," he said. "Watcha got?"
I tried the pantry first but found nothing so I switched to the fridge. The lack of variety inside just confirmed that Annette hadn't gone grocery shopping like she was supposed to.
"All I've got is carrot sticks," I said. "Sorry."
"That's fine," he said. "It's a good thing. You want your guests to be healthy."
"Yeah, let's go with that," I said. "How about something to drink? I think we have some Coke stashed somewhere. Or my dad's diet Coke."
"Diet, thanks," he said.
I handed him back a can and pulled out a regular for myself. As we headed to the living room, I said,
"I'd give you the tour, but there really isn't much to see."
"That's alright," he said. "I'll just wait until you're in the bathroom and then I'll sneak a peek of your bedroom. Lingerie's in the top drawer, right?"
I tossed a pillow at him and plopped down on the couch, where we spent the next hour and a half playing one of my favorite games. We found some random show and muted it and filled in the dialogue with the weirdest things we could think of. It was actually really fun to play it with Simon. Sam never really put much effort into it and Mila wouldn't channel her creativity at all.
By the time five o' clock rolled around, Simon and I had grabbed out stuff and were on our way to the school. As we walked, I looked up and frowned at the clouds rolling in.
"Think it might rain?" I asked.
"Looks more like snow to me," Simon said. "It's a little early, but you never know. I don't think we'll have to worry, though. It's not heading in the direction of the game."
I nodded, but still didn't like the look of the clouds. I don't hate snow, but it was still November and I wasn't looking forward to an early winter, especially with my car being as unreliable as it is.
We found Derek's car parked in the same lot as the team's bus, but there was no sign of Derek or his keys. The bus was still here, so he hadn't left yet, but none of the team was either on it or by it, which meant they were probably gathering their gear in the locker room. Simon ran off to see if he could find Derek, leaving me to wait by the car. I was only too happy to stay outside. I'd had way too many trips to that locker room to last me a lifetime.
I didn't know how long it would take to track down Derek, so I dropped my bag next to the car and walked around a little. As I walked past the bus, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. Turning my head, I stopped in my tracks. Derek was standing on the other side of the bus, hidden from our view by the car. He was leaning against the side of the vehicle with his bag at his feet and his phone in his hand. With a glance toward the door that Simon ran in, I walked over to Derek. He didn't look up when I stopped in front of him. Instead, he merely reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys.
"Thanks," I said, taking them from him and cradling them in my hand.
Voices erupted from the door of the school and I turned to see some of the team come out, laughing and pushing each other around. Not wanting to be in the middle of that, I left Derek by the bus and walked over to the car. Simon was still inside, so I unlocked the door and got in the passenger seat. I was about to stick the key in the ignition to warm the car up when I noticed how many keys Derek had on the ring. There was his car key. I could recognize that one immediately. There was what looked like a house key, which was also a little obvious. But there was also a heavy duty key, which I guessed was probably a key to his work, whatever that it, and another key that I couldn't identify. It looked almost like a car key, but it was a little smaller and kind of old. Not rusty, bent-out-of-shape old, but it was scratched and the handle had a small dent in it and the shine was gone. I wasn't an expert on carbon dating, but I'd guess it was at least twenty years old.
"Hey, you got the keys," Simon said as he opened the other door.
I looked over and nodded as he got in and shut the door.
"He was by the bus," I said, handing him the keys.
"Yeah, that's what Brady said. Now let's get this baby on the road," he said, turning the key and smiling when the engine practically purred. "I love this car."
"Do you need a moment of alone time?" I asked, smiling.
"I'm going to be honest with you," he said. "I might."
"What's so great about Derek's car?" I asked. "It's just a car."
"It is not just a car," Simon said. "It's in practically pristine condition and there isn't a bolt out of place. And driving it… there are no words."
"Maybe you should buy it dinner first," I suggested. "A nice bottle of chianti for you and some oil for her. It is a her, right? I mean, most guys name their car a girl's name."
"You don't understand," he said "Derek never lets me drive his car."
"Is he one of those guys who are in love with their car and won't let anybody else behind the wheel?"
"No," he said. "Liz borrows it all the time. She even has a key."
"So," I said. "Does she have a name?"
"Who?" he asked, pulling out of the parking lot.
"The car," I said.
"I don't know," he said. "Probably not."
"Well, that hardly seems right," I said. "Maybe we should name her."
He laughed. "Sure. Whatya got?"
"Maybe something exotic," I said. "Like Esmeralda."
"Nah," he said. "Probably should be something blander. Like Bessie."
"I don't think Derek would appreciate you calling his car a Holstein," I said. "How about Lucy?"
"You know, I kinda like Lucy," he said. "Alright, Lucy it is. Now let's find some road trip music."
The game was being played at a neutral field about two hours away. I wasn't sure which town it was, but Simon seemed to know where he was going. Apparently so did everyone else, because when we arrived, the parking lot was packed. We had to park on the far end and walk through tailgate party after tailgate party. And the field was even worse. The bleachers were completely full with people shoved in every nook and cranny and even flooding off the steps. I fingered the strap of my bag and bit my lip. I needed to get this footage, but there was no way I was going to get onto those bleachers.
"This is not good," Simon said. "Maybe there's some room on the other side."
I shook my head. "There's no room anywhere. Maybe we can tr-"
"Hey, Saunders!"
I turned my head to see Corey sitting on the benches and waving his arms. When he saw me looking, he waved me over. I grabbed Simon's hand and pulled him through the crowd and down onto the field. When I got to the bench, I saw why Corey was sitting. His leg was in a brace and there were crutches on the ground next to him.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Slipped in the locker room after practice and tore my ACL," he said. "Just hours before the game, too. Stupidest thing I've ever done."
"How did you slip?" Simon asked. "Those floors are too rough to lose traction…unless they're wet."
"Yeah, I hit a puddle," he said. "Weird thing, though, was that it wasn't near the showers, so I don't know how it got there."
I bit my lip. It was like when Liam framed Derek and me in the girl's locker room, except I couldn't think of any reason why Liam would hurt Corey. They're both first string in their own positions and Corey's position wouldn't be any more glamorous.
"Well that bites," Simon said. "Last game of the season and it's state, too."
"Yeah, I wouldn't have picked this game to miss," Corey said. "But at least it's not my last year, so I can try again next year. Maybe I can make quarterback, too, since Derek'll be graduated."
"You've got a lot of competition for that one," Simon said.
"Yeah, but a guy's gotta try," he said.
"We probably should try and find somewhere to watch the game," Simon said to me.
"Oh, right," Corey said. "Coach told me to tell you that you're supposed to sit on the bench for the game. He wants really good footage for this game." To Simon, he said. "And Derek got the coach to let you stay down here, too. Except you're not allowed to open your mouth."
Simon grinned. "I can manage that."
He plopped down next to Corey. I sat down next to him and pulled out my camera. I made sure to charge it after school and upload the footage so I had an empty memory and full battery life. I was a little surprised that Coach was not only allowing me to sit on the benches during the state championship, but he was demanding it of me. Of course, if my hunch was correct, there was a very good reason Coach wanted this footage to be good. I had a feeling the other flash drive was for the college recruiter, which also meant that he probably wanted me to make sure to get Derek's best moments.
Half an hour passed before the game started and everybody in the state of New York probably knew it from the sheer force of everybody screaming and cheering at once. However, when the game actually began, they quieted down and the team had us on the edge of our seats from the beginning. It didn't take long to see why the other team had made it to state. They were good. Really good. We'd barely managed a yard before we were tackled. Of course, we weren't slackers. We stopped them just as fast as they stopped us. As I watched the sheer brutality of it all, I couldn't help but notice how different we were playing than any other game. It was like in every other game we were holding back and this was us giving our all.
The first half of the game passed quickly. We'd managed to touchdowns to their one, but it wasn't easy. I watched the other team head over to their side for halftime and our team walk toward the benches. Most of them sat down hard, clearly exhausted from their effort. Some of them set their helmets down behind the bench knowing they wouldn't be playing the next half. Derek stopped over by us, mainly because Simon was waving like an idiot again. I noticed the beads of sweat dripping down his face, but he was more composed than the rest of the team. I had a feeling it was because he trained so hard for this. Simon said he had taken off work to practice and train, and that wasn't counting the regular training he did before school. I suppose that this was his last hurrah. He was graduating this year and this was the end of the season. There was the possibility of college football, but that would be with a whole new team and it wouldn't be the same.
Simon did as he was told and kept his mouth shut, but I could tell it wasn't easy, especially when the second half started. Many of our second-stringers were playing this half and they were almost as good as first string. I noticed that other team continued to use most of the players from the first half, which meant we were more rested. However, the players they had out where their own first string, which meant they were a little more skilled than us and soon the game was tied. When the fourth quarter started, we were still tied and it was our ball. We only needed one more point and we would win the state championships. However, our team was exhausted and getting slow and based on Derek's throw's his shoulder was starting ache. The smart move would be for the coach to take Derek out of the game and put in the second quarterback, but unlike the rest of our second-stringers, the replacement quarterback was not up to par. As the last quarter rushed by, I could feel the dread building. We had mere seconds remaining on the clock and hadn't gained much distance during the quarter. In fact, we were almost at the same yard line as when it started. I watched as everybody took position and when the whistle blew, everything was silence. Derek wound his arm back and threw. I held my breath as it sailed all the way to the other end of the field and into the arms of Brady, who crossed over the field line a millisecond before the time ran out.
Before I knew what was happening, the entire stadium burst out in cheers and I was lifted off the bench and twirled around while Simon repeated "we won" over and over. I finally registered what had happened and I laughed, hugging Simon for dear life. We had won the state championship. We hadn't done that in over twenty years. In fact, we hadn't made it to the state championship in 18 years.
Simon set me down, but I couldn't stop myself from jumping up and down in excitement. The other team looked both disappointed and angry, but that didn't stop the grins on our team. Half the team was congratulating Brady for catching the ball and actually making the field goal and the other half was slapping Derek on the back for throwing the game winning pass. Each player looked utterly exhausted with sweat pouring down their face, but even so, I've never seen them look so happy. Derek even cracked a smile when Liz launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, practically choking him. She followed him to the benches, where she still couldn't contain her excitement and launched herself at Simon, who didn't look too disappointed with it.
"Dude," Simon said. "That was an amazing throw!"
Derek just grunted and chugged down his water. I noticed he held the water bottle in his left hand and was keeping any weight off his right. One of the other players came up behind him and was about to slap his shoulder when Derek sent him a more withering look than normal to warn him off. The other guy put his hand down and said 'great job' before running off to congratulate Brady, who was currently basking in the glory like the complete play had been his doing and not that he just happened to be the first one to make to the other end at the right time. He was surrounded with other players with a cheerleader on each arm when his girlfriend was nowhere to be seen.
"Now we need to really celebrate," Simon said. "Like full on celebrate, not just after-game dinner."
"It's a little late for that," Liz said, "How about tomorrow?"
I leaned down to put away my camera as they discussed their plans, not really paying any attention. If we weren't going to celebrate tonight, then I could get home and upload my footage and work on it tomorrow. And then I'd have Sunday for algebra and chemistry homework. I looked up and noticed that Derek was no longer with us and Liz was leaving with the other cheerleaders. Realizing that they were probably going off to shower, I slung my bag over my shoulder.
"I'm going to go find the bathroom," I said.
Simon nodded. "I'll meet you by the car, okay?"
"Sure thing," I said.
I wasn't even remotely aware of where the bathroom was, so I followed a group of people who looked like they were heading into the building. They did in fact stop outside a bathroom, but the line was wrapping around the corner, so I ventured off in search of a less crowded one. My search brought me in the middle of a dark nowhere before I finally found another bathroom.
Shaking my hands of the excess water, I stepped into the hall and stopped. I had no idea of where I was or how to get to the car. Taking a deep breath, I tried to retrace my steps, but ended in another unrecognized area. Fortunately this place had light, so at least someone had been here recently. I looked around for some kind of sign telling me with the entrance was or anything and almost ran into a door opening. I heard loud voices before looking up and seeing Derek exit what was apparently the guy's locker room.
"Hi," I said.
He didn't answer me, just turned and walked further down the hall. I scurried after him.
"I'm not stalking you," I said, sidling up beside him. "I got lost."
He still didn't say anything.
"About after school," I said, "With the bra…."
"Don't," he said, surprising me.
"What?"
"Don't explain," he said. "I already know why."
"You do?" I asked.
He looked down at me. "I've known Tori since I was five. Nothing she does surprises me."
"Oh," I said. "Five, huh? That's a really long time. How long have you known Liz?"
"Longer," he said.
He lifted his hand and touched his shoulder, wincing slightly. I noticed a slight bump on his shoulder and realized he had an ice pack under his shirt.
"I have some aspirin if you need some," I offered.
"Already took some," he said.
"Oh," I said.
We walked in silence until we reached the car, where Simon was leaning against it with his phone glued to his hand.
"Where's Liz?" Derek asked.
"She caught a ride with one of the cheerleaders," Simon said.
He tossed Derek the keys. Derek seemed to consider something for a second and was about to open his mouth when Simon's phone slipped out of his hand and he caught it just as it was about to hit the ground. Derek's face set and he held the keys out to me.
"What?" I said.
"You're driving," he said.
"Oh," I said, taking the keys.
"What's wrong?" Simon asked.
"Nothing," Derek said. "I'm tired."
"Then why didn't you just have me drive?" Simon asked.
"Because I don't trust you with my car," he said.
"I think after all these years I've earned a little trust," Simon said, crossing his arms.
"You crashed your Dad's car parallel parking," Derek said. "With only one car."
Simon opened his mouth and shut it. Relenting, he got in the back seat. Derek took the passenger seat and pushed the seat back. As soon as I got in the driver's seat, I felt like a midget. I had to move the seat forward and the up and adjust every mirror. Buckling my seatbelt, I turned the key and put it into the drive. As soon as I pulled out of the parking lot, I realized just how right Simon was about Derek's car. I'd never driven anything that drove so smooth and easy.
Throughout the two hour drive back to Buffalo, Simon slept and Derek only spoke to tell me which exit to take. I glanced over every once in a while to see Derek shift the ice pack and wince. I bit my lip. I really hoped it wasn't anything serious.
When I pulled up to my apartment, I got out and collected my bag from the backseat. Derek took over the wheel and I watched as he drove away until he was out of view.
I have a favor of you guys and it's really random, but please bear with me. If anybody owns one of Kelley's limited edition copies of Hidden or Forbidden or any of them, can you tell me which one and which number copy you have. Like I said, it's really random, but I'm trying to figure something out.
