A/N: Hey everyone, thank you all SO much for your reviews for my last chapter. I wasn't expecting such a response after chapter 19, but I'm glad that I was wrong. It's been over a month since I last updated. I'm so sorry! School's been pretty ridiculous lately and I end up exhausted by the time the day is over, which didn't leave a lot of writing time. But I did get some done every few days or so, so I finished the last little bit today and was able to post it. Lots of stuff happen in this one, which is a pretty important chapter, so I hope you will enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Darkest Powers. Thanks to my beta-reader, KG, for working out the kinks with me in the story!
Chapter 21: My Realization
A stunned silence filled the gym as the last of Coach Turner's words left his mouth. Then when they sunk in, a string of protests rose up from the team. "What? You're joking, right?" Simon sputtered in disbelief as the others echoed his sentiments.
Coach Turner shook his head as his lips formed a thin line. The look in his eyes killed any ray of hope that I had. "No, I am not joking," he said evenly as he turned to look at Derek and Nate, whose faces were both pale with shock. "I have warned you before that despite your differences, you two are expected to work together as a team and to leave any disagreements off the court. However, the two of you have acted irresponsibly today and as a result, the others have suffered the consequences of your actions. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to put you both on suspension, to give you time to reflect over your ill judgement. Are we clear?"
Derek's jaw tensed, his eyes burning furiously. As much as it had hurt being chewed out like that in front of everyone, I could tell from his expression that he knew that what he had done was wrong. No matter how much Derek hated Nate, he should have dealt with him outside of the game. Preferably without either of them getting hurt in the process.
He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing and finally nodded. "Yes sir," Derek mumbled.
"And you, Bozian?"
My eyes darted over to Nate's face, who looked as though he had been slapped. Despite being upset with what he had done, I felt a rush of sympathy for him. Nate had worked hard for the title of "team captain", in hopes of getting his father's approval, but now that was gone, all of that hope vanished along with it. Nate had lost the one chance he could have had of pleasing his only remaining family member. For those few terrible moments, I could have sworn that his eyes were shiny with unshed tears, but he blinked them away, refusing to let them fall. "Understood."
An approving nod from their coach. "Good. Now, Ricci and Samuels, the two of you are on first string." A look at Simon, who looked as though he had more to say about his brother's demotion, but kept quiet. "And you are the new captain, Bae. Don't disappoint me," Coach Turner added before raising his voice to address the whole team. "Now hit the showers!"
One by one, the basketball team rose. I watched as the newly-promoted senior was slapped on the back by his friends. I recognized him as the jerk who had tried to gang up on Derek earlier on in the year because he was furious that a sophomore like Derek was picked to be on the first string rather than him. Before he left in the direction of the change room, the senior turned back and shot Derek an arrogant sneer as if to say, "you deserved your demotion".
Simon shot up, his face furious and was about to let the retreating senior have it, but Derek grabbed the back of his brother's jersey and gave him a stern look. "Cool it," he muttered. "Don't let Coach Turner have any reason to change his mind about naming you as captain."
Simon stopped as the realization hit. Then he took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "You're right. Mark's not worth it anyway."
As the gym cleared, only one other team member remained. It was Peter. He approached us slowly and reluctantly, as though uncertain of his place. "Look, Derek. I'm sorry about-" he started to say, but Derek cut him off. "Don't be. You've been wanting to be on first-string for a while and you've worked hard for it. So yeah, you deserve that spot."
Peter looked unconvinced and frowned at his friend, his dark eyebrows furrowing. "But what are you going to do?" he asked.
My roommate shrugged. "I'll get my spot back some day and get Mark-" he nodded to the arrogant senior. "-demoted to second-string again."
Peter chuckled softly, visibly feeling better. "You do that, man. I'm gonna go wash up," he said.
Kit turned to his sons. "You guys should as well. After, we can go grab some pizza for lunch." A glance at Tori, Liz and me. "If you girls are free, please join us. It'll be my treat," he added as we grinned up at him.
"Thanks, Mr. Bae!" we chorused.
As we waited for the guys, we chatted, avoiding the subject of today's game. After a handful of minutes, the guys' locker door opened and a few of Derek's teammates walked by, still looking dejected by the result of their opening game. Then a flash of flame red hair caught my attention as Nate entered my peripheral vision.
His shoulders slumped heavily, as though the weight upon them was finally too much for him to bear. Nate's face was that of one who had given up hope. As he walked by the bleachers where we sat, his gaze lifted and met mine. After a brief moment of surprise, I watched as his pale green eyes reflected his misery and humiliation as he quickly averted them, trying to prevent me from reading his emotions.
A figure stepped out from the shadows from beside the bleachers and approached Nate, her glossy red hair flowing behind her. I had thought that everyone had left except for us after the game ended in a disappointing loss, but apparently Melinda had stayed. And evidently, she had heard the aftermath, judging by the stiffness of her face and stride. Nate's jaw tightened as he walked past her, not bothering to stop.
Pain flickered across Melinda's face as Nate exited the gym behind her. A few seconds later, she went after him. Tori snorted as we watched the two retreating figures. "What a dick. Even someone like Lyle Academy's princess deserves someone better than him," she scoffed.
I turned to face her. "It doesn't excuse him for what he did, but I can't help but to feel bad for him."
Liz nodded in agreement. "Same. His title meant a lot to him and now that it's gone…" she trailed off.
"… He doesn't have anything going for him, right?" Tori finished for her. A roll of her eyes. "Oh please. He's just looking for someone to pity him. Nate's not the only one with familial issues here. My mother doesn't give me the time of day either, but do I let that fact ruin my life? Of course not."
"So, you're saying that Nate needs to realize that he shouldn't continue to wait for his father's appraisal, right?" I stated slowly.
"Exactly. If Bozian Senior is so in love with himself, he should just clone himself rather than having a son. That way, Nate would have to deal with his dad's bullcrap."
What Tori said made sense, after all, she had been through a similar ordeal. Despite everything that she had done to please her mother, in the end, it still wasn't enough. But instead of letting it consume her life, Tori moved on, knowing that Mrs. Enright would one day look back upon her actions and regret not knowing her daughter the way she should have. And Nate needed to realize the same thing.
When Simon and Derek emerged, their hair damp from their shower, my roommate had cleaned up from the fight, the traces of blood gone. Although the edges of his mouth looked a little sore, nothing seemed broken. It seemed that the blood was mainly from his nose when Nate had punched him.
"Do I pass, Dr. Saunders?" Derek murmured as he fell into pace with me.
I shrugged. "I guess so. Does anything still hurt?" I asked quietly as we walked away from the school and towards the visitor's parking lot.
"Nah, I'm good."
I gave a pointed look at the swollen area around the right side of his mouth but didn't say anything. Although I was horrified at the idea of Derek and Nate actually fighting each other, I had to admit that there was a small part of me that was almost a little happy, because somehow, I felt that Derek was fighting for me. Sure, the tension between the two guys had been there for a while, but even then, Derek would keep a level head and handle things without getting into a fight. But it was because of me that Derek dropped the barriers and went at Nate.
However, just as fleeting as those feelings came, they were replaced with a stab of guilt, cold and sharp. Because Derek had punched Nate, he was now saddled with being suspended temporarily from the team. To make matters worse, he wasn't even on first-string any more. And it was partially my fault. If somehow I had handled it better or if I had known sooner, then maybe I could have prevented Derek from losing his spot on the team.
I climbed into the back of Kit's van after Liz and absentmindedly put on my seat belt as I heard Derek slammed the door shut behind us. Simon sat up front with his dad and chatted quietly with his dad while the rest of us fell into silence.
We spent the rest of the day with Kit as we talked about just anything with the exception of today's game. Although it seemed that Simon had recovered, his brother clearly had not. During the time that we spent at the restaurant, Derek ate noticeably less than he usually would. Instead of wolfing the slices down one after another, his eyes looked rather distant, as though he had his mind elsewhere. We tried to get him to converse with us, but after a few one word replies from him, we figured that it was better to leave him alone, since he was obviously still upset about his suspension and demotion from the team.
Once the night came to an end, we thanked Kit for the meal and went our separate ways; Liz and Tori went back to Dorm A, while Derek, Simon and I returned to Dorm C. However, just before heading off to our rooms, Simon took me aside as Derek signed us in with the dorm head. "Will you keep an eye on my brother? I'm a little worried about him," Simon murmured, his voice low as he glanced back at Derek. "I mean, it's Derek. He'll be fine, but you know…"
I nodded. "Of course. I'll look after him."
Simon gave me a grateful smile. "Thanks," he said quickly before clearing his throat just as his brother caught up to us. "So, I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow. Good night."
"Night," Derek and I chorused back as we climbed up the stairs to our room.
Once the door closed behind us, we fell into an uncomfortable silence. I wanted to talk about what happened today during the game, but I wasn't sure how to approach it without making it seem like it was worse than it was. Dropping my bag onto the floor, I turned to see that Derek did the same, his gym bag falling onto the floor with a soft thump. Without turning, Derek said, "You should go wash up before heading to bed."
"R-right."
I collected my pyjamas from my dresser and hurried off to shower. I spent the next twenty minutes in the bathroom trying to come up with something to talk to Derek about, but I didn't quite know how to start it. Disappointed with the lack of results, I entered the room, refreshed and slightly pink from the warmth of the water. I glanced over at Derek, who had already changed into his sweats and t-shirt and was now lying on top of his bed, playing some sort of strategy game on his laptop. I tossed my clothes into my to-be-washed pile that was growing larger and larger. I would do that soon... just not now.
As I got ready for bed, Derek placed his laptop on his desk and turned to face me. "Lights off?" he asked.
I nodded and he walked over to the light switch and left us both in the dark, with the exception of the moonlight that shone through the uncovered window. Ever since I was a kid, I hated sleeping in the dark. I used to have vivid nightmares that monsters hid in the shadows, waiting for me to climb out of bed. It was kind of silly, but I got used to not sleeping in total darkness, so in the beginning of our living arrangements, I had asked Derek to leave the blinds open if he didn't mind. And of course, he was fine with it.
I lifted the covers and slid underneath as my eyes slowly adjusted to the dark. Muffled footsteps sounded across the room as Derek padded back to his bed. The whisper of soft fabric as Derek laid down. Then total silence.
Well... this is awkward.
Normally, after lights out, we would just bid each other "good night" and go straight to sleep. However, since Derek didn't say anything, he must have wanted to talk as well. It was just that neither of us knew how to bring it up. Oh screw it... here goes nothing. "Derek?"
A grunt in the place of a reply. I swallowed as I turned to face his back. "About today..." I prompted, hoping that he would continue for me, but no such luck. "I just wanted to say... thanks."
A rustle of fabric as Derek sat up and looked at me, his expression hidden in the darkness. I pushed myself up and leaned against the backboard of my bed, facing him. When he didn't say anything, I hurried on. "I-i mean, for punching Nate," I said quietly.
It took a few moments for Derek to respond, but when he did, it wasn't exactly what I had expected. "Huh. Didn't take you for a violent person," Derek rumbled, with a faint hint of humour in his voice.
"No! I mean, yes... er, no I am not a violent person... usually." I added lamely, my cheeks starting to heat. "What I'm trying to say is that I'm rather happy that you kind of got back at Nate, after everything that he did... to both of us, I guess. Even if I shouldn't be."
"Why not?"
"W-well, it's kind of my fault that this whole thing happened. Not only did you get hurt, but you got suspended and demoted from your position on the team," I explained as I hugged my knees.
More fabric crinkling, though this time, Derek tossed his blankets away and sat on the edge of his bed, his face partially illuminated by the stream of light that divided the room into two. His eyebrows knitted closer together as a scowl deepened on his face. "I thought I told you yesterday. You did nothing wrong, Chloe," he said, his voice a low growl. "It was my decision to bait him. And I wanted to fight Nate. It was just a matter of time that it came."
When I didn't say anything to this, Derek continued. "Yeah, it wasn't the smartest idea to brawl in the middle of a match, but I don't regret it. He's an asshole and he deserved every blow that I gave him. As for my suspension? I'll figure something out. I always do."
"Really?" I asked in a small voice.
A nod followed by a faint twitch by the corner of his mouth. "Yeah, so don't worry about me, okay?"
I couldn't help but feel a rush of warmth spread through me at Derek's words. He didn't say things to simply make you feel better, but rather because he meant every word that he said. Derek would find a way to get out of this mess eventually, but I wanted to help him in any way I could. Maybe I could talk to his coach and persuade him to remove Derek's suspension. Or have it shortened. It didn't seem likely that Coach Turner would suddenly let Derek back onto the first-string, but at the very least, shortening or removing Derek's suspension wasn't impossible. I smiled, feeling remarkably happier than a few hours ago.
"'Kay."
The rest of the night passed peacefully as I resolved to find Coach Turner on Monday. But first, it meant getting past Sunday, which I had previously planned to meet up with Melinda to finish our creative writing project.
After a light breakfast and leaving my friends behind, I stood outside door A110, the threshold between Melinda's realm and the rest of Dorm A. If I had to picture myself in some medieval adventure movie, I would be the brave, young heroine, with nothing but a sword at my side, about to march into enemy territory all on my own. There was the chance that I would not make it out alive, but it needed to be done.
The problem was that I didn't have a sword at my side. Optimistically, one could say that I was probably not going to die by Melinda's hands, but you never know. Anything could happen behind that closed door. Taking a shuddering breath, I summoned my courage and knocked on the door.
Nothing. I frowned as I knocked again a few moments later. Did Melinda forget that we were working together today? Figures. All that preparation for nothing. As I knocked for the third time, the door suddenly swung open, leaving my hand in midair. "I heard you the first time, I'm not deaf," Melinda grumbled as she stood in the door way, a scowl evident on her face.
I nearly did a double take at her appearance. She looked nothing like the Melinda that I normally saw at school. In fact, she looked almost normal. Make-up free and her auburn hair tied in a pony tail, Melinda wore loose sweats and a Lyle Academy t-shirt in contrast to her usual trendy and designer clothing. Not to mention the unconcealed shadows from beneath each eye. Evidently, she hasn't been sleeping well.
Melinda's eyes narrowed at me as I stared at her in silence. "Are you done gawking, Chloe Saunders?" she snapped as she crossed her arms across her chest.
Yep, she definitely got off the wrong side of the bed this morning. "Let's get started," I said simply..
I brushed past her and into her room. It was a fairly large room designed for wheelchair access, but since no one on this floor required it, apparently it had gone to Melinda. And it also seemed that she got the room to herself, judging by the fact that there was only one set of furniture. It was remarkably clean, with everything in its place. It was even cleaner than Derek's side of the room. Finally I saw a small coffee table placed in the middle of the room, with our written assignment as well as a few pens.
Taking my cue from Melinda, I sat down facing her across the table. "I've looked over some of it and I changed a few things that interrupted the flow of the passage. Take a look at it," Melinda said as she nodded towards the paper.
Clearing my throat, I took the paper in my hands and read the adjustments that Melinda made in red. I went through the section a few times with the new additions before setting it back on the table. As much as I hated to admit it, Melinda was right; it was rather chunky, but with her editing, it was a lot smoother. "Well?" Melinda drummed her fingers on the tabletop in impatience.
"It's a lot better now."
"Thought so."
As Melinda worked on the assignment, my eyes darted around the room, taking in the details. After all, someone's room was supposed to tell a lot about them right? Her shelves were full of books and from the distance, I could see that they weren't just regular books, but rather they were literary pieces of art. From what I could make out, I could see authors varying from Jane Austen to Charles Dickens. Homer's Odyssey, The Iliad, To Kill a Mockingbird, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and a bunch of other classics that I could bet my allowance that very few people I knew have read this many. It seemed that in comparison to more exciting gadgets that the twenty-first century brought, reading took a backseat to them all. I just didn't think that Melinda was that type of person, but apparently, there was a lot more to the eye than just the surface.
My eyes roamed around the room until they landed on a bunch of framed photos that sat on her dresser. Some of them were pictures of her family, others were of her and her best friend Gwen. However, the one that caught my attention was a clear picture of Nate and Melinda. Presumably from a few years ago, given the youthfulness in their faces. I got up and took a closer look at the picture, expecting Melinda to stop me, but she didn't.
In the picture, the two of them grinned at the camera as they held hands, looking perfectly happy and carefree. It was another side of Melinda that I didn't know. She didn't have a belittling expression or her usual attitude that I saw regularly. Rather, she looked kinder and a whole other person. Photo Melinda had long straight auburn hair and a smattering of freckles across her nose bridge. On the other hand, Nate looked like the Nate that I knew. He didn't change a lot in appearance, but instead of the haunted look I now recognized, he also looked jubilant. Both of them had changed so much.
"That was taken about 3 years ago."
I turned to see Melinda looking at the photo with a flash of wistfulness across her face. "We were happier as kids back then, without all the complications that we have now," Melinda said uncharacteristically soft.
"Me, you mean."
"Not just you. Back then, Nate wasn't so obsessed with getting his father's attention, but as we grew older, he started to change. We used to be so close, but now, Nate doesn't want anything to do with me." Melinda's voice faltered on the last sentence as her icy blue eyes were shiny with unshed tears.
As much as Melinda and I didn't get along, I sympathized for her. She truly cared for him, but he rebuffed those feelings over and over again. I wanted to reach out and tell her that "it was okay", but it wasn't my place to do so. Instead, I said quietly, "Nate hurt me too."
Melinda grew quiet at my response and I thought I said something that I shouldn't have, but she didn't seem mad, just tired. "Nate... he's such an idiot." She let out a humourless laugh. "But I guess that makes me the bigger idiot because I couldn't let him go after all this time. But now, I think I can."
She swallowed thickly as I watched her struggle against the tide of her emotions. It was difficult for her, I could see that painfully obvious, but somewhere inside of me, I was a little happy for her. She was finally letting him go and in the process, freeing herself as well. Melinda could move on and perhaps, she could find happiness too.
To save the remains of her dignity, I collected the assignment and murmured softly that I would finish the rest, before slipping out of her room. As the door closed, I could hear her heart-breaking sobs inside and felt the pain of a lost love. I clutched the papers to my chest as I blinked away tears of my own. Although it was never voiced, the raging war between Melinda and I was finally over. There was no victor. There was only a truce.
I headed back to my dorm to see that Derek wasn't there. I doubted that he went along with Tori and Liz to go clothing shopping, so it was more likely that he was with Simon. Which meant that I had the entire afternoon to myself. I glanced at the written assignment that was nearly done, but I wasn't in the mood to finish it now, especially after Melinda's determination to let Nate go.
Speaking of Nate... I thought. How is he dealing with his demotion? Has his dad found out? As much as I was hurt by Nate's lies, I couldn't just throw him aside. Yes, I was furious with him, but at the same time, I could sense his loneliness. Was it so wrong to want to be loved and praised by your parents? I had it easy compared to him. Even though they were often away at work, my dad and my aunt loved me. I never doubted that. But for Nate, his own mother abandoned him and in addition, so did his father. The only other person that he could call his "family" was his nanny, Marie, who I had met during our date, just more than a month ago.
Had it only been a few weeks? Somehow, it felt so much longer. It was probably because so much had happened since I first arrived at Lyle Academy. Finding out that I was roomed with the scariest guy on campus, then discovering that he really wasn't as bad as everyone said. Dating the most popular guy in school and as a result, battled against his ex-girlfriend and caused Derek to keep his distance. I eavesdropped on Melinda's painful past and made amends with my roommate, who became one of the most important figures in my life. I even met his dad and learned about Nate's family. Which led up to the truth about Nate and his lies.
I sighed as a raked a hand through my hair, watching as strawberry blond strands slipped through my fingers. It still hurt to think about Nate. After all, it hasn't even been two full days since my heart was shattered to pieces. However, like Melinda, I had to hold my head up high and continue with my life. Nate was an obstacle that left me injured and hurting, but I couldn't let him hold me back for any longer.
I had to talk to him.
I slipped out of my room and descended onto the second level, where Nate's room was located. Like earlier with Melinda, I stood outside the door for a few moments, hesitating to knock. I could still back away. There was still time. But if I did, I would never be able to meet him face to face. Ignoring the aching pain at the back of my throat, I raised my hand and knocked.
From behind the door, I heard some shuffling as footsteps came to answer the door. As I was about to tell Nate that we needed to talk, I suddenly halted as I realized that it wasn't Nate who answered the door, but rather his roommate and friend, Corey Carling.
He blinked as he saw me before giving me a forced smile. Obviously as Nate's roommate, Corey got the gist of our breakup. "Uh.. hey. You looking for Nate?"
I nodded as I tried to look around him to see if Nate was inside, but with his 6'1'' figure, it was a little difficult. "Is he in?" I asked quietly.
"No, he went out."
"By any chance, do you know where he is? It's kind of important."
Corey hesitated for a moment, as though debating whether or not to volunteer that information, but in the end, he gave in. "He mentioned something about chilling near the sports field, but I'm not sure if he's still there," Corey replied finally.
"Okay, thanks."
I reached the foyer in no time. Since it was the weekend, most people had gone elsewhere and it was emptier than usual. Greeting a few familiar faces along the way, I hurried over to the sports complex, hoping that Nate was still there. Scanning the area, I noticed a few athletes practising, but Nate wasn't on any of the courts. Did he go into the weight room? I wondered as I walked along the field.
As I approached the track area, I noticed a lone figure sitting on the grassy hill, the place where I had sat to watch Derek nearly two months ago. Walking closer, I saw that Nate's eyes seemed distant as he looked out onto the track, but they saw nothing. His mind was preoccupied that even he didn't hear me approach until I called his name. "Nate."
He blinked several times before turning in the direction of my voice. A purplish-black area surrounded his right eye from Derek's punch. Nate's mouth opened slightly, but no words formed. "We..." I faltered slightly, now having caught his attention. I took a deep breath and before I could change my mind, I said quickly, "We need to talk."
A small sad smile crossed his face. "Yeah... I guess we should."
Gathering my resolve to see this to the end, I sat down a few inches away from him, close enough to not seem rude, but far enough to keep my distance. I didn't want to get too close to him now. The two of us sat there in awkward silence, neither of us knowing what to say or how to start. Finally, I cleared my throat. "How... are you?"
Nate shrugged, the motion half halfheartedly. "Been better. A lot better. Simply put, I screwed up in the biggest way possible," he rumbled.
I said nothing as I looked out towards the track, where a long distance runner was making her rounds. It hurt to talk to him. Every time I looked at him, I could feel the stab of pain over and over again. They said that "time heals all wounds", but evidently, not enough time has passed since the revelation. I wanted to be anywhere but here, to allow myself to heal, but I had to do this. "How could you?" My voice all but broke.
Nate swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. His eyes mirrored his misery as he turned to look at me. Every part of him seemed to be hurting. "It didn't go according to plan," he whispered, his voice so low that I was barely able to catch it.
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I wasn't supposed to get attached to you."
I blinked as his words sunk in. Somewhere along the way of his scheme, apparently Nate had developed feelings for me. "You..." I stopped. Did he think that made me happy? To know that he liked me? Maybe that wasn't the point that he was trying to make, but it didn't make anything better. In fact, it made it worse. "And yet, you still hurt me," I said finally.
Nate lowered his head, as though ashamed of himself. "I'm so sorry. I know you can't forgive me, but I am. I never wanted you to find out, because after I realized how I felt, I was ready to drop my anger against Derek. But instead, it was revealed in the worst way possible," he explained, his eyes begging me to understand.
I said nothing as I held back the tide of rolling emotions that swept through me. Nate originally approached me with the thought of hurting me so that he could get back at Derek for having a father who placed him above everything else. It was the one thing that Nate didn't have, but wanted so desperately that he was willing to use other people. "You're right," I said softly, as Nate watched me intently. "I can't forgive you. How is it right to hurt other people to get what you want?"
He flinched but didn't deny my words. "I know it was wrong but I couldn't think of anything else to do."
"That's just an excuse, Nate. Now that you have accomplished in hurting both Derek and I, are you happy? Did you finally get your father's appraisal?" I demanded, anger rising in my voice.
Nate shook his head, his face contorted with pain and desolation. "No, I'm not happy," he said through gritted teeth. "My father heard about it yesterday and he's even more furious than ever. He'll never accept me now."
"Nate, listen to me carefully," I said slowly, forcing him to look at me directly. "You're never going to be happy if you're always working to gain your father's respect. You need to work for your own happiness, not for anyone else."
He said nothing as he let my words sink in. "I've seen you play basketball; you love it. But the way you're playing it now is for all the wrong reasons. You shouldn't have to play to win your father over, but rather because it's something that you love. Maybe your father will never accept you as his son, but you can't continue to let that bring you down. You're not your father and you should be thankful for that. He's a pretentious excuse for an adult and he doesn't deserve to have you as his son. You're better than he is, so be proud of yourself," I added.
Once again, Nate remained silent as his eyebrows furrowed, deep in thought. He needed some time to adjust to what I said, after all, he had been spending his entire existence believing in the wrong cause. I honestly had no idea if Nate would believe me, but even so, he needed to know that. And so, to leave him alone to his thoughts, I rose and returned to my dormitory.
Upon entering the room that I shared with Derek, my mind was so preoccupied with thoughts of Nate that I didn't realize that my roommate had already returned. Derek swivelled in his chair to greet me, his hair damp from presumably a shower. "Hey."
"Oh hey, when did you come back?" I asked as I crossed the room and dropped into my computer chair, facing Derek.
"About ten minutes ago. Went for a workout with Simon since he's prepping for the match this coming Saturday," Derek rumbled as he towel-dried his hair, droplets of water raining on the wooden floor.
I frowned as I gauged Derek's mood. He was suspended from all team activities for the next two weeks meaning that he would have to miss out on this one. Knowing him, he was probably still a little upset about it, but refusing to show it. It was just like Derek to keep things bottled up, but I didn't know how to make it better for him. I decided that I would talk to his coach tomorrow about Derek's suspension, but truthfully, I wasn't sure if I would succeed. Coach Turner didn't seem very lenient when it came to the seriousness of the game. Nevertheless, I would give it my best shot. After all, Derek deserved nothing less.
"-you do?"
Apparently I had missed what Derek had asked. "Huh?"
"I said, 'What did you do?'" Derek repeated.
I shrugged. "I worked a little with Melinda on our project, but in the end, I decided to just finish the rest on my own," I replied.
Derek turned and furrowed his eyebrows in concern. "Why? Is something wrong?"
"Well, not 'wrong' exactly, but..." And I told him about Melinda's decision. "So, I figured that it'd be better to leave her alone for now."
Derek looked thoughtful as he considered my words before nodding slowly. "Melinda made the right choice. It's better if she stopped pursuing Nate since it doesn't seem like he's going to return her feelings anytime soon. It won't be easy, but it'll be the best for her," he said as he turned to place his towel on the drying rack.
I swallowed as I thought back to my conversation with Nate only a few dozen of minutes ago. "I... talked to Nate just before I came here," I said softly.
Derek's head turned fast enough to cause whip-lash. "What?" he barked as his expression darkened. "After what that asshole did to you?"
"I-"
"And now you're going back for more? Are you stupid?" he all but shouted, his figure looming over me.
I glowered up at him. "What I was trying to say before you interrupted me was that I wanted to hear Nate's explanation. I felt that I couldn't move on until I did," I replied sharply. "But that doesn't mean that I'm forgiving him that easily."
"Oh." Derek's face visibly cooled before muttering something that sounded like an apology.
"The truth is that Nate..." I faltered slightly as a pang of pain dug itself against the wall of my bruised heart. Then I took a breath and expelled the words out. "Nate liked me. Which made it worse since he still hurt me in the end."
Derek's face crumpled as the pain and hurt that he felt on my behalf was reflected through his emerald irises. From his expression, it seemed that he had suspected of Nate liking me, but it wasn't until I voiced it did it become a reality. And it hurt. A lot. But it was the protectiveness in Derek's eyes that kept me from burying my head in the sand and wait for it all to pass. He gave a damn about what happened to me. And like a true friend, he felt every emotion that I felt.
I shook my head to clear away thoughts of any trace of the relationship that I could have had with Nate and gave Derek a small smile. "I'm alright now. Really," I emphasized when Derek frowned, unconvinced. "Like Melinda, I'm ready to move on. I won't let Nate hold me back any more, because he's in the past and I'm not planning on having him interrupt my future too."
And at that, a small smile made its way onto Derek's mouth, as though he was proud of me. "Good," he said finally, and that one word summed up what I felt at that moment.
Not because I was torn about being lied to and used by my ex-boyfriend, but the fact that I had people who cared about me and were willing to stand by my every step. In fact, it felt bloody amazing.
. . . . . . . . . .
True to my word, I went to hunt down Coach Turner the very next day, knowing that this week, daily practices were held after school. Spotting him in the parking lot, I hurried out to meet him. "Coach Turner!"
He turned at the mention of his name and a small frown crossed his face as he looked down at me, as though I had looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where. "Yes?" he said.
"M-my name is Chloe Saunders and I'm Derek's roommate," I said as I saw a light of recognition flicker in the coach's eyes. "I was there on Saturday during the game... and after too."
An eyebrow raise. "Let me guess," said Coach Turner as he heaved his gym bag over his shoulder. "You want me to take away Souza's punishment."
I swallowed. "Um... yes," I said, momentarily thrown off of my rehearsed plan to persuade the coach into letting Derek back on the team.
"My decision is final. I will not relieve Souza from his suspension nor his demotion."
Coach Turner brushed past me as he headed towards the gym. With his longer legs, I had to jog to catch up to him. "Please coach! Derek's been working so hard. He gets up at the crack of dawn to practice. Don't tell me that every one of your members have that dedication," I pleaded.
He cast me a glance that said that he wasn't going to budge. "That may be so, but the fact doesn't change that Souza acted irresponsibly during the game when he knew better. So the answer is still no."
And with that, my shoulders slumped as the coach disappeared into the building. I knew that it would be difficult to convince him that Derek needed to be on the team, but I just didn't know how to persuade him.
Maybe we should just wait for the two weeks to be over... I thought, before banishing that idea a few seconds later. Was that really the extent of my friendship with Derek? Just one measly attempt that was shot down? After all that he did for me? Derek was my pillar of support. No matter how bad things got, he was always there for me. Even if one day, the world spun so quickly that I couldn't tell what was what, I could count on Derek being there by my side. So he deserved the best that I could give. And in this case, my best included doing everything that I could in my power to change the coach's mind.
And so, for the rest of the week, I hunted the coach down every day after school, hoping to persuade him to allow Derek back onto the team in time for the game. And with every attempt, I was shot down.
However, Friday was different. As the bell rang overhead, I rushed out of my creative writing class and hurried to the parking lot, where I knew that the coach was preparing for the team's practice session today. As I approached him, the coach turned by instinct and scowled at me. "I already know what you're going to say and it's not going to work," he said grimly. "So I would appreciate it if you stopped pestering me because I am not going to change my mind."
I held my ground, refusing to be moved. "Derek's the best player that you have and the game tomorrow means so much to him. Even though he's not on the team right now, he still practices as though he were. So please end his suspension and let him play tomorrow," I pleaded as Coach Turner slammed his car's trunk shut and started to walk across the lot.
"I think it is admirable of you to be concerned for your friend and go this far for him, but I stand by my decision. Nothing you do will change that fact," the coach replied curtly as he stopped walking.
As I struggled to think of a comeback, I noticed a moving car out of my peripheral vision. It was heading in our direction, with no attempts on slowing down. Just before it struck us, I quickly grabbed onto the coach's arm and yanked him out of the way as the car came to a sudden stop.
We landed harshly on the ground as the driver, a senior, quickly hung up on his cell phone and asked if we were okay. After assuring him that we were, I got back on my feet, trying to ignore my jolted body. Glancing over Coach Turner, I could see that he was doing the same. "That was close," he murmured, his eyes still wide with shock.
I nodded slowly as a stroke of genius suddenly hit me with the force of a charging rhino. "Very close. I mean, you could have gotten seriously injured," I said, ignoring the fact that the car was going slow enough that we would have only been a little bruised.
As he opened his mouth to argue, I quickly added, "But I saved you from all that."
Coach Turner scowled at me. "Are you trying to imply that I now owe you a favour? From pulling me out of harm's way?"
I gave him my best wide-blue-eyes look and said, "A favour? I didn't think of that... but if you insist, there is something that you could help me with," I said slowly.
His scowl deepened if possible. "And that is ending Souza's suspension," he answered, his tone was not amused.
I said nothing as I looked at him, using all the skills that I have learned from drama class to keep the rising panic from showing on my face. He gave me a scrutinizing look and after a long painful minute, Coach Turner sighed, every line on his face showing his exasperation. "Fine," he growled. "Tell Souza that his suspension is over. And that he can join us for practice. But he's still on the second string until he can prove himself that he's worthy of his prior position, understood?"
I tried not to nod too emphatically and did my best to keep a wide grin from spreading across my face. "I understand, sir. Thank you very much!"
With excitement and exhilaration pumping through my veins, I jogged over to the science department where Derek was working as a lab assistant. Upon entering the area, I spotted all six something of him. "Derek!" I called out.
He turned and gave me a quizzical look. "What's up, Chloe?" Derek asked as he wiped his hands dry on a paper towel.
Breathing heavily, I wasn't able to contain my grin any longer. "You're back on the team!" I exclaimed happily.
Derek frowned as though he heard me wrong. "What?"
"It took me a week to do it, but I was finally able to convince the coach to end your suspension early so that you could play in tomorrow's game. And your coach told me to tell you to attend today's practice."
He blinked a few times, evidently unable to convince himself of what I was saying. "Are... you serious?" Derek asked slowly, as though trying not to raise his hopes only to have them diminished.
I nodded. "Yes!"
A glance at the lab room. "What about-" Derek started to say but I cut him off. "Oh good grief, Derek. I'll let them know. I'm sure they'll be fine with it."
Another look back at me as though he was looking at me for the first time. Derek smiled, a little hesitant at first, but then a huge crooked grin broke through that made me do a double take. An extremely rare look for him. My stomach did a weird flip as I gaped at him.
Ba-thump.
He didn't notice my reaction, presumably he was too occupied with the idea that he was now back on the team. "Thanks Chloe. You're the best," Derek said quickly. "I'll see you later, 'kay?"
I didn't even get a chance to answer because Derek was already racing down the hall, until he slipped out of view.
Ba-thump.
Even though he was no longer there, I couldn't move my eyes away from the spot where Derek stood just a few moments ago. My heartbeat pounded in my ears as Derek's blazing grin crossed my thoughts again, blinding me from everything else.
Ba-thump.
Ba-thump.
Then realization hit.
I liked Derek.
A/N: I can guess what you're all thinking. It's among the lines of "FINALLY!" right? Hahaha. I also think that it's about time. With all the build up, Chloe and Derek's relationship finally got far enough for Chloe to realize how she felt. Some of you may think that it's a little odd that Chloe realizes this now, when she just suffered a heart break (a week has passed by the end of this chapter), but Derek's been by her side all this time and she never realized it until now because Nate was in the picture.
Now, I'd love to have your guys' opinion on this thing that my beta-reader suggested to me. Since I have irregular updates and a fair number of you often ask me when my next chapter will be posted, he suggested that I make a twitter account (for my fanfiction writing) and post updates on how far along the chapter I am. And if you are interested, you could just visit my to-be twitter page and see everything that is related to my fanfiction writing, such as my thoughts, some teasers, and progress in general. Originally, I shot that idea down (mainly because I didn't think anyone would be interested), but if you are, then yes, I'm definitely willing to do it.
EDIT: It seems that there's enough people who seem interested, so I made an account solely for fanfiction stuff. You can follow me as: mintzwrites
Once again, thank you for sticking with me up to now. I'm just over 2/3 of the story, so I'll probably be ending it around chapter 30, but that's not set in stone. While I have no idea what's going to happen for the next chapter just yet, I hope you'll look forward to it.