Chapter 26: Pain

I felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest. The world faded around me. My vision faded in and out. "Derek! Help me! Please!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. His strong arms wrapped around me as tears flooded out of my eyes. Usually this would make me feel better, but this time, it didn't. He called his father to come pick us up. I screamed out in pain and my body tensed. The birds scattered away from the field as I shrieked.

"What's wrong! Please! Just tell me what's happening?" he yelled back. I tried to explain the pain but nothing I said explained the fire in my heart. I'm not even sure if he could understand what I was saying. "Maya, honey, it's okay. You're going to be okay," he said from the heart. He kissed my forehead and I closed my closed my eyes. The tears kept coming.

The next thing I heard was the screeching if the car breaks. Derek picked me up and tenderly put me in the car. I gripped onto him tightly until we got back to the house. I'm sure I blasted their eardrums as I screamed in the small space. They carried me into my white room and placed me on my fluffy white bed. Derek pulled up a chair and sat there looking at me. I cried and screamed until my face was red and I could barely breathe.

After hours of burning, I started to cool down. It was very late at night now. Who knows what time it actually was. My breathing slowed and my blood pumped slower. Derek took my hand, "Are you okay? Honey, tell me that you're okay. I need to know you're okay." He lowered his head and a tear slipped down his face.

"I think so," I croaked. My throat felt raw as I spoke. I touched my hair. "Oh my gosh! Why didn't you tell me that I looked so gross!" I joked.

"You look beautiful," he said tenderly. He kissed me on the forehead then sat down on the bed next to me with my hand in his. We sat in silence for a couple minutes. It was peaceful and the few moments of silence just made me happy. Then Autumn walked in.

"Am I intruding?" she asked sneakily. We all laughed and invited her to sit down.

We're not going to sneak around anymore, Autumn. We will say or do whatever we want with you here," Derek said with a laugh. He leaned over and kissed me sweetly. Autumn made a gagging sound.

"I feel gross and I can't let you see me like this anymore," I said lifting a piece of sweaty hair. "I'm going to take a much needed shower."

Derek looked concerned, "Are you sure you're okay? You just began to feel better." I assured him that I was fine and gave him a quick kiss. I grabbed some clean clothes and jumped into the shower. My mind swirled with memories. My head was no longer empty. I could rely on myself. Nothing was better than that.

Then my mind zeroed in on Derek. I remembered the time we almost kissed the first time:

We were sitting on a log in the forest. The whole day was filled with running and jumping. The best part was that I was alone with my secret crush, Derek. We were 10 years old and I was in love with this boy. Yes, I know, we're a little young right? I felt this was and that's all I knew. My dad had been in jail for 3 years now and I lived with Derek for that whole time. We sat down on the log to eat lunch.

As we were on the log we looked into each other's eyes. I saw something that I never saw before. Was it love? We slowly leaned in for a kiss when it happened.

A wolf jumped out of the woods and after me. I fell backwards on the log, trying to get away. Derek did the bravest thing that a man could do. He jumped in front of me and the animal attacked him instead of me. We cried together as I helped him, bleeding back to the campsite we were staying at. The ambulance came and that was that.

I got back out of the shower, dried off and put on the clothes I picked out.

Then the pain started again.