You'll Be Safe Here

"Derek, how was your first day?" Mrs. Shepherd greets as her son pushes their front door open. Derek takes a few steps towards her and kisses her cheek.

"Fine, Ma," he replies hastily before walking back to his room so he wouldn't have to hear his mother's "would you like something to eat?" and just curl up in his sheets and think. In Derek's current case, think means three things: 1. Think about that cafeteria, and how he could avoid that really annoying group of slutty and totally dim-witted cheerleaders from tailing after him, especially during lunch. 2. Think about how he could reassure Meredith that he's not the kind of person she perceived him to be, and 3. Think about Meredith. Since break it's like Derek can't take his mind off her. It's almost scary, because he's a junior and yet he's never really thought about a girl like this, not even in his old school last year with his ex-girlfriend Addison. It could have been Meredith's enigmatic exit today after lunch that makes him go mad over her. It could also possibly be the fact that Derek doesn't find Meredith annoying, slutty or dim-witted, unlike the other girls who asked him questions like "what's your favourite James Dean album". Derek can't even answer that question because 1. James Dean was an actor, not a musician and 2. James Dean died after only three movies. Derek knows that Meredith isn't like those girls. Derek finds Meredith… pretty. If only she would think about him in the same way… she doesn't even have to find him pretty, but Derek only hoped that Meredith would at least think of him as different from the rest of the crowd at Seattle Grace High.

Dinner today isn't very different from other days, except that the dining table is different and instead of the usual "how was your day?" inquiry that passed Derek's ears during the summer, Derek hears a casual "how was school, Derek?" from his ever-so-concerned mother.

"Fine, Ma," is Derek's vague reply. "Just… fine." He scoops some pork curry onto his plate and begins to eat away, when his father's voice suddenly comes out of nowhere and almost causes Derek to spit out the food in his mouth.

"I remember the last time I told my Ma I was fine," Mr. Shepherd begins, which in Derek's mind would lead to an hour-long story to how things were "back in the day". Thank God for gas, because all of a sudden Derek's father just had the urge to go to the bathroom. Derek sighs in relief, because for the first time this month he is able to dodge what could have been another one of those really annoying sermons where the message is already stuck in Derek's head and the repetition just drives all that "vital information" deeper into his brain until it all pops out of the other end. Fantastic.

-

The funny thing is that even the mere ritual of going to sleep is suddenly difficult for Derek. His eyes are wide open and when he tries to close them his wincers flutter right open again. It's not pretty. He can't even sleep for five minutes and it's pathetic. When he checks the clock, the bright red lines form the numbers 1:58 and the frustrated, sleepless Derek Shepherd decided to march downstairs and fix himself a cup of warm milk, just like when he was ten. It's two in the morning and Derek's state is pitiful. What strikes him the most in this situation is that he just met her today. What would happen to him tomorrow, or the following night? Then it dawned upon him, now is tomorrow. Derek doesn't even know why thoughts of Meredith are keeping him awake. If he was just some ordinary love-struck guy, he'd actually be having bloody sweet dreams of her, and they'd probably end up in wetness (which would totally embarrass him when his sister wakes him up tomorr—in a few hours, rather).

It takes about twenty more minutes before Derek slouches back onto his bed and sinks into oblivion.

-

Squinting, Derek sees a blurry image in front of him. His room is a lot brighter than how it was at night.

"Derek, wake up," said the familiar female voice.

"Wha… what time is it?" Derek asks, his voice slurred. Clearly he is still half-conscious.

His older sister's figure begins to clear up and thank heavens for Derek, he is able to clearly hear his sister's answer: "7:25"

7…shit.

His seventeen-year-old body suddenly shoots up from his bed and Derek sprints to the shower. School's starting in five minutes. Five bloody minutes. Fantastic, isn't it? Now Derek has five expletive-filled minutes to take a shower, get dressed and run to school. No breakfast, no time to catch the bus… nothing.

Thank heavens that they live just a block away.

The cold jets of water from the shower are needles on Derek's toned back and unfortunately he has no time to use the soap, especially because it slipped from his grip and picking it up would only mean a few more seconds wasted on picking up that damn bar of soap. It's the second day of school and it's not in Derek's nature to be late. Out of the shower Derek skips the brushing-of-the-teeth and runs to his closet and throws on the first shirt, pants and shoes that he sees, boxers and socks included. Straight after, he grabs his bag and sprints to school. And sprint means sprint – credit should go to his dad, who always thought that being unfit would make him just like his surgical patients. Mr. Shepherd saw to it that his children led the same lifestyle.

Thanks to Mr. Shepherd, Derek arrives in school right on time. Curses to Meredith, Derek still has to get to his locker and then his first class. There's this thing in their school where backpacks aren't allowed in hallways and classrooms anymore after the first day. It was called the no-book bag policy and everyone hated it, but had to live with it to avoid theft, faculty injury and detention. Apparently, the only excuse teachers give for continuing to implement the policy is that "there have been too many accidents". Curses to Meredith that Derek still has to walk slowly and casually to his locker (there's a no-running in the hallways after first day policy as well), take his books and pencil box, and go to his first class.

Biology.

-

"Are you mad at me?" Meredith asks, probably because she is beginning to notice her seat mate's indifference towards her. "Cos if you are, I don't understand why."

Derek remains silent. He doesn't want to talk to her right now. It's not the right time. He's been pissing about her since last night. Meredith's hand touches his arm and he shoves his arm away.

"What's wrong?" Meredith asks, to the attention of Mr. Bolton. Bolton is an arse. Derek knows and he knows Meredith does, too.

"Is there something going on back there?" he inquires. Once he spoke, the whole class suddenly turns their heads at the two, who sat at the back row of the classroom.

"Um, nothing." Meredith murmurs.

And it is silence between the two until lunch.

Curses to Meredith.

-

It's a relief for Derek that he isn't being chased around by chicks today at lunch. As his tray approaches the cafeteria lady Derek's eyes fall on Meredith sitting alone in an isolated lunch table. It is only then that Derek actually realises that without that posse of cheerleaders, he's just about as much of a loner as Meredith is. After his tray is filled, Derek feels no choice but to approach Meredith.

"Hi," Derek greets sheepishly.

"So, we're speaking now?" Meredith asks.

"I'm sorry about Bio class. Can I sit here?"

Meredith scoots over, but instead of sharing her bench Derek sits across from her.

"So are you gonna tell me why I deserved your cold shoulder in class today?" Meredith asks. The voice in Derek's head pushes him to answer; that wasn't a rhetorical question.

"I said I was sorry," was Derek's reply. "I was out of line."

Out of line? Derek knows it's a lame excuse for behaving rudely in front of a girl. It's one thing that she's pretty; it's another that he's only known her for two days. That's two reasons why saying he was "out of line" during Bio class is a lame excuse. He really was out of line, though, and it's Meredith's fault anyway (or at least Derek thinks it is) because she's plastered to his mind like a cast, except you can't take it off.

"Okay," Meredith says, even though it's clear to Derek that she isn't convinced. Derek isn't convinced why she has to care anyway. He just needs a place to sit in that won't make him look like a loser. Actually, maybe sitting with Meredith would already make Derek seem like a loser, anyway. Whatever.

"I just had a bad morning," Derek adds. Meredith raises her eyebrow at him.

What kind of answer is she looking for, anyway? Of course, she wants to know what happened… why Derek had a bad morning. What would Derek tell her, that last night he turned insomniac thinking about her; that his sister had to wake him up because he fell asleep so late and had five minutes to get ready for school just because he couldn't stop thinking about her last night? That it was all her fault?

Oh, screw it.

It was at that moment that the most curious thing happened. Derek leaned forward and kissed Meredith on the lips. It's not one of those gross open-mouthed kisses where the girl gets smothered in the guy's spit; it's just… a kiss, or at least that's all it is to Meredith, maybe, because Meredith's the one who pulls away.

"What was that for?" she asks.

"It was a test, and it told me something." Derek's cryptic reply made Meredith, of course, ask what it was. "Well, actually, that kiss told me three things. One, I know now that you want me and we're gonna date each other some time this year."

"Well isn't that surprising for you to say?" Meredith snickers with sarcasm.

"Two, that means it's gonna be a really interesting school year."

"What's the third thing?"

"You, my friend, need breath mints." Derek smirks. "Thanks for keeping me company."

He picks up his tray and leaves the lunch hall with a satisfied grin on his face.

-

After school, Derek finds Meredith following him on his way out of the campus.

"Derek?" Meredith calls, and Derek carries on walking. If she's gonna ask about that kiss…

Derek turns around. "I'm not gonna talk to you about that kiss."

"I wasn't gonna ask you about it."

"Then why are we talking?"

"Just so you know, I'm not gonna date you."

"Okay, so why are we talking?"

"Well, Derek, I…" Derek turns around and walks again.

"Derek!" Meredith calls again and runs after him.

A bus speeds by, but by the time Meredith gets another glimpse across the road, Derek is nowhere to be seen.

There's another satisfied grin for the road.

here's a prompt for reviews! thanks