Chapter 1: Blink of an eye
It was a Thursday when I first laid my eyes on Derek Shepherd. And no, it's not like I'm obsessed and I know every single detail about him, I just thought it was sort of a dramatic start. Okay, whatever, not the point. Moving on. He was new at school, and no one really paid much attention to him, except... Well, me.
I was never really a "oh-my-gosh-i-love-him-so-much" type of girl. In fact, quite the opposite. I think I was the only fifteen year old in my class who did not want a boyfriend, and wasn't one slightly bit interested in the topic. Until I met him.
He wasn't hot. Or cool. Or anything anyone at school wanted. He was kind of a geek. Who was annoyingly smart — which actually pissed me off at one point because I was always the smart one at school and he just came and ruined my life... — Okay, he may have not ruined it in that moment.
During his first months in Seattle we had two different kind of interaction between us. The first one was that he was always eating these... candies I think... And he did this annoying thing where he would just throw every single candy wrapper, to my face. Sixteen year old throwing things at girls to call their attention, yeah real mature... I'm still shocked over that fact too, to be honest. But the second one, is that he used to joke, all the time. Not dirty things usual boys at that age say. But dorky, really ingenious and funny jokes. Well at least I found them funny. So ME, who didn't laugh, or even smile much, couldn't help but giggle, yes GIGGLE, like a little three year old with a big colorful lollipop, every time he said something. And you know when you try to hide your laugh, and the only thing you actually achieve is laughing harder with basically no breathing and appearing to be seizing and making sounds of a dying pig. Well, that's exactly what used to happen to me.
But we didn't really talk, or have an actual interaction, until one day.
He was sitting in a bench outside school. He had a brand new phone, I had noticed. What I hadn't noticed though, is that I'd been paying a lot more attention to him than what I would've liked to admit.
"Hey..." I said almost whispering, maybe appearing a little shy, but smiling and sitting next to him. He looked up, and I saw him smile back at me.
"Meredith, hey!" He said a little breathless. He was looking back and forth between me and his phone. I frowned, it was getting a little awkward.
"What is it? Hot girlfriend on the phone?" I laughed freely.
"What? No. I wish" he chuckled and took a deep breath — might be interesting, I thought— "I have a new phone" Ugh, really? Showing off his new toy?
"So I see" I smiled "Very pretty, very nice"
"What I meant is... I have a new phone"
"Yeah I know, Derek" I giggled. Ugh I hate myself right now.
"Give me your number" After he said that, I don't think I've ever smiled that big.
And this is where the real story begins...