Chapter 11: Missing Him
It was lunch hour, and the cafeteria buzzed with noise. Casey sat with her best friend Emily at a corner table, trying to focus on Emily's chatter. But her gaze kept drifting across the room to Derek, who was surrounded by his hockey team, laughing and gesturing animatedly.
Derek's best friend Sam was seated beside him, throwing in his own jokes that had the table roaring with laughter. But what really caught Casey's attention was the blonde cheerleader perched on the edge of Derek's seat, twirling a lock of her hair and occasionally running her fingers through Derek's messy brown strands.
"Wow, that's the fifth girl he's been spotted within three days," Emily suddenly said, snapping Casey out of her trance.
"What?" Casey blinked, startled.
Emily grinned knowingly, leaning closer as if sharing a juicy secret. "Derek Venturi. Looks like he's back on his old serial-dating phase. I've been keeping tabs, obviously," she added with a wink, referring to her infamous boywatching notebook. "But it's weird—he's been kind of quiet on that front since he got back from summer vacation. Now it's like he's making up for lost time."
Casey's heart fluttered at Emily's words. She could guess why Derek had been quieter than usual when he first returned, and part of her couldn't help but wish it had something to do with her.
She forced herself to sound indifferent. "Guess he's just being Derek. Not exactly newsworthy."
Emily tilted her head, studying Casey for a moment, then shrugged. "True. I mean, it is Derek."
Casey pretended to focus on her food, but her eyes betrayed her, darting back to Derek. This time, the cheerleader leaned in, and Derek didn't hesitate to meet her halfway. Casey's stomach sank as she watched them kiss, the girl's hands ruffling Derek's already tousled hair.
That used to be me. The thought came unbidden, and Casey felt a pang of longing as memories of the summer came flooding back—her fingers threading through his hair, his warm laughter in her ear.
Casey tore her eyes away, clenching her fists under the table. It's over. It has to be over. But no matter how hard she tried to convince herself, the ache in her chest said otherwise.