Renaissance

Chapter 9

He felt great today. He woke up feeling refreshed and ready for the day. Which was unusual because after his dad's anniversary, he felt like crap and wanted to stay in bed only because he is always so hungover. He had a major headache today too, but he didn't have the feeling of self-loath. That emotional burden of hatred towards himself keeping him down. It has been six years since he saw his father die and even though that was a long time ago, he still blames himself for not being able to save him.

For the past three years, he has been drinking on the day he died. He knows that is not the solution to his problems, but that's the only day he doesn't care about the rules. When he was sixteen, he and Mark stole a bottle of scotch from the liquor cabinet and went to the playground. They hid behind the bushes and got absolutely wasted. They think their mother never found out, but having a bottle missing and two boys feeling ill the next day was kind of obvious. She let it go because she knew the reason and they never came home drunk again. It's not the best way for them to cope, but it works for them so no one says anything.

Yesterday was supposed to be the same thing. Get drunk and skip school the next day. Except Meredith was there, and he tried to ignore her, but his legs had minds of their own. He took one step after the other, and all of a sudden, he was there, and he started talking. For some reason seeing her made him so angry all the time that he couldn't help but insult her. He was waiting for her to snap back. To say something mean. Insult him. But she didn't. She grabbed him by his hand and helped him sober up. She didn't need to do that. After the things he has said to her, she was the last person he thought would help him sober up. But she did, and she was there until he was sober enough to think for himself. She probably would've stayed until he was fully sober, but they were interrupted.

"Oh my god," he breathed as he got the milk out of the fridge and remembered what specifically happened in that bathroom.

He broke down in front of her. And then they hugged, with some hesitation on her side but they hugged. And then he never saw her again. He doesn't really know if he wants to see her again. What must she think of him? He looked like a wuss. A looked like a total crybaby. Or maybe she thinks it was sweet. Oh, who was he kidding? This was Meredith he was talking about. She's going to make fun of him the minute she sees him. He just has to ignore her until it becomes too old. Or just as long till he comes up with a god come back.

He racked his brain while he went to grab himself a spoon for his muesli. He sat down, his eyebrows furrowed, looking like he was all over the place except for the present.

Mark came out of his room, seeing Derek wide awake but disoriented. He himself wasn't looking all that handsome.

"What happened to you?" he mumbled under his breath as he went to go get some water, "I thought after you finally got some, you'd be looser and happier but instead you look like someone ran over your puppy."

"Someone did shoot dad," he mumbled not listening to him fully.

"Well, that was fun for a while."

"Sorry, I'm just... I just got a lot on my mind," Derek said as he stood up and placed the dishes into the sink.

"I bet you do," Mark smirked.

"What does that supposed to mean?" he asked, listening to him completely.

"Congrats, I didn't know you had it in you," Mark tapped him on the shoulder and started walking back towards his bedroom.

"Had what in me?"

"Mary."

"Who the fuck is Mary?"

"The chick you're obsessed with. Blonde girl, glasses, wears sweats all the time. And apparently good in bed, well, in your case in the bathroom."