.....

Derrick

Is This Limerence? Chapter

I caught Sarah at a random moment in our college library. She was writing something and seemed passionate about it.

I liked this girl a lot. I was curious on what she was writing. Today, she felt so secretive, which was weird for a bubbly, outgoing girl. But at the same time, she was passionate and about to cry. Then, I see her shaking out of fear.

She looked at me a second and covered her face and her tears. My mind wandered between pretending I didn't see her or to actually try to help her. But I knew what was the right thing to do.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"What you doing?" I asked her.

"Me? I was reading a story about one of my favorite musician artists. He died of an overdose."

"Who?" I asked.

"Oh, Frankie Lymon. It just. I watched the movie and read the whole story about him and his drug/heroine use. I just. I don't know why. My body just. I don't know. I felt like I was him. Feeling everything. I just got out of hand. Sometimes I do that. It makes me feel crazy you know."

"What do you mean?"

"Like I used too much of my superpower," She says.

"And what's your superpower,"

"Empathy..."

"You felt for him, didn't you?"

"Yes. I see a scared boy in him and I can't get over it. What if I was there. To save him. Just because I knew."

I pop a chair right next to her. "Listen Sarah. You are not him, and unfortunately you can never save him. It happened, it's in the past. It's the sick truth. While you can feel sad, but to feel what he feels is going to make you crazy, and I know you. It's going to get deep into you."

"Can we change the subject. You are right, I just don't want to think about this. Maybe something different."

"Are you going to the football game? Keith and Rose are going. I don't wanna thirdwheel them again. I've already done it like twice. So you have to be next person to thirdwheel. Or we can go together."

She seemed nervous. "I got something to do."

I laugh, "Like what? Dumpster diving? Reading nerdy magazines?"

She glared at me.

"Hey. What if I bribe you with some ice cream?"

She smiled. "Fine,"

Her cheeks were so red, and I was thinking to myself that maybe she did like me. I didn't know.

•••••

I picked her up from her house. I was nervous. Was this our first true date? I was anticipating for the night, especially when we would get ice cream to go wrong. It would be a date set up, but then again it wasn't because we were friends.

It was obvious I liked her. But for her there seemed like so much at stake. Nobody probably understood her or wanted to.

When I picked her up, she was on the phone with somebody. She ended the call and asked me something.

"Can we bring my friend. She's really alone."

"Sure, of course."

Sarah told me what dorm her friend lived in. The friend went in my car. I drove the girls to get ice cream first.

When we are seated, and have gotten our ice cream, Sarah introduces me to her friend.

"Derrick, this is Rachel. She's one of my friends from biology."