A Faultless Tragedy

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Last night truly was magical. After Derek kissed me, we sat on those benches together for what felt like hours. He told me everything about himself and I reciprocated. Well, I didn't tell him everything. He had a little sister named Charlotte who was eight years old, and a big brother named Chace who was twenty two. He loved Mexican food, football, basketball, Steve Carrell films and American Dad, and he worked out every Monday and Wednesday afternoon. I told him all about my love for the Simpsons and RnB music and we bonded over our shared infatuation of tacos. Nate, Carl, and Jamie's unfortunate accident also came up. He was a great listener, and I could tell he wasn't faking it.

Sometime in the midst of our deep conversation, Nate and Dean managed to find us. Sitting alongside us, Dean shared his disgust for Carole's behaviour. He knew about my crush on Derek and he thought it was low-class for her to bring it up like that. Derek and Nate both nodded in agreement. The four of us spoke for a while until I checked the time and realised Nate and I were past our curfew. We were supposed to be home by 11 o'clock and it was already 11:30pm. We rushed back home and snuck into bed before Mum and Carl could notice we were late. Unable to restrain my sheer delight for the whole night, I grabbed my cell phone and had a whispered four-way conversation between myself, Laura, Jess and Ashleigh. They were basically screaming when I told them what went down between Derek and me.

"I'm so happy for you!" Jess squealed into her end of the receiver.

After a long phone conversation, I dosed off to a deep and refreshing sleep. I dreamed of Derek.

***

Friday was my favourite day of the school week. The teachers were generally nicer, the students were better behaved and the school atmosphere was a lot more serene. What made this Friday especially spectacular was that now I had a special person to share it with. That special person greeted me as I stepped through the school gates that morning.

"Hey, Hannah, how are you?" Derek's voice was slightly raspy, which only made him sound sexier than usual. He took a hold of my hand gently. "I had a really great time with you last night." He smiled that beautiful wide grin of his and led me to the benches beside the ones where the rest of the team was sitting.

"So did I." I replied, looking into his eyes sweetly.

Jess quickly ran up to me when she saw I had arrived, her mousy brown hair bouncing with the morning breeze. She tried to look blasé when she saw I was with Derek, but her attempt was futile. He laughed at the sight of her.

"I'm guessing you have heard about Hannah and I, then?" Derek asked kindly.

Jess replied with a small nod and a guilty smile.

"I'll leave you guys alone then. See you at lunch, Hannah!" Derek headed towards his friends and let go of my hand.

"Sorry for interrupting you guys, I couldn't help myself! I just had to give you a hug!" Jess gave me a tight squeeze and congratulated me. "He's considerate, too. I used to think he would be one of those jocks who think they're better than everyone, but he's really humble. Good on you, Han!"

"Thanks Jess!"

It wasn't long before Laura and Ashleigh made their way over to Jess and I and added their sentiments. During our incessant yammering about Derek, the school bell rang, indicating it was time for roll call. We all headed our separate ways and commenced another day of hard work and learning.

Eventually lunch time came around and we girls sat with the team as we did the day before. Today however, Carole joined us. She advanced towards me swiftly and apologised for what she said yesterday.