Human

14.

            "This was an awesome idea Cade." Lucas said sitting beside me on the grass. "We don't ever come out here to eat."

"Yeah." Brittany agreed. "I don't know why we don't, it's so much quieter."

"I'm chock full of great ideas people." I joked while forcing myself to take a bite of my apple. I had made sure to surround myself with people. Brittany and Lucas were sitting to my right, Kaitlyn and David were on my left, and a guy named Derrek, who I hadn't met before had joined us today. I'd seen Garrett when he walked up to the lunchroom. He'd glanced over here but then cast his eyes away, making a puppy dog sad face, and went inside.

"So last week was your first week here?" Derrek asked, bringing me out of my inner obsession with Garrett.

"Yeah it was." I said. "Where were you?"

He nodded his head. "Oh well, my parents are divorced so I do a week here with my mom and then a week two towns over with my dad."

"Wait, so you go to two different schools?" I asked surprised.

Derrek smiled. "Yeah, everyone gets a kick out of that when they first find out. It really isn't that big of a deal." He shrugged. "What part of Cali are you from?"

"Santa Barbra." I replied. "You ever been?"

He smiled brightly again. He had those tooth paste commercial perfect big white teeth. "My Grandparents live there." He laughed. "Small world." He said. "I spend every summer there. I bet you miss the beach."

"Oh my god." I groaned. "I miss it so much. I'd give anything to be laying on the beach right now. Listening to the waves, hearing the seagulls, the salty smell." I leaned forward and smacked him on the arm playfully. "Thanks a lot for reminding me."

"I know exactly what you mean. If I could drop everything right now and just go surfing, I would forever be happy." Derrek flipped his shaggy blonde hair out of his sea green eyes.

I chewed on my bottom lip. "Derrek, please don't mention surfing to me right now too." I teased.

"You surf too?" He asked sounding surprised.

"Of course I do." I said like it was obvious. "I actually grew up in Cali, I'm not just there for the summers like some people." We both laughed.

"Wow." Kaitlyn laughed, reminding me that the others were still around. "You guys have a lot in common."

"It's the schools new power couple." Brittany joked. I shot her a look and she mouthed sorry to me.

"What class you have next?" Derrek asked me, ignoring Brittany's comment.

"World history." I said over the sound of the bell.

"Cool, me too." He said as he stood up and held his hand out for me. "I will walk you to class." I took his hand and he helped pull me up off the ground. As I got a better look at him, I noticed he had an adorable sprinkling of dark brown freckles across his nose and cheeks on his golden skin. Derrek was really good looking. He reminded me a lot more of the guys back home. He stood out here. He certainly didn't look like he belonged in Swanford, Missouri. I bet we have that in common. "You're beautiful, just by the way." He winked at me. Yep he was definitely supposed to be born a California boy. He had that charm about him.

I laughed off the compliment and walked with him to the history building. As we got close I noticed another incredibly cute guy leaning against the wall right outside the door of my classroom. I kept my eyes away from his and tried to just focus on what Derrek was saying but I could feel that Garrett was staring at us. To add to the awkwardness of this situation, Derrek slung his arm over my shoulders and led me right passed him. "What up, Garrett?" Derrek said as we passed him and the two actually exchanged a fist bump.

Once we were in the room and sitting at our desk I got the nerve to ask about that. "So you know Garrett?" I tried to sound disinterested.

"Yeah, McDuffie is cool. People around here shun him though." He said nonchalantly. "I don't like that, so I always make an effort to be nice to him. He really is pretty cool if you actually try to get to know him."

"Yeah I know." I said. "We're kind of friends."

"I knew I liked you." Derrek smiled at me one more time before class started.

When the school day finally ended Derrek caught up to me again at my locker as I was packing up my things. "Hey Cali Cade." He laughed as he leaned against the locker next to mine.

I couldn't help but laugh. He was such a dorky funny kind of guy. "Hey Derrek."

"So, I was just in class thinking..." He started but then I cut him off.

I dropped my jaw in faux shock. "No way!" I said. "You were thinking at school? Ugh, what a loser." I joked closing my locker and walking away.

"Alrighty smarty pants." He said catching up to me. "What I was thinking was, that since I know we are both missing the beach and there isn't one anywhere near here..."

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my place. I've got a pretty sick pool and we can make some drinks, and pretend we are at the beach." He looked at me hopeful.

I started to ask if we could do it another day, but then I got a text from my mom saying we were having a family dinner tonight. That made the choice pretty dang easy. "Sounds awesome."

"Cool." He smiled. "I'm parked over there." He said pointing to a nice black Trans am.