My eyes jumped open and I rolled over expecting to see the familiar walls of my room, instead my eyes met Derek’s TV. I sat up confused, until I saw the paper sitting on the edge of the bed. On the front cover the headline screamed, Car Accident Claims life of one teenager.
Under it was Sean’s name, the date of his funeral, and a picture of the accident. I shrieked. More tears rushed out to flow down my cheeks, and Derek rushed in. “Shit,” he swore and tossed the paper in the trash. I curled into a ball on my side, furiously rocking back and forth, holding the blanket tightly around me. I looked up at Derek with panicked eyes, “he’s gone isn’t he?” I whispered my voice hollow.
He nodded slowly, “I’m sorry.”
“I know,” I stood up and walked out his room, shutting and locking my door, and knelt searching under my bed. I pulled out a set of papers, and spread them out on my bed. My eyes dancing over the drawings, pictures, watercolors of him, in a flash of sudden anger I reached forward and ripped one down the middle.
“Riley?” Derek called from the other side of the door.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” I whispered to myself, I got up and went to the door, Derek’s brown eyes widened at the pictures. I didn’t give him a chance to speak, just hugged him tightly shaking.
“Hey, hey, no reason to shake or be scared, everything’s going to work out.” He murmured reassuringly his hand rubbing my back, I held him harder my trembling becoming fiercer.
“You know it’s kind of cool having you as a guardian,” I said to distract myself from the shaking and that empty hollow feeling.
“How so?” He looked up curious and let go of me sliding onto my fuzzy bean bag chairs.
“Well, you don’t make me go back to school after ditching, you let me eat anything I want no matter how bad it is for me, you never wake me up on the weekend,” I said ticking them off on my fingertips.
“Well I could start if you want,” he said shifting.
“No,” I snapped loudly then felt tears well up. “I didn’t mean to yell, but so much is changing and the last thing I need is more change, even though Sean coming into my life was an amazingly good thing.” My voice started trembling and Derek saw the warning signs of a full on crying jag and leaped up holding a finger to my lips, not allowing me to finish that thought.
“How about we watch a movie?” He said carefully.
I sniffed, “no romances.”
“Agreed.” He said and went to his room pulling out a bunch of horror movies.
“Derek, you know I’m scared to death of vampire movies. I’ve been scared of them since I was little,” I said warningly although he pretended not to hear me and picked out the bloodiest, scariest, most vampires filled movie possible.
“This is going to be funny,” he said and stretched out on the bean bags grinning.
“I hate you,” I muttered as the movie began.
“Oh, I know.” He said looking back at me.
“Shut up.”
