The Lucky One

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

I could feel my heart beating against my chest. What was I doing? Why was I hugging some guy I just met a few days ago? I tried to wrench my body free, but unlike my previous expectations, he was stronger than I'd expected him to be. I was going to open my mouth to yell out something, but I stopped. 

"Hey perv, what are you doing?" I hissed. 

"You said you wanted to get rid of him," he replied, looking down at me.

"Is this the only solution you had!?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," he said, looking up, probably to see what Derek was doing. "Does your boyfriend have anger management issues?" he asked all of a sudden.

"Possibly, why?"

"He looks really pissed and I think he's going to beat me up when he gets here,"

"Let me go so I can see!" I said, pulling myself free.

He was right, Derek was fuming. It looked as though he was going to explode. His cheeks were all red and if it were physically possible, there would be steam coming from his ears.

"Hey Cathy, what are you doing?" he asked, trying to keep his anger under control.

What on earth was I meant to say? Oh yeah because I'm going to casually say: Oh hey Derek, I'm just hugging this stranger I met recently. How are you? What was I going to say!?

"Oh I see how it is," Derek said, seeing my speechlessness. "I'm of no use to you anymore so you want to get rid of me?" he glared.

"Hey, that's not it..." I said in my defence, trying not to deeply offend him.

If I was truly able to say what I thought, he would have suffered from a verbal bashing, but luckily for me, I knew I had limits to what I was able to say.

"Follow me!" he yelled, grabbing my wrist, pulling me along the path.

I looked back in time to see Paul smile to himself before walking off. That kid is really... I thought to myself. I'm getting dragged away, obviously out of my free will and he walks off and smiles to himself!? Unbelievable.

After being dragged for what seemed like hours, we arrived at Derek's house and he unlocked the door.

"Go inside," he instructed.

I took off my shoes and walked cautiously into the house. Nothing had changed since the last time I'd been here. The curtains were all shut and the house was shadowed in darkness. Unwashed plates piled up in the sink and clothes lay countlessly on the couch and floor.

"Nothing's changed, has it?" I asked, the memories flooding back into my mind, those horrible times.

"No, it hasn't, has it?" he agreed.

I headed over to the curtains and pulled them open, the sunlight bursting into the room.

"However, you've changed," he added.

"I could say the same for you," was my reply.

"Why do you have such a lack of respect for me now?" he asked, looking at me as though I were a murderer.

"You've changed in ways I can't even imagine, and if it weren't for this debt...this charade would have ended a long time ago." 

"Was this all it ever was to you...a charade?" 

"You seem surprised. But maybe you don't know, the years I've spent like this have been painful and I'm thinking if you hadn't saved me back then, I'd be in a better place now," 

"You would be in a coma right now if it weren't for me!" he yelled.

"Maybe that is a better place," I sighed.

The things that happened those many years ago, I wanted to forget. I wished I could go back and change everything that happened. After all those years, I didn't forget about it for even a single day. I wanted to go back to being a simple girl in a country town with no cares and worries. 

"I really want to end this charade right now," 

"No. You can't end it with me, not now, not ever," Derek replied firmly. 

"It's not like you could care less about me! Why not leave me be!?" 

"Because...I love you." he said, slamming his hand against the wall with a loud thud, almost making me jump. 

I just couldn't feel it in my heart. No thud, not even a warm sensation that could even slightly hinder at the fact his statement could be true. 

                                                                     ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I pulled my neck down into my coat more and stuck my hands into my pockets. Man, it was really cold. I needed to find a way to pay off all my debts, and then a miraculous way of paying off my debt to Derek, then maybe, one day, I could start a new life in a different place and forget about my past. The memories I had gained left me scarred for life, and nothing could change that. Because of my family's lack of wealth, I had been entrusted into Derek's care, seemingly as a payment. 

I hadn't contacted my  parents in a while, and Derek's parents often didn't want to associate with their son. I was meant to change him for the better, but, I couldn't. I sighed as I unlocked my apartment door and went inside, throwing my bag onto the couch as I walked past it.