Innocence Lost On the Gamble of Love

Innocence Lost On the Gamble of Love: Chapter 2

Penelope had told him to meet her outside of Barnes and Noble. As the reliable, dependable person she was, she had arrived ten minutes earlier than the standard two PM that they had agreed upon.

She scowled to herself and began pacing; she was also the most impatient person. Her finger persistently clicked the scroll wheel on her phone as she checked the time every five seconds. 

It was one fifty-seven when she saw Derrick getting dropped off from a black Navigator.

"Have fun," Ritchie chortled from the back seat. "Don't do anything that I wouldn't do," he teased with a sly wink.

Derrick laughed humorlessly.

"Okay, baby brother," Teresa spoke up from the driver's seat. "What time do I pick you up?"

"When I tell you to," he berated, wanting to get away from Ritchie who was making exaggerated kissing faces at him. "Now go put gas in Mom's car."

"Yeah, yeah, don't be such a jerk to her, she looks like a nice girl." Teresa observed secretly wondering how in hell that female decided to go out with her loser kid brother. 

She's way out of his league, she thought with a stifled laugh.

Derrick slammed the passenger door and gave Ritchie the middle finger when he stuck out his tongue at Derrick as the car drove away.

Here goes nothing, he sighed to himself before hesitantly approaching the brunette standing in the shade, tapping her foot in an edgy manner.

"Hey, you're early," he noted casually.

And you showed up on time. Impressive, Penelope documented to herself with an approving smile.

She stared at him with endearment in her observant, almond-shaped dark brown eyes.

Breathe, she reminded herself before following through with the action by taking a large intake of air before exhaling through her mouth.

"You okay?" Derrick asked worriedly, sensing her apprehension.

"Huh?" she piped up. "Oh, um, yeah. I'm fine," she disregarded, rambling nervously. She shook her head subtly to reassure the boy who was leaning over her.

He smiled at her shyness. She acted so differently compared to all the other girls that he knew. What was it about her...?

"Alright," he changed the conversation in an effort to ease the tension between them. "So what do you want to do first? Are you hungry?" he offered with a slight shrug.

Please say no, he begged in his mind. I'm tired of girls wasting my money on food.

Penelope's face fell as guilt flooded within her. "Not really. Why? Were you hungry?" her voice was filled with concern, and Derrick was pleased that he could tell how caring she was.

He let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Nope, I'm good."

Penelope brightened instantly. Her eyes seemed to sparkle when she smiled up at him.

"So..."  he said uneasily, wondering why she was looking at him like that.

"Let's just walk around," she suggested, stepping around Derrick towards the path that led to all the retail stores.

Derrick stayed faithfully on her left side, silently noticing how far apart they were from each other.

Is she not comfortable around me? he wondered idly.