Innocence Lost On the Gamble of Love

Innocence Lost On the Gamble of Love: Chapter 3

She held a bottle of Cherry Blossom body mist out in front of her like a defense mechanism.

"What kind of question is that?" she asked harshly. Her light, warm aura had drastically turned into one of dark and disclosed.

And it seemed they had just been getting close...

"What's wrong with asking 'what's your most embarrassing moment'?" Derrick asked skeptically, taking a few cautious steps back in order to avoid being sprayed with girly perfume.

Penelope could feel the heat rising up to her face as she stuttered out, "B- because t-that's personal!" 

Derrick laughed at how easily defensive Penelope was becoming over such a simple question. "C'mon," he said. "It can't be that bad."

The brunette scoffed, and her eyes seemed to darken as she pouted. "Oh, really? Then tell me yours."

"I'm asking the questions right now, not you," he retorted, a wicked grin on his face.

Penelope exhaled a gust of air through one corner of her mouth.

My life is an embarrassing moment, she muttered in her mind.

"Alright." She cringed before giving in to divulge her past horror. Derrick smiled at his accomplishment. He was slowly breaking down that wall Penelope so desperately hid behind. "During my sophomore year, when I had dance class, I was walking out to the roll call numbers until some girl told me that she could see my underwear through my tights. The end."

She scrutinized Derrick's expression evolve from a soft, amused look to one that was thoughtful and intrigued. He seemed to study her entire form for a second before mindlessly wondering how that image would've looked like.

"Oh my God! Stop it!" Penelope shouted, stepping forward to pound her fist against Derrick's chest.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, giving the feisty brunette a dirty look for spontaneously hurting him for no apparent reason. "What the hell?" he seethed angrily, brushing himself off. "Stop what?"

"You were picturing it!" she stated condescendingly as fire burned in her cheeks.

"Not really," Derrick admitted coyly. "Since I don't know what kind of underwear you have on-" and then he was coughing wildly as he got attacked with pink-colored spray. "Quit it!" he cried out, shielding his eyes.

"Excuse me," a middle-aged woman who worked there, spoke up from the register once witnessing the witty banter of the two adolescents. "The sprays are not to be misused on others!"

Penelope dropped the bottle instantly in reaction to being scolded. The plastic bottle noisily tumbled to the ground, but not before knocking down some other merchandise in the process.

"Pick that up right now!" the lady ordered, struggling to hurry over to the skittish teenagers in her four-inch stilettos.

"C'mon," Derrick hissed as he latched onto Penelope's hand, gesturing to make a run for it.

She didn't need to be told twice. They sprinted off and raced across the street, avoiding busy traffic and ignoring the car horns that blasted after them as they broke through the laws of the road.

Penelope patted Derrick's arm with the hand that wasn't clasped together with his, to get his attention as they began slowing down their pace. He looked at her and watched as she pointed over to a large building. With the little breath she had left she said, "Let's go in there."

Derrick nodded, feeling too overwhelmed to speak out loud. He was never this spontaneous. He was never this "take action" sort of guy. Most of all, he was never the type of guy to randomly hold onto a girl's hand without her say so.