Plot Twist: He Likes YOU

Derek Gurshed: Redhead

She was on her way to retrieve her phone.

She was terrified, but she kept telling herself that he wasn't there.

It was between classes.

He was on his way to history, because that was where he thought she would be.

It was fine.

But her subconscious knew that those were weak words, and her hands shook and trembled.

She sucked in air, almost hyperventilating.

She knew.

It was just beyond the wall.

She could do this.

She reached into her coat, feeling the handle of Pepper's knife.

She breathed deep.

Cassidy gripped the handle and spun around the corner.

Someone was there.

Tall.

Her mind stopped thinking.

Same place.

She fell backwards and scrambled back.

"Cassidy?"

The figure turned around and Cassidy was shaking hard now, tears running down her face.

She grabbed the knife from her jacket and held it out, pointing.

"Whoa! I'm sorry I scared you. Hey! Put that away!" The figure yelped.

Cassidy's hand was shaking, made more obvious by the wobbling blade.

She sucked in air and tried to focus.

No one was touching her.

She stared at the figure while things came back into focus.

"Your hair is red." She breathed.

Ian was blond.

Then she gasped, tears leaking down her cheeks.

"Uh, yeah? You wanna put the knife down?"

Derek Gurshed had his hands up in a surrender position.

In one of them was a shiny blue object.

Her phone.

"Don't move." Cassidy whispered. "Please, don't move."

Derek slowly knelt down, his large form dropping, his hands still in the air.

"Hey, is this....your phone?" Derek asked.

Cassidy was still searching for air.

"I'm not going to move. Promise. I'm going to set down the phone, and you are going to set down the knife." He bargained.

"Your hair is red." Cassidy muttered.

"I can tell that this is very important. My hair is red, and no, I'm not Irish." He responded.

Cassidy dropped the knife with a clatter and pushed her hands into her hair.

Derek took his hand and gently lowered her phone before backing up.

It was awkward, him shuffling backwards on his knees on the sidewalk.

Cassidy reached out and snatched the phone from its spot on the ground, inhaling and exhaling.

"What happened?"

Cassidy lifted her head to Derek.

"You should go to class."