Innocence Lost On the Gamble of Love

Innocence Lost On the Gamble of Love: Chapter 8

Derrick's palms were sweating as he approached Penelope's bench. He tried walking extra slow, but to his unfortunate luck, Ritchie had hunted him down after class.

"Don't chicken out, Rick," he said, patting Derrick's shoulder in a supportive way.

Derrick playfully shoved his friend away. "Don't make me punch you."

Ritchie put a pathetic look on his face and jutted out his lower lip. He backed away defensively. "Ooh, I'm so scared."

"Seriously, Ritchie," Derrick said with a tired voice. "Quit it."

"Alright, alright. Oh, there she is!" Ritchie said, spotting the petite brunette approaching her bench from across the campus. She was walking at a fast pace compared to all of the other students.

"Go!" He ushered, giving Derrick a small push forward.

Derrick straightened up and looked down at his attire: black hoodie, dark washed loose-fit jeans and his black Nikes that Penelope had complained about.

He desperately hoped that he looked decent enough. Slowly, he trudged over to The Rendezvous Point where Penelope was embracing her two friends. Derrick didn't know the name of the black-haired girl.

"Hey, Derrick!" Penelope's friend Adrian, a boy about his height, five foot eight, with unruly dark brown hair and an always cheerful face greeted him happily.

Derrick gave a small self-conscious smile as he approached the trio of friends. He knew there were way more members in this little gathering, and he was glad that there were only so few at the moment so he wouldn't feel so bad whisking Penelope away.

Speaking of Penelope, she was adorning a worried look on her usually annoyed face that people called "her bitchy look" or Penelope called, "my normal face." She hadn't been expecting Derrick to approach her so soon, especially around her friends.

She wanted to say, "What are you doing here?" but her lips stayed frozen.

Suddenly, Adrian seemed to speak her thought aloud for his friend by asking Derrick, "What are you doing here?"

Penelope sent her friend a grateful look that seemed to go unnoticed. Her entire group seemed to have some sort of telepathic connection with each other. 

"I, uh, wanted to talk to Penelope."

Adrian and Hannah exchanged a nervous look before turning over to their brunette friend who merely shrugged and led the spiky-haired boy to a bench not even a foot away from her own.

"What's up?" she asked briskly, tilting her head up to look at him.

"Let's give this a shot," Derrick sputtered out, his voice trembling.

Wow, that does sound stupid. He berated to himself, wishing that he could've punched Ritchie earlier.

"...what?" Penelope asked in astonishment.

"Let's try this out," Derrick tried again, carefully weighing out each word this time. "Us. Together."

"Are you sure?" she asked, starting to feel her nerves betray her. Her stomach was feeling queasy, her mind felt light-headed. 

Hell yes! Derrick screamed on the inside, but what verbally came out was, "Positive."

Penelope ran a hand through her chestnut-colored locks before glancing over at her bench. She immediately looked over to her savior for all things life-changing, Liz, who was sending her a nod of approval. She could practically hear Liz saying, "Just agree with whatever he says."

No regrets in 2011. No drama in 2011. No setting myself up for disappointment in 2011. Penelope recited her list of New Year's resolutions in her mind quickly as she deliberated over the situation at hand.

"Uh, yeah, fine," she hesitantly agreed, sincerely hoping that she would come to not regret this decision. "But I don't want anything too serious. Is that okay?"

Derrick grinned. He had actually won Penelope over! 

"That's- yeah," he babbled, totally concentrated over the fact that she had actually agreed with him. "More than okay. We can take it slow. Awesome."

Shit, he was rambling. He should stop talking now. But yes, he could handle a casual relationship. He needed that right now anyway. This was perfect.

"Good," Penelope said.

She was glad to hear that maybe there was a chance that everything would end up working out in the end.

Then, there came that awkward moment of what to do next. 

"So I'll see you."

"Sure."

"Like, during lunch?" Derrick asked, his voice wavering. He was the kind of guy that was used to be ordered around. He wasn't used to being on such a long leash. He had been choking on a noose for the past three years now. But not anymore.

"Uh, yeah. If you want."

This had to be the first time a girl had actually given him an option and not an outright demand. 

"Okay."

Derrick was unsure of what to do, and he was nervous as hell. So, he simply walked away.

Penelope walked back to her friends as Derrick did the same, just in the opposite direction.

"What happened?" Liz asked with gleaming eyes. It was as if she already knew the good news.

"Derrick is my boyfriend now."

"No way!" Liz yelped, grinning in triumph. Deep down, she had always known that this was meant to be. She had seen the way Derrick would gaze upon her best friend from across the small area.

"Did you do it?" Ritchie asked, clutching his girlfriend. "Do you finally have a non-psycho girlfriend?"

Ritchie's girlfriend smirked. She hadn't liked Alexa either. That girl had been a walking, talking disciple from hell. 

"Yeah, Penelope is my girlfriend now," Derrick said with burning cheeks. He had never been the boastful type.

"Congratulations!" Ritchie roared, clapping Derrick on the back with his free hand that wasn't wrapped around his girlfriend's waist. "It was about time, dude. And you know what this means?"

"One step closer to seeing you in a dress," their friend from before, Leo, had chimed suddenly, appearing from behind the tree next to the trio. He was always the observer.

Derrick gave a small chuckle, but it came out sounding like a strangled yell for help.

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