He Saved Me

Chapter Two

School sucks.

It's all full of girls who say things like, "I eat soo much." and "gurrrll you ratchet." And boys, boys who go around looking at the girls, but only the really pretty ones. They don't take the time to stop and look at the girls who are even prettier, but just dont have the confidence to show them.

I flung the locker open and crouched down. I picked the books needed for my next class, but moved a lot slower than necessary. Shannon Crey's locker was next to me, and she turned to her red-headed best friend Kenna to say something. You know, its funny. Me and and Shannon used to be good friends. I even went over to her house once, I think. Now we don't even look at each other, or talk to each other. Well, she probably talks about me. The whole school does. Just not in a good way.

I walked to the class, History. This was one of the only classes where we got assigned seats, and I slid into mine and opened my notebook and history book, pretending to be busy with scribbling something about The Revolutionaly War but secretly I was peeking out through my shorter hair and staring at the door, just waiting for him to walk in.

He did, five seconds before class started, just like always. He sat in the seat next to my own, his face set forward. I let my hair fall between us, creating a curtain so he couldn't see my face but so that I could still see him through the somewhat-frizzy strands of dark red. His jaw was set, and he was wearing a black t-shirt that had sleeves that went down to his elbows. Veins stuck out of his forearms and he was shaking just a little. His lips were fulll of blood, so red that they almost didn't look real, and his dark hair made his pale, patchy skin even paler, if that's possible.

And those eyes.

One look in them, and BOOM your lost. Doesn't matter who you are. His friend, girlfriend, sister, mother, brother. You look at them and they take you to another planet. A grey-dark green color that I havn't ever seen on anyone else that melts you to the core. Derek James.

The class was a full hour long and I tried to take notes as the teacher talked, failed miserably. Derek wasn't even attmepting, he was just staring ahead, eyes focused, hard, dangerous, and his body turned away from mine, just slightly. I watched him, hoping that he coulnd't tell, but he probably could. We did this everyday. He wasn't a stupid boy, he had to know. Then again, he did get in the car with me. Couldn't be all that smart.

The bell rung sixy minutes later and I sprung out of my seat. I gathered my stuff and started to run down the hallway, needing to get away from those goddamn eyes when I heard him say, "Karly."

I froze. What did he want? None of us had talked since his funeral. We promised that we would, never did. In fact, Derek and I hadn't spoke since the night of Cody's death, when he held me at the hopstial while I sobbed into this shirt. "Ssssh, he's gonna be okay. Sssssh." It was a lie, and even then, in the horribly lit hospital waiting room, I knew, but I wanted to beileve that it was true so I told myself that it was.

I turned around, slowly, cautiously, like an animal waiting to be pounced on. "What?" I asked. I probably shoud have said said something nicer, like Yes? but it was Derek, after all. Even though it had been a year since he held me while I shook...formallity had never played a role in our relationship, to say the least. I didn't see a reason to cast it now.

"I-" The hallway had cleared and Derek was staring at me. "I'm sorry."

I stared at him for a second, unsure what he meant. I took one shattered breathe that didn't quite reach my lungs before saying, "Sorry? A year, a year after your best friend and my best friend was killed, murdered really, by me, and all you have to say is sorry? What are you even sorry for? Holding me, keeping me from killing myself in the waiting room? Keeping me sane those first few hours after his neck...his neck...snapped. Sorry? Dammit, Derek, what the hell are you sorry for?"

Wow. Good job Karly. You havn't spoke to the boy in a year and then you lay all that shit on him. He probably just felt guilty, and you had to go and pour out your whole entire heart. Fabulous. Just great.

He opened and closed his mouth. "What am I sorry for? I'm-I'm sorry for ignoring you all this time. You were alone, and I know the pressure has been hard on me and I can't even imagine what it's been like for you."

The pressure. He didn't try to explain what it was, really didn't need to. I knew what he meant.That horrible, killing, cracking weight that rested on my shoulders and heart and my lungs every time someone would whisper Cody as I walked down the hallway.

I was surprised, the way that he stuttered. He never used to. Derek always had a way with words, chose each one carefuly, and never, ever, stuttered or talked too fast. Ever.

"You should hate me," I said. "I killed your best friend."

"You didn't, Karly. We all did."

I shook my head, and the need to scream at him again built up in my throat but I kept it shut. "You didn't do anything. All you did was sit there. I was the one that suggested it, I was the one that took my seatbelt off and he followed my example, for Christs sake Derek, I was the one behind the damn wheel. All you did was sit there and scream!"

All you did was sit there and scream!

Those words echoed in my brain and I gasped, I'm not sure why.

"That's right," Derek said. "I didn't react fast enough. I did nothing. Any of us could have saved him, none of us did. The man that sits and does nothing while his best friend is getting stabbed in his back is the cruelest killer of all, darlin.' I am that killer." And with that, he walked away, but I could see his shoulder's shaking and wondered if he was crying, because I was.

He called me darlin'. He used to always call me that. Darlin'. That and the way he spoke, using carefuly, carefuly picked words reminded me on the old Derek and it hurt.

I fell against the wall and slumped to the ground, my books falling a few feet away and shook with sobs. I hadn't cried this hard since the night of his death, and this time no one was there to hold me and whisper words in my ear.

I did hear words, though. Derek's words, his voice, attacking my brain:

The man that sits and does nothing while his best friend is getting stabbbed in the back is the crulest killer of all, darlin'.

One direction will be in here soon! I promise! Just another chapter or two(: Comment what you think, please? I wanna know if it's any good! Oh, and pic of Derek over there>>>>