Rise of the Dark Heroes (BOOK #1)

Chapter Twenty-Five

DERRICK

I LEFT work early after my dispute with Stevie. Curtis could tell I wasn't feeling well as I hid in the bathroom. As far as he could tell, I was throwing up, but really, I was concealing my bright red shine from him. I left quickly with a hood over my head, dodging the Normals and praying that they couldn't see my glow.

I felt no better once I got home. Jerry was waiting for me, slamming weak fists over my shoulders in a rage before I even shut the door. A new word was firing out of his mouth with every hit he inflicted on me.

"What. The. Hell. Is. Wrong. With. You?" he shouted.

I effortlessly grabbed his wrists and guided him away from me. "I guess you got to talking with Stevie," I observed dully.

"How could you do that?" Jerry demanded.

"I'm warning you, man. Stay out of it," I said seriously. I'd already bullied Stevie. I didn't want to act the same toward my best friend. Despite my threat, he followed me into the living room.

"She was the best thing that ever happened to you, Derrick," Jerry continued.

I plopped down on the couch with a groan, kicking off my shoes. "And how would you know?"

"Because ever since you met her, you were glowing less and...happier," Jerry's voice faltered. "I liked Stevie, too. Did you ever think of that before you pushed her away?"

I threw my head back in annoyance, my red veins illuminating the room. "It was going to happen anyway!" I snapped.

"What are you talking about?" Jerry asked.

"You think Stevie was going to hang with us forever? She's too smart. She only cared about that stupid career," I ranted, heading to the kitchen. As I expected, Jerry followed.

"Do you know how much of an asshole you sound like? You should be happy for her," Jerry said. "She was so excited to tell you."

I maneuvered around the kitchen, trying to get a soda with Jerry in my path. "You just wouldn't understand."

"I'm your best friend, Derrick. No, I'm your brother. You know I pushed people away when my parents died." Jerry's voice started breaking. "What would I not understand?"

I took in a deep sigh, remembering the dark place I fought so hard to pull him out of years ago. Out of all the people he stopped talking to in his life, I was the only one he couldn't elude. I was always on his case, ensuring he was eating, bathing, and keeping up with college instead of lying in bed all day. That was when I moved in, to always be there for him. Then I never left. This was Jerry's own way of paying me back. The truth was that Jerry would understand my feelings. I wanted to spill it out, but I didn't know where to start.

"Oh, I see," Jerry said, pointing an accusing finger at me with raising eyebrows.

"Do you, now?" I asked, finally obtaining a soda. I popped it open, waiting for his response.

"You've never felt love before," Jerry said, poking my chest hard.

I let out a gag for the theatrics, heading to the staircase. "Oh, please!"

"You love her. And when you knew you would lose her, you pushed her away instead of dealing with it like an adult," Jerry ranted, trailing after me again. He stepped in front of me, guarding the stairs with a determined glare.

"Step aside," I ordered through clenched teeth.

"What, you going to push me away, too?" Jerry asked, getting in my face and bumping me with his chest. In the almost decade I've known him, I'd never seen him act like this. "Go ahead, bro. Maybe it will make you feel better for a while, but you know just as well as I that it won't work."