It was the little things about Derek that were making me fall even more in love with him. The way he always trailed his hands in his hair. The quick peck on my cheek that was recently becoming a habitual occurrence. And the way he always straightened his shirt two or three times during our date nights, a clear giveaway that he was nervous.

I smiled as I thought of them and folded our laundry, carefully placing each piece in the hamper.

Derek had kept our last few days uninterrupted by Noah and I was eternally grateful. It was hard for him, because he loved seeing the little brat, but he knew that Noah would come between our time together. And we needed this.

Our last few days after the anniversary were blissful and passionate to say the least. My sore legs cried out every morning and welcomed him during the nights. He made us breakfasts and instructed me on how to make dinners and lunches. I eagerly volunteered for it because I always wanted to cook but never had the time or a teacher. Now I had both. And a super sexy teacher at that.

I found myself thinking up new ways to surprise him and show him my love like in our cooking sessions where I made heart shaped pancakes. It was always embarrassing when he fed me or chased me around the kitchen when we would splash each other with water.

In my entire life I never thought I would use the public beach in my backyard as much as I had during those two weeks after my anniversary. We were there at all hours of the day swimming, talking, watching frogs and calling to birds. The other day we saw a bunch of sea turtles hatch from the sand and we helped them get to the sea where they swam away on their little flippers.

It was just the two of us together all day long and I don't think I've ever had this much fun in a long time.

It struck me that Cass had never met adult Derek and I began to think of ways to spring the question on her. I knew she'd come around eventually, if not at first, but Callumn's death had shaken her. Shaken all of us actually, even though I had forgiven Derek for it.

It was weird to think that I could still be in love with him after something like that. After he grabbed the wheel that night and ripped it away from Callumn's grasp, pulling the car right into the Froyo shop that used to be here. It was a strange game that we'd made up one night to help Derek get past his stress over Lilianne.

The rules were simple. The driver had to be either Callumn, Cass, Derek, or me. It couldn't be played with another group and was something to be done only if everyone agreed to play. The driver would drive the car normally and the passenger would try to get the steering wheel away from them.

It was the stupidest game that was probably ever invented.

And it caused the death of my brother. But it wasn't just Derek's fault. It was all our faults. The four of us invented it together and so we had to live with the consequences together too.

I folded the rest of my laundry and hoped that Cass would see that. I hoped she would see how happy Derek made me and the way I could smile forever when I was with him.

Unfortunately, it wasn't going to be easy.

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Derek Carter still isn't back. And his absence hasn't gotten any easier. I was sitting at my desk brooding over reasons why when I spotted Evelyn making her way to me.

Great.

"So you handed in the essay?" Evelyn asked me the next day that it was due.

She sashayed over to my English desk, her hips swaying widely and indefinitely showing off her bum to the boys in the class. Even Mr. Brown was looking, but his expression was one of disapproval.

"Of course I handed it in," I said monotonely.

Evelyn crossed her arms over her chest, "Come with me."

I slid my gaze over to Cass who was watching the entire interaction less then a meter away. She nodded slightly but she was apprehensive,like she wanted me to be careful. It was like a secret language between us that involved only our eyes.

I nodded back at Evelyn and then at Cass when Evelyn turned her back.

Cass raised her hand to block my way, "Be careful with that one. Her parents are divorced and everyone's gossiping about her. Plus we all know what she can do with those killer nails."

I nodded seriously. She was right. A girl with nails can rip out an eye from its socket in a matter of brief seconds.

I followed behind Evelyn, making sure to keep a safe distance behind her so that she couldn't turn around and redecorate my face. Mr. Brown shot me a chilling look as he motioned to his watch. Class was about to start, there were ten minutes left.

We stepped outside and Evelyn grabbed my arm and led me to the washroom. I tensed, reluctant to go somewhere that was pretty secluded in fear that today might be my last day on Earth.

We weren't even fully through the doors when she turned on me. Her brown eyes burned daggers as she brought her face really close to mine.

"Was it you?" She seethed.

"Was what me?" I asked shakily.

She stomped her foot and whipped her hair out of her face with a breeze of her nail. I shuddered and sunk further into the wall as far back as I could. Cass was right about those things.

"Those rumors," She threatened, jabbing me in between my breasts in a way that I knew would bruise later.

She backed away from me long enough for me to move to a different position.

She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot impatiently against the light tiled floor, "You started those rumours about my parents didn't you?"

I glared at her. Was she serious? Unlike her, I wasn't that much of a bitch.

"Of course I didn't, I just heard that your parents are splitting up from other people. Just like everyone else!" I exclaimed.

She narrowed her eyes at me in the way that she did whenever she was accusing me of something, "How did you know that?"

I shrugged, "Everyone knows about it. Just heard it as it passed along the grapevine I guess."

"So your admitting that you spread it then?" She challenged.

Anger and frustration boiled inside me. Did she not hear me just now? Or was her hearing selective?

"Evelyn I didn't pass shit, can we please go back to class now?"

She extended her hand and pointed a sharp, nail polish covered talon at me, "Liar. I heard you. Two days ago when you were with your friends, if you even have friends that is."

I snorted at her ridiculousness. Okay it was official. Evelyn was bat shit crazy. And she didn't have two brain cells that could even think up the possibility that it wasn't me. Like I said, bat shit crazy.

"You think it's funny to spread lies about me to the whole school?" She sneered.

Evelyn was huffing and angry, her hair wild and shirt crinkled from pulling on it too much. A twitch in her eyes made her look like an insane mental patient that belonged back in an asylum.

I breathed out a sigh, "For the last time, I haven't-"

"You told everyone that I was moving to Africa with my Mom and going to boarding school!" She yelled.

I stared at her soundlessly. The words were familiar but I knew I hadn't said them. And then I realized the truth. Rachel's smiling face popped into my head as she had gossiped about Evelyn's life to us.

Evelyn was mistaking me for Rachel.

"Look, that was someone else. I didn't spread that around," I said truthfully.

She walked towards me in that famous threatening way that she was known for, and brought her face really close to mine again.

I could almost smell her level of crazy.

It was suffocating.

"On any other day I would gouge your eyes out," She whispered eerily and I gulped as I caught sight of her massive talons again, "But Mr. Brown is going to be onto us again and I won't have that."

She moved back just the slightest inch to lock eyes with me, confirming that her next sentence would be true, "But trust me when I say that you won't get away with trying to ruin me."

She moved back and looked as though she was going to go back out the door, giving me the tiniest bit of breathing space, when she decided against it.

She jabbed my chest again in the same spot as before and I winced, "And Derek Carter is still going to be mine, don't you forget that," She leaned even closer to make her point, "Ever."

And then she back off fully but not without jerking her head to the side and slapping me with her hair.

Author's note:

Two chapters in one day wooo!! :)