Just a Little Series (Parts 1 - 4) (15 page)

“You know, Uncle Charlie,” I tried to think
fast on my feet. “I’m the only person in the senior class who
didn’t get to finish my job-shadowing project. After the shooting
and everything that happened with Officer Reibeck… I feel like I’ve
been…robbed.”

Charlie raised his brow as if he didn’t
believe me for a second.

“
You
feel robbed?” he asked with wide
eyes. “Given the circumstances, the school excused you from the
project. You’re not obligated to finish the hours, kiddo. Besides,
last I checked, you thought the class project was a huge waste of
time.”

“I
did
at first,” I said, knowing the
best way to Charlie’s heart. “And though I’ve been around it all my
life, it was
you
who brought me to the station and
introduced me to the criminal justice system.
You
teamed me
up with Luke, who showed me firsthand what it means to be a police
officer. But I was just getting my feet wet, Charlie. I loved every
second I spent shadowing here at the station. And I still have
seven hours to complete before I’m done. Like I said, I just feel…
a little cheated, that’s all. I want the same opportunity my
classmates had. I want to finish the assignment.”

I hated lying to him, but if there was any
chance that he’d give in and let me stay long enough to find Luke
again, the seven extra hours of pain would be worth every
second.

Charlie’s stern expression turned doughy.
His cheeks flushed red with admiration as his smile stretched from
one ear to the other.

“You really feel that way?” he asked, trying
to hide a flattered grin.

“I really do,” I wore my best fake smile.
“So, what do you say? Luke’s here now. I can skip school, follow
him around for the rest of the day, knock out my hours, and be done
with it.”

His smile quickly faded. “Trigger’s
here?”

“That’s what I said—”

“Dammit! He did it again,” Charlie mumbled.
He looked over his shoulder and scanned the front of the building.
“Where did he go?”

I pointed in the direction of the break
room. “I can go get ’im—”

“You stay right where you’re at,” he said,
storming toward the dimly lit hallway at the back of the station.
“
Trigger
!”

As Charlie disappeared on his hunt for Luke,
I kept my feet planted firmly in place. It wasn’t until he’d been
gone for a few minutes that I considered leaving, but then
Detective Bruno stepped in and casted a sideways glance in my
direction.

“Ah, Miss Julie,” he looked at me as if he
knew exactly what I was up to. He took a sip from his coffee mug
and raised his brows. “I see what you’re doing, and it’s not going
to work. You’re in way over your head, sweetheart.”

“I’m sorry?” I asked, crossing my arms at my
chest. I stared straight forward and ignored him as I waited for
Charlie or Luke to emerge from the hallway.

“It’s time to let go,” he patted me on the
back before turning away.

“Let go?” I let my gaze follow him. “Let go
of what?”

“Trigger.”

I shook my head. “No way, Detective.
Something is going on, and I’m going to find out what it is. You
can’t tell me I’m in denial one day, going on and on about the love
that we share, and then turn around and tell me I’m in over my
head. Make up your mind—”

“I was wrong,” he turned back. “There’s
nothing there. I misread the signs. There’s no hope for you,
sweetheart, and certainly no love. Not with Trigger, anyway.”

Friday, November 02 | 7:00 p.m.

“Looking good, Julie,” Derek offered a hand
to help me down from the ladder.

I jumped down from the second step and
looked around the high school gymnasium to study our progress. The
orange, red, and yellow streamers didn’t do much to lighten up the
space, but the balloons, lights, and centerpieces would certainly
help after the committee was done adding the final touches.

I’d hoped to be much farther along in the
decorating by now, but there was so much to do and so little time
to do it all. Even with Derek at my side, I was quickly learning
the importance of taking each step one at a time. Despite the fact
that I was still learning the value of patience, I couldn’t wait to
see how the gym would look after it all came together.

“Sorry I’ve wasted your Friday night,” I
clapped my hands together to pound away some dust. “The rest of the
dance committee bailed when the forecaster started talking about
isolated tornadoes.”

“Wasted?” Derek took my hand and pulled me
over to sit next to him on the lowest riser. He dropped his head to
one side and gave me that goofy grin of his. “Time spent with you
is
never
wasted, Julie.”

I smiled, appreciating how easy Derek had
made the past few days. It never failed; whenever I was hurt,
needed a friend, or even a shoulder to cry on, he was there. He had
this innate ability to brighten my spirits, make me laugh, and
bring a smile to my face (no matter how beaten down I was). Call me
crazy, but I almost felt as though we shared some kind of cosmic
connection. I always felt as though Derek was perfectly in-tune to
everything going on in my life. And when there was pain, he had an
unbelievable way of making it go away.

“I brought something,” he reached back and
pulled a basket off the raised seat. “I figured we’d be here pretty
late, and I wanted to make sure you had sustenance.”

“
You brought a picnic
?” I asked,
trying to disguise the flattery in my voice and my suddenly red
cheeks. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I didn’t do anything fancy,” he assured me.
“Don’t expect a Matthew-Little-quality meal.”

“Well, if you know me at all, you know the
best way to my heart is—”

“Pizza?” he asked, opening the basket to
expose the two miniature boxes of carryout from Giovanni’s
Pizzeria.

A grin pulled at my lips as the dim
gymnasium lights flickered. Thunder rolled overhead, and the rain
pelted against the doors as the storm grew stronger. Despite the
eeriness of the moment, Derek hadn’t lost his beautiful, heartfelt
smile.

“You’re amazing,” I said, dropping my head.
“I can’t believe you did this.”

“I guess I know my audience,” Derek said,
reaching into the basket to pull out the boxes. There was something
about his last statement that was unbelievably sincere; it wasn’t
arrogant or bumptious. He seemed as if he were genuinely proud of
himself for knowing me well enough to make me smile.

“You most certainly do,” I took a box from
him, and I couldn’t help but admire the sparkle in his pale eyes as
he passed it over.

As we sat on the bottom level of the risers,
Derek and I ate our dinner in silence. I spent most of our meal
break looking around the room, analyzing all the areas that still
needed a little extra TLC. Derek, as far as I could tell, spent
most of that time watching me.

“You didn’t have to do all of this,” I
finally broke the silence. “The pizza, the decorations, the
company… it’s all very nice. But you didn’t have to—”

“Ah, but I did,” he said, and he added a
reassuring nod. “Not to mention, I wanted to help. It’s fun to
watch you.”

“To watch me?”

“You’re so determined,” he smiled now as if
he was amused by the quality he’d just labeled me with. “I’ve never
met a person who’s so eager to get what they want.”

“You think I’m determined?” I asked, because
as much as I admired Derek’s opinion, I seriously doubted the
validity of his observation. I’d never really thought of myself as
a world class go-getter.

“Take tonight, for example,” he brushed some
crumbs away from his jeans. “The wind is blowing at 70 miles an
hour, the lightning and thunder sound like something you’d only
hear in a scary movie, and yet you’re still here, singlehandedly
decorating the gym, so that your classmates can enjoy the Fall Ball
tomorrow.”

I tried to smile, but something kept me from
doing so. Maybe it was modesty, or maybe I just felt like Derek
deserved more credit than he gave himself. “I wouldn’t say
singlehandedly—”

“Julie,” he said as if he wouldn’t dare let
me have a side in the debate.

I gave up my position and shrugged one
shoulder. But as I turned and reached for the bottle of water on
the riser next to me, my phone buzzed and took me out of the
moment.

I picked it up, checked the screen, and
scrunched my brow.

One New Message

Luke

I opened the message and read the words.

Storms are getting worse, Jules. You’re not safe
there. Stay put. I’m coming to get you.

“Everything okay?” Derek asked, trying to
pretend he hadn’t read the message over my shoulder.

“Yeah,” I tossed the phone aside. “Luke says
we’re not safe. I’m afraid he thinks the storms are worse than they
actually are—”

“It’s not the weather that scares him,”
Derek tried to contain a smirk. “He doesn’t think you’re safe
because you’re with
me
.”

He didn’t seem at all threatened by Luke’s
suspicions, but it was hard to tell if he was or not; I wouldn’t
have been surprised if he was only masking a sullen face, so I
wouldn’t feel the need to sympathize.

He turned to pick up the empty pizza boxes
and tossed them back into the basket.

“I guess we’re calling it a night?”

“Yeah, I guess,” I cast a forlorn look
around the gym.

There was still a lot that needed to be
done, and if it didn’t get done in the next few hours… well, I had
absolutely no idea, if or when, it would get done at all. It’d be a
miracle if the school was ready once all the guests arrived for the
Fall Ball tomorrow night.

I watched my friend as he cleaned up the
small mess we’d made over dinner. It was only then that I caught
him mumbling to himself, and I immediately knew he was a lot more
bothered than he’d let on in earlier minutes.

“Hey,” I leaned over to steal his gaze. He
caught my eye, but he didn’t hold my stare. “Luke’s not a
manipulative, dominant, control freak,” I continued, but I didn’t
know if it mattered; Derek seemed to take no interest in hearing my
defense. “He’s just looking out for my best interest.”

“Right,” he said, and his tone was suddenly
sharp. “He’s just looking out for your best interest, yet whenever
you truly need him, he’s nowhere to be found.”

“Ouch.”

“Sorry, Julie, but it’s the truth, isn’t
it?” he asked, and shrugged his shoulders apologetically. “He only
cares to look out for you when it keeps you from me, or when it’s
convenient for
him
.”

“It’s in his nature to be protective,” I
defended Luke yet again. But as each defense fell off my lips, I
couldn’t help but question why I’d even wasted my breath.

Derek was right. Luke only cared to come
around if he thought I was in some kind of danger. When it came
right down to it, it seemed that all Luke ever wanted was to be my
hero… and not even a hero I could call my own. True to his nature,
his actions were self-serving. He’d get the chance to run in, save
the day, and pat himself on the back for a job well done.

And what would I get? Another exchange of
awkward glances that would eventually lead to the same place they
always led… nowhere. While he ran farther away, I’d keep chasing
him. He
knew
he had his claws in me. He had some undeniable
grasp on my heart.
He knew I wouldn’t let go no matter what he
put me through
.

And sadly,
I
knew I wouldn’t let
go.

“Derek,” I hoped that I could prove
something in that moment, not only to my friend, but to myself as
well. I could have fun; I could be free and independent. I didn’t
need thoughts of Luke hovering over me, somehow influencing my
decisions, even when he wasn’t around. “I know it’s last minute—and
incredibly childish considering this is just a stupid high school
thing—but would you like to come with me to the Fall Ball tomorrow?
I mean, after all the hours and help you’ve put in, you deserve to
enjoy it as much as anyone else.”

A faint smile crossed his lips, but he shook
his head. “No.”

“No?” I asked, admittedly shocked. I hadn’t
braced myself for any answer besides
yes
. “Simple as
that?”

“Simple as that.”

“Why?”

He sat the picnic basket on the floor and
leaned forward to take my hands.

“Because I like you, Julie,” he said, and
that only confused me more. “But you’re in love with Luke. And as
hard as it is to walk away, I think I’m smart enough to know when
it’s time to let go.” He managed a smile, but I could tell it took
a lot of strength to muster even that. “I’m not a cat, and you’re
not a mouse. I’m not going to keep chasing you. It’s clear where
your heart is, and I can’t ask you to feel something you don’t
feel.”

“But—”

“Love complicates everything,” he said, as
if I didn’t know. “The thing is… I know why you’re running from me;
you’re running
after
him.”

“Yeah,” I whispered, knowing I couldn’t deny
that.

“So,” he continued, “if he’s running from
you, maybe you should stop and ask yourself what
he’s
running after. Maybe you won’t like what you learn. And you might
just find that it’s time for you to walk away too.”

“I don’t want to walk away from him, Derek,”
I said, and I suddenly felt guilty for saying that to a man who’d
just admitted he had feelings for me. It was probably the least
sensitive thing I’d ever done, but the words had already rolled off
my lips. I couldn’t stop them.

“Finding love is an amazing thing, Julie,”
he said, and he only held my hands tighter. “But sometimes… moving
forward means letting go. It’s time to say goodbye.”

“To Luke?” I asked as tears welled in my
eyes.