Chapter Five

"Hey sweetie."

I blink open my eyes to stare up at my mom. She's smoothing my hair back from my forehead with a worried frown.

"Sup?"

"You've been inside for a few days. Why don't you go out?"

"Go out where?"

She shrugs. "The mall?"

I laugh. I don't have any money. "I'm okay."

"Want me to call off work? I'll call off. I'll tell them it's a family emergency and that-"

I cut her off with a grin. "-I actually have plans today."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah. I met a friend."

"What's their name?"

Shit. "Derek." Shit. Why did I do that?

"Derek, huh?"

"Yeah, um… Derek… Smith? Derek Smith. He's very nice."

"You should invite him over sometime."

I wave her off with a sheepish grin. "He works a lot of odd hours…"

"Is he a potential boyfriend?"

I snort. "Not likely."

Mom laughs at my response. "Okay. Well. Be careful."

"Don't worry Mom. I've got condoms."

She places a hand to her forehead. "Oh god. Oh no. I changed my mind. Stay inside."

"I'm kidding…"

"Yeah," she laughs in disbelief. "Okay. Whatever you say."

"I love you Mom."

"I love you too."

"Tonight is Scott's parent teacher conference," Mom says as she stands up from the bed. "It's at seven. I work until five. If for some reason I'm held up do you think you can sub in for me?"

"Ugh, sure?"

She laughs. "Thanks. I'll call and let you know. Have fun with Derek."

I can stay home if I really want to. It's not as if Mom will know if I hang out with my alleged friend. But I'm sick of being stuck inside these walls.

I slide on clean faded jeans, a gray baggy sweater that drooped off one shoulder, and my beat up high tops. Popping a pill and rolling a joint, I head off to the preserve. There's no one else I know in Beacon Hills other than Derek, and I'm sure if sex is on the table he might not mind me showing up unexpectedly. Because let's be honest if Derek doesn't find me showing up creepy or clingy then sex is definitely on the table.

The trek to his house is wet and muddy. I glare as it coats my converse. Not like they aren't already in rough shape, but they are still my favorite.

I hop up the porch steps and raise a fist to knock, the red door swings open. I'm confronted with a shirtless, sweaty, muscular (mouth watering) Derek. Beads of sweat trickle down his forehead and over his throat.

Oh god.

He smirks, eyes staring down at me.

"Hey," I greet with a nervous smile.

Derek mimics, "Hey."

"I don't know why I'm here."

He chuckles. "Why am I not surprised?" Then he holds open the door. "Come on in."

Carefully I step inside. The interior is mostly vacant… unless dust is considered furniture.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Derek runs a hand over his face to wipe away the sweat. He eyes me expectantly. "You're going to anyway."

I bite my lip to stop myself from laughing at the momentary irritation he lets shine through. "Why are you staying here? Why not a motel or something?"

"I wasn't planning on staying long."

"But you clearly are staying longer than intended."

"Does it bother you that I'm living here?" he asks.

"No… but… if things ever get bad. Like the weather, or something, you can sneak into my room."

Derek raises a brow. "You're offering to harbor a murderer in your bedroom?"

"Accused," I correct him. "Mom and Scott are never home anyway. It's not like they would notice."

He takes a few steps towards me. "I might take you up on that offer sometime."

I watch the shine of his chest mesmerized. "Please do."

Derek's lips are on mine. His large hands squeeze at my ass to lift me, my legs wrap around his waist. My nails dig into his shoulder, and even as his tongue explores my mouth it isn't rough, but it's not as gentle as before. I'm about to grind my pelvis along his when he abruptly shoves me off carefully. I run a hand through my hair nervously as I watch Derek narrow his eyes toward the front door.

He lowers himself to peer into my eyes tightly. "I need you to run out the back door and keep running. I'll catch up to you. Do not turn around, do not stop."

"Wh-"

"Now." He pushes me in the direction of the back of the house. "I'll hold them off, run Halden."

"Hold who off?"

"Go."

I do as Derek says. I'm not running really fast because I'm confused. I keep it a light jog as I continue to glance back at the burnt out shell of a house.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

The recognizable sound of bullets increases my pace. A part of me wants to turn around and run back to check on Derek, but he told me to keep on running.

I can call the cops while I run? I glance at my phone. I have no reception to call the cops.

I decide to run a bit farther and hide behind a tree. If he doesn't come within the next ten minutes I'm going back for him.

My stomach tightens. How long has it been? Five minutes? Ten? Twenty?
I check my phone. One minute.

Shit.

The sound of approaching footsteps has my heart rapidly thumping in my chest. I peer from behind the tree and see a half-naked man sprinting. Derek was topless.

He almost runs past me, but halts himself a few feet away.

"I thought I told you not to stop running," he snaps. His eyes are a sparkling blue, but they aren't? They are grayish green and narrowing at me angrily.

"I wasn't going to leave you back there."

Derek stresses between heavy pants, "It's not safe here. We need to go."

"Where?"

He runs a hand through his damp hair, his green eyes searching. "I don't know."

There are red welts on his chest. They appear as if someone burned him with a long stick.

"Holy shit." My shaky hand skims over the exposed skin. "What the hell did they do to you?"

"Don't worry about it. It just stings. It'll be fine in a few minutes."

"A few minutes?" I ask skeptically.

Derek's tone is irritable as he draws out, "Yes."

"Come on." I take his hand and drag him in the direction of my Chevy.

Derek follows without question. We buckle ourselves in and are silent the fifteen minute drive to my house.

I park the car against the curb, but make no move to exit. "Can you answer me a few questions honestly?"

Derek stares at the two-story house with a grimace. He nods.

"Is Scott in trouble?"

"Yes."

My eyes shut slowly, and my fingers twist around the wheel. "It's not a gang or drugs, right?"

"No."

"Is there anything I can do to help him? To help you?"

"Yes." Then he says, "Stop going out into the woods alone."

I roll my eyes and get out of the car. That doesn't deserve a response.

Derek follows me upstairs and I lead him into my room, and then leave to grab a baggy shirt and sweatpants from Scott's room. When I come bag I find him snooping through my belongings — rude.

"Didn't peg you for a Hello Kitty fan," Derek drawls. He tugs the shirt over his head, and his welt-less chest disappears before my very eyes.

My eyes glance at the Hello Kitty piggy-bank on my desk. "This is my childhood room. I haven't been here in years, until a few weeks ago."

"Sure," he teases.

"Those… those people shot at you?" I ask, even if my ears are still ringing from the frightening sound.

"Yeah they did."

"Are there people after Scott?"

Derek shakes his head. "I don't think so. I'm still not sure who they are, or what they want."

"Think those are the guys that killed your sister?"

He stares down at his hands. "I don't know."

"Are you hungry?" I ask.

Derek lies on the bed blinking tiredly up at the ceiling. "Kinda."

"There might be some leftover lasagna. Unless Scott ate it. If not, I'll figure something out. Just wait here, and if you hear anyone coming hide in my closet."

I return with a hot plate of microwaved lasagna and a fork. Derek is snoozing on top of the quilt, I'm enraptured by his everything. His messy raven hair, pointed nose, sculptured cheekbones and jaw. Derek is perfect. Maybe not mentally and emotionally, someone as fucked up as myself can see that train wreck a mile away, but physically… the man is ideal.

"Derekkkk," I sing his name. He groans and rubs his face into my pillow. "I've got food."
He opens his eyes. I set the plate on my desk and motion for him to eat.

Derek scoots off the bed and plops in the desk chair. He asks between bites, "You're not hungry?"

"No. I ate earlier today."

He frowns. "I'm not that hungry. Want to split it?"

"No, no. Eat it. If I get hungry there's more in the fridge."

Derek shoves a few more bites into his mouth and pushes the plate towards me. "Eat."

I appease him by finishing off the rest of the plate. He flops back on my bed and I roll my eyes when I see his shoes. I take them off for him and toss them somewhere on the floor.

I slip under the covers and lift them for Derek. He slides under. There's an awkward space between us. Do we cuddle? Just sleep? I don't know what to do. Derek doesn't appear to either. He appears even more uncomfortable than me, which makes me even more uncomfortable.

So I kiss him, because that's something I know how to do. He kisses back.

Then we are quickly discarding the rest of our clothes. It's a mess of tangled limbs and almost punching each other in the face, but we manage to get naked.

Thankfully Mom and Scott aren't home.

Derek is inside of me, thrusting. My legs wrap around his hips, and he's panting harsh breaths in my ear. He's mouthing at this sensitive spot on my shoulder and it's making my head spin. My nails run down his back and he moans as his teeth scrape my skin.

He pulls out before his release and pumps his cock, spills his cum onto my stomach. There's a momentary thought of grossness, I know that's going to get sticky and clump on my skin, but then his hand unwraps his cock and three fingers are shoved inside of me.

He's pumping while his thumb is rubbing circles on my clit, and I can't even form words, let alone coherent thoughts.

"Holy shit," I gasp, my hands fist at my hair. "Derek!"

And Derek doesn't have a long recovery time. His cock is already hard the tip dripping with pre-cum. He removes his hand and he's slipping back inside of me with a hard thrust. Derek's chest is fitted against mine. We move together slick with our sweat and his seed, he doesn't seem to mind.
He dips his head down to suck my hard nipple between his teeth. I gasp as his teeth catch the medal of the piercing, the cold sensation mixing with his hot saliva twirling around the sensitive skin.

I feel myself drawing closer and I'm struggling to push my hips upwards to meet his thrusts. His pelvis rubs against my clit, and oh god it feels wonderful. A few more hard thrusts and my toes to curl, there's a cry spilling from my lips. My core tightens around Derek's cock, and his hips stutter in response as the sensation is almost too much.

Derek pulls out again and cums on my thighs. I don't even care anymore.

Well, definitely a lot less gentle than before. But there's something about the way Derek's body curls around mine that makes everything feel so intimate. Maybe it's all in my head.

He slides his hand through the sticky cum on my stomach. He's so weird.

"I'm going to shower," I tell him. "I'd ask you to join me, but…" my eyes find the clock and it reads 5:03 P.M. "Mom should be home within the next few minutes. Remember, hide in the closet. I don't want to explain why I'm harboring an accused murderer."

"Why are you?" he questions quickly. His eyes are brighter green than usual, and I forget for a second I'm supposed to answer his question by the beauty of them.

"What?"

"Why are you helping me?"

Why am I helping him?

"I don't think you killed your sister," I say. "And I don't know what you're involved in, but I'd be the hugest hypocrite in the world to judge someone for going through a rough time."

Derek appears to accept this. He averts his gaze to my ceiling.

In the shower I scrub myself down quickly. It usually only takes Mom ten to fifteen minutes to get home, sometimes longer if there's bad traffic.

When I'm finished Derek is asleep on the bed. I decide to leave him for now.

Finding my purse I reach for the bottle of pain killers. I take one out and move to put it in my mouth, but a hand stops me from doing so. I face Derek with a raised brow.

"What are you doing?" he asks. "What is that?"

"Oxycodone. It's a pain killer."

His brows pinch together. "Why are you taking it?"

I point to my forehead. "Stitches."

"You don't seem to be in pain."

"How would you know?"

Derek sits up on the bed. He tugs me forward so that I'm sitting down on the edge of the bed beside him. "You don't need them," he tells me. "I can make you feel better."

With a sigh I put the pill back in the bottle and drop my purse down to the floor. I grimace at his dirty chest, but he just smirks and I forget that I'm disgusted. He brings me into a filthy kiss, his lips toying with mine like it's a game. He's winning.

He pulls back with a sigh, "Your mom is home."

"Let me go say hi. It'll make her less inclined to come into my room. Just… chill, I guess."

Derek falls back onto the bed. I sprint out of my room and down the stairs to see Mom in the kitchen with a carrot between her lips.

"Hey Mom."

"Hi Haldey. Did you see your friend Derek today?"

I laugh. "Yeah. I went to visit him."

"Have fun?"

"Tons."

"That's great. I still think you should invite him over sometime. I'd like to meet your friends," Mom says with a tight grin. You mean make sure that they aren't drug dealers.

"Sure."

Mom sighs. "Your brother home yet?"

"Nope."

"Huh. He does know the parent teacher conference is today. We talked about it yesterday," she mumbles to herself. "Maybe he's helping out at the clinic?"

"He didn't say anything to me."

"Well, I'm going to make something really quick to eat, shower, then head to the school."

"I can cook you something," I say. "What do you want?"

"Anything. I'm starving."

I fix her a sandwich. She eats it beside me at the table with small talk about her patients at the hospital. Then she heads upstairs to shower and I dart into my room.

Derek is on the bed sleeping. He's curled up around one of my pillows and snoring softly. It's a sin how adorable this devilish man is.

I go downstairs and turn on the television loudly so that Mom won't check my room. My plan works when she comes down almost an hour later cleaned up and ready for the parent teacher conferences.

"Scott come home yet?"

I shake my head.

"Maybe he's meeting me at the school… I'll call him on the way." She kisses my cheek swiftly.

As soon as she leaves I go upstairs. Derek is sitting up on my bed, his raven hair messier than I've ever seen it before.

"Ready for a shower?"

He squints tired eyes at me, but nods his head in agreement. I grab him a towel, a pair of Scott's basketball shorts with a black teeshirt. He takes them from with a small grin and disappears into the bathroom.

While I'm waiting I debate for a moment about just taking the pain killer. It's not like Derek will know. But I think of the look on his face. The look that said I am better than that, that I don't need it. I change my sheets instead, there's some of Derek's cum on them. My blanket is gross too, but I'll have to wait until the morning to wash that. It'll never be done before I want to go to sleep.

I bring Derek's dirty clothes and the sheets to the laundry to wash them. When I return Derek is stretched across the bed lazily.

"I put your clothes in the wash," I tell him.

He nods.

"Sleepy?"

He nods again.

I shut my bedroom door, turn off the light, and Derek curls around me as I fall into bed.

Sorry about skipping last week and being late on the chapter updates. Prepping for finals -_-