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“Before we start on the rise of the IRA, please note that there will be a test on the previous chapter next -“
“Uh, Mrs Dinsmore, sorry to interrupt class, but Miss Reyes is required in the general office. Her father is on the line and says it’s urgent.” The school secretary interrupted. Mrs Dinsmore raised an eyebrow but gestured for Erica to leave the classroom.
Out in the hallway, Erica turns to Mrs Pratchett. “Mrs Pratchett, my dad wouldn’t call from his work trip in the East Coast unless something – is everything okay?”
Mrs Pratchett shakes her head, not knowing what emergency could have interrupted her class, but puts an arm around the sweet girl she has known since she came to high school on her first day wearing braids. How the little ones grow up. Erica certainly outgrew the sneakers, braids and baggy sweaters, because in its stead is a tight corset, skinny jeans with dagger heels. But she was still the same Erica, with the same anxious look and same smile she had for an old secretary that everyone in school secretly laughed at. Not her though, Erica still greeted Mrs Pratchett warmly and in fact, just last week, helped her to carry a very heavy box of folders three floors up to the library. Which is amazing, the girl must be doing weights.
“I’m sure everything is fine. Maybe he could not get hold of your mum and wanted to check in. Parents have called for worse.” She smiled kindly at the girl and led her to the phone in the general office.
Knowing that the girl might need some privacy, she left to organise the file cabinet in the next room.
Erica takes a deep breath, mentally crosses her fingers and picks up the phone. “Hello?”
“Took you long enough.”
It couldn’t be, could it? Why is he calling? She surreptitiously looks around to see if she was alone before asking quietly, “Who is this?”
The voice scoffs, “Your alpha? Derek Hale? Also known as your tormentor and kissing buddy. Surely you don’t have that many to confuse me with.”
“Are you crazy? I’m in school. I might subscribe to the outfit, but I would like to keep to my nerdy ways and graduate with a good GPA thank you very much. As it is, the recon work last week has taken a toll on my grades!”
“Skip today. Say your granny is sick and that your cousin Dirk is coming to pick you up in a few minutes.” He urges.
What the hell? “What the hell?”
“Did you not listen to what I have just said? My grades!”
“Your grades can wait. Your alpha needs you. I’ll be by in five minutes.”
“I quite hate you right now.”
All she gets is a laugh before the phone disconnects. So many things wrong with this. Mrs Pratchett might be old but she wasn’t senile. Surely she’d remember the last living Hale! How was he going to pull off the cousin routine and help sign her out of school?
“Everything alright dear? You sounded angry.” Mrs Pratchett, dear old, kind Mrs Pratchett. She hated what she had to do next.
“Yes I’m fine, it’s just…dad said that I had to miss school today because gran is sick and no one is around. However, he got my cousin Dirk to drop by to take me to gran’s. It’s okay right? Dirk can help sign me out?
“Of course dear. Take all the time you need! You are far too serious, Erica Reyes. And if I remember correctly, you have a very good chance to be admitted to UC Davis. Wait right here, we’ll settle the sign out sheet when your cousin arrives.”
Erica gives her a grateful and somewhat blue smile. She hated lying to the lady.
*
He doesn’t take five minutes but seven Erica counted, nervously biting her nails at the same time.
“Kept you waiting?” He asks casually as he gives her a dazzling smile, breezing into the office.
She doesn’t respond as she usually would – with snark, as she was more interested in taking in his get up. Derek could be considered hot, a sex god, a total firey package or many other terms to describe his ruggedly handsome face and tight body, but this version…this version was the bubble gum pop version. “Uh…”
He laughs at her flabbergasted expression. “I suppose I pass off for a preppy GAP wearing college man then?”
“Hmm…” She answers noncommittally, absorbing the preppy haircut, black rimmed glasses, buttoned shirt…it shouldn’t look so…hot. But it did. Because he’s Derek Alpha Hale. And, oh god, he knows I’ve been totally perving on him.
“Thank you.” He answers. If he hadn’t shown her his own comic book collection at the Hale House, she would have thought his almost-never goofy behaviour very out-of-character.
Shaking herself, she takes control of the situation. “Now that you’re here, sign me out and we can go.”
Just in time, Mrs Pratchett walks in. She gives a pause before she smiles at Dirk, “Hello young man, you must be Dirk, Erica’s cousin.”
“Yes m’am. Am here to take her to grandma’s” He suddenly wants to laugh at the parallels what he just said had with Little Red Riding Hood. Only Erica was not little and he was more wolf than protector.
“Ok, all done. I hope your grandma gets better, you two.” Mrs Pratchett says goodbye and watches the two leave for a familiar Camaro.
She whispers, “Derek Hale. I am happy you’ve found some happiness in your life.” Even though she would never have thought it possible, not Erica Reyes and Derek Hale. However, they were both rather tragic puppies. She smiles to herself and tears off the sign out sheet. Principal Argent did not need to know about this.
*
In the car, she immediately turns to his smirking face and punches him lightly on the arm. “I could be in so much trouble, Derek John Hale!”
He laughs and shirks her off, grinning at her as he watches her suffer a minor panic attack. “Relax, Mrs P is great, she’d probably bake you a pie tomorrow! We are in the clear.”
She pouts before resting against her seat. “So.”
“So.” He replies, knowing it would push her buttons. They were awfully fun to push, he thinks to himself.
“So, come on, what are we doing? Is this a recon mission or training? If it’s the latter I say unfair! Isaac should be here too!”
He pauses, they share a look. He wonders if he should just tell her.
After it got slightly awkward staring at each other, he clears his throat and makes up his mind, “No to both, Princess. I just missed seeing your dweeby face.”
She punches him again, this time around though she had a bright smile on her face. She was happy with his admission, which gave him courage to admit later, “You know what you did the last time which led to me saying not to do that again?” She nods and he continues, “Well, I lied. I’d like to do that. Again, and again.” He purposely keeps his eyes on the road, hearing the quickening of her heartbeat.
They don’t say anything for a few minutes, and he starts getting nervous. He turns to see her looking at him all the while. “Do you mean that Derek?”
Too late to take it back, it would seem like a pretty horrible joke. He nods, stops the car and stares at her some more.
“Do you, Erica?” He asks.
She gets out of her seat, as much as she could in the car, and kisses him. A sweet kiss unlike the one they shared the first time. He feels her smile into the kiss and lightly nips her bottom lip, earning him a little giggle. “Does that answer your question?” She asks once they pulled away from each other slightly.
He does not answer, instead he captures her lips again.
He thinks she must have been glad he got her to play hooky with him.