Wicked Bitch - [Derek Hale]

Chapter 9: Visionary

[italics - flashback]

''Okay, so is two days standard, then, or are we thinking Derek's on, like, some extended getaway?''

Tessa huffed in frustration as Stiles kept obsessing over Derek's whereabouts. She knew she should have just ignore her friend's call that morning about heading off to the loft, but truth being told; she was more afraid that Cora would strangle him for being annoying. So there she was, stuck in the Hale loft, while the three of them were trying to figure out when would the resident alpha would return for the fight with Deucalion and his pack.

''Add a couple more.'' Tessa mumbled in annoyance. ''I pissed him off this morning.''

☽✵☾

Tessa counted the days as she stared at the calendar on her bedroom wall. It was rather morbid actually, and she was probably jinxing her luck, but she couldn't stop herself. The day the doctor told her she had about six months to live she had went home, grabbed a calendar, and circled the day her six months would be up. That would be the day of her death.

For Tessa, death was never something she would think about. Even when she first got diagnosed, her immediate thought was how to fight. What would the game plan be. Her odds of survival were something close to 15%. But despite that, dying was not part of her plans. But apparently, once was enough for her. It wasn't just her body that time, it was her mind that had been failing her as well. Her only way of keeping it together though, was treating every day the same; living as unapologetically as she always had. Until that circled date of course. She dreaded that day. She dreaded waking up and seeing those numbers on her phone. More importantly, she dreaded not getting to see it. Fighting was the one thing she knew how to do. And she'd do it till her very last second.

As she kept staring at the calendar, Tessa almost missed the sound of her window opening a closing. A sound she had become awfully familiar with.

She closed the calendar, unashamed that the visitor had probably seen the countdown, and tucked it under her bed. She didn't even pay any mind to the familiar now figure as she kept organising her desk, sorting out her books and notes.

''I don't know why I'm here.'' came Derek's voice from behind her.

''You never know.'' Tessa spit in frustration. ''It just somehow became a habit.'' she mumbled as she kept her eyes focused on her books.

An emotion filled silence took over her room as the young girl had decided to not pay her visitor a single glance. It all had become way too much for her to handle.

''Where did you hear that from?'' Derek finally asked as Tessa huffed and gave in, turning her body around to face him.

''Where did I hear what?'' she questioned as she took in his appearance. Tessa knew that while to everyone else the man in front of her would always appear cold and intimidating, around her he'd try to tare down his walls. Truth was, Derek Hale looked defeated. Once again, he had felt like he betrayed those who cared and fought for him. Tessa's muscles seemed to have a mind of her own, as she struggled to keep still when it seemed that all her body yearned was to hold him and show him he was worth the fight. But she was hurt too much, and unrequited love... she was a real bitch. So she kept her distance. She kept her heartbeat steady and her gaze cold.

''What you said to me at the loft.'' he explained, and Tessa realised he had been talking about Talia's words.

''It was a Khalil Gibran quote.'' she answered. Technically she wasn't lying, so her heartbeat was easy to control. ''He was...''