~❤️~Always Better Together~❤️~

~ 16 ~

***FLASHBACK***

"Hey Der..." Jenna said ever so sweetly.

Derek was knee deep in his books, studying for their upcoming SATs. He was sitting on the lush green grass in the garden of his family home. He hasn't stopped studying since last night minus the bathroom breaks and meal time. He looked exhausted but he wanted to do really well in the SATs to get into his dream school - YALE.

Derek has always aspired to become a surgeon mainly a neurosurgeon. It's his dream ever since he saw that dummy of the human brain displayed in the museum they went to in Grade 6. For him, his future was decided in that moment. He loved looking at the intricately designed dummy brain and wondered what it would look like in real.

Derek's mother, Talia, was amused when she heard about his interest. She always knew that Derek was special. She has always been a proud mother. And Derek has been the sweetest child a mother could have.

"Hey Jen... What are you doing here?? Are you done revising??" Derek said without making eye contact. Like I said, he was engrossed in books.

Derek and Jenna have been best friends since they were twelve. They met in the woods one day when Jenna got lost and couldn't find her way back to the main road. Derek helped her being the sweet boy he once was and they became friends. As days passed, their friendship transformed into being each other's best confidante. And now 4 years later, looks like things have gotten a little intense between them. It is quite clear that they are in love. LOVE. Sweet sixteen LOVE. So pure and so fragile. So new, in all it's senses. But did they confess their sweet little love to each other?????? NOO!!!!! Actually, they are scared that the other will reject them and they'll lose their friendship. But I guess Jenna's going to take the risk. Let's see.

"Yeah I studied till 4 in the morning....then slept like a baby till 9 a.m. My mother probably would have left me sleeping for the next 5 hours hadn't I set up an alarm for 9. Now here I am, and you're still studying in yesterday's clothes" She slumped on the grass next to Derek and looked at his sleep deprived face, "and with dark circles meaning you didn't sleep and you didn't take bath either." Jenna said making a eww face to which Derek rolled his eyes and kept on solving quadratic equations in his notebook.

"Wait....did you atleast brush your teeth??" she asked.

"UGHH!! Ofcourse I did. Now stop making fun of me." Derek replied, little annoyance in his voice.

"FINE!!!!" Jenna got upset of Derek's annoying tone. She folded her pale arms around her chest and sat there clenching her jaw. Little frown lines appeared on her big forehead. Derek realized his tone was harsh. He closed his notebook with the pen in between and scooted closer to Jenna.

"I am sorry Jen. I am just really stressed out here. Whole year I only focused on basketball and now I don't have much time. I could lose Yale you know." he said and Jenna turned her face in anger and glared at him. "which is no excuse. yeahh." Derek said slowly. "Okay....what can I do to make it up for you???" he asked.

Jenna turned towards him and looked deep into his green eyes. For an instant, it looked like she was going to kiss him. But not so soon.

"Will you go out with me?? For coffee??" she asked him softly. Their faces were only inches apart. Derek looked at her and swallowed in his throat. 'She is so beautiful and radiant' he thought. He didn't know what to say to her. He knew she was asking him out.

"I thought you hated outside coffee." he replied, totally unromantic I know. Poor Derek. He's a scaredy cat.

Jenna scoffed and said, "What are you doing??"