Polaroids and Postcards | ✔️

Chapter 39: Those Stupid Secrets

"May your adventures bring you closer together, even as they take you far away from home." ~ Trenton Lee Stewart

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I managed to get Derrick into my room without the nurse calling security on him by pretending Derrick and I knew each other. He caught on to what I was doing and played along, laying it on pretty thick, and even going so far as to fist bump and bro-hug me.

If he only knew...

By the time we had convinced the nurse and I had dragged him inside my room, you could've had me convinced that we were best friends too. But as soon as that door closed, he spun around to face me.

"What the heck, dude?" He threw up his hands in confusion. "I mean, like, thanks for saving my butt or whatever, but who are you?"

I heaved a resigned sigh and made my way back to my bed. "I'm Jason Lovett; I'm a friend of Della Rae's."

Derrick's face brightened for a moment at the recognition of Della's name, but then quickly darkened again. He raised an eyebrow pointedly at me. "You're a friend of Della's, huh?"

"Yep." I popped my 'p' just like Della always did when she felt sassy. "We were road-tripping here when the accident happened."

"What the hell happened?" he huffed, staring me down. "None of these idiot doctors will tell me anything."

"Maybe she didn't want you to know what was happening." I challenged his glower with one of my own.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Derrick's words were sharp and icy, as if one wrong move would cause me some major bodily damage.

And it probably would have if Grant and Gracie hadn't bustled in right at that moment, dragging in several to-go boxes of assorted foods from downstairs. As soon as Derrick saw Gracie's massive pregnant belly, he softened a little and seemed to relax.

"Um... hi?" Grant asked, peeking around Derrick at me.

"We brought food!" Gracie squealed, holding up two boxes. "We didn't know what you'd want, so we brought a bit of everything."

"Don't lie. You couldn't decide on one thing, so you brought a little of everything," Grant scoffed, shrugging at Derrick as if to ask for backup.

"Eating for two, babe," Gracie huffed, falling into the nearest chair. "Shut up and gimme an eggroll."

"I'm Grant, Jason's older brother, by the way. And that's my wife, Gracie," Grant introduced apologetically, reaching out to shake Derrick's hand. "You here for Della?"

"Yeah," Derrick nodded a little, seeming a little dazed by my family's automatic warmth in comparison with my... less-warm personality.

"So have you and Jason known each other long or...?" Grant asked, half to Derrick and half to me.

"No, we just met," Derrick responded promptly, casting an inquiring glance back at me. "Although he apparently knows Della, she's never mentioned him."

Grant raised his eyebrows and shot me a smug look. "Dude, you really suck at this whole boyfriend-thing."

I literally could've stabbed him in the neck with one of the cellophane-wrapped plastic forks he had from the cafeteria and not felt bad about it.

Derrick turned on me, his face the definition of fierce. His nostrils flared and his eyes glinted. "Boyfriend, huh?"

I sent a murderous smile across the room to my brother. "Thanks, Grant. Great timing."