Without Her

"Ma.." Derek called Amy. "This was unnecessary to bring me back home just for you to go shopping,"

"What I was so bored that i might have lost my mind, see we had good day did we not?" she aksed happily looking at the things she wasted money on getting kitchen utensils which are unnecessary since she hardly cooks and clothes for her and Derek. Derek forced a smile on his face trying to be happy for her understanding and lonely and depressed she is. He did not at any cost want to hurt his mother who is doing her best for him. But in the middle of shopping Derek got something else and hid it the moment he billed it. He smiled thinking about that.

"Okay, take these to your room, let me clean the mess," Amy said. Derek happily walked into the room and sat on the bed comfortably. He took his phone out and send pictures he and Amy took at the mall and street, and during their lunch. John replied to the the photos immediately in the family group of theirs.

"My babies," he texted. Derek smiled and laid back on the bed. He missed spending time with his father. Five months and not once John got time to visit the family.That's when he noticed a text that sounded seriously concerned.

"Why did you leave today?" Taaliyah had asked. He did not notice it before.

"Mother needed some help so left with her. Everything is fine, no troubles," he assured her and sent a photo of him and his mother as proof. He waited for the reply. And it was instant.

"Nice," she commented on the photo with an emoji of heart in the eyes. He smiled and kept the phone aside. He called Fred and aksed what all happened in the class and if Taaliyah had to take the duty. But nothing happened and it turned out be a boring day for all except the tiny interaction Danny tried to have with Taaliyah who did not notice it. Derek grew disturbed about it and ignored what he heard to keep himself calm. He packed what he had bought and kept inside the bag.

When Derek reached the school the next day he learned that Taaliyah would not be coming since her grand father fell sick suddenly an md everybody left to hospital. Derek felt upset. He looked inside the bag and zipped them to keep it safe.

He sat alone that day during the breaks. Under the tree and in the basketball gallery. In the name of preparing for an upcoming quiz competition. With the phone between the book looking at the photos. Photos of him and Taaliyah they had taken. There were only few. He wished he had more. Thinking how silly she is which made him smile. She is not the prettiest girl in the school, not even close to Min Ah who uses ample money, but to him she looked cute. Her big eyes and wavy hair, her imperfection to him looked perfect in every way. And he loved that she is a little weak in studies so that he can always help her. Suddenly he realised. "Why do I always feel this way about her?" he questioned himself. "What am I even doing?" he was surprised to see that he misses her so much that he was looking at their pictures together. "Noway," he gasped and kept the phone back in his pocket, remembering to turn them off.

"Derek, Miss Dalia is calling you, go run to the staff room," said Lily, a girl from his class.

Derek got up and walked towards the staff room immediately. Wondering what is the job this time. The students in the name of leadership were even made to run errands for teachers and it did not look good at times.

"Go get me a packet of butter cookies from canteen," Sir Jim said when Derek walked into staff room to meet his home room teacher.

"What?" Derek asked looking at him. He was annoyed. "No, am here to meet my teacher," he said and walked in.

"You," Jim called. "What a jerk!" he cursed Derek and began to look for another inncoent child.

"What did teacher Jim say?" Dalia asked immediately.

"Buy him cookies, I cannot, am not an errand boy," he told his teacher who looked at the teacher sitting next to her. Dalia smiled and looked at him.

"I just wanted to ask you if you are studying well these days, important years are coming, don't mess up," she gave him unnecessary advise changing the subject. Derek looked at her and nodded and returned back to class. He understood that he was called to run some errands but his dialogue prevented her from asking him.

"Derek," he heard a familiar voice. He turned around.

"You did not call me," Min Ah said to him.

"I was busy," he said plainly.

"Have you decided?" she asked.

"Final exams are coming up," he excused himself.

"Then comes Holidays, maybe we can," she said. But he stopped her.

"We will think about that after exams okay?" he said.

"Derek," she tried to engage in conversation and but he left. "Ahhh... still not friendly much," she said with a frowning face and walked behind him to her class. She then saw her father, Tim standing in the front of her class.

"Who is that boy?" He asked her.

"Pa what are you doing in school?" she was surprised.

"I came to visit the principal to talk about holding an end of the year meeting," he said.

"Oh," she said.

"Who is that boy?"

"A friend of mine from another class. Why? You know him?" she asked back.

"I saw him another day in front of the office with his mother," he said to her what he saw the other day when Amy came to take Derek with her.

"I see," Min Ah smiled. "Just so you know, we are thinking of taking guitar classes during the vacation. Is that okay?" she asked the permission. Tim looked at her, his eyes growing wide. Min Ah's heart went boom boom waiting for his reply. She will have to find ways when rejects her idea.