Page 118 of All In Good Time

Ms. Roylance spotted him first, and he saw the way a look of pity crossed her face. She waved at him in greeting and closed the door. Something wasn’t right here.

“What was that about?” he asked, coming up from behind Mal and eyeing the office.

She jumped and turned around. “None of your business,” she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked away.

Derek raised a brow at the moodiness. “Did you get in trouble or something?”

She scoffed. “Not everyone is as unhinged as you, you know.” The sarcastic comment didn’t have the same bite that she normally used.

He looked again at the door to Ms. Roylance’s office. Sure, he’d been in there many times, and all because he’d been in trouble. The kids who went there for reasons other than being in trouble went willingly to talk about their problems or to figure out their academic plans, like Becca. Mal was still a little young to be picking out colleges. He frowned and looked back at Mal.

His eyes scanned her from head to toe. Her jacket was zipped all the way up, and her sleeves were pulled down and grasped by her fingers. Overall, she looked okay. Other than the angry expression on her face.

“Is something wrong?”

“I’m fine,” she said, and rolled her eyes. “Since when did you become so pushy?”

Her shoulder bumped his as she walked past him and made her way down the hallway. He watched her pull her headphones over her ears and dig her hands into her pockets as she disappeared around the corner, leaving him alone in the hallway with the last lingering students.

Mal was always sassy, often in a mood, but this felt slightly different. Just the other day, she’d been smiley and teasing him about Becca. What the hell happened since then?

The final bell rang, and he was officially tardy to class. He shook his head, and continued on his way. All the while, the lingering sense that he was missing something followed him.

* * *

Derek pretended to pay attention to the snowy roads as he drove, going slower than usual, but he couldn’t help that his attention continued to drift to Mal, who stared gloomily out the window.

“Did something happen?” He had considered dropping it earlier, like she told him to. But, still, it didn’t sit right with him through the rest of his classes. The fact that Ms. Roylance was involved didn’t help alleviate any of his concerns.

“You’ve been happy lately. I guess things are going well with Becca.” She responded so quickly that he thought she might have been waiting for him to say something just so she could pull the distraction out. When she turned to him, her face wasn’t as hard as before, but it wasn’t the same childish smile she gave him when she usually teased him about Becca.

He frowned. “Don’t change the subject.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m being serious. I heard you guys went somewhere yesterday.”

Her lighter tone helped ease some of the anxiety in his chest. Maybe there really wasn’t anything wrong and she was just in a mood?

“So, are you guys dating now?” She raised a brow and fiddled restlessly with the fabric around her wrists.

He shrugged his shoulders at the question. “Yeah?”

“Yeah?” Her back straightened. “You haven’t asked her?”

“Asked her what?”

Mal scoffed. “To be your girlfriend. Obviously.”

“Do I need to?” He turned onto their street and slowed to park the car along the road.

She unbuckled herself and opened her door. “Jesus. And here everyone thinks you’re, like, the highest of the high when it comes to understanding women.” She shook her head in disbelief and left.

Derek sat frozen in his spot, dumbfounded as Mal walked up to the house and went inside.

* * *

Girlfriend.

Everything with Becca had always moved naturally. They became friends, somewhat naturally. They drifted apart and then back together. Never did it cross his mind he might actually need toaskher to be his girlfriend.

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