It’s Not All Roses by Maia Terry
Rosalind
Present Day
“Hey, Rose,” Derek calls as I stand to leave our biology class.
Ugh, not again. I think to myself before turning around and flashing him a smile. “Hey, Derek. Excited for the scrimmage tonight?”
“You bet,” he says, coming to a stop in front of me. “I was wondering if you’d like to hang out after?”
“Oh, I would, but I can’t. I have plans already,” I lie.
“That’s what you always say,” he says, his smile dropping instantly. “Why won’t you just give me a chance?”
“I’ve told you countless times, Derek. I’m not interested,” I say before pushing past him.
He reaches out and grabs my arm before leaning close to my ear. “When will you realize that Atticus wants nothing to do with you?” he growls. “Nonetheless, you’ll come around. They always do.”
“Please let go, you’re hurting me,” I whisper as I struggle against his grip. Glancing around, I notice we are the only two in the room now, but the next class should be coming in soon.
He releases my arm and I hurry out of the room, not looking back. Seeing my group of friends in the distance, I pick up my speed and throw on my signature smile as I try to shake off the feeling of Derek’s hand on my arm.
“There she is,” Atticus says, throwing his arm around me. As he does so, my mind goes back to what Derek said. Do I want Atticus to want me?
“We were just talking about what we are doing after tonight’s scrimmage,” Amelia says with a smile as she loops her arm into Trevor’s.
“Oh, I can’t do anything tonight guys. I have a biology test tomorrow and even though finals are over, it’s still a big portion of my grade, so I need to study,” I say with a frown.
The other three look at me with displeased faces. “What a party pooper,” Trevor teases.
I roll my eyes at them and shrug. “Sorry, some of us have goals after college, Trevor.”
“Your words. They wound me.” He puts a hand over his heart and frowns.
“Alright, alright. That’s enough, you two,” Atticus says before letting out a soft chuckle. “I have to get to class, but I will see you at the scrimmage at least, yeah?” he asks with a hopeful smile.
“Absolutely,” I promise, before waving goodbye to him. Trevor and Amelia leave not long after that and since I have the rest of the afternoon free, I head to the library to get some extra studying in.
My phone buzzes on the table as Amelia’s name pops up on the screen. “Hey, I’m leaving the library now,” I tell her in a hushed voice as I pack up my books.
“Hurry up, it’s getting chilly out here,” she whines on the other end.
“Oh, it’s not that cold.” I say as I walk to my car. Putting my books inside, I tell Amelia I will be right there and shut my car door. It’s a perfect night out, so I decide to walk instead of driving my car over to the athletic center.
When I arrive, I find Amelia standing outside, shivering. “It’s about time,” she says as she breathes into her hands.
“You are so dramatic,” I say as I roll my eyes and laugh. “Come on, wouldn’t want you to get frostbite.”
We find our usual seats and watch the boys warm up. Not long after we are settled in, the game begins. The crowd cheers as the guys score point after point, with Atticus being the lead scorer. Time seems to fly by and when the final buzzer sounds, our team walks away with their second victory of the season. Even though this was a scrimmage, everyone treats it as though it was a regular game.
Checking the time on my phone, I look over at Amelia, who is still seated. “I’m going to head on out,” I say as I lean down to hug her.
“Okay! Be careful on your way home,” she says as her eyes scan the players walking out of the locker room, obviously searching for Trevor.
“I will. Tell Attie I said good game and I will call him later.” I turn and walk down the bleachers, before walking out into the cool night. While Amelia was exaggerating earlier about how cold it was, it is unusually cool for Tennessee this time of year.
As I’m passing the science building, I get the feeling of someone’s eyes watching me. I glance around nervously but see no one, so I shrug it off. Just as I walk past the alley between the science and arts buildings, someone reaches out and grabs my arm, pulling me into the alley.
As my eyes adjust to the sudden darkness, they grow wide as the person who grabbed me comes into focus. Derek’s hand is on my throat before I can even make the first sound.
Why didn’t I wait on my friends?