Third person's POV
After Derek finished speaking, he grabbed Tabitha's hand and strode off, leaving Kelsey fuming behind them.
Kelsey thought to herself, 'This guy's even more clueless than he was as a kid. Like a stubborn old rock that wouldn't budge, totally unyielding.'
Watching the scene of Derek and Tabitha leaving hand in hand, Kelsey was so furious that she gritted her teeth.
Just then, a cold smirk crept onto her lips, making her look like a snake lurking in the shadows, eyes glowing with a sinister green light as it flicked its icy tongue.
Tabitha turned slightly to look at Derek.
Sensing her gaze, Derek lowered his eyes and said, "What's up? If you've got questions, just spit it out."
Tabitha raised an eyebrow, asking, "I indeed have a question. Did you really think about wiping out her whole family as a kid?"
"Yeah, I did," Derek replied without hesitation. "My mom wasn't mentally well, so she rarely took care of me when I was growing up. One year, my aunt brought me over for some bonding time, and that's when I met Kelsey.
"She lived next door, and she wouldn't stop bugging me to play together. When I told her I didn't like playing those childish games, she would demand to join in on my games."
Tabitha seemed intrigued. "What kind of games did you like?"
"Shooting, fighting, fencing, horseback riding, skiing, diving..."
"And then what happened?"
"She couldn't even shoot straight at the range and ended up covered in mosquito bites; when we sparred, I gave her a nosebleed with one punch; when she was riding a horse, she was thrown off by it..."
"Hold up." Tabitha raised her hand. "Let's put the fact that she's annoying aside. That punch was intentional, right?"
Derek rubbed his temples thinking back on it all. "It was her yelling at me not to hold back. She claimed that she had trained too, and holding back would mean looking down on her.
"So I casually threw a punch. I didn't expect her to fail to dodge even such a basic attack and end up taking it right on the face. My clothes got stained. It was so annoying."
Upon hearing his complaint, Tabitha couldn't help but burst into laughter. "You don't know girls at all. She only said that to get your attention, not to make you actually punch at her. I bet she was scared at the time, which was why she had no idea how to react and ended up getting hit in the nose by you."
"Tabitha, can we not talk about this loser while I'm around?" Derek obviously despised Kelsey.
"After getting punched and crying about it, she went home. I had no idea how she described the incident to her parents, but then just came to confront me and pressure him into playing those dumb games with her."
Noticing his sour expression, Tabitha grew curious. So she poked him playfully in the arm.
"So, tell me, how did you play those childish games with her? I think it must have been quite hilarious."
Derek flicked her forehead helplessly, surprised that she enjoyed hearing about his embarrassing past.
But if it made her happy, he wouldn't mind recalling it.
Thus, he described the games he had been forced to play, which weren't those average kiddie games.
Kelsey asked him to play the role of an unconscious patient, while she played his angelic bride who saved him.
She even set up this whole room decked out in cheesy American romance vibes, where Derek acted out being rescued by his angel bride under the witness of the adults.
After listening to the whole story, Tabitha exclaimed, "Is that what rich kids play for fun? It feels so authentic!"
The more Derek talked about it, the more aggrieved he felt. "But rest assured. I pushed her away when she tried to kiss me."
Tabitha smiled sweetly, "I didn't expect you'd have such good morals since childhood!"
Derek kissed her on the cheek and cooed in her ear, "Tabitha, you're the only one who's ever made my heart flutter."