The Secret Is Out

Millie hated high school. Even though she had been out of there for ten years now, she still hated even the thought of it. She had been an overweight, pimply kid and therefore got teased a lot. 

         Like most girls in her position, she had a crush on a boy who was completely and totally out of her league. He was a male cheerleader, muscular, blonde and blue eyed, and a swagger in his walk. And he didn’t even know that Millie was alive.

         Well, that wasn’t exactly true. He knew she existed during math class. He hardly ever did his homework or paid attention in class, so he selected a ‘nerd’ in every class to get his work from and to cheat off of for tests. In math, Millie was that nerd.

         She absolutely melted whenever he walked over to talk to her. She always knew why he was heading her way, but she couldn’t help but fantasize that one of those times would be for something besides homework. 

         One time, during a basketball game, he had come over for something else. She had gotten hit in the face by a basketball, and he came over to take a picture for the yearbook.

         She had even tried, at one point, to pretty herself up a bit with some makeup. Just her rotten luck, the makeup made her break out twice as bad. It didn’t really matter, because Derrick never even seemed to notice that she was wearing makeup. No one did, except for a group of girls that made fun of her in the bathroom.

         Millie hated it whenever she ran into people from high school. They always wanted to talk about the old times. They always acted as though they had been friends with her rather than bullies to her. They always talked about how great their lives were since high school. Who they had married, what great jobs they had, how terrific their kids were doing. Millie was one of a team of secretaries. Her boss didn’t even know her name. She had never married, or even dated. She made barely enough to cover the basics. She had never had kids. 

         Millie ventured into the coffee shop on the corner and made her way to the counter. She placed her order – plain black coffee. She drank it just as plain as she was. She went to the end of the counter to pick up her coffee, and came face to face with Sally Oglestein – one of her torturers from high school. Sally looked her up and down, then began talking to her as if they spoke every day. Millie wasn’t even really listening. She was waiting for a point where she could escape when Sally mentioned something about Derrick.

         Suddenly, Millie was interested. Sally had said something about Derrick being back in town. He had left right out of high school. Millie questioned why he had returned. Sally didn’t know – yet. However, she babbled on, Heather had talked to Blake who had seen Derrick at the realty office he worked at and he had told Heather that Derrick was looking for a place to rent long term.

         Millie went on to work, wondering why on Earth anyone would choose to return to this boring town. She went in to work and did her job, but the thought of maybe running into Derrick remained in the back of her mind all day long. 

         Millie went home after work and ordered some Chinese food to be delivered. She hopped in the shower while waiting for her dinner to arrive. She was just stepping out when the doorbell rang. Thinking that the food had arrived faster than usual, she quickly slipped on her robe and slippers and rushed to the door. Imagine her surprise when she opened the door and it was Derrick standing there.

         The moment she opened the door, Derrick started a speech about being the new neighbor and not wanting to bother her. She interrupted him by saying his name. He stopped talking and really looked at her. He asked if it was really her, and she nodded, to amazed to speak.

         It turned out that Blake had unknowingly placed him in the apartment next to Millie’s. Millie invited him in, and once the food arrived they shared a nice dinner. They talked late into the night. Surprisingly he didn’t want to talk about high school. Instead, he filled her in on the past ten years of his life.

         Derrick had left town for college the day they graduated from high school. He eventually dropped out, siting that he should have paid more attention in high school. He worked at various odd jobs, then decided to enroll in a trade school, where he earned a couple of associate degrees in computers. He took various jobs setting up computer systems for companies and made decent money. His parents passed away, and he had returned to town to settle their estate. Once he returned, he realized that he wanted to stay. 

         Millie didn’t have much to tell. She had taken the job that she currently held straight out of high school and was still working there. That about summed up her life. She desperately wanted to tell him about the crush she had had on him in high school, but she was too embarrassed.

         They talked into the wee hours, then Derrick left. Millie felt as though she were floating. If anything, the crush that she had had on him in high school was even stronger now. She was pretty sure that she was in love with him, although she had no idea of how to pursue that even if she had the guts to do so.

         She cleaned up the trash from their dinner and went to bed. That night she dreamed of Derrick. She dreamed that they were married and had three beautiful children that looked just like their father.

         The next day was Saturday, so Millie didn’t have to go to work. She slept in, then made a leisurely brunch. While she was washing the dishes, there was a knock at her door. She dried her hands and went to answer the door.

         She opened the door and Derrick was standing there. He just stared at her for a few moments. She asked if he was okay, and invited him in. 

         Derrick asked her if they could sit down and talk. She agreed and they went over to the couch. Again, he gazed at her intently, then he suddenly took her chin in his hand and kissed her longingly. Once the kiss was over, Derrick told her that he had had a crush on her since high school, but he never had the guts to say so. He had intentionally taken an apartment in her building because he wanted to be near her. He had never stopped thinking about her, and now he was certain that he was in love with her. She whispered his name, and this time she initiated the kiss.