Dean's Sickness

Naomi’s POV

I stared at my laptop while my hand lingered on the space key. This was the first time I felt an urgent need to work on my story. Still, I couldn’t seem to type anything because my mind kept returning to Em’s words: what if something happened to Derrick, and I could have saved him from whatever it was? But because I was here thinking the worst of him, I could not.

I shook my head again. I was in denial of what to do. When I came back to Arnold City, the last thing I wanted was to associate myself with Derrick, but it looked like he was the most important thing on my mind now, which seemed wrong.

I closed my laptop and went to Dean’s room. He was sound asleep on his bed. He was acting strange; he sleeps more now than play, and going to Em’s place hadn’t improved his mood as I expected.

I stared at him for a while before deciding to prepare his favorite to lighten up his mood. It had worked previously, and I had no doubt it would work again.

So, hoping to take my mind o