Free Meta (Book 3): Rise of The Circle by Tom Reynolds

so sorry about that," Stephanie says to Derrick as she begins picking up my underwear and stuffing it back into the box. Okay, I take it back. Now I'm pretty sure I'm more embarrassed than Derrick.
    "No, no, that's okay. It was my fault. I should’ve been more careful about where I was going," Derrick says.
    It's obvious that he's not going to touch my underwear and pick it up off the floor, which is fine since I'm already trying to grab as much as I can before Ms. Gordon does. She realizes what she's picking up, why her son is laughing, and how red my face is, so she places the few clothing items in her hands into the box and allows me to pick up the rest. It's only now that she lifts her head up and looks Derrick in the eyes for the first time.
    "Oh my," she says, blushing slightly and fluttering her eyelashes. "Now how on earth can a man this young and handsome have a teenage son?" Now Derrick is the one blushing.
    "I'm Connor's brother, Derrick," he says, offering his hand for her to shake.
    "Derrick, this is Ms. Gordon," I offer since it seems like she's too busy looking dreamily into his eyes to remember to do it herself.
    "Colin, I told you to call me Stephanie," she says, still holding her gaze at Derrick.
    "It's Connor, actually," I say.
    "And it's Miss Gordon, not Ms. We wouldn't want anyone assuming the possibility that I'm actually still married," she says, still holding on to Derrick's hand. Now she's the one laughing maniacally, and I see where her son gets it. This might be the most uncomfortable I've ever seen Derrick.
    "Give it a rest, Mom. None of the other parents are acting like this," Tyler says.
    "Oh now, Tyler, I'm just being friendly. This is how adults talk to each other. He's always getting so embarrassed by me," Miss Gordon says to Derrick. "I'm sure your brother feels the same way about your parents, Derrick."
    "Actually, no. Both our parents are dead," I blurt out, hoping that the shock of just coming right out with this will cause enough embarrassment on Miss Gordon's part that she'll stop flirting with Derrick. Although it's fun to watch, we actually do need to get moving. Though it would be fun to just walk out the door and finish unpacking myself, leaving Derrick here to fend for himself. My plan doesn't work.
    "Oh my goodness. That is just the most awful thing I've ever heard," Miss Gordon says, covering her mouth with one hand and placing the other on Derrick's arm. When I said before that I've never seen Derrick so uncomfortable in my life, that's no longer true. This is now the most uncomfortable I've ever seen him in my life. "And you took care of your little brother here?"
    "Yeah, I'm his guardian," Derrick manages to get out with volume barely above a whisper.
    "That is just the most heartbreaking and brave thing I've ever heard. You're a hero, Derrick. I mean that. You don't see a lot of men who are so selfless like that nowadays," Miss Gordon says, her voice trailing off toward the end.
    "I'm going to get food," Tyler announces as he jumps up from his bed and stands, waiting for his mother and Derrick to move from the doorway so he can pass.
    "I'll come with you, sweetie," Miss Gordon says. "Not to eat, of course. The only thing I eat is salad," she says to Derrick, trying to impress him.
    "Are you sure you don't want to just stay here and continue embarrassing yourself?" Tyler asks. Neither of us knows where to look.
    "Oh, stop! Now you're just being ridiculous. Your mother is allowed to talk to a stranger once in a while too, you know. Not that you're a stranger, Derrick. Not now anyways," she says, looking into his eyes again.
    Tyler pushes past the pair and heads down the hallway, intent on not waiting any longer.
    "I'd better go catch him. It was really a pleasure meeting you, Derrick."
    "You too," I say before Derrick has the chance.
    "And you too, of course, Connor," she says, barely turning around to look at me.
    "You too. I'm sure we'll see each other around," Derrick says to