One woe after another

 Derrick thought it was more frustrating than ever since Halloween. Perhaps it all had to do with Dora. Yes, they'd met at a party and he was only being nice to her.

Of course, Eric quickly said, "Oh, but isn't she, your dream girl?" He was ecstatic at the thought that Derrick might be moving on.

Just how many times did  Derrick have to tell Eric, "I only jumpstarted her car." That was all she wanted. Naturally, she and her kawaii kindness were full of presents for him. She just could not stop coming over to his new place.

Naturally, Eric grinned right through it as if he was watching a romance in full bloom. Of course, Derrick was as stoic as he ever was and it was even making him a bit peeved as of late. But there was work to do at the dance school and he did his best to concentrate even with Dora coming around so much. She even had a few nieces and nephews who signed up for dance lessons, so Derrick couldn't be completely unkind.

He received a little bonus from Frankie. Yes, it should have been the best of times. Although, Derrick didn't think so.

"All I wanted was for you to move in with me," he said one night after they were cleaning up at the dance school.

"But you don't really need me," Eric smiled back as if he was the real misfit in all of this. 

"But I do." Derrick did feel blue even if he had a grocery bag of treats to last him for a week from Dora. No way would she let him go hungry. "I don't think I can do this with..with Dora."

"But why? She doesn't even look real. Do you think she's after something?" Eric asked and plopped down next to Derrick on the locker room bench.

Derrick only sighed. "Well, she's not getting anything from me." He snapped.

"It'll be OK. Quit worrying so much." Eric promised he'd move in with him after Thanksgiving. He stared at his feet and said he knew it was time to move out. After all, his foster mother had a houseful. "I know I should have moved out as soon as I graduated high school. But..but it was like she's my compass, you know. Like I still needed her to guide me through a lot of stuff."

"Like that old boyfriend of yours?" Derrick looked at him with a swelled frown. He didn't want to remember his name. 

Eric nodded with a shrug.

"I guess you're my compass." Derrick smiled, but not too much.

Eric gave him a quick smile and patted him on the back. He said he'd come over and check out Derrick's place. They got ready to go, but of course, Dora was waiting for him at the backdoor and she had someone with her.

"Oh my god," Derrick sighed with a whisper. "She's got a sister."

"Don't worry about it," Eric smiled. "We got this."