The familiar black Range Rover pulled up to the front of BOCD High. The majority of the student body turned to look as four girls gracefully stepped out, one by one. This was the Pretty Committee (PC for short), the envy of all the girls and the target of all the hormone-raging guys of the school. Olivia Ryan came first, her white-blond hair swaying in the wind, flaunting her new nose job like it was made of gold. Next up was Kristen Gregory, dirty blonde hair in a neat ponytail and books in hand, followed by Massie Block with her wavy chestnut hair and perfect summer tan. Lastly was their alpha, Alicia Rivera, with D-cup boobs and a perfect Spanish complexion that made nearly every guy in school want her as theirs. The four linked arms and strutted to their favorite oak three in the schoolyard, perfectly aware that their every move was watched.
"How much more superficial could they be?" Derrick heard from a girl behind him.
"I don't know, Claire, I didn't think it could be possible." responded another girl with a snort.
"Hey, don't diss my girlfriend like that, guys!" said a male voice, also behind Derrick.
"Cool off, Josh. You know she's a fake and superficial bitch." said the first girl.
"Derrick, come on, back me up!" pleaded the boy behind him.
"Cool off, Josh. I agree with Claire and Layne. Why exactly are you dating her?" Derrick responded, finally turning the face his three friends.
"Because she's HOT! Duh!" Josh yelled as Derrick rolled his eyes.
"That's not the only reason why you should date a girl, Josh," came a new voice from behind a tree, "you should date someone because you like them for their personality and sense of humor, not just because they look good."
"Shut it, Cam. I know you're just saying that to look good in front of Claire." Josh responded, teasing Cam.
"No, I'm saying it because it's true," Cam simply stated, making his way over to Claire to kiss her. Claire giggled as grabbed his messy jet-black hair, pulling him closer to him as they kissed. Layne made a face and turned away, while Derrick pretended to be suddenly engrossed in his class ring on his right hand.
"Guys, I'm gonna go see Alicia. Oh, and Cam and Claire, cool it with the PDA, please, it's slightly disgusting." Josh pointed out as he made his way to his girlfriend across the schoolyard. Cam and Claire stopped making out and sat next to a tree, followed by Layne and Derrick.
"God, I can't believe it's already the third week of senior year" Claire stated incredulously, intertwining her hand in Cam's.
"And even senior year can't destroy the curse brought upon us known as the Pretty Committee." Layne said, looking over at the group of girls under the oak tree.
"I normally don't mind," Derrick said, "but the fact that Josh's going out with that Alicia bitch is just making me mad as hell. Josh is a good guy and all last year he would complain about how annoying Alicia was. What changed this year?"
"I dunno, Alicia's newfound attention for him and his amazing brown hair and deep brown eyes? Or for his incredible body and sense of style?" Layne responded with a sigh, watching Alicia get up to kiss Josh under the oak tree. Derrick, Cam and Claire all knew that Layne had a major crush on Josh since freshman year, but Josh was somehow completely oblivious to how much she liked him.
"Don't worry, Layne. I'm sure you'll have your chance when Alicia dumps him like all the other guys she's ever been with," Claire reassured her, "and besides, it's senior year. When we head off to college there'll be plenty more guys to scout out."
"Hey! Does that mean you'll be ditching me??" Cam asked playfully.
"I don't think Claire would do that in a million years, Cam. And Claire, so you seriously think a cute guy would fall for someone with my sense of style?" Layne asked, motioning to her hot pink tank top, black tutu, bright green leggings and black converse.
"Of course they will, Layne," Claire responded,, turning around to be kissed by Cam once again.
The bell sounded and the calm schoolyard became a flurry of students making their way to BOCD High's front doors. Josh rejoined his friends before they stepped into the hall, since the PC always went to class late in order to make an entrance. The PC thought it was their way of looking fabulous, but Derrick thought it was just plain narcissistic and conceited. The four friends headed to their classes for the day, which felt like they lasted forever, but lunch provided a short relief from their studies before learning took over their minds again. The majority of the seniors didn't bother to take any advanced courses or anything since they already had enough credits to graduate, and Derrick was no exception. However, he still took a few classes at his parents' request, so it was a relief to head home.
After some brief goodbyes to his friends, Derrick drove home to do the rest of his homework that he hadn't finished during his study hall periods. As usual, he returned to an empty house, with a solitary note on the table. Derrick didn't bother reading the note, since it always said something along the lines of his mom not being home until later and dinner being in the fridge. He ran upstairs to his room and finished the rest of his homework then turned on the TV and flipped through the channels. He didn't bother checking what Cam and Claire were doing, since it was a Wednesday and Wednesday was date night for them, while Josh was out somewhere with Alicia. He considered calling Layne, but she was probably studying since her mom made her take a ton of AP classes before graduation.
Derrick flipped through the channels, trying to look for a good show. By this time, it was about 6:00, since his homework took a bit longer than anticipated. He laid on his stomach, facing the TV, still channel surfing until a newscast caught his eye. He put down the remote and watched the report, a large red sign on the top of the screen blinking "BREAKING NEWS"
"Just an hour or so ago, the police arrested local resident Ivan Reltz for attempted murder of the Block family, one of the most charitable families in Westchester," the reported stated, "Little is known about Ivan so far except for that he was a chef working in the Block household while their usual housekeeper and chef Inez was on a short vacation. Police investigations have shown that he attempted to kill the family by poisoning their food. Massie Block had to be hospitalized, but is not in critical condition and will most certainly survive. The Blocks are currently-" the TV clicked off as Derrick saw Kaya, his little sister, by the power button.
"Hi Derrick!!" the girl yelled, running up to him and jumping on his back.
"Hey, squirt," Derrick responded, "How was dance class?"
"It was great! Madame Lucille taught us how to turn today!" she replied enthusiastically.
"Kaya! It's time for dinner!" Interrupted a voice from downstairs. The little 7-year-old dashed out of the room, full of energy as usual.
Oh, yeah. Dinner. Derrick hadn't eaten yet. Oh, well. He was tired anyway. Shutting his door and turning out the lights, Derrick decided to turn in early, thoughts of the newscast filling his mind.
AN: Yeah, I'm sorry the chapter sucked and stuff, but I had to introduce the characters and start up the story. It'll get better later, so sorry for the lack of action and detail so far.
