This is real life, yo. Not song inspired so it may suck.. but review


It's funny actually, in one of those awkward ways where everyone knows why it's bad but the person saying it, ways. Derrick Harrington very well would've been the boy all of his friend's were begging to be their boyfriend. In fact he was so close, that the normally reserved boy was enraged with himself for not being fast enough.

He blamed Kristen and Dylan.

"If you're going to ask her Derrick," Kristen fluffed her bob cut as she sat in the passenger seat of the Derrick's navy blue Volvo, "It has to be by Wednesday. Homecoming is Saturday night."

"Because if you don't we all know who will." Dylan sing songed in the backseat.

Of course, he knew who would do it.

Cam Fisher, Westchester's resident pretty boy, the badass, the one the girls fawned over. He was a year older then Derrick and had always been known as the guy that could party like a Frat boy, ace his classes and led the school.

It was almost impossible to compete with that. No one wanted to compete with that. But yet Derrick was caught in a friendly battle with the golden child for one thing.

Olivia Ryan's date to homecoming.

Olivia was new to Westchester and Derrick had been the one who was appointed her guardian until she settled into the new school. He thought she was gorgeous. Sunshine blonde hair, like a California girl should've had, and a smile that made him want to dance with butterflies.

Olivia also had insisted that her stay was temporary, and that it was just relocation for some medical project her mother was working on. Olivia boosted her boyfriend Dune, who lived back home. For the sake of his heart and dignity, Derrick backed off.

But then she started hanging out with Kristen and Dylan, who would spill every moment they spent with Olivia with Derrick, who pretended as though he didn't care.

"Do not like Olivia, Derrick? She's super nice, and glamorous right Kris?" Dylan would say as they sat around Kristen's kitchen table with homework littering the surface.

"Uh yeah!" Kristen mumbled with chips in her mouth, "Like a model!"

"Seriously, D, how do you not even find that girl the least bit of beautiful?"

"I never said see wasn't pretty." Derrick dropped his head down to avoid them seeing the huge smile that had spread across his face.

But Kristen and Dylan had known him since they were infants.

"You do think she's pretty! Derrick! This is huge the last girl you liked was Massie and she stomped all over your heart by dating Chris. This is huge. We got to make this happen."

And they tried. But became apparent very quickly that Derrick wasn't the only one interested in Olivia.

Cam took her out for lunch, he made signs for her during the Volleyball matches, he always giving her rides home.

And Derrick tried his hardest, by talking to her and helping her with her homework, and finding a way to hang with her, even if he had to endure shopping with Kristen and Dylan.

But yet he never had it in him to tell her that he had feelings for her. Her boyfriend and her took a break and it seemed as though she may actually stay in Westchester. There was nothing holding him back but himself.

As homecoming week approached, there was some pressure to make a move sooner rather than later.

"Josh put stick notes on Claire's locker asking her to Homecoming!" Dylan gushed after school and Claire beamed brightly as she held bouquet of flowers

"Claire, you've been with Josh since freshman year, wasn't it just a given that he was going with you." The girls looked at him bewildered. Derrick had ask Josh the same question as the boy planned asking girlfriend, and he was just as lost as Derrick. Josh claimed that that was what all the girls were telling him to do and that maybe by asking his friends he would know the answer.

"Derrick, it's homecoming. Not the winter formal, but homecoming, it's the underclassmen equivalent to Prom. It's just as important." Kristen told her best friend.

And as the all piled into the bleachers that night at the football game, Derrick really started to understand why a big statement was needed.

"Liv do you have a curfew?" He could overhear Cam ask Olivia. His arm wrapped around her shoulder.

"No"

"Well, there is this party at Kemp's and he's going to ask Layne to homecoming.

"Really, how?"

"He wants people to give her mini bags of Swedish Fish asking her."

"Oh, my god! That's so cute, I'd love for a boy to ask me to homecoming in a cool way like that. It's so thoughtful, my ex always just assumed."

"Homecoming is next week. So who knows, maybe it will happen for you." Cam smiled at her.

Olivia rolled out from under his arm and giggled. "Yeah right Cam."

And that's what led to his conversation with Kristen and Dylan.

"Don't worry D, we will make this be the best homecoming ask in Westchester."

It just had to be before Cam.

"Don't worry brah, I think she'd into you. So I don't think I have chance." Cam told Derrick a he was walking to class. Derrick couldn't count on it, because he knew that Cam was only saying that because when he tried to kiss Olivia at the party Friday, she rejected him. But it was only because she didn't want to hook-up with him if she didn't know how she truly felt.

But he couldn't count on it. So Kristen, Dylan and Derrick worked overtime for the best homecoming ask. They knew that all of the JV volleyball team would be at the of the last home Varsity volleyball match. So Kristen and Dylan were going get Olivia to come to the concession stand before the game, so she could see the brown popcorn bags, arranged to as her to homecoming. She loved the popcorn and he knew it was thoughtful.

So on Tuesday, before the match they made the bags and filled them with popcorn. At 8:20 Kristen excused herself to go get Olivia, just as Cam and Skye Hamilton came strolling in. Once upon a time, the pair were somewhat dating, Derrick watching through the open window of the stand, hoped that they had rekindled the flame and Cam really did give up on Olivia.

Cam cut off Kristen, from getting into the gym. "Is Olivia here?"

Kristen looked back a Derrick and Dylan behind the concession stand. "Uh yeah why…"

Cam and Skye walked away as soon as they had their answers. Each in opposite directions. Cam out the door, and Skye into the gym.

"Oh no!" Dylan looked at Dylan, her green eyes wide in panic.

"What?" Derrick asked confused as she rolled over the concession counter to join Kristen. Kristen's eyes were equally wide, and she and Dylan seemed lost at what to do.

"He's about to ask her. Why else would he come to the volleyball match then leave when he found out she was here." Kristen looked anxiously into the gym. "Damn, their going out the other door." she said as she saw the two blondes exit the door on the other side of the gym.

"What are we going to do?"

"It's too late."

Derrick was stuck.

"Go see it. I rather not."

The two girl nodded as they scampered off.

And Derrick looked sadly at the half full bags of popcorn arranged on the table, the bags Olivia would never see. That was it. He did all he could but he was just too late.

Skye had told Olivia that Cam had brought some decorations for the dance Saturday and needed help. Olivia walked with Skye to the back parking lot, and when Cam pop the trunk, balloons had flown out and there were flowers covering the space, and a letters cut out, asking her to be his date. She didn't stutter with her immediate yes, and the huge hug she gave him.

Derrick didn't go to the dance, so he didn't see them dance all night, and see him put his homecoming King crown on her head. He missed it. He refused to watch Cam steal away the girl of his dreams.

It all reminded him why he never put out his feelings in the first place.