Okay people, here's the next chapter. We are returning to some normalcy with Derrick's POV. Hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Clique.
Hawthorne Heights: Silver Bullet
I waited patiently for Claire to finish her breakfast and conversation with her parents. I didn't care if she took the entire day. I was so happy. Deliriously so. No, I don't think those words are strong enough to describe how I was feeling. I was ecstatically euphoric. I felt like a little kid waking up on Christmas morning to find not only a huge, thirteen foot evergreen tree in their living room, but also a huge sea of all the gifts the child could ever ask for, and a large white blanket of snow covering ever inch of the ground and ensuring that school would be closed for the next week. It was a bubble of happiness that wanted it's way out so badly. I just wanted to yell out in the fact that goddess divine, Claire Lyons- beautiful, sarcastic, adventurous, mysterious, and fantastic, Claire Lyons- wanted to be my wife in the future. That fact alone was enough to leave me smiling into the next decade. Maybe longer.
"Are you going to eat anything Derrick?" She said, looking up at me with her wide blue eyes radiating so much joy that I could practically taste it. She grabbed my hand, and slid her fingers through mine. There seemed to be a new spring in her step. Her eyes had lit up with the joy that had been missing for a long time. The joy that I had longed to see. Then there was the joy that I felt knowing that I had caused that happiness to come back. Me. Little Derrick Harrington. The boy whose father died, and his mother hated him. An orphan. Not someone who came from a perfect family like, Chris Plovert, but the broken boy who thought he would never amount to anything. That's right, me.
"I already ate." I said back to her, trying not to get lost in the orbs of magnificence.
"Claire, after everyone goes home, your father and I have something to tell you and your brother." Judi said, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice.
I know how that felt.
"Can Derrick stay?" Claire asked, her grip on my hand tightening slightly.
"Sorry Claire bear, but Janet and Darrel have something to tell him also." Jay said, looking me in the eye.
Claire shrugged her shoulders daintily. "Okay dad. Come on Derrick, they're probably wondering where we are." Oh yeah, I forgot about the people upstairs. She tugged lightly on my hand, and like a golden retriever, I followed her. With the simple tug of a hand and she had me trailing after her.
As we climbed up the stairs, I had to fight the urge to scoop her up in my arms, and run away until Ethan, or anyone else endangering her life- I sincerely hoped there was no one else- was gone. But I knew I couldn't do that, so I worked with what I could do. I wrapped my arms around her, and she immediately melted into me. I could tell she was tired. My beautiful insomniac's eyes were getting worse. They were bloodshot, and the bags under her eyes were almost purple. I knew she was having nightmares. I didn't have to even be with her at night to know that. I mean come on, if you had a schizophrenic sociopath stalking your every move, wouldn't you have some trouble sleeping also?
We walked into the room and saw couples spread out everywhere. Alicia and Kemp were on the hard wood floor, leaning against the bed, Chris and Dylan had their backs against the new mini fridge, Massie and Josh were sitting in Claire's chaise, and Cam and Kristen were sitting in the middle of the floor.
Claire and I made our way back to the spot we were sitting in before the text, and I grabbed the notebook. Smiling, Claire almost instantly grabbed it out of my hands, along with the pen, and began writing down singers and bands. I looked over her shoulder as I made myself comfortable. In her small cursive, I saw:
Shiny Toy Guns: Le Disko
Die Mannequin Die: Do it or Die
Brittney Spears: Womanizer
Brittney Spears: Circus
Katy Perry: Hot n Cold
Paramore: Born For This
Paramore: Emergency
Fall Out Boy: Dance, Dance
Fall Out Boy: Dead on Arrival
Taylor Swift: Love Story
The Killers: Somebody Told Me
The Cab: Bounce
Claire couldn't seem to think of any more, so I held my hand out to her as a signal for her to hand me the notebook and pen. She did, and I couldn't add a lot more, but I did add:
Muse: Super massive Black Hole
The Killers: Smile Like You mean it
Claire seemed to have approved of my additions to the important list because she nodded her head. She nuzzled her petite body into my side and let out a deep sigh. I began to rub her back soothingly. The girl needed a lot of things, but the most prominent were rest and time to de -stress.
Silversun Pickups: Little Lover's So Polite
I was still trying to think of songs to write down. Looking around Claire's bedroom for inspiration, I saw that Kristen looked like she had an idea.
"Hey Mass," she started slowly, and waking up Claire.
"Yeah Kristen?" Massie asked, curiosity filling her voice.
"I just had a great idea." Kristen said this, and Claire looked up from my side.
"What is it?" Massie asked. I could tell that there was a little bit of jealousy in her voice.
"Instead of this being a normal party," Kristen waited to get everyones attention before she went on. "We throw a masquerade party." She finished with an almost conspiratorial look in her eye.
I vaguely heard Massie take in a quick gasp. Now she was probably thinking of all the possibilities.
Claire mistook her almost silence as a sign that she didn't like the idea because she quickly jumped in, "I remember in ninth you said that you always wanted to have one. This is the perfect opportunity." My love was right. This would be the perfect opportunity, and call me a pansy, but the idea seemed kind of fun.
"I like it Kristen. Leesh, you still want outfits?" Massie said in a voice that told me that she already knew the answer.
Alicia nodded her head furiously.
"You'll have to find masks also." She said, this time already knowing for sure that she would want the assignment. "This was a great idea Kristen, thanks." Massie said, surprising Claire by thanking Kristen.
Kristen looked down at her lap, going back to her shy self. She mumbled a quiet "thank you," and let her hair cover her face.
Third Eye Blind: Darkness
Think that the excitement was over, and Claire would want to doze again, I put my arm back around her, and she snuggled up against me, but didn't close her eyes again like I was expecting her to. It was like she was waiting for something. Maybe another text. Maybe something else. I had no idea, so I figured I would embrace the whole honesty that she had promised me, and I asked her.
"Is everything alright Claire?" I said, looking her in her eyes; searching for any insecurity. It seemed to be written on her face.
"I'm waiting for another text. I just have a feeling that something is going to happen." She told me with sad eyes.
"Claire, love, you can't spend this time just waiting for a text or something. I know we're not doing anything right now, but you can't let him control you." I told her sternly, but still with sympathy.
"I know, but it's difficult. Call it a girls intuition, but I know something is going to happen. I just know it." She told me, still with her puppy- dog eyes.
I drew in a sigh. "You want me to be honest with you?" I asked her.
"That would be nice, yes." She told me, rolling her eyes.
"I'm worried that something will happen too. But let's not dwell on it. Just shove him out of your mind and let's get cracking on the play list. We've got to make the music kick arse." I said, hoping that British slang would make her smile. It did.
"You're right. Maybe I'm worrying over nothing. Okay, we have to try to keep within these pathetic preppies music range." I chuckled at one, at the blunt way she said that, and two, how her attitude changed so quickly.
"So that 's, One, Two, Step."
"Most definitely."
We started to get a nice pace like this, going back and forth with artists and song names that we thought other people would like. You could lead a horse and all that jazz.
Claire was in the middle of suggesting a song, and suddenly, we heard the distinct ring of a gun being fired. Twice. Three times. Four. Then dead silence.
Claire and I both looked at each other with the same expression on our face, as everyone else in the room looked around with surprise, fear marring their faces. We all had the same thing running through our heads: Guns don't normally go off in Westchester County.
A few seconds later, we heard the noise that I had come to hate.
The Fray. Over My Head
I never knew, I never knew that everything was falling through.
That everyone I knew was waiting on a cue, to turn and run when all I needed was a friend.
I figured that you all deserved a cliffy. Review guys! Can I have eight for this chapter? Hope you like it! Oh, and I told you Bailey that I would have it out this weekend.