Dedicated to Mersaydez for being an amazing author and person(:
Derrick woke up the next morning with a smile on his face. The smile quickly disappeared once a strong ache shot through his head. "Damn," he muttered under his breath, "this is what Ke$ha meant about waking up and feeling like P. Diddy." He winced a few times, the pain fading slowly. He heard a knock at his door. "Come in!" He called, his voice slightly hoarse.
The door opened slowly and Dana walked through, her dirty blonde curls bouncing, even if was walking slowly. "Derrick?" she whispered. "Are you awake?"
Derrick smirked. "No, Dana, I'm sleep-talking. The reason why I'm answering you so legitimately is because I'm dreaming of this conversation."
Dana rolled her eyes. "Well sorry, Derrick, for caring whether I wake you up or not." She walked up to his bed and sat on the edge, fiddling with the hem of her skirt. She was always wearing a denim mini skirt; if not, then capris. She never wanted to hide her toned tennis legs. She stayed quiet, which piqued Derrick's anticipation.
He sat up in bed, not remembering that he had his shirt off. He quickly found his t-shirt to cover up his lean, not-so-bulgy-muscles-but-still-pretty-good upper body. "Dana, are you alright?" he asked.
She stayed quiet for a few more seconds before asking, "Did you have a good time with Claire last night?" Her chin was quivering, but only just.
Derrick examined Dana's expressions. Her eyes weren't welling with tears, and yet he had a feeling that with some bad news, they would. He sighed. "Why do you want to know?" he asked gently.
Dana shook her head, her curls bouncing all over. "I just want to know…" her voice was tiny.
This wasn't the Dana that Derrick knew. Dana was a very alive person; someone you didn't need to be shy around because she always welcomed you into her life. She was so nice and so warm that you'd probably end up telling her your whole life story. It was what Derrick loved about Dana. And right now, he needed to know what was up with his baby sister. "Dana, what's wrong? Come on, I'm your big brother, tell me what's wrong."
Dana's lower lip jutted out a little, causing Derrick's patience to tire out a little. "Dana, come on. You're fourteen, stop acting like a five-year-old. Heck, five-year-olds act better than you."
Dana's shoulders slumped and she dramatically stood up and threw her arms in the air. "Derrick! Don't you see where I'm getting at with this? Massie and you belong together! Why did you go out with Claire? I mean, I love her and all, but really? You have no chemistry at all and you don't look good. Do you remember Destiny?" She didn't wait for him to respond and continued on, "Well, she was telling me about Claire and saying that she's a sweetie and that everyone loves her and that she's smart and that she's too nice."
Derrick held up a hand. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, little sister, hold up. Do you hear what you're saying?" He threw his dark blue comforters off his body and placed his feet on the ground, sitting on the edge of his bed, looking directly at Dana. "You're explaining the epitome of a perfect girlfriend to me; at least, what Mom thinks is the perfect girlfriend. But I just find that plain creepy."
"Exactly! That's what I'm trying to prove!" Dana thumped Derrick's head.
"Ow!"
"Shut up, big brother," she hissed. "Look," she sighed. "I love you, and I love Claire, but j'dore Massie way more and Massie… If she was my sister-in-law, I'd be the most luckiest girl in the world, no kidding." Dana scratched her neck.
Derrick sighed. He knew where this was going with Dana. She loved Massie, and he loved Massie, too, more than Dana could ever imagine. But what happened with Claire last night; they laughed, they ate, they had fun, they reconnected. Derrick didn't feel a spark, but maybe you weren't supposed to feel it on the first date, like how he felt with Massie when he first met her and pulled her hair. "Dana, listen. You know that I love Massie, and that I would do anything for her, but right now, she's with someone el—"
"So fight for her, Derrick! Do something about it! Don't let whoever she's dating get in the way of you two!" She stomped around for extra emphasis.
"Don't do that, Mom's gonna get mad at you," he warned her.
Dana continued stomping around. "Don't worry, she's not here. I told her you were dropping me off." She stopped, smiled smugly at him and went back to stomping around childishly.
Derrick's eyes widened in annoyance. He stood up, grabbed his sister by the shoulders and said, "Dana Christine Harrington, I love you with every bit of me. You can talk to Mom about how much you dislike Claire, you can ride with me every single day for all I care, but you will not, will not, stomp around like an immature girl, do you hear me? You were raised better than that. I can handle immaturity, things like randomness and being loud and obnoxious, but you will don't make stomping sounds like the ones you made. Do I make myself clear?"
Dana gulped, her eyes wide and welling up with tears. "All I want for you is the best," she murmured before wriggling out of Derrick's grasp and running out the door.
Derrick's hands were still in the air, still in the same position as if Dana hadn't left. He stayed in the same pose for a few more seconds before moving. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Had he just yelled at his baby sister? The same baby sister who had given him an "I luff u, derik" chocolate cake with the r and k backwards on his eleventh birthday when everyone else seemed to forget. The same baby sister who helped him get better from his flu before his soccer game back in Minnesota.
"Shit," he muttered. Why was his life going horribly wrong?
_xoxoDDLSG_
Derrick drove slowly to school, having already called Destiny's mom and hearing that Dana caught a ride with them last minute. He apologized vigorously after that, not wanting them to think that the Harringtons abandoned their kids.
But in a way, Derrick felt abandoned by his family. His father had moved them all around the state of Minnesota. Derrick promised to keep all his friends, but all the new ones he made always seemed cooler than that last group he made friends with.
If I had a dollar for every friend I made and then deserted, I'd be richer than Bill Gates, he thought.
He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and continued on driving. His brain conjured up many things to think about: Claire, bananas, how Claire looked last night, the New Moon movie coming up, how it seemed cute that Claire laughed like a little girl, boy bands, why he never noticed Claire before, red popsicles and why they seemed to be the best kind, Claire, Claire, Claire.
He sighed. He really did like Claire and how she seemed so sweet. But why would Dana hate that? I mean, Dana and Massie were pretty close, closer than sisters even. Just because she and Claire weren't all that close, doesn't mean she has any right to hate her. I mean, Claire is so sweet and she's so nice.
Derrick gave Claire a second thought. Well, too nice might get annoying and too sweet? What if I want to prank someone? Massie would be up for it. Massie and Dana would always be getting along. If Claire and I become a "thing", I don't want Dana to only be nice to her because I say so. I want her to be nice to her on her own will. I want them to have what Dana and Massie always had.
Derrick turned into the school's parking lot and instantly spotted an electric blue car. But before he could park there, a silver Rolls-Royce parked right next to it. Connor came out, a half-smile on his face and his hair blowing in the wind.
He looked like a Greek god.
No wonder why Massie and he were together. The pair, if ever they got married, would have gorgeous kids, maybe even better looking than Angelina Jolie's kids.
Not that I wanted them to get married.
Derrick sighed as he watched random girls gawk at Connor and sigh and squeal when he passed by them. He then walked up to Massie and gave her a big hug and a peck on the lips, on her cheek and on her forehead. She laughed and slapped his chest playfully.
Derrick rolled his eyes. He parked his car near Cam's black Hyundai and got out. He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He then strolled towards the school where he got bombarded with girls asking him questions.
"Are you single?"
"Why are you dating Claire? You can do better."
"Derrick, what's your favorite TV show?"
And to Derrick's surprise, a lanky boy with thick, red hair threw himself at him. "Have you ever wondered whether a guy could be better for you?"
Derrick's eyes widened and he broke free from them all and ran away. Luckily, they didn't follow. When he reached the oak tree, Josh was chortling with Cam, who was bent over and slapping his knee.
"Duuuuude," Josh coughed up, still laughing.
Kristen and Claire were trying to hold back their laughter while Massie, the one Derrick hoped would be laughing and teasing him just as much as Josh and Cam were going to, stood away from the group, talking to Antonette. Connor seemed to be giving Derrick an apologetic look.
"Shut up, guys," Derrick mumbled. He and Claire awkwardly glanced at each other.
"Do you even know who that was?" Josh asked.
Massie sighed as Antonette went on a rampaging attack on why she was with Connor in the first place. "Look, Massie, if you want to get Derrick on your side, you have to get rid of Connor. I like him and all, and I can see that he really does love you, but really? Don't you think you just went a little too fast with all of this?"
Massie was taken aback. "Nette, you were the one who told me to go and look for another guy to fill in Chris's hole. What the hell are you talking about that I'm the one going too fast?"
Antonette grumbled something incoherent and then said aloud, "Yeah, well, when I said look for a guy to fill in Chris's hole, I didn't mean do so in a way that you'd seem like a slut!"
"Are you calling me a slut now?" Massie hissed. "Antonette, you're really getting on my nerves with the crap you're telling me. What exactly is it that you want to tell me?"
"That you belong to Derrick! I saw it the first time that I saw you and him together, when he was on you on the bed." Massie sighed. "Derrick loves you, Massie, don't you see it? He wants to be with you and only you. Why don't you see it?"
Massie's eyebrows came together and she sighed. "Stop it, Nette, okay? You're my friend because you helped me with the Chris thing. But you need to stop saying that Derrick and I should be together—"
"Even if you know it's the right thing to do?" Antonette, even with the big height difference, was even stronger than Massie was. Her brown eyes glared straight into Massie's amber ones, as if she was staring straight into her soul. And in a way, she was. Massie knew that Antonette was lying and that Massie secretly was envious of Claire and her date with Derrick. But a bigger part of her was hoping that Derrick would like Claire so that she could get him out of her hands.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Massie." Antonette turned away and sauntered over to Charles who was staring accusingly at Massie. She gulped and silently walked back to the group where she was greeted with Josh saying, "Hey, Mass, what was that about?"
Massie looked up at him and shook her head. "Oh, you know, we were talking about red firetrucks."
Connor made a I-know-you're-lying-but-I'll-play-along face and hugged her. "It's alright, Massie."
"Damn, Nette's hot. I need to talk to her again," Josh commented while staring at Antonette.
For some odd reason, Kristen felt a little pang of pain in her chest. She turned away from that and looked at Claire who, from the corner of her eyes, was ogling at Derrick who, from the corner of his eye, was glancing at Massie, who from the corner of her eye was looking at Antonette and then at Derrick.
She sighed. What happened to them? They used to be the all-girl group who never worried about boys and dating and here they were, slobbering and falling over each other. She remembered that she and Derrick had a date last night, so she turned away from Claire and then looked at Cam who was glancing from the corner of his eye at Claire.
Her eyes widened in annoyance and she absentmindedly said aloud, "The only sane person in this group is Connor."
_xoxoDDLSG_
Claire sat in the back of Mrs. Hopkins class, thinking about what Kristen said. She was going to question her, but the bell rang and she ran off to class without a second glance. She didn't even wave bye.
"Claire, are you okay?" Mrs. Hopkins questioned.
Claire looked up from her nails and nodded her head, a sweet smile on her face.
Mrs. Hopkins nodded, uncertain, and turned away and started chatting about something Claire didn't want to listen to.
I'm pretty sane. What did she mean about Connor being the only sane person in the group? He wasn't even in the group! Since when was he our friend? Just because Massie and Connor are dating doesn't mean he gets to be in the group that fast.
Oh, Claire, what are you talking about? Connor was always in the group; you always liked him because he always respected Massie. You can't wait him because to you, he seemed perfect with Connor. And besides, with them together, now you and Derrick could be lovers. Isn't that the reason why he asked for another date? He had fallen into my charms, right?
Claire smiled smugly and leaned back in her chair. She reached for her Motorola Rival in her pocket. She pulled it out and quietly began texting.
Claire: Hey(: How's UR class gng?
She waited for him to text back, just to see if he would reply.
Cam: Oh, it's gng good. My teacher is pretty cool.
She texted back fast.
Claire: Can you IM right now? Are you doing anything?
Cam texted back faster.
Cam: Sure. I've added you already, right?
Claire: Yep. (:
She logged onto her AIM account and waited for Cam to log on.
You have one IM from CFisher101
ClaireBear: Cam!
CFisher101: Claire!
ClaireBear: Cam, seriously, I need to talk to you! Stop it.
CFisher101: Okay, then, no need to be so stern. You're like my mom. XD
ClaireBear: Oh, Cam. Sometimes I wonder about you.
CFisher101: Funny. My mom said the same thing a few days ago:)
ClaireBear: …
Claire rolled her eyes. Even if Cam was playful like that, and it seemed like she hated it, she absolutely adored it. And she adored it when he knew exactly how she was feeling, as if he was right there next to her and could see her expression.
CFisher101: Okay, Claire bear, I'm sorry, I'll stop. –folds hands together- Now, what do you want to talk about on this fine day?
ClaireBear: Cameron, seriously, I'll punch you in the place where the sun don't shine if ever you play around during our fine-day talk.
CFisher101: Hmm, my mom's never used this line on me before. :P
CFisher101: Kidding! Okay, Claire, I'm gonna be serious now. What do you need help with?
ClaireBear: I need to talk to you about Derrick.
Cam rolled his eyes and decided against replying. He didn't want to talk to the love of his life about the love of her life. That was gonna make him suicidal. He checked all the other people he could talk to. Massie, Josh, Claire and Harris, his older brother, were the only ones online.
He really needed new friends.
_xoxoDDLSG_
"Hey, guys! How's it hanging?" Connor asked, taking a seat next to Massie.
Her glazed over eyes brightened as soon as she saw him. She beamed when he kissed her cheek. "How are you? How have your classes been?"
"Very fine. But I got in trouble for doodling in class." She reddened and her eyes darted away and to Derrick. For a split second, they held each other's eyes, and she broke it by looking back at Connor.
"Can I see it?" he asked, his grin melting her heart.
"Yes, of course you can." Massie got out her notebook and flipped to the very last page. "Here," she mumbled, handing the book to him.
The paper was full of red and purple hearts, some that showed it's hard work, and then some looking out of place. In every heart, C+M was scribbled on the curve of the right side. It was an amazing piece of work.
Connor smiled. "Massie, sweetie, this is absolutely gorgeous. Can I keep it?"
"Only if you want to," she mumbled.
"Well, I do. Now"—he placed his finger under her chin and tilted her face up—"why do you seem so sad?"
Massie smiled a little. "Not sad. Just tired. I didn't get much sleep. It's because someone kept me up last night." She glared directly at Claire.
She laughed and held her hands in the air. "Hey, don't get mad at me. You were the one who kept bugging me for details."
Kristen cleared her throat. "I wasn't in on this?" she asked quietly.
Massie and Claire shared an awkward glance and Massie said, "Well, it's because we knew you weren't awake anymore. And we didn't want to bother you."
"What time did you two talk last night?" she asked.
Josh, Cam, Derrick and Connor all shared uh-oh-girl-problem-coming-on faces.
"We started talking at around 11:30," Claire answered.
Kristen stayed silent. "I was asleep already," she mumbled, sheepish.
Massie shrugged and leaned into Connor. She yawned and closed her eyes. Connor half-smiled and wrapped one arm around her body, pulling her closer. "Mm, don't move me," she grumbled.
"Okay, unless you'd want to fall on your face," he murmured into her hair.
"Yeah, but I know you'd catch me, so I wouldn't fall on my face."
Derrick rolled his eyes at the two. "God, it's a public school, you're not supposed to be PDA'ing whenever you want to, you know."
"Well, technically, Briarwood Academy is a private school. They just don't think that uniforms are any help," Cam corrected him.
Derrick narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Don't make me punch you in the place where the sun doesn't shine, Fisher Toys."
Cam laughed. "Where have I heard that one before?" He caught a glimpse of Claire who crimsoned.
"Shut up, Cam." She went back to forking her salad.
Derrick bit his cheek and felt the urge to go to Claire. So he slid down the seat and nudged her arm. "Hey there."
She looked up at him and smiled. "Hi."
"How've you been?"
"Okay. And you?"
"Totally fine." Derrick got stuck there. He hoped that that wasn't going to be all of their conversations.
"So, anything been happening with you and your family lately?" she asked.
Well, aside from the fact that my sister doesn't like you as much as she likes Massie and the fact that I may possibly throw up because of how these two love birds are acting, I'm totally fine. Oh, wait, you didn't ask about my love life, only family. I'm such a douche.
"Oh, you know, everything's fine," he lied.
"Really? You don't seem it. It took you a while to answer."
"No, totally fine, really."
"Oh-kay then. But if you need to talk, I'm here." Claire smiled at him, a twinkle in her blue eyes.
How could Dana not like Claire? he thought.
Kristen rolled her eyes at the two who were acting as if they were in their own little world. They only went on one date; they weren't exactly Massie and Connor who actually had a history. She sighed and excused herself quietly, knowing that no one even noticed.
She brought her tray to the end of the school where she placed it on the table where a guy with a white apron took it and dumped its contents. Kristen turned away and headed for the library. She didn't feel like handling the awkwardness at the table.
While walking down the hall, her phone vibrated. She got out her Blackberry and checked it, hoping it was someone who realized she was gone.
Josh: IM me.
Kristen raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes. Josh was great and all, but she just didn't feel like talking to him, not now. In fact, she didn't feel like talking to anybody at this point. Massie had Connor, Derrick had Claire, Josh had Antonette—or at least half the time he did. Cam was the only one who didn't have anyone. She stopped in her tracks, leaned back on a locker and slid down.
She got out her Blackberry and started typing.
Kristen: I h8 it when D person U love is w/ some1 else. Don't U?
She sent that and waited for a reply. None came back; or at least from Cam.
Josh: So U decide 2 txt Cam instead of me? What's up w/ that?
Kristen rolled her eyes. That day was horrible and a day she did not want to dwell around any longer. She pushed herself up from the ground and remembered that she left her bag on the floor where she was sitting at earlier.
In anger, she punched the locker. "Damn it!" she growled. "Ugh! Fuck this," she muttered. She ran down the hall and disappeared out the door the same time that Josh came to the spot where Kristen was at. He sighed and spotted the dent in the locker.
He shook his head and walked away from the lockers.
AN: This was a really rushed chapter, so any mistakes, anything that doesn't connect (like all my other stories that don't connect), you can point them out to me.
Oh, and: Jamie Scott is the most adorable five-year-old alive, I am too much of a Jess Mariano lover, and Dean Winchester is the hottest demon-hunter ever. Just thought you should knowXD
Oh, yeah, I changed my name, too. We all need a change now and then, right? :D So I went from xoxoDDLSG to WhereItAllBegins
To all of you reviewers, I love you all and you guys really are the best(:
PMs, reviews, fave, subscribe(:
Pizzazz,
WhereItAllBegins(: