He's Dying to Get Inside

"Derek," the younger girl whined, her flats tapping against the sidewalk as she ran after her brother, "wait for me!"

The broad boy walked on, ignoring his sister. He was mad at her, mad probably wasn't even the word. It took a lot of courage for him to try to kiss Raylee -- he knew that girl took years to build up the walls she had established, and he was aware of how hard it was for him to build himself a gap and get threw them -- as far as he was concerned, the wall had crumbled and covered his progress. Derek would feel foolish trying to pull that off again, hell, he would feel foolish even talking to her again; but he knew he had to do it, because he had made a promise.

Darcy dug her nails into her brother's light tan skin, his sea colored eyes bored down at her, hatred flaring around the iris as he tugged his arm free. He shook his head, not wanting to take his anger out on her, even though it was her fault. If the girl hadn't opened her mouth, he would know if Ray liked him or not, he would know if the chance was worth it.

"Are you hard of hearing?"

"No, I'm not, Darcy. But you, you my dear, are as dull as a doorknob."

"Excuse me?" she spat, crossing her arms and putting on the best face she could to look angry and hurt at the same time. "I am not dumb nor dull, whatever that saying is. How could you regard me like that, I'm your baby sis, you're supposed to fix my mistakes!"

"I try to fix them before you make them, but you never listen!" he turned on her, causing her to cower back and drop her arms, becoming completely aware of how strong he was. "So I moved my attachment onto someone else, I wanted to make some use of myself. And look-y here, I fell for her, and my damn sister had to but her nose in and ruin it."

"I didn't ruin--"

He placed a hand to her mouth, "Shut up. I am sick of your voice, the whole world is."

Derek walked away from her, leaving her standing in the middle of the bare sidewalk astonished. This girl had yet to face what she was doing, she had yet to realize how her moves were effecting everyone else. Selfish; that word held little meaning when it came to her, she was a definition that no one had put a word to yet.

~x~

Raylee walked into school, not dressed any different than a normal day, still no make up and her hair still in it's same messy style; but she felt different. Something about Derek trying to kiss her awakened apart of her she wasn't aware of. She'd never fought to get a guy's attention, she never took any interest in them to be honest... but what was that burning feeling she felt in her chest when he set his eyes on her.

She smiled softly, and he turned to his friends, a wave of confusion washed over her. Ray took a deep breath and reminded herself that this is the reason why she didn't need a boyfriend, they were just a distraction. She calmly knelt to her locker and fussed with the dial until it opened, she tugged out her AP books and stood up.

"Are you busy on Friday?"

Her pale eyes fell on the cockiest boy in school, "What's it to you?"

"I just wanted to know if I would see your cute little conservative body at the party. I mean, it wouldn't be fun without you there."

"You wouldn't have anyone to make fun of then, right? I know my role, Alex. I am a nerd, you are popular -- you're above me on the food chain, I can fight for myself."

"Then why does your boyfriend look pissed that I'm talking to you?"

Raylee turned slightly and spotted Derek, "He's not my boyfriend, he just doesn't like that you knocked up his little sister."

"I don't like it either," he admitted with a sheepish look.

"Don't look at me like that, I won't feel sorry for you. You're pathetic, hitting on everything that you can stick your--" she smiled as a teacher eyed her, "--anyway, you probably don't even know my name."

He set his eyes on her books, but she pulled them to her chest to hide her own identifications. "Guilty, okay. I don't know your name, but I'd like to."

She looked at Derek again, seeing the worry in his eyes, something in her just flared up, "You might catch me at the party."

"Using me to make him jealous?" Alex asked.

Raylee continued walking to her class, not reply to the boy's question. As she sat down in her seat and opened her textbook, she realized that she didn't like this new feeling, she was much more comfortable with a book. But when she looked down at the text beneath her, she felt not interest. Her eyes scanned the room, she spotted a couple people taking notes causing her to do the same, there wasn't anything else to do but wait.

~x~

Alex took the list into his hand, running the pen in his hand over the names of the few girls he had managed to pull into the supply room. His best friend sat down next to him and tugged the paper from his hands, shaking his head.

"Alex, I'm calling this off."

"No."

"Listen to me," Jack ruffled his skunk hair and sighed, "you don't want to be remembered for this at our high school graduation, you don't want this reputation to follow you -- to follow the band. Let's just call it off, you don't have to do anything, no one won. You can apologize to the girls you took advantage of and help that girl with the baby."

"I don't quit."

"You're quitting this one or I tell Mama Gaskarth."

"You wouldn't?"

"I would. I don't like this, I'm sorry I came up with the best in the first place."

"But I- I already invited a girl to the party."

"So don't show, cancel, actually treat her like she deserves to be treated? I don't know Alex, just don't screw her over."

"Can this be the last one?"

"Whatever, I think I made you into an addict."

Alex smiled, "I'm just dying to get to you, babe."

"My price is too high," he said leaving the room.

The coffee haired boy went to the hallway, leaving his books at the library desk, "WORK IT BABY, BUT SAVE SOME FOR TONIGHT!"

Jack turned around and flipped him off, walking towards his class.

~x~

"Hey."

Raylee brushed back her hair, looking at Derek as he leaned against his locker. She didn't know how to respond, she didn't know what he was going to say to her about talking to Alex. "Hi."

"Look, about yesterday--"

"Let me guess, it was a mistake? Or something along that line, I'm sure. You're sporty Derek, I'm dorky Raylee; just let it be."

"Ray," he cautioned.

"I don't wanna hear it."

"But that isn't what I was going to say. I was going to say that I wish Darcy didn't cut me off, and I wish Alex didn't get to you before me this morning."

"What are you talking about, get to me?"

"Didn't you wonder why everyone was staring at you today?"

"People always stare at me," she pointed out.

"The school thinks Alex asked you out, gossip isn't pretty, you should have saw how Darce took it."

"Alex did not ask me out."

He ran a hand through his short hair, "I wasn't that far away, I heard the whole conversation."

Raylee reached for him as he walked away, "So what does that mean?"

"That means that you lied to me, and you probably aren't any better than my sister; no idea why I wasted my time putting you on such a high stool."

"Derek," she started, by the time she went to speak again, he was already out on the campus, she wouldn't ever catch up.