Pride
It's been three weeks since the showdown between Derrick and Kyle at school and all seemed to have slowly returned to normal, Kyle's still with Nessa, Derrick's still mastering how to control his demon friends and his relationship with Vivian is as smooth as silk, but something was different about Derrick, the way he looked, the way he spoke, the way he walked, the way he carried himself in general seemed all too different. He looked more bold, daring, like an Olympian. It made people stop to watch him walk by them on the street, they didn't stare, or whisper, or laugh, but they were curious nonetheless.
This had gone on long enough that one day after class when Derrick was waiting outside for a ride home, he turned around and was met none other than Vanessa . He gave her a confused look, "Oh hey." Was all he could think of saying.
"Hey, do you mind if I come along?" she asked.
He shrugged, "Not really, why?"
"What's with you Derrick, you don't... you're not acting like you." Vanessa said with a concerned look.
Derrick raised his eyebrows slightly, "What are you talking about? I've always been like this. Besides, shouldn't you be with Kyle? Wouldn't want to batter his face again." Derrick said as he looked at his fists with a sly smile. "That's why I'm here, I wanted us to talk about that." Vanessa said as she shuffled her feet. "Oh word? Go on then, and be quick. I'm waiting for someone." Derrick said as he adjusted his posture in order to fully face her. "I'm just going to put it out there, screw it. I want you back Derrick, I know I was wrong for what I did, being with Kyle has shown me that, I can't bear it each time you're with that black nerd Viv-" "Now let me stop you right there!" Derrick snapped with anger lingering in his voice. "You don't get to say things about Vivian like that to me, unlike you she was there, got that?! SHE WAS THERE! And you weren't, even when I thought you were, you weren't. So watch that potty mouth of yours. What? So now you want me because I decided to finally upgrade? Sorry but umm, I've set my eyes on a uhh different treas- oh hey you!" Derrick said as Vivian ran over to where he stood with Vanessa. "I thought you'd be gone already, phew! Did I... miss anything?" Vivian said as Derrick drew her in for a kiss. "Oh Vanessa here was just leaving, apparently her plans didn't work so she wanted to come for some advice, isn't that right Nessa?" Derrick said as he turned his gaze to Vanessa. Vanessa only stared with tears streaming down her eyes as she left the parking lot. "Jeez, what a drama queen. Now that that's over, what are your plans for today boo?" Derrick said as he pulled Vivian closer to him by her waist. "I'm a bit hungry, you think we could go somewhere for lunch?" Vivian asked with a smile. "Why of course in fact, I know a place not far from here, shall we?" Derrick said as he motioned for his car. "Alright handsome, let's go." Vivian said as she entered his and they sped off.
*****
The two drove around aimlessly through downtown before stopping at Burger King. They grabbed their orders and sat down at one of the booths, eating in silence until Derrick broke it. "So tell me five things that made today awesome." he asked as he munched on a fry. "Well uhmmm," she paused to consider what to answer. "We kissed again, we went to lunch which we ate in silence but it wasn't awkward at all, I didn't trip or anything. We were alone. I felt good when I touched you. That's pretty much it." Vivian said as she finished her burger. "Wow, that's a lot. You sure you're okay?" Derrick asked as he reached across the table and took her hand. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Vivian replied as she squeezed his hand. "No reason, just making sure." he said with a grin. The rest of the day passed without much fanfare, both enjoying spending time together and acting like typical couples.
*****
It was 7:30 pm and Vivian had to babysit her little sister. So she began getting ready to leave the restaurant. While in the car with Derrick she took her time to study his appearance. His curly brown hair with a well chiseled chin, his perfectly carved eyebrows and luscious lips that glistened each time they passed a streetlight, who wouldn't notice how muscular and veiny his hands where. His fashion sense was also top notch, she was the only one he knew that could pull off wearing nothing but a white tee and some denim shorts. It suddenly occurred to her that she's actually his girlfriend, a slight smile came across her face as she turned to look outside her window. "Anything wrong babe?" Derrick asked as he placed his hand on her lap. "No, everything is perfect." Vivian answered. "Good, cause otherwise we'd never get out of here." He said leaning forward to press a small kiss on her lips.
She couldn't help but blush at the sudden touch of his lips against hers, he was the first boy she had ever truly kissed and it didn' feel that bad. She was about to pull away and leave the car when he grabbed her waist and pulled her towards him. Their tongues found their way into each others mouths, and it felt amazing. They eventually stopped kissing and leaned back in their seats. "Well that was hot." she said softly. He laughed, "It certainly was." He responded before pulling her into another kiss. They spent the next few minutes in complete silence, enjoying the comfort of each other's presence.
After several moments Vivian began to pull away and look at the clock on the dash. "We should get going, I promised my mom that I'd be home by 8 and I don't want to keep my sister waiting." Vivian said. "Of course, don't worry I'll drive you home." Derrick stated as he started the engine of the car. After dropping Vivian at home she decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator. When she arrived at her door she opened the door and was greeted by her younger sister Chloe. "Mommy said you were late. Where have you been!?" Chloe exclaimed as she ran up to greet her big sister. "Sorry, I had something to do, but I'm home now." she said bending down to hug Chloe. "Are we gonna play pretend tea party?" Chloe asked as she wrapped herself tighter around Vivian. "Sure baby girl, but after that we're gonna eat dinner and then go straight to bed ok?" she asked as she gently picked Chloe up as she turned to wave Derrick goodbye. "Bye Derrick! Love you."
"Love you too." he said waving back as she exited through her front door. "See you tomorrow!" Chloe called out, "Bye Chloe! he yelled back as he started his car and drove off.
*****
As Derrick got home he took of his clothes and headed straight to the shower . He quickly scrubbed away the grease and grime from today's activities, his mood had completely shifted once they left the diner. He smiled thinking about the look in Vivian's eyes, how soft and gentle they appeared, how beautiful it felt to be held by her arms. His heart soared with the feeling of happiness that swept over him at those thoughts, it was such a wonderful feeling, so he let it fill him completely as he continued to enjoy his shower. Once his shower was done, he dressed into a pair of sweats and a t shirt that had 'P.s.' written across the chest, before sitting down to watch some TV. "Seems you had fun today." Gluttony said as he appeared on another couch. "Oh yeah, today my friends was amazing!" Derrick said as he stretched his body before grabbing the remote to change the channel. "Pride, you're the man! I mean... I felt so awesome today! WE HAVE GOT TO MAKE THIS A PERMANENT THING!" Derrick said as he beamed with smiles as he reminisced on the events of the day. "You're welcome, I stick to my lane unlike some people I know." Pride said as he turned to Wrath with a smug look on his face. "Oh please, the Kyle kid had it coming." Wrath said with a scoff. "Dude it's a miracle you haven't gone off yet. Maybe this will make it easier." Sloth said. "What the hell does that even mean?" Wrath asked, clearly irritated.
"It means you better stay calm. You know how you get when you lose total control." Sloth said as he let out a slight Wrath shot Sloth a dirty look before looking towards the television screen once more.
"So how was your date with the lady, huh?" Sloth asked while trying to act as though he hadn't noticed Wrath's pissed demeanor toward him.
Derrick looked at him confused. "Shouldn't you know? I mean you all exist in my head now." "Oh yeah, but we don't get to see what happens when we're not in control. Think of it as an off switch." Sloth said as he stretched his body. "Oh, well it went well I guess, nothing much to it." Derrick said as he chuckled awkwardly at Sloth's statement. "So did ya kiss her again last night?" Sloth teased. "Shut up Sloth. And no, nothing really happened except we went to a food court and ate, that's all." Derrick said as he rolled his eyes. "I better get some sleep, wouldn't want to wake up feeling like a log again. Later guys." Derrick said as he proceeded to lay on his bed.