Excerpt: Derek

annoyed...

Every moment he spent in his house became less and less tolerable. It was too much for him to deal with, and sticking it out till he would be able to leave seemed difficult to look positively at. Derek Denton was a lot of things, but he wasn't a push-over. He couldn't just stand there while his mother invaded his life like she had been doing and has done all his life. He power-walked out from his room, past his screaming mother in his living room, un-caring as to what she was saying. He knew that he would hear from her later, but now he was just too angry that any thought that pertained to his mother were pointless, therefore they just left his mind.

He was running now. Every muscle in his body strengthening as if helping him escape the hell hole that was his home. Luckily he had remembered to grab his car keys from his room before rampaging out. He wouldn't get very far without them, and far was exactly where he was aiming to get. The problem was that his life was... Moore. He hadn't ventured out of it except occasionally whenever his family took a ridiculous vacation. Those didn't usually last long. He started the car. He didn't bother looking behind him while backing out. If a car was going to hit him, at least his life would be over without the pain or the knowing that he was dying. He wouldn't exactly be happy about it either though.

Anyone on the road would clearly be able to see that Derek could most definitely be considered as a reckless driver. Not only was he speeding, but he was not wearing his seat belt, he was swerving in and out of his lane, and he was running through every red light that he had come across. Today was just not his day.

.. 1 hour and 2 Dr. Peppers later

Not only had Derek not known as to where it was exactly that he was, he hadn't remembered or known how far exactly that he was away from home. If it was Derek's word, it would be that he was still in Moore. Which of course, wasn't exactly the proper scenario. He was in a place called Edmond. He came across a coffee shop with the words IHOP written on a sign in front of the shop. He reeled in his car to the nearest available parking space and parked. Crooked as it was, he still turned his car off and got out of his car to walk into the restaraunt. He carelessly stepped into the restaraunt with a smile on his face, though his insides were tied in a knot with worry. Yes... thoughts of his mother had eventually caught back up to him in the car ride here.

He stumbled mindlessly up to the counter to order a black coffee. Black wasn't usually what he had had. He had usually settled with a little something with more flavor... something a lot less black. He looked around, eyeing the room for any possible seats, seeing every seat available aside from one made him feel a lot more comfortable in the place. He didn't do very well in public places usually.

He did manage to spot a girl far-off in the place, keeping to herself like any normal American would do. Americans often contain themselves within a bubble that does not like to be broken. For Derek though, there was absolutely nothing wrong that. Odds are were that they would never even meet each other.

"Here you go sir." The cashier handed Derek his black coffee, accompanied by his smile and polite voice.

"Thanks." Derek said with a appreciative smile.

He walked over to a nearby table. He usually grabbed a stirring straw when he bought coffee, but that was only when he something to stir in. Black coffee really didn't give him that option. Instead he sat there for a while staring at the white cup and filled in his lungs with the scent again and again. Sometimes he even wondered as to why he even drank coffee as he mainly liked the smell of it. It was the smell that even ever gave him a taste for it. So he just sat there feeling the time slip away from him until it would be necessary for him to return home for his lecture, possibly more.