User blog:Scarly/Bring Me To Life: Cody Pepper: Derby Harrington: Chapter 2: Awkwardness

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Chapter 2

Awkwardness

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Derby

...

To me, everything made sense. The rich was superior, the poor was to be shunned. Everyone had their place. Then she came along. Cody Pepper was a faker, she lived on the poorer side of Old Bullworth Vale, yet she wore our uniform - Aquaberry.

She was like a poison that spread through our clique, before long, she was accepted as one of us. Yet, she refused to be a official Prep.

I tried to ignore her, but that became increasingly impossible. It was like she was everywhere, even in Harrington House. I ignored her at every opportunity, refusing to allow myself to speak to the faker.

One afternoon, after classes, I sat alone in the drawing room of Harrington House, shuffling a deck of cards. I had hoped to play a game of cards with the chaps, but they was running late, so it seemed. The oak doors opened, as Bif walked into the room holding a couple of cans of Beam Cola - four to be exact. I wondered, why four?

He sat down at the table, then handed me a can. I nodded at him, because it was improper to actually thank someone. He placed another can at each of the empty spaces, either side of me. This was a strange act, because I was under the impression, that we was only waiting for Parker.

Then Parker walked into the room with her, the faker. My hands tensed, causing most of the cards to fly across the table. She simply smiled, and sat down at the table. I found it most annoying how she hung on my every word, even though I wasn't speaking to her directly.

I forced myself to pretend that she wasn't there. It was all I could do, to stop myself from shouting "Get out, you fake!"

"Those Greasers seriously need putting in their place, one of the grease monkeys tried challenging me to fight, on the way over here," Parker said.

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Cody

...

I was sat by the fountain, waiting for Anita. She had recently joined the Greasers, because she beat Peanut in a bike race. She seemed to be late every time we planned to meet, sometimes she didn't show up at all. I sighed, as I walked towards the auto shop, maybe she had a good reason for being late.

"Get lost, Prep," Lola snapped at me. I hadn't even noticed her leaning with her back against the gate.

"I was just looking for Anita," I said, firmly.

"Well, she ain't here," Peanut said, as he walked towards me from near the fountain area.

I turned around, and saw Parker looking over this way.

"Is everything alright, Cody?" he called over.

"This is none of your business, you trust fund turd," Peanut yelled at him.

"Well, you challenge one of our associates, that makes it my business," Parker replied.

"Want to make something of it, Prep?" Peanut said, in a challenge kind of way.

Parker laughed arrogantly at him, as I ran away from the angry Greaser. Parker and I walked towards Harrington House. I decided maybe it was best that I waited here instead, because Greasers usually avoid going here.

"What was going on?" Parker asked, when we both stopped outside the wooden doors.

"I was looking for Anita," I replied.

"I think I saw her leaving the school with some other grease monkeys." Parker paused for a moment. "Why don't you join us for a game of cards?"

I looked at the door, I was a little surprised. I've never been inside Harrington House before, and I had no idea how to play most card games either. But, I couldn't refuse, because the idea of spending the night with Derby was something that I've wanted for four years now. I may never get another chance, because it's the last day of the school year.

"Sure," I said, happily.

Parker pushed open the doors, I was amazed as I walked inside. It was better than I expected: high ceiling rooms, with furniture that is probably worth more than my entire house, oak doors, there was even a proper fire place, in the downstairs drawing room.

I followed him upstairs, looking at everything that I passed. This was probably nothing to the Preps, but it was totally awesome to me. He opened the doors, that lead to the upstairs drawing room. There was a sofa and a TV, a couple of card tables. Derby was sat at the one closed to the glass doors, with Bif sat opposite. Derby fumbled the deck of cards, sending some of them flying across the table. I smiled at Derby, as I sat on the chair to his left.

He ignored me like he always did, so that was nothing new. I couldn't help listening to everything he said, because to me, his accent sounded like some heavenly melody. I often made a mental note to ask him if he came from England, but never plucked up the courage to ask him.

Parker told them all about the confrontation with the Greasers, the boys laughed at how pitiful they where.

"So, ever played Black Jack before, Cody?" Bif asked, as he picked up the cards that had landed in front of him.

"No, not really.." I replied, glancing over at Derby once I was done speaking.

"It's alright, you'll pick it up," Bif replied.

Bif took the rest of the cards from Derby, and shuffled them again. He dealt everyone two cards, except me. He then went on to explain it, as we was going along, showing me his "hand" then explaining which cards was good, and when I should not "hit", etc.

I was actually quite enjoying myself, even though I wasn't actually playing. Once I started to understand it, Bif dealt me some cards. I looked at my hand, I had a ace and a five. Bif had told me that ace could be one or eleven, so I decided that in this case, it will be a one.

"Hit or stick, Derby?" Bif said, holding the deck of cards in his hand.

Derby didn't respond, he was staring at his cards quite intently.

"Derby?" Bif asked. He leaned over the table, and waved his hand in front of Derby's face.

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<p style="text-align: center"><font size= "+1" face= "Harrington">Derby

<p style="text-align: center">...

I couldn't concentrate the whole time we was playing, it annoyed me intensively, how much Bif was being so nice to her. He just had to explain it to her, so she could probably join in, and ruin our boy's night.

Everything she did annoyed me, like how she would slurp her soda, when she was finished drinking some. She way she would smile at me, every time she caught me staring over my cards at her. After she did it for the forth time, I decided that I wouldn't even look at her anymore.

I stared at my cards, refusing to even acknowledge the fake. I almost dropped my cards with surprise, when Bif leaned over the table and waved his hand in front of my face.

"Are you alright?" Bif asked, sounding slightly concerned.

Both Parker and the faker was looking at me, with concerned looks. I just threw my cards on the table, and stood up.

"No, I think I've come down with something," I lied. "I must apologise chaps."

I almost ran out of the drawing room, pushing the oak doors open, as I ran through the doorway. I loosened my tie, as I jogged down the stairs. I didn't stop running, until I was back in my dorm. I had almost finished packing, I was so glad that this was the last day of the school year. I won't have to see her again, until after summer, three glorious months away from Cody the fake.

I leaned my back against the door, and sighed with relief, that there was at least one place left that she couldn't invade, the boy's dorm. There was of course my home, it is very unlikely, that anyone of her social standing would be invited to my home, unless of course to clean the pool.

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<p style="text-align: center"><font size= "+1" face= "Boopee">Cody

<p style="text-align: center">...

I don't know what I did to upset Derby, I knew that it must have been something that I had done. Both Bif and Parker had told me that he doesn't normally act this way. There was no point continuing our game now, so I left Harrington House.

When I got back to my dorm, I didn't need to do much packing, just put away my school uniform, and drag my trunk out of my dorm.

Anita was in the dorm, packing her things at the last minute, like always.

"I waited for ages.." I said, as I retrieved my uniform from the wardrobe.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. Johnny and Lola wanted to see a film, it sounded like a cool film, so I invited Vance along. The film was like totally awesome," she said, like it was a normal thing.

"Something weird happened tonight," I told her, wanting to change the subject.

"Don't tell me, you hung out with the Preps, and Derby ignored you like always," she said, with a bored tone.

I didn't say anything, I hated how much she had changed lately. I barely recognised her. Anita my bestfriend, and Anita the Greaser was two different people, and just lately I didn't see my bestfriend very often.

She threw some socks along with a sweater into her trunk, not really caring if her clothes got crumpled.

"Have you ever considered the fact that he just doesn't like you?" she asked, as she threw a pair of sneakers into her trunk.

I didn't say anything, I just grabbed my remainder of my stuff - a teddy bear, a spare notebook and a pair of mary-janes. I put them in my trunk, and closed the lid.

"Anita, I need a friend, not a Greaser," I replied, bluntly.

I dragged my trunk out into the hallway. I wasn't sorry about what I said, I would even say it again, if she followed me and asked me to repeat it. She didn't though.