The Hanson's

An alarm clock noisily shook the nightstand below it as if trying to wake up it's owner. A slim figure appeared in the doorway, shuffling over and patting the clock to stop the noise. Derek was already wide awake and not the least bit tired since he had been up for at least an hour now. His corgi, Lizzi, pranced into his new room with her big ears alert and her muzzle opened in case she thought she needed to bark. Derek ignored her and jogged into his small bathroom. He brushed his dirty blonde hair, thinking about how he was going to make a lasting impression on his first day. Lizzi growled at Derek, dropping her food bowl by his door. She always seemed to be hungry even when she had already been fed. Derek ignored his corgi, pulling on his blue jeans with the tears at the knees. He also put on a striped button up T-shirt, scanning the room for his converse. He found them underneath his desk, with a few pairs of socks. Already, his room was as messy, if not more, than in New York. Bed unmade, unpacked school items everywhere, clothes scattered: his mom was already starting to complain about how she couldn't see his floor. He had ignored her comments as usual, dumping whatever he was done with at the moment on the floor.

Now to find his car keys, cell phone, and sunglasses. After slowly locating each of them one by one, he dashed out of his bedroom, Lizzi following close behind him. Derek grabbed a fruit bar and yelled a goodbye to his parents. They each responded differently, his mother having a frown on her face and walking to his room to see what other messes he had made and his father waving, not looking up from his newspaper. Derek flew past their porch, making sure that Lizzi was inside the house. He ran to his car and unlocked it, smoothly sitting into his Chevrolet Camaro. The engine purred to life and Sheldon's homemade soundtrack came on. Sheldon had played in a band and given him a copy of his work before he left. Knowing Sheldon, his dream probley was to become a musician with a mohawk. Derek pulled out of the garage, his silver car glinting in the sunlight. The tires rolled down the driveway as Derek prepared himself for his first day of SP highschool.

After stopping at a convenient store for a coke, Derek had arrived at his house, so much completed in one day. His car rolled up the driveway, stopping at the garage door. It had been sealed shut, probley by his mom. She was so picky about dirty tires touching her smooth, clean floors, that sometimes she'd make Derek and his dad park their cars outside. He got out, seeing that the rain had subdued into a light shower. Lizzi jumped all over his legs, making little muddy pawprints appear. She greeted him with her tongue and a few happy yips. His mom stood just outside of the door, smiling. Her cream colored apron was on and her rain hat perched on her curly blonde hair. "How was your day at school?" she called to him. He had already made his way to the back door where she was standing, school things in his hand. His mother's shoes flip-flopped into the steamy kitchen that smelled of baked potatoes and cornbread. "It was great," Derek said. His mom, Teresa, looked like she was about to say something skeptical when a scratch could be heard on the back door. As his mom walked over to open it, Derek to the chance to make his escape to his room.

It was half cleaned up, most of his clothes put away. He set his football bag with his gear by his desk and plopped down on his bed, cell phone in hand. Derek typed in Lesley's number in his phone, throwing away the paper so that his mom wouldn't find it later. Then he started on his text. So how was choir? he asked-texted her, pushing the send button on his Samsung Rant. Lizzi trotted into the room and shook her fur of the bath water that his mom had washed her with. Her fur was still wet as she jumped up to join him on his bed. She layed at his feet as he leaned his back up against the wall.

Derek switched the channels on his crackly old TV, trying to find something that didn't have a preveiw currently on. With no success and little patience, he sat up on his bed and drummed on his knees, waiting for Lesley's reply. With the sudden feet shifting, he heard Lizzi growl grumpily as she turned a circle on his bed. A buzzing noise came from his nightstand making his picture frame fall off.

Is this Derek?

A small grin appeared on his face as he read it and slowly began typing a responce. His girl cousin's lessons on technology didn't help one bit whenever it came to phones and Derek was no whiz at it himself.

Yea, this is Lesley, right?

Derek's head snapped up at the sound of a rap on his door after sending the message. A pile of fresh unfolded laundry landed on the inside of his door and his mother's voice was calling something about his father. Derek just shrugged and stowed them in his dresser. Lizzi cocked her ears and growled, either a warning to sit back down again or to feed her.

Derek plopped back down on his bed, feeling extremely bored of just sitting in his bedroom. He was, of course, interested in talking to Lesley but he didn't want to feel like a couch potato so he stood up, and changed into his swim trucks and a T-shirt. The beach seemed like the place to be on a sunny day like this one. He quickly texted Lesley back.

I made the football team but it counts as both of my electives. Hey, I'm going to the beach, you wanna come?

Exiting his bedroom was hard with all of the things on the floor but somehow he and Lizzi made it through, taking a breath of pine-scented air as they walked down the hall and into the kitchen, Derek carrying his keys and his wallet and cell phone in his back pocket. His mom raised one eyebrow and narrowed her eyes, "Where do you think you're going without any sunscreen?" Derek raised his hands up in an inoccent gesture,"Just to the beach. I've been surfing before without sunscreen." His mother didn't say anything but nodded to tell him it was okey.

Derek's smirk spead practically from ear to ear as he blew the dust off of his old surfboard in the garage. Long time no see. His tan arms carried it to his car and stuffed it in.He drove to the beach with a small smile on his face and his thoughts roaming to the waves. This would be perfect. It was his way of loosening up and being free; feeling the wind in his hair and getting his legs all stretched out from those tiny desks at school.