*Author’s Note - This is going to be one of the hardest stories I have ever written. Basically because I had no idea, no clue (and I have no problems admitting this) how much hate there was in the world. Recently, I saw a movie that knocked me on my ass so hard, that I sat there for weeks wondering why and how people could hate so much just because of their color or religion, or anything else for that matter. This movie I saw over a month ago for the first time, and it wouldn’t leave me alone. It spoke to me the way things rarely speak to me. It’s rather hard to explain. All I know is, it inspired me. I will state now, right here in my notes, that I do not promote or condone hate in any way shape or form. This was just something I needed to do to sort it all out in my head. I think racism is the lowest form of cowardice that has ever had the misfortune to grace the human race, and I do not tolerate it in my life. With that said, please don’t think badly of me, just because I write about certain touchy subjects does not mean they are my beliefs. I am not racist. I was raised to treat everyone equally and with the same amount of love and respect. I am in no way shape or form a racist of any kind. So again, please don’t hold this against me. It was something I needed to write about so I could sort the jumbled and confusing thoughts in my head.
This story is based loosely on the movie American History X, if you wish to find out what exactly inspired me, rent the movie and watch it. It’s a harsh look into what hate truly is. Thank you.
There are some direct quotes from the movie, though I’m too lazy to point them all out. Just beware that all of what is in this story is not solely mine. Some of the things people say in this story does not belong to me. You have been notified. Thank you.

*Disclaimer - I do not own any of the members of ‘N Sync (nor would I ever really want to) they belong to their respective owners. I also do not own Doris, Derek, Davina, Daniel and Vinyard; Seth, Stacey or any of the other characters you have never seen before in any of my stories. They belong to the creators of the movie American History X. I do, however, own all fictional characters such as Mike, Devon, Ashley, Katie and Rachel. Plagiarism is illegal. Don’t do it. Thank you.

Ashley King groaned as she flopped down onto the huge, overstuffed couch in the living room of the loft she was currently living in. It had been a exhausting week and it wasn’t about to let up any time soon. She still had to work at the hospital for twenty hours that weekend. Joe Fatone laughed softly at her as he took a seat next to her, draping his arm along her shoulders to pull her into his arms. She smiled, eyes closed as she cuddled up to him, resting her cheek on his chest. Joe lightly brushed her hair from her cheek as the rest of the members of ‘N Sync made themselves comfortable in the various chairs spread throughout the room. Justin Timberlake grabbed the remote control and turned on the television to see if there was anything interesting on. JC Chasez shook his head ruefully at Justin, who couldn’t tolerate silence for more than ten minutes at a time. Chris Kirkpatrick rested his head in his hands, smothering a yawn behind his hand as his girlfriend Devon Summers made herself comfortable on the floor beside him. Lance Bass and his girlfriend Rachel Trevors cuddled together on the love seat, lost in their own little world.

“How’s the new roommate working out?” JC inquired, raising an eyebrow in curiosity at Ashley. Rachel, who also lived with Ashley, groaned loudly.

“She’s so quiet, she almost frightens me.” Rachel exclaimed as she climbed to her feet and walked to the kitchen to grab something to drink.

“She’s nice enough. She just doesn’t talk very much.” Ashley shrugged, tossing a halfhearted glare in the direction of the kitchen.

“What’s her name again?” Joe raised an eyebrow, his eyes wandering toward the television.

“Michaela Costeo-Vineyard.” Rachel answered as she walked back into the room, holding a bottle of soda. Everyone turned toward the elevator when the door opened and Mike let herself inside. The men, who had never laid eyes on her before, took a good look at the ladies’ new roommate.

Michaela was short, not quite five feet tall, brilliant green eyes that were somehow haunted, and long, wavy auburn hair that fell to the middle of her back. As if feeling everyone’s eyes on her, she turned and cast them a wary glance as she dropped her heavy book bag on the floor near the elevator. She pushed a strand of hair from her face and gazed at everyone with trepidation.

“Hi Mike.” Rachel gave the new woman a friendly smile.

“Hey.” Mike forced a smile in return as she stepped further into the room, arms folded protectively around her.

“Mike, this is my boyfriend Joe Fatone, over there is Rachel’s boyfriend Lance Bass, Justin Timberlake is on the floor, over on the chair is JC Chasez, and in the corner is Chris Kirkpatrick and Devon Summers.” Ashley introduced everyone, pointing each person out.

“Hi.” Mike nodded at all of them. They all returned the gesture, giving her an invitation to join them. She took the invitation, sitting on the arm of the couch. Everyone’s attention was caught by the television when a special news broadcast interrupted the program Justin was watching.

“There’s been another hate crime against a small Jewish community in southern California. Apparently, two men around the age of twenty-five broke into a home and murdered an elderly couple......,”

Justin hit the off button on the remote, pitching the screen into blackness, shaking his head with remorse. “That kind of stuff just doesn’t make sense.”

“Nothing about hate makes sense.” Ashley countered with a sigh.

“Who could do something like that? Break into someone’s home and murder them.” Justin made a face as he leaned back against the chair he was sitting in front of. Mike closed her eyes against the rush of intense pain, her hand resting on her stomach for comfort.

“Mike, you okay?” Rachel inquired, concern lacing her voice.

“Yeah. I just know what kind of people do stuff like that.” Mike nodded, climbing to her feet. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed something to drink before walking back out into the living room. She sat back down on the arm of the couch, saying nothing.

“I’m intrigued. What kind of people do stuff like that?” Justin turned to face the young woman he had just met.

“People like you and me, who were just taught the wrong ways.” Mike answered simply with a sigh. “People like you and me.”

“Something tells me there’s more to it than that.” JC stated, resting back in the chair he occupied.

“There is, but it’s not something to talk about.” Mike shrugged.

“But if you don’t talk about it, no one will learn from it.” JC pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

“Though you’re speaking the truth, it’s too hard for me to talk about.” Mike shook her head, eyes closing momentarily.

“I, for one, would like to know.” Justin gazed over at Mike with unflinching eyes.

“Justin, it’s not something that’s easy for me. A lot of stuff happened. Things that should be left forgotten. Things that I don’t want to relive again. It’s too hard. Too close to home. Too...screwed up.” Mike shook her head. “Besides, I moved here to forget about everything that happened. No one should have to live through what my friends and I lived through.”

“All I want to do is try to understand what makes people think that way. That’s all.” Justin persisted. Mike sighed, head hanging.

“Justin, stop pressuring the poor girl.” JC admonished with a hard look.

“Do you honestly want to know? Do you want to know the whole story?” Mike finally inquired after a few moments of silence.

“I’d like to know about your past. Maybe we can help you get over the things that happened.” Rachel stated, settling back into Lance’s arms.

“There’s no way I can get over it. No way possible. I’ve lost too much. The people I cared about suffered for too long.” Mike shook her head.

“You don’t know that for sure.” Ashley countered softly.

“Yes....I do.” Mike nodded with a sad smile. “All right. If you want to know, but I will warn you, it’s not easy to swallow and it’ll leave a bad taste in your mouth when it’s over.” Mike sighed, shifting in her seat to get comfortable.

Michaela Costeo walked briskly through the crowded hallways of Venice Beach High School, trying to get to her locker so she could drop off the books she didn’t need for the night and grab others that she did need. A camera belonging to the school’s newspaper hung around her neck. This month it was her job to take pictures, candid, of the members of the senior class - her graduating class - for the year book. People called out to her and waved. Mike gave them all smiles and waved back. Finally, she made it to her locker. She glanced down at her watch and sighed tiredly. She was running late and she still had to get to work. She shoved her books into the locker and grabbed her homework for that night before heading outside. She smiled when she saw Derek Vinyard in the parking lot, leaning against his truck, waiting for her.

Michaela Costeo and Derek Vinyard. The two names had been linked together in various ways since everyone could remember. First as enemies when they were small children; then as each other’s tormentors in grammar school; best friends in junior high and finally, as a couple in high school. One was rarely seen without the other. Essentially, they were the all-American couple. They had started dating when Derek was a junior at the high school and Mike was a sophomore. They had both been involved with the school’s newspaper, writing and photography was her department and Derek had been the assistant editor. Derek had also been on the school’s basketball team and had been one of the best players. Now, with Derek out of high school for a full year and Mike being in her senior year, they rarely got to spend time with one another, but they somehow managed to steal a few minutes here and there.

For a while, Mike had been the envy of every girl in the high school because Derek was extremely good looking, a leader with many people. He was the prized catch of the school, when he had been there. She still had no idea what he saw in her, but she loved him just the same. She slung her book bag over her shoulder and walked over to him, a soft smile on her face.

“Hey sailor. Long time, no see.” she gazed up at him.

“I know. We really have to find a night where neither of us are working.” Derek nodded, taking the book bag from her and tossing it into the back seat of the truck before turning back to her.

“Yeah.” Mike nodded rubbing the back of her neck with a hand. “I have this Sunday off.”

“I have things I have to take care of on Sunday.” he shook his head with a groan.

“How about tomorrow night? I can leave early enough so we can spend a few hours together.” she suggested as he stepped closer to her.

“Don’t you have a big test you have to study for that night?” Derek grinned, being difficult.

“Well, how about this. I can study in the living room... and you can do your best to distract me.” she smiled as he pressed a kiss to her exposed collar bone.

“I have Saturday afternoon off. We could go to the beach.” he suggested softly as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“We could do that.” Mike nodded before pressing a kiss to his waiting lips.

“What time do you have to be at work this afternoon?” Derek inquired suddenly. She grabbed his wrist to glance at his watch and sighed.

“A half an hour.”

“Good. I have to stop somewhere on the way.” Derek opened the passenger seat door for her and waited for her to climb in before shutting the door and walking to the other side of the truck to take his seat. He drove towards the boardwalk in silence, the radio the only noise in the cab. She rested her head against the cool glass of the window and closed her eyes for a few moments. What seemed like a few minutes later, Derek was gently shaking her awake.

“Hey, sleeping beauty. You need to go to work.” he whispered close to her ear, a smile in his voice. She opened her eyes with a smile.

“Are you going to pick me up tonight?” she inquired sleepily as she reached in the back for her book bag.

” Yeah. What time?” Derek nodded.

“My shift ends at ten, so about ten-thirty or so.” she shrugged, stifling a yawn behind her hand.

“You should really get some more sleep.” he commented out of the blue.

“I know, but, what can I do?” she grinned at him.

“Stop seeing me.” he placed a teasing kiss on the tip of her nose.

“Never happen.” she shook her head as she climbed out of the truck. He waited for her to make it safely inside the video store before he drove off, like he always did. Mike started her shift still thinking about Derek.

He was brilliant, many of his teachers stated the fact when he had been in school. He would have continued his education in college if his family could afford it, but after his father had died, they had needed the money for other things. Mr. Vinyard had been a fire fighter, one of the best. One day he was trying to put out a fire in one of the worse parts of town and had been shot while doing his job. The whole family took it hard, but Derek had taken it the hardest and had never quite gotten over his father’s death. It was a Thursday night, so the business would come in spurts, giving Mike some time to study while she worked. Soon, the clock read ten o’clock and she started doing the things she needed to do before she left for the night. She was ready to go by ten-twenty, so she waited at the front door for Derek to show up. At ten-thirty on the dot, his truck pulled into the parking lot. She smiled. Derek had always taken care of her and made sure she was doing all right. She stepped outside as Derek and another guy climbed out of the truck.

“How was work, baby?” Derek inquired when she stopped dead in her tracks. Derek’s head was now shaved, when hours earlier his hair had been longer, almost to his shoulders.

“Fine. What happened to your hair?” she made a face.

“Decided I needed a change.” Derek shrugged and pulled her into a kiss. She pulled away a few moments later with a strange feeling settling into her stomach. The other man watched on with obvious interest.

“Honey, this is a friend of mine, Seth. Seth, this is my girlfriend Mike.” Derek introduced the two of them. Seth, a huge brick wall of a man, nodded at her with a look that she decided was a cross between a leer and a smirk. She took a nervous step closer to Derek.

“I don’t like it.” she stated suddenly.

“Don’t like what?” Derek raised an eyebrow.

“Your sudden baldness.” Mike answered flippantly with a shrug as Derek took her book bag from her once again to toss it into the back seat.

“Are you nuts?” Seth inquired with a laugh. “He looks great.”

“Shut up, Seth.” Derek warned with a silencing look. “I dunno, I just wanted to do something different I guess. Listen, I have to do something before I drop you at home. Do you mind?”

“No. I don’t really want to go back to that depressing place just yet anyway.” Mike shook her head as they all piled into the truck. Mike felt like a sardine sitting in between Seth and Derek, so she made up for it by sliding closer to Derek. There was something she didn’t like about Seth, though she couldn’t place a finger on what it was exactly. Derek draped an arm along her shoulders, pulling her closer, almost protectively. Soon they were heading in the direction of the boardwalk again, this time Mike didn’t fall asleep and was able to see where it was where Derek was spending most of his time. It was an old house on the beach. A huge area was cleared away in front to cater to a large group of people, and a make shift stage had been made up to one side of the open garage as if there were going to be a concert held there soon. Derek killed the ignition and climbed out of the truck, Mike and Seth following him up a set of old wooden stairs and into the house. Instinctively, Mike reached out and took Derek’s hand. He glanced over his shoulder at her and gave her a reassuring smile.

A older man, looking to be in his early forties, was sitting on a olive green couch in the corner. An American flag glass was in his hand and he was talking to a few other people sitting in various other places in the room. Mostly men, though there was two other women in the room besides Mike.

“Derek, we were beginning to wonder if you were gonna show.” the older man smiled warmly at Derek.

“I had to pick up my girlfriend. Mike, this is Cameron Alexander, David, Tony, Mark, Robert, Stacy and Amanda. Everyone, this is my old lady Mike.” Derek introduced everyone as Seth took a seat in the only empty chair in the room. Derek leaned back against the wall, wrapping his arms around Mike from behind and bringing her back against him. Her eyes roamed the room, looking at the pictures posted on the walls with various other things while the people around her talked. Her heart slammed to a halt when she saw a portrait that took up a whole wall alone of Adolph Hitler. Finally, the words everyone was speaking drifted into her ears.

“We have to do something about the gangs around here. They’re invading Venice Beach like a plague.” Cameron was saying, taking small sips from his American flag glass every few seconds. “That’s where you all come in. I want you to beat down any face that isn’t white.”

Mike paled visibly as she broke Derek’s hold on her. She turned to him with a raised eyebrow, but he shook his head, silently telling her he would explain everything later to her. She closed her eyes against the puzzle that was starting to piece together. Derek was turning into a white supremacist. The Derek who had the biggest heart of anyone she had ever known was turning into someone who hated as easily as he had loved. She turned on her heel and started for the door. Derek reached out and tried to grab her arm, but she side stepped his hand and walked out of the room. She hurried down the stairs and over to Derek’s truck. Mike opened the door and grabbed her book bag from the back seat then proceeded to start walking to the main road. Anger coursed through her mind, making her thoughts hazy and far from understandable. How could he possibly even consider something like that for more than a second? Hot tears of confusion burned in her eyes. Derek was changing into something she despised. She had made it to the end of the long, winding driveway and was about to turn onto the main road that would take her home when Derek’s truck pulled up beside her and he got out.

“Mike..” he called out to her. She ignored him, quickening her step. She didn’t want to get into this whole thing tonight. Not when she had a hard time understanding her thoughts and would most definitely say something she would regret later and in the light of day. Derek had longer legs than she had ever hoped to have, cut her off by standing in front of her and not letting her pass.

“What?” he stated the simple question softly.

“You know what.” Mike stated coolly, not daring to meet his eyes.

“No, I don’t.” Derek shook his head with a laugh. He couldn’t see that there was something seriously wrong. Mike stared at him with a mixture of shock and horrification.

“You’ve changed.” was all she could manage.

“How have I changed?” Derek answered with another question.

“You honestly don’t know? Oh my God.” Mike shook her head, eyes closed for a moment. “At first I didn’t understand. The snide remarks about the gangs and immigrants stealing jobs from the regular working class Americans. But, now with you head shaved and that house with the Hitler portrait... you’re becoming a white supremacist.”

“Is there something so wrong in that? I’m still the same guy.” Derek defended himself, his eyes becoming cooler.

“No, you’re not the same guy. You’re not the same.” Mike shook her head, tears finally escaping her aching eyes.

“I am. You’re the one whose changed, Michaela.” Derek shook his head.

“You think I’ve changed? Yeah, maybe I have. But at least I don’t hate anyone.” she gazed up at him.

“Oh.. I don’t believe this.” Derek ground out, turning his back to her. “I brought you here tonight because I thought it was something we could do together. We’re always saying how we needed something in which would help us spend more time together.”

“Not this way. I will never be a part of something like that. Never.” Mike stated with finality.

“Okay, then we’ll find something else.” Derek shrugged.

“You won’t pursue that?” she raised an eyebrow, gesturing back towards the house they had just left.

“I didn’t say that. I don’t know what I’m going to do about that yet. I haven’t decided yet. But, I won’t force you into that.” Derek shook his head. It was enough for her. For now. A part of her hoped that he would see the wrong in what that group stood for, and would leave when he did.

“Hey...,” Derek sighed, pulling her into his arms. “I love you and I would never let anything happen to you. I would never hurt you.”

“I know.” Mike nodded, her voice muffled by his chest.

“Come on, I’ll drive you home.” he took her book bag from her and walked with her back to the truck. They drove in silence all the way to her house. Derek parked the truck next to the curb in front of her door and shifted to face her. Her reached over and brushed her cheek softly with his knuckles.

“You are one of the most important people in my life, you know that right?” he inquired softly. Mike nodded with a silent sigh.

“I love you, you know that too.”

She nodded again.

“Just because I might get involved with this, it doesn’t mean I’m a different person.”

“Yes, it does. And if you do get involved, don’t ask me to support you, because I won’t. I can’t. What I saw tonight goes against everything I believe in and I won’t be a part of that. I won’t be a part of you.” Mike stated, her voice hoarse with emotion.

“So.. what you’re saying is.. if I do this thing, we’re over?” Derek raised an eyebrow.

“That’s what I’m saying.” she nodded. Derek laughed silently, shaking his head in awe.

“Well then.. I guess I have to drop it.” he smiled over at her.

“You mean that?” she inquired hopefully.

“Yeah. I’d do anything for you.” he nodded. She smiled for the first time in the past hour and leaned over to deliver a kiss to his lips.

“I love you.” she whispered as she pulled away. “Will you come visit me tonight?”

“You know I will.” he laughed, swatting her rear playfully as she climbed out of the truck. She waved to him before running up the walk and into her father’s house. Derek sighed with a shake of his head as he pulled away from the curb. Mike ran directly up to her room, ignoring her brother’s laughing yelps for help and shut her bedroom door to silence the noise. She pulled out her homework and began working on it. She was so immersed in what she was doing that she didn’t look up until Derek climbed through the open window. She turned in her chair and smiled at him.

“How goes the battle?” he whispered the question. Her room was right next door to her father’s room and if he were to find out what they had been doing late at night for the past few months, Hades would have nothing on Mr. Costeo’s wrath.

“Tiring and mind numbing.” Mike whispered back, walking over to bedroom door to make sure it was locked. She turned and leaned back against the wall, gazing at the young man who had captured her heart so totally and completely. He gazed back at her, his eyes distant and undeterminable. That night the two of them made love as if it were the last time. And essentially, it was. After dozing in each other’s arms for an hour or so, Derek got up and got dressed. The sun would be rising soon a nd the house would soon be waking up.

“I love you. Always have. Always will.” he whispered pressing a kiss to her forehead before disappearing out the window.

Everyone watched on with curiosity as Mike told her story, first with a wavering voice and then with a firmer, sturdier voice. There was a lot to be said. So much needed to be told in order to understand this story. This was the only thing she would have to keep her from going insane. The story and the knowledge that things had begun to change.

“I need something to drink. I’ll be right back.” Mike whispered, brushing the tears from her eyes. It was still so difficult to talk about. It had been three months and it was still too fresh. Too new. She sighed as she walked back into the room with a pack of cigarettes she had stashed in the house and another bottle of soda. Mike pulled out a cigarette and lit it with a sigh. This was harder than she thought. Everyone watched her expectantly, though it was JC’s blue-gray eyes that caught her attention. Derek’s eyes had been the same color. JC raised an inquiring eyebrow at her and she shook her head.

“That was the last night that Derek and I were a couple. For a while at least. You see, he started to change. He became the leader he had been in high school. But, this time he was the leader of a bunch of racist cut-throats. I was devastated. So was Derek’s family. Derek had it in his head that someone of a different race shot and killed his father and he took it personally. It was his own personal crusade. Derek and his group attended my graduation, though he had a new girlfriend by then. Stacy. She was more hateful than any hundred people I knew. She hated anyone that wasn’t pure white as she said. Anyway, I’m getting off track. I was walking home one day from work and the cut-throats were at the basketball courts playing a game. I couldn’t help but stop to watch.”

Mike sighed as she leaned against the railing, watching the game that had transpired between a couple of skinheads and a couple of young black men. It wasn’t something that fascinated her, watching Seth and the other goons yelling racial slurs as they played the game, but she needed to know how far in Derek was. She hadn’t seen or talked to Derek for three months. Seth, who had a hot temper, made a bet with a member of the other team for a hundred dollars. He didn’t have the money, so he needed to borrow some from the other skinheads sitting on the bleachers. Derek and Cameron started yelling at Seth for making a bet that he couldn’t cover. Finally, Derek climbed to his feet and took of his shirt. Mike’s heart jumped into her throat. A swastika had been tattooed on his left breast. Two snarling dogs were on the backs of his shoulders with various other tattoos along the length of his arms. Mike shook her head, turning away from the sight that would now be burned into her memory. Derek glanced up just in time to see her walk away and part of him regretted the turn things took.

She walked home slowly, thinking about what was going on. Where she had gone wrong. Why Derek had changed so much in the past couple months. She shook her head sadly and was stopped short by two men with shaved heads. She glanced up at them with fear in her eyes.

“A pretty little white girl like yourself shouldn’t be walking alone in a filthy neighborhood like this.” the first one stated with a smile.

“I do all right. I can take care of myself.” she countered with more conviction than she felt.

“I think we just might have to walk you home.” the second one laughed.

“Mike?” a painfully familiar voice called out. She turned and smiled at Derek’s younger brother Danny.

“Hi Danny.”

“How are you?” Danny inquired as he walked over to where the three of them stood.

“Good. Just on my way home. You?” Mike shrugged stepping closer to the younger man she had grown to love. Danny, like his brother, had shaved his head though he didn’t really believe in the things his older brother did.

“All right, I guess.” Danny shrugged as the basketball game ended, the skinheads winning. Danny glanced over his shoulder in time to see Seth hoist Derek up onto his shoulders in victory. Mike closed her eyes and sighed. The young black men wouldn’t be allowed on the basketball court after that afternoon. That had taken place of the money bet.

“Danny! Hey Danny!” Derek yelled as he jogged over to the little group, putting on a tank top as he went. Mike hugged herself for comfort as Derek stopped in front of them.

“What’s going on?” Derek demanded with a raised eyebrow.

“Nothing. We were just going to walk this pretty little lady home when your brother started talking to us.” one of the men stated with a shrug.

“No need to do that Nate. She can take care of herself.” Derek shook his head. “Go on home, Michaela.”

Mike gazed at him for a moment then turned and started walking away from the group of skinheads. Before she was out of ear shot, she heard Derek say to the other men,

“You stay the hell away from her. If I ever find out that you so much as look at her again, I’ll kill you both.”

“Even then, he was trying to protect me. I suppose that it could have been worse for me, being known as a democrat as Seth would say. But, in some ways it was worse. Watching the man I loved protect me even though he had turned into a monster of sorts. He had so many demons he had to fight and most of them destroyed him only to rebuild him again. This is so hard to explain. Even then, with his tattoos and various racial slurs, he wasn’t a bad guy. He never hurt anyone until that night. He was a diplomat. He talked to people, not beat them. Anyway, a few weeks later Cameron’s group had grown considerably and Derek became the leader and answered only to Cameron. As far as everyone concerned, Derek was a god and no one ever questioned him. He and Cameron got the group together and got everyone so hot and bothered under the collar then turned them loose in a store that was owned by a really nice Asian couple that lived a block away from me. They totally destroyed the store, breaking every piece of glass in sight. They beat the shit out of most of the workers, demoralizing them and pretty much calling them all sorts of names. As far as I know, Derek was in the store leading them, telling them what to do. It was horrible. Well, two days later, my parents decided to go out of town for a week and asked the Vinyards if I could stay with them until they returned. Believe me, I wasn’t too thrilled about the thought of staying in the bear’s den, but I didn’t really have a choice. My mom and dad had no idea what was going on with Derek because I had never told them. That and they never really paid attention to what was going on with young people on the streets. They had no idea that there was even a group of white supremacists in Venice Beach. Ignorance kills, I guess. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Anyway, Mrs. Vinyard was sitting on the curb in front of the house. Murray, an old history teacher of mine and someone Doris dated off and on, drove by me. Both looked as if they had seen a ghost. I knew right then that Derek had crossed the line. He had gone too far. That something unimaginable had just happened. They had all been having dinner and talk had turned to the destroyed store, which had been all over the news by then. Derek didn’t fess up that he had anything to do with the violation. It went from that to the Rodney King court room battle and had progressed from there. Anger levels were rising with each passing second. Stacy had tried to talk, to support Derek’s allegations, but Derek’s sister Davina had forced her to stop talking but shoving food into her mouth and basically choking her. That’s when Murray decided to leave. But not before Derek pulled down his tank top to expose the tattoo on his chest, yelling ‘See this? It means not welcome!’. Murray was Jewish. Mrs. Vinyard waved me into the house after she told me what had happened......,”

The house was deathly silent when Mike walked inside. Derek, who had Stacy in his arms, pulled away from his girlfriend and turned to Danny, who was sitting at the empty kitchen table. Danny glanced out the window for a moment then over at his older brother as Derek took a couple of steps towards the kitchen table.

“You all right, Danny?”

“Yeah, Der, I’m fine.” Danny nodded with a touch of apprehension. Out of nowhere, Davina ran into the room, swinging a wooden bat at Derek. She got in one good hit to his ribs before he disarmed her.

“Davina, no. Stop. You know I wouldn’t hurt you. I would do anything for you. You know that, right? I just lost control. It wasn’t you.” Derek explained in a placating tone.

“Screw you, Derek!” Davina spat out angrily.

“I trust you, Derek.” Danny stated suddenly. The front door opened and Mrs. Vinyard stepped inside, her face still a mask of shock. She glanced from Danny to Derek then over to Davina. Derek gazed at her with open contempt in his blue-gray eyes. In his mind, she was the worst kind of traitor in the world. She had agreed to date a Jewish man. Someone he thought would contaminate his family.

“I want you out of my house.” Mrs. Vinyard stated firmly, loudly.

“I’ll be gone in the morning.” Derek countered flippantly with a shrug as he headed for the stairs.

“He can come live with me.” Stacy grinned evilly as she followed Derek up to his bed room. Davina sagged back against the wall as Mike gazed from one family member to the next. She shouldn’t have been there to see what had just transpired, but it was too late. Before now, she had no idea that the Vinyard household was suffering so badly.

“Mike, I’ll show you to the guest room.” Davina pushed herself away from the wall. Mike nodded, not bothering to say she had known for years where the guest room was located. They passed Danny’s room, then Derek’s room before they reached the guest room. Davina silently helped Mike get settled into the room before the pair flopped down on the bed.

“I don’t understand what happened to him.” Davina sighed, resting her head on the mattress.

“Neither do I. I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it’s been for the rest of the family.” Mike countered, leaning back against the headboard.

“He’s not even my brother anymore.” she shook her head as she climbed to her feet. Mike gazed after the girl, sympathy shining in her eyes. Davina left the room for her own, so Mike decided to take a shower, something she needed to relax her tense muscles and just forget about things for a while. She came nose to chest with Derek in the hallway.

“I need to talk to you.” he took her arm in his hand and brought her back into the guest room then shut the door behind them.

“What?” Mike gazed up at him, not sure of what to expect from this man she barely knew.

“I just wanted to say... that.. I’m sorry.” he mumbled gazing over her shoulder the look out the window.

“You’re sorry? For what? For killing the Derek I knew and replacing him with you? For ripping your family apart? Or for breaking my heart?” she demanded, folding her arms across her chest.

“Forget it.” he shook his head, turning towards the door again.

“I won’t forget it!” Mike yelled angrily, startling him. He turned and gazed impassively at her. “I lost the only good thing in my life. I lost the only person who understood me. Your family lost a son and a brother. So much has been lost that it’s...” her voice trailed off and she shook her head.

“Like I said. I’m sorry.” Derek countered shortly before opening the door and leaving her alone in the room. Mike sat down on the bed, utterly defeated. She sprawled out on the bed, gazing up at the ceiling. She didn’t know how long she stayed like that, or how long most of the house had been asleep when she heard Derek and Stacy having loud sex. She shook her head, burying her face in her pillow, trying to drown out the painful noise. Suddenly, everything went deathly silent.

“Derek! Jesus!” Stacy called out loudly as Mike heard muffled footsteps run down the stairs. She climbed to her feet to gaze out the window and all hell broke loose. Four gun shots fired, causing Mike to jump wildly. A young black man standing near the front door toppled lifelessly onto the walkway. Derek ran out to the second guy, still shooting his gun. The second fell like a ton of bricks, crying out in pain. Derek left him for a moment, running down the street after the car and driver, shooting out a couple of windows, but the third got away. The three black men had been trying to steal Derek’s truck. Derek hauled the second man up and made him lay down in the road, his face pressed against the curb. Derek bent down and started saying angry words to the man, who closed his eyes in fear. Suddenly, the young black man had his mouth on the curb. What happened next seemed to go in slow motion. Danny ran out of the house screaming at Derek to stop, but Derek paid no attention. He raised his foot and brought it down hard on the other man’s skull, killing him instantly. Mike muffled a scream, covering her mouth with both her hands. Two police cars raced down the street. Soon Derek was on his knees and he was being handcuffed.

Justin gave Mike a stunned look, swallowing hard to keep from looking sick. The rest of the group in the living room shook their heads, not knowing what to say. It was now dim in the room, the sun had set hours earlier, though no one made a move to turn on any of the lights, something Mike was grateful for.

“His case lasted all of two months. He was tried for voluntary man slaughter and was sentenced to three years in prison. I was surprised that he hadn’t gotten more time, but, I wasn’t on the jury nor did I attend any of the proceedings. It was too hard for me. My whole world had been shattered that night. I guess I felt guilty for not trying to stop it from happening. Anyway, his family suffered greatly. They lost the house and had to move into this dingy apartment with only two bedrooms. Mrs. Vinyard ended up sleeping on the couch. It was horrible. But even through all of that, I couldn’t help but still love the man. I mean, he had been such a charmer and a sweetheart and I just couldn’t see that the real Derek would never return. I wrote him one letter ever week to tell him what was going on and to let him know about his family in a matter of fact way. He had told his family that he didn’t want them to come and see him while he was in prison. If they showed up, he wouldn’t have seen them anyway. He never wrote back. I couldn’t understand why he never did. It wasn’t as if he had something more pressing to do. But I still wrote to him and kept hoping that things would be different when he got out. I even went up to the prison to visit him a couple of times, though he never did say much. He just sat there sullenly, looking at me as if he wanted to either yell at me for coming or hug me for still caring enough. He refused to tell me what kind of hell he was going through, but he went into that place so cocky and full of himself I thought for sure he would return in a body bag. I’m still somewhat surprised that he didn’t. Though many things happened to him in there, not all of them good. I only went to visit him twice, and the second time, I could tell that there was something wrong but he refused to tell me anything. His eyes were haunted, and he had taken up the habit of glancing over his shoulder every few minutes to make sure no one was behind him. He was different somehow. Anyway, three years later, his family went to pick him up at seven o’clock in the morning.....”

The video store was crowded for ten o’clock in the morning, it being a Friday didn’t help matters much when Mike was the only one working. She sighed as the last person finally left her alone in the small store she had worked at for the past few years. Her class at the college didn’t start for another three hours for which she was grateful. She reached for the new releases that needed to be put back on the shelves and walked out onto the floor. The little bell above the door rang to signal that someone had walked into the store and she sighed. She glanced over her shoulder and dropped everything she held in her hands in a fit of shock. Derek offered her a smile and she found herself returning the smile, timidly. He walked over to her and bent down to pick up the movies. She stood there, too afraid to move. Once he had all the movies in his hands, he set them on a nearby shelf then turned to her.

“I’m out.” he told her suddenly.

“So I see.” she whispered, gazing up at him. His hair was starting to grow back, he looked leaner and bit more muscular, but other than that, he looked like the old Derek.

“I don’t mean in that way.” he shook his head.

“You’re out?” she didn’t dare to hope that this was the turn that she had wanted since this whole horror story started.

“Come with me tonight?” he nodded, asking the question softly.

“Derek,” Mike shook her head. “I don’t know about that.”

“Look, I don’t ask for help. You know that. I don’t ask for anything. But I’m asking you now. I need your strength to help remind me why I’m doing all of this.” Derek pleaded softly.

“Okay. What time?” Mike sighed, eyes closed.

“I’ll pick you up about nine tonight.” he smiled at her, reaching up to caress her cheek.

“Are you back?” she raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah.. I am.” he nodded. Tears stung her eyes as she threw her arms around his neck in a hug. Derek’s arms instantly came around her, hugging her back tightly. The little bell above the door rang again and Mike sighed.

“I’m gonna prove it to you.” Derek stated suddenly as he walked to the door.

“Prove what?” she called after him, raising an eyebrow.

“That I’m worthy of what you give to me.” he shrugged then disappeared. Mike shook her head as she got back to work. The day passed by slowly, almost at a snail’s pace, which drove her absolutely insane. She had no idea what Derek was planning, but she would stand by him like she always had. She went home and proceeded to study for a mid-term she had until Derek showed up. She opened the front door to the apartment she shared with a couple of other college students and smiled up at him. Her smile faultered when she saw Seth sitting in his van, waiting for the two of them.

“Just trust me.” Derek raised an eyebrow, holding his hand out to her. She sighed, glancing from Derek to the van and back to Derek again before taking his hand.

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