Noise Complaint

Derek's point of view:

"We'll always be friends forever, right?" Ronnie asked, her big brown eyes sparking at me. 

I gave her a big smile. "That's right. Friends forever."

She raised her pinky finger, hugging her Barbie dolls around her face. "Pinky promise?"

She was such a shy girl. I interlocked our pinky fingers. 

"Pinky promise," I said. 

My eyes opened as I realized it was nothing more but just a dream. No... Not a dream. More like a memory. 

A memory from my childhood. A forgotten memory, resurfacing itself out of nowhere. 

Someone was stirring me up from my sleep. It was Jenkins. 

"Rise and shine, Sir," he said, leaving me to swing open the vast window curtains. 

A flood of sunlight blinded my eyes and I groaned, shielding my face with my hand. 

"Just what's your problem, Jenkins. You're always in my hair."

"It's a quarter passed eight, master Derek," Jenkins announced. "Have you forgotten what today is?"

I returned back to bed, covering my head with my pillow. "Remind me, Jenkins. What day is today?"

"It's Monday, the 13th," Jenkins snatched my pillow away and pulled off the duvets. "Today's your first day at Griffin Elites University. Your flight is waiting."

Mondays and School are my two sworn enemies. They always get in the way of my fun. 

"Fuck school. I wanna go on a boat cruise with a Blondie bitch by my side," I whined. 

"You're not skipping school, Sir," Jenkins said. "Miss Veronica is all set and ready. You should too."

My eyes snapped opened and I sat up sharply. "What? She's gonna school at Griffin Elites?"

"That's correct," Jenkins replied, surprised at my shocked expression. "Didn't you know? I'm sure your father made mentioned of it to you last night."

He did? I didn't remember. Although I did remember I was a bit drunk last night so maybe he did and I didn't get the message. 

There was only one prestigious school in the world that Ronnie, a new member of the Diamond family must attend and that's my school. 

Griffin Elites University.

Unbelievable. She just got here. 

I shook my head and got out of bed, determined to start the day on a good note.

My morning routine consisted of push-ups, a shower, and blasting loud Rock 'n Roll. 

I felt that the music helped to clear my mind and get me energized for the day ahead.

I increased my music and stripped myself, locking myself in the shower. 

                             * * * * 

Ronnie's point of view:

As the sun rose over the large, sprawling mansion, I stumbled out of my bathroom. 

I was about to get dressed but the loud noise of Rock 'n Roll that was banging around the house wasn't helping me concentrate. 

For God's sake I've been trying to ignore it, but the noise, wherever it was coming from, was getting on my nerves.

I tied my robe tightly around my waist and made my way to the kitchen. 

I found my maid, Maria, there, and asked her where stepdad and mom were. 

Maria informed me that they had spent the night outside the house, leaving Derek and I alone.

I couldn't believe it. 

My morning was going great until the loud noise came on, driving me insane. 

I asked Maria about the noise, and she told me that it was a normal daily routine of my new stepbrother. 

"He always plays his music loudly, and no one had ever been able to make him stop," Mariah said. 

"No one?" I questioned. "Not even stepdad?"

"Yes, Miss Veronica. Derek always does whatever he wants."

I couldn't stand it any longer. "Take me to his room."

Mariah led the way and I marched to his  room, banging on the door for him to open up. 

The noise was still blaring, but I could hear him moving around inside.

Finally, the door opened, and I found myself face-to-face with my stepbrother. 

He was cladded in a towel, showing off his tattoos and his well-built body and abs, dripping wet with water. 

Gosh, when Daily Teens magazine rated Derek most sexiest teen last year, they weren't joking about it. 

I swallowed when I saw the big bulge of his member making a bold impression against the towel. 

I sharply faced him, keeping a straight expression to that hot face of his. 

Derek looked at me with a smirk, and I could tell that he knew exactly why I was there.

"Can you please turn that music down? My ears are hurting," I said, trying to keep the anger out of my voice.

"Sorry sis, I didn't know you were still sleeping," he said, shrugging and turning the volume to the max.

I couldn't believe it. Instead of turning down the volume, he increased the volume despite my complaints. 

"I just told you to turn it down," I said loudly above the noise. 

"This is my crib before you barged into my family," he said as well, spreading his arms and flexing his muscles. "I don't take orders from anybody. Say please and I might just reconsider."

Just who does he think he is?

"I love what you’ve done with your hair. How do you get it to come out of your nostrils like that?" I roasted him. 

I heard Mariah drew in a sharp breath. 

Back in high school, I was the queen of roasts and insults and I still hold my crown. 

Derek's green eyes brightened then came that evil smirk that sent a chill up my spine. 

He took out his remote control and reduced the music volume a little bit. 

"Wow, your maker really didn’t waste time giving you a personality, huh," he retorted. 

The insult hit home. My vein stuck out of my forehead in annoyance. 

"Oops, my bad. I could’ve sworn I was dealing with an adult," I said, yawning.  

"I’m an acquired taste, sis," he said, running his hand through his wet hair and keeping that evil smirk on his face. "If you don’t like me, acquire some taste."

This guy's good. Too good but I wasn't the one to give up. 

"You have an entire life to be an idiot. Why not take today off?"

"Of course I’m talking like an idiot… how else could you understand me," he laughed. 

"Since you know it all, you should know when to shut up," I snapped, my back stiff with anger. 

"When you start talking, I stop listening," he fired back.

"You look like something that came out of a slow cooker!"

He stepped forward, those green eyes staring down at me. Gosh he was super tall. 

"Feed your own ego," he said quietly. "I’m busy."

And he shut the door in my face. The music volume went up. 

I turned around and walked back to my room, my anger and frustration still bubbling just below the surface. 

I knew that this was going to be a long day, and a long life living with my stepbrother

                          * * * * 

Griffin Elites University is a private University built for Rich kids. 

That's because the school fees costs the earth. 

I was supposed to be at Cambridge University by now but mom's sudden remarriage changed everything. 

Being married into the Diamond family meant I must enrol at the same school Derek attends. 

I didn't even need to write their exams. Step dad pulled a few strings and I was given immediate admission within twenty-four hours. 

Derek and I boarded stepdad's private jet which flew us to our new school which was based in a neighboring country.  

Griffin Elites got a boarding house but step dad was against the idea of his kids living in a boarding house. 

So he bought a big seaside second-storey bungalow and lavishly furnished it. 

The bungalow garages two cars: a Lamborghini, a Range Rover and a super power bike. 

The bungalow even has its own driver and caretakers who comes around to take care of the house when we're away at school. 

This whole setup looks great. I couldn't have asked for more. But there was only one problem. 

I would be sharing this house with my stepbrother. 

Derek and I, stood in front of our new home, staring at it as if it was some haunted house. 

The harsh reality hits both of us in the face like a sucker punch. 

We were going to be living together, alone, for the next five years, away from our parents, in this place. 

Heat rose to my cheeks and my heart raced as I imagined what it'd look like, having Reiner, my childhood crush living alone with me in this house.