Residents: Elle Derico, Rex Derico, Jenna Jeffress (Proudmoore), Diana Derico, Jamie Derico
College life continued as normal for those residing in the Aridestra Greek house. It wasn’t long before they were joined by Elle’s younger sister, Diana. She and Jenna were glad to be reunited once again. The young blonde was surprised by the news that her cousin and best friend, Rex, had caved to Jenna’s advances.
She shouldn’t have been, though… it was no mystery to her the lengths Jenna was willing to go. She worried about her friend’s obvious obsession, but knew there was nothing she could do. Jenna was too head-strong, she’d never listen to reason. Diana could only sit back and hope for the best.
That wasn’t the only romance going on, however. Elle had finally found her ‘Mr. Right’. It was a meeting right out of some cheesy sitcom; Elle had gone grocery shopping and on her way out, tripped and spilled her groceries all over the place. Cale Dallas, the name he gave her, helped her gather her things and even escorted her out to her car. Elle was incredibly embarrassed, but it worked in her favor. They exchanged numbers and went on many dates.
He was from the city. He was only a year older and even more importantly, Elle found him to be quite attractive. She couldn’t begin to figure out why he was interested in her, of all people. Despite that, they’d developed quite a relationship during her senior year, and when she graduated, she was hopeful that he’d ask her that oh-so-important question. She left the leadership to Jenna, knowing Rex was entirely too reclusive to bother with such a task.
Which isn’t to say the two weren’t busy in their own little world. Jenna was walking on Cloud 9. It had taken her years to get through to Rex, and now finally, she had his attention. He would still wander off at night to gaze at the stars and more often than not, his head was stuck in a book… but he would take a break now and again. He’d sneak up on Jenna and pull her to him in the most random of moments.
While others may have thought differently, their relationship never went past kisses. They stayed in seperate rooms, and never once did they sneak off to the newly installed hot tub. Jenna had thoughts about it, but knew better. She knew that Rex was shy and if she tried that, she’d likely cause him to flee. Not to mention that she had entertained thoughts of waiting until she was married. Family was most important, after all.
It wasn’t long before Jamie joined the Greek House. He underwent a drastic transformation upon moving in. Diana was surprised, but she liked her brother’s new look. She’d often tease him by messing up his carefully styled ‘do. At least he hadn’t dyed his hair carrot orange like Damian had done so long ago.
College was, after all, a time of experimentation.
Diana was doing her own experimenting. She’d done a little dating in her high school days, but she’d never found any boy that caught her eye. That was until she met Alan Love. He was in the Secret Society, and they had met at her impromtu induction. Alan approached her and they spoke for a bit. Eventually, he asked her out and they had a great time.
It wasn’t long before their relationship took a turn for the serious. Diana was as happy as a clam. She and Jenna could often be found chatting merrily about their bustling relationships.
Of course, Jenna’s wasn’t as ‘bustling’ as she’d hope for. She and Rex were going to graduate soon, and he still hadn’t asked her the question she’d been waiting for with baited breath since they were Sophmores. She had been hoping to leave college with a ring on her finger… and she was going to get it, regardless.
So one day while they were out, Jenna decided to make her move. She took a deep breath and glanced over at Rex. He wasn’t paying any attention to her, his mind somewhere else entirely. He’d been like that all week. It was starting to bother her.
“Rex,” She started. He didn’t reply. Her tone strained a bit, she repeated herself.
He glanced to the side, not bothering to face her, “What?”
“Is something wrong?” Jenna asked, her voice returning to normal.
“Everything’s fine.”
The conversation continued in the same fashion until they’d finished eating. By then it was nightfall and Rex was insistent on going to the weird old Church club. He’d been going there a lot lately, though Jenna couldn’t fathom why. It was the ‘it’ place for ‘weird’ types. She didn’t exactly feel comfortable there, but wasn’t about to allow Rex to go without her. So off they went. She’d corner him eventually.
At the club, Rex disappeared. It had been difficult to shake Jenna, and he felt bad for doing so, but there was no other choice. He’d been waiting for this night since he first heard the word ‘vampire’. He was finally going to speak to one of his father’s old comrades. No more ghouls or wanna-bes… a real vampire. He was one step closer to locating his father.
The Count was most helpful in this respect. He was a little apprehensive at first, but once he got a good look at Rex’s face, there was no doubt in his mind. This was certainly Steven’s child. The Count told the lost fledgling that his father went by many, many names… his true one being lost to the annals of history. They’d known one another for centuries, but they only met every so often. He told Rex that it wasn’t likely his father would ever return here, especially after what happened with Sade. It was just too dangerous.
Instead of being distressed at the news, Rex was thrilled. Despite what the Count had said, Rex knew that Steven hadn’t left. He’d disappeared, maybe… but left? No. If he had, Sade’s tombstone would still be safe and sound at their old house. No, Steven was here… and eventually, he’d make his presence known. Until then, Rex would wait… and enjoy a normal life, if only for a little while.
Jenna got her wish. Right before they graduated, Rex proposed. He knew without bothering to pay attention to her constant hints that was what she had wanted. Unfortunately, Rex did so with much regret. He knew from birth his life would not be normal. He had planned on going through his younger years with minimal interference and interaction with others. Jenna completely crashed that, however. Rex couldn’t quite understand what fueled her. No matter what he did, she just wouldn’t leave him alone. Against his better judgment, he caved.
Now they were engaged. He felt awful. This could only end badly. He wanted desperately to explain to Jenna the things he had been keeping to himself, but he knew he couldn’t. He would just have to wait. When Steven came to him, as Rex knew he would, then he would deal with the reality of it all. Until then… he could only pretend to be normal. Not for his own sake, but for Jenna’s. She deserved that much.
After Rex and Jenna graduated, Diana took over the leadership duties of the Greek House. Not that there was much to do. Both her and Jamie were in serious relationships. If they weren’t studying, they were with their significant others, planning for the future ahead.
Jamie had met a nice girl named Lorrie Collins. Well, she wasn’t exactly a ‘nice girl’, per se. Sure she looked sweet and innocent, but after knowing her a day, Jamie knew that was far from the truth. In the few months they’d been dating, he’d found out the alternate uses for the hot tub, photo booth, and the clothing stalls! At least he wasn’t bored. He was almost certain that Lorrie was the girl for him.
Diana, on the other hand, was more than certain that Alan was her one and only. She was so sure that she popped the question herself. She was tired of waiting around for him. It was only proper, as Diana was quite the progressive young lady. Luckily, that was what Alan liked about her, and he gladly accepted. They both only had a year left before they could start planning the wedding.
Everything seemed to be falling in place for the Derico siblings. They were certainly turning out to be luckier in love than the Proudmoores this time around.