Primatia

Chapter 8: Dating Season

Voice cast:

Steve Yuen as Derek Knight
Alice Lee as Nicole Suwan
Jace Norman as Galen
Max Charles as Liuer
David Jason as Yar
Linda Cardellini as Suri
Kaitlyn Robrock as Jamila
John DiMaggio as Shop owner
Tara Strong as Female assistant
———————————————————————————

It all began about two years ago. The night fell over the city of Los Angeles when Derek was walking down a lonely path that led towards the underpass of a bridge. He took this way every time he came home late from baseball practice for the Saint James Middle School team. His home was in the part of town where many of them middle-class and lower-middle class families lived. His life at home was good, even though his parents could be a little too overbearing and strict with him. Especially his mom, who was a teacher at his school and expected nothing less than perfection from people. But Derek knows that they still love him and just wanted the best for him. But the one thing that stood out, was that his own brother, Isaac was in hospital during this time.

That thought will be put to the test. It was a long and tiring day, and Derek just wanted to get home and try to pay Isaac a quick visit. He walked under the bridge and just when he stepped out of the underpass, it happened.

As the sound of police sirens started getting closer from far away, something fell from the top of the bridge and hit him on the head. Knocking him down to the ground and knocking his hat off his head. Groaning in pain from the impact, Derek got up and looked behind him to see whatever it was that hit him.

To his surprise, they were shoes. Really nice looking sneakers that were tied together. Picking them up and putting his hat back on, Derek examined the sneakers before looking up at the bridge.

He noticed someone running off.

"Hey! Buddy! You forgot your sneakers!" He called out to the person, before a pair of lights shined brightly on him. Derek turned and to his shock saw a really expensive-looking white car coming right for him.

Frank quickly ran out of the way and onto the sidewalk, before the car could run him over. But instead of driving off, the car came to a shrieking halt right in front of him. The young man stared at the car with wide eyes, before the driver's side door swung open.

Stepping out was a fat-looking man in a business suit with a bald head and very unpleasant glare. "You! I caught you, you little bastard!" He yelled, red in the face as the door on the other side opened and a woman in a business suit came running out. "You thought you could steal from me!?"

"Wait, what?" Derek asked in shock and confusion, taken completely aback by the accusation.

"Don't think I don't know! You're the one that stole those shoes from my store!" The manager shouted at Derek, looking obviously drunk now.

"What?! I didn't steal these things! Someone else did!" The young teen exclaimed, pointing to the bridge. "Someone was up there and-"

"Oh, yeah, sure! That's a likely story!"

"Sir, I think he's telling the truth," his nervous assistant said, trying to calm down her boss. "Our surveillance showed that it was another person."

"Shut up!" The manager yelled, startling the woman as he directed his anger at her. "If you had done something to stop this thief, we wouldn't be out here in the first place!" He then whirled back again to Derek and pointed a finger at him. "You've got the shoes, and that means you're guilty!"