This focuses on Casey and Sam's constant problems, even after they get back together (I know they're broken up right now, but the writers are obviously working toward something again). I wrote this about Lizzie, because she really is smarter than her family gives her credit for. Edwin may be in charge of research and finding behavior trends, but Lizzie is the one who talks Casey through her problems and notices when relationships need fixing. So, to Lizzie and her observational skills.
Disclaimer: Casey and Sam are dating. Sam is still on the show. It is unlikely that Casey and Derek will get together because the show plays on Disney channel. I obviously don't own it.
Teenagers
Okay, so my sister is dating this guy. Sam. And he's sweet, and funny, and cute, and loyal . . . believe me, I've heard all about it. And despite my sister and her tendency to exaggerate the attributes of people she feels strongly about—I mean, really, Derek can be a jerk sometimes, but you'd think he was a terrorist the way she goes on—Sam really is all those things. So why aren't they happy?
While assisting Edwin in his research, I've noticed several trends. First comes the mushy stuff: cuddling, cooing, roses, matching outfits . . .you name it. This stage is generally when everyone in the house decides to make themselves scarce. Mom and George work late and make unnecessary grocery runs, Derek stays for extra hockey practices, Marti goes to play with her friends and Edwin and I do research—and by that I mean spy on Casey and Sam, of course. No one actually says they're avoiding the house, obviously, but our studies show that our family is gone an average of 43 percent more often during this stage of the relationship.
Next comes the tension. Someone (usually Casey) interprets something badly or takes a statement the wrong way and Casey and Sam become standoffish. They still go on dates, work on projects together and hang around the house, but the atmosphere is much less love-y. They're full of akward silences, offended looks and little arguments. Last time this happened, Sam tried to make it better by putting his arm around my sister. I don't think I've ever seen her look so nervous; she looked like she wanted to melt through the floor, and not in a good way.
Then comes the inevitable blow up. Casey will push her opinion too far or, more often, Sam will say something that offends Casey to the core and they start yelling. The yelling stage doesn't last long—you'd think from Derek and Casey's arguments she could at least last a couple minutes—and one of them storms out, leaving the other confused and angry.
Tears follow. I don't know why Casey always cries when she and Sam break up, because it happens every few weeks, but despite the fact that she usually dumps him, she always cries for days. Everyone wishes they could disappear during this phase, but doing so would undoubtedly make it worse. So we sit through endless rants on Sam and how he never listens, and he doesn't understand her, and he's such a jerk sometimes, but he can be really sweet too, and oh, why hasn't he called? Luckily for the family (but unfortunately for Emily) Casey has a best friend to cry to, so we are spared the worst of it.
Next comes the make up. When one of them starts getting lonely, one of two things will happen: they will meet by chance or they will willingly patch things up. When they meet by accident things usually go much more smoothly—it usually involves them randomly kissing without speaking a word and solving absolutely nothing. When they are forced to patch things up they usually talk about their problems—while really getting nowhere—for about an hour before tentatively going back to dating. I must say I prefer the latter, since they seem shyer about PDA afterwards. The less PDA between Casey and Sam, the better for everyone.
And then, of course, the cycle starts again. Gushing, gloating, awkwardness, fights, tears and the solution. And again. You think they would have noticed how repetitive their relationship is by now. Well, I guess they have; they did break up for good a while back, but it didn't last. Not that the relationship will last either.
I have a theory. It explains their problems and the solution. Well, I guess everyone knows the solution is to stop dating for real. Everyone except Casey and Sam. But the problem comes from two things. One is Casey, and the other is Sam. Of course things aren't that simple. When Derek and Emily tried to set Casey and Sam up—when Derek wanted to go to Sweden—they found the solution: communication. Communicating probably won't save their relationship, but it might help. Sam especially has trouble with this. Sometimes Casey takes things too seriously, so Sam uses apathy to avoid fights. Which usually causes more fights. If Sam stood up for himself and told Casey what he was thinking they would be much happier. Also, despite the fact that Casey raves about Sam's loyalty he seems flaky. For example, before they started dating Casey made up a fe-manifesto for the men in our house. Sam told Derek how stupid the idea was then told Casey that it was really cool. Casey thought it was sweet, but honestly, how is lying to your friend to score points with his sister loyal? I mean, I like Sam, I really do, but sometimes agreeing with everything your crush says or does is a bad thing. It's called brown-nosing.
The next problem is the way Casey works. Casey is a very punctual, precise person. She wants everything in its proper order and likes to know exactly why she feels the way she feels. I really think that's why she's dating Sam in the first place. She knows when she met him she felt nervous, she knows he's sweet, she knows he's usually dependable . . .even during their off times, she knows why she's mad at him and why he's wrong. She even thinks logically about the situation and apologizes if she's wrong, which is a rare occurrence. She can be sure that Sam will eventually forgive her and they'll get back together. She could almost plan their fights and resolutions in her day planner, which is exactly how she likes things. I'm not saying she doesn't actually like Sam. She does like Sam, a lot. But he's too steady, too dull and she's already so structured that everything gets boring. There's no chemistry. Casey needs someone who is fun and spontaneous; someone to upset her plans, to make her uncomfortable every once in a while. She needs someone completely different from her to complement her personality.
Which brings me to the last reason Sam and Casey could never work out: Derek. Okay, I know I'm Casey's sister and Derek's my stepbrother, but I really think there's something going on there. They always insult each other, fight constantly and often violently, and rarely agree on anything, but they'll always help each other if necessary. They may not admit they're helping each other, but Edwin and I have compiled a list: When I told Derek how much the teasing at school hurt Casey and it mysteriously stopped, when Edwin told Casey how worried Derek was about his English grade and she decided she didn't really want to fail after all, when Derek didn't give up on helping Casey lie about Bob even though he'd already finished his part of the deal . . . I could go on. Because when you get right down to it, it's obvious they care about each other. You couldn't find two more opposite people. But that's probably a good thing. After all, they say opposites attract. They balance each other. And no one can get under Casey's skin the way Derek does. Whether she'll admit it or not, she always reacts fervently to Derek; yelling until her throat is raw or being sucked in by his latest sob story, hating his flavor of the week or telling Emily exactly how unappealing Derek really is, running to Mom and George about his latest misdemeanor or watching—secretly impressed—at how much he loves his Smarti. She reacts unconsciously, erratically and emotionally whenever Derek is involved and that scares her. Because my big sister Casey is always in control. So she ignores her feelings for Derek, suppresses them into rivalry, and directs her energy on Sam. Which is probably unhealthy, and potentially problematic for Casey and Sam's friendship. It is definitely a problem for Casey and Sam's romance. Teenagers are so confusing.
I'm thinking about moving my efforts beyond simple research. I'm going to suggest to Edwin that we conduct an experiment and I know he'll agree. I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to shake things up, even if Edwin has failed to notice the brewing tension. I want to see what would happen if Casey was forced to admit her feelings for Derek, if Sam was forced to admit that he knows Casey isn't right for him, and if Derek was forced to admit that when he first saw Casey at the wedding he almost asked her out—you know, until he found out she was his stepsister. I'm thinking somewhere along the lines of a kiss. By accident, of course. But how to make it happen? Maybe we could accidentally shove Casey into Derek during a heated argument. Or, better yet, shove Derek into Casey. Once they get close enough he's the one who will actually follow through and do something about it. I can't see Casey kissing Derek on purpose—she'd never admit she wanted to. But what about Sam? How to work that problem out? Hmm, I need someone to help me collaborate. Now where did Edwin go . . .?
I think I have a dreaded disease: one-shot obsession. Or maybe it's chapter fic phobia. Because I think if I start a chapter story, I'll get stuck and not be able to finish and everyone will get mad at me. Sigh. So, here's another one-shot. If anyone knows a good beta, let me know. I'm incapable of editing my own work. So, whoever feels like reviewing, flaming, criticizing, etc., let me know if the story rambled on too long or wasn't action-y enough or something. I think I have a romance phobia too. I love it; I just think I'll get it wrong if I try to write it. Hmm, I should see a literary psychiatrist. Wonder if they have those . . .?