I could hear her crying threw the thin wall that seperated our rooms. Aparently her and Max had engaged in another fight. She always fought with her boyfriends (even if she had had only two) which meant that she was the mental case.

Last year when Sam was willing to risk our friendship over my spastic step-sister, I couldn't understand what he saw in her. And then Max, the most popular guy in school, wanted her. What was it that she had?

I know deep down what kind of a person she is. Casey has a strong personality and a hard disposition...and she hates my guts with a passion.

The way she says my name in a high pitch when I've done something to piss her off. And its the reason I piss her off so I can hear my name.

It's that passion that I love so much. She's is the most beautiful girl that I have ever laid eyes on when she gets in my face and screams...or when she just sits on the couch and doesn't move a muscle, I wonder how anyone can be so perfect.

I didn't think that at first. Not until we were locked in the bathroom shortly after she had moved in and I had thrown a party that I shouldn't have. We had fought like always, except this time physically. That wasn't the part that moved me though.

It was the way she had laughed afterwards; wiping my face off with her soft hand.

I should feel awful when she cries over the loss of a guy but in reality I'm ecstatic. It pains me to see her with someone else even though I can never her have her as my own.

Does that make me selfish? It's not my fault our parents fell in love and got married.

Before the McDonald's ever came along, I was a terror. It is something that I am forced to keep up so no one will know how I really feel. It terrifys me that somone might see; might see the way I look at her when we're alone and her face is turned away from me.

I can feel the cool paint against my forhead as I hear here her sob. The tears have seemed to subside a bit.

I need to see her. I make my way out into the hallway and gently push the door open without any invitation. Casey was lying on her stomach, facing away from me. She still had on her 'date' clothes. A short black skirt, matching pumps, and pink blouse.

The skirt had ridden up to expose the underside of her ass which caused me to burn but direct my gaze elsewhere. I had to be 'Derek.' The Derek that everyone knew me as. The Derek that no one would ever know had a forbidden desire inside of him.

"How's a guy suppose to get any rest with all that wailing?" I say with an automatic smirk that I have perfected over the years.

I was waiting for it. For her to tell me how worthless I was and to get out...but she didn't. She turned her sad eyes up at me; eyes the color that were so blue that nothing majestic came close enough to describe them. They were even more exquisite with tears glistening in there depths.

She rose from her mattress and was now coming twords me. Before I could react, her slender arms went around my waist and held tight. My breath caught in my throat and I prayed she couldn't feel my heart beating out of my chest.

"Stop being a jerk for two seconds and hold me."

And that is what I did. I placed one hand on the back of her soft hair and my arm held tight around her back, mid way down. She smelled of apple shampoo and just Casey.

"Wanna talk about it?" I say with a shrug like I don't care, but in all reality I have to know.

"Max," was all she said.

"Did...did he hurt you?" I couldn't hold the worry out of my voice if I tried. She raises her head up to look at me, having noticed my concern.

She shakes her head no with a half smile playing on her lips.

"He broke up with me?"

She places her head on my shoulder once again and held tight.

"He's not worth it, Case."

"I know, but a girl's gotta cry once in awhile."

"It seems like that's all you get done," I say, but not to be mean. Just stating a fact.

"I'm a girl. What can I say."

I keep holding her. As the seconds tick by, I realize that this is getting us no where so I reluctantly release my hold and turn to leave.

"Derek," she says my name quickly. "Will you...stay with me?"

Why was she asking this of me? And how could I possibly say no?

Without a word, we lay down on her bed and she leans into me. My arms envelope her as she snuggles up against my chest feeling more fragile than I ever thought was possible for my strong little Casey.

"He said I had to sleep with him," her soft voice answered with no question asked into the quiet night. Only the sound of the heater kicking on, their only relief from silence.

"And..." I egged on, praying that she was still untouched though it shouldn't matter to me. But it did.

"I told him I wasn't ready and then he dumped me." She repeated the dumping part like she hadn't already informed him of that. I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. "Have you ever dumped a girl because she wouldn't have sex with you?"

The question took me off guard. "I've never had that happen...girl's always want me."

My response gets a elbow in my side but she smiles at my arrogance. "As rediculous as that sounds, I bet you're telling the truth."

I chuckle. "Beleive it or not, I havn't slept with a lot of girls and I would never dump someone I really liked because they weren't ready."

She seemed to be thinking about my response thoughtfully. "He really didn't like me then."

"He's an idiot."

We layed in silence and I figured she had drifted off to sleep. That was until she spoke again and her words sliced through my brain, gut, and heart.

"I'm glad Max broke up with me and you want to know why?" Casey's voice shook as she said that.

"Why?" I asked with caution.

Her pretty lashes lifted to look at me. "I never pictured my first time with him anyway." She whispered, her hot breath tickling my neck. "Do you know who I want?"

My heart was about to take a beating. It was probably Ryan Kessler or Logan Atwood.

"Who?'

"You," she smiled, shy, before bending her head down quickly to avoid my gaze.

They were the sweetest words that had ever reached my ears. My smirk was genuine this time as I lifted her chin with my index finger and softly kissed her lips. Lips that I have wanted to kiss and have wrapped around me...if you know what I mean.

"Then it will happen," I told her causing her cheeks to blush furiously.

"But you hate me."

"Eh, Princess, I've never hated you. It's your sassy self that I look forward to every day when I wake up."

"I hate that our parents are married. It bothers me all the time."

"Not to me," I told her causing a suprised reaction to cross her lovely features. "If they wern't married then I wouldn't be able to see you all day every day...any time of the night."

She laughed and hugged me tight. "I guess that it is a good thing then."

"It sure is. And besides, my Dad's so out of it that he might think it's a good thing."

I waited for another reaction but failed to get one; her thoughts a mile away.

"I wasn't crying about Max."

"No?" I asked. What could she have been crying over if not about Max?

"I was crying because I can never have you...or so I thought."

I stroked her cheek gently and kissed the tip of her nose. "You're gonna be the death of me, Case."

She laughed. "I know." She seemed so smug.

"Sooo," she continued. "About that first time?"

"Not happening in a house full of family on a night that you just got dumped by another guy."

Casey's bottom lip made an appearance in a pout and I reached down and took it between my teeth. I released her and gave thoughs pink lips one last lingering kiss that I had been waiting on for far too long.

Wrapping the covers around her body, I walked to the door and turned around.

"Night, Space Case," and walked back into my room with the greatest feeling I had ever known.