Say Cheese
G
Casey, Derek, a bit of Nora
Notes: Current season.
Summary: Crisis on picture day.
Complete
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"Casey!" Derek yelled from the bathroom.
"What?" Casey replied, throwing open her bedroom door and grabbing her bag from the ground. "No, you cannot use my gel. Add it to the grocery list!" She yelled towards the closed bathroom door as she walked by.
"It's not that!" Derek replied as he opened the bathroom door and dragged Casey inside.
"Derek!? What are you DOING? And why do you have toothpaste on your cheek?"
"It dries out zits. I thought chicks knew all those secret beauty tricks! But forget about that, what I am about to ask can't ever leave these four walls." Derek whispered fiercely.
"I'm listening." Casey leaned back against the closed door. "But I will require payment."
"I need to, uhm – uh –" Derek sputtered.
"Spit it out. I'm going to be late, and it's picture day. I need to get in line before my hair goes flat."
"I need to borrow some, you know, makeup."
Casey simply burst out laughing. Derek just glared.
"Are you finished?"
"Are you serious?" Casey asked, composing herself.
"Look at this!" Derek said, turning the opposite direction and pointing at his left cheek. A large red dot was currently residing on about 1/6 of his face. "I can't get my picture taken looking like this. I mean, people are going to be asking me to sign by my name at the end of the year. I can't let people ever think I get, you know – "
"Zits?" Casey supplied. "Derek, everyone gets zits. It's called being a teenager. You know, hormones-"
"Spare me, Nora." Derek cut off Casey abruptly. "The Derek Venturi does NOT get zits. Now are you going to lend me some of that magic stuff in a stick or not?"
"Concealor?" Casey asked, pulling her bag around to rest on her hip and grabbing a tan tube from the front pocket. She waved it in front of Derek's face.
"Whatever! Just give it to me!"
"Fine. But you owe me." Casey said, handing the tub to Derek and turning to open the door.
"Uh, Casey?" Derek said. Casey turned around to see Derek warily eyeing the stick with a sponge he had just extracted from the tube. "What do I do with this, exactly?"
Casey grinned and grabbed the wand from him. "Shut up and come closer."
---
"Oh, Casey, Derek, your school picture prints are in!" Nora greeted the teens a few weeks later.
"Gimme!" Derek said, lunging for the packages Nora had in her hand. "I mean, uhm, can I see those? I know some chicks who would be devastated if they don't get a copy." Derek finished, ripping open the white paper.
"Thanks, Mom." Casey said, taking hers from her mother. "I hope they turned out as well as last year's!"
"I'm sure they're great, as usual. You're a beautiful girl - you know that. And everyone in the MacDonald clan is photogenic." Nora said, smiling at her daughter.
"Oh, man, I look awesome!" Derek said, admiring his photo. "Not that I'm surprised or anything." Derek said, quickly putting the biggest print back in the envelope.
"Oh, my GOD!" Casey cried. "MOM!" She said, stuffing her prints in her mother's face. "Look at these!"
Nora gingerly took a close look at the photos. She had to put her hand over her muth to suppress a smile.
"Casey, you look ridiculous!" Derek said from over Nora's shoulder. "Did you look in a mirror at all before you got in line?" Derek asked, taking in her windswept hair, smudged lipstick, and errant eyeliner.
"I didn't have any time! YOU were running late that morning, REMEMBER?" Casey yelled.
"Of course it's MY fault that you looked bad." Derek replied sarcastically. "It could simply be that's how you alwa-"
"Derek!" Nora said, warningly.
"Mom, I already missed the makeup picture day! What am I going to do?" Casey cried. Nora simply stared at her daughter – she wasn't sure either.
---
"Uh, excuse me, Mrs. McMillin, but I have a pass for Casey." Tinker said, handing a pink piece of paper to Casey's Biology teacher.
"Oh, alright. Casey, here you go. Go ahead and take your things with you, class is almost over."
Casey quickly gathered up her belongings and grabbed the pass from Mrs. McMillin. She followed Tinker out into the hallway.
"Why is Paul calling a meeting? We have an appointment tomorrow." Casey wondered aloud as she read over the pass.
"Uhm, you're supposed to just follow me, Casey." Tinker stuttered. "I guess it'll - it'll be explained when you get there?" Tinker said, turning down the hallway opposite Paul's office.
"This stinks of Derek." Casey said, following Tinker nonetheless. She wasn't really enjoying listening to Mrs. McMillin talk about the dissections they'd be performing next week – she'd done multiple dissections on a computer last year at her old school.
"Derek?" Casey called out as Tinker opened a door to the auditorium and then promptly shut it behind her.
"This is Marco, from Chi-Chi Photography. He's willing to retake your picture, and Tinker is going to get it on the yearbook staff's hard drive." Derek said, stepping from behind the curtains and gesturing behind him.
"Oh, my God." Casey said. "Derek-" She said, walking towards the stage and he jumped down. She opened her arms, but Derek quickly ducked out of the way.
"Ew." Derek said. "Here is a pass to get you into next period. Also, make sure to check a mirror before you get your picture taken this time – you've had broccoli in your teeth since lunch." Derek grinned.
"Derek!" Casey said, frantically searching her bag for her mirror.
Derek just chuckled and walked towards the toward. As he grasped the handle, he spoke.
"Oh, and Casey?" He started. Casey turned to look at him. "Consider yourself paid back." He winked, then left.