Disclaimer: I do not own Life With Derek.

Chapter One

Fifteen year old Derek Venturi was anxiously making his way down the hall at John Sparrow Thompson High. "You're invited," he said, handing out what seemed to be an invintation for something to a tall, preppy dressed, brunette. He continued handing out invintations excitedly, everyone wanted to recieve one, and who wouldn't want to be invited to something, anything that was being thrown by the great, Derek Venturi? As he got to the end of the hall, he ran into someone he saw, maybe too often. "Unfortunately," he stated to the person, "I have to invite you too, being family and all."

"Ha ha." This person turned out to be fifteen year old Casey MacDonald, Derek's step-sister. "Yes, unfortunately," the world stung her tongue, she agreed.

"Lighten up, Case. It was just a joke. True joke, but a joke none the less." Derek said in reply to her statement and wrapped his arm around Casey.

"Get off me," she yelped and removed his arm from her shoulders. "Derek!"

"You need to take a chill pill Casey, you're so uptight." Derek clicked his tongue and threw a piece of paper, invintation at her.

Casey picked up the paper from the floor. Derek's sweet sixteen. She glared at the paper, as if glaring would burst it into flames. It being impossible, she took the easier take and shredded the invintation and threw the pieces of paper up in the air. "Whatever," she muttered under her breath and hurried to class.

"So, kids," Nora MacDonald-Venturi asked at dinner that night, cutting into her steak she had made. "how was school?"

"It was okay," Casey said, with a little eye roll at the end.

"I passed out my invintations today," Derek beamed, "but I don't think Casey wants to attend my party." Derek mocked a pout and pretended to cry.

"Oh, shut up Derek! You're unbelievable," Casey grumbled and stabbed her fork into her green beans, angrily.

"Unbelievable because I invited you to my party?" Derek scoffed. "I'm unbelievable, Casey? You're the one unbelievable. I invite you to the social event of the season, high school life, my sweet sixteen, and I'm unbelievable?"

"You only invited me because we're family now and you know that Nora and George would be upset if you didn't!" Casey shot her step-brother a glare and then looked over at her mother and step-father.

"Casey," George said, trying to calm the situation, "its Derek's party, he can invite whoever he wants. Sure, we'd like him to invite you, but he in no way has to."

Casey wrinkled her nose and pulled out her chair. She felt slightly stupid. She saw Derek stick his tongue out at her. "May I be excused?" she said quietly, not even waiting for a reply, she was up out of her chair and up the stairs. Casey just made a total fool of herself. Derek really wanted her at his party. That had to mean something, right? He didn't have to invite her, at all. "You are so stupid," she whispered to herself, and she meant every word of that.

"Way to go, Case," said a voice behind her. She recgonized it as Derek's. "You make a fool of yourself at school as Klutzilla, and now in front of your family."

"Derek, do you have smart alek comment on everything I say?"

Derek pondered that for a moment. "As a matter of fact, Casey, I'd say, yes, yes, I do."

"Gah," she growled throwing a fluffy, pillow at him. "I hate you."

"Love you too," he laughed, throwing the pillow back and shutting her bedroom door.

Casey rolled her eyes and got onto her computer. Everyone was too obsessed with Derek's party. Everyone's Myspace was full of bulletins: Were you invited to Derek Venturi's Sweet Sixteen? Casey wanted to barf. How was Derek so popular. Wait, did she have to answer that? He was cute, jock-ish, and most importantly, a jerk. All jerks seemed to be popular. Did that work out, because everyone seemed to go for the bad boys? Jerk-ish like boys? Her thoughts turned into a ramble. Normally a lot of things did when she went on a train of thought about Derek. She rolled her eyes and shut her computer down. Later, maybe, she'd ponder more on this subject.

Casey started to get dressed for bed. Did she even want to attend this party? Again, she'd think more on the subject whenever she woke up in the morning. She sighed heavily and crawled into her bed, the warmth of the covers wrapped around her. She get over all this tomorrow...

Derek didn't need school. In fact, screw school, and everything about it. Why not skip class? He'd convinced Sam and Ralph to skip with him. "Come on man," Sam whispered, quietly. Derek knew Sam was always a little shaky about skipping class.

"You're not thinking of staying, are you, Sam?" Derek said, facing him and waving his arms in the air. "The world is our oyster. We should get out there and embrace it, my good man!"

"You realize if we get caught skipping again, your step-mom threatened to cancel your party," Sam said. He wanted to go to this party just as much as anyone else in the school.

"That's where you're wrong," Derek smirked, "she may threaten to cancel the party, but she never will. Her and my dad have already put so much time and money into it anyways." Derek rubbed his palms together excitedly, "...and Sam, Ralph, two weeks! Two weeks, is all we have to wait."

Ralph grinned. "Well, either way its win-win, even if we do get caught."

"Exactly!" Derek laughed and led his friends outside.

The boys found themselves smoking cigarettes and walking down the street of a nearby neighborhood. Neighborhood, if you want to call it that. It was more of farmland, with a few houses here and there. Derek, Sam, and Ralph were all in someone's barn, it didn't matter. It didn't look used anyways.

"This is living, men," Derek smiled, taking a long drag off of his cigarette. "...and when I learn how to drive..."

Ralph got Derek's drift and smiled. "It helps, you being older than everyone, giving us the hookups..." Ralph snapped and pointed at Derek.

Sam just coughed from a drag gone wrong. Derek clicked his tongue at him, "Shame Sam, I thought I taught you how to keep down your nicotine." Sam gave Derek a dirty look.

"Hey, Derek, Sam, lookie here," Ralph exclaimed, he was looking out of a window in the barn.

"What is it?" Derek and Sam asked, same time.

"There's people outside."

"What do you mean people?" Sam asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

"Just, people," Ralph shrugged, "no big deal."

Derek crawled over and looked out the window. There were people. One appeared to be a short guy, but he was big, intimidating. Another guy was tall and muscular and the last guy was extremely muscular, but slouching. Why was he slouching? Derek knew he wouldn't be slouching if he looked like that, he'd be confident. Derek looked over at Ralph and Sam. Ralph was flicking his cigarette butt onto the barn floor.

"Let's go, Derek, I have a Spanish test I need to take," Ralph said, climbing out of the barn loft onto the floor.

"Yeah," Sam agreed, following after his friend.

"Alright," Derek said, giving in. "Let's go. You guys start off. I think I'm going to have another cigarette."

"See ya, Derek," Sam said, jumping onto the barn floor.

"Have fun," Ralph also added, giving Derek a quick wave before he dashed out of the barn door.

Derek just shook his head and lit up another cigarette. He might as well get on his way too. He put the cigarette up to his lips and jumped down the rungs of the ladder to the floor. Oh, how Derek Venturi loved skipping english. A good nicotine fix beat grammar patterns any day.