"Derek! Get out! I was here first!" Casey yelled as she banged on the bathroom door.

"Then why am I in here and why are you out there?" her smug step-brother laughed.

The two step-siblings went through this every morning. On the rare days that they didn't fight, Derek always had something else up his sleeve. Always. From taking the car to school before she could get a ride so that she would be late, to putting a red sock in the washing machine with her whites (she hated pink), Derek was always doing something to annoy Casey.

"Casey, why don't you just start taking showers at night?" Edwin, her younger step brother, asked. He was nice. Why couldn't Derek be more like Edwin? Edwin was nice to Lizzy. Hell they were best friends! But no, she had to get stuck with Derek! Egotistical, womanizing, jackass, bastard Derek!

Life blows.

--

"Class, once I start handing out the tests, please wait until I have given the last person the test to start. And no talking." Derek's history teacher said.

History was one of the two classes Derek had with Casey. So not only did he have to deal with her at home, but he also had to deal with her at school! He hated how she thought she knew everything, granted she usually did, but seriously, she didn't need to act like she was gods gift to everyone in sight! She was the perfect student. She was good in school, polite to teachers, even when they were not so polite to her, and she was nice to everyone! Well everyone except Derek. She wasn't always nice to him. But then again, he wasn't nice to her. But he liked it that way. She was an uptight bitch and if him being in her life (even if he really wished he wasn't) meant that he got to take her down a couple of notches so be it.

"Derek! Wake up! You have a test in front of you!" Casey whispered while poking him in the ribs.

Derek rolled his eyes. He supposed she was trying to help. In that stuffy, uptight way of hers.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

"Mom? Can we talk?" Casey asked.

"Sure honey. Just give me a second." Nora said as she struggled with the laundry. "Okay what's up?" She asked after Casey took the load from her hands.

"I want to go home-"

"Now Casey. We spoke about this. We needed to get you to start anew. You were not happy with who you were back then." Nora said interrupting her daughter.

"No! You weren't happy with who I was! I was perfectly content. I had amazing friends. I had an incredible boyfriend. So I got into trouble a few times, its not the end of the world! Here ALL I do is fight with Derek and go to school. I always got good grades in school. And now its all I do. School school school! I have NO social life besides Emily and whatever social life I could have is ripped to shreds thanks to Derek!" Casey yelled.

Hearing his name, Derek moved to the kitchen.

"Casey, if you would just give it a chance-" Nora started.

"I have! Its not working for me." Casey said glaring at Derek, who had a rather innocent expression on his face.

"Look Case. I know it's hard, leaving your friends back home-"

"Wait, Casey had friends?!" An overdramatic Derek said.

"Not now Derek! Go do something else." Nora said while glancing sharply at Derek.

"Now, as I was saying. I know it's hard but you can always visit them."

"When?" Casey asked automatically.

"I don't know. Everything is crazy right now. Let me check it out and I'll let you know okay?" replied Nora. She really did love her daughter and she hated to see her so sad.

"Okay. I guess that's good enough." Casey said. Nora let out a relieved sigh and Casey added "For now."

……………………………………………………………………………………..

"Yeah I know right? And then he stood up infront of the entire school, and when I say entire school, I mean ENTIRE school and started to sing. Well it was more like wailing really, but it was great! I wish you had been there Case" Kyanne said to Casey on the phone. Kyanne was Casey's best friend back in her old hometown. She was the one Casey skipped her first class with, the one Casey first got into trouble with.

"Yeah, me too Ky. You have no idea how much it sucks being so far away from you guys. There's nothing to do here! I mean seriously? I have become such a nerd! Everything people do here is so boring. And they think its fun!" Casey muttered.

"Babe, are you even trying? It cant be that boring." Kyanne replied. She knew Casey, Casey was the life of any party. She could make fun no matter where she was.

"No I guess not. Its just not the same without you guys. Its so..." Casey stopped as she searched for a word to describe what she was feeling.

"Blah? Useless? Dull?" Kyanne supplied.

" Empty." Casey whispered in a ragged voice.

Instantly alarmed, Kyanne soothed her. "I know CJ, but you can make it. I know you can. You only have a year left of high school and we know what happens then right?!"

"CaliforNIA!" They both squealed at the same time pronouncing the NIA loudly.

"Will you shut up in there? I don't care what you think about CaliforNIA and neither does the rest of the neighbourhood!" Derek yelled, agitated.

Casey just rolled her eyes. "So he sang in front of the entire school, huh?"

I seem to be having problems with FF. This chapter has been Beta'd (is that even a word?) by the lovely Shaelyn (Yee Mun) Hope you enjoyed it!

Review please!JJ3