"A vacation? When was the last time we took a vacation together as a family?" Edwin said after his father had revealed the news over dinner one night a few weeks into the summer vacation.
"Yep, that's right." George grinned.
"So, where are we going?" Casey asked cheerfully.
"Las Vegas. Only for a few days, but still." Nora told her smiling.
"Vegas?!" Derek and Casey said together.
"This is gonna be so cool!" Edwin and Lizzie said at the same time, slapping a high five.
"Sweet!" Marti said cheering.
"This is gonna be so much fun!" Casey said.
"And we're finally old enough to actually use the slot machines. You got money, right Casey?" Derek said whilst Casey rolled her eyes but laughed nevertheless.
"Yeah, about that. We have to talk to the pair of you." George said with a very clear warning in his voice.
"I bet I know what's coming. No gambling, no nothing. What else do you go to Vegas to do if not to visit the casinos?" Derek moaned.
"We do want you to have fun and we thought it would make a nice break for you to get away with the family before you escape to university." Nora said, looking a little offended.
"Oh yeah, I need to talk to you about that Casey. How the hell did we manage to get into the same university?"
"Don't ask me. Best place for both courses in the area, I think. I wanted to do Dance and Drama and you wanted to do Media and Film Studies. But what I want to know is how the heck you got a scholarship. Only a hockey scholarship, but still."
"Hey don't knock my scholarship!"
"Yeah, Casey, it's the first one he's ever got and we're proud of him." George said.
"But you also got one, Case. Remember? You got the Kelly Rowan acting scholarship." Nora said proudly.
"But we all knew she'd get that." Lizzie said taking a sip of water.
The next afternoon was filled with frantic packing for the Vegas trip. While everyone was rushing around trying to find things Derek slipped into Casey's room as she was organised and not needing to dash around. Everything she needed was in her room. She looked up as Derek lounged on her bed behind her little suitcase. She was used to him doing this. The pair of them had become reasonably close in recent months. They figured that they would have to spend a lot of time together so they might as well get along. They still fought of course, old habits die hard. But they helped each other out when the other needed it and as a consequence had become what could be reasonably termed as friendship.
"What do you want?"
"Case, they're not going to let us have any fun there. We've got to do something."
"What would you suggest?" Casey turned back from her wardrobe with two nice going out dresses in her hands on the hangers as she decided which to take.
"I am providing some liquid stimulation and there's a few little pills I could get my hands on that'll really take the edge off the trip."
"Drinks and drugs then?" Casey was surprisingly unfazed by the prospect. "Oh by the way; two things Derek. One; which dress? And two, look in the side pocket of the case."
Derek did so. "You naughty girl. The white dress, by the way. It makes you look smokin', but yet, still so innocent." Derek gave her the thumbs up. "Burn the brown."
"Thank you. But it's actually cream coloured. As for the parents, look in the actual case. You're looking for a Tupperware box, Derek." She replaced the brown dress and started to fold up the cream one.
"Brownies?"
"Knocked 'em up last night. Added my Special ingredient."
"You didn't!" Derek said with a mixture of dread and admiration. Casey sought revenge sneakily. Her Special Brownies were her favourite payback. The special ingredient was chocolate flavoured laxatives, super strength. Because they were chocolate flavoured you didn't notice them until about an hour later. At which point she revealed what she had put into them.
"I most certainly did. They'll be spending the whole trip in separate bathrooms."
"Casey, I never fully realised exactly how evil you can be."
"The effect of education perhaps. I've lived with you for too long."
"And it's not about to end, either."
"What are you talking about?" she put the dress into the small suitcase and then added a creamy white dress too.
"A letter came for both of us today. From Western. We are to be room mates at uni."
"You've got to be kidding." She paused in her packing.
"Sorry sis. Because there's too many students enrolling this year they have to put all family members together in the dorms. And technically we count as family."
"Just barely."
"Maybe we can erect a screen or something. Separate the area." Derek laughed.
"Are you done packing yet?"
"Hours ago. I'm not taking much."
"I'd better check what you're bringing. Knowing you, you won't have packed anything appropriate." Casey closed her suitcase and pulled him off her bed and into his room.
An hour later the rest of the family heard their argument as they hauled their bags down the stairs. Each family member had one bag or small suitcase apiece. Derek and Casey argued all the way to the airport and then annoyed everyone on the plane and embarrassed their parents by fighting on the plane too. They were seated beside each other separately from their family.
Eventually Casey fell asleep and rested her head on Derek's shoulder unconsciously. He glared at her but didn't mind too much. He looked at the Sharpie pen he was doodling with. An evil idea came. An eviler smile crept over his face.
Half an hour later Casey awoke because Derek was snoring. My god, she thought, is that what he's going to be like next year at uni? Hmm…
Her eye, too, fell on the Sharpie. Biting her lip she eased it from his grip and carefully wrote 'I am GAY' across his forehead and drew a penis on one of his cheeks and a heart on the other. She didn't notice her own face graffiti. Lizzie, coming back from the toilet, did.
"Um, Case, you might want to check your mirror." Before scurrying away.
Bemused Casey fished in her handbag for her make up mirror. She gasped when she saw what was written on her face. Derek had written 'LOSER' on her forehead and had drawn whiskers onto her cheeks complete with pimples and coloured the tip of her nose; clearly a cat face.
"Derek!" she snarled and gave him a decent dig in the ribs which woke him up. they then resumed the argument until they snapped at the stewardess who came over to try and get them to shut the hell up, and George took matters in hand.
He got up from his seat a few seats behind them and strode towards them. "Alright you two, enough is enough. When we get to Vegas the pair of you aren't coming out of your room."
"Our room?" Casey said pointedly.
"Your room. We were going to put Casey in with Lizzie and Marti, but now I think Edwin should share with them and you should have the room he and Derek were going to have. And you are not allowed to come out with us for dinner and tomorrow you are also going to stay there. And you will stay there until I say you may come out. Got it?" George glared at them.
"Yes." They said meekly together.