How Far We've Come
Chapter One: Happy Birthday Casey
Casey McDonald rolled over and hit the snooze button on her alarm, today was her eighteenth birthday, and unfortunately she had school. She sat up stretching, before changing quickly, deciding to shower that night instead of risking Derek's obnoxious behavior. Her mother rapped lightly on the door to make sure she was getting ready for school, just as Casey was applying her strawberry lip gloss.
"Casey, darling are you up?"
"Yes Mum, just putting on my make-up."
"Alright, Happy Birthday Sweet heart."
"Thanks mum."
Nora's footsteps padded softly away and were replaced by Casey's door swing open with a bang as Edwin ran in to her room apparently escaping Derek's wrath.
"Happy Birthday, Sis." He said sliding under Casey's bed to hide
"EDWIN!" Derek yelled.
Storming up the stairs foot steps, thundering, loudly.
"What did you do?" Casey asked her bed skirt that hid her youngest stepbrother.
"I borrowed his leather jacket for my date last night and got mud on it." Came its muffled reply.
Derek march passed Casey's door and to the attic stairs.
"Edwin you have five seconds to get your butt down here." Derek called up to his brother.
"don't tell him where I am ok." Edwin said, with incredibly bad timing because just as he asked Casey for the favor Derek entered her room and sat on the bed. He winked at Casey, and Casey smiled at him both new where Edwin was and what was going to happen.
"Case, have you seen Ed? He borrowed my jacket with out permission, and I wanted to have a chat with him."
"Sorry Derek, I just got out of bed."
"Ok, well, happy birthday." Derek stood up and hugged Casey, after living together for three years they had finally become friend's they weren't close per say but they were friends and as far as the rest of the family was concerned that was all that mattered. "I have your present down stairs for later ok."
"OK, thanks" and that was when Derek made his move reaching under the bed and pulling Edwin out by his shirt collar.
"BUSTED!"
"Crap."
Derek swung Edwin over his shoulder with ease thanks to his hockey muscles and smiled his goodbyes while Edwin shout obesities apparently instant that him being found was Casey's fault, Casey finished getting ready and went down stairs to breakfast, everyone was at the table waiting for her except Derek, who was in the kitchen talking on the phone to who Casey could only assume was Sally, even though Derek and Sally had broken up when Sally moved to Vancouver for collage were still good friends (they even told each other about relationship problems.)
"Yeah she just got up you want to talk to her." Derek said backing into the dinning room opening the closed door with his toned butt, he had the phone wedged between his shoulder and a tray of pancakes in his hands. He sat the tray down on the table and said a quick goodbye and handed Casey the phone winking as Casey smiled at the fact that Derek had cooked before taking the phone.
"Hi Sal."
"Happy Birthday Case!"
"Thanks."
They talked for about five minutes before Casey hung up and the family begin breakfast in silence, about ten minutes into the meal however Casey couldn't hold on to it any longer.
"Derek was you cooking my birthday present?"
"No, me cooking was my way of getting Nora out of the kitchen so I could confirm your birthday present."
"Really, wait why did you need to confirm my birthday present?"
"Because you are suppose to confirm you flight at least twelve ours before it leaves." Said Derek tossing to plane tickets across the table at Casey. "We are going to Vegas Baby."
"No way!" Casey squealed excitedly.
"Yes way, and Sam and Emily are coming to, we leave tonight at nine, I suggest you go pack I give you a ride to school."