Okay, so I know that a lot of you are patiently waiting for me to update Her Little Red Notebook: fear not! I will update it soon, but life has been crazy hectic lately! I just came up with this one night before work, after listening to Avril Lavigne's "What the Hell" on repeat for a couple of hours. I remember on my way to Prom my friends and I were listening to it in the car, and I automatically thought this is so DASEY! haha, anyway, please enjoy and review!
ONESHOT!
Casey McDonald: Straight A student since Kindergarten, oldest of two girls, and the best helper her single mother, Nora, could have ever asked for. Keener to a "T." The three of them had a pretty damn good life, and a system. A system that worked, and Casey wouldn't really have changed it for the world. Life was perfect.
Derek Venturi: Eldest of three, Alpha male of his home, star hockey player, and Prankster king. He was the perfect big brother- he scared Edwin into servitude, and saved the softest part of his heart for his baby sister, Marti. George, his father, could have used some of Derek's help, and he would help...sometimes. Their life was perfect, too. No one really wanted anything to change.
Both families were perfectly happy with how everything was set up, never dreaming of anything changing too drastically.
Until George met Nora. And got married.
Derek Venturi and Casey McDonald: Now step-siblings, and in constant competition for familial dominance. Both were just way too used to being in charge, to being the boss, the commander and chief of their siblings. This particular set of step-siblings found themselves pranking, bickering, tricking, and battling simply to see who would come out on top. Both, though, were fighting with themselves more than with each other about matters completely different.
Unbeknownst to Casey was the fact that Derek wasn't pissed of at his dad for the obvious reasons. Derek was fine with his father's marriage. He didn't particularly mind having step-siblings- he actually kind of had a soft spot for Lizzie, or as he took to calling her, Lizard. No, he was mad because George just had to go off and marry Casey's mom. From the moment he saw her, he was instantly attracted to her. He thought it was the way she carried herself; she was confident in herself and didn't seem to take much shit from anybody- not even him. She was an intellectual challenge, and a master spar partner who could hold her own and was just as clever as he could be. Not to mention, she was physically pleasing to his eyes. He knew, even then, that there was no way he would ever be able to see her as a sister, much less treat her as one. He didn't want to be known as the local perv who had the hots for his step-sister, so he disguised his want in the most obvious way possible. He fought with her, made it seem as if he couldn't stand her, and maybe, just maybe, no one would ever know the truth.
Unbeknownst to Derek was that Casey was almost relieved to have some of the responsibility of being the oldest taken off of her shoulders. It felt good to have someone else who wanted it so badly. She was almost willing to surrender it to him. But being stubborn and headstrong as she was, she didn't. The moment she saw him standing there, with his cocky and arrogant smirk, she knew she couldn't hand over such an important responsibility to this overly confident, egotistical, and sloppy boy. There was no way her feminist beliefs could even find a way to conform to his, obviously, sexist ways. Any brown haired, brown eyed boy, with that charming of a smile would obviously be a sexist, right? The more time she spent living under the same roof as this attractive pig, the more she started seeing softer sides of him, and the more he would try to hide them. Obviously she started to develop feelings for him. This wouldn't do, because if she developed feelings she might surrender her alpha-female status to the male. This would go against everything she believed in, right? So she fought harder. If she could convince everyone at home that she couldn't stand him, maybe she could convince herself. And maybe, just maybe she could keep her status.
Unbeknownst to both of them was the fact that they both secretly knew each others secrets. Their battle for dominance became a twisted sort of secret game that neither would admit to actually playing. There developed an ulterior goal: they were no longer just battling for dominance, but they were fighting to see how the other would fold once someone did win. They would secretly and "subconsciously" use the others feelings for them to gain the upper hand, whether it was making them jealous or hitting their "soft spots." It got twisted pretty fast, but neither Casey nor Derek were willing to surrender just yet- to either game. The problem was, she carried so much responsibility to her mother and siblings and to herself, that she was at the verge of cracking. She needed to let go and have some fun- take a breather.
That was why she started playing dirty. That's why she played the most confusing card she could think of. Sam.
You say that I'm messing with your head
All 'cause I was making out with your friend
Derek was angry- that was a very very bold move. A clever tactic- use his best friend against him. It was psychologically a brilliant plan. When Casey and Sam started dating, he was ridiculously jealous of Sam, but he managed to convince everybody that he was jealous that Casey was spending more time with his best friend than he was. It was during this period that he realized how wrong his feelings for her actually really were. He was sick- but it didn't stop the insane jealously. What was even more sick was the way she was enjoying this- whether it was because she knew she was hurting him in one way or because she was finally letting go. Either way, his safest bet was the first guess. He had to find a way to top this, and he had to do it fast. It was getting to the point where he just wanted her to give up; for more reasons than one. If she would just give up, he wouldn't feel like he was slowly losing her.
Love hurts whether it's right or wrong
I can't stop 'cause I'm having too much fun
You're on you knees
Begging, "Please
stay with me"
But honestly I just need to be
A little crazy
At this point she was so lost in this game of power that she'd just about gone over the edge completely. She could see that she had the higher ground, and it felt good. The look in Derek's eyes that he tried to hide whenever he saw her with Sam gave her such a high- she was becoming quite sadistic. She knew he was jealous, but for the first time in her life, she felt free. Free of pressure, free of restrictions, and mostly, free of Derek's hold on her. She figured that if she was here, she might as well have a little fun while it lasted. The game had consumed her, and she was in too deep, but Derek could swear he was the only person that noticed the change in her, what the game had driven her to.
All my life I've been good
But now. . .
I'm thinking, "What the hell?"
All I want is to mess around
And I don't really care about
If you love me
If you hate me
You can't save me
Baby, baby
All my life I've been good
But now. . .
What the hell?
She knew his feelings for her were more than he let on, and so she knew that this new game was killing him just the same as it was killing her. But she also knew that her latest bluff irked him, in fact, she wouldn't blame him if he totally hated her for doing it. If she were the same person she had been only months before, she would probably hate herself, but she wasn't. In fact, she was thinking. . .
What?
What?
What?
What the hell?
But it would take a lot more for these two to call it quits. In fact, Derek stepped up his game to a whole new level. He evened the score by doing exactly what she had done- he made her insanely jealous by dating her friend Kendra. There came a point when the game changed, but he didn't notice when or why. It was strange to describe; it almost seemed as though it became easier, although at the same time, it got harder. He was confused.
So what if I go out on a million dates?
You never call or listen to me anyway
I'd rather rage than sit around and wait all day
Don't get me wrong, I just need some time to play
The game changed because Casey gave up. Only she didn't. She just couldn't take it anymore- the way he always got to her. It hurt in a way she never could have imagined anything could hurt. She gave up when she realized she'd lost; she had fallen in love with him. She had put up so much energy in fighting him for dominance that she was broken and couldn't handle it. She was willing to surrender her title and let him rule. Only her psychopathic stubbornness wouldn't allow her stop playing until he realized that he'd won. And so she kept playing; she brought in Scott, Max, Trevor, Noel, Truman, all in a flurry of names that she herself had a hard time keeping up. She just wanted Derek to see how desperate she was for him to take notice of her defeat. While she wasn't getting what she wanted from her step-brother, these guys would have to do. It would be an understatement to say she was fed up.
You're on your knees
Begging, "Please
Stay with me"
But honestly I just need to be
A little crazy
Derek was pulling his hair out in confusion and trying to keep up with her. He knew with each passing boyfriend, he was losing her. He was convinced of it. Just when it seemed she had given up, she would turn up with yet another boyfriend. It was aggravating, and he was just about to throw in the towel, yet he felt like he was so close. So in his dash to keep up came Amy, Sally, and even Emily. Casey could have screamed at his wild antics. He was so blind that he'd resorted to toying with Emily to get to her. Kind of in the same way she had used Sam... But he was just being so stupid, so oblivious, so stubborn! But so far finished with being her perfect self, she knew she had to keep playing until he noticed. She had keep going until the idiot realized she wasn't just "playing" anymore.
All my life I've been good
But now. . .
I'm thinking, "What the hell?"
All I want is to mess around
And I don't really care about
If you love me
If you hate me
You can save me
Baby, baby
All my life I've been good
But now. . .
What the hell
She was running on default. It was like her behavior was simply a template saved onto her hard drive, with no effort necessary. No thoughts. And that was how it was when they started at Queens together. They no longer lived with their parents, but in a two bedroom apartment that George and Nora had so generously rented for them while they went to school. Both had been stripped of their responsibilities as the elder children. They didn't have to exert dominance over Lizzie, Edwin, or Marti. They didn't have to fight for control of the troops- there weren't any troops to control anymore. It was just the two of them, and Derek didn't know how this affected the game. Casey did. She knew that now, either he would realize he won on his own, or she would have to show him.
"Casey, what do you think you're doing," he hissed when he felt his mattress bounce to adjust to the new weight she had put onto it. She was on her knees looking straight into his eyes, as he positioned himself to sit against his headboard. She didn't say a word. "Case, are you spacing, 'cause this really isn't the time to-" Her lips landed on his just in time to shut him up. He couldn't think anything besides Casey is kissing me. I'm kissing Casey. Casey is kissing me. I'm finally kissing Casey! Wait... He pulled away from her with a partly dazed, partly wildly angry sort of look. "What the fuck, Case!" She was messing with him, and it was time to set some rules. Yes, because he was no less than stupid. "You've crossed a line," He said as he grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back. "This," he gestured between them, "this is cheating! You can't win that way. I don't care how twisted this game has gotten, but there is no way I'm letting you play a joker!"
It was the first time since they met that either of them had ever verbally acknowledged the game. At his acknowledgment, Casey smiled brightly, knowing it was finally over. "I'm not playing, Derek. Not anymore," and she went in for another kiss. He didn't respond to her lips. He just sat there, petrified until he pushed her away again looking thoroughly confused.
"Not playing anymore," he asked. She smiled and shook her head. "Does that mean?" She smiled brighter and nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"You win," she whispered in his ear.
"I win..." he smiled. "You aren't messing with me, are you?" Casey laughed and kissed him again. This time Derek took over; he grabbed her waist and pushed her backward, exerting his dominance. He was, of course, the alpha-male.
You say that I'm messing with your head
Boy, I like messing in your bed
Yeah, I am messing with your head when
I'm messing with you in bed
All my life I've been good
But now. . .
Her three years living with the Venturis had changed Casey. Some might say for the better, others would say for the worst. But she knew that being perfect really wasn't what she wanted from life at all. What she wanted was to be someone that she could be proud of being- someone who could take risks for the sake of taking them and not weighing them out so much that she scared herself into not taking them. She was different but she was still Casey McDonald. He was different but he was still Derek Venturi. They both knew that what they were doing and getting themselves into merited several explanations, but right now the only thing either of them were thinking was:
What the hell?