The One I Can't Love

I sat in my room, my diary in hand. We had another fight; this one wasn't as big on the rector scale, it's a damn shame too. There was a knock at my door. "Come in," I said slipping my diary under my mattress. Derek poked his head into my room, "Dinner's done," he said before walking away leaving the door ajar. I climbed off my bed and swung my door open the rest of the way. "Next time Derek you could at least shut the door!" I grumbled before walking down the stairs. I sat down in my normal seat across from Derek and glared. All he did was smirk. "So what happened this time?" George asked walking through the front door. "Oh just something Derek pulled at school." Casey said. "What did you do this time Derek?" George asked slightly annoyed. "Oh nothing really, I just pulled a prank in chemistry." Derek replied. "Oh really," Nora said coming into the dining room with a platter filled with tofu burgers. Derek nodded grabbing a burger and looking at it in disgust. "What is this, under cooked chicken?" Derek asked. "No, as I have explained to you a million times before its tofu!" I said. "So what was this prank great master?" Edwin asked. "Yeah, tell us Smerek!" Marti demanded. "Well, all I did was put a little extra salt and baking soda in Casey's experiment." Derek replied, his mouth full of tofu burger. "Derek, why be so modest, you forgot to mention that you took the same experiment from science and recreated it and placed the recreation in my locker." I said with a fake smile on my face. "Oh yeah," Derek replied swallowing. "Derek!" Nora gasped. "Derek, we need to talk after dinner." George said sternly. We finished eating our meal during which George inquired multiple times about Edwin and Lizzie's day.

After dinner I ran backup stairs and picked up a book. Oliver Twist. Our stupid English teacher forced us to read 4 classics during the course of the 10th grade year. After a few minutes of trying to focus on the pages of the book I decided to listen in on what was going on downstairs. I crept out of my room and to the stairs. "…out of hand!" was all I caught of George's statement. "Dad, come on, it did no harm!" Derek said sounding almost desperate. "No harm? Do you know what could have happened if you put something into experiment that wasn't what you thought it was?" George retorted. Nora just sat there her head in her hands. "I wouldn't hurt her physically, you know that!" Derek groaned. "Derek! You could have caused a huge explosion!" George spat. "I knew what I was doing!" Derek insisted. "What if you hadn't known what you were doing and just did it?" George asked. "I don't know." Derek said honestly. "Yeah, I thought so! Now go upstairs and apologize to Casey and then go to your room." George demanded. Once Derek was on his way upstairs I stood up and acted like I was coming out of the bathroom. "S…s…" Derek tried to get the words out but he couldn't. "Yeah, yeah, it's okay." I said flipping my wrist and rolling my eyes. Derek then crouched in the spot I had just moved from.

We both waited there and listened. "George, we're going to have to do something about those two!" Nora said. "I know, but we going to have to make them do something together to get them to stop the fighting!" George groaned. After a long silence George leaped from his seat on the couch and put his forehead against Nora's, "I have it…" and that's all we heard before they began to whisper. "Damn it!" I groaned. Derek stalked off to his room and slammed the door. I went to my room and stood quietly in the doorway, now what? As I turned to go into my room I imagined what they might do to Derek and I; get our schedules changed and have our teachers make us sit next to each other, handcuff us together for as long as possible each day, lock us in a room somewhere in the house and make us stay there until we become friends or die of starvation, which ever comes first. Maybe it wasn't going to be that bad after all.

The next morning was Saturday and Nora came in and woke me up. "Casey get showered and changed and get own stairs." She said before walking off. I grabbed my clothes and hurried to the bathroom, Derek and I made it there at the same time, "Mom wants me down stairs when I'm done so I need the shower first." I snapped. "Dad wants me on the couch pronto." Derek hissed. I pushed past him and into the bathroom. I locked the door and removed every article of clothing. I turned on the hot water and waited for it to reach the right temperature before getting in. Steam surrounded my body as I grabbed the peach body wash. I washed my arms, chest, legs, and so on, before putting some of Derek's shampoo in my hair and lathering it up. I liked the smell; it was warm and welcoming, yet sent chills up my spine. When I finished washing off I dried my body off and threw on my clothes. I brushed my teeth and dried my hair before unlocking the door and letting Derek enter the bathroom.

When Derek finished his shower and made it down stairs I was getting impatient. "Okay you two. We have devised a punishment that should help you stop fighting. Nora and I will be moving our stuff into Casey's room and Casey's stuff will go in the basement and Derek we have to repaint your room and check for a mol infestation so you will be stay with Casey in the basement." George said. I gasp, "George we… I… he… what the hell is wrong with you!" Derek glares at his dad. "Now go get your stuff and get downstairs, we'll be moving our stuff upstairs later today." Nora said. I stomped of the stairs and into my room, where I found Lizzie sitting on my bed. "What do you want?" I growled, "Sorry, um… what's up?" "Casey, I need some advice." Lizzie said looking down at my bedspread. "What about, Liz?" I asked. "Um… I like Jamie, but Edwin keeps making fun of me about it, how do I tell Jamie, and what do I do about Edwin?" Lizzie replied. "Just tell Jamie Liz. Edwin will get taken care of by Derek, just talk to him and even if he says he won't do it for free tell him I'll pay him, okay?" I said. Lizzie nodded and walked next door to Derek's room.

When Lizzie disappeared into Derek's room I went and stood out of sight next to the doorframe. "I need you help Derek." Liz said. "Why should I help you?" Derek asked. "Because if you don't stop Edwin from getting on my nerves, I will and it won't be pretty. Plus Casey said she would pay you for your services." She replies. "Fine, but I want twenty bucks and her to clean our room for three days." Derek said. I couldn't believe it! I march into my room and got my purse. I pulled out a twenty and five, and then I left for Derek's room. "Oh just the step-sib I wanted to see." Derek said, "I wanted twenty bucks and your cleaning services for three days." He said smirking. "About I give you twenty-five bucks and one day of cleaning." I offered. "Forty bucks and no cleaning." He said. "Deal," I said and left for my room. I pulled out fifteen more dollars and went back to Derek. "Here's twenty and I'll give you the rest once you fulfill your half of the deal." I said handing him the twenty dollar bill and waved the rest of the money in my hand. Derek glared and left the room. "Ed open up!" he shouted while banging on the attic door. "Yes?" Edwin asked popping his head out. "Stop bugging Lizzie." Derek says before turning away. AS he came back into the room I handed him the money. Lizzie almost gave him a hug but caught her self and left it at a 'thanks'.

After I talked to Lizzie and paid Derek I went back into my room and packed up all my stuff. "Okay you two get down here with your stuff." George yelled up the stairs. I quickly put the rest of my books into a box and took off down stairs. Derek was already in the basement when I got down there. "Okay, were going to get your beds, desks, bookshelves, and other furniture down here soon so just stay here." George said as him and Nora disappeared. "This is shit!" Derek groaned. "It's living hell!" I mumbled. Derek and I sat in opposite corns of the room until all our furniture was down there. We started unpacking. I first put my bedspread and pillows on my bed, then my alarm clock on the nightstand that divided Derek and eyes beds. I put my books on my bookshelf and my stuff on my desk. When I finished my half of the room I went to the connected bathroom and put my toiletries in there. When I came back Derek was finishing up his half of the room. I look at the room. My side of the room had boy-band posters and Derek's had swimsuit models, my side was colorful and his was dark, mine was organized and his was, well, not. "What are you staring at?" Derek asked popping me in the chin. "The contrast of your side and mine," I growl, but when I move my head it hits the wall. "Okay Klutzilla." Derek said winking at me and walking into the bathroom. "Damn it!" I mumble holding my head.

Derek sat on his bed looking through his "little" black book and I sat at my desk studying for a History test. "Okay, you two, dinner is done." Nora said coming to the door. Derek and I got up and met at the door. "Let me through Der-ek!" I groaned. "No!" he said. "Move you as… jerk!" I yelled as Marti came down the stairs to the basement. "Dad and Nora said if you don't stop fighting they'll make you eat together down here, so come on Smerek. Come on Spacey!" Marti yelled. "She said me first so…" Derek said as we both started to walk through the door. "We're stuck Damn it Derek!" I yelled. "It's your fault Klutzilla! Shit!" Derek shouted. "Ooh Spacey! Smerek!" Marti said pointing at us, "Nora, Dad. Spacey and Derek cussed!" Nora came down the calmly, "Marti, go upstairs please," when Marti went upstairs Nora's voice changed, "Okay you two, this is the way it going to work. From now on when you get home from school you'll come down here, you'll stay until dinner, and then will come back in here. No friends, No dates, You only get three hours a week for phone, and two hours a week for the TV. Now I'll get your dinner and bring it down here." She growled and gave us push back in the room to get us unstuck.

Derek and I ate. When we were done I turned on my radio. Best Damn Thing came blasting through the speakers. Derek then turned on his radio and Dirty Little Secret began to play. I turned mine up so I hear it and he did the same. With in second both of us had our radios turned up as loud as possible. We looked to the night stand where our clocks were and turned there radios on to the same stations our main radios were tuned to. Soon both of them were blasting. Then there was a banging at the door. Lizzie came bursting through, "Shut off the fucking radios!" she screamed over the music. Edwin came running down the stairs, "Turn it off!" Edwin yelled walking over to the main radios and flipping them off while Lizzie flipped our clocks off.