Casey walked down the hall to her bedroom when someone came up from behind her and grabbed her, suddenly. Fear taking over her, Casey began to scream, only to be shushed with one of Derek's fingers, as he guided her to his room.

"DE-REK!" Casey screamed. "What the hell? Where do you get off at by coming up from behind and scaring the shit out of me?"

"Case, listen, I need your help." Derek told her frantically.

"With what?" Casey asked, skeptically. "If it's illegal, I'm telling mom and George. But, if it's serious for kids in high school, then I'll help."

"Casey! Would you shut up for once in your life?" Derek yelled with so much seriousness in his voice that Casey began to tremble with fear of what was going on.

"Derek, what is going on?"

"I… I don't know… Well, I thought you would know what to do… I just… Case, please, I don't know what to do… I don't…"

"Derek, Derek! Calm down, what is going on?"

"Um… well, you remember that party we went to and I hooked up with Emily when we were drunk?"

"Yeah… why?" Casey asked.

"Well, Emily just told me that she was… is." Derek corrected. "HIV positive… and…"

"And you want me to take you to go get checked?"

"That and… a while after you and Sam broke up, the did it… drunken of course…"

"And?"

"You and Sam were… intimate… right?"

"Yeah, but, what does that have to do with me… why do you care?"

"You see, Sam was… back in middle school, Sam was a big time druggie, he was shooting up and everything… Emily got it from Sam. He just recently tested positive too. He wanted to tell you, but, I told him no… I would. Casey, did you guys use protection?"

Realization hit Casey like a ton of bricks.

"Case?" asked, looking concerned.

"Get out."

"What?" he asked disbelieving and shocked.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?!" Casey screamed.

"What? No, Casey, I'm as serious as death! Did you guys use protection?"

Casey sat there, silently crying. "No."

"Oh, God…" Derek whispered.

"Derek! Oh my God! This means that I have… how could I be so stupid?" Casey cried, tears now streaming down her face.

"Case, we don't know, yet. Sweetie, we have to go to the clinic. Case, calm down."

"Ok… ok… Oh, God, I can't! Oh, Derek! What if, what if… oh, God… we have to tell mom and George."

"Not until we know, Case."

"No… I don't want to know."

"If you don't know and you do have it, then you can get sick and die… Casey…"

"And? My life is over, anyways. Why'd you tell me, Derek? You ruin everything!" Casey whispered.

"Casey… CASEY! Snap out of it. We don't know yet. And you're life won't be over. Not until it's your time. I can't go through this alone… Case, not without you."

"I can't have HIV, Derek, I just can't. I'm going to Yale in the fall. I just can't… How am I going to live?"

"One day at a time. And don't freak out, Case, like I said, we don't know."

"Then, we should go get tested." Casey told him.

"Ok, then." Derek answered as he walked towards Casey, grabbed her arm, walked to his door, grabbed his keys and walked out of the room in one swift motion.

"Derek… what are you doing?"

"We have to do this as soon as possible."

"Now?"

"Yes."

"Derek!" Casey squealed. " Can you wait?"

"For?"

"I'm not dressed. I'm not ready, at least, not yet."

"Then when?"

"Tomorrow, Derek, please? Just give me one day to let it all sink in. And tomorrow we'll go get tested. I promise."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"Then…" Nora walked into the living room, interrupting Derek.

"Hey, you two. What are you up to?" Nora asked.

"Oh, nothing." Casey answered. "We were going to go to a movie or something and Derek was rushing me out the door and I was telling him I wasn't dressed and then…"

"What she's saying is, we decided not to go since Casey would spend half the night getting ready."

"Right… hey!" Casey yelled.

"Oh, well, alright. Dinner will be ready in a few."

"Ok, mom. Well, if you need us, we'll be upstairs." Casey told her mother and dragged Derek up the stairs and into her room.

"Ugh! That was so close!" Casey whined. "How are we going to keep this secret for long?"

"Easy… you just keep telling white lies like that and I'll follow along."

"I can't, Derek, I've almost never lied to my mom."

"Almost."

"Not over something as serious as this."

"Case…"

"Kids, dinner's ready!"

Derek and Casey looked at each other, sharing the same thoughts and look.

"Oh, no. I can't go down there. Tell them I'm not feeling well or something." Casey told Derek.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because, they already know that you're fine."

&&&

Dinner was almost a painful silence until…

"George did you hear about the Davis's daughter, Emily?"

"No, what about her?"

Derek and Casey looked at each other swiftly and shared another look.

"Well, Mrs. Davis told me that she took Emily to the clinic and got some terrible news. She advised me to take Derek and Casey to the clinic."

"What for?"

Right at this point, Derek and Casey both excused themselves from the table and left the house altogether for a walk in the fresh air.

"Oh my God. Derek, my mom is going to try to take us to the clinic."

"Nah. I don't think that she'll try to take you, only me."

"What are we going to do?"

"Just make up an excuse, we'll go by ourselves tomorrow morning, bright and early."