AN: I don't own the songs Home or Love Me For Me-Chris Daughtry & Ashley Tisdale have that honor.
Thursday afternoon when Derek got home from school he found Marti curled up in his recliner watching TV. The instant her eyes met his, she bolted from the chair and made a mad dash toward the stairs.
"Whoa, Smarti! Hold up!" Derek said, grabbing a hold of her arm, leading her back to the living room. She struggled in his grasp, but he easily pulled her down into his lap as he sat down in the recliner.
"Let me go, Smerek!" Marti squealed, straining to free herself from her brother's hold. But her attempts were in vain since Derek refused to let her go.
"Nope, not gonna happen, Smarti. Now you gonna tell me what's bothering you? You've been avoiding me. What's up, kiddo?"
Marti finally wilted, leaning into her brother, wrapping her arms around his neck as her breathing slowly evened out.
"I was angry at you 'cause you wouldn't play with me. But it's okay. You're confused. Trying to figure stuff out. I get it."
"What're you talking about?" Derek asked, confusion inflecting in his voice as he furrowed his brow.
"You love Casey," Marti replied simply. Derek felt as if he'd been punched in the gut. He certainly hadn't been expecting an answer like that. Especially from his little sister. Then again, Marti had always been amazingly perceptive.
"Excuse me!?" he demanded, feigning disbelief.
"You love her. And you know what? I think Casey loves you too."
She has a boyfriend for a reason. Derek quickly reminded himself before he'd allow his mind to mull over the possibility of Casey reciprocating his feelings.
"You know what I think? I think you just have an overactive imagination, Smarti."
Marti sighed, burrowing her face into Derek's neck. "Just tell her you love her, Smerek."
If only it were that simple. But nothing in Derek's life lately had been simple. Least of all, Casey.
That Friday night the killer party Derek had promised his friends was underway. The house was packed, yet the one person Derek wanted there the most still hadn't gotten back from the store run she'd left on with her boyfriend over an hour ago. Honestly, how long could it possibly take to pick up four or five cases of soda? Derek tried to convince himself that he wasn't staring at the front door waiting for Casey to walk through the door.
D-Rock had been playing from the minute they'd gotten set up. They were playing through sets they could've done in their sleep. Sam, who played bass and Ralph, who played drums were just waiting for Derek's signal so they could start playing the song he'd forced them to learn in less than a week. And when asked, Derek just told them they were learning a new song. And yes, it was for the girl he liked, so shut up with the questions already so they could rehearse.
Sam scanned the crowd, spotting Casey's best friend, Emily in the crowd. He caught her eye and motioned her over with a jerk of his head.
"Where's Casey?" he asked, once she'd come closer to the band and within earshot of him. Emily shrugged.
"Derek said she and Max went to the store to restock on junk food. But I thought they would've been back by now."
"Yeah, well, apparently we've rehearsed this new song for some random mystery girl Derek's crushing on. He's getting pretty tense though the longer we play. The girl hasn't shown up yet."
"He has a new love interest? Do you have any idea who the girl is?" Emily asked, immediately interested.
"I have my suspicions," Sam replied cryptically.
"Enough chitchat, Sam. Let's do this," Derek grumbled roughly. Sam nodded at his friend, his eyes wandering to the front door. There she was. Casey. Just like he'd thought. Damn. He just hoped like hell Derek wasn't in store for a world of heartache falling for her. Derek cleared his throat, leaning toward the microphone in front of him.
"This song is for someone special. I hope you like it," he said, locking eyes with Casey.
I'm Staring Out Into The Night
Trying To Hide The Pain
I'm Going To The Place Where Love
And Feeling Good Don't Ever Cost A Thing
And The Pain You Feel's A Different Kind Of Pain
I'm Going Home
Back To The Place Where I Belong
And Where Your Love Has Always Been Enough For Me
Casey found herself unable to turn away from Derek's gaze. She slowly made her way through the throng of people, feeling as if he were singing directly to her. But he can't be. Can he? She thought, smiling at him in spite of her confusion. He returned the smile, closing his eyes as he got lost in the music. Casey followed suit, listening intently to the lyrics.
The Miles Are Getting Longer It Seems
The Closer I Get To You
I've Not Always Been The Best Man Or Friend For You
But Your Love Remains True And I Don't Know Why
Be Careful What You Wish For
'Cause You Just Might Get It All
You Just Might Get It All And Then Some You Don't Want
Be Careful What You Wish For
'Cause You Just Might Get It All
You Just Might Get It All
I'm Going Home
Back To The Place Where I Belong
And Where Your Love Has Always Been Enough For Me
I'm Going Home
As D-Rock finished Casey opened her eyes and looked up in surprise to see Max standing next to her.
"Hey, Max. Wasn't that gre…"
"We need to talk," Max insisted, grabbing a hold of Casey's arm, practically dragging her to the other side of the room.
"O-okay," she stammered uncertainly. Once they found a secluded corner, Max turned toward her crossing his arms at his chest.
"I can't do this anymore, Casey."
"What're you talking about?"
"The whispers and stares from people. You and Derek always fighting, getting into each other's personal space. You have your 'no talking about Derek' rule yet you always manage to bring him into conversation anyway. And now this!?" Max exclaimed, waving his arms in the air for emphasis.
"Max, I still don't…"
"He dedicated that song to you, Casey! Everyone here heard him do it!"
"You don't know that, Max! He could've been singing that song for any girl here," Casey said, glaring at her boyfriend.
"Right. And I'm just supposed to buy that? He hasn't been able to stop staring at you since we got back from the store."
"So? Maybe he can tell we're fighting and he just wants to be a good brother and make sure I'm okay." Max snorted in disgust. "Sure, if you were twelve. That's not gonna cut it now. We're through, Case. For good."
Casey's eyes welled with tears and she raced upstairs to her bedroom. Derek stared after her as he quickly, yet carefully set down his guitar.
"Get him out of here," he told Sam and Ralph, motioning towards Max.
"Sure thing, boss," Ralph said, saluting.
"Let's go, Ralph," Sam said.
Without bothering to watch his friends throw Max out on his ass, Derek headed upstairs to Casey's room. Once there he knocked on the door.
"Go away!" came a muffled reply.
"Casey, come on, open the door."
"No! Go away, Derek!"
Derek entered her room without bothering to knock a second time.
"You all right?"
"No. I thought I told you to leave?"
"You did, but that doesn't mean I'm going to. In fact, you can pretty much guarantee I'll do the exact opposite of what you want."
"I know," Casey replied softly."
"What happened?" Derek asked, softly sitting down on Casey's bed. He tried not to cringe when he saw she was crying. He hated tears. He felt like a fish out of familiar waters when faced with such open emotion from a girl. Casey turned a tear-streaked face toward Derek, her lip trembling as she struggled to hold back a fresh wave of tears.
"Max broke up with me," she said, choking on a sob.
"Why?"
"Apparently I talk about you too much around Max even though I have my 'no talking about Derek' rule. And then there are the rumors going around the high school."
Derek really did cringe at this news. He seriously hated the drama of high school and tried to avoid it whenever possible. He had hoped Casey hadn't heard the rumors about the two of them. But obviously she had. High school could be a real nasty place as far as secrets and gossip were concerned. He just wasn't sure how to go about telling Casey that the rumors going around school were more fact than fiction as of late. At least for him anyway. Rather than strike up a seemingly awkward conversation about their feelings or lack thereof, Derek turned his attention to the music Casey was listening to.
Love Me For Me Or Don't Love Me
Don't Think You're Gonna Change What's Inside Of Me
Make Me Who You Want Me To Be
Won't Be Someone I'm Not For Somebody Else, Someone Else
Love Me With All My Imperfections
Not For An Image Of Your Design
Love Me For What You See Inside
As the words slowly sunk in, Derek felt his blood begin to boil. Max.
"Casey, I need to get back down to the party."
Casey stared at him in shock. "You're leaving me!? After I just…?"
"Can't be helped," Derek replied with a shrug. "I'll be back," he promised, just barely restraining himself from tucking her hair back behind her ear. Casey watched in disbelief as he left her room before curling up into a ball on her bed, wishing the night to be over.
Derek ran down the stairs and out the front door, spotting Max heading towards his car.
"Max!" he bellowed, watching Casey's ex-boyfriend turn toward him. Max slowly ambled toward Derek, a scowl on his face.
"Venturi," he growled.
"What did you say to her?" Derek growled back.
"Nothing."
"Right. Yeah," Derek nodded in agreement. "Nothing. That's why she's crying her heart out right now. Over nothing. You son of a bitch."
And he rushed at Max, adrenaline and hatred coursing through his veins. The two of them landed in the grass on the front lawn, scuffling for several minutes.
"I don't know why you think you stand a chance with her. She's not in your league," Max grunted, swinging his arm upward, but Derek ducked out of the way.
"She went out with you, didn't she? And that's laughable. Since, you know, you don't have any romantic style," Derek muttered, his fist connecting with Max's jaw. Max, to his credit, held back his yell of pain, his fist landing on Derek's eye.
"You're hilarious, Venturi."
"Yes. Yes, I am," Derek agreed with a smirk before slugging Max again. "Now get off my parents' property. Oh, and one more thing. Stay the hell away from Casey."