He Knows

By Aislinn Cailin

Derek doesn't know why Casey gives him glares all the time.

When he brought Nancy over, she spent the whole day staring at the two of them. She spoke to them so coldly he wondered what he could have possibly done to annoy her so much.

So the next time, he brought Eliza over. Casey should have liked Eliza; she was smart, witty, and she even looked the part of the perfect nerd. Derek didn't really like Eliza though, but he knew Casey would like her. Or at least, he hoped she would. But she didn't. She seemed to hate Eliza more because of her intelligence.

Then, there was Natalie. Natalie was the perfect blonde, the perfect opposite of Eliza. She was delicate, and feminine, and all curves. Her chest was so large that Derek was afraid to press against it too much when they were making out. Since she was nothing like Eliza, Casey should have liked her at least, right? But still, Casey was not satisfied.

So now, he is sitting on the couch, wondering what to do. After Casey stormed upstairs, Natalie scoffed and shook out her hair, and stormed out too. Funny thing was, he doesn't really care that much about Natalie.

He wonders if he should go upstairs and see Casey. He doesn't know what to say to her though. He is getting annoyed with all of her drama … well not annoyed, really, but exasperated. He wishes she would just come out and tell him why she hates all of his girlfriends.

He gets up slowly, but cannot help running upstairs and tiptoeing to her room. He takes a penny out of his pocket and gently unlocks the door. He quietly opens it and steps in, closing it behind him and leaning against it.

He sees her sitting on the edge of her bed, with her back to him, and he knows she knows he's there.

They both stay in an awkward silence for a while. Outside, he hears Marti throwing her dolls, and Lizzie screaming at Edwin.

But inside, the world seems blocked out.

He looks back at Casey, and he sees her shoulders quivering.

"Casey?" The name is hardly more than a whisper, a murmur. She doesn't reply but he knows she's heard it.

"Why do you — are you … ?" He does not know what to say. There are so many questions he wants to ask her. He doesn't even believe he should be in here right now.

She still does not say anything.

He slowly walks around the bed and kneels down in front of her. Her head is bent, her face covered by shadows.

He gently puts two fingers under her chin and lifts her eyes toward him.

And he sees her quietly crying. Finally, he knows why she does not like any of his girlfriends.

And he knows that she won't have to cry anymore.

Neither will he.

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AN: Yay, short one-shot. I love writing short fics, it's not a feat I easily manage.

Yes, I know I switched tenses a bit, but that was on purpose. Plus, this is my first time actually writing in present tense, so I hope I didn't mess that up a lot.

Anyway, please review! Thanks so much for reading. :)