Out of Things Left Unsaid
One:
Homeless
The apartment was quiet. Sam had left to visit his family back home for the weekend. Derek would have gone with him if he didn't have a paper to finish. He managed to get half of it done already and was afraid he'd break his productive trance if he left.
It was nearing midnight when he shut down his laptop and piled his papers messily on the table. He'd be using them tomorrow anyway. His scholarship didn't really allow him to slack off in school. He often had to resort to late night studying.
He was jostled out of his thoughts at the sound of a soft knock. Derek stood up, wondering idly who would visit this late on a Thursday evening. He was surprised to find a disgruntled Casey waiting morosely at his door.
"I give up," she threw her hands up in the air and shuffled grumpily into the apartment.
"You give up?" he repeated, thrown back by her rather random outburst, not to mention her sudden appearance.
She fell back on the couch in a huff, clearly gearing up to vent.
He was not disappointed. "They're like vultures," she cried in frustration. "Horrible, devious and sneaky vultures just watching over you, waiting for you to screw up."
She shook her head in disbelief. "How can anyone like them?" She vaguely shot Derek a glance but didn't give him a chance to respond.
"You'll have so much fun with us," she mocked in an exaggerated high voice, clearly in imitation of the perpetrator of her sour mood. "Right."
Derek smiled. It had been a while since he'd seen Casey so imperially hacked off. He sat on the arm of the adjacent couch and continued listening to her obediently.
"They're unbelievable," she finished. Her shoulders slumped slightly. "I'm done with it. I'm over it."
Derek raised his eyebrows disbelievingly, but his face softened when she started pouting. She crossed her arms and had her lips pressed angrily together. Though she hadn't actually said what she was talking about, he had a pretty good idea of what she was 'over' and 'done' with.
"Are you having one of your drama queen episodes?" he asked melodramatically. It had the desired effect. Casey glowered at him.
"No, you ass."
"Your new place then?"
"Yes," she sighed in defeat, throwing her head back and running her palms over her face. Casey had moved into a joint studio apartment three months ago. Her repeated 'I'm so stupid' was muffled but he heard it loud and clear.
He tried not to laugh. "How many are you in there?" he asked curiously, unable to keep his smile from widening.
She must have detected the amusement in his voice because she moved her head to glare at him once more.
"They're four, five with me. This is so not funny."
"Um, yes, it is." When her glare intensified, he continued in added glee. "It's been a while since I've seen you so angry at something. Forgot how much I enjoyed it."
She rolled her eyes exasperatedly, her scowl was still well in place.
"Now this is the part where you tell me what happened."
She shot him another sour look but conceded. She told him, in a rather colorful language, how one of her 'psychotic' roommates, Catherine, had flipped when she heard that Casey went out with one of her ex-boyfriends.
"Isn't there a strict female code about something like that?" He didn't see Casey doing something of the sort. She was usually very considerate of other people's feelings. Doing the right thing and all.
"Of course there is. But I didn't know it was her ex, and Stacy conveniently forgot to mention it to me. She denied ever seeing him with me." He thought he heard her growl. Stacy was another one of Casey's roommates.
"There's more. This supposed ex of hers had been with her for barely two months… a year ago," Casey continued agitatedly. "I get that it's the principle and all, but they could cut me a bit of slack."
"Principles are principles, Case. You should know better," Derek jibed in mock-seriousness. Typical girl drama.
"Shut up," she retorted, visibly trying to contain her smile and shoved him off the armrest in retaliation. "It's not funny. I'm homeless."
"They kicked you out?" Derek said in surprise. "You can't work something out? Do what chicks do best - talk it out or something?"
"Are you kidding me?" She let out an incredulous laugh. "No-way. You're crazy if you think I'm gonna stay with them a minute longer. You don't know these girls," she persisted passionately. "Vultures, Derek. They will eat me."
This only made Derek laugh harder. He did sympathize with her though. "Hate to break it to you, Case, but you don't look very edible."
She ignored his comment. "Thank God my contract ends this month."
He yawned loudly, starting to feel the strings of sleep pulling hard at him. "You're gonna look for a new place now?"
"That's the plan," she answered tiredly. Derek got up and walked to the kitchen. Casey was close at his heels. He grabbed the juice out of the fridge and poured two glasses. She looked like she was expecting something from him, and he doubted it was the juice.
Then it clicked. "You need a place to stay until you find a new one." It wasn't a question.
She nodded slowly. Derek watched her contemplatively and of course wouldn't have refused her, but that didn't mean it was a great idea. Having Casey at such close proximity might awaken some latent feelings that he'd buried a while ago.
"Please, Derek. It'll only be for two weeks… one if it doesn't work out," she pleaded. "I'll stay with my uncle if I can't find one."
"That lives an hour away from school?" Derek scoffed in disbelief.
"Well, what do you want me to do?" she snapped in agitation. "I have nowhere else to go."
He stretched the cup of juice out to her. "Fine, you can crash here until you find one… I don't think Sam will mind."
He tried to repel the mild pinch in his stomach at the sight of her growing smile.
"Really?" she said quietly.
"Yes, Casey. But you're sleeping on the couch." Before he was able to process anything, she had gone around the kitchen counter and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Thank you!" she squealed happily.
"Yeah, alright," he responded, attempting a cool and casual stance. He briefly returned her hug. When she pulled back, she sat on the stool next to him.
"But you can't go all crazy on my ass for the way I live, got it?"
Casey scrunched up her nose, delaying her sip. "What, do you bring girls over all the time, 'cause I don't know if I can deal with any more air headed bimbos."
"No, I don't," he said, mildly offended. "And air headed bimbos? Give me more credit."
"Right, okay. So it's cool if I bring in my things tomorrow?" Her eyes twinkled, proud at her obvious dismissal.
He was taken off guard when she wrapped her arms his waist and buried her head in his chest.
"Uh, Case?" She pulled herself back.
"I'm not homeless," she said simply.
"No, you're not." He regarded her strangely, but when she continued drinking her juice in companionable silence, he shrugged it off.
He remembered the small frayed picture of him and Casey buried in his wallet – the one that's been burning a hole in his wallet for the past year. He was so in for it. Two weeks with a mere wall separating him and Casey and it was high school all over again.
Except this time, he didn't think he'd be able to control himself a second time.