A/N: I don't really have anything to say about the story, but if anybody wants to see something funny, you should go to youtube and do a search for "thriller wedding videos." Oh, flashbacks are in italics. This isn't beta-ed, so, okay.
Disclaimer: I don't own LWD or the song lyrics.
OOOOOOOO
She's living In L.A., with my best old ex-friend, Ray.
A guy she said she knew well and sometimes hated . . .
"The first thing you have to understand is," Emily said to her children, "that Derek and Casey hated each other from the time she moved in."
"I'm sorry," Lauren said, drawing her eyebrows together in confusion. "You've lost me already. Why would they move in together if they hated each other?"
Emily thought about lying for a moment; she wasn't sure how her children would react to finding out that Casey and Derek were related, even if it was only through marriage. But, she ultimately decided that they were old enough to know the complete truth. Anything she knew, they too would know.
"Well, when we were sophomores in high school Derek's father married Casey's mother, and Casey along with her younger sister, Lizzie and her mother moved into the Venturi house," Emily explained.
Tony grimaced. "So let me get this straight, dad's fiancé left him to marry your fiancé, who just happened to be her brother? Here I thought we were in Canada, turn out we're on the set of Deliverance."
"Step-brother," his mother automatically corrected. "Do you want to hear the story, or are you going to harp on about the fact that they were kind of related?"
"Can I 'harp on' about it for a minute?" he asked cheekily. "That is so creepy. It'd be like me trying to marry Ren." He shuddered at the thought.
"Right, sans the blood-relation factor," Lauren said with a smile. However, she lost the smile when she noticed the expression on her mother's face—Emily was not amused. "Sorry mom, please continue."
"Well, when I met Casey we became fast friends. I began to spend a lot of time at the Venturi house, when I hadn't actually been inside it for years."
"That's weird, I mean, I'm assuming you and Derek were neighbors for a long time . . ."
"I lived next door to him throughout my entire childhood," she confirmed.
"So you guys weren't friends, you never hung out, or anything?" Lauren asked, finishing her thought.
"We didn't exactly run in the same circles," Emily said, shrugging. "He was the hockey playing, leather jacket wearing player, who could get any girl he wanted. And I"—Emily paused, hating the way the past still impacted her life. She had not been happy during her sophomore year, and the feelings of social inadequacy that she thought she had long left behind felt way too fresh as she discussed her past with her children. "And, I was the socially challenged, obsessive, unsuccessful social climber who followed him around hoping for a pity glance," she said, sighing.
"Jeez, mom, don't hold anything back on our account," Tony said, sarcasm fairly dripping from his words.
Ignoring Tony's comment, Emily continued with her story. "You know, your father was always over their house too. He may have been Derek's best friend, but he was over so much because he liked Casey just as much as I liked Derek."
"Derek was okay with his friend liking his sister?" Eric asked in disbelief. "I wish one of my friends would look at Lauren the wrong way, they'd catch the beating of their life. Sisters are off limits, it's like a code."
"Funny," Emily remarked, sporting her first genuine smile of the day, "That's pretty much what Derek said when he found out Sam liked Casey. He really didn't want them together. He and Sam even got into a fight about it once."
"Really?" Ren questioned. Trying to imagine her father in a fight was like trying to imagine him robbing a bank—impossible. "Was that your first hint that Derek and Casey liked each other?"
"It was years before either us, or them, realized that," Emily answered shaking her head. "Besides, I really don't think Derek and Casey could stand each other back then. All they ever did was fight."
"Ewww Derek," Casey said, grimacing, "go put on a shirt, nobody wants to see that."
"Really?" he questioned, smirking. "I can name dozens of girls who would kill to see me like this," he replied, as he flopped down in his recliner.
"Idiots, obviously," Casey retorted.
"Well, they're not all idiots, don't you agree Emily?" he asked looking at her for the first time since he had entered the living room.
Emily about fainted on the spot. Derek was never the first to strike up a conversation, if they ever spoke at all it was her asking senseless questions and then dragging one-word answers out of him. For Derek to ask for her opinion as if what she thought actually mattered to him was almost too much for her to bear.
Blushing furiously, Emily somehow managed to stumble out, "Yeah, they're not all idiots."
"Oh, please, she is only agreeing with you because she likes"—a frantic look from Emily, had Casey remembering not to spill Emily's not-so-secret, secret—"to be obstinate when it comes to agreeing with me."
Emily's eyes rolled at Casey's lame attempt at a save.
Derek missed the look that flitted across Emily's face, but he did not miss the chance to mess with Casey.
"And, you're only disagreeing with me so you can throw around five hundred dollar words, like 'obstinate.'"
The dig had Casey's eyes narrowing. "If you don't quit bothering me, I'm gonna start throwing punches instead of words."
"You had better start making a list of how you're going to punch me; Lord knows you're too anal to do anything without thoroughly planning it out first." He continued talking, now using his best 'Casey' voice, "step one: ball my hand into a fist, step two: march up to Derek, step three: swing fist in Derek's general direction and pray that a miracle occurs and it connects with the target, step four:"
He was interrupted by an irate Casey. "Shut up! You are so not funny."
"Really?" he questioned, gesturing towards Emily who seemed to be trying extremely hard not to laugh. "Because, I think Emily might disagree with you. Or, is she just being 'obstinate' again?"
Casey was spared from having to respond by the ringing of the doorbell. Waiting for Derek to answer would have been a wait in vain, so she got up and answered it herself. When she opened the door she was greeted by Sam; they stood making googly eyes at each other until a gagging noise from Derek interrupted their staring contest.
"Would you two cut that out before I throw up," he said in disgust. "Casey, move your big butt out of the way so Sam can come in. And, Sam, stop trying to look at Casey's butt and come in the damn house," Derek snapped.
Casey blushed and made her way to the couch, slapping Derek on the back of the head along the way. "My butt is not big."
"Sure it isn't," he agreed, sarcastically.
"God, Derek, what exactly is your problem?"
"My problem?" he echoed. "I don't have a problem. Now you, I could go on for days listing your problems." He began ticking off points on his fingers. "You're bossy, uptight, you have a princess complex, you're stuck-up, moody, funny look—
Casey interrupted him by throwing a pillow at his head. "I know you are not trying to call anybody out," Casey said in disbelief. "Don't you think that's a little nervy for someone who had to repeat the first grade?"
"Does dishing out the same tired insult ever get old?"
"Does being a jackass ever get old?" Casey countered.
"I know you two fighting all the time gets old," Emily chimed in.
"For real though," Sam said, nodding his head in agreement.
Emily knew that Casey felt totally justified in arguing with Derek, and if Emily was honest with herself, she thought Casey was justified too. But, that didn't mean that she wanted to hear them argue all the time.
Casey sighed, before asking in resignation, "Temporary truce?"
Derek popped the collar of his polo shirt. "I don't do truces, temporary or otherwise," he answered, without even bothering to look at her.
"Well," Sam said, standing, "this is going to go on record as the world's shortest visit."
"Dude?" Derek questioned, eyebrows drawing together.
"I didn't come over to hear you two trade insults, if that's how it's gonna be I'll just go home."
"I agree with Sam," Emily said, standing up to join him. "This constant bickering has got to stop."
"But guys," Derek implored, "look at her, she's such an easy target."
Casey's eyes narrowed, but she refrained from commenting.
Emily and Sam shared a look before heading towards the front door.
When Derek heard the click of the doorknob turning he spoke up. "Okay, okay," he gave in grumbling. "We can call a truce, but only for today."
"Great," Emily and Sam said simultaneously, both choosing to ignore the part about the truce only being temporary.
After returning to their seats, they each turned and looked expectantly at their respective friend.
"So, what are we going to do?"
When a minute passed without a reply from Derek or Casey, Emily and Sam wore matching looks of confusion.
"Umm, hello?" Is there a reason you guys won't answer?" Emily asked, puzzled.
Derek shrugged. "If we can't argue, it's really going to limit the amount of talking we can do," Derek answered, frankly.
"So, you guys just sat there?" Ren inquired.
"Pretty much; eventually Sam put on Goodfellas and that distracted us for awhile."
"Jeez, Derek sounds like an ass," Tony said, earning him a frown from his mother for swearing. "How desperate was Casey to go with a guy like that?"
"Hey," Emily said, offended, "I went with him."
"Yeah, but he wasn't constantly insulting you, was he?"
"No, and after a while, he wasn't constantly insulting Casey either. "At least, if they did trade insults, it had become more playful than spiteful."
"So, when did they start to get along? What caused it?" Ren asked.
"I'm not sure what caused it," Emily answered, shrugging her shoulders. "But, I do remember the first time I noticed that they were getting along."
TBC . . .
A/N: Let me know if anything was confusing or weird.I don't really have anything else to say, so I'll just encourage you to listen to the Jim Croce song and watch the Thriller videos.
Reviews Are Always Welcome!