AN: Thank you all so much for the wonderful feedback for the first chapter! I promise to get back to all of you. You guys make me so happy. :) This chapter is more how the entire fic is going to be. Sorry if anything is confusing. The LWD timeline is so messed up, but I did my best. Please let me know what you think! Without further ado, chapter 2!
I don't own LWD and Relative Strangers belongs to William R. Beer.
Chapter 2: When love is suppressed hate takes its place. – Ellis, Havelock
The first time he has to save her butt happens only a few days after the wedding. Their parents are off taking the rest of the kids back-to-school shopping. He's at a party (because he somehow manages to find one at the start of the school year; he always manages to find one), and Casey is at the library, studying (typical).
He's busy getting the phone number of this blonde bombshell he's been dancing with, when he gets an unknown call. He almost doesn't pick up, but then he figures it might be important. He excuses himself to the bathroom where it's quieter and flips open his phone.
"Hello?"
"Can you come get me?" He recognizes the voice instantly, his neurotic stepsister on the other end. This time she sounds even more paranoid than usual, her voice trembling and filled with worry.
"Get you? How am I supposed to get you when I don't have a car?" he asks, his brow furrowed. He hears her take a great shuddering breath, and this kind of worries him. That can only lead to one thing – tears. Something he absolutely cannot handle. "Whoa, whoa, Casey, calm down." he says urgently. "Just… tell me what's going on. Why can't Dad and Nora come get you?"
"They're not picking up!" she says, her voice all high-pitched. He can tell she's on the verge of crying. "And I got… assaulted. Can you just take a bus here or something?"
She says the last part very quickly and quietly, and he's not quite sure he heard her right. "Wait, assaulted? Casey, what is going on?"
"Some guy… tried to hit on me and I rejected him, and then he grabbed my arm, and I had to break away from him, and I just ran… it was so scary. Oh my gosh…" It's a jumbled mess of words, and he has a feeling she might be overreacting to this whole thing, but he still can't help but feel a little concerned for her.
"Can't you take a bus home?" he asks her quickly when someone starts pounding on the bathroom door, demanding to be let in.
"Maybe, but… I don't know if I have enough money for a bus ticket and… I really need someone, Derek. I just…"
He sighs, rolling his eyes. "You're still near the library?"
"Yes."
"I'll be there soon." he says, and before she can get another word in, he closes his phone and yanks open the bathroom door.
"Finally!" This girl who is clearly drunk stumbles in and heads straight for the toilet. He can still hear her retching when he heads out into the hallway and towards the door. He frowns at the sound. When that blonde from before tries to dance with him some more, he politely pushes her away, making his way out the door to the nearest bus stop.
He finds Casey sitting outside on a bench, huddled in her coat, her eyes red and puffy. (Thank god she got the crying over and done with before he comes.)
"You okay?" he asks, and she nods.
He gestures for her to get on the bus with him, he pays for their tickets, and they sit down in the same seat together.
"Thanks." she says softly, her eyes lingering on his for a bit. He turns away and looks out the window, her gratitude a little too much to handle, her blue eyes a little too much to handle.
"You know, I'm not doing this because I'm your brother or whatever…" he says, his sentence trailing off.
"I know." she says simply, her hands coming to rest in her lap.
"Good, because I don't think I could ever consider you my sister." He takes his eyes off the window for a moment and glances at her. She looks down hastily.
"You're the last person I would call my brother." she says softly, staring at the chipping pink polish on her nails.
"Glad we cleared that up!" he says loudly, leaning back in his seat. "Thank god there's no genetic link. I would hate being related to a keener like you!"
"Hey, I am not a keener!"
They argue the entire way home, and he secretly finds this time with her way more fun than that party ever was.
They never mention this incident (or their conversation) again.
Counseling Report – Paul Greeby
9/15/05
Student Name: Casey McDonald
Grade: 9
Reason for appointment: Transferred schools, having a hard time adjusting, new blended family
Casey seemed reluctant to talk at first, but once she opened up, there was no problem getting her to voice her feelings. She seems to be having a hard time getting used to the changes in her life, upset about the way her new stepsiblings have been treating her, in particular, the eldest, who is in the same grade as her. From what I can tell, she has very little personal or private space in her new house. I think Casey will, in time, learn to get used to her family members, but until then I will continue seeing her every Thursday at 3. She seems like a very well-rounded, academic student, and I'm sure she'll make great progress.
Her freshman year she learns about fifty new facial expressions that she didn't even know existed. All because of him. She masters the look of disgust, utter shock, and, most surprisingly, seduction. Okay, so, it's not quite as good as that little smirk of his, but she's gotten better at that eyebrow-raising, tongue-moving thing. He's doesn't seem to be as impressed as she is with herself, though.
She thinks he's absolutely horrible and wonderful at the same time. He's brilliant; there's no doubt about that, despite his constant protests of "I'm a C-average student. I'm not smart at all." She knows better than that. She's well-versed in poetry and literature. She can recite many of Shakespeare's sonnets off the top of her head. If you give her a mathematical equation, she can solve it in under five minutes. She knows a ridiculous amount of information about history and social sciences as well, and she absorbs facts like a sponge. But the things he can come up with… Oh, his type of smarts is far more dangerous than hers.
He saves her on multiple occasions, coming to her rescue when her reputation as a grade-grubber gets particularly daunting. She pretends like she doesn't notice how people stop teasing her after they work on the project together.
He sets her mind reeling a lot. She doesn't know why she lets his insults and comments get to her the way they do. It really bothers her that she can't figure him out, especially when this is normally an effortless task for her. It doesn't help that he lies a lot. She can't be certain when he's telling the truth or when he's pulling her leg. She will figure him out, though. He's her biggest challenge yet, but Casey McDonald does not go down without a fight.
I just want to say
That I don't need you
I'm strong on my own
I'm convinced this is true
You're a constant annoyance
Always causing me pain
Your jokes and your taunts
Running circles in my brain
I don't think about you all the time
So don't let it get to your head
God knows what you'd do with this fact
It's not like your ego needs to be fed
Sure, you've helped me a little bit
Made my grub-rep go down
Though you started "Klutzilla"
You planted my feet back on the ground
I don't understand your effect on me
You're just so… unexpected
I can't seem to prevail
My methods will have to be perfected
So…
I think you're cute and sometimes funny
But the worst feeling of all
It hurts most to admit
I like how you catch me when I fall
Counseling Report – Paul Greeby
10/7/05
Student Name: Casey McDonald
Grade: 9
Reason for appointment: New stepbrother
Casey seems to have developed some hostile feelings towards her new stepbrother. They seem to have a rivalry going on, but I'm not quite sure it's a 'sibling' rivalry, per se. Considering she is a big reader and likes to take in information that way, I have recommended several web sources and books from the library for her to check out, including Relative Strangers: Studies of Stepfamily Processes and Stepfamily Relationships. Hopefully she will find these resources helpful in the process to understand her stepbrother better.
The scene has been set, and we know the stepfamily's difficult task. What are the patterns that emerge? The first is that the attraction between opposite-sex stepsiblings may flower into some sort of sexual relationship. Although this eventuality does occur, there are no reliable data about its frequency. What is more, its etiology is not as simple as meets the eye, since sexual attraction between stepsiblings can stem from a variety of causes. In addition to "simple" erotic-
Oh my god. What is wrong with Paul? Why did he want me to read this? Is he trying to imply something here?
He figures her out quickly enough. She tries to take his room from him and almost succeeds, until the 'rents intervene, that is. After this he never lets his guard down; knowing what she is capable off makes her an even worthier opponent. He can't let her win, though. He won't. But watching her struggle for the prize, watching her almost achieve… It gives him a thrill. She's the only one that's come even a little bit close to thwarting his plans – a real match. He turns everything into a game to see how she will handle it, and he doesn't think he'll ever tire of this weird relationship they have.
She has to do better than dumping garbage on him or tying all of his bathroom supplies together. He knows she's capable of grander schemes.
She almost has him when she dresses in that Babe Raider outfit, her bare midriff showing, her shirt clinging dangerously to her… upper regions. He has never seen anything so sexy in his life – not from the posters on his wall, not from the beach volleyball he's watched, not even from Babe Raider herself. Casey. In revealing clothes. In the flesh. He can't even think straight, his cereal overflowing with milk as he gapes at her apparel and ignores the rest of the world. He shrugs it off with an 'ew' as his family reacts to his stepsister's new look.
He keeps his eyes averted, but then he sees her in school and he starts to go crazy again. But he manages to convince her to never wear that outfit again due to some moral feminist integrity crap he makes up. The real reason is that he can't be around her when she's like that and not think about very inappropriate things. So he ends up winning that match. (Though it was more of an internal battle than a battle with Casey.)
They go about their normal bickering ways until he starts to notice her interest in his best friend, Sam. He does everything in his power to stop them from dating. He makes up some stupid rule about friends not being able to date their best friend's sister. (Step included.) But Sam doesn't listen, and of course, Casey never listens to him. Out of all the guys she had to choose from and she picks the one that will be hanging around their house a lot. He doesn't know if this is some sort of sick mind game she's playing on him, or if he's being paranoid. Sure, Sam's a nice guy and all, but why him? (What does he have that I don't have?)
She finally beats him. He can't win this game of intense jealousy. She finds his Achilles' Heel and – BAM - shoots him with an arrow right where it smarts.
Counseling Report – Paul Greeby
11/10/05
Student Name: Casey McDonald
Grade: 9
Reason for appointment: Derek Venturi (Am I allowed to put a student's name here?)
Casey has chosen to engage in a relationship with her stepbrother's best friend. I am starting to think she likes adding a bit of drama to her life.
I know I'm not supposed to request to have a student in my office for a session. I know they're supposed to make that decision on their own or with a parent's guidance, but I was wondering if it was at all possible for me to see Derek Venturi in the recent future? For Casey's benefit, of course.
KingOfBabes91 is signed on
AustenLvr is signed on
AustenLvr: Derek?
KingOfBabes91: Oh, hey. Let me guess? Casey? Only a keener would have a name like that.
AustenLvr: Jane Austen is an amazing author!
KingOfBabes91: Yeah, yeah. I know how much you're in love with her fictional men. How did you get my username, anyway?
AustenLvr: Sam gave it to me.
KingOfBabes91: Of course. Remind me to kill him the next time I see him.
AustenLvr: DER-EK!
KingOfBabes91: Wow, impressive. You can even scream at me over the internet! Now do you mind telling me why you're talking to me, or should I just sign out?
AustenLvr: No! Don't sign out. I have to ask you something.
KingOfBabes91: Something that you can't ask me in person? Because… we live in the same house, and this is kind of creepy. I mean, you're right next door.
AustenLvr: Well, it's kind of an embarrassing question…
KingOfBabes91: Casey, if you want to know where babies come from, I recommend asking your mother. NOT me.
AustenLvr: The question is about Sam!
KingOfBabes91: You can't see me right now, but I just thought I'd let you know that I'm rolling my eyes.
AustenLvr: Can you be serious for once in your life? I thought I'd ask you since you've been his friend for so long and you know him really well.
KingOfBabes91: …I'll try. What do you want to know? Oh, and please don't ask me anything incredibly personal… yuck.
AustenLvr: Thank you. I just wanted to know… why Sam doesn't sit with me at lunch.
KingOfBabes91: Seriously? Have you ever had a boyfriend before?
AustenLvr: Yes, but I went to an all-girl's school, remember?
KingOfBabes91: Okay, first of all, he doesn't want to be whipped.
AustenLvr: Whipped?
KingOfBabes91: Oh my god, what century do you live in? Whipped - when the girl is in complete control of the relationship and makes the guy a feminist-loving, ball-less zombie.
AustenLvr: What does that have anything to do with eating lunch with me? PS: Thank you for that lovely definition.
KingOfBabes91: Because, he can't be with you ALL the time. He needs guy time. With me. To desensitize. PS: You are SO welcome.
AustenLvr: Okay… I guess that makes sense.
KingOfBabes91: Plus, the thought of you two eating lunch together… It's gag-worthy. I can just see you trying to spoon feed him across the table. "Oh here, Sammy, try some of my organic yogurt! I know you'll just love it!" Oh god, the bile is coming up already.
AustenLvr has signed out.