I have fully realized, in my long absence from this story, that I have absolutely no plot for this story. I guess this will be a guessing game for us all, since after each chapter, I, as well as you, will be wondering what is going to happen in the next chapter:)

Anyway, here is chapter 2!

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Enjoy!

Dear Diary,

The Oh-So-Important "King Derek" has been even more atrocious than usual. He stomps around the palace as though he owns everything. Including the rights to bicker with me. I find it idiotic, but we always seem to be fighting over everything, even things that shouldn't matter at all.

For example, we fought over a palace bedroom. His palace bedroom, to be exact. My sister Lizzie and I were forced to share a room, which is completely unacceptable, because we both needed our space. So I, being Princess Casey, started a crusade to overtake Derek's royal room.

I am saddened to say it did not work. I got my own room, yes. My mother and King George's room, to be exact. Derek kept his room, that filthy brat. And now my mother and King George have resided in the Dungeon. It's not as horrible as it may sound, because the dungeon is actually a very comforting place, unlike those in other castles and palaces.

It bothers me very much that "King" Derek always seems to get his way, even in little things like un-royal like wrestling matches for the remote to the television. But for some reason, it bothers me so much more that Derek starts these fights. Always wanting to argue with me. Always wanting to push me down.

I think this bothers me because I really want us to get along. But when I try to be courteous and nice, he brushes it away and takes something from me.

Why do I want to get along with such a loathsome creature? I'm really not even sure yet. It is something mysterious that I do not understand. I'm trying not to get tired of trying. I'll break through at some point. I don't know how long it will take, but that's one battle I will win. In time.

HRH

Casey

Casey saved another entry into her diary. It was the first time she had allowed herself to admit that she wanted to get along with Derek. For some reason, it was really hard for her to admit. She found that absurd, but she struggled with it.

She actually thought Derek had potential of being a pretty cool person. She had been in a house with him for several months now, and she had observed Derek. Sure, he was cocky, and popular, and a bit of a player. But she had taken notice to the moments where Derek actually seemed like a human being. Mostly moments when he was with Marti. He really loved that kid. But Casey had to hope he wouldn't corrupt Edwin any farther than he already had.

Casey heard a banging on her door, and it didn't take a genius to figure out who it was.

Casey got up and opened the door, swiftly avoiding being punched in the chest, because Derek was still repeatedly banging on the door.

"Watch it." Casey said, annoyed already.

"Do you know what day it is?" Derek asked.

"Um, Saturday?"

"Yes. It is Saturday. Which means yesterday must have been Friday."

"Do you have a point?" Casey asked, crossing her arms across her chest, contemplating whether she should start the foot tapping tactic.

"Do you remember our conversation yesterday? The one where I told you that we had to clean today?"

"Oh, yeah." Casey said as she remembered.

"Oh, yeah. Well everyone has been gone for a half hour, and I've been patiently waiting downstairs, expecting you to come along, since you're usually so on top of things, but here I am, having to come get you. You really should be ashamed. I mean, how embarrassing for you to have me of all people reminding you to do something like clean."

"Sorry." Casey said, trying to hold back her mounting annoyance.

"Whatever, just get your non-ass down and help me clean." Derek said, turning to go toward the stairs.

Casey quickly closed her door and followed.

"Who are you calling Non-Ass? I have an ass!" Casey said, self consciously taking a quick glance at her behind while following Derek.

Derek stopped in the middle of the stairs, causing Casey to stop abruptly to avoid knocking into him.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Case."

"You're delusional. I have an ass. More than you!"

"What are you doing looking at my ass for? Comparison?" Derek asked.

"What are you doing looking at my ass at all?" Casey countered.

"I'm sorry, but I have to live with that ass, that really shouldn't be called an ass anyway, and I fight with that ass, I'm sorry if it's ALWAYS THERE." Derek said, and then started down the stairs again.

"I still-" Casey began when they reached the landing, but Derek cut her off.

"For the love of God, women, shut up, and make yourself useful." Derek said, motioning to a small pile of cleaning appliances near the bottom of the stairs.

"What's with you and your adamant behavior about cleaning, anyway?" Casey asked ignoring the woman comment. She just didn't feel like spilling out her degrading women lecture then, and she didn't feel like feeling even more annoyed when Derek wouldn't listen to anything she would have said..

It's a forced endeavor, if you must know." He sneered.

"And since when are you convinced to clean when told?"

"Since my dad told me that if I don't bring up my grades and help around more, he will pull me out of hockey." Derek murmured.

"Ha. You know that I could use that piece of information against you. With all the things you've done, I could just say I cleaned and you didn't. And who do you think they'd believe?" Casey said, but slightly surprised Derek had shared that information with her.

"Yeah, but you'll never do that." he said.

"Oh, and what makes you so sure?" Casey asked, putting a hand on her hip.

"Because no matter what I do to you, and no matter how much you try to convince the both of us that you'll do something to get back at me, you're just not like me. You can't do something so conniving as I would." Derek stated.

Casey knew that he was absolutely correct, and that no matter what threatening words she tossed out, she wouldn't do anything, and they both knew it. But even though he was right, Casey have rathered

drinking a glass of one of Marti's bath product concoctions than admit it.

"Don't underestimate me." Casey said with an arched eyebrow and an empty threat.

"Don't you like to clean? Can't you do it now?"

Casey rolled her eyes, but decided she had had enough bickering for now. There would be more later. There always was. She lightly picked up the mop and bucket that had been placed in the pile.

"Why is all this cleaning stuff out here, anyway?" Casey asked.

Derek picked up a box and pulled out several dusting gloves, scrunching his nose as if they were the dirty objects, not what you could use to clean dirty objects. "I dunno. I guess just Nora or my dad's way of subtle torture."

"How so?" Casey asked.

"Placing all this stuff out here. It's like telling us we have to use all of it in some way to clean. And look at this pile. We've got a lot to clean."

"Oh." Casey said.

Casey wasn't sure if she should say something else, but she didn't have to wonder anymore when Derek left the room with the dusting gloves. Casey took the mop and the bucket into the kitchen, and carefully placed the bucket in the sink and turned on the faucet. She leaned against the counter and waited for the bucket to fill. She glanced at it after a moment, and saw that barely any water had collected at the bottom. She turned the faucet on all the way, but there was a measly difference in the water flow. This was going to take a while.

Casey tapped her foot as she waited for the bucket to even halfway fill. She looked back, and barely any progress had been made. Then she heard a crashing from somewhere in the house, and her heart dropped. She bolted toward the noise when a loud profanity groaned by Derek sounded through the house.

"What'd you do-ooh..." Casey trailed of in her own sentence when she stopped in the living room.

Derek stood fuming in front of a pile of broken glass and crushed daisy's.

"Please Derek, if only to spare us both stress and panic, please tell me that is not the pile of what was formerly the vase and flowers that George got my mom for Valentine's Day." Casey said, putting a hand to her head.

Derek looked up, glaring, more because of the answer to that question, than Casey or the question itself.

"Oh, God." Casey murmured, knowing she didn't need Derek to answer, not that he would, because it was obviously a stupid question for the situation.

"What-" Casey rubbed her temple as she leaned down to the pile. "What happened?" she sighed, picking up a shard of glass, and dropping it again, before looking up at Derek.

Derek groaned, and squatted down with Casey. "I have no idea. I was just dusting." Derek raised his still gloved hand. "And it just...fell."

"How convenient." Casey said.

"Don't even start." Derek said.

"What?"

"Your, 'Of course something like this would happen while you're doing it.' thing. The tangent about how I mess things up, and only destroy. And usually you are able to incorporate how you wouldn't have messed things up, somewhere in the underbelly of the lecture." Derek sneered.

Casey sighed, but didn't reply to that.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about this. I suggest just sweeping it up, and telling my mom and George when they get back."

"Or," Derek said. "We could sweep it up, and pretend like it never happened."

Casey once again ignored him. She was about to tell him to get the dust pan, when she realized that she had left the water on in the sink.

"Oh, God."

She got up and ran toward the kitchen, and before she could stop, she slid on a puddle of water that was forming and spreading across the kitchen floor from where water was spilling out of the sink and bucket and over the counter.

Surprisingly, Casey felt a hand grab at her waist, preventing her from falling onto the tile-for the moment. Until Derek also lost his footing, sending them both to the floor. Casey rubbed her elbow where it had hit the tile. Both of their bottoms were wet, and getting more soaked, as water continued to spill over to the floor. Derek glared at Casey.

"How convenient." He sneered.

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Okay, I shall find more to write about on this story! I will!

Hope you all liked it!

Please REVIEW!!!

Thanks!

-Tarryn