Sorry for the slow update guys, this fic is just a bit of fun… a relief of stress, if you will. I am the midst of my GCSE examinations, so all my time is basically revising for exams but when I want to relieve myself I'll write.

Thanks to all the reviews and subscriptions to this story and to my page.

Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognize from the 'Life With Derek' TV show or any of the songs used.

Guess who is looking for a beta... me (:

Chapter One

The silence was broken with a low, deep chuckle.

"I fail to see how this is funny Paul!" Casey's shrill voice rang through the air. Paul stifled his laughing until his eyes met the piece of paper in his hand again. "Sorry Casey, but come on! Now I have seen it all," Paul had now calmed down and began reading the paper aloud. "'Casey McDonald your audition has been scheduled for Friday at 1.00 until 1.30. Please have a song to sing and a 45 second dance routine. Also be willing to read from a script I'll provide. I wish you luck and hope you receive the best part for you in this year's school musical'… You two are the most competitive people I have ever met."

Casey crossed her arms. "Paul! This is not a game; I was just giving him a taste of his own medicine." Paul shook his head, "And he was giving you a taste of your own medicine. You both take part in a competitive activity… correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that is a definition of a game?"

Her eyes avoided his, "hm?" Paul goaded. Casey grunted in agreement. "Well I don't have the qualifications for nothing." He boasted. Casey laughed, "of course." Paul smiled at her. "So about this audition…"

Casey's smile dropped and she quirked an eyebrow at her school councilor, her friend. "What about it? There is nothing to talk about."

"I thought you enjoyed musicals."

"Well I do. I enjoy watching them, maybe helping backstage."

"Are you sure?"

Her eyes drifted to the window and she mused. Was she sure?

The boot of the Prince popped open and Casey slung her book bag in, sliding next to a tattered, black rucksack. Even their bags contrasted, brown against black, just like their personalities. Casey was sensible, reliable, well behaved and Derek… well Derek was just Derek.

Derek, of who was already in the driver's seat, was reading a piece of paper. As Casey opened the passenger door, he crumpled the paper into a ball and shoved it into the pocket of his leather jacket. Casey landed in the passenger seat and Derek grunted in a greeting.

"Hi," she replied, deep in thought.

He eyed her in surprise; he'd expected the wrath of Casey as she must have received the same piece of paper he had, her audition time. Maybe she's getting it tomorrow. Derek started the engine and pulled out of the school car park, while Casey started absent mindedly out of the window.

She'd not immediately turned the temperature dial up to maximum. She'd not immediately plugged in her IPod and began playing the Jonas Brothers or the Pussycat Dolls. She'd not immediately bitten Derek's head off for not driving properly causing Derek to begin an argument, asking if she was the one with the driving license and if she was maybe she should drive herself to and home from school.

They drove past the Middle School and by now the two senior's would be giving each other the silent treatment. Debating with themselves whether or not they should be the first to apologize. Derek hated silence. He was always first to crack.

And right now the silence was killing him. He turned on the radio, "I'm burning up, for you baby." A harmonic voice sang through the radio. Derek quickly changed stations, she's bound to talk now – the Jonas Brothers are her favorite band.

Silence.

Derek turned the radio down so it was only a murmur, a smooth tune playing in the back ground. He eyed Casey again; she was now playing with strand of hair that fell just past her jaw. Spinning it around her fingertips, in and out.

Still nothing. Silence.

Derek cracked. "Something up, Case?" Casey ignored him and stared blankly out of the window. "Case?" He spoke a little louder.

Casey broke out of her daze, "oh, erm, sorry. What?"

"I said, is there something up, Case?"

Casey ran her hand through her hair, pushing the strands back that she was playing with. Her voice, sweet and tuneful, spoke normally, "oh, just thinking," but suddenly the tone changed and became louder, "about this stupid musical you signed me up for!" Finishing her sentence by giving Derek a thump on the arm.

"Hey, you signed me up too!" He retorted, straightening his position in confidence. Casey glared at him, causing him to slouch back down.

"After you carefully planned for Ralph to dump flour in my hair!" She shouted back at him and he sniggered, but stopped abruptly when he received another thump. "It was an accident?" He offered, but she sighed – crossing her arms across her chest.

Silence engulfed the pair.

Derek pulled into his driveway and turned off the engine. Casey began to open the passenger door but Derek spoke, causing her to freeze with the door halfway open. "Fine, it wasn't an accident… it was a joke. But you know that we always do this, all the time, everyday. It's our thing."

Casey sighed, stared at Derek straight in the eye and replied, "Maybe I've grown out of our thing." And with that she climbed out of the Prince and slammed the door. Pacing to behind the car, waiting for Derek to pop the boot so she could retrieve her bag. But he didn't.

Instead he roughly opened his door and ran around to meet Casey. "Case… c'mon, it was a joke." Casey quirked an eyebrow in response then looked away obviously bored with the conversation. Derek noticed this, "Case!" He protested.

Still looking away, Casey spoke in a small voice – fighting the lump in her throat. She just wanted to hug him, her best friend, her longest friend. The person she could trust everything with, but right now everything about him confused her. Drove her crazy, her mind was full of thoughts. Ones she could never have even thought of or comprehend how strong they were.

"Just open the boot, Derek."

Derek stared at her, why are you acting like this? He grabbed her shoulders so she'd look at him. "Case, look at me." She ignored his demand. "Casey, please?" He begged and she became putty in his hands. She looked into his eyes, deep into his eyes. But her face changed, she scrunched it up and a bored sigh erupted from her throat. Meet the wrath of Casey. "What do you want Derek!?"

"What's going on Casey? It was a prank; I do this all the time. You get me back and we make up on the car ride home. I'm sorry if I went too far. I'm really sorry."

"Ok, you're sorry. Can I go now?" Casey asked, her eyes wandering away.

Derek dropped his hands in failure. "Well, ok. I mean as long as you forgive me and there is no tension, we're good again, just like before?" He walked around to the driver's seat and pressed a button which popped the boot.

Casey grabbed her satchel and slung it on her shoulder. "I forgive you." She spoke quietly before she paced across the driveway next to the one of which the Prince was parked upon.

Derek's jaw hung open, "We're good?" He called after her, but she did not answer and quickly jogged up the stairs leading to her house. "Casey, we're good, right... Case!" He shouted louder.

Silence.

And it killed him.

"Hold this," Casey demanded of her friend Emily.

They were by Casey's locker and Casey had just given Emily her mobile phone and book bag to hold. "Sure thing!" Emily replied sarcastically, it's not like she had a choice. Casey was rooting through her locker, searching for something.

Her phone vibrated in Emily's palm. "Case, I think you got a text message," Casey head submerged quickly. "Leave it Em. Erm, it's probably mum – wishing me good luck." She spoke quickly. Emily nodded in agreement and as Casey's head went back in her locker, Emily quickly glanced at Casey's mobile.

"It's not from your mum, it's Derek." Casey sighed in defeat… slowly coming out of the locker. "And you have 6 missed calls from him to." Emily eyebrows rose, "I thought you forgave him."

"I did."

"Then why is he pestering you?"

"Well I never said we were… good again. And you know Derek. He needs all the confirmation he can get."

"Well then why don't you answer his calls and confirm that you are?" Casey avoided eye contact with Emily, he mouth's shape turning into a frown. "… Unless your not?" Emily tried, and succeeded as Casey nodded sadly.

"It's not that I don't want to be friends with him, it's just this thing between us is getting pretty boring. A bit repetitive." Emily looked at Casey, her eyebrows raised. "But right now I am quite busy." Casey pulled a CD from her locker. "I have an audition to get to."

She grabbed her phone and bag from Emily and took off to the theater. "Wait, Case!" Emily called after her, obviously agitated that she had not heard the full story.

"Casey McDonald." She stated to the woman sitting in the row in front of the stage of which Casey was standing in the center of.

"Ok Casey, please begin your 45 second dance routine." Mrs Graham smiled warmly at her.

(45 seconds later)

"Thank you Casey," Mrs Graham smiled as she scribbled quickly on her clip board. "Ok next, I would like to hear your singing. Begin when you are ready."

The music began… a slow piano playing.

I fell in a perfect way
Never had a choice to make
Crashed into your tidal wave
I didn't even struggle
Sailed right through your atmosphere
Closed my eyes and landed here
Didn't see the trouble
And I didn't care

I can't unlove you
Can't do that
No matter how I try
I'll never turn my back on
Someone who loved me too
I can do most anything I have to

But this one thing I cannot change
I almost kind of like the pain
Wear your tattoo like a stain
It will take forever
To fade away

I can't unlove you
Can't do that
No matter how I try
I'll never turn my back on
Someone who loved me too
I can do most anything I have to

But I can't unlove you

Why would I want to?

I can't unlove

Can't do that

I'll never get through this

Why would I want to?

There's always time for other dreams
Why must we erase these things?

I can't unlove you
Can't do that
No matter how I try
I'll never turn my back on
Someone who loved me too
But I can't unlove you
Get through that
No matter how I try
I'll never turn my back on
Someone who loved me too
I can do most anything I have to
But I can't unlove you

Mrs Graham grinned broadly, ear to ear. "That was beautiful, Casey."

Casey's cheek bones turned a light shade of pink. "Thank you."

"Yeah, it was." A male voice rang through the auditorium and out of the shadows Derek emerged. Casey's mouth dropped and she was speechless.

"Excuse me, this is a private audition." Mrs Graham scolded him. Derek, who was still staring at Casey, cleared his throat so he could address the teacher. He turned to look at her, "sorry Ms but you asked me to come to my audition at quarter past 1."

Mrs Graham smiled, "oh yes… sorry. I wanted to you to read a script with Casey." She said, as if it wasn't a problem, while writing something on her clipboard.

"What!?" Casey asked, clearly shocked.

"I want him," she pointed to Derek, "to read with you." She pointed at Casey.

"I mean why? He can't act, it was a practical joke. I signed him up for a joke," Casey tried to persuade her. "So? I signed you up as a joke!" Derek argued with Casey. "But you don't like theatre. You wouldn't want to be in a musical," she argued back. "Well I thought you wouldn't want to be in one either, but your still here. And so am I." He finished.

"But you can't dance, or sing, or act!" Casey was persistent so Derek was deliberately not looking at her. So she tried her luck with Mrs Graham, "he can't dance, or sing, or act!"

"Thank you for you input Casey but I know Mr. Venturi quite well actually." Casey's face fell, what? How?

"I'm his Aunt." Mrs Graham spoke matter-of-factly.

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