Chapter 2 - Emily

Emily stared up at her ceiling. She'd come straight upstairs after school – ignored her worried mother's questions. Derek! Emily had flung herself on her bed and cried until she'd finally drifted off to a restless nap.

Dating him felt like a miracle at first. But lately, more often than not, she came home angry and upset after being with him.

Still, Derek Venturi! She couldn't believe she was finally, finally, dating him – able to kiss him and cuddle in front of the television and call him her boyfriend.

She could sit on the popular staircase before school started, and after lunch – and not just because she was the friend of the geeky girl dating the quarterback, but because she was Derek Venturi's girlfriend! Unbelievable!

She smiled to herself, felt the giddy rush that always came with the realization that she had done it. He was hers!

Then their fight came back to her. She squashed the pillow she'd gripped to her chest and then hurled it across the room.

Why did she push him about going out for milkshakes after school?

Why did she have to bring up the stupid prank rumor? Why did she have to hound him about the blinking thing?

She replayed the conversation in the car.

He'd been a jerk to her, right? She wasn't over-reacting, pulling a total Casey on him or anything, was she?

He'd yelled at her! Emily's eyes filled with tears again. That jerk!

She wanted to hear her best friend rant against boys who yell at their girlfriends.

Casey always knew just how to slant things so that it wasn't just a boy being a jerk, but a bigger, societal problem involving all adolescent males and their aggressive tendencies – that kind of reasoning always left Emily no room at all to blame herself. Or Derek, now that she considered it.

If Casey convinced her that Derek's yelling was less a problem with Derek, or her, and, just more a problem with all boys then … Then, Emily didn't need to feel bad about their fighting or even need to stay mad at him for it!

Casey would be able to bring back the giddy rush of those first incredible days of being Derek Venturi's girlfriend by putting everything into her own special perspective. Emily smiled, relief flooding every part of her body.

She reached for the phone and dialed the Venturi house.

But, oh god!, Derek might answer the phone! Or, even worse, he might overhear their conversation.

Emily had already caught him turning down the stereo in his room to better hear

her on the phone with Truman, with Noel and, once, weirdly, with her dad.

If he thought she was pouting and complaining to Casey then … he would know that Emily had been obsessing about him again! That couldn't be good. Derek hated clingy, insecure girls.

Marti's voice piped out of the receiver "Mcdonald – Venturi residence! Marti speaking!"

Emily quickly hung up.

This aspect of finally dating Derek, the fact of his being Casey's stepbrother, had blindsided her somewhat.

She couldn't just pop by her best friend's anymore in her dirty sweats and slippers. She couldn't lounge on the couch with Casey and stuff herself with caramel popcorn and ice cream. She couldn't cry or gush or call her boyfriend a jerk because he was only a thin wall away from her best friend's bedroom.

It wasn't fair.

Besides, Casey was obviously uncomfortable whenever she talked to her about Derek.

When she tried to gush to her about the romantic moments, Casey covered her ears and made gagging noises, "Oh god, Emily! I just … no … I can't … I really, just …NO!"

Emily supposed this was normal. Dimi was so much younger than she was that

she just didn't have the typical brother/sister relationship with him.

She felt more like Dimi's mother than his sister and he usually did come to her with his crushes and asked her advice.

But, normally, brothers and sisters grossed out over each other's love lives, right?

Still, what was new to her relationship with Casey was that Emily suddenly was forbidden from complaining about Derek.

Wait, was the forbidden part what was new? She sat up in her bed, shook off that last of her grogginess from the nap.

Had she ever complained about Derek before? I guess I haven't.

Usually Casey complained and Emily listened.

But, now that they were dating, things had reversed. Sort of.

Because, now … weirdly … Casey defended Derek to Emily!

Just today they had both been reapplying lip gloss and blush in the school bathroom while Emily griped about Derek's continual tardiness. He picked her up late for their dates; he was never on time to meet her at her locker, or the cafeteria. He even called her hours after he promised to… the list was endless, really! He never did anything when he said that he would!

Casey had looked pained. "I'm sure it isn't personal, Em."

Casey watched Emily in the bathroom mirror they shared, looking like it was her that Emily was criticizing.

"He doesn't do it on purpose. You aren't going to be mad at him for it, are you? It's just that he is waiting to hear about the waitlist from Western and he wants to get in as much hockey practice as he can… don't be mad at him Em, okay?"

She'd turned to face Emily then with the round eyes and pout that she only got when someone was mad at her.

Emily had quickly reassured her, "No, of course not. You're right; it's just the way he is and I knew that going into this relationship. I won't get mad."

Casey looked relieved and Emily felt relieved and they both went back to smoothing gloss on their lips.

But, what the hell?

Casey can go on a diatribe about all the disgusting things Derek does in the bathroom, or with his dirty laundry,

and Casey can plot revenge against him (with actual bodily harm!) … but Emily can't even hint that she is justifiably frustrated with him because ... it might hurt his feelings?

And that wasn't the only time that Casey had shut her down from criticizing Derek!

Casey defended his taking Emily to a fast food place before a movie.

She justified his blowing off shopping at the mall with her.

She even subtly backed him up when Derek vetoed a double date to a romantic French restaurant Emily planned with Truman and Casey in favor of a larger group meeting up at the bowling alley. And Casey loved French food!

It just didn't make sense!

But, wait! Maybe it did make sense if you considered that Casey's loyalties were with her stepbrother rather than her best friend.

Emily felt the burning in her throat that meant she was going to cry – again!

Of course Casey would - and maybe even should – have loyalty towards her own family rather than a friend – but it just felt so cruel to be out in the open like this.

Who will be on my side? Who is going to defend me? Emily sniffed. Until her epiphany, Emily never realized how much she counted on Casey's assertive, sometimes irrational, need to confront all perceived slights against herself or her friends.

If this was a different boyfriend, not her brother, Casey would have made certain the French restaurant night happened!

She would have implemented a plan of action when it came to dragging Emily's boyfriend to the mall over hockey and she would have prodded and retrained him into showing up on time to Emily's locker or lunch or called with reminders before dates.

It would have caused Emily to cringe and to tell her best friend to back off – but it would have gotten the job done!

And it would have made Emily feel loved rather than abandoned.

She had gotten up from the bed and started wandering around the room while she morosely ticked off all that she had lost by dating her best friend's brother until she was staring out the window at the Venturi house.

A part of her wished that both Derek and Casey would come to their windows and see her looking forlornly out at their house and share her epiphany – then they would rush over and throw themselves at her feet, apologizing.

Casey would beg her to be first in her heart again and vow to always take her side.

Derek would swear to devote himself to being a better boyfriend to her: more punctual, more eager to spend time with her after school.

She wasn't so far gone that she actually expected any of that to happen – a truth that made her sniff back another rush of indignant tears.

Suddenly the front door to the Venturi home opened below her.

Emily scurried back behind her ruffled curtains.

Casey and Derek appeared on the front porch, the fading light outside made them hard to see. Emily pushed the ruffled chiffon aside and looked closer.

As usual, they were half fighting: slapping each other away, shoulder checking and shoving, but half playing too. Derek lifted Casey up by her waist and spun her like he was getting ready to do a professional wrestling move. Casey yanked at his ear until he set her back down.

They made there way to the curb where the prince still sat. Derek opened the door for Casey but looked really put out by it. Casey pinched his cheek before she slid inside.

Emily felt her stomach tighten. Neither of them had even glanced towards her house before Derek pulled out. Neither had thought to invite her along.

Did they do that a lot? Go places and do things and not invite her?

Well, of course they did! And nothing was wrong with that!

They lived in the same house and were part of the same family and probably did brother / sister bonding things just the way she did with Dimi!

But, Emily's heart was pounding as she reasoned out her jealousy. Her hands sweated with nerves.

You're being ridiculous!

Hadn't she, just yesterday, taken Dimi out for an after dinner ice cream cone? She didn't think of asking along either Casey or Derek for that did she?

Emily still stared at the empty spot where the prince had sat parked.

Oh, but, she had actually called over to their house. She'd called to ask Derek if he wanted her to bring him something back, hadn't she?

He'd been out.

So she'd asked for Casey.

And Casey had been out too.

To Be Continued ...