Lessons Basic Ideas for Casey to make Derek do:
Lessons in Love: Respect and Responsibility
A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update. I've been pretty busy lately. Thanks to everyone for their reviews! Enjoy. :)
Chapter 4
"Aw, you're getting all grown up!"
Victoria bent down and pinched Marti's cheeks in adoration, who scowled in return. Derek didn't even suppress a smirk as he watched Casey roll her eyes at her cousin. He loved it when she squirmed.
"Victoria!" Edwin sauntered over, waggling his eyebrows. "I can't believe it, but you're even prettier than before."
She laughed. "Thanks… Edwin, was it?"
The shorter boy beamed, nodding enthusiastically. "That's me, Edwin, the devilishly handsome, brilliant-minded, multi-talented—"
Derek cut him off before things could get even more painful. "Hey," he said simply, smiling.
"Hi," she replied, her eyes going soft and her lip pouting slightly as she stared up at him. "You've gotten taller."
"So've you." He admired her hair, which was long and curly. "Like the hair."
"Thanks. It's natural, you know," she purred, looking up at him through her lashes. "It's been a long time, Derek. I had such a… enjoyable time getting to know you last time, hopefully we can continue that this visit." She raised an eyebrow suggestively.
Casey took a step forward and cut in before things could go any farther, "Gee, it's great to see you, Victoria!" Her face was slightly red with what Derek could only assume was annoyance. He full-out grinned, knowing that this weekend was going to pretty much be the best weekend of his life. Casey forced a smile at her cousin. "How are things at home?"
"Dull," Victoria replied, her expression annoyed at the interruption. "Mom's so lovey-dovey, it's sick. And I just broke up with the head soccer player." She studied a nail. "He was just so… boring. And all my friends said I could do so much better." Glancing up at Casey, she raised her eyebrows. "So, got a boyfriend yet?"
"No," Casey growled. "Well, I did, but…" She glanced at Derek. Her relationship with his best friend was uncharted territory for them now. Derek felt a sudden tug of… unpleasantness at the thought of Sam putting his hands all over Casey, kissing her the way that Derek had so recently started to enjoy doing….
He resisted the urge to squeeze his eyes shut and go, "La la la la la," in an effort to dispel the image of Sam and Casey. "They broke up," he said, ending the silence at last. "It was my best friend, and I really didn't appreciate losing my time for hanging out with him."
Victoria didn't even respond; she seemed to have lost interest already. "So," she asked, coming closer to him. "Are you free?"
Derek stiffened; he couldn't help it. What the hell is wrong with me? he wondered. A hot girl is obviously hitting on me, and I'm going all spazzy. He was spared answering by the entrance of Lizzie.
"Hello, Victoria," she said coolly.
"Oh, hey Liz," Victoria responded, taking a step away from Derek and plastering a smile on her face. "How's my favorite little cousin?"
"Not so little anymore," was Lizzie's even colder response. If Derek didn't know any better, he would have said that Lizzie was angry at Victoria for something she'd done before she'd even arrived. Girls were so weird….
"No," Victoria conceded, her smiling fading, "I guess not." She shrugged her shoulders and the grin returned. "So, who's going to give me a house tour? I want to see if anything's changed since last year!" She waited, eyeing Derek expectantly.
"Wanna see my room?" he asked. "I put up a couple new posters last month…"
"Sure!" she cooed, grabbing his arm and practically dragging him upstairs. They arrived at his door and she yanked him inside, shutting it behind her.
"Thank God," she gasped, and rolled her eyes. "Sorry about Lizzie and Casey; they're really weird. I always avoid telling people that I'm related to them if I can help it." She sank onto Derek's bed and leaned back, smiling at him.
"I thought you and Casey were friends these days." Derek went to his desk chair and sat down. The last time he'd had a girl in here, it was Casey. He rubbed a hand on the arm rest, recalling what he'd done with Casey on it, the feel of her skin under his fingers, her soft lips molded against his own…. Stoppit! his brain demanded, and Derek leapt out of the chair and went to sit next to Victoria.
"…and she's just sooooo spoiled, too," Victoria was saying. "Don't you think?" Derek watched her mouth as she spoke. It reminded him a lot of Casey's mouth; both girls had full, pink lips. "I mean, why does Casey think she can get away with every little thing? She isn't the center of the universe, after all! And who does she think she is," Victoria continued with venom, "stealing your best friend out from under your nose!" Pausing, she turned to face him directly, trailing a finger along his arm. "I would never do that to you. Casey's not nearly as experienced as you or I are, either, when it comes to how to interact with members of the opposite sex."
As his mind rewound to the intense kisses that he'd shared with Casey the night before, Derek found he had to disagree. But he didn't like the way his mind was thinking these days (damned thing was interfering with his potential make-out time with Victoria!), so when she leaned closer and locked her hand around his wrist, Derek didn't complain. When she leaned closer and kissed him on the mouth, he even enjoyed the way her lips felt against his own, just as soft as Casey's were, even if they didn't tingle the same way as when he kissed Casey.
The door burst open and Derek panicked, shoving Victoria off of him. "Ow!" she shrieked. Seeing that it was only Edwin, Derek let out a hushed sigh of relief. He'd thought that someone else might have come up to "check" on him….
"Er, sorry to, uh, interrupt," Edwin stammered. "I just wanted to let you know, Victoria, that I've got a splendid magic show planned for you this Sunday night, if you're interested."
"Yeah, sure," Victoria muttered, giving Edwin a quick smile.
"Sorry again to interrupt; Derek, you can murder me later, ok?"
It took Derek a moment to figure out why he'd want to murder his younger brother. "Oh," he said, catching on, and putting an angry look on his face. "Yeah, that's right Ed. Better stay away for the next half hour, or else!"
Edwin nodded fervently, and shut the door. "Only a half an hour?" Victoria pouted, facing Derek. "I was hoping we could get at least an hour in before that stupid cousin of mine decides to invade my privacy again."
"Well, you know," Derek replied, waving a hand in dismissal, "That's what I had to say to Edwin. So as not to arouse suspicion from anyone."
"Hmph. So what are the plans for this weekend?"
Derek grinned. "Well, there's this killer party tomorrow night, if you want to go. It's being hosted by one of my best friends."
"Sounds great!" Victoria beamed, clutching Derek's arm in excitement. "Are we going as dates?"
"Uh," Derek mumbled, unsure, "Well, I kinda promised Casey that I'd let her tag along, too. I hope that's ok. I sort of… owed her. So she'll be there too. But don't worry, you'll be the guest of honor." He flashed her his most charming grin, and saw her soften before his very eyes.
"All right, all right. So long as I don't have to be her babysitter. Ugh, it's so annoying being the older one; I'm always in charge of the kids!" She shrugged. "But that's what happens when you're the most mature, I guess."
"Yeah," Derek replied. "Casey sure is handful." At a memory of his most recent make-out session with her, he grinned to himself, and muttered, "Trust me, I would know."
--
"Ok, Vicky, what outfit do you think I should wear?" Casey asked, eyebrows furrowed in worry. "The red turtleneck with the black skirt? Or the purple cardigan and the khaki shirt?" She held both shirts up in the bathroom doorway, where Victoria was doing her hair.
"Um, how about you learn some fashion sense. You don't wear turtlenecks or sweaters or khaki to parties. It just isn't done." Victoria sniffed as she curled a lock of hair. "And don't call me Vicky."
"Oh, right, sorry. I always forget that kind of thing when I'm nervous. But I really should have nothing to be nervous about, right? I mean, this is my first real party, but that doesn't mean a thing these days. I read once that parties were invented way back—"
"Casey," a voice behind her drawled. "You're boring the guests. So shut up."
A deep feeling of annoyance surged in her gut (or were those butterflies in her stomach?), and Casey turned around to face her step-brother. "Fine," she spat, irked for no particular reason. "What do you suggest?"
Derek tilted his head to one side, pretending to consider the question. "Hmm… how about…. Neither?"
Casey threw up her hands, causing the cardigan to fall off its hanger. "I give up!" she groaned. "I'm just not cut out for this kind of thing! We're leaving in 45 minutes and I haven't even started to do my make-up yet!"
"Yeah, well, at least your hair is done," Derek snickered, eyeing the wild tangles that frizzed around Casey's head. She fumed up at him and shoved past, heading for her bedroom. He followed her like a puppy that just wouldn't learn when to quit.
"Shut up, Derek! You're not helping, so either give me a hand or go away!"
There was a pause, and for a moment she thought he'd actually gone away. Then, she felt him come stand right behind her – she heard him breathing just behind her left ear – and he said, "Why don't you wear the pink sweater and those dark jeans that I told you about? You know, that evening that we—we had our lessons?"
She froze, instantly feeling a shiver dance down her spine and along her arms at the memory of their first kiss. It had been so sudden, yet so passionate. She rubbed at the skin on her arms and turned around. "O-ok. Thanks, Derek."
He leaned in close, smiling mischievously. "Do you need help putting that sweater on?" he whispered in her ear. Casey's knees trembled, and she was about to clutch at Derek to keep from falling when a voice from the doorway interrupted.
"What's going on?" Victoria asked. "What are you doing, Derek?"
He sprang away from Casey and spun around. "Just giving her bad advice about her wardrobe. Unfortunately, she decided already, so I was too late."
"Oh. Well, then come help me decide which eye shadow to use!"
Victoria pulled Derek away. Casey rolled her eyes to herself and continued to get ready. She lifted the pink sweater off its hanger, feeling its soft material and breathing in the scent of Derek that still clung to its threads….
--
The party was raging by the time they arrived. Looking through one of the front windows, Derek had never seen so many people packed into one place, and he'd been to his share of parties. He'd never figured that so many people knew who Ralph was. He turned around and eyed the girls who stood behind him. Victoria looked glamorous in a turquoise dress with blue flowers all over it; her hair was loosely curled and her eyes were lined with lots of make-up. Casey, on the other hand, looked much more subtle. She wore the outfit he'd suggested and had pulled her hair half-back, and straightened the rest. Her face had make-up on it, but it looked much more natural than her cousin. Both looked very hot, and he had a feeling that all the guys would think so, too.
As for his own style, he'd adorned a long, button-up brown shirt (with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows) and stylish jeans. He hadn't spent much time on his hair (other than to put on some mousse so that it looked straighter).
"Ok, girls, listen up," Derek told them as they stood on Ralph's front porch. "You need to stick close to me, ok? I don't want you getting lost in this madhouse. And Casey, please try not to trip or spill anything all over yourself (or me, for that matter). Got it?"
"Yes," she growled, and shoved past him to open the door. He quickly followed her inside.
People were everywhere. He had to shove against their sweaty, gyrating bodies to even make it across the room as he trailed Casey. She seemed to be searching for someone; he narrowed his eyes and wondered who it could be.
"Hey, man!" Sam's voice shouted over the music and noise of the party. "How's it going? Who's the lady with you?" He approached Derek and Victoria.
"This is Casey's cousin, Victoria. She's visiting us for the weekend."
"Ah, great to meet you," Sam smiled warmly and shook her hand. "I'm Sam, Derek's best friend."
Her eyebrow went up. "Ohhh," she replied. "You're the infamous best friend, eh?"
"Victoria," Derek interrupted before she could say anything more on the subject, "Let's go find Casey. This is her first party, and knowing her she'll end up being trampled by someone."
Victoria sighed loudly and waved a hand in dismissal. "Oh, let's just dance, Derek. Sent the ex after the klutz. I want to enjoy myself." And she grabbed him and pulled him to where everyone else was dancing.
Derek considered protesting. He considered withdrawing himself from her grasp and just walking away. Hell, he even considered shoving her off of him and yanking Casey out the door.
But he had a reputation to withhold. He was, after all, the infamous Derek Venturi. He couldn't let some stupid klutzilla stepsister of his interfere with the way his world went around. He'd already let her tilt things off kilter enough as it was.
So he took a breath and decided from this moment on to enjoy himself. He would dance with Victoria, and he would like it. Casey could do what she wanted to; starting now, he didn't care about her anymore.
--
Casey felt slightly nauseous. She gasped, feeling as though there wasn't enough air in the room for her, wasn't enough room to even breathe. She'd managed to separate herself from Derek and Victoria, and now she felt a bit wary of her eagerness in coming here. She'd been hoping that she might have had a chance to teach Derek a lesson or two about chivalrous dating, but… that didn't seem likely now.
Swallowing her fears, Casey stood up straight and resolved to find her way to the stairs. She would then wait there until Derek and Victoria finally realized she was gone… or until she saw them stumble out the door (probably making-out as they did so). Once she reached the stairs, she noticed that Derek and Victoria were dancing together – and seemed to having a great time. Apparently she'd been right when she'd thought that they'd forget about her. Casey narrowed her eyes and leaned further over the railing. Well, fine. If that was how they wanted to play, she would make them regret it. Derek might be a cocky bastard sometimes, but her own cousin should at least pretend to care about her! She looked around, hoping to see a familiar face… or something to inspire her to think of a prank.
Instead, she realized that a girl was standing in the entryway, chatting animatedly and saying the name "Derek" several times in a row. Was that… she squinted and took a couple of steps down. It was! It was a girl from school that Derek had dated for a short while, shortly before he'd shared his knowledge of flirting and all that with Casey just a few days ago.
"…and Derek promised me that he'd take a raincheck on our date last week, so we're going to Smelly Nelly's on Thursday now, instead," the girl was saying.
Casey gasped, opening her mouth in shock and outrage. Was Derek actually still with this girl? What was her name again? Danielle? Had he rescheduled his date with her on the very night he'd been making out with her, Casey?
The girl bounced through the crowded entryway and into the living room, somehow managing to look graceful and poised as she was jostled by several people.
"Der-EK!" Casey hissed to herself, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes in fury. "Oh, you are SO dead!"
She pushed down the stairs and followed Danielle to the living room. The girl must not have noticed him because he was still dancing with Victoria. Casey marched (if one could call it that with so many people) over to the dancing couple and shoved Derek in the arm.
"Hey!" he cried, automatically shoving her back. "What was that for, klutzilla?"
"You're dating that Danielle girl!" bellowed Casey.
"Yeah, so? I'm just dancing with Victoria, we aren't exactly doing anything wrong," he shouted back.
"You were still dating her when you kissed me last week!"
Immediately, Casey realized what she'd just said, and put her hands over her mouth and jerked her head to look at Victoria. Her cousin's eyebrows were raised and her mouth was slightly open. It seemed like this piece of news had shocked even her.
"I would never do that!" Derek hissed, grabbing Casey's upper arm in a grip so tight it was starting to hurt. "I'd rather kiss that stupid, blathering Danielle girl than even so much as look at you in that way!"
Casey felt tears prickle at the corner of her eyes, and Derek let go of her arm quickly, as though he felt disgusted by their touch. No one said anything after that for a moment. However, Victoria recovered quickly, and barked out a chuckle. "Oh my God. Are you serious, Casey? Why would Derek ever want to do that?" She looked at Derek, and her amused expression faltered. Casey followed her gaze, and realized that Derek was giving his stepsister a glare that would scar children for life.
"Wh-what?" she stammered. Then she noticed that Danielle was standing besides her. And apparently had heard everything he'd just said about her, because she looked both livid and hurt.
"How could you, Derek?" she screeched, huge tears trickling down her cheeks. "We're through!" And with that, she shoved past them, hitting Derek's shoulder on the way.
"Oh…" Casey said after the girl had left.
"Yeah, oh." Derek shook his head, and groaned in aggravation. "I don't get you, Casey. Why can't you just stay out of my business? Why did you make me drag you to this stupid party? Everything would have been fine if you had just stayed in your room and done your homework like the keener you really are!"
At his words, all sadness seeped out of Casey, and she felt anger surge inside of her chest as her adrenaline kicked in. She practically growled at him as she said, "Well, excuse me, Derek Venturi, for actually caring about what happens beyond the world of high school! And I may be a keener, but at least I'm not a rude, selfish pig like you are!"
"Casey," Victoria said, stepping in front of her cousin, "Chill, ok? Follow me upstairs; we'll find a place for you to calm down."
Nodding, Casey pressed her lips together in one final scowl at Derek, and turned on her heel, shoving her way to an upstairs bedroom. The quiet there was still broken by the booming base of the stereo, but at least there weren't tons of people, and it wasn't quite so loud. Casey breathed a sigh of relief, grateful to Victoria for actually doing something considerate.
"So," Vicky said crisply, "Let's get some things straight here. One: you have the hots for your stepbrother." Casey started to protest, but Victoria held up a hand. "I would find that utterly disgusting if he didn't happen to be my stepcousin." She paused, a smirk appearing on her lips. "He certainly was a great kisser. God, he certainly knew where to put his hands…" At Casey's face, she rolled her eyes. "Oh come on. It's obvious that Derek's been around and gotten some experience." She gave a little sigh of exasperation and raised an eyebrow at Casey. "You, on the other hand, are hopeless.
"Now," she continued, "Two: I like Derek. And I get Derek."
"What?" cried Casey. "Wh-what are you talking about?"
"I know you like the guy. Don't blame you for it. But unless you want me to tell your parents that you two had a little make-out session, or whatever it was that you did, then you better listen up." Victoria sat on the bed and faced Casey directly, looking very solemn. "Derek's mine, you hear me? So you better not so much as look at him until I'm gone, ok? And every other time I come to visit."
"Well," Casey said, "You can have him. I wasn't thinking straight when I… said what I did about…."
"Yeah, ok." Victoria examined a nail. "Well, I'm going back to find Derek. Have fun being lame here by yourself. Although," she added, "if you want to be useful, go get me some punch and bring it back here. And get Derek, too. I'm going to have some fun with your stepbrother, teach him what us experienced girls know."
Casey resisted the urge to spit in Victoria's manicured face. "Get your own punch, Vicky. You can't order me around."
Victoria stood up, hands on her hips, and narrowed her eyes. "I'll do what I damn well please, Casey, and you better listen to me, or I'll tell Aunt Nora all about your little rendezvous with Derek."
Casey gulped. "Fine," she replied. "What flavor do you want? Watermelon?"
Victoria gloated, smiling and turning her nose up at her cousin. "Fruit punch, Casey. Only a keener would think people actually served any other flavor. Now get out so I can prepare myself for Derek's entrance."
--
A hand shoved something at him, and Derek hastily grabbed the punch-filled cups before they spilled all over him. "Hey!" he shouted, "Watch it—" He paused, seeing who it was, and rolled his eyes at Casey. "What are you doing, coming near me?"
"Victoria wants you," Casey deadpanned at him. "She's upstairs, second door on the right."
He stared at her. "What?"
"Vicky wants to teach you a little lesson about the art of making out with experienced girls," Casey spat, looking quite annoyed as she scowled at the cups in his hands.
"Oh, well… I don't want to. Not if she thinks she can order me around."
"Join the club," Casey responded. "She told me that if I didn't do exactly as she asked," Casey paused, looking around nervously, before continuing, "she would tell on us for kissing. You know, since we're stepsiblings." Her eyes grew wide and she looked pale. "Maybe it's illegal or something…." Derek made a face; it looked like she was going to hurl.
"It's not illegal," he said, although he knew no such thing. He sure hoped it wasn't… Why would it be?
"Well, doesn't matter. We certainly don't want George and Mom knowing, so let's just do what she says," Casey said.
"Look," Derek replied, taking a swig of the punch. "Let's just ignore her. Maybe she's just threatening you. Just go upstairs and tell her I won't come."
Casey shook her head, tendrils of hair going back and forth from the movement. He wondered why he'd been revolted by her just a few moments before… His stomach clenched and Derek gritted his teeth, hoping the physical feeling deep inside of him would pass. Soon.
"We can't do that," Casey said, pulling on his arm. Derek let her drag him upstairs. "She'll get mad."
"All right, all right. I'll go in and have a word with her." He approached the door, then turned around and faced Casey. "Wanna give me a good luck kiss?" he whispered in her ear.
She raised her eyebrows. "Didn't you just say you thought I was a total loser? Aren't you risking everything by being near me right now?"
Derek grinned down at her. "Oh, come on, Case. What have I always said about living dangerously?"
Her lips tugged upwards for a moment, and then she broke into a grin. "Yeah, yeah, yeah."
And she stood on tiptoe to kiss him, pressing her mouth to his for a brief moment, before pulling away. "Now, get in there."
He shook his head. "Oh come on," he drawled, setting the punch glasses down on a nearby table. "Is that the best you've got?"
"Not at all," she replied, rolling her eyes. "But, in case you hadn't noticed, we're at a party, with lots of people everywhere!"
"Well then, care to reinact your first party? Bathroom's right behind you. You could pretend to lock us in again, like last time, so you could be stuck in a small space with me."
Casey put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "I did not pretend to lock us in!" she fumed. "You were the one who couldn't figure out how to fix the lock!"
Derek waved a dismissive hand. "Whatever, Casey, you wanted me then, and you want me now." He took a step closer. "So let's just take a moment to finish what we started in that bathroom, eh?"
Before she could protest, he shoved her into the tiny room. It only had room for a shower, toilet and small counter. "Well," Derek drawled. "Should we do this in the shower or on the counter? We could find a way to make things work with the toilet, but I say the counter is our best bet…"
"God, you're such a guy," Casey replied, shoving his shoulder playfully. She picked up a shampoo bottle. "So maybe I should squirt you with this? You know, to get the full effect from last time?" She aimed the nozzle at his face.
Derek grabbed it from her. "Yeah," he replied, "I don't think so."
"You prefer toothpaste, Derek?" Casey made a face at him. "I thought you hated brushing your teeth."
"Haha," he responded. For once, he wished she'd just shut up and make out with him already. He had always secretly enjoyed their banter, but his body was starting to get the better of him now. He couldn't stop staring at the way that pink sweater clung to her chest, or how her jeans were slung low on her hips, revealing a strip of pale skin above the hem. Maybe she'd let him take the sweater off this time, if he was patient and took things slowly at first. Maybe she'd even—
He was interrupted from his thoughts as a jet of cold liquid squirted him directly on the mouth.
"The hell!" he garbled, spluttering the bitter tasting shampoo from his mouth.
"That'll teach you to listen to me, Derek!" Casey cried. "Lesson number 1: always treat a girl like a human being, and don't stare at her boobs, you jerk!"
"I wasn't staring at your boobs!" Derek protested. At the look on Casey's face, he amended his words. "Well, not for very long!" She still looked livid. An idea came to him, and he soothed, "If it makes you feel any better, you have better boobs than Victoria."
Casey's face relaxed slightly, and she even lowered the shampoo bottle that she'd held poised at Derek's face. "Really?" she asked, looking pleased.
"Really."
"Huh. Well, in that case—hey!" Casey spit out a mouthful of toothpaste that Derek had just squirted into her mouth. "De-REK!"
He burst out laughing and squeezed the tube again. Blobs of toothpaste landed on her sweater. "Guess you'll have to take it off and wash it in the sink!" he chortled.
Her response was to send another jet of shampoo at his face. Soon, they were slipping and sliding on the tiny bathroom floor, much like the first time they'd been in this situation. Except that this time, the floor was much smaller, and so when Casey slipped on the spilled shampoo on the floor, she knocked Derek over, too, and he landed halfway in her lap, laughing.
"Get off of me!" Casey tried to yell, but her own laughter prevented it from sounding very threatening.
"But, Casey," Derek protested. "I've learned my lesson about treating girls with respect. I think I should get a treat. Just a teensy, eensy one?" he added after she raised an eyebrow at him.
"Fine," she quipped. "But just a teensy, eensy one, all right?"
…………………
A/N: Sorry it isn't quite finished yet. I've been pretty busy this week, which is why I suck at updating. And since I'm going away this weekend (and won't have time to work on this story), I figured an incomplete chapter update was better than none at all, right?
So yeah. Sorry again, guys!! I promise I'll get the rest of this chapter up (as soon as I finish writing it!) :)
