This actually started out as chapter 2 but then someone made a comment about rehearsals, something I wasn't going to include at all, but then decided, what the heck. So I made things more drawn out. Enjoy!
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"God, why can't there be magnificent sales before Christmas?" Casey asked, fingering a rack of dresses.
"I know!" Emily said.
"What does it matter?" Kendra asked. "Shopping is shopping." She pulled a dress off of the rack and held it to her body. "What do you think?"
Casey sighed. "Looks great. But we shouldn't even be here. We're supposed to be shopping for others not ourselves."
"Hmmph. This might not be for me. This is could be a gift that I am buying Emily...that I just might happen to borrow. A lot." Kendra mumbled.
"Hey, as long as I get some time with it, I am a-okay with that plan." Emily said.
Caseyrolled her eyes, chuckling softly at her friend's antics.
"Casey, hon, stop fingering that dress. I told you already, blue is not your color." Kendra said.
Casey rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away from the rack. "Come on, let's go to another store."
Casey and Emily started turning.
"Hold on!" Kendra said, pulling the dress she had been looking it back off the rack. "I'm gonna go buy this...erm... Emily's present." Kendra said lamely before grinning and heading toward one of the checkout counter.
"What do you think I should get Derek for Christmas?" Emily turned to Casey.
Casey scoffed. "How about a big bag of nothing."
"What? You're not going to get him anything?" Emily asked.
"Really, tell me why I would." Casey said.
"Because you're Casey, goody-good who loves everyone and gives with all her heart." Emily said dramatically.
Casey rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"Derek doesn't deserve anything from me. He gets everything I want anyway. Why should I give him any more?"
Emily shrugged. "I guess I can understand that."
"So don't waste your money on him." Casey said, going back to look at other clothes on the rack they were standing near. "Besides, he technically doesn't even celebrate Christmas. Well, at least he won't acknowledge it."
"What?" Emily asked.
"He celebrates 'Derekus'." Casey said disdainfully.
"Derekus?" Emily asked.
"Yep." Casey nodded.
"Jeez." Emily breathed. "He really is full of himself."
"Mmhmm." Casey said.
"Okay, I'm done. Onward to the next store." Kendra said, walking toward them with a bag in her hand.
--
"Okay, can we just accept it now?" Kendra asked.
"Accept what?" Emily asked.
"Accept that we are getting exactly zip for others and need to succumb to our need to try on these clothes." Kendra said.
"I agree!" Emily said.
"No, no, no." Casey said. "We need to get presents for others!"
Kendra and Emily looked at each other for a moment before Kendra turned and pulled a dress off of the rack.
"Oh, look how pretty this is." Kendra said, admiring the dress.
"God, that would look so good on Casey." Emily said.
"And it's not even blue!" Kendra observed,
They could see Casey begin to break as she looked at the dress.
"Oh, but Casey doesn't want to shop for herself today." Emily shrugged. "I guess you should put it back."
"I guess you're right." Kendra said, turning to put the dress back.
"Alright, alright!" Casey snapped, lunging for the dress. "But you guys are getting things too!"
Kendra and Emily looked at her strangely.
"Oh, yeah, because we were so planning on saying 'No, Casey. We can't. I'm putting my foot down-no shopping in this store full of awesome clothing for me!'" Emily shook her head.
Casey rolled her eyes. "Do you want me to agree with you or not?" Casey asked.
"Go. Go try it on!" Kendra said.
"Fine, fine!" Casey said, heading into the direction of the dressing rooms.
Soon, all three girls were heading into the dressing rooms, arms filled with dresses.
"You guys, I love this one. I need your opinions." Emily called from her stall.
They all exited their stalls to view the dress Emily was wearing.
"Oh my God, that one was made for you." Casey said.
"You should get it and wear it to Sally's Christmas party." Kendra suggested.
"Hey, that's a great idea!" Emily said. "That's what we should all do. Buy dresses for Sally's Christmas party."
"Well, then I say you buy that dress, but find another for the party." Casey suggested. "It's not really holiday party material."
The girls nodded in agreement and they went back to search for the right dresses.
After forty five minutes Casey was sitting in a chair in the dressing room, the strapless red silk dress she had bought in the bag she was holding. Both Kendra and Emily were still trying on dresses.
She blew at a piece of hair hanging in her face until she almost went cross-eyed, so she got up and began walking around, pacing back and forth in front of the dressing room exit.
Emily walked out of her stall in a light purple party dress.
"So, what do you think?" Emily asked.
Casey looked at her best friend, but her eyes almost immediately traveled past her and through the exit into the store. What she saw caused her jaw to drop.
"Oh my God." Casey breathed.
"Okay, I know I look good, but come on. Your making me blush." Emily said, flicking her wrist.
Casey hurried past Emily and looked through the entryway of the dressing room.
"No, no. Oh my God as in look over there." Casey said, giving a quick nod in a direction before turning to her side and looking the other way.
Emily stepped out to where Casey was standing and peered out of the dressing rooms curiously.
Emily gasped and whipped around to look at Casey. "No!" She said.
Casey bit her lip and nodded.
The two friends peeked around the corner from the dressing room to the store.
"Okay, so what do you guys-hey, how come no one's over here to observe how awesome I look in this dress?" Kendra asked.
"Shh!" Casey said.
Emily turned her head and motioned for Kendra to come and look before turning back to peer around the corner.
Kendra walked up to her friends and looked and gasped as well, one of her hands flew to cover her mouth.
"No way." Kendra said.
"Yes way." Emily said.
"He never did that with Casey." Kendra said, cocking her head to the side.
The three friends watched as Max held onto some blond girl who had her back toward them so they couldn't see who it was. They were kissing profusely, the girl had her arms wrapped around his neck and his arms were fully around her waist, slightly pulling her from the ground.
"Is this why you guys-"
"No!" Casey said.
"Are you sure-"
"Yes!" Casey snapped. "I know why we broke up. If it was because of another girl, he would have had the decency to tell me. We were just no longer compatible, and a separation was necessary so that our breakup was without resentment."
"Well, then he sure does bounce back quick." Kendra murmured. "It's been like, a week after a years worth of relationship."
"That's men for you." Emily said.
"God, someone needs to walk past them and say get a room." Kendra said.
"Can we please stop staring-oh excuse me, spying on them?" Casey asked.
"Who is she?" Emily asked. "I've got to say, my Doctor Em skills did not pick up on this. Not even remotely."
"If only he would just twist her around or something." Kendra said. "Come on, Max. Push her up against that wall or something."
"Hello! Turn away!" Casey said.
Kendra and Emily looked at her but then turned away. Then they realized that Casey had yet to move.
"Yeah, okay. Someone please remove me from this spot. I can't...seem...to stop." Casey said.
Emily quickly grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her back into the dressing room.
"Thanks." Casey said.
They were all silent for a moment, so Kendra spoke.
"Okay, really. What about this dress?"
For the first time since she had exited her stall, Emily and Casey acknowledged the pink dress she was wearing.
"It's perfect." Emily said truthfully.
"It really is." Casey agreed, trying not to think about how Max was not far, with another girl. It was tearing her apart, but she didn't want to freak out. She had just gotten over her crying bout, which Derek had given her heat for the entire time.
"Okay, well that's that. Now we've all got dresses for Sally's Christmas party.
The girls gathered their dresses and exited the dressing room. Max and the girl were no longer there.
At the counter Casey grabbed a box of Christmas cards and put it with her dress to buy.
When they all arrived back at Casey's house, Kendra and Emily collapsed on the couch.
"God, shopping really wiped you out." Kendra said. "It's like, exercise."
"Six hours." Emily groaned.
After a moment of silence Casey spoke.
"How about a Christmas movie marathon?" Casey suggested.
Kendra and Emily looked at each other.
"Why not?" Emily shrugged.
"Great!" Casey smiled. "I separated all of the holiday movies from the rest."
Her friends shook their heads at her strange organization as she pulled out a large stack of DVDs from a cabinet in the living room and stumbled back to her friends.
Casey situated herself on the floor in front of the couch with the stack of movies and began to look through them.
"Okay, we have It's a Wonderful Life, Christmas with the Kranks-"
Derek walked into the room and made a point to go immediately toward Casey and pick at the movies in front of her.
"Are you serious?" Derek asked, looking at the pile. He picked up a DVD and held it up. "The Barbie Nutcracker? This is either a porno about a kinky blond or an actual movie about Barbie, in which case, I must go talk to Nora about getting you some help." Derek said. He observed the cover for a second.
"Yeah, I need to go find Nora." Derek said, dropping the movie into Casey's lap.
"Shut up, Derek." Casey said, swatting at his ankle.
"You guys really need to find something better to do." Derek said, shaking his head.
"What? Christmas is in a week. What's wrong with watching some nice holiday movies?" Casey asked.
"I wasn't talking to you, Spacey." Derek said. "I was talking to Kendra and Emily in reference to them needing to find something better to do than hang out with you."
Casey sneered at him before returning to the stack of movies.
"I, for one like hanging out with Casey." Kendra said. "I've definitely gained back the brain cells I lost while dating you and then some." She smirked at him.
Derek scowled and flicked a piece of hair on the top of Casey's head before stalking out of the room.
--
Later, Casey sat at her desk with a fine tip marker, a list of names, and the Christmas cards she had gotten earlier.
She easily filled out a handful of cards. Lizzie, Edwin, Marti, Emily, Kendra, Sam, Ralph, Sheldon, Sally, Noel. But she stopped at Derek and Max's names. She tapped the end of her pen on the paper, contemplating whether to fill out the two cards.
Derek was Derek. Why she should give him even any acknowledgment of the wonderful time of year seemed beyond her. Even the good-doer in her didn't really think he deserved a card. Yeah, they had momentarily begun to get along, but that had long passed.
And Max... Max was another story. They were over and done. He had been one of the nicest guys she had ever known, and yet...something was wrong. She and Sam had been able to retain a very nice friendship. One where they could be comfortable around each other. It hadn't become that way with her and Max. She had tried, but it just wasn't happening. And then there was the incident from earlier. It was hard for her to think she and Max had broken up only a week earlier and he already had another girl. Part of her was angry and disgusted, but the other part said that he had the right to find someone else.
Casey filled out only one of the cards, slipped it into an envelope and then she wrote Max's name on it.
Sighing she stacked up the cards on her desk and put everything else away. She sat up and stretched before leaving her room to go downstairs and grab a bottle of water.
When Casey got back to her room with the water -and two cookies that Marti had just baked with her mother, she found someone was already there.
"Derek, what are you doing?" Casey asked, watching Derek standing near her desk.
She quickly noticed that he was going through the stack of Christmas cards.
"Seriously?" Derek asked. "Max gets a Christmas card and I don't?"
"What do you care?" Casey asked, taking a bite out of one of the cookies as she threw the water bottle onto her bed. "And can you stay out of my stuff?"
Derek seemed to ignore her. "You're seriously gonna give you're ex a Christmas card?"
"Sam's got a card in there." Casey pointed out.
"Sam doesn't count."
"Why not?"
"Because you and Sam are actually friends!" Derek said.
"Me and Max are-"
"You and Max are not friends. Max avoids you like the plague." Derek said.
"That is really cold, Derek." Casey shook her head.
"You guys are true exes, Case. You don't give your jerk ex boyfriend any form of acknowledgment." Derek said.
"Derek, you don't know if Max is a jerk. You don't even know why we broke up, so why don't you stay out of it?" Casey asked.
"Let me guess. You guys really liked each other, but one of you felt as though your compatibility had lowered and that it would be best for both of your happiness to separate before separation became a blessing and not a sadness." Derek said sarcastically.
Casey looked at him in confusion. "How did you- you know what, never mind. None of your business anyway." Casey said, shaking her head.
Derek rolled his eyes as Casey pointed toward the door, motioning for him to get out.
Derek walked to the door, but turned around when he was on the other side, Casey ready to close the door.
"I still can't believe he gets a card and I don't."
Casey slammed the door inches from his face.
x—x
YAY! I am very happy with this chapter. I HOPE you guys will be nice to me and give me bunches of reviews! They make chapters come quicker! Love, love, love all of you readers and reviewers!
Review, loves.
-Tarryn