Okay readers, here it is. Another chapter. I'm actually not sure how many more there will be. From what I'm thinking right now, there may only be one more chapter. And to all you reviewers that I told I was going to keep this story strictly Lizwin... Okay I may have lied. I will probably end up putting a little Dasey in here to tie it all up. -I write the beginning author's note before I start the chapter, and the end author's note after I finish the chapter, so technically I have no idea right now what you are going to be reading now! Haha, so yeah.- Anyway, I need to put in here that I do know that I'm placing this around Christmas/Holiday times. Yeah, it's summer, but I want to make it winter. So deal! (:
Enjoy!
x—x
Several weeks passed, and nothing happened. Edwin and Lizzie talked in passing, but something seemed different. Edwin would always end up in his room pacing, trying to muster up the courage his brother never had, wondering if Derek had paced his room as well, because of Casey. Each time that he couldn't do it, couldn't bring himself to say anything to Lizzie, he would tell himself that he would tell her eventually. That they had time. But the day that Casey and Derek were due to fly in from where each of them had been residing, for Christmas, Edwin realized that the time he thought he and Lizzie had, was much smaller than he had though or hoped.
How it started? It was hard to tell. Edwin had come out of his room to go downstairs, as Lizzie came out of her room. They both started walking toward the stairs, a collision insured, if neither of them slowed moved a different way. They didn't. So they collided.
"Hey!" Lizzie said. "Watch it."
"Watch it yourself." Edwin muttered, as he pushed his way past Lizzie.
"Hey!" She cried again.
"Hay is for horses." Edwin said.
"Shut up, Edwin."
Edwin ignored her and made his way downstairs, where he reached the kitchen and looked around. He headed for the fridge and opened it, and found a blueberry muffin. Edwin took it out, a took a bite out of it just as Lizzie entered the kitchen.
"Edwin!" She said angrily. "I put that in there for me to eat for breakfast."
Edwin looked at Lizzie, and then looked at the muffin in his hand.
"Oops." he said, with a mouthful.
"Oops my ass. Now give me my muffin!" Lizzie said.
Edwin swallowed and then started to laugh. "Are you kidding me? I already started eating it. No."
Lizzie glared at him. "God, you're such a jerk."
Edwin rolled his eyes, turning away from Lizzie. "Whatever."
"You know what?" Lizzie said, so that Edwin turned to look at her again. "You're just like Derek." Lizzie shook her head and walked away from Edwin.
Edwin stared after her incredulously, and then quickly placed the muffin down on the counter. He backed away from it like it was a bomb.
You're just like Derek.
The words sounded harsh, and hit him like a blow to the gut. Just like Derek.
Suddenly, all the years of looking up to his brother, hoping to one day live up to Derek's legacy, came back at him like a slap in the face. Because he realized that Lizzie was right in more way than one.
How had the fight started? He had pushed her out of the way. Why hadn't he apologized? He just hadn't considered it. Lizzie's muffin? He considered it his as soon as he saw it. His feelings for Lizzie? Still unspoken. All just like Derek. It was as if he and Lizzie had taken over where Derek and Casey had left off. The fighting was starting, the feelings, all hidden.
Just like Derek. The irony could have killed him on the spot.
"But I don't want to be just like Derek." Edwin said to himself.
x—x
Casey arrived first. She was all smiles and laughs, coming in ready to gush to anyone who would listen -or was kind enough not to run away- all about the things that had happened to her so far in the college life. The only ones who didn't run away were Nora and Lizzie.
So the MacDonald's sat in the living room while everyone else spread across the house after a hug and hello to Casey. It only took Casey ten minutes to mention Derek. Edwin was passing the living room and heard.
"Um, so Derek's not here yet. Does that mean he made some kind of lame excuse, and isn't coming?"
Edwin noted that her hopeful voice was still somewhat laced with disappointment.
"No, he said he definitely be here." Nora said.
Casey nodded lightly.
"So, Casey." Nora said. "Anyone... special, lately?"
Casey winced. "Erm, no. Not particularly."
Nora almost pouted. "Oh, but I'm sure there are plenty of boys-"
"There are plenty interested. There are none I'm interested in. Not there." Casey said.
Nora nodded.
"Well then, where?" Lizzie asked.
"What?" Casey asked.
"You said you weren't interested with anyone there. So where's the guy you're interested in?" Lizzie asked.
"Oh, um, I..I meant that there just weren't any interesting guys at school, but there probably are somewhere else." Casey said.
Edwin narrowed his eyes, not believing her.
Derek. Edwin thought to himself.
And by Lizzie's also narrowed eyes, he could tell Lizzie knew it too.
x—x
When Derek finally showed up, Casey was mysteriously absent.
Derek was a a lot quieter than Casey had been. Coming in and giving everyone -everyone that was there, since they were obviously sans Casey- the obligatory hug.
Derek beat Casey. It only took him a couple seconds after looking around to ask about Casey.
"Where's Case? She's coming, right?" he asked.
"Yeah, she's upstairs, kiddo." George said.
"Casey! Get down here! Derek's here!" Nora called up the stairs.
After several seconds of everyone staring at the stairs, Casey emerged, and climbed down them.
"Sorry." Casey murmured.
Her lack of looking at Derek was apparent.
"I"m glad you got here, Derek. I was about to say that dinner was ready." George said with a smile.
Derek gave a small smirk as he followed George into the kitchen.
Only when his back was turned did Casey look toward him with a pained look on her face.
"You two," Lizzie murmured to her sister, "Are still being ridiculous."
"Don't start with me." Casey whispered.
Lizzie nodded and then went into the kitchen as well, with Casey trailing behind her.
Dinner was quiet for the most part. George and Nora asked some questions to Casey and Derek, both of which answered before returning to their silence. Even Marti, who at 10 was still as loud and brash as she had been at 6 was quiet.
Once dinner was finished, dishes were cleared, and after little small talk, George and Nora went to bed, once they shooed Marti into her room for the night.
By the time Casey and Derek made their own ways to their old rooms, they had done a right good job of avoiding each other. That was until they stumbled awkwardly across each other in the hall of the second floor.
Casey tried to cruise past Derek, but Derek didn't let it happen.
"Casey. Come on. We haven't said a word to each other." Derek said.
"And you expect me to believe that you want to be adult about this?" Casey asked after a moment.
"Well, not completely." Derek gave a half-hearted smirk.
As obvious that it was that she didn't want to, Casey smiled.
"Derek-"
"I'm sorry that it's like this, Case. I miss you." Derek said.
Reluctantly, Casey told him that she missed him too.
There was silence for a moment.
"I'm sorry about whatever happened between us, too." Derek said.
Casey looked at her feet for a while and then looked up at Derek, almost pitying.
"Nothing ever happened between us, Derek." she said lightly.
She lingered for a moment, and when Derek said nothing, she said, "Goodnight."
Derek nodded and let Casey begin to walk past him, but after a second Derek seemed to change his mind, and reached out and grabbed Casey's arm, pulling her back.
"Derek what are you doing?" Casey asked.
"You know what, no. It's not goodnight. Casey," Derek's eyes seemed to burn into Casey, "I think about you every day. And every day, I regret."
Taken aback, Casey managed to say, "Regret what?"
"Regret not having done this ." Derek said.
At saying 'this' he pulled on Casey's hand bringing her closer to him. Before she could react, Derek had already covered her mouth with his.
At the end of the hallway, around it's corner, Lizzie gasped. Edwin nudged her in her side to make her be quiet. The two had been making their ways to their rooms when they had seen Casey and Derek, and Lizzie had pulled Edwin into the corner so that they wouldn't be seen.
Derek pulled away from Casey to take in her reaction.
Casey's features went from those of shock, to slowly forming a smile.
With a giggle that a fifteen year old would emit, Casey pulled at Derek's arm and managed to push him into his room, before following, and lightly closing the door behind them.
Lizzie smiled. Chuckling she said, "Well, what do you know."
But when she turned to look at Edwin, he wasn't smiling as she was.
He was staring at her intently.
"What?" She inquired.
Edwin didn't answer. Instead he grabbed her hand and quickly crossed the hall, opening the game closet door and shoving them both inside.
x—x
Ick.
Okay, so this was a Dasey chapter. Forgive me. But I couldn't help it! Sadly, -or maybe not sadly- I have, since the beginning of this chapter that there will only be one more chapter for this story. I must admit myself that this story was weak, but it's all I could get for this one. I'm just not very inspired for this one. I apologize profusely to you guys. Don't hate me if the final chapter is like miniature. Think of it this way: Once I get this story complete, I'll be able to work on stuff that I'm inspired for, which will be better for you to read and easier for me to write, which mean I'll be more dedicated to it. I promise in the future I will attempt another Lizwin.
Gosh, please don't hate me. :( I feel so bad about not giving this story what it should have. I'm really disappointed in myself.
Love,
-Tarryn
