AN: Wow, you guys. Your feedback for the last chapter was so incredibly amazing. I cannot thank you enough for all of the wonderful things you said, and I'm so pleased this story is going over so well. The reason I'm updating at four in the morning is because I'm going away for a week, and I didn't know if I'd get the opportunity otherwise. I promise to get back to all of your reviews eventually, if not this week! Thanks again, and I hope you like this chapter and take the time to review!
PS: I promise to get to Detour ASAP.
Chapter 4: "Love sees sharply, hatred sees even more sharp, but jealousy sees the sharpest for it is love and hate at the same time." – Arab Proverb
School starts back up again after winter break, and she's thrown into a torrent of emotions. She finds herself thinking about him way more often, the softness of his lips against her cheek, the smell of his leather jacket mixed with his breath and some sort of cologne. He ups the ante of their relationship, pranking and provoking her way more often. In return, she does everything she can in order to gain his attention back.
The perfect opportunity arises when their school welcomes a new principal, Lassiter. Derek has just finished emptying her entire wardrobe of clothing, and she is forced to wear his clothes and deodorant to school, 'forced' being a loose term here. She gets him back by tricking the student body and Lassiter into thinking he stuck all of the principal's office décor up on the school roof.
She also saves his butt from expulsion when no one believes he didn't do it.
Their games only continue when they decide to make a bet. She dresses in punk apparel to try and attract the interest of Trevor, a boy she bet Derek she could get a date with. Derek does everything in his power to prevent their date, and she has to wonder if he's merely doing it because he doesn't want to do chores, or he really doesn't want her going out with Trevor.
She's happy for the distractions, glad that they can still interact without anything… romantic going on. She knows that could never happen, but there's still a lot of physicality, a lot of flirting, and a lot of time spent together. She takes out her sexual frustrations on him through the form of bets and pranks, and it works. It's just their relationship, and she learns to accept this.
She can deal with not being with him when he's not with anyone else. Her whole world seems to flip upside down when Kendra comes along.
Counseling Report – Paul Greeby
3/9/06
Student Name: Casey McDonald
Grade: 9
Reason for appointment: Derek Venturi
It seems that Derek has taken an interest in a girl other than Casey, and she is not liking this in the slightest. She has managed to convince Derek that this girl is into more mature guys, and he has made a transformation because of this. Casey informed me that the girl actually liked Derek to begin with, even with his 'immaturity,' and I believe she is, in a way, attempting to sabotage Derek's efforts to win this girl over. I made sure to reprimand her for messing with her stepbrother's mind, but I can't help but think there is something more complex going on here… Jealousy, perhaps? It is not my duty to suggest this, though, because this would be deemed unsuitable. Hopefully Casey will figure out her feelings for herself.
She's blonde, pretty, and popular. He couldn't ask for anything more. (Well, except Casey, of course.) As soon as he sees Kendra making eyes at him, he knows it's the perfect opportunity for a distraction. This whole thing with Casey… Yeah, it ain't working, and he needs something to prevent him from making a move on his stepsister. Kendra just so happens to be the ideal barrier between him and Casey.
He doesn't exactly realize how much his liking Kendra would affect Casey, though. (Then again, when does he ever think things through?) He can see her heart breaking right in front of him, and it makes him hate himself for not being able to practice some self-control. If she wasn't so darn irresistible, he might be able to avoid this whole thing with Kendra and just continue with their 'fighting.' But he can't. He can't stand there in front of her and not do something drastic. Having a girlfriend is the only solution he can come up with besides avoiding Casey all-together, which is something he definitely doesn't want to do.
"Do you actually, really like Kendra?" she asks him one day, and he can see tears forming in her eyes, hear the hurt in her words. He brushes it off like it's no big deal. He gets together with Kendra the next day. He hates himself even more.
He finds an inadvertent way to make it up to Casey. When her biological dad, Dennis, comes from New York to visit, he can see how much he means to her. Dennis is about to catch the flight back to New York without really spending any time with his daughter or saying goodbye when he decides to interfere and call. He watches from the top of the stairs as Dennis comes back and hugs Casey. He smiles, hoping that what he did can somewhat make up for the whole Kendra situation. Even if Casey never finds out that he was the one who called her dad, he still feels a little bit better.
When his oh-so-lovely girlfriend decides to set Casey up on a date, he kind of freaks. First of all, Kendra-Casey interaction should be kept to a minimum, for the sake of Casey's feelings, of course. Second of all, nuh uh. He does not want Casey to have a boyfriend. That was not part of this deal he made… with himself.
Kendra arranges a party sort of deal in order for potential bachelors to show up and see Casey in a 'natural' setting. Which, ha, that's a laugh, considering a party is probably the least natural place for Casey to ever be. He doesn't tell Kendra this, of course, but instead invites more people to help him keep his attention off of his stepsister's suitors.
Luckily for him, Kendra picks horrible matches for Casey, and the night ends up being a disaster. He thinks he can breathe a sigh of relief… until Casey comes downstairs the next day at breakfast, raving about some Max kid that accidentally walked into her room while looking for the bathroom.
His blood starts to boil as he realizes this is the famous Max from the football team. Psh. Football is a girl's sport compared to hockey. And what kind of name is Max anyway? Is he a dog or something?
He says these things to Casey, and she simply glares at him, making a casual comment about how 'he probably has a girlfriend anyway,' and how 'she really doesn't expect anything to happen.'
He doesn't have anything to worry about… for now. But he still wishes that he didn't invite anyone from the football team to that damn party…
Playlist D
Song Untouched Artist The Veronicas Plays 89
I can't lie
I wanna get what I want
Don't stop
Give me what you got
Cause I can't wait anymore
Don't even talk about the consequence
Cause right now you're the only thing that's making any sense to me
And I don't give a damn what they say, what they think
Cause you're the only one who's on my mind
I'll never ever let you leave me
I'll try to stop time for ever, never wanna hear you say goodbye
See you, breathe you, I want to be you
You can take time
To live the way you gotta live your life
Give me all of you
Don't be scared
I'll see you through the loneliness of one more
Don't even think about what's right or wrong, wrong or right
'Cause in the end it's only you and me and no one else is gonna be around
To answer all the questions left behind
And you and I are meant to be so even if the world falls down today
You've still got me to hold you up
And I will never let you down
I feel so untouched
And I want you so much
That I just can't resist you
It's not enough to say that I miss you
I feel so untouched right now
Need you so much somehow
I can't forget you
Been going crazy from the moment I met you
"Woot! Summer vacay! What up, world? It's DVent!"
He bursts out of the classroom on his last day of grade 9, his spirits high, eager to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. He decides that nothing can bring him down on a glorious day like this. Not report card grades, not Kendra attempting to make plans with him, not anything. He sees Casey on his way out the door and he links arms with her, spinning her around in a circle.
"Are you psyched or what?" he asks her, and she's just staring at him like he's insane. He stops short, still dizzy from their little do-si-do. (Or is it because of their close contact?)
"No, I'm not 'psyched!' I got a B in gym class! I have to go talk to Mr. Glover about this right now!" She snatches her arm away from him and proceeds down the hallway in the opposite direction of the exit.
He groans, swinging around and following her, knowing he will probably regret this later. (Oh, the sacrifices he makes for his stepsister!) He slips an arm around her shoulders and gently forces her to turn around.
"Come on, Case! It's summer! We made it out of grade 9 alive! Don't worry about one stupid little mark. Why should gym matter, anyway?"
She struggles against his grip, but he doesn't let go, and she gives up rather quickly. He smirks to himself, thinking about how she must secretly like this position they're in.
"Derek, it'll bring down my GPA! It's not like I can afford-"
"Uni doesn't even care about your grades now. Loosen up, keener!" he interrupts her, squeezing her shoulder and bringing her closer to his side. "I'm sure you still have the highest marks in our grade." He leans in and whispers in her ear, "I even heard that Tinker got a C in algebra."
He watches the corners of her mouth turn up a little, and he knows he has her there. (Ha, score one for Venturi!) "I suppose… I could give it a rest… just this once." she says slowly, and he raises his eyebrows expectantly. "But what are you doing here with me? Don't you and Kendra have plans?"
The way she spits out his girlfriend's name is less than a little friendly. His heart sinks in his chest as she changes the subject. He almost wishes she would go back to talking about school.
"No, we don't, as a matter of fact." He says casually, leading Casey towards the exit. "I thought I'd spend some time with my lame-o stepsis, since I don't see you enough at home. I mean, unless you're opposed to that."
Casey squints at him, trying to decipher what he's up to, but he doesn't let any emotion show on his face. "Oh." she breathes out. "I guess that's alright with me. Just… no pranking, okay?"
"I wouldn't dream of it!" He winks at her, and then quickly grabs her wrist, pulling her out the door.
"Der-ek! What're you-"
"It's not a prank, I swear!" he yells over her, guiding her to the side of their school. They stop in front of a stair ladder attached to the building. He lets go of her and places a hand on one of the steps, pulling himself up. "I've always wanted to do this!"
She gasps, realizing exactly what it is that he's doing, and she takes a step backwards. "No way." she says, crossing her arms. "Do you want to get expelled?"
He looks down at her, rolling his eyes. "Come on, we're out of school! They can't expel us now!"
"Okay, then do you want to get arrested?" she practically shouts at him.
"Shh, keep it down!" he hushes her. "I wasn't planning on getting caught! But if you aren't quiet, then we will get in trouble!"
She shifts on her feet and bites her lip. "I thought you wanted to get away from school, not stay here even longer and delay your summer vacation!"
"This is different, Case." he argues with her. "Now, get over here. I can't do this by myself! That would be far too boring. Live a little!" He holds out his hand and gestures for her to approach him.
She sighs, running her tongue over the bottom of her teeth. "Fine!" She walks towards him and he smiles, climbing up further with her right behind him. "I cannot believe I'm doing this." he hears her say under her breath. He chuckles.
"Enjoying the view?" he asks, and he feels her hit his leg, shouting her signature 'Der-ek' once again.
"You missed!" he laughs, indicating his butt before hoisting himself up and over the top of the building and onto the roof. He turns around and offers his hand to her. She looks up at him, blushing, and then places her hand in his.
"Thanks." she mumbles when he helps her up. She quickly lets go of his hand and occupies herself with brushing her shorts off.
"Dude, this is awesome." he says, standing back to admire the scenery. He watches the rest of the student body board the buses and head home. He then realizes that their only way of getting home is to walk. Crap. He should've thought of that beforehand.
"I wonder how Lassiter got all of the furniture off of here." Casey's words interrupt his thinking process. She's staring over the edge of the building, and he kind of wants to pull her away, keep her safe. He shakes the thought from his mind.
"I wonder how Tinker got all of it up here. He's such a wimp." He's surprised when he hears a giggle erupt from Casey's lips. He smiles back at her. She's taking this whole act of rebellion a lot better than he expected.
She leaves the edge (thank god) and sits down on the roof, leaning back on her elbows.
"What are you doing?" he asks, sitting down next to her.
"Cloud gazing." she says, her blue eyes never leaving the sky. "Haven't you ever-"
"No way. So lame." he answers straight away, daring to lean back beside her.
"Shut up. It is not." she nudges him, and then puts her arms behind her head, lying down. "Didn't you ever try to find shapes in them when you were a kid?"
"Maybe. But I'm not a kid anymore."
Her eyes are sparkling in the sunlight. Her hair is blowing in her face from the light breeze. He wants to lean down, brush her hair away, and kiss her.
"Just try it." she whispers, and he lies down as well, their elbows grazing slightly. He would only do this for her.
They spend the next half hour pointing out shapes they see in the clouds. She occasionally shoves him when he points out inappropriate things, but he really enjoys himself. He enjoys just being with her, something he can't exactly say for the majority of people he knows, including his girlfriend.
They eventually climb down when she announces that she has plans with Emily later on. The walk home takes a long time, but he finds himself wishing it were longer as their steps fall in sync and they talk and argue about everything.
She asks to see his report card and he hands it over begrudgingly, but is taken aback when she looks it over and gives it back to him, merely saying "good job in gym." They smile at each other and she whips out her report card, looking resentfully at the 'B' mark.
"Want to trade?" she asks snarkily, waving her paper in front of his face.
"You bet I do!" he snatches the paper from her and runs off with it, and she's left to chase him the rest of the way home, both of them breathless from laughing when they arrive.
They never mention cloud gazing on top of the school roof or walking home together ever again. But he starts to take more of an interest in the things she likes, and he realizes that, heck, half of them aren't bad.
AustenLvr is signed on.
KingofBabes91 is signed on.
KingofBabes91: Casey?
AustenLvr: Really, Derek?
KingofBabes91: Haha, I've always wanted to do that. ;)
AustenLvr: Don't you have anything better to do on a summer night other than harassing me over MSN?
KingofBabes91: Like….. what?
AustenLvr: You and Kendra haven't gone out on a date in a long time…
KingofBabes91: Blech. Why do you always bring her up?
AustenLvr: She's your girlfriend, and you aren't exactly treating her like she is! If you hate spending time with her, why don't you just break up with her?
KingofBabes91: Because. That involves tears. And you know how much I hate that! I'm waiting for her to break up with me.
AustenLvr: You are so infuriating. Why did you even go out with her in the first place? You are obviously not ready to be in a relationship, nor do you seem to actually want a girlfriend.
KingofBabes911: Hey, what is that supposed to mean? I am perfectly capable of maintaining a relationship. Besides, look who's talking! Oh, Sammy, I love you! Sammy, how dare you! We are so over! Sammy, take me back! I can't live without you! Sammy, I'm sorry, but I think we're better off as friends.
AustenLvr: … I will chose to ignore your analysis of my relationship with Sam because I am the more mature adolescent in this situation. If you're so adamant about the fact that you can keep a girlfriend, why don't you prove it?
KingofBabes91: By doing what? PS: That's a good one.
AustenLvr: By, hmm, let's see… not neglecting Kendra! PS: It wasn't a joke, Der.
KingofBabes91: So, let me get this straight. You want me to spend more time with Kendra in order to prove that I can be a good boyfriend? Aw, but aren't you going to miss our chatting time together? ;)
AustenLvr: I suppose… yeah. You should show her that you actually care. Or break up with her. Either way. Because I honestly don't see the point of having a girlfriend if you're just going to throw her under the bus or act like she doesn't exist. Of course I'm not going to miss you.
KingofBabes91: I guess you're right. I'll go call her and see if she's doing anything.
AustenLvr: Oh… okay.
KingofBabes91: See ya. Have fun doing whatever grubbers do on summer nights!
KingofBabes91 has signed out.
AustenLvr: You mean sitting here and being lonely? Right.
If he has Kendra, why can't she have someone? She's going after Max next school year, and there's nothing that can change her mind.
Except maybe him breaking up with Kendra. Permanently.
