Getting There

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Truly, Madly, Deeply, Cascada

A/N: Thanks for great feedback! I've got the next chapter written, so review please!

Chapter 6: Acceptance

Getting.There.

I'll be your dream
I'll be your wish
I'll be your fantasy

"I'm dying to know. It's torture to have to wait and see when it will come." Casey said as she and Emily walked through the mall. "The only thing that sucks is that you won't be there." She said and Emily smiled sadly.

"I know, but we'll still be friends, Case. ICT isn't that far from UT. It'll be fine." She said reassuringly. "And we don't even know if we'll be accepted yet. I tried for UT but you know I'm praying to be accepted to ICT." She said and smiled, Casey smiled back.

"I know. Derek was offered a scholarship to UT. Something about wanting a good hockey team for once and because of his 'directing'." She said and Emily laughed.

"I'm surprised he got a scholarship before you did. Have you sent out those pieces yet?" Emily asked and Casey shook her head ashamed.

"No. It's scary. What if they think they're totally whack? I mean…some of them are pretty…dark or emotional. What if I send them into depression?" She asked frantically and Emily laughed as she put a hand on Casey's shoulder.

"Chill, Case. Your poems are incredible. No way could they think those things." She said and Casey sighed.

"You're right; I'm just overreacting. Where's Kendra?" She asked as they sat at the bench and waited. Emily shrugged.

"Don't know; but I love the sound of me being right." She said smiling and Casey nudged her shoulder lightly.

"Milk it while you've got it because it doesn't happen often." She said and laughed as Emily glared at her playfully.

"Oh, you are so, totally, going to pay for that one, McDonald." She said and Casey laughed as Kendra walked up to them in time to see Casey jump up and circle the bench as Emily countered her every move.

"Hey guys." She said as she laughed lightly.

"Hi Kendra." They said cheerfully at the same time. Kendra shook her head and watched in amusement as the two teenage girls acted far more immature than they usually were.

Getting.There.

I'll be your hope
I'll be your love
Be everything that you need

"Derek! Come help me!" Casey called as she entered the door with bags in her hands. Derek bound down the stairs and looked at her with wide eyes.

"Dear Lord, woman. What did you do? Buy everything the mall had that was in your size?" He asked as he took most of her bags with ease, she let out a deep breath in relief.

"Thank you. My arms were about to fall off." She said as she followed him to her room.

"I can't let that happen; your arms are key essentials to making out." He said as he sat on the foot of her bed. She smiled and shook her head.

"Maybe I shouldn't give you a reward for helping me since you only did it so you could have more pleasure in making out with me." She said and he rolled his eyes.

"Not more pleasure, the same pleasure…which is a lot, but moving on…what was this reward?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows. She laughed and hit his shoulder.

"Well…I would kiss you then show you my hottest new outfit…the one you'd never let me wear out in public without you around." She said and he smirked.

"Then go on woman! Kiss me and show me. I'm interested." He said winking and she laughed, placing a passionate kiss on his lips.

"I'll be right back." She said rolling her eyes as she picked up a bag and went into the bathroom.

Getting.There.

Truly, madly, deeply do
I will be strong I will be faithful
'Cause I'm counting on

"Can you believe Derek got a scholarship before Casey?" Lizzie asked as they sat in his room, working on homework.

"No. Well, that's a lie; Casey's afraid to send out her poems and Derek wasn't to send in a few videos he made and they scouted him for hockey. So really…" He trailed and Lizzie nodded.

"But I think he'll only take the scholarship if Casey gets accepted, which is obviously going to happen." Lizzie said and Edwin nodded in agreement.

"Definitely. The kid's so whipped she could convince him to buy her pads." Edwin said as he shuddered. Lizzie laughed lightly and looked down at her history text book then groaned.

"I've only made it through two sentences and I'm already dying with boredom. Who cares about the fur trade in Canada? Nobody cares about some forty-two year old who married some twelve year old and used prostitutes. Nobody." She said and Edwin shrugged.

"Actually, the fur-trade can teach you a lot about business…" He said and she rolled her eyes.

"That's nice for you, Ed. You're planning to be a business man; I plan to go pro in soccer. I don't need the fur trade for that." She said and he smiled.

"But you do to pass. So get to reading and stop complaining." He said and she saluted.

"Sir, yes, sir." She mocked and went back to reading.

Getting.There.

A new beginning
A reason for living
A deeper meaning, yeah

"Derek…" She giggled out as he leaned over her further and put a hand on her mini-skirt-exposed thigh, rubbing small circles on the soft skin. He nipped at her collarbone and her eyes rolled back as her back arched. "Derek…" She moaned breathily and felt the shivers run through him. Her back arched up further and her hip dug into him.

"Oh God." He mumbled against her skin. His hot breath sent shivers through her and she unknowingly grinded her hip against him harder and his breathing became erratic. He tried to hold back his moans to not draw so much attention to them but was having a hard time. He felt like he couldn't hold them back anymore so he captured her lips in a heated kiss and moaned into her mouth loudly.

His hand on her thigh slid higher and rubbed up and down, making her squirm from beneath him. She ran her hands up his shirt and grazed her finger nails along the lines engraved on him. Her hands snaked up to his chest and back down to his abs, making him shudder with pleasure. He bit down on her collarbone and she let out a breathy moan and rubbed her side against him, wanting to feel the reaction she had on his body.

"C-Casey…" He groaned out as she let her head fall back. "St-stop." He stuttered out, trying to hold back his moans. But she continued, taking pleasure in feeling the erection she caused. His head fell into the crook of her neck and he breathed deeply. Her back arched as his hot breath tickled her skin and she moaned as he bit down in the crook of her neck.

She felt his moan vibrate against her skin as her nails trailed up and down his back. She stopped and rested against the bed with a lopsided smile playing at her lips.

"Sorry." She whispered sheepishly as she bit her lip. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead in the crook of her neck.

Getting.There.

I wanna stand with you on a mountain
I wanna bathe with you in the sea
I wanna lay like this forever
Until the sky falls down on me

"Come." He said and took her hand as he led her over the steep hill of rugged boulders.

"I'm gonna fall." She said as she looked down in fright while she gnawed at her bottom lip. He smiled and shook his head.

"Relax, Em. You aren't going to fall." Sam reassured her as he pulled her up; she squeaked as her foot slipped slightly.

"Yes, I am." She protested and he rolled his eyes while smiling.

"Casey said the same thing when Derek took her here on their first real date. C'mon. We've been going out for a year; don't you trust me enough to know you aren't going to fall?" He asked and she huffed while following his lead. "There's only a bit more to climb, then you can sit and rest. Honestly, I don't know how Derek got Casey up here, she's worse than you." Emily stood straight and huffed.

"I have no idea why anyone would take somebody here on a date." She said and glared at him; he laughed and led the rest of the way. They stood on the peak of the highest boulder and Emily gasped. "Oh, that's why." She said quietly and looked over at Sam who was smiling at her, she blushed and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry." She said and he chuckled quietly.

As they slowly made their way down, Emily peered out onto the deserted beach. The stars that glistened in the highest points of the sky made the water glitter along with the full moon. A breeze whipped around them and Emily hopped of the last rock. She last balance and stumbled into Sam, he smiled down at her and placed a soft kiss to her lips. She smiled into it and pulled apart as he set down a blanket.

"So…you're copying Derek?" She asked playfully and he scrunched his eyebrows in realization.

"Wow, I guess I am…who knew I'd be following Derek's steps in the path of romance?" Sam asked himself and Emily laughed softly.

"Hey. Derek can be a real sweetheart sometimes…well, mostly with Marti and Casey but it still counts." She said as she smiled.

Getting.There.

And when the stars are shining
Brightly in the velvet sky,
I'll make a wish, send it to heaven
Then make you want to cry

"Casey…" He whispered and looked into her eyes, her smile faltered and dropped as she looked into his eyes.

"What?" She asked worriedly, when he didn't answer she put her palm on his cheek and furrowed her brows. "What is it, Derek?" She asked quietly and he swallowed.

"It's just…when you…uh…" He stumbled over his words and rolled off her and stared up into the vast white ceiling. "Well…when you do that." He said, motioning to his former stance, she nodded, her brows were still furrowed. "It, well…you know I'm not a…that I've…um-"

"I know you aren't a virgin, Derek…well, I mean, I've guessed that. It isn't that hard to figure with your rep and-" He sighed exasperatedly and got off the bed completely as he stood with his back to her and ran his fingers through his hair in a painful motion. He shook his head and remained with his back to her.

"You believe it? You honestly believe that I was some sort of man-whore? You believed all the garbage gossip." He said and turned to her, she gaped, searching for the right words and he held up a hand and shook his head. "Don't. I already know the answer." He said and left her room in a swift movement. She heard his heavy footsteps go down the stairs and was quick to follow. She stood at the bottom step and watched him put on his leather jacket.

"Derek…but you don't - you don't understand! That…it wasn't what I meant - I mean, I don't – you, I didn't…I just -" She was cut off by the front door slamming. She backed up to the wall for support as her tears fell and draped her features with anguish. Slowly, her knees gave way and she sat on the floor with her back pushed up against the cold wall and her shoulders shaking with her legs pushed up to her chest as she sat and cried.

Getting.There.

The tears of joy for all the
Pleasure in the certainty
That we're surrounded by the
Comfort and protection of

"Come on, Sam…pick up, pick up, pick up!" Derek growled into the phone as he waited for Sam to pick up his cell-phone. "Stop making out with Emily and pick up the damn phone!" Derek yelled into the speaker and her Sam on the other end.

"Uh…hi?" He asked and Derek sighed.

"Finally." He said and Sam sighed.

"What do you need, Derek?" Sam asked, with no trace of bitterness in his voice. "Is something wrong?" He asked.

"Yeah; my life. I totally fucked up." Derek said as he rubbed his temples and continued walking down the street. He heard Sam sigh.

"What did you do, D?" He asked.

"Probably made her cry." Derek mumbled.

"What?" Sam asked and Derek exhaled sharply.

"Made her cry!" He yelled into the phone.

"You made Casey cry?" He heard Emily in the background.

"You've got to make it better somehow. If I knew what to do I wouldn't be taking Emily where you took Casey. I don't know what to do, D." Sam said and Derek sighed.

"Yeah, thanks, Man." He said and hung up. "Shit." He muttered under his breath.

Getting.There.

The highest power
In lonely hours
The tears devour you

"Casey?" Lizzie asked as she saw her sister hunched in the corner and crying. "Casey, what's wrong?" She asked as she knelt down beside her.

"I-I didn't mean it." She whispered harshly. "I don't think that about him. I-I would never think of him like that." She said as more tears fell. "I would never…" She trailed as more tears rolled down her face.

"Oh, Casey. Come; let's go to your room." Casey got up on shaky legs and followed Lizzie up and into her room. She sat at the edge of the bed and waited for Casey to sit. She simply turned to her computer chair and sat on it. "What happened?" She asked and Casey shrugged.

"I'm not…sure really. I-I said something about…his rep…with girls. He flipped." She said quietly as silent tears ran along her face. "I tried to say something…but he just left. I love him, Lizzie. I would never think anything bad about him like that." She whispered and buried her head in her hands. "I didn't mean it like that." She said as she shook her head.

"Oh. Casey…I'm sure Derek will understand. Maybe he just needs time?" She asked and Casey shrugged.

"Maybe." She said with a sniffle, Lizzie hugged her before she left the room. "Or maybe he hates me." She whispered to herself.

Getting.There.

I wanna stand with you on a mountain
I wanna bathe with you in the sea

"Have you said anything to her?" Sam asked as Derek glanced at Casey quickly every so often.

"No." He answered quickly, his eyes lingering on her as she walked shyly with Emily by her side. He sighed deeply, shook his head and faced his locker again. "No, I haven't." He said.

"Why haven't you? Do you really want to keep this silent thing going?" He asked and Derek shook his head as he closed his locker.

"Hell, no; but I don't know what to say. Sorry? Yeah, 'sorry I walked out on you and made you cry, sorry I snapped when you made a simple comment about my rep.' That doesn't work, Sam. I don't know what to tell her." He said and Sam smiled apologetically.

"I have no advice. I took Emily to that first date spot you picked out for Casey. If I were romantic I would've picked something out myself. Of course, I didn't. just talk to her, D." He said and Derek shook his head.

"And say what?" He asked bitterly; Sam shrugged.

"I don't know. But if you keep going like this it'll make everything awkward. You two live together, you can't just…ignore her. Like Kendra, or Beth, or the cheer-squad…or any other blondes you've dated." He said and Derek glared at him.

"Shut up, Sammy." He said as they went to their next class. They sat and Derek took his usual seat in the back and watched as Casey awkwardly sat herself in the front seat, the seat she usually took before they started dating. Derek sighed and looked away.

The teacher babbled about something Derek had absolutely no interest in. He saw Casey's sweatshirt-clad arm raise throughout the whole class and smiled as the teacher looked at her with a puzzled expression as she continued to ask a question or explain something. The teacher smiled nervously and just agreed with her after she made another argument with him.

The bell rang and everyone evacuated the class instantaneously. Derek grabbed his backpack and was about to pass by Casey when she dropped her books on the floor and scrambled to pick up the loose papers and textbooks. He sighed and crouched over to help her. He gathered a bunch of her papers and handed them to her as she straightened herself out.

"Thanks." She said quietly as their hands bumped clumsily. She left and he shook his head while he left, glaring at his hand for the sensation spreading through it from the contact.

Getting.There.

I wanna lay like this forever
Until the sky falls down on me

"Casey, this is ridiculous. You aren't even happy anymore. You're dwelling on something you can fix with a simple apology. Stop this." Kendra said as she leaned over the table to talk to Casey in hushed tones.

"It can't be fixed with a simple apology, though. I screwed up, I said the wrong thing…I didn't even mean it." She said quietly as she poked at her food absentmindedly.

"No. Casey, Kendra's right. You need to say something; I'm sure he hates-"

"-me. Hates me." She finished bitterly and stabbed her lunch with her fork. Emily and Kendra sighed simultaneously.

"No; Casey, Derek doesn't hate you. You know he doesn't. I was going to say he probably hates this whole thing. You guys aren't speaking…aren't even arguing! Don't you think it's going overboard?" Emily asked and Casey pursed her lips.

"If you get accepted to UT…it'll be worse. You know it will be awkward and eventually…it'll tear you apart. To the point where one of you will go to the other side of the country. Or maybe out of the country." Kendra said and Casey leaned back against the chair. "Do you want that?" She asked and Casey looked away, but her eyes fell upon Derek. He was with his friends at his normal table but he seemed distant. His friends were talking dramatically and he was nodding and giving fake smiles and laughed. A half-smile appeared on her lips as he glanced at her quickly. She watched and noticed his smiles seemed to get brighter.

However small a difference it may have been.

"No." She admitted quietly. "But I really didn't mean it the way it came out. I wouldn't say something like that about him…I wouldn't think it." She said and Kendra smiled sadly.

"I know, Hun. And I bet Derek does, too. He's just…well, he's Derek, and there really isn't any other way to explain it." She said and Casey smiled slightly.

"Maybe." She said, as she glanced at Derek, their eyes locked momentarily before the snapped away.

"So, were you accepted to ICT?" Kendra asked Emily excitedly. Kendra had received a scholarship and practically said yes before they got to finish their question. Emily smiled brightly and wiggled in her chair slightly.

"I got the letter yesterday…I'm in!" She said and the three girls squealed and clapped and hugged. From his table, Derek watched and couldn't hold back a smile.

Getting.There.

Oh can't ya see it baby
You don't have to close your eyes

"What the hell is Casey doing here?" Derek asked Sam in a harsh whisper.

"Dude, you're acting like she's the plague; I thought you loved her." Sam said as he stuck his hands in his pockets. Derek sighed and ran his fingers through his hair as he turned his back to the three girls approaching him and Sam.

"I did, I mean I do. But you said it was Emily and Kendra, not Casey." He spat and Sam rolled his eyes.

"Deal with it, D. You can't keep avoiding her." Sam said and Derek scowled.

"Sam, when are you going to understand? I don't want Casey around me!" He yelled and Sam winced as he ducked his head. Derek's brows furrowed and he turned around, coming face to face with Casey. His jaw dropped as he thought of an explanation but, to his dismay, none came. "Ca-" Her eyes threatened him to choose his words wisely and quickly with tears.

"Save it." She whispered as she turned on her heel and left. Emily and Kendra followed her with their eyes. Her pace quickened and she soon broke into a full on sprint. Soon her retreating form disappeared and Derek ran his hands through his hair painfully.

"Why would you say that?" Emily asked as her eyes shined with anger.

"Are you mentally challenged? Don't you know how much you're hurting her? Do you even care that you made her cry? More than once I might add." Kendra yelled at him and he cringed. "I'm talking to you." She yelled and pushed him; his back hit the wall and he shook his head. "Derek!"

"I know! Okay? I already fucking know what I did! What I do! You think I don't realize it? Do you honestly think that I don't hear her crying through the wall? I live with her, something like that doesn't go unnoticed, especially for me. So just shut the hell up, because I don't need you telling me what I did to her. I don't need your reminders of what I do and how she feels. Okay? I live it!" He shouted and left quickly, leaving the three teens behind.

"What's he going to do?" Emily asked as he stalked off.

"He's probably headed to the hockey rink. He lets his anger, or whatever unwanted emotion he has, out on the ice. I swear, if the Zamboni just went over the ice it'll have to go over again as soon as he finishes up. That rink will look like hell after he's through." Sam said and the two girls looked at him with wide eyes.

"As long as he doesn't go and do something stupid." Kendra mumbled as Derek's form disappeared. "You two have fun. I'm going to get some ice-cream and bring it to Casey with a large spoon." She said and Emily smiled.

"Why don't you watch the movie with us-ow!" Sam said and finished and Emily pinched his back. Kendra's response was a laugh.

"No thanks, Sam. I so don't want to be a third-wheel." She said and waved as she left.

Getting.There.

'Cause it's standing right before you
All that you need will surely come

And when I'm through with Casey, I'm going to yell at Derek. Maybe even hit him…Kendra thought as she walked into a small convenient store. She picked up a container of rocky road and handed it to the cashier. I can't believe he'd say something like that. I can't even believe he'd think something like that!

"Thank you, please come again." The woman said and Kendra smiled kindly as she left. Let alone the fact Casey was right there. I mean, he probably didn't know she was behind, given the look of utter shock on his face, but we were close! I mean, what did he mean by that? It isn't like they broke up…oh my God, what if he's going to dump her?

He said he knows how much he hurts her. If that's true, then why the hell would he keep hurting her?! What would possess him to keep hurting her? What the hell happened to the Derek that actually cared about his girlfriend? Where'd that Derek go? He's being a cruel bastard and he knows it. Kendra walked up to the house and knocked on the door, repeatedly and hard.

Stupid, smug, jackass. Who does he think he is? Yeah, he's the Derek Venturi; he plays the guitar, hockey and girls! He said he loved her! Why would he turn his back on her like that? What did she do to deserve that? She tried to apologize. Now he's acting all huffy like he's been betrayed or whatever. He's going to get a mouthful, mindful, handful and so much more.

"Kendra?" Casey asked as the blonde stood outside her door looking angry. But, upon seeing Casey's red and puffy eyes, she softened considerably.

"Hey, Hun. I brought comfort food, can I come in?" She asked and Casey nodded, letting her pass. "I left Sam and Emily and came to see if you were okay." She said and Casey blinked at her, giving her a blank look. "Right. I don't even need to ask. It's obvious you aren't." She said stupidly and sat on the sofa. Casey closed the door and sat on Derek's recliner.

"Why is that a stupid question? Oh God, I look pathetic, don't I?" She asked frantically and Kendra shook her head.

"Oh, no, no, no. Casey, Sweetie, that's not what I meant. I just mean…Derek was a jerk and he was so out of line when he said that. He's acting like his old self, the one who was an arrogant son of a-"

"Kids in the house." Casey finished quickly and Kendra nodded.

"Right, sorry." She said and Marti looked up from her place at the dining room table.

"I know what she was going to say. I'm nine, I've hear curse words before; and it isn't even considered a curse. Bitch simply means a female dog. Quite frankly, I don't understand how Derek is a bitch. He's male." She said in a normal tone and Casey's eyes widened.

"Marti, you don't speak like that…and-"

"How do you know this stuff?" Kendra asked as she looked at Marti oddly. The nine-year-old shrugged and went back to her drawing. "Anyways, how are you?" She asked as Casey took a big bite of the ice-cream.

"I thought we went over this already." She said through a mouthful of chocolate. Kendra cringed.

"Oh, Sweetie, you're going through the slob phase. Come, we need to get you girl-ied up. We'll dress you in lots of pink; do your hair and nails." Casey looked at the ice-cream longingly and Kendra sighed. "You can bring the ice-cream." She said exasperatedly and Casey gave her a half-smile. "As long as you don't go all crazy with mouthfuls of chocolate. It's gross." Kendra said and Casey nodded as she followed her upstairs.

Getting.There.

I'll be your dream
I'll be your wish

Casey sat on the bed and took small bites of the ice-cream as Kendra went through all her clothes, looking for something to blow Derek's mind with.

"This is pointless. I don't even know what he likes to see you in." She said and threw her arms up. Casey's brows scrunched as she looked up at Kendra.

"He likes me in tight jeans and his jersey with my hair wet and down. Uncombed." She said and Kendra stared at her before breaking out into a large smile and straightening up in pride. "So, what's this great idea you just thought of?" She asked as she dug out a chocolate chunk and popped it into her mouth.

"Oh…just giving him what he wants, but doesn't deserve; minus the jeans and plus make-up and this…" she dug through Casey's drawer and pulled out a thong while smirking. "We're going to make him squirm." She said deviously and Casey continued to look at her with ice-cream in her mouth. She swallowed and looked at her pointedly.

"Yeah, but we still need his jersey, and what's he going to say when I'm wearing his jersey and he's mad at me?" She asked and Kendra waved a hand dismissively.

"We'll think of some sort of excuse…we'll just make it so he feels even more uncomfortable in the situations…and possibly so he might want to take a cold shower." She said shrugging and Casey sighed at she scraped the bottom of the ice-cream container.

"These things are so small…" She mumbled and Kendra took her arm and dragged her into Derek's room. "Bottom left drawer on the dresser to the right of the closet." Casey said and Kendra looked at her with a small smile.

"That's adorable." She whispered to herself as she went to the drawer Casey pointed her to and picked up his SJST jersey. She threw it in Casey's direction and she smelled it, making sure it was clean. "Case, what are you doing?" She asked and Casey shrugged.

"Making sure it's clean." She said simply and Kendra looked at the drawer.

"But it was folded and put away." Casey shrugged.

"Believe me. You can't trust that. Once I did and I wound up wearing his sweaty t-shirt." She said, while shuddering. "I…never mind." She said her face suddenly sad again. Kendra frowned and brought back into her room.

"Come on, we'll get you ready to make him drool." She said and Casey smiled half-heartedly.

Getting.There.

I'll be your fantasy
I'll be your hope
I'll be your love

"Are you sure about this?" Casey asked uncertainly as she looked into the mirror. "I mean…it looks a little…over the top." She said and Kendra smiled.

"Trust me, Hun. Derek won't think so. In fact, the only sentence with the word 'top' in it he'll be thinking of will be: 'take off your top'." She said smirking and Casey examined herself again.

"But…it's a little short…don't you think?" She said, looking at her exposed legs self-consciously. Kendra rolled her eyes.

"That's the point, Casey. He'll be drawn to your legs and he'll want more and you'll deprive that of him. Also, you may want to bend over when he's looking." She said and Casey stared at her.

"But then the shirt will ride up and the…oh." She said in realization. "You want me to show my thong to Derek? Wouldn't that be…cruel and unusual?" She asked and Kendra nodded.

"Exactly." She said and looked at her watch. "Ooh, I gotta go. He'll be home soon. Remember what you say because he's bound to ask questions." She said in a rush as she left and Casey nodded. "And call me to tell me how it went!" She called out as she closed the door. Casey smiled and went into the kitchen.

She hummed softly with the radio and took out a brownie mix. She looked for a bowl but realized it was under the sink. She leaned over and tried to dig it out. The front door opened unnoticeably to her and Derek walked in. He dropped his leather jacket onto the hook then walked into the kitchen. He stopped in the doorway and his head tilted as Casey continued to dig the bowl out. Finally, she reached it and tugged it out.

"Finally." She mumbled to herself as she stood straight. She turned to the mix but stopped as she saw Derek staring at her with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. She blushed and turned back to the mix. I love it when he looks at me that way. She thought as she popped a hip out towards Derek, as Kendra had suggested she do. It made the jersey ride up a little and Derek's breath hitched.

"Uh…hey." He said uneasily. She looked up and smiled at him.

"Hey." She said.

"W-why are you wearing my…uh, jersey?" He asked and she looked back at the bowl.

"I needed something to wear, but all my comfort clothes are in the wash. So it was either your jersey or my birthday suit." She said with a small chuckle. I prefer the second. Derek thought as his eyes wandered over her body.

"Oh, okay." He said as he swallowed. She opened the top cabinet and went onto her tip-toes to reach the flour. The jersey rode up higher as she stretched and Derek's eyes widened as he stopped himself from pulling her into him and kissing her fiercely.

"I gotta go." He said quickly as he left the kitchen in a swift movement. Oh my God…what are we fighting over again? Ugh, who cares, I'm going crazy and now she's making it even harder. That jersey will never be the same…

Getting.There.

Be everything that you need
I'll love you more with every breath
Truly, madly, deeply do

"I'm going crazy, Sammy, crazy." Derek said as he paced.

"Dude, chill. You're going to pace a hole in my floor." He said as Derek continued pacing in Sam's living room.

"She's wearing my jersey and make up and thongs and wet hair and…God, I can't take it anymore. She's torturing me. Dude, miniskirts around the house, tube-tops to sleep in, working out and walking around all sweaty and hot and…let's face it. If this continues I'll never be able to take a regular shower again. I love the girl; I should be able to say something to her!" Derek said as he flopped onto Sam's couch.

"D, just say sorry. I don't know! Do I look like a romantic? I wear a toque on almost every single one of our dates!" Sam said and Derek rolled his eyes.

"You're too attached to that thing." He said, looking at the blue toque on Sam's head.

"Yeah, well…" He said and shrugged.

Getting.There.

Wanna stand with you on a mountain
I wanna bathe with you in the sea

"Oh my God, what happened!?" Was the immediate sound that reached Casey's ears after the first half-ring.

"Relax, Kendra. That's why I called." She said with a small laugh.

"Yeah, but I've been waiting for forever." Kendra complained and Casey rolled her eyes.

"It's been an hour." She said blankly.

"Whatever. Spill." She said and Casey told her what happened. "You delayed all this juiciness for brownies?" Kendra asked sternly and Casey chuckled quietly. "They better have been good. And there had better be some left for me." She said and Casey smiled while rolling her eyes.

"It isn't 'juicy', it was stupid and pointless (A/N: Kind of like the whole situation :-P) honestly, I don't know why we did that." She said and Kendra sighed.

"We did it to make him realize how stupid he's being. We showed him what he's missing." She explained.

"But he isn't missing it. I don't dress that way." Casey said.

"But you could. Look, I'm sure you're doing a bunch of things that are driving him nuts. That was just an extra push. Also, bite your lips a lot. For some reason he likes it when you do that. He also likes it when you lick your lips, so do that too. When you sit beside him be sure to bump knees and touch your thighs to his. Keep the skirt-thing going. You never know when you'll have to sit beside him and bare legs will make him crazy. Even more-so then he already is." Kendra said and Casey wrote them down.

"Okay. Got it. Tonight is family fun night, blech, but I usually sit on the couch and so does Derek. Also, I'll save you some brownies." She said and Kendra smiled.

"Excellent. I'll see you at school on Monday." She said.

"'Kay, bye." Casey hung up and let out a breath. "Gotta find that miniskirt." She muttered to herself as she looked for the skirt that started this whole mess.

Getting.There.

I wanna lay like this forever
Until the sky falls down on me

"Okay…it's a movie." Nora said and Marti nodded. Derek tried to concentrate on the game of charades they were playing and on Marti but to no avail. His mind was solely on stopping the urge he had to move his hand onto Casey's thigh. Her knee kept bumping against his and she sometimes stood up and whooped when she got one right.

Every time that happened he lost another strand of sanity. He swore to God that soon he'd take her savagely in front of everyone without an ounce of regret or shame. He wouldn't care at that point. A guy can only hold back for so long before he snaps. And right now, he was ready to pop like a cork from a bottle of warm champagne. And he swore it was true.

"Snow White!" Casey cried as she stood and pointed at Marti. Marti nodded happily and Casey began to do a little happy-dance in front of Derek. He swallowed hard and watched her hips sway and her lift slightly with her movements and turns. He gnawed on his bottom lip, drawing blood into his mouth as his hands dug into the fabric of the couch. She looked down before sitting and she licked her lips then bit her bottom lip after she did.

"I can't take it!" He finally yelled as he stood up and reached for an envelope in his backpack. "This is yours." He said as he shoved it in her face before going up to his room. Casey looked at the envelope briefly before going up to her room with tears brimming her eyes. The rest of the family watched in confusion.

Getting.There.

I wanna stand with you on a mountain
I wanna bathe with you in the sea, yeah

D-Rock88:Y would U do tht 4?

Hockey-Stud: Cuz im an idiot.

D-Rock88: im not arguing. Ur an idiot, D, theres nothing to do bout it. Except apologize, which ur not gonna do.

Hockey-Stud: Ya…but I went to far this time. I guess I shld say srry…but I can pic it already, 'srry' 'oh, isnt that sweet, get out'.

D-Rock88: Shes not gonna say tht. Just go and say smthing.

Hockey-Stud: what I did isnt exactly smthing you can just say srry 4.

D-Rock88: Ya, but D…she thinx its her fault.

Hockey-Stud: Shit.

(Hockey-Stud's language has been detected as inappropriate and he has been banned from chatting for one month.)

Derek glared at the message on the screen that disallowed him to continue talking with Sam online. He hit his head against the desk.

"I'm an idiot." He whispered to himself.

Getting.There.

I want to lay like this forever
Until the sky falls down on me

She read over the letter from the University of Toronto repeatedly as tears fell from her eyes. How could so much go wrong in a week? It seemed like just yesterday she was on top of the world, everything was perfect. Now…now it was all gone. She didn't even know why anymore.

She scrunched up the letter and threw it against her mattress and sat cross-legged staring at the pattern on her comforter as her tears fell.

"Casey?" Somebody asked from the doorway. She looked up and sniffed quietly. "Why are you crying?" They asked and Casey looked at the ball that lay by her pillow.

"What do you want, Derek?" She asked as more tears fell from her closed eyes. He closed the door and looked at the torn envelope by her feet and the rolled up ball by her pillow.

"Did you get…?" He trailed and she looked at him.

"I got rejected." She said and he scrunched his brows.

"UT rejected you?" He asked in astonishment.

"No." She shook her head. "Brown rejected me, they said that there were so many more applicants with my grades and better with more to show them that they didn't need me. UT gave me a full scholarship for literature." She said and he sat on the foot of her bed.

"But…I thought you wanted to go to UT. Wasn't it your first choice?" He asked and she nodded.

"Yeah, it was." She said pointedly.

"But…oh." He said as he nodded. "Casey…I don't want you to not go to UT because I'm going to be there. Actually, I want you to go because I'm going to be there. We never actually broke up." He whispered in her ear and she felt a small smile appear on her lips. "I still love you. I never stopped…but my rep is a touchy subject and I'm sorry for snapping. Earlier…I just yelled because you were driving me insane with that skirt." He said smirking and she chuckled quietly.

"I'm sorry, too. I know that what I said came off differently than I intended…and I've been upping my…sexiness just to get to you. Maybe a pushed it…a little too far." He blew out a breath.

"A little? Marti couldn't even calm my thoughts about you. Honestly. I could think of my grandmother while watching you and still be incredibly turned on." He said and she smiled. "And another thing; don't you ever let me go this long without kissing you. Your lips are driving me crazy." He admitted as he leaned over and kissed her passionately.

"Deal." She said with a small giggle.

"But…do you think the Casey that shows her sexiness off could make an appearance every once in a while?" He asked as he smirked. She laughed a little.

"Only for you." She said and he leaned in to kiss her but found his lips hanging in mid-air. "But right now I need to three-way Emily and Kendra and tell them everything. And if you don't want to hear lots of squeals…it's best you leave." She said and he kissed her chastely before leaving.

"So…you're going to UT, right?" He asked from the doorway, she nodded as she began talking to Emily and Kendra. He smiled and shook his head as he left. So, their world went perfect, to rock-bottom, and back to perfect in a week.

Wow, talk about your rollercoaster relationship. He thought as he sat at his computer desk and signed up again for the chat service to talk to Sam again.

A/N: Okay, this chapter seemed…worthless in a sense, but [art of it is very much needed. Like the whole 'university yay we're going to the same university I'm going to live with my girlfriend in university' thing, that was essential. So yeah, I'm done babbling. Please update!

I'm not getting as many reviews as before. So…REVIEW PLEASE!!