A Hockey Player's Guide to Life
xStarletx
A/N: Here we are Chapter 8 :D Exciting right? If you want the next chapter you have to review or I won't know that anyone wants it or not :D
Chapter 8
Rule 4: If unforeseen events foil the play, use a new one.
Going home without Amy had given Adam plenty of time to think. He had come up with a new plan, a more expensive plan, but he was getting Derek and Amy back together this break if it killed him.
Adam tipped-toed into his sister's room. She was still asleep, probably still very tired from her night out with the girls. She had been doing everything possible to keep herself out of the house. He was sick of only seeing his sister when she was about to go out, but Amy was determined to not see Adam through this whole vacation.
Adam looked down at his sister. She had been drinking a bit too much as of recently. Probably to numb the pain of missing Derek, which she would never admit she does. But there she was, passed out on the bed, still in the clothes she went out in the night before, one shoe off, one shoe one. Derek was just glad a boy wasn't with her this time. Sneaking that dumb ass out of the house without his parents noticing had nearly been impossible.
Adam bent down and picked up Amy's fancy wristlet.
"Sorry Sis, but this is for your own good," Adam whispered as he took her wallet out. He quickly slipped out her most important cards. Her driver's license, her credit card, her debit cards, all her school IDs, as soon as he had them he began to tip-toe out again.
He took one glance back at his sister before shutting the door behind him. He looked at the pile of cards in his hand and smiled smugly.
Phase one complete.
Casey and Derek may not have gotten a long in the past, or well ever, but they did care about each other. Fighting was how siblings often expressed their feelings, and the two of them fought a lot. It was why Casey knew that something was going on with Derek.
Ever since they got back to London he had been different. He had been great with Marti and his new baby brother Simon but everyone could tell that he was depressed. He was sullen and sad, he went on long walks, he sat in his room alone a lot, he was generally just a sad lonely loner. The worst thing was that he wouldn't let anyone help him, he wouldn't tell anyone what was wrong. He flat out denied that anything was wrong, but Casey was now standing in front of his door, having just been denied access.
Casey sighed and opened the door. She took in the sight of Derek lying on his bed, not even angry enough to tell her off for coming in after he told her not to. Instead he lay on his bed, sullenly staring at his ceiling.
Casey came to sit down beside him. She could see his scowl but he didn't tell her to leave. She lay down on the bed beside him and together they sat in silence.
"You O.K.?" She asked. She knew that there was no guarantee that Derek would tell her, but it wouldn't hurt her to try asking nicely.
Derek turned a dry look to Casey and then shrugged before turning his stare back to his ceiling.
Casey sighed. "Come on Derek, don't give me that look. I know something's up with you," Casey snapped.
"Casey, it doesn't matter. So drop it," He growled.
Casey knew that he had never been good at accepting help from anyone let alone Casey. But she wasn't just about to drop it. "It does matter! I want to help you. It can't help by keeping it inside yourself."
Derek sighed and draped an arm over his eyes. "Fine! But only to shut you up," He cried, and then became silent. For a moment Casey thought he was going to ignore her, but then he spoke up. "I like a girl. Like, I REALLY like this girl."
"Oh! That's great!" Casey exclaimed. Not quite sure how this could have him so depressed.
"It was. Her and I were good together," Derek continued, and Casey was floored. She hadn't know that Derek was dating someone, she was a little hurt that he never told her. She would have told him too but she didn't get the chance. "That was until her brother and the hockey team broke us up and now she won't talk to me."
"Oh," Casey said flatly. Now she understood. Maybe the relationship hadn't been long enough to be that important, though clearly the attachment had.
Casey stared at her sad step-brother it all mad sense, this was a scar on the heart that was bothering him. For the first time he had let someone into his heart. "What's her name? Maybe I can help out. You know talk to her?" Casey offered.
"CASEY! She HATES me. She won't even look at me. Just give it up!" Derek cried.
Casey jumped at the outburst and then watched as Derek rolled over so his back was to her. "I'm so sorry, Derek," Casey whispered, not sure what else to say.
"Can you just… leave? Just leave?" Derek replied.
"Sure," Casey whispered. As she got out of the bed she heard the ping of a phone. Derek groaned but didn't go for it. Casey snuck a look at the phone and saw that it was a message from Derek's roommate Adam.
Casey looked over her shoulder, Derek seemed oblivious to her now. She quickly took the phone and left the room, shutting the door behind her before Derek could stop her.
Casey practically sprinted to her room and shut the door behind her in a bang with her hurry. She took the phone out and opened up his messages. All of them were from Adam, and they had started about a week ago. He kept saying that he wanted to talk, that he wanted to hang out with Derek, but Derek had not responded.
Casey wasn't sure what went on with Adam, she had thought the two of them were O.K. but now she wasn't so sure.
"Alright then Adam, let's see what you know."
"Alright you little thief, where is it?" Amy cried, flinging Adam's door open with a bang.
"What ever do you mean?" Adam asked innocently, putting his adult magazine down on the bed and staring at her.
Amy glared him. "My wallet, you've gone through it. All my stuff is missing, all my important things. Give them back," Amy accused.
Adam gasped in a fake like matter that made Amy scoff. "Why Amy? How dare you accuse me of such a heinous crime? ME? Your brother? Your own flesh and blood? Steal from you?"
"ADAM I SWEAR…" Amy cried, starting forward with her punching fist raised.
"All I did was find your wallet… in your wristlet… in your purse… while you were passed out," Adam told her, the missing cards in question appearing his hand. "I guess I must have saved them from any harmful people who otherwise would have stolen them."
"GIVE THEM BACK!" Amy screamed. She lunged forward for the cards, and Adam didn't have the time to get up off the bed before she landed on top of him. For a while they struggled, becoming a massive entanglement of squealing, crying, flying appendages. But in the end Adam dislodged Amy and she landed sorely on her but, the tears springing from her eyes.
"God I hate you," she growled, sniffing lightly.
"Don't do that Amy. Please don't," Adam said. "I know you want your cards back right?"
"Of course I do you ass," Amy growled.
"Then back your bag, sis. Were going on a road trip," Adam told her.
Amy stared at him like he was crazy. "What?" she asked.
"Bonding Amy. You and I used to be so close and I want that closeness back. So we're going on a road trip so we can re-bond. Then, when we get to our destination I'll give you all the cards back, regardless of whether you still hate me or not. O.K.?" Adam bargained.
"You're crazy!" Amy spat out.
"Mom and dad have already agreed. So go on, you know you're going to have to," Adam taunted.
Amy glared at him like he was the reason her life was so awful, and maybe part of that was true. She got up but didn't say anything. She didn't want to go on a road trip with the man who broke up her relationship, the man she blamed for her broken heart.
"Fine," She snarled. "But I won't forgive you that easily, so this had better be one hell of a road trip."
As she walked away, both of them knew that unless this trip was to L.A. and she got to meet Nick Simmons, it was going to be hell for the both of them.
Casey skipped down the stairs to her family. "I am happy to announce that friends of mine will be here in a week," Casey told her family members.
"That's great. Who are they?" Nora asked, looking up from her book.
"They're dancer friends of mine. They won't be staying here or anything, but they will be around and I'll be hanging out with them," Casey explained. "I just thought I'd give you guys some warning."
Derek noticed that the last comment had been directed right at her. He could tell by the devious know-it-all look in her eyes. Derek watched Casey go, worried that his step sister had a plan.
