Thanks again so much for the reviews and just for reading my story! Oh and also for the birthday wishes as well! Thank you!! You guys make me feel so good! So here is another chapter... you know you guys are very lucky that I update so quickly because man, I'm starting to get ahead of myself... I've hardly written chapter 10 yet and I'm already posting 8... I better get writing... It's because I love you all so much! You guys serioulsy rock my socks! I hope you like this chapter, you get to see a bit of a crazed Casey that is arguing with herself. I found it quite amusing... Haha. Enjoy!

Chapter 8

Nut-Case

"So how are things going downstairs?" George asked as the two families-in-one sat around the dining room table eating Chinese take-out.

"Is everything all right? You two have been strangely quiet." Nora added with concern.

Casey glanced up at Derek, hoping he would say something. He was the better liar after all.

"Things are fine." Derek shrugged as he looked away from Casey and shoved a fork full of noodles into his mouth.

"What have you two been doing down there while you were alone?" Edwin asked with hidden meaning in his voice.

Does Edwin know?! Did Derek tell him?! Casey panicked as she stared at her plate. No, wait... He couldn't have... Derek's been in my sight all this time. But wait! He did go upstairs to change out of George's shirt... Oh, but Edwin was down here setting the table with Lizzie... Casey eyed her younger stepbrother suspiciously. Then why is he looking at us like that and being all weird...? He's up to something, I can feel it.

"We've been doing what Dad told us to do, Ed. Casey and I have been getting along and not fighting." Derek spoke as he shot Edwin a nasty look. He then looked at her, "Could you please pass the lemon chicken, Casey?" He asked with a sweet voice.

Casey caught on, "Oh... yeah, sure, Derek. Of course." She forced a smile as she picked up the small box and handed it to him. Their fingers touched for a brief moment and Casey could feel butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She quickly removed her hand and went back to staring at her food.

Edwin pressed on with a smile as he watched their behaviour, "Getting along how exactly?"

"Did Smerek and Casey kiss and make up?" Marti suddenly asked.

Casey had just taken a sip of water and immediately spit it out as Derek began choking on his dinner. Everyone was staring at them with puzzled expressions, everyone except Edwin who sat back and grinned.

"W... what makes you think that D... Derek and I, uh... k... kissed?" Casey stuttered with a red face.

"Um... I think what Marti meant to ask was if you two are friends now... Right, Smarti?" Nora rephrased with an awkward smile.

Marti nodded, "Of course. Why would Derek and Casey kiss? That's gross." She said as she scrunched up her face and continued to eat.

It wasn't that gross...

"R... right..." Casey chuckled nervously, "Why would we do that?"

Why did we do that?

"Um... May I be excused?" Casey asked.

"But you've hardly touched your dinner." Nora noted as she pointed to Casey's plate.

"I'm not feeling too good."

"Wait, first I would like to speak with you two." George said as he addressed the eldest teens.

They both looked at him.

Please don't lock me in the basement with him again... please... I don't want to be alone with Derek... I can't be.

George cleared his throat, "I have decided to end your punishment today. You don't have to go back to the basement."

Casey and Derek both let out sighs of relief.

"I can see that you two have finally chosen to act mature and treat each other with more respect, which is great." He smiled.

"Yep, we've definitely learned our lesson, right Case?" Derek looked at her.

"Yes. We are sorry for our behaviour towards each other all these years." Casey answered. "Derek actually isn't that bad of a guy after all." Casey added before thinking.

Derek's eyes stared into hers with question and surprise.

"And Casey's not that bad either." He added with a smile.

"I am very glad to hear that." Nora said on the verge of tears. "George's basement plan worked after all and brought the two of you closer than I thought."

Even closer, Mom...

"May I go now?" Casey asked, avoiding Derek's brown eyes that were still gazing at her.

"Yes, Sweetie, you may go." Nora nodded. "I hope you feel better."

"Me too." She mumbled as she headed up the stairs.

Once Casey was inside her room, she closed the door and plopped down on her bed.

How could this happen? How could you let this happen, Casey? You kissed Derek... well actually made out him... but you still kissed your stepbrother! I feel so dirty. She thought as a tear fell from her eye. If anyone ever found out about this I would be ruined. My mom and George would be so devastated that they'd be forced to split up, my friends would think I'm incestuous, and my little sister would disown me. Casey groaned. Lizzie... what kind of example am I setting for her? If Lizzie ever kissed Edwin (which better Not Ever happen!), I don't know what I would do... Would I disown her too? Well... maybe disown is a little harsh... but I would be very, very, very disappointed with her.

This is all my fault! Well, technically this is all Derek's fault since he was the one who had been hitting on me all day, and he was the one that had initiated the kiss in the first place! But you kissed him back... Ugh! Why did I do that? Why did I have to kiss him back? Because deep down you've always wondered what it would feel like to have his lips on yours. No I haven't! Casey argued with her thoughts. That is absurd! You liked it, Casey, and you like Derek. No I don't! Stop putting these lies in my head! They're not lies, they're your feelings and you've had them since the first time you met Derek. Just admit it. NO! I do NOT like Derek! I am not attracted to him and I did NOT enjoy that kiss! It was a mistake! You're lying... No I'm not! Liar, liar pants on fire... My pants are not on fire and I am not lying! You like Derek but you're too afraid to admit it because you know it's wrong. Exactly! It's wrong! I can't like Derek! If I ever admitted that I had any feeling towards him (which I don't) then people would come after me with pitchforks because we're related! Not by blood... Like Derek said: this kind of thing happens all the time... Don't be quoting Derek to me! Even if it does 'supposedly' happen all the time, it will not be happening here! End of discussion! You like Derek.

"I do not like him!" Casey shouted.

"You don't like who?"

Casey spun around on her bed to see Lizzie standing in the doorway with a confused expression on her face.

Of course you had to say that out loud... Casey rolled her eyes at herself. What is wrong with me? I have actually been arguing with myself... Maybe I really am a nut-Case, pun intended.

"Casey?" Lizzie took a step towards her. "Are you okay?"

"Since when don't you knock before entering my room?" Casey asked as she looked at her sister.

"I did knock... but you weren't answering, so I let myself in. Is everything all right?"

"I... I'm just a little woozy." Woozy? Did you just say woozy? It's such a weird word.

"So... who do you not like that you were screaming about?" Lizzie asked as she sat on the end of Casey's bed.

"I wasn't screaming."

"You were screaming."

Casey sighed, "It was no one."

Lizzie raised an eyebrow, "Really? Then why are you blushing if it's no one?"

"I'm not blushing!" Casey raised a hand to her cheek. "It's because I'm not feeling good."

"Fine, if you want to be in denial, suit yourself."

"I am not blushing and I am not in denial!" Casey snapped.

Lizzie's eyes dropped at Casey's outburst. She stood up and backed towards the door, "Sorry, Case, I guess I'll just leave you alone then."

Casey realized her mistake and quickly stood up, "No, Liz, I'm the one that's sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that." She pulled her sister into a warm embrace. "Forgive me?"

"Don't I always?" Lizzie smiled as she hugged her back.

"Now," Casey said as she pulled back to stare at her little sister, "was there any specific reason that you had to come into my room?"

"Well..." Lizzie stepped back and looked at the floor, "I was just wondering if... it was true?"

"If what was true?"

"If you and Derek really had gotten along downstairs and now see each other in a whole new light?"

Even the mention of his name gave her goose bumps as Casey hesitated before answering, "Yes."

Lizzie's face fell, "Oh."

"Well isn't that good news? You have all been waiting for us to get along and now we are..."

"Yeah, no, it's great... but..."

"But what?"

"Never mind, I should go." Lizzie turned to leave but Casey grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her around.

"Not until you tell me what the problem is?"

Lizzie sighed, "Ok... but promise me you won't get mad?"

"I won't get mad."

Lizzie hesitated, "Ok... I kind of knew that George was planning on locking you in the basement with Derek and then Edwin made this bet with me that you two would be getting along when the punishment was over but I didn't think you would... But you did, so now I have to do Edwin's chores for a month." Lizzie said all in one breath as she gasped for air when she was done.

Casey's jaw dropped, "What? How could you?"

"I'm really sorry, Casey. I felt really bad..."

"So you bet that we wouldn't get along? Thanks for having faith in me, sis." She scoffed as she crossed her arms.

"It's not that I didn't' have faith in you, I didn't have faith in Derek... but that doesn't matter now anyways because Edwin won and now I'm stuck doing his stinking chores." Lizzie huffed.

"I'm sorry, Liz, but if I ever wanted to get out of that basement I knew I would have to get along with Derek. I had no choice. We had to do it."

"So wait... You only did it because you had to?"

"Huh?"

"You and Derek were only pretending to get along again, weren't you? Just so you could get out of the basement. I knew the two of you couldn't get along!" Lizzie beamed.

"What...? No..."

"Ha! In your face Edwin! Now I don't' have to do his chores! Thanks Case!" Lizzie exclaimed as she ran out of Casey's room before Casey had a chance to stop her.

Casey groaned as she hit her head against the doorframe. Stupid, stupid, Casey! You just had to open your stupid, stupid mouth! What if Mom and George find out we were lying... Would Lizzie really tell them? Edwin might... But we weren't exactly lying... You wouldn't be able to tell them the truth though! She sighed.

"What's wrong with you?" A voice that Casey really did not want to hear right now asked from the stairs.

* * *

Derek had gone up stairs hoping that Casey was still in her room so that he could quickly slip into his own room unnoticed, but of course fate hated him and enjoyed seeing him suffer. Casey was not in her room and instead she was standing in her doorframe looking very depressed and angry. He couldn't help but question her actions as she banged her head against the border.

Maybe she can't stop thinking about the kiss either and it's driving her crazy...?

He looked at Casey, waiting for her to answer his question but all she did was stare down at her feet.

"So... we pulled it off... My dad ended the punishment..." He decided to change the subject as he ran his hands through his shaggy brown hair nervously.

Since when am I nervous in front of Casey?

"Yeah." She nodded.

Derek took a step towards her, "Casey... I think we should talk..." He couldn't believe what he was saying. Derek Venturi never wants to talk, especially when it comes to feelings and all that crap. But I can't stand this silence between us either...

"We did talk," she spoke as she took a step back from him, "and we both agreed that..." she glanced around nervously and lowered her voice, "that what happened between us was an accident, a mistake."

"And that's what I want to talk about." Derek said as he took another step towards her.

Casey stepped back again, "No, Derek... There is nothing else to discuss. Let's just go back to our old ways and forget this ever happened." She whispered harshly.

"We can't go back to our old ways, remember? Unless you want to get locked in the basement again..."

Casey sighed, "Well then... you just leave me alone and I'll do the same in return."

Derek closed the last couple of steps between them so that Casey was now flattened against the wall, "And what if I don't leave you alone? What if I don't want to forget what happened between us?" He asked as he stared into her blue eyes.

She looked up at him with a grim face, "I don't think that should be a problem since you admitted that you felt nothing anyway."

He smiled as he placed his hands on her hips and whispered in her ear, "I lied."

Casey's eyes were unblinking for a moment and then she finally looked at him with a cold expression, "Well I didn't."

"Are you sure about that?" He asked as he pulled her against his body with a firm grip, craving for her lips once again.

Casey's cheeks turned pink as she avoided his eyes and stared down at his lips .

"You want me just as bad as I want you." He whispered, inches from her mouth.

"No!" Casey suddenly shouted and pushed him off. "We can't do this!" She then ran into her bedroom and slammed the door before Derek could even open his mouth. He then heard the lock slide into place and knew that she was trying to lock him out of her life.

I think I love you Casey McDonald... and I wish you felt the same about me...

Ok, well I better continue writing the other chapters so that I can keep updating on time to keep my reviewers even more happy with me. Don't forget to review this chapter... =]