Chapter 9: Hushed Whispers
Derek stood there a moment, guitar in hand in the middle of the living room, completely dumbfounded. His plan had worked, but maybe a little too well. If there was one weakness he possessed, it would be tears. he just couldn't deal with them. No matter who it was that was shedding them. And though normally he enjoyed throwing a wrench into Casey's plans, he couldn't remember a time where even he had been that malicious.
"What was that about?" Sam asked just above a whisper. Truth be told, though Sam and Casey had broken up years ago, she still held a spot in his heart, and he still cared for her wellbeing. "pfft...girls...who knows..."Derek rattled off very unconvincingly. Something told him that Derek wasn't telling him everything, but he let it slide...at least for the time being.
After Sam and Ralph had played their last song, said their last goodbyes and eaten their last slice of pizza, Derek nestled his guitar carefully back into it's case, looking very melancholy all the while. D-Rock was over as he knew it. This would be a new chapter in his life, and he wasn't really sure he was ready. Shutting the lid and locking the case shut, he could hear a soft sobbing coming from the room beside him. Under any normal circumstances, he would have rolled his eyes, and ignored it. Likely putting on some music to drown it out, but surprisingly, he did actually feel a pinch of guilt and stepped outside to eavesdrop in the doorway.
Inside, Lizzie was sitting beside her sister on the bed. Casey's room felt sombre to her this late at night, and with her sister in such sour spirits. "Casey, I want to help you feel better, but I don't know what happened." Lizzie sounded exasperated, as if she'd been sitting with Casey the emotional wreck for sometime. She hated seeing her sister upset, as any good sister would, but it was becoming frustrating when she didn't know what to say to her. Amidst tears and choking back mild sobs Casey finally managed to spit out... " I know Liz...I...Just... Derek...he ruins everything. Even this! Do you know...how long I've waited for grad? I've worked hard on grades and school projects and extra curricular activities my WHOLE LIFE... "Casey sobs and softly blows her nose with a Kleenex. "...and this is supposed to be the culmination of every fibre of effort I've put in...and I can't...it just... I'm going to be all alone!". "And...this is because of Derek?" Lizzie questions, putting a hand lightly on Casey's shoulder in sympathy. Fully expecting the answer to be yes... "Well...no...I mean yes...kind of? I don't know...I just know he's always part of anything I plan falling apart." "What did he do?" Lizzie asked, hoping to get some kind of elaboration. "You mean aside from wrecking my...evening with Trevor by having his Neanderthal friends over very coincidentally at the same time on the same night?" "Well, you don't know for sure it was planned...do you Case?" "I don't need to...sniff know...It's Derek. His track record speaks for itself." "So that's what this is all about?" Lizzie asked inquisitively. "Mostly..."Casey spoke under her breath. "Well what else then?" Now 14 going on 15, Lizzie's take on the world, along with her perception and understanding of the people around her was starting to show in her rational. Particularly regarding her conversations with Casey. She was a lot more helpful with advice, and overcoming obstacles when Casey's mind was clouded by emotion. Lizzie, for the most part, was Casey's rock. "Liz...if I tell you something, you need to promise not to ever repeat this, to anyone ever... sniff like, what I'm about to say, never happened. ok?" This made Lizzie nervous. Her sister had never before ever precluded something with such an...ominous phrase. But now, it went beyond wanting to help her sister... Lizzie actually wanted to know what could be so bad. "Of course Case, what ever you say." She nodded watching Casey the whole time. "Liz, Trevor...Trevor didn't ask me to grad... sniff because he thought Derek and I were together. " Casey could barely believe she said it out loud. The whole episode had been replaying itself over and over in her mind, and she felt if she didn't tell someone she was likely going to explode. Lizzie's eyes widened with disbelief. "Together?" She asked, wondering if it meant something other then what she figured it did. "Together together..."Casey confirmed hesitantly. Lizzie wasn't sure at this point whether to be shocked, or laugh. She took it from Casey's expression that laughing might not be the best route, and did her darndest to stifle a giggle. "Seriously?" "Seriously." "wow." Lizzie said, composing her thoughts. "I know! How could anyone ever think that?" "Or even bring it up as a possibility!" Lizzie concurred. "Actually... small sob He wasn't the only one. "what?!" Lizzie asked. "Mom talked to me about it a couple weeks ago." Before answering this time, Lizzie tried to figure out the rational behind her mothers questioning. She remembered one instance, just once at a party a year and a half or so earlier. When her and Edwin had danced... she could have sworn Derek looked like he was about to ask Casey but stopped. That was the sole time she could ever think of linking the two in any kind of light. However, the more Lizzie thought about the past 3...almost 4 years living with the Venturi's the more sense it started to make. Turning her gaze back to Casey, Lizzie was smart enough to know, that's not what Casey would want to hear. "So now I'm dateless and completely hopeless to find another date this late. And its all because someone thought there was something going on with me and my step brother." Lizzie nodded "But ...Case... don't take this the wrong way, I'm only asking because I'm curious...but if he's your step brother, it means you aren't related, so that's not really wrong...or immoral. Oh! Like that movie...oh what's it called...Clueless! You know...the one where Cher gets together with her stepbrother? Although i guess he didn't live with them... but still. That didn't go over too badly." Lizzie stopped rambling and noticed Casey's face contorting into a face that begged her to stop talking. "Yeh, …..your right, it is DEREK... sorry." Lizzie added hastily. Tears once again welling up, as her fate was almost sealed with just two days between her and the big night, she added softly "I can't go alone Liz. I've put way to much effort in to go alone and waste it all. I'll just save the money for the tickets and save the dress for another special occasion.". "Won't you regret it if you don't go?" "I'll regret it more if I go and have a terrible time moping around feeling sorry for myself." I guess so." She answered reluctantly. "You better get to bed though Liz... sniff Tai Kwon Do in the morning right?" "Right." Lizzie stood up and headed for the door, grabbing the knob she turned to Casey again "If you want to talk Case, you know where to find me." Flashing her trademark sweet grin she opened the door and left.
Derek had heard the entire conversation with the small exception of a few unimportant words. He'd also managed to get back to his own room unnoticed before Lizzie opened the door. Peaking around it's corner to make sure Lizzie was safely out of earshot, he gingerly closed his bedroom door. Leaning back on it once it was shut he stared at the ceiling wondering to himself why he actually cared all of a sudden. Maybe it was because he didn't realise quite how large this really was for Casey. Maybe it was because so many people talked about them in a different light, that instead of being gag inspiring, it started to become normal. Derek didn't know. What he did know, was that he had to fix this. Without it look like he had tried to fix it. He couldn't tell Sam... or even Edwin. This time... he was on his own.
