Okay, FINALLY! The next chapter! I am SO sorry about the long wait. I apologize profusley. Forgive me? Okay, anyway, I have the rest of the story planned out, so now all I have to do is write it. There will be four more chapters after this one, mmkay? Okay. Ah, well, okay. Smiles!!
.I own nothing.
Enjoy!
x—x
"Look Derek, I really think you need to hear me- Wait? You think I'm right?" Sam asked.
"Yup." Derek said nodding deeply, with his arms crossed across his chest.
"Yup? Just like that?"
"Mmhmm."
"After two years of the will they/won't they thing?" Sam asked incredulously.
"Yes."
"Am I missing something?" Sam asked.
"No. I know you're right. I've been attracted to Case all along. And I did start developing feelings for her."
"And how did you come to terms with this so quickly?"
"I didn't. I've been coming to terms with it for a while. Well, truthfully, I've tried to avoid coming to terms with it, since I didn't want to like Casey. But with friends like you, I guess I have to come to terms with it."
"I'm not understanding." Sam said, slumping against the wall.
"I guess I know that I like Casey." Derek said slowly.
"Yeah... then why the denial thing all day?"
"I didn't want the day to be that predictable." Derek said, but of course, he was just being sarcastic. He didn't want Sam to know how much admitting that he liked Casey made him want to pass out.
"You're such an ass." Sam acknowledged.
"Yup." Derek smirked. "Whatcha going to do about it?" He shrugged before rolling his shoulder off the wall, and walking toward the cafeteria entrance.
x—x
"You're both insane." Casey said.
"No, we're not." Steve said.
"You know, way too many people have come to me with this lately." Casey said.
"Casey, you know it's true. Cut the stupid denial crap. I'm sick of it. I can see right through it." Emily said.
"Em!" Casey said.
"You. Like. Him. End of story. Why does it always have to be so difficult?" Emily asked.
"Because he's my step-brother and I don't have a chance in hell with him." Casey said before she could stop herself. As soon as the words came out, Casey slapped a hand over her mouth. After several seconds of looking at Steve and Emily, who were both grinning at her, she parted her fingers slightly.
"I didn't say that." she closed her fingers over her mouth again.
"Oh yes. You did." Steve nodded.
"Didn't I just meet you today? What makes you think you know so much?" Casey shot back, taking her hand from her mouth.
"Calm, Casey. It's not like we didn't know." Emily said, putting a hand on her best friend's shoulder.
"No. But it's not supposed to be like this." Casey shook her head. "I'm not supposed to feel like this."
Although Casey looked absolutely miserable, Steve and Emily couldn't help but smile at each other. Sweet admittance.
"Casey, he likes you." Emily said.
Casey looked up. "That's ridiculous."
"Isn't you liking him ridiculous too?" Steve asked.
"It is. But I'm supposed to be smart. I shouldn't have these stupid feelings."
"I don't know about anyone else, but what I take from that is that he's dumb enough to have feelings like yours." Steve said. Immediately Emily glared at him.
"You make it sound so nice." Casey said sarcastically.
"AND that makes him smart." Steve added in.
Although she tried not to, Casey smiled a little. At least in sake of his nice recovery. But then she remembered what they were talking about and stopped.
"No. He doesn't like me. Whatever...feelings I'm having are something that could be defined in a teen magazine under Hormonal Issues." Casey sighed.
"You're not aloud to backpedal. It's not just feelings. You really like him." Emily said.
"It's just so confusing. It's just so... Derek. That's not how it's supposed to go."
"Life isn't a pre-written and published book. You're writing it right now." Steve said.
Casey nodded silently. Before anyone could say anything more, the cafeteria doors opened, and Derek and Sam came back in. Sam looked a little exhausted. Derek looked normal.
"We're not talking about this anymore." Casey mumbled to Steve and Emily before turning in her seat so that her back was to everyone.
"For now." Emily whispered as soon as the two boys had reached them. Casey turned and glared at Emily before putting her head down on the table.
Sam winked at Emily before sitting down, while Derek just stood awkwardly near the table. Emily's mouth opened slightly, but she kept herself from asking what had happened. She would find out later. As if he had read her mind, Sam mouthed the word later to her. She nodded.
"Up, miscreants." the familiar voice of the wretched librarian sounded.
"Is it me, or does she just keep getting lovelier and lovelier?" Derek asked. Her head still down, Casey smiled.
"Come on, come on. Get up. I know you've all missed me, but it's alright, I'm here now. Now come. Back to the library."
"What time is it?" Steve asked.
The librarian looked down at her wrist. "12:30."
"What?" Emily asked. "It's only 12:30?"
"Don't start complaining, or I'll give you library work that you can complain about instead." The librarian said.
Once the librarian had turned her back, Emily rolled her eyes,and Casey smiled again. The gang followed the librarian back to the library.
"Once again, I have better things to do than babysit you. Be good, now." The librarian grinned, before leaving them alone again.
"Okay, so what are we supposed to do now?" Casey asked, crossing her arms.
"I don't know what you're going to do, but I'm going over there." Derek said, pointing at the other side of the library, and then pulling out his iPod.
As Derek walked away, Steve settled in at one of the tables. Sam came up to Casey and Emily.
"Hey, Em. I'm going to go sit with Derek, okay?" Sam said.
Emily nodded. "You go do that." Emily winked knowingly. Casey grimaced.
Sam walked off, and Casey slid into the nearest chair. Emily sat down next to her.
"It's not that weird, you know. The idea of you and Derek. And he does like you. I know it. And I'm pretty sure he admitted it to Sam." Emily said.
Casey nodded slightly, and then started to pick through a stack of magazines.
She had convinced herself for so long that liking Derek was ridiculous, and him liking her back would be impossible. But for that moment, the smallest part of her believed what Emily said was true. The smallest smile formed on her lips. And really, that was what she found the strangest of all.
A small time later, Sam came back and poked Emily, who had started to doze off out of boredom. Casey was flipping through the fifth magazine she had picked up.
"Come on." he said. "Talk time."
Emily nodded and got up as Sam led her away from everyone.
"Well, right now, Derek refuses to talk to me about anything," Sam informed. "But during lunch he admitted he had feelings for Casey."
Emily let out a small squeal.
"Of course he tried to pass it off like it was no big deal, and be all cool about it, but it was obvious that it scared the hell out him to admit it, and he didn't want me to know that."
"Steve and I got Casey to verbalize it, too." Emily smiled.
"Well, we're getting closer." Sam smiled. "It's about damn time."
"You know it." Emily leaned in to give Sam a small kiss.
"Right now I think Derek's trying to let it sink in that he admitted how he felt. But I'm going to try and talk to him again, and see what he plans on doing about all of this. I think I'm going to go back and sit with him, just in case he decides he wants to talk before I make him." Sam grinned.
"Good idea. I'm still trying to get Casey to loosen up about all of this. I think I can do it." Emily said. Sam nodded.
-Two hours Later-
"Derek-"
"I still don't want to talk about it." Derek said.
"You know what? I've let you say that for the past two hours. I'm not letting you say it anymore." Sam said.
"What exactly is there that we need to talk about? I've already said that I like Casey. Do you want me to tell you that I thought of Casey the whole time I was with Kendra? Or many girls before that, and the ones since Kendra?" Derek asked.
"Did you?" Sam asked.
"Yes. Now that we've talked, can you leave me alone now?" Derek asked.
"No." Sam said.
"What else is there?"
"What are you going to do?" Sam asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Are you kidding me? What do I mean? I mean, what are you going to do about Casey?" Sam asked.
"What is there to do? She doesn't like me. The girl hates me." Derek said.
"She has good reason to hate you, but she doesn't! She likes you. I know that for a fact."
"Yeah, sure. I find that hard to believe. Casey is way too smart to fall for a guy who makes her life hell." Derek said.
"And you're way too heartless to actually fall for girl like Casey, who is in to relationships, and not just make-out sessions." Sam said. "This situation doesn't follow any rules, Derek. Not a single part of it does."
"Sam-"
"Derek. You're never one to be afraid of a girl."
"Casey's different. She's not like any other girl. And my feelings for her aren't like what I've felt for any other girl, either."
"Take the chance, man. You may not believe it, but she likes you. It's worth the risk, and you know it. Take the chance."
Derek thought for a moment, and then nodded.
"You're right. She is worth the risk."
--
"I am so bored." Casey said.
"Yeah, I am too. So, do you think you're going to tell Derek how you feel?" Emily asked.
"Em!" Casey cried.
"What? It's just a question."
"Okay, well, I'll tell Derek how I feel, when he tells me how he feels. Which will be never, since he doesn't have feelings for me. So there." Casey said.
"Casey, you're hopeless." Steve said.
"She's not hopeless." Emily said.
"Whatever, can we drop this?" Casey asked.
Emily looked like she was about to protest, but then looked behind Casey and smiled.
"Sure, we can drop this." Emily said, grinning.
Casey raised her eyebrow, and looked behind her. Derek was walking toward them.
"Shut up, Emily. This is nothing. He's just coming over here. It doesn't mean anything. It doesn't mean-"
"Um, Casey?" Casey trailed off when she heard him speak. She turned in her seat. "Wanna take a walk through some shelves?" he asked.
Confused, and her heart beating madly, Casey nodded. Getting up, she turned and pushed in her seat, managing to mouth, This doesn't mean anything, at Emily. Emily just nodded, in an, Oh, sure, kind of way, and smiled. Casey glared at her before turning back to Derek. And they began to walk into the depths of the library together. Emily looked across the library at Sam, and they grinned at each other. Then they turned to watch Casey and Derek disappear into the shelves.
x—x
End of chapter. Okay, I will TRY to get the next chapter posted much sooner. I feel really bad about making you all wait so long. I hope I didn't lose any reader! Ah, well, I love you all! Thanks so much.
Review, loves.
-Tarryn
