The car ride back to Queens had been worse than the one to London. Derek wouldn't look in Casey's direction for the entire drive and had stormed off without even saying goodbye after they arrived at uni. Casey wants to cry, but instead sends a quick text to Adam letting him know that she's back, and trudges to her dorm. She tosses her bag on the floor, not bothering to unpack, and flings herself onto the bed, promptly falling asleep.
A knock on her door wakes Casey up abruptly from her nap and she calls out quietly, "who is it?"
"It's your most favorite human ever!" Leah's voice shouts.
Groaning, Casey hauls herself out of bed and opens the door.
"I heard that," Leah accuses. "You look like shit, have a bagel." Leah shoves the food into Casey's hand, not caring that Casey is scowling at her.
"Nice to see you too," Casey grumbles, sticking her tongue out at Leah and setting the bagel down on her desk.
"Well someone has to tell you the truth," Leah shrugs. "You look like you barely survived a famine and I know something is wrong because you haven't even unpacked your bag yet. So, here's what we're gonna do. You're going to eat that fucking bagel, then we're going to unpack your bag and you're going to tell me exactly what's going on with the whole Adam thing, capisce?"
Casey rubs her forehead tiredly. "I'm not hungry, Leah, and I don't feel like talking right now."
"What part of the itinerary don't you get, Casey?" Leah glares at her. "Eat. Unpack. Talk. End of discussion."
Casey rolls her eyes and begrudgingly picks at the bagel her friend brought. She doesn't put any cream cheese on it, but Leah counts it as a small victory that Casey is eating at all. Once Casey finishes her food, Leah pulls Casey's bag onto the bed next to her and motions for Casey to sit on the other side. Casey obliges and sits down, unzipping her bag.
"Alright," Leah says as she starts to pull clothing out, "let's start with Adam. What's going on there?"
"I don't know, Leah. The date was wonderful! He held the door open for me, we talked about our sisters, he seemed so…perfect."
"But?" Leah prompts.
"I just didn't feel any sparks with him. But I want to give him a chance you know? It's not fair of me to write him off immediately, he's a really sweet guy," Casey rambles.
"That's understandable," Leah nods, then pauses as she pulls out the last article of clothing out of Casey's bag. "Who does this belong to?" She teases, holding up a baggy sweatshirt that definitely isn't Casey's.
Casey blushes. "It's Derek's," she mutters, mortified. She had forgotten that she had even packed it.
"Who? I couldn't hear you," Leah jokes, waving the sweater in front of Casey's face.
"It's Derek's," Casey snaps as she rips it away from Leah's hands. "I borrowed it and forgot to give it back."
"Hey girl, chill. I was just fucking with you, no need to be bitchy."
Hiding her red face in Derek's sweatshirt, Casey mumbles a small, "sorry."
"It's ok," Leah soothes, gently tugging the sweatshirt away from Casey's face. "I need you to answer a question for me. Honestly, ok? Do you like Derek?"
xxxx
Derek slams Wright harshly against the rink walls, earning a whistle from the coach.
"Ease up, Venturi, it's only practice," Davis says as he skates past.
Ethan shoves Derek off, "What the fuck is your damage, man?"
Derek shoves Ethan back and skates off the rink as the coach calls out that practice is over. Ethan quickly removes his skates and jogs to catch up with Derek, grabbing his arm.
"Look man, if this is about Casey, I'm sorry. I stepped out of line."
Derek jerks his arm away and continues to walk to the locker room.
"If it's any consolation," Ethan shouts after him, "she was completely uninterested in me, she was only looking at you."
xxxx
Derek needs a drink. All of this Casey shit is confusing him and he can't get her out of his head.
"This is bullshit," he groans. Grabbing his phone, he sends a text to Mark.
Derek: "Any parties tonight?"
Mark replies back almost instantly.
Mark: "Yeah, one of the frats are throwing a rager later tonight, you in?"
Derek: "Hell yeah."
Mark: "Cool, I'll be back to the dorm around 9, see ya."
Derek locks his phone and looks at the clock, he has a couple of hours before he needs to get ready. He flips on the TV and puts Babe Rider into the Xbox, grinning. Edwin is going to be so pissed when he figures out Derek took the game.
xxxx
"So," Leah asks again, "do you like Derek?"
Tears well up in Casey's eyes as she hugs Derek's sweatshirt tightly against her chest and whispers, "I can't."
"Why not, honey?" Leah asks.
This question causes Casey to start openly sobbing, tears streaming down her face. "Promise you won't hate me?"
"Of course I won't," Leah reassures her friend, rubbing circles on Casey's back.
"He's," Casey sniffles, "he's my step-brother." Crying even harder, Casey opens up to Leah about how her mom remarried while she was in high school and how difficult Derek made her life. "We would prank each other viciously but always had each other's backs where it mattered. He reached out to my dad for me when I missed him, and I even helped him graduate our senior year. I don't know when I started liking him. I hate myself for it! I'm so fucking stupid."
"You're not stupid," Leah murmurs.
"I just thought that maybe, even if I couldn't be with him, we could at least be friends. But he's been awful to me since we started Queens!"
Leah hands Casey a tissue, looking at her sympathetically.
"Do you think I'm gross?" Casey asks, bloodshot eyes looking meekly up at the redhead.
"Not at all," Leah states. "It makes sense. You two met when you were what, fifteen? That's a little too late for family bonding."
Casey leans over and hugs her friend fiercely, "thank you."
Leah returns the hug and they only break apart once Casey's phone rings. Casey quickly wipes the remaining tears from her eyes and answers.
"Hey Adam! Nope, no plans for tonight…sure, I'd love to! Alright, see you then."
"Did he ask you out on another date?" Leah inquires.
"Sort of, he invited me to party."
"Awesome!" Leah exclaims.
"Yeah, but I have nothing to wear," Casey frowns.
"Oh please, you have to have something." Leah states factually, moving to Casey's wardrobe. After digging around, Leah tosses a pair of black strappy heels at Casey and groans, "You weren't kidding when you said you have nothing, that's all I could find."
Looking at Casey's crestfallen face, Leah quickly adds, "not to worry, Cinderella! Your Fairy Godmother has your back. Do your makeup, I'll be back in an hour, tops."
Before Casey can ask any questions, Leah scurries out of the room. "Make sure your eye makeup is smoky!" she calls over her shoulder.
Casey grins, she's lucky to have Leah as a friend.
xxxx
Derek walks back to his room after showering, excited for the party, excited to forget about…stuff. He opens his dorm door to find Mark and Leah talking. They go silent as soon as he enters and Leah shifts her bag, looking guilty. Derek nods sharply and she waves before dashing out of the room. Derek shoots Mark a questioning look and Mark just shrugs. Derek groans internally, he really hopes Leah isn't coming, he needs a guys night. Shifting through his clothes, Derek is pissed to find that his leather jacket is missing. Did he leave it in London?
xxxx
Casey looks at her face through the mirror on her desk. She did a pretty decent job, she thinks. Her eyeshadow is a deep burgundy and her eyeliner created the smoky look that Leah specifically requested. Casey puts on mascara as the finishing touch and hears a sharp knock on her door as she screws the cap back on.
"Coming," she calls.
Casey opens the door and Leah barges in, grinning mischievously. "I have the perfect outfit for you, from the closet of yours truly," Leah pronounces dramatically. Casey laughs as Leah pulls the clothes out of her bag and tosses them at Casey.
Casey tugs on a short, black leather mini-skirt that barely reaches her mid-thigh and pulls a dark purple tank top with a plunging neck line that accentuates her cleavage over her head. Casey frowns at her reflection then turns towards Leah.
"Isn't this a bit too, risqué?" she asks nervously.
"Nah," Leah assures her. "Besides, I brought one more thing that will really tie the whole outfit together."
Leah whips out a leather jacket from her bag and smiles triumphantly, "ta-da!"
Casey gasps in horror, "Leah, please tell me that's not – "
"Derek's?" Leah finishes her sentence for her. "Sorry hun, it is. And it's perfect for your outfit, so put it on."
Casey continues to stare at the jacket in shock. "How…how did you even get that?" she whispers.
Leah shrugs, "I have my ways. Are you going to put it on, or am I going to have to do it for you?"
Casey shakes her head, "Derek will literally murder me if he sees me in his jacket."
"Casey, I checked with Mark, they're staying in tonight." Leah explains.
Reluctantly, Casey takes Derek's jacket and slips it on. It falls over her skirt by about an inch or two and she has to admit that it does go perfectly with her outfit. Had Casey not been overwhelmed by the fact that she was in Derek Venturi's jacket, she would have seen the lie written on her friend's face.
xxxx
Adam picks Casey up at 10pm sharp. The car ride is dead silent, but Casey writes it off, figuring that he must be tired. They pull up to the fraternity, music is blaring loudly and can be heard from inside the car. Casey goes to open the car door when Adam stops her, holding her upper arm tightly.
"Hey, Casey?" he asks.
"Yeah?"
"I have a question for you," Adam replies, looking uncomfortable.
"Sure, what's up?" Casey looks at him inquisitively.
"I saw you earlier today when you got back from break," he begins.
"Oh, ok. Why didn't you say hi?"
"Well, you got out of some guy's car, are you seeing someone else?" The grip on Casey's arm tightens just a little bit more.
"Oh, God no!" Casey exclaims, laughing nervously. "He's just my s- , a close family friend. My mom asked me to ride home with him to save her on gas."
"Oh, alright, cool." Adam releases her arm and leans over to kiss her cheek. "I'll get the door for you."
Adam gets out of the car and, as he walks around to the passenger side, Casey frowns and rubs her arm. Something seems…off.
The party is in full swing when Casey and Adam walk in. Casey immediately feels overwhelmed and looks at Adam gratefully as he steers her towards the kitchen.
"Do you want me to make you a drink?" Adam shouts over the music.
"No, it's ok. I'll just have a beer," Casey responds.
A brief look of irritation crosses Adam's face and Casey worries that she offended him. It's not that she doesn't trust Adam to make her a drink, it's just that she would rather be safe than sorry.
A smile quickly graces Adam's face once again and he hands her a beer.
"Thanks," she smiles back as she pops the cap off. He nods and leads her out of the kitchen by hand. They mingle with other party-goers and Casey is surprised to find that Adam knows a lot of the guys in the frat. She drinks another two beers to ease her tension then excuses herself to the restroom, feeling a bit woozy. Casey locks herself into the bathroom and stares at her slightly blurry reflection.
"You are here to have fun," she says to herself sternly. Breaking out into a fit of giggles, she unlocks the door and starts her search for Adam.
xxxx
Derek takes a swig of beer from the bottle in his hand and surveys the room, bored. He's been at the party for fifteen minutes and still hasn't seen or done anything noteworthy. Mark comes to sit down next to Derek and leans over so Derek can hear him.
"There's a cute blonde over there who's checking you out," Mark says, pointing to a girl across the room.
Derek turns to look towards the direction Mark is pointing when he sees a familiar face out of the corner of his eye. Casey. His jaw drops slightly as his eyes roam involuntarily up her body. Black heels, legs that go on for days, a tight black skirt. Derek's eyes reach her torso and his jaw clenches shut. The shirt Casey is wearing is so low cut it should be illegal and, to make matters worse, she's wearing his goddamn jacket.
The longer he watches her the angrier he gets. It was bad enough seeing her in his sweatshirt, but his fucking jacket? Really? It's like Casey is trying to kill him. Derek stands up from his seat on the couch to follow her, ignoring Mark's question of where he is going.
Derek catches up to Casey as she's walking down a hallway and puts his hand on her shoulder, spinning her around to face him.
"Derek!" Casey exclaims, smiling brightly at him. "Leah said you wouldn't be here tonight!"
"What does Leah have to do with this?" Derek asks.
'I'm soo happy to see you!" she babbles, not hearing his question.
Derek shakes her shoulders gently, "Are you drunk, Case?"
"Mmmm, I think so," she giggles, squinting up at him.
"I need my jacket back, Spacecase." He replies sternly.
"Nooo," Casey cries, hugging the jacket close to her body. "I like it."
Derek takes a step towards Casey and she takes a step back. He continues to approach her, and she continues to move away, until her back is against the wall and his hands are on her hips and her eyes are staring up at him and…
"Derek, what are you doing?" Casey whispers.
Derek moves his hands from her hips and grabs the material of his jacket, tugging her towards him slightly.
"Princess," he rests his forehead on hers, "I'm only asking once. Give me my jacket back, now."
"Why?" Casey whines.
Derek eyes flash with anger and he moves his head away from hers. "Because I don't want you to fucking have it," Derek snaps. "It's not like you're my fucking girlfriend or something!"
Casey's eyes grow wide and she furiously blinks back tears. Pushing Derek away, she rips off his jacket and shoves it into his arms.
"Why do you have to ruin everything for me?" She mutters.
"Casey…" Derek starts.
"Fuck off, Derek," Casey hisses venomously, picking up her purse from where it fell on the floor. "I get that you can't stand being around me, just leave me alone."
She hears her name being called in the distance and she walks back down the way she came, meeting Adam at the end of the hall. Derek stares at Casey's retreating form and runs his hand tiredly through his hair, he needs another drink.
xxxx
Adam has a tight grip on Casey's arm as he drags her away from the hallway and up the stairs of the house. His eyes are red with anger and he's scaring the shit out of Casey.
"Ow, Adam, you're hurting me." Casey cries.
He slams her against the wall and puts his face close to her own, breath reeking of alcohol. "I'm upset Casey. You told me that guy is just a "family friend" but I found you two all cozied up together in a dark hallway."
Casey tries to squirm away from him, but he holds her firmly in place.
"I was telling the truth, we weren't cozied up, we were arguing."
Noticing the tears in her eyes, Adam releases his grip on Casey and wipes them away softly.
"I'm sorry," he says, placing his hand on her waist. "I just really like you, and I don't like to share.
Casey pushes his hand off of her, "you're scary and I don't like you anymore."
Adam's face turns an ungodly shade of red and he slams her into the wall once again. Panicking, Casey slams her heel down hard onto his foot and he lets go.
"You fucking bitch!" Adam screams. "I can't believe I was even interested in a whore like you!"
Shocked, Casey stumbles down the stairs. She pushes her way towards the front door, feeling the guys around leering at her chest that is now more exposed without the aid of Derek's jacket. She flings the front door open and steps outside, taking a deep breath, before walking further from the house, not wanting Adam to catch up with her if he was indeed following her.
After confirming no one is coming after her, Casey stops walking and shivers violently. It's cold and her outfit definitely isn't weather proof. She goes to pull her phone out of her purse to call an Uber but can't find it.
"Shit!" Casey screams. She left it in Derek's jacket. As if her night could get any worse, it starts to rain.