A/N: Here's chapter ten. Casey's about to get some answers. Three chapters left. Two will be the party (mentioned in the chapter after this) and the thirteenth will be an epilogue of sorts. Enjoy! R&R! Thanks! –Mac
Disclaimer: I don't own LWD.
Chapter Ten
Enlightenment
The next day, after a family breakfast, we were back at the beach. We had only two more full days of vacation left. My mom and George had already roped us in for dinner after we were done at the beach. Our vacation was winding down, and, so it seemed, was Derek. He had spent much of the afternoon laying out next to me. We didn't speak, didn't interact. He was just there. I thought for a minute he wasn't going to speak to a girl at all that day—but then a small group of girls strolled on over making his effort minimal.
"Hi!" The blonde one said enthusiastically, a little too enthusiastically. I wasn't exaggerating to think that each of her sentences would end in an exclamation point. "You look like you're pretty smart! We're trying to put up this volleyball net! And we're completely lost! Do you think you could help us?"
Derek sat up to give them his attention, "Sure, I could give you a hand, no problem."
"You're a life saver," Another one added. "Thank you so much."
"No problem," Derek repeated. He started to stand up and then he turned to me. "Are you going to be okay by yourself?"
I had to keep my jaw from dropping. When did he start caring about how I was? I couldn't muster up the words to answer. So I just nodded weakly. He nodded and headed off with the girls. I watched, with a frown on my face, as Derek helped the girls put up the net. Things were really off. Derek was never considerate of anyone, especially when it came to me. I was still trying to figure out what was going on when Derek was finished putting up the net. He looked like he was going to walk away, but then the girls put on these pouty, pleading faces and he agreed to play with them. That was all well and good, because it gave me more time to try to sort through all the thoughts that were racing through my head.
After a few rounds of Volleyball, Derek started to head back toward me. We needed to head up to the hotel so we could make it to dinner on time. A couple girls followed after him. He stopped a short distance from where I was sitting. The girls started talking animatedly and I had to strain to make out what they were saying.
"So, we're all staying at my brother's beachfront down the beach, just past the pier. He's having a huge party tomorrow night. We wanted to know if you'd like to come," the blonde from before explained.
"Yeah, sounds like fun. But, uh, do you mind if Casey comes too?" Derek asked.
"Casey?" The second girl frowned.
Derek pointed back at me, "Casey, my stepsister. Our family has a bunch of rules for our vacation and one of them is that we have to be with another family member at all times. So, if she can't go, I can't go."
The girls looked at each other for a moment, and then the blonde answered, "Yeah, okay, sure. My brother said invite anyone, so…"
"Great," Derek nodded. "I really have to go—family dinner. I'll see you tomorrow night."
"Bye!" The two girls chorused, waving their fingers at him.
Derek joined me again and we began to pack up. I was quiet as we started up the beach, but a little ways on I had to say something. I glanced back to see if the girls had gone on their way and they had headed back to their Volleyball game. I turned back to Derek as we walked up to our hotel.
"Are you interested in any of those girls?" I asked.
"Not at all," Derek answered. "But tomorrow's our last night and it's a party and we both get to go. So, enjoy yourself and so will I."
He finished what he had to say and pushed open the door to our suite. I was looking for a little clarity with that question, but somehow that did not go as planned. I was even more confused by his casual answer. I needed answers right that moment and I wasn't going to get them from Derek. But there was someone I knew who could answer some of my questions—and I was going to force them out of him.
I went into my room and got into my suitcase to find clothes to change into for dinner. I grabbed my cell phone from my bag and headed for the bathroom. Finding it empty, I retreated inside and quickly shut and locked the door behind me. With one hand I dialed the number into my phone and with the other I turned on the shower. I put the phone to my ear and listened to it ring. Then he finally picked up.
"Hello?"
"Hey Jacob," I responded, "Can you talk?"
"Casey," Jacob began, "Now is really not a good time, I—"
"Okay, Jacob, be straight with me," I cut him off and he sighed.
"Alright, what do you need?" Jacob conceded.
"Why did you say what happened was for the best?" I got out before I got too nervous to ask.
"Casey…" Jacob answered, "It was."
"No, because I really liked you and I thought you liked me too. I guess I was wrong," I continued.
"I did like you," Jacob replied.
"Then why did you say that?" I prodded.
Jacob took a deep breath, "I was leaving and it was just a short summer fling. It was better to have a clean break."
"I know that," I shook my head even though I knew he couldn't see it, "I understand that. But that isn't it. It's something else. The way you said it was so cold. It was something else. Tell me, what was it? What happened?"
"I talked to Felicity," Jacob answered after a long moment of silence, "And she told me about what happed between her and Derek that made her go back to our hotel."
"What happened?" I questioned.
"It's not my place to say," Jacob refused. "That's between you and Derek. You'll have to ask him."
I held the phone away from me as I let out a frustrated groan. Once I had composed myself, I brought it back up and said, "You have met Derek, right?"
"Casey…"
"You saw what kind of guy he was."
"Casey…"
"He won't tell me anything!" I exclaimed. "So, what you're going to do is tell me right now."
Jacob hesitated, "I don't think it would be right."
"Tell me," I demanded.
"Fine," Jacob finally agreed. "When I got back to the hotel, after Derek dragged you off, Felicity was throwing an absolute tantrum. At first she wouldn't tell me what was wrong, but then she was on this tirade and she told me everything.
"Apparently, from the moment he arrived at the beach for the concert to the moment he left, all he could talk about was you. He was obsessing about you being with me. She was handling it fine until they saw us in the middle. At first she had passed of the ranting as just intense sibling rivalry, but then that outburst about not being mad at you, she saw it...he wasn't angry, he was jealous. After that all the things he was saying about you made sense. He didn't want you with me because he wanted you for himself. She got fed up so she took off…"
Jacob was still talking but I stopped hearing what he was saying. Everything was becoming clear. If Jacob and Felicity were right, then everything would make sense. But still, this sudden clarity might not make anything easier. In fact, it might have just made things that much harder.