I know I've been focusing more on teen drama than the family drama. There's really only so fast you can move with family drama, and as I said before: I'm court illiterate. I'll try to squeeze more in soon. For now, I'm trying to give Casey's personality more drama. Because we all know that on the show she can go through mood swings like no other. Particularly while talking to Paul (I figured it was time for his appearance). And besides, teen drama usually increases during stressful times, not the other way around (at least in my experience). I did fit a little bit of Marti at the end, though. I hope Casey's still in character.
funnechick: Irony is grand. And so is people using my words, lol. I needed something to drive the Dasey, because with them nothing is simple. I'll try not to veer too far from the original plot. And not to draw everything out too far, though I'm bad at concise thoughts, so don't expect too much. Thanks for your thoughts!
Ghostwriter: Thank you. It's hard to tell if the plots are meshing, or if one takes the other over. I figure it will fall into place eventually though.
Oasis Blackmore: Actually, we had a school event called stereotype day, where everyone dressed as a different stereotype; it was quite fun and proved my point on the stupidity of it all. Though I'm not sure anyone realized it. But yes, somewhere out in the plains of Tennessee, or hills, really, someone values your opinion quite a bit. Keep up the good—whatever it is you're doing. Anyway, I've decided I quite like hinting. And really, Casey's a girl to have a plethora of emotions but no clue what they mean. The plot is haywire, and so is my brain, so we'll have to pray it all works out, lol. It usually does. On a side note, I recently finished my first lengthy fictional work, so the statistics of this working out have gone up significantly. Tehehee.
TragicMiko: I'm trying, I'm trying. I swear. I don't want to overdo anything, so sometimes I under do it. It's like my whole don't move too quickly thing. I do have a little more along that plot cooked up; I just need to lead up to it. And study the court system, which may not happen. But I will get some Abby stuff in the next few chapters, even if it's not the actual trial.
Disclaimer: I'm starting to wonder if my disclaimers actually disclaim anything, or if they circle the question. Oh well, the mere word should be enough.
". . . and now I don't know what to do about it!" Casey ended in frustration, plopping angrily into her chair. She had pent up her emotions all week, and relief filled her as she finally released them. Containing these emotions was seriously detrimental to her health.
It was Monday morning and she was sitting in Paul's office, venting. She had told him every detail of the dramatics of her house. Well, she had left out anything about Abby.
"It seems like you have a lot of supressed feelings," Paul told her. As if she didn't know that. "Maybe it would help if you gave me the circumstances?"
"Sorry," Casey told him, truly apologetic. "I'm really not at liberty to say."
"Casey, you know whatever you say here is completely confidential, right?" he reminded. She nodded, but still withheld the information. After a few moments of silence, he sighed and asked her to move on. "Anything else?"
"Don't even ask about Katy," Casey told him melodramatically, expecting to fuel his inquiry.
"Who's Katy?" Paul asked hesitantly.
"Derek's new flavor. Of the week?" she clarified at his confused look.
"Right," Paul said, barely getting the word out as Casey continued her rant.
"She's really not his type, but she's completely infatuated."
"Well, what type is she?" Paul wondered before Casey could resume her tirade.
"Smart. And popular. And really nice. She's way too good for him," Casey said factually, then contradicted herself by saying, "Derek would never go for her anyway."
"I thought he already went for her?" Paul asked, confused.
"Well, he did. But she wants something more serious. Derek cannot commit. And now she wants my help in toughening her up, because she's too sweet to keep his interest."
Paul noted her tone with a raised eyebrow. "And why is this a bad thing? I thought you wanted Derek to stop his anti-feminist ways. Wouldn't having a girlfriend stop his 'womanizing'?"
"No," she said petulantly, but gave no reasoning for her response.
Paul shook his head in understanding. "I think I see what's going on here," he told Casey, and she gave him an expectant stare. "You're jealous."
"What?" Casey exploded in stunned horror.
"You're jealous of Katy," Paul clarified concisely.
"Are you insane?" Casey yelled, rising from her chair to gesture wildly.
"Well, that's not exactly what I meant," Paul corrected quickly, hoping to stop further outburst as he realized her suppositions about his theory. "Not jealous in a romantic way," he told her, giving her an odd look at her assumption.
She settled back into her seat rigidly with an embarrassed, "Oh." After a few seconds of blank staring, she nodded for him to explain.
"Well, whatever has been happening at your house, you've seen Derek act differently." Casey nodded slightly, raising an eyebrow as she pondered the relevance. "I think you've created a sort of bond."
"A bond?" Casey asked incredulously. "I do not have a bond with Derek. We fight all the time."
"Maybe 'bond' is too strong a word," Paul decided. He clarified. "You're more connected. It has to do with seeing someone vulnerable; especially someone who doesn't show emotion. It gives you a new appreciation for them." Casey opened her mouth to object. "It has nothing to do with your arguments," Paul told her, and her mouth closed. "I just think you're starting to understand Derek a little bit."
"No one can understand Derek," Casey protested mildly. "Well, maybe a little," she amended.
"Exactly," Paul said. "So because you're finally getting to know your stepbrother, a girlfriend becomes a threat. It could demolish your progress."
Casey raised a skeptical eyebrow, but didn't dispute her counselor.
"Just think about it," Paul pleaded as he glanced at the clock.
"Fine," Casey sighed, but her tone held complaint. Checking the time for herself, Casey grabbed her things. "Thursday at lunch," she reminded as she walked out the door. Paul gave her a distracted wave. Casey MacDonald was definitely his most frequent visitor; and her stops were never easy on his psyche. With a sigh he returned to his coffee.
Casey had hoped to avoid Katy until later that week, but such a goal was obviously exceeding plausibility. Katy finally caught up to her between third and fourth period, while Casey switched books at her locker.
"Okay, Casey," she started without pause, "What's first."
"Uh," Casey looked up, surprised at her sudden appearance. Gathering her thoughts, she said, "Walk past him." She may not like this particular task, but whatever Casey did she stayed prepared.
"What?" Katy asked, confused. "Just walk by and wave?"
"No," Casey corrected with hidden irritation. "Just walk past him."
"You mean, ignore him?" Katy wondered.
"Completely," Casey nodded decisively.
"But how will that make him notice me?" Katy wondered.
Casey rolled her eyes at the girl's lack of experience. Not that Casey was terribly experienced in that department either, but for an intelligent person Katy knew next to nothing about the male gender. "Trust me, he'll notice."
Katy looked uncertain, but nodded reluctantly, trusting Casey's knowledge. Well that makes two of us who don't want to do this, Casey thought, her thought briefly flitting to Paul's assessment before she scattered them. Turning back to her locker as Katy walked away, Casey couldn't help but peek around the door to watch the girl's progress. Derek looked slightly worried as Katy walked toward him, but his expression turned to confusion as she walked by, apparently without seeing him. He looked around to see if anyone had noticed, and Casey stuck her head back in her locker, grabbing her books and slamming the door. Derek still looked perplexed as she walked by him on the way to her next class. Like clockwork, she thought, mildly amused that she could predict him so well. If only all aspects of Derek's personality were as easy to predict as his behavior around girls. Shaking her head, she walked into her classroom.
When Casey came home, it was obvious Nora and George were conspiring. Walking into the kitchen, it wasn't difficult to guess their intentions.
"Hey, Casey," her mom greeted warmly as she set her things on the floor. Nora had papers spread out on the table and a cookbook in her hands. George was on the phone, but glanced at his wife from time to time, smiling. Peeking at the opened cake recipe in front of Nora, Casey remembered, tomorrow is Derek's birthday. He hadn't brought it up, she noted with suprise, though he had been acting particularly smug for most of the day. Shifting the position of the papers so she could read them, Casey's eyebrows shot upward.
"You're buying him a car?" she asked, shocked and slightly irate. "Why?"
Nora looked up and made shushing motions before remembering Derek was still at hockey practice. "We thought it would be a nice surprise." Noting the disapproval on Casey's face, she added, "It is a used car."
Casey let her face relax, but still argued. "Mom, it's Derek. He gets bad grades, he never helps out and he lives to break the rules. He's not responsible enough to own a car."
"Now Casey," her mother attempted to satiate her, "His grades have improved. Slightly," she amended. "And he's already in line for a hockey scholarship, so we won't have to pay for university in two years." Casey remained unconvinced, and Nora told her firmly, "George and I have discussed this in length and decided it's best. Besides," she added, "Won't it be nice to have someone your own age with a car?" Casey quite doubted her own benefit from the arrangement, but kept that to herself. Her mom did look rather proud of herself, after all.
"I guess," Casey said unenthusiastically. Her mother smiled, pleased, and returned to checking ingredients. Sure that the required substances were in their kitchen, she put the book away.
George clicked off the phone and nodded. "Insurance is set up." Gathering the car papers, he shuffled them into a semi-organized pile and slid them into his briefcase. Annoyed, Casey walked out of the room. Sitting on the couch, she pulled a book off the coffee table and began to read.
Eventually glancing at the clock, Casey abandoned her book and turned on the TV. Derek would be home any minute and she would never finish a book when he commandeered the television. Besides, her favorite sitcom started soon. Until then, she flipped through the channels before settling on a documentary about the life of a ballet shoe.
Derek walked in halfway through her sitcom. Instead of dropping his bag by the door per usual, he carried into the laundry room, where the sound of the washer soon started. Casey raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. His gear did have to wash sometime, even if he usually left it dirty for far too long. Drawn by the unusual sound—at least for that time of day—Nora entered the room just as Derek returned.
"What happened?" she asked worriedly, catching sight of a long jagged cut across his cheek. She approached, hovering protectively beside her stepson. Casey turned, also noting blood smattered across Derek's shirt.
Derek waved Nora away, looking slightly surprised at her concern. "I got slammed into the boards." He shrugged to prove its insignificance. "Really, Nora, it's fine," he promised when she refused to give up, then sighed and reluctantly allowed her to see. Grabbing his face gently, Nora examined the wound before agreeing with Derek's evaluation. "Told you," Derek said, then turned and trudged up the stairs. Nora sighed when he left and returned to the kitchen. Casey glanced from the stairs to the kitchen, confused, before returning to her show.
Derek jogged down the steps not ten minutes later, wet from the shower. Vaulting over the arm of the chair he landed in his normal seat. "This is chick TV," he complained, noting her fixation. She waved him off and he reached over to grab the remote. Luckily for Casey, the credits started rolling and a voice announced the following programs. Derek shrugged, okay with the next show, and settled back in his chair, leaving Casey with the remote. The theme song had just started playing when Casey noted movement from the stairs. Marti walked into the room looking purposeful and clambered onto Derek's lap, rocking the chair at the uneven weight distribution. Ignoring the unsteady perch, she leaned against her brother, watching his face intently.
"Derek, what was Mommy doing here?" Marti asked as solemnly as Casey had ever seen her. Casey watched the Derek's eyes widen briefly, wondering exactly how little George had told his daughter. Apparently Marti had been debating the question all weekend. Lost in her musings, it took Casey a moment to realize Marti had called her brother by his name.
"She just needed to tell me something," he said vaguely.
"Was she mean to you?" Marti asked anxiously.
"Now, Smarti," Derek admonished, attempting to lift the mood. "Would I let someone be mean to me?"
Marti shook her head, but regardless she leaned forward and wrapped her brother in a somber hug. "I love you, Smerek."
"I love you, too, Smarti," his voice held affection and slight melancholy.
Marti reached up to gently touch his face, almost as if to sooth his worries, and Casey wondered just how perceptive the youngest Venturi was. Perhaps they had all underestimated her.
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Sorry it's been a few days. My updates may slow a bit (like every two or three days instead of every day). We do have twenty-six extra people coming to our house Tuesday, so I don't know how steady my updates will be this week. Depends on my free time in school, I suppose (tehehee). Anyway, let me know what you think. (Reviews are addictive, has anyone noticed? When no one reads your stories it's easy to say 'you don't have to review' but actually getting reviews makes you want more. Reviews are the new crack. Le sigh. And I am its newest addict.)