Author's Note I would appreciate reviews! For the next three days I will be unable to get onto the computer due to family issues, but chapter 22 and 24 will come out this thursday!

For those who forgot...remember what Marti said to Casey about calling her Smasey?

Disclaimer I own nothing.

Derek was in front of school waiting, smiling, smirking, tilting his body in his calm, cool, patience. His eyes followed her up to him.

"What are you so happy about?" She asked him, hoping to break his arrogant stance.

"Cleaning this weekend." Casey started laughing hysterically. Her nerves were wrecked at this point in the day and anything he may have said would have made her crack. Derek gave a short laugh.

"Seriously? You've got to be kidding me." She stated to him forcefully. He had no time to respond though as Nora pulled up to the front of school and Derek jumped for the front seat before Casey could even start for the car. Frustrated, she sighed and walked to the other side to get in the back seat behind her mom.

"How was school Casey?" Nora asked sweetly. Casey let out a sigh. She hadn't really paid much attention to school. Her thoughts were totally absorbed into one guy, one letter, one pinnacle moment in her life that could change her whole view of life and love. Especially if it was Derek.

Especially.

"School, was…School was great mom! I had a great chat with Emily about secrets." Casey was trying to provoke Derek. If it was Derek he would have to react. That, or he was better at keeping his cool.

Or it just wasn't him.

In the back of Casey's mind an iron lung sounded out to her saying that there was no way it wasn't Derek. She was tired of avoiding it. Again, she submitted to thoughts of Derek.

"Oh really? What kind of secrets." Nora responded interestedly.

"Mystery-men. I of course can't tell any of the secrets to you because they're secrets." Derek shifted in the front seat and looked out the window. Casey let a smirk streak across her face. She was watching Derek for a couple of minutes as her mom carried a conversation with Derek about his day. He didn't have much to say but Nora let out many words. She was rather enthused about her vacation, and showering appreciation to both of them for taking care of the kids and so far not putting up too much of an argument about cleaning together.

Casey hadn't heard a word. Her eyes were on his book bag where there were several forest green threads. They were stuck in his front zipper. I don't understand any of his reasons for liking me. I just don't get him. It's all one big misunderstanding. We would never work out anyways. Sure he's…great with kids, funny, charming, but he's no where near clean, has strange morals…and I'm almost positive he would leave a funny after-taste because all of his antics leave funny after-tastes. Of course they are usually the kind that flitter in your stomach…if you're like me you ignore them. Out of fear, out of morality, out of anything because my reasons are excuses…they're fake. They're lies.

And now I've told more lies to myself than anyone I've ever known.

Tension.

Pain.

Fear.

My morals that came crashing down a long time ago were only supported by the thin thread that was connected to the marriage of my mother and his father.

And I never saw him as a brother. He was more the annoying roommate, the noisy neighbor, the class clown of the dinner table, and the one person who drove me crazy in a bad AND a good way.

"Well in any case, make sure you guys actually clean each room together. I have my pre-teen spies on you guys and I know they'd love to see you grounded and doing their chores because you didn't do them together." Derek nodded his head and turned to the silent Casey. "You hear that Case?" Nora asked while keeping her eyes on the road.

"Yeah. For the most part. I don't think I'll have a problem with the cleaning like Derek will."

"Don't forget to do your guy's rooms too." Derek gulped.

"What?!" They yelped out in unison.

"Oh…sorry I forgot to mention that part. I was just so excited about my vacation." Nora let out a laugh and Casey's heart fell weak. She had so many private things in her room that Derek would be free to touch, and it wasn't like it was even messy anyways. I could just play off that. He's not going to be aloud in my room.

"I really don't want Casey in my room. Can we just clean our rooms separately?" Derek asked in a relatively ignorant tone.

"Sorry, but no can do." Nora seemed too jovial about it all. Probably the vacation still. Casey no longer trusted anyone. They were all plotting in her opinion. Her heart raced, and her palms became damp. Casey wiped them off and grabbed her things as they rounded the corner onto the street their house was on.

George was packing their suitcases into 'The Prince' and Lizzie was helping. Edwin was in the doorway with Marti just watching Lizzie. Casey rolled her eyes.

Lazy Venturi's.

Derek and Casey got out of the car and Nora was fumbling with papers, still seated in the driver's seat.

Marti got a huge dorky grin on her face and she ran quickly toward Casey and Derek, her arms stretched out. Casey kept walking while Derek stopped, because they both assumed Marti was running toward Derek.

Marti got to Casey and hit Casey's legs hard with her chest and wrapped her arms around her.

"Smasey!" She yelled upward. It was a little awkward for Casey, but she set her book bag down and lifted Marti in the air.

"You're getting heavy!" Casey said forcefully, still lifting her in the air. She turned to Derek who was smirking. He crossed his arms.

"I know!" Marti's face was too adorable. Casey melted, and Derek reached over and took Marti out of her arms, and Casey willingly complied because she wasn't the strongest big step-sister in the world.

"Hi Smerek!"

"Smarti! How's my little munchkin!" She gave Derek a thumbs up. He would make such a great dad. Derek really isn't a bad guy…Maybe I was really, really wrong this time…I know I've been wrong before…but I'm usually a great judge of character. The voice of reason chimed in and she realized how many bad judgments of character she had made in her lifetime. Lizzie and Edwin were heard in the background chuckling. Casey snapped out of her trance of Derek's fatherly behavior.

After dinner and when everything was packed into 'The Prince' Nora and George said their quick goodbyes and left. Derek turned to the four of them and Casey remembered when George and Nora left them in charge and he threw a party. Casey swore before Derek even said a word if he ordered her around so he could throw a party the official gauntlets would be thrown down and she would tackle his lord scrappiness.

"Kids, you guys can go watch T.V. while me and Casey do the cleaning upstairs. When we are done up there you will go to your rooms and sleep because it will probably take us till your bedtime to finish it." Casey's mouth gaped open.

"You've got to be kidding me." She let out in almost a whisper because she was so astonished that it must be a fantasy.

"Don't you know me? I mean what I say, it's the practical jokes you shouldn't take seriously." With a smirk, Derek turned from Casey and headed upstairs. Edwin looked at Casey with a knowing look and Lizzie simply stared after Derek as confused as Casey.

But then again…Maybe Derek/No Name has a plan to win me over so I fall for Derek and not No Name…or he doesn't want to do it tomorrow because he wants to do something special tomorrow…should I try to figure this out?

"You coming Casey?" Derek called down the stairs, "I know how you love cleaning and you're going to miss out while I peek in your journal!" She turned red and Marti laughed.

Casey ran up the stairs screaming after Derek.