Disclaimer: I got nothing.
Chapter Twenty-One: The Strategy Session and The Stripper
The next day, Derek, Edwin, Sam and Ralph were all sitting at Sam's place plotting their strategy. Derek had filled Sam and Ralph in on what was happening at Alex's parties, and they were both shocked. Sam was out for blood as the thought of someone hurting Casey made him want to bash their face in, and although Ralph wasn't really close to Casey, he was right on board with them. "Dude, that is so not cool." When told about the alleged assaults. Derek and Edwin decided to keep Amy's name out of it, figuring the girl already had enough problems.
They were in Sam's room with the door shut and locked, because Sam's little sister Elaine tended to walk in at the most inopportune times. They had gone over a series of scenarios and were brainstorming ways to catch the scumbags in the act. "So, I'm thinking that as much as I hate the idea, we're gonna have to let Casey go to that party." Derek was saying.
Edwin's head snapped toward Derek. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah, I mean, none of us are invited, and that would be our way in." Derek paused. "My problem is how we are going to get access to the evidence. I mean, we already know that they have some sort of sex-for-drugs operation going on, but I'm still not sure about the drugging-innocent-girls-and-then-assaulting-them part. I hate to say this, but I almost wish that they have been recording themselves on that part too; for proof, you know?" Derek rubbed his head. He was getting a headache.
Sam chimed in. "Dude, it's not like they're gonna have the tapes – if there even is any – right next to the family movies. I mean, the dickhead lives in a mansion. He's probably got them in a safe or something. And if he does, how are we supposed to get to them?"
Ralph was scratching his head, thinking about all that was being said. "Hey! I got an idea!" Everyone looked at him, waiting. He sat there for a moment, "I lost it."
Sam and Edwin groaned and Derek rolled his eyes. "Focus, Ralph. This is serious."
Ralph looked hurt. "Dude, I can't help it if I'm A.D.D.!"
They spent the next few hours brainstorming, bickering and hammering out their plan for the party, which was in two days. When they came up with something that everyone mostly agreed on, Derek and Edwin got up to leave. "Guys, no matter what happens, if we don't get the evidence to nail those assholes, the most important thing is to keep Casey from getting hurt. It would just be easier if we could expose what kind of guy Brett really is so she can see it with her own eyes and be done with him."
Sam and Ralph agreed, nodding solemnly. "OK. We'll meet here at 8:30 then head over there. Cool?" Derek looked to everyone for affirmation. They all agreed.
It was all set. Derek just hoped that everything went as planned and no one got hurt.
But when did Derek's plans ever run smoothly?
Casey had just finished work and was walking home when a car pulled up next to her and the driver beeped the horn, making Casey jump about a mile in the air. She whipped around, prepared to start bitching someone out, when she noticed that it was Derek and Edwin in the Prince. "Der-rek!" she growled. The boys laughed and continued up the road.
Casey shook her head, but she couldn't stay mad for long. Not when Edwin was hanging out the passenger side window smiling and waving at her.
They were at dinner (no Sally for once!), and Nora and George were talking about baby names. They still didn't know what they were having, and they kept going back and forth on whether or not they wanted to find out. As usual, each member of the family had a different opinion.
"What about Daphne if it's a girl?" Marti asked.
Nora smiled. "Marti, wouldn't it be kind of confusing if we had two Daphnes in the house?" Nora was, of course, referring to Marti's invisible friend.
"No. That's why I suggested it! I thought it would be a nice thing if we could name the baby after her . . ." Marti trailed off when she saw the looks on everyone's faces. "Maybe not."
Lizzie chimed in. "Well, how about Lola? I've always loved that name."
Derek scowled. "Lola? That sounds like a stripper's name!" Edwin laughed.
Casey glared at Derek. "That is such a generalization! That strippers would have bimbo names? You know, they're people too, Derek; trying to pay their bills. They have goals, dreams . . ." She paused, noticing that everyone had stopped eating and was staring at her. "What?"
Nora spoke. "Well, Casey, I'm glad to see you sticking up for someone, but why strippers? I mean, there are other people more worthy of your indignation."
Casey looked down at her plate and said nothing.
Edwin spoke next. "Yeah, it seems to me that strippers are just people who take the easy way out to make money. They could get a job doing anything, but taking your clothes off, well, anyone can do that. It doesn't take any talent."
Casey's face was burning and she hoped no one noticed.
"What's a stripper?" Marti asked, chasing peas around her plate with a spoon.
George and Nora looked at each other with matching expressions of 'Oh great!'
Derek, Edwin and Lizzie cracked up, but Casey remained silent. "Can I be excused?" she asked.
Nora glanced at Casey's plate, then at Casey. "Sure honey. Are you feeling OK? You didn't eat much."
"I'm fine, mom. Just tired." Casey rose and took her plate into the kitchen, rinsing it and putting it into the dishwasher. She heard the rest of the family throwing out name ideas and laughing as she sighed and headed up to her room.
An hour later, Casey was lying on her bed reading when a knock sounded on her door. "Come in," she said, her eyes not leaving the page.
The door opened and Edwin walked in. "Uh, hey Case." He stood there awkwardly.
Casey marked her spot and put the book on her bedside table. "What's up?" She said, noticing that Edwin looked nervous.
"Uh, I was just, uh, wondering if everything was OK." His eyes were focusing somewhere above her head.
"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Casey said curiously.
"You left the dinner table pretty quick. I thought you might be ready to hurl or something." Edwin said, shuffling from foot to foot.
Casey looked at Edwin and smiled. He really was too cute. Just when she thought he was a man, he would surprise her and act all child-like. It warmed her heart to know that he was concerned for her. However, her mind went to the conversation from dinner and the smile slid off her face. She had an idea.
"Ed, what are you doing right now?" She asked him.
He looked confused. "I'm talking to you."
Casey laughed. "No, I mean, are you doing anything for the rest of the night?"
Edwin's eyes widened and he looked at his watch. It was 8:00 p.m. "No, I don't have any plans. Why?" He was very curious now, and a little excited, to tell the truth. Any time he got to spend with Casey was alright with him.
"Will you come somewhere with me?" Casey asked her eyes serious.
"Uh, sure. Where?"
"I'll tell ya when we get there, but first, I have to figure out something to tell mom and George." Casey got up and started pacing.
Edwin stood watching her, getting more curious by the second. She stopped and faced him. "Go get ready and I'll meet you by the back door in 10 minutes." She went out the door and bounded down the stairs.
"What do I need to wear?" He called down after her.
"What you've got on is fine!" She called back.
'Then I'm ready.' He smiled and went into the bathroom to brush his teeth. 'You never know . . .' he thought to himself, smirking at his reflection in the mirror.
Casey bounded down the stairs and passed Lizzie, Marti and Derek, who were watching something on TV. She entered the empty kitchen and headed for the basement. Not wanting a repeat of a few weeks earlier, she made as much noise as she could walking down the stairs to alert her mom and George that someone was approaching. She didn't care to hear them having sex again.
The door was open, so she figured she was safe. However, she stopped outside the room and knocked on the door jamb. "Mom?" She called. Casey didn't even dare to stick her head around the corner for fear of seeing naked flesh.
Her mom appeared in front of her. "Hi honey. Do you need something?"
Casey geared herself up to lie. "Mom, I've got a huge craving for chocolate, but we don't have any in the house. I want to run to the store and pick something up. Is that OK with you?"
Nora mulled this over. "Is it OK with Derek? He doesn't need the car for anything, does he?"
Casey was slightly annoyed at being reminded that the car was not her own. She and Derek had to constantly coordinate their schedules and shuffle things around in order for them to share the Prince.
"I don't think so. He's upstairs watching something on TV with Marti and Lizzie. It looks like he's in for the night."
"Well, it's OK with me if it's OK with him." Nora said, turning back into the room. She seemed to think of something and turned back. "Be safe, though honey." Nora's eyes lit up with an idea. "Hey! Why don't you take Edwin with you? That way I won't have to worry about you going off alone at this time of night."
Casey refrained from laughing. 'As if 8 p.m. was the middle of the night or something!' Casey sighed dramatically. "Well, if I have to." She turned and headed up the stairs, smiling to herself. 'Well, that worked out better than I thought it would!'
Edwin was waiting by the door when she got to the top of the stairs. He didn't notice her at first, and she studied him as he stood there and combed his hair with his fingers, trying to brush it out of his eyes. Casey's stomach flipped. 'That hair!' She licked her lips and snuck up on him. She put her hands on his shoulders and whispered in his ear. "Boo."
He jumped slightly and whipped around. He grabbed her arms to steady himself. They looked at each other for a moment before Casey spoke. "We're good to go. Let me get my shoes from the foyer and we'll take off." She left Edwin there and headed into the living room. Derek, Marti and Lizzie were still there, engrossed in whatever it was they were watching. Casey headed past them and grabbed her flip-flops. As she headed back, she threw over to Derek, "I'm taking the car for a bit. I'll be right back." She hoped he wouldn't feel the need to give her the third degree. She didn't have much time.
Derek grunted around a mouthful of chips and Casey took that as her signal to get the heck out of there. She speed-walked to the back door and grabbed Edwin's arm, pulling him with her. Together they headed to the car, got in and sped away.
It wasn't until later that Derek realized Casey wasn't alone.
As soon as they were out of the driveway, Casey pulled out her phone and made a call. "Hey," Casey said to whoever was on the other end. "I'm coming over, and I'm not alone." She paused, and then continued. "Yeah, I know you have to work tonight, I won't be long." She said nothing and Edwin assumed that she was listening. "Cool. Be there soon." She hung up and continued driving. Edwin noticed that they were heading into the scummy part of town, passing empty strip malls and dilapidated houses. The lawns were overgrown and garbage littered the street.
"Case, where are we going?" Edwin asked, glancing at Casey, whose eyes were intent on the road.
"We're almost there." She said nothing after that.
A few minutes later, Casey pulled up in front of a dumpy-looking apartment building. It was made of cinder block that had been painted beige. However, the paint was flaking off, making the whole building look depressing. The lawn was weedy and a few of the windows were boarded up. On some of the windows that Edwin guessed were occupied apartments, sheets and blankets were used as curtains. They walked to the door and Casey pushed a button. The buzzer sounded, and the door clicked open. They entered and Casey led Edwin up a flight of stairs. They went to the second floor, stopping in front of #205. Casey looked at Edwin and knocked on the door.
A few seconds later, the door opened and a hand reached out, pulling Casey in. "What are you just standing there for? Come in!" A girl's voice sounded. Edwin remained outside the apartment, watching as a dark-haired girl tightly hugged Casey. Casey hugged her back and kissed her on the cheek.
Casey stepped back from the girl and faced Edwin. "Edwin, this is my friend Ashley. Ashley, this is my step-brother Edwin." Casey waved for Edwin to come in. He entered and stuck out his hand to Ashley, who shot Casey a glance that said, 'So this is the hot younger step, eh?' Casey smiled. She and Ashley were getting so close that they no longer needed words to communicate with one another.
Ashley grabbed Edwin's hand and yanked him to her, giving him a big hug, startling Edwin. He looked at Casey over Ashley's shoulder with wide eyes. After a minute, his arms went around Ashley and he lightly hugged her back. Casey had a big smile on her face. She was glad that two very important people in her life met each other. She didn't like having to keep Ashley a secret.
Ashley stepped out of Edwin's arms and waved them over to the couch. "Sit, sit. Do you guys want anything? Water? Soda? Beer?" She said as she headed to the fridge.
Edwin looked at Casey. "I'll have a beer," he called out.
Casey looked at Ed sharply. "Uh, no he won't, Ash. Bring him a water instead. The last thing I need is to bring him home with alcohol on his breath. I'll be grounded until I'm 90."
'Oh well, I tried.' thought Edwin, smirking at Casey.
Ashley returned with three waters. Handing one to Casey and Edwin, she sat down in the chair opposite them. "So, to what do I owe this impromptu visit?" She asked, looking at Casey.
Casey thought for a moment. She couldn't explain on the phone to Ashley why she decided to bring Edwin over to meet her tonight, but after the conversation about strippers at dinner, and Edwin's take on it, Casey just couldn't let that stand. She didn't think it was fair for Edwin to be making judgments about someone who he has never met. Sure, Casey knew that there were probably strippers out there who were lazy and had dumb names, but Ashley wasn't one of them. Edwin needed to know that he couldn't go around talking smack when he didn't know what the hell he was talking about.
Casey snapped out of her reverie to find both Edwin and Ashley staring at her, waiting for an answer. "Oh, sorry. Um, I was just bored and I wanted to come see you. I decided to bring Ed along with me. I mean, no one in my family has met you yet, and I figured I should change that." She smiled at Ashley.
Ashley took a sip of her water, then smiled back. "Well, you know I will always make time for you, Case." Her eyes penetrated Casey's and she felt like Ashley was trying to tell her something. She shivered.
For almost an hour, Casey, Edwin and Ashley talked and laughed together, Ashley being her normal bouncy and fun self, asking Ed all sorts of questions about his life; from what he liked to do, to his plans for the future, to his love life (which made Edwin blush). Casey could tell that Edwin liked Ashley and the thought made Casey extremely happy. Hopefully this would change Edwin's view about judging people before knowing them.
They were laughing about something Edwin said when Ashley looked at her watch. "Oh geez, I have to get ready for work." She jumped up and headed toward the bedroom. "Hey Case, I need your help with something, can you come in here?"
Casey looked at Edwin and got up. "Sure. I'll be back." She threw at Edwin before following Ashley into her room.
Ashley shut the door and leaned against it. "Wow Case. You weren't kidding. That brother of yours is a cutie!" She was being dramatic, fanning herself with her hand like she was hot.
Casey laughed. "I know. I find myself daydreaming quite a bit . . ." She looked off into space for a moment, then shook herself out of it.
Ashley looked at Casey with a serious expression. "You know he's in love with you, right?"
If it was possible to choke on air, Casey did it. "What?" She backed up until her legs hit the bed and she sat down shakily.
Ashley came over and sat next to her on the bed. "Don't tell me you didn't know." She put her hand on Casey's thigh, rubbing it for comfort.
Casey put her hand over Ashley's and grasped it. "How do you know that? How can you tell?" She couldn't catch her breath. How was it possible for Ashley to know how Edwin felt about Casey? She just met him tonight!
"Sweetie, because I know these things. And frankly, I can't blame the guy. You are a wonderful person, a great friend, fun, beautiful, sexy . . ." Ashley caught herself and stopped. "Anyway, I could tell by the way he looked at you. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure it out."
"Well, then, I must be a total blockhead, because I had no idea." Casey said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Oh god, what am I going to do?"
Ashley put her arm around Casey and squeezed. "Who says you have to do anything?"
Casey pulled away with a surprised look on her face. "What do you mean? I can't just do nothing! I mean, I don't want to string him along or hurt him. That would kill me." She sighed and lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Ashley lay back with her, turning her head to look at Casey's face. "Well, I guess you have to ask yourself: What are your feelings for him?" She paused. "Then whatever the answer is, you make a decision and go from there." She reached over and brushed a lock of hair out of Casey's face.
Casey turned and looked at Ashley. "How did this happen? I mean, it was just supposed to be harmless flirting! I never meant for it to go so far . . ." Casey turned her body and burrowed into Ashley's chest, her arms winding around her waist. "I don't know what to do. I mean, if it's true, I'm not exactly free to do anything about it. I have a boyfriend, and of course, there's Derek . . ." She said, her voice muffled by Ashley's shirt.
"Shhhhh. Calm down, hon. You know," Ashley paused, tilting Casey's chin up with her finger, "There is a possibility, however slight it may be, that I'm wrong on this." Casey went to open her mouth to say something, but Ashley put her finger over Casey's lips. "I'm just saying, it could be that I'm totally off base on this issue. Just something to think about."
Casey felt marginally better hearing that. She disengaged herself from Ashley and sat up, wiping her eyes. "I need to let you get ready for work."
Ashley, too, got up from the bed and went to her closet, picking out items and throwing them into her duffel bag. "You know, sometime you're going to have to come see me dance. I would love for you to see where I work." Ashley finished packing and headed to the door, her hand on the knob. "Case, I'm sorry if what I said upset you. It was just so obvious to me, and I guess I assumed that you already knew how he felt. I hope you're not mad at me." She looked at Casey, pleading with her eyes.
Casey wasn't mad at Ashley, just shocked about the whole situation (if it was true). She had some serious thinking to do.
"I'm not mad. How can I be mad at you? You're my BFF." They smiled at each other. "Come here," Casey said, opening her arms.
Eyes bright with happiness, Ashley stepped forward into Casey's arms and they hugged tightly, enjoying the closeness of their relationship.
Meanwhile, Edwin was getting antsy on the couch, wondering what was taking so long and what they were doing in there in the first place. He continued to sweep his eyes around the apartment. The outside of the joint looked pretty bad, but he was impressed at how nice Ashley kept it inside. He wondered why she chose to live in a dump like this in a shitty neighborhood. 'Of course', he thought, 'maybe this is all she can afford.'
A moment later, the door to the bedroom opened and Ashley and Casey appeared with big smiles on their faces. Edwin rose at the sight of them, although he didn't know why. Ashley walked up to Edwin and gave him another hug. "Edwin. It was so nice to meet you. Any family of Casey's is family of mine. You are welcome here anytime."
Edwin liked this girl. She was bubbly, fun, smart, and very attractive. Oh, he hadn't overlooked her extreme good looks. The girl exuded sexuality, but not in a whore-y way.
"Thanks. I appreciate that." Edwin smiled at Ashley.
Casey threaded her arm through Edwin's and pulled him to the door. "Come on, Ed. We have to get going because Ash has got to get to work."
Ashley collected the rest of the things she would need and they all walked out together. "So, where do you work, Ashley?" Edwin asked politely.
Ashley glanced at Edwin as she unlocked her car. "Call me Ash. I'm a dancer."
Edwin thought about that for a moment. What kind of dancer would be just now going to work at . . . he looked at watch . . . 9:15 p.m.? "Oh?" He said. "Where do you dance at?"
"It's a club called 'Pleasures'" Ashley paused, smirking, "Cheesy name, I know. But hey, I just work there."
This hit Edwin like a ton of bricks. He had heard of "Pleasures", his friends often making jokes about wanting to go there and see the "hos" shake their tits for money. He didn't know what to say and instead just nodded his head.
Casey noticed Edwin's discomfort and jumped in. "Hey hon. Thank you so much for letting us pop by on such short notice. I hope we don't make you late."
Ashley dropped her stuff into the front passenger seat. "Absolutely not. Don't worry about it. I do have to jet though. I'll call you tomorrow, OK?" Ashley said, directing the last part at Casey.
"Sure thing. Have a great night. I hope you make lots of money." Casey said, waving.
"Me too, babe. Me too." With that, Ashley started her "Demolition Derby" car (as she called it) and took off down the road, her hand waving back at them through the window.
Casey and Edwin got into the Prince and headed for home, neither saying much. Edwin suddenly turned his body toward Casey and said, "I get it now."
Casey glanced over at him for a moment before returning her eyes to the road. "What do you get?" She asked hopefully.
"This is about what I said at dinner, and why you were so defensive about strippers." Edwin said matter-of-factly.
Casey smiled. Edwin was no dummy. He caught on pretty fast. "Yes, it was. It bothered me a lot that you were making snap judgments about someone just because of their profession. It's ignorant and lazy."
Edwin nodded, saying nothing.
Casey looked over at him. "Ed, I'm not mad at you, OK? I just wanted you to meet the best person that I've met in a while, who just so happens to be a stripper."
Edwin sighed at then spoke. "Case, I'm sorry for what I said at dinner. Of course, I was talking out of my ass again. I do that a lot. Forgive me?" He gave Casey his best puppy dog face.
Casey wanted to pull the car over and jump him when he looked at her like that, but of course, she refrained. Instead, she giggled and reached over and squeezed his leg with her hand.
They pulled up to the house and Casey shut off the car. 'I think I'm having déjà vu', she thought to herself, remembering the day she and Edwin had gone to the mall together. "Case," Edwin's voice sounded in her ear, "I like Ashley. And in the future, I will not make judgments about someone before meeting them."
He sounded so sincere that Casey felt her chest was going to explode with pride. 'This is why I like him so much. He actually admits when he's wrong and vows to change.' She couldn't help it. She leaned over and grabbed Edwin in a tight hug, burying her face in his shoulder. "That's all I wanted, Ed."
Edwin hugged back, his heart soaring at their closeness. He ached to kiss her but he didn't want to freak her out. They both moved apart and looked at each other, Casey staring at him like she was trying to figure out what he was thinking. It made him slightly uncomfortable. "What?" He asked uneasily.
Casey still said nothing, instead leaning forward again. Her eyes moved to his lips and her tongue darted out to wet her own. Edwin's breathing increased as he realized that she was going to kiss him. 'Oh god, oh god, don't blow this, Ed.' He was thinking to himself.
Casey's hand came up and cupped his cheek, her eyes falling closed. Edwin didn't want to close his eyes. He wanted to watch Casey as she leaned into him. He wanted to memorize this moment and imprint it on his brain forever. He could feel her breath on him now, a little bit more . . .
"Hey!" A voice startled them both and they jumped apart. Casey frantically looked around until she found the source. It was Marti, who was standing on the front porch, her hands on her hips. "Are you guys coming in or what? Nora said you went to go get chocolate, and I was wondering if you got any for me."
Casey and Edwin looked at each other, remembering that they were supposed to go to the store. 'Oops'. They exited the car and walked up the cement approaching the house. "Uh, sorry Marti, but we ate it all on the way home."
Marti looked at them closely, her examination making both Casey and Edwin squirm. "Hmmmm. I don't see any chocolate on your faces." She grabbed each of their hands. "None on your hands either. Well, that's suspicious." Sometimes Marti sounded so much like an adult it was scary.
Edwin looked at Casey, then answered. "What's suspicious?"
Marti dropped their hands. "Well, no one I know can eat chocolate without getting it all over their faces and hands. I'm just sayin'." She turned around and went into the house, slamming the door behind her.
Edwin and Casey stood on the porch, too shell-shocked to say anything. They turned and looked at each other before cracking up. Pretty soon, they were laughing their asses off and grabbing each other for support so they wouldn't fall down. "We always have so much fun together," Casey said breathlessly.
Edwin agreed. "That's because you're a fun person to hang out with. And it goes without saying that I'm a very entertaining person." Edwin puffed out his chest.
Casey laughed again, then looked around. Before he knew it, Casey's lips were on his, pressing firmly and softly at the same time. 'How does she do that?' he thought hazily. His eyes closed and his arms went up to surround her, but he was too slow, and Casey had already moved away. "Come on, let's get in before the 'rents call out the Mounties for us." She squeezed his hand and they both went inside.
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