Author's Note: Special thanks to those who sent me get well wishes, I really appreciate it... and the reviews of course as well! I'm feeling a bit better today, although I slept most of the day :-p I don't have much else to do but stay in bed for the next few days, so hopefully I'll be updating more often. Okay, enough rambling, here's the next chapter. Enjoy:-)
I don't know what I was doing. Why I was exposing my secret. Why I was telling the girl I surreptitiously had fallen for—my stepsister—that I loved her. What the hell was I on? Why couldn't I keep my stupid big mouth shut? How had she pulled it out of me?
I stared at her, not knowing what to do for the first time in my life. I never felt so completely naked, and I hated the feeling.
So I got angry.
Angry at myself, feeling betrayed by my voice. Angry at Casey, for getting so goddamn under my skin. Angry at my Dad for marrying Nora. Hell, I was mad at the world.
"Dammit!" I yelled, causing Casey to jump. I stormed out of the room, slamming her door closed.
What was I thinking?
Come on, Derek, get it together, I slammed my own door and paced around the room. You're always the calm, cool, collected one. You always know what to do, no matter what the situation. You're Derek Venturi.
But Derek Venturi had never had these confusing feelings before.
I cursed and sat down on my bed, my head in my hands, trying to think. My head was pounding.
"Derek?" I heard Edwin's voice as the door opened an inch. I looked over and he peeked his head in at me.
"What," I stated crossly.
He came into the room. "Did…you and Casey have a fight?" he looked perplexed at how obviously worked up I was. So not like me.
"Forget about it, Edwin," I muttered, scrubbing my face in my hands. I ran a hand through my hair and stood up again. "I'm going outside," I mumbled and walked past him.
It was still pretty sunny out, so I pulled on my shades as I walked out in the sand. Dad and Nora were taking a walk along the shore together, Marti skipping ahead of them, collecting seashells. Lizzie was lying down in Casey's lounge chair, reading a book.
I stared out at the ocean and sighed. Derek Venturi, master of practically the entire universe... stumped.