I told you that I'd try and get this chapter up ASAP. I'm still working on where this story is headed, but I've got the gist of it. Now here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Life with Derek.

When Friday afternoon came around, Derek drove Casey and himself home like any normal day. The car ride was quite typical in itself, to be honest. They exchanged insults, Derek expressed his anger through his horrible road rage and Casey made snide comments, bringing them back to square one. Once they finally got home, Casey went straight to Lizzie's room.

"Lizzie, it's me," Casey said as she knocked on the door.

"Come in," Lizzie shouted from her bed.

Casey walked in and smiled at her sister, "Are you busy?"

"Does it look like I am?"

Casey laughed and shrugged her shoulders, "Not really. I was just wondering if you wanted to go shopping with me. I need to buy my prom dress."

Lizzie thought for a few seconds and nodded her head, "Sure. Where are we going though?"

"The mall downtown…No one ever goes there so there's less of a chance of someone getting the same dress!"

"Clever. What time do you want to leave?"

"How about in half an hour?"

Lizzie nodded her head again, "Sounds good to me."

"Alright. Thanks, Lizzie!"

Casey went to her own room so that she could get ready for the mall. She was too lazy to change out of her jeans and decided to just wear a different shirt instead. Humming a random tune, she opened her closet, chose a shirt and began to change. Then fate stepped in…Or rather, Derek.

"Case, you left your--" Derek walked into her room, holding out her backpack before realizing that he had just walked in on his stepsister changing.

"DEREK!" Casey screamed, jumping into her closet because it was the first idea that popped into her head during this moment of crisis.

Derek stood there, frozen where he was as the current scene registered in his head. It wasn't like it was his first time seeing Casey in a bra because the family had gone swimming over the summer and she usually wore a bikini top. But then again, she was in the water 99 percent of the time, so he only saw it the ten seconds before she got in and the twenty seconds on her way out. Derek still had her backpack in his hands and he shook his head quickly back into reality.

"Backpack. You left it in my car," Derek said, walking towards the closet.

"DEREK VENTURI, DON'T YOU DARE TAKE ANOTHER STEP!" Casey yelled from behind the clothes in her closet, hiding from him very well.

He laughed and threw her bag on the ground, sitting himself on her bed, "Jeez, I'm not going to attack you or anything."

"Leave!" She said loudly in a high-pitched voice.

"I can't even see you, though!" Derek exclaimed with a laugh, finding it amusing that she was standing behind her clothes in her own closet.

Casey groaned and put her shirt on quickly before coming out with her hands placed on her hips, "What in the world is wrong with you?"

"Nothing, of course."

"You idiot!" She hit his arm and crossed her arms across her chest.

Derek rubbed his arm, "Ow! Abuse, I say."

"Do you not know what the word 'leave' means?"

"I don't know, do I?"

Casey hit him again, although this time on the side of his head, "Don't play smart with me!"

"I'm not! What are you getting ready for?"

"Lizzie and I are going shopping for my dress," She said, going back to her closet to get her other jacket.

"Really now? Why not Emily or Sammy?" Derek asked, bouncing up and down on her bed.

"Dentist appointment and busy," Casey walked towards the door and opened it, "It's time for you to leave now."

Derek walked out and let out an exaggerated sigh, "Fine, woman. Why are you so bossy?"

Casey rolled her eyes and closed the door on him.

---

Lizzie and Casey now stood on the second floor of the mall downtown, looking over the railing as they ate their pretzels. Even their plain pretzels were rather enjoyable after an hour and a half of searching for and trying on dresses. They eventually stuck with a black dress with olive green straps, an olive green trim around the middle, and the same green bow in the back. It was simple yet classy, just the look the Casey was shooting for.

Scanning the first floor, Lizzie pointed to a guy sitting in front of McDonalds, "Hey, isn't that Sam?"

Casey shot her sister a confused expression and looked to where she was pointing, "Yeah…Yeah, that's him."

"But I thought you said no one goes here."

"I didn't mean it literally. But that's odd … He said he was busy today."

Casey pulled out her cell phone, the same one that Derek bought her two years ago, and dialed Sam's number. From the top level, she saw her boyfriend take his phone out, look at the screen, and place it back in his pocket. Casey looked at him with an expression of anger, confusion, and sadness. But, mainly on the angry side.

"Did you see that?" Casey practically screamed.

Lizzie gulped, "Yeah, I did. Casey, don't overreact. It's probably not that big of a deal."

"That…that…"

Before she could find the right insult, Casey saw another figure wearing black hoodie walk over to Sam.

A girl. Sure, Casey couldn't see the face, but no guy had curves like the figure in the hoodie did.

Sam looked around before smiling at the girl and kissed her lightly on the lips. Casey could only stare at him in disbelief, hoping that what was happening wasn't really happening. Hopefully it was only her imagination. Lizzie, on the other hand, kept glancing nervously between her sister and the two people on the floor below them.

"Case, let's go. Casey…Let's go," Lizzie pleaded, not wanting her sister to do anything dumb.

Casey was clutching her pretzel so hard that it had turned into mush. She didn't want to believe that Sam was down there with some other girl. She didn't want to believe that Sam was down there KISSING some other girl. Sam. Her Sam. The Sam that never did anything horrible. Casey was convinced that he was a good person that was brought up with good morals because of his family of women. He wasn't a cheating, lying, ungrateful…Oh, but he was and Casey hated him for it. She stood up, grabbed her bags and began walking towards the parking lot. Lizzie was practically running to keep up with her pace.

"Casey?" Lizzie tugged on her sister's sleeve.

"I just want to get home."

Casey drove home, quickly but safely, not wanting to cry in front of her little sister for the millionth time. She had to show that she was strong, too. Once they got home, Casey ran to her room and grabbed her dog-stuffed animal by habit. She continued to repeat in her mind that it was just her imagination. Casey grabbed her phone and called up Emily, hoping her dentist appointment was over.

"Hello?" answered Emily, apparently in some crowded and loud area.

Casey sighed distinctly, "You're done at the dentist, right?"

"Uh…Dentist? Yeah, why?"

Before Casey could respond, she heard a familiar voice in the background asking, "I hope Coke is fine with you because I got Mountain Dew," followed by a familiar laugh.

Sam's laugh.

Cue Music: "Dun, dun, duuuuuun."
How'd you like that for a twist, eh?
Haha. Anyway, I'd still like to thank
these reviewers. It's nice knowing
that you have readers who keep up
with the story. So thanks to Chicas,
Ghostwriter, SethxSummer4Evah,
and lucky-starz06. I'm not kidding
when I say that your reviews are much
appreciated. Take care!

- Lina.

Another Disclaimer: If the cell phone part reminded you of something, its from The Eye 2. A movie that I did not like for I'm not one for horror films. But yes, the cell phone bit was from that movie.