I'm so sorry about how long it took me to update. I've been so busy with everything lately. Paintballing, youth group, New Years Eve, homework, etc. But, here's the next chapter because I couldn't just not update before school starts. I hope I can still update as often with the burden of school on my shoulders. Le sigh. Anyway, here you go!

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

Casey looked down at the dress she was wearing and bit her bottom lip before jumping back behind the door, her head still poking out.

"Nice?" she asked, "So I shouldn't buy it?"

Derek coughed and nodded his head, "You should buy it. Yes. Buy it."

Casey looked at him as if he were crazy and closed the door so that she could change back into her regular clothes. Derek, on the other hand, was running his hand nervously through his hair. He was trying to stay cool and figure out why he was so jittery. Was he jittery over Casey? Yeah right, like that would ever happen.

Once they bought the dress and returned back to the car, a million thoughts went through Derek's mind. Derek figured that he needed desperately to switch back into annoying stepbrother mode because he realized that he had been too nice lately and was nervous that Casey would realize it as well. The car ride home was completely silent and awkward for exactly seven minutes minutes. He had glanced at the clock many times, wanting to break the silence.

"So, your attitude…" Derek began, running his hand through his hair again.

Casey looked at him and defensively replied, "What about it?"

"Everything! Come on, you don't see it?"

"Oh, and I suppose you do?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Derek, replied smugly.

She crossed her arms over her chest by habit, "Enlighten me, then."

A smirk came across his face as he began, "All you care about are grades and your little feminist ideas which can be complete turn-offs for many guys, by the way. Guys like to feel a little powerful and those female frenzied 'beliefs' lower that sense of power. You use all these big words that aren't in any normal person's vocabulary. Plus, you talk back way too much and interfere when one is--"

"No, Derek. One, grades are important. Two, my 'female frenzied beliefs', as you called them, are supposed to lower that sense of male superiority. Third, I do not use big words. And fourth, that's only what I do to you," Casey interfered with a roll of her eyes.

"Why, thank you!" he said with an exaggerated smile.

"Idiot."

"Schmuck."

Casey raised an eyebrow before responding, "Schmuck?"

"Yeah, you know…"

"No, Derek, I don't know," she said in an amused tone.

He gripped the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles were turning whiter, "Well, then look it up in the dictionary, book worm."

"I am not a--"

"Yes, you are. Don't even deny it. How can one have straight A's and not be a bookworm? Tell me."

She tapped her fingers impatiently on the door handle as he turned onto their street, "You are so ignorant. At least Sam was educated and respected what I believed."

As Derek parallel parked by the sidewalk, he slammed his foot on the break, causing Casey to go forward before saying through clenched teeth, "Don't ever compare me to Sam."

Once they both got into the house, they each walked angrily to their own rooms. Naturally this involved bumping of shoulders on the staircase and threats to push the other over the railing and down the stairs. With the slamming of the doors, each of them turned on their music and lay down on their bed. Of course, they heard the annoying sound of the other's choice of music from the other side of the wall, forcing them to get off their bed, go out of their room. Now, it's a given that they collided with each other in a split second and also a given that it increased their anger even further.

"Watch where the hell you're going!" Derek yelled.

"You watch where you're going!" Casey screamed back.

"I don't need to because you're the one who's going to."

"I think not!"

"Whatever. Turn your dumb music down."

Casey put her hands on her hips, "No, I think that you should turn your music down."

Derek glared at her and grabbed her arm, pulling her two inches away from him. They stayed in that position for a long five seconds before he let go and walked back into his room, leaving Casey angrier and well, completely confused. He needed to leave that hallway and it was a fact. If he didn't leave, he was scared that he might do something he'd regret and for some reason, this something wasn't that he would hurt her. It was something else that he needed to get out of his mind pronto. Something that involved physical contact other than him holding her arm and he wanted those thoughts of this something gone. Solution? Another hole in the wall. He figured that maybe this helping-out-Casey-to-get-revenge-on-Sam idea wasn't such a good idea after all.

Casey sat on her bed, staring at her dress that she hung on the door in a pure mix of anger and confusion. She hated her stepbrother and hated the fights that they had. They were always over complete nothings, but never ceased to be loud and intense. But for some reason, when he had pulled her close to him, there was this different look in his eyes. No, she couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. But she knew for a fact that it was not just anger. It was something else that went along with it. If Casey hadn't known Derek at all, she would've claimed that she saw desire in his eyes. But fortunately for the both of them, she discarded that idea since she figured that she did know him pretty well.

After a couple of hours went by, Casey had fallen asleep and Derek had gone downstairs to beat Edwin in some new video game he bought. The doorbell rang and Derek yelled to notify everyone that he would answer it as he walked to the door and opened it. He was surprised to see that it was Sam.

"'Sup dude," Sam said casually, walking into the house as if he owned the place.

Derek closed the door and walked to the kitchen, "You've got some nerve to show up here."

Sam nodded his head, opening the fridge to pull out a can of soda, "Yeah, about that…"

"About what? How you cheated on Case with her best friend? That was low."

"Uh, yeah. Sorry."

"I'm not the one you should be sorry to," Derek stated, sitting on top of the counter.

"Right, right. Is Casey here?"

"Somewhere in this house, yeah."

Sam looked at him and nodded slowly, "So are you going to tell me where she's at?"

Derek shrugged, "Maybe when I feel like it."

Just then, Casey walked into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes. Apparently, she had just gotten up from her nap and was still a bit groggy. When she saw Sam and Derek, she groaned loudly.

"When will this nightmare ever end?" she asked and threw up her arms, walking back out of the kitchen.

"Casey, wait up," Sam said and jogged over to where she was.

"Do I look like I want to talk to you right now?"

"No, not really."

"Thank you. Goodbye," Casey said in monotone and practically dragged herself back up the staircase.

Sam looked stumped and walked back to the kitchen only to find Derek smirking.

"What are you smirking about?" he asked Derek, taking another sip of his soda.

"You honestly couldn't see that coming?"

"Well…"

"Wow, you're not as smart as I thought you were," he said, his smirk never leaving his face until he tried hitting a more serious note, "So why were you cheating on her anyway?"

Sam thought for a few seconds as if he were trying to find the right words, "I wouldn't exactly call it cheating."

"Then what would you call it?"

"Finding the right soul mate?"

"So you're saying that both Case and Emily are your soul mates, but Emily is the right one?"

"She helped me out with a couple of things and I couldn't just not give her a chance."

"Dude. You were dating my stepsister. You know this gives me the right to beat you up or something?"

"I thought you'd be happy I wasn't dating Casey anymore! You told me to live a little, remember?"

"I didn't mean for you to cheat on my Ca-- stepsister!"

"Then forget I ever dated her. That way its like nothing happened."

"You really think I'm going to just forget about a two year relationship between my stepsister and best friend? Why don't you come back later, dude. I've got to beat Edwin in his new video game. Promised the kid I'd play with him," Derek said, showing Sam the way out of the house.

When Derek sat back down, Edwin was just sitting there, staring at the TV screen that had the word 'pause' displayed with a concerned look. This caused Derek to give Edwin an odd expression as well.

"Yo, Edwin. What's wrong with you?" Derek asked and pushed his brother's head.

Edwin rubbed his head and looked at Derek with the same concerned expression he was giving the TV, "Sam cheated on Casey?"

"Oh. Uh, yeah. Just don't tell anyone, alright?"

"Alright. Lets get back to this game, you took forever with Sam," Edwin said, pressing the start button on his control.

Little did Derek know, after they were done finishing the video game, Edwin had slipped a note into Lizzie's room telling her to meet him in the game closet that night at 10:30 PM.

Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you to all the reviewers who reviewed because I love you guys. Hope you all have a Happy New Year:D

- Lina.