Life With Derek: The Secret
o5o
Derek could hear her pounding music reverberating through the walls. The music she played in remembrance of him and his heartless ways, he was sure. Sometimes he'd yell at her to turn it down or bang on the door. Recently though, he'd been thinking a lot about what he had done and felt she was allowed to be angry with him. For now anyway, he couldn't live the rest of his life around her listening to that music.
He stared at his computer blankly; he had to think of something that really mattered to him. Naturally, he wanted to write about hockey, but knew that his English teacher wouldn't find it interested in the least. Leaning back in his chair, he tried to balance his pencil on the tip of his nose. Trying and failing far more times than he cared to count, he sighed and tried to think of something to write.
The blinking cursor sat at the end of his title: "What Matters Most - by Derek Venturi," was taunting him. He could write about something that didn't matter; something that would get him a passing grade; just barely. However, Derek really wanted to try and get his grades up quickly and so he had to write about something that really and truly meant the most to him. As he pondered his possessions; his hockey gear, his CD collection, the incredibly hot posters clinging to his walls, he found nothing he couldn't live without.
His mind began to wander again, back to a time when things were much more simple; and a whole lot more fun. A time when he was happy and basically care free. Though he had recently become accustomed to acting as if nothing bothered him, he really used it as a cover for how frustrated and upset he'd become in the weeks since his step family had moved in. In the past he had been living like nothing could possibly go wrong; as if he had everything he could want, and nothing could disrupt it. He was wrong though; very wrong. Everything was interrupted; his entire life was screwed up.
He had one week of happiness; more like five dates, really. Casey had walked into his life and turned it over, but not in a bad way. No, she had made it much, much better. Derek was more than surprised to find himself wanting to spend time with only one girl. One girl and no others that is. He wasn't seeing any other girls on the side. You're probably thinking, well it was only five days, it's not like he had much time. That's the thing, Derek could take three or four girls in five days. He could have one girl a day if he really wanted to. He got offers; he had girls coming up to him constantly, trying to score a date with the most popular guy in the school. He turned them all away; finding comfort only with Casey.
Funny how easily and quickly she had come to change his, some would say, sleazy ways. Within a short time, she had managed to rope him into a relationship. For all of Derek's talk of no commitments and no strings attached, he was breaking his own rule by becoming very attached to Casey. No longer was he only interested in having a physical relationship with her; he actually wanted her to stick around awhile; a long while. In fact, he started considering her for the position of his girlfriend. An odd word on his tongue really. He'd never had a relationship before; for him, it had been any sexy girl who wanted to have a night of fun.
Don't get him wrong; he's not as sleazy as he might seem. Sure, he enjoyed making out with most girls, and he had copped a feel under a number of shirts; but he wasn't reeking with STD's or anything of the sort. In all honesty, Derek Venturi was actually a virgin. That's right; The Derek Venturi, had never had sex with any of the girls he'd had his fun with. Now that's not to say that most people knew he hadn't; in fact, most of the school was sure that he had slept with the majority of the girls attending.
This is what came with the reputation of being the most popular guy at school. It was expected of him to be a natural Playboy. He let them think this and had no problem allowing them all to believe it. He never corrected anyone; he didn't even tell Sam that he was a virgin. At least, he was one; no longer was he holding that unknown secret, as he had finally lived up to the label. But that story is still to come; for now, we'll delve deeper into the relationship of Derek and Casey.
Derek leaned back comfortably in the booth of the large, booming burger joint. Casey had gone off to go to the bathroom, leaving him alone to look over the menu. It was her choice as to what they would be doing for their second date and she had decided that a simple dinner out would be nice. She probably hadn't known that she had picked one of the busiest places in the city. Since it was Sunday night, tons of students were all hanging out for their last moments of freedom before the restraints of Monday consumed them. He had already waved so much that his arm was starting to ache.
Casey took his popularity in stride, seemingly unaffected by it. Most of the time, she didn't seem to notice or care; a surprising trait, he thought. The majority of girls he had 'dated' were highly interested in how much of a boost their popularity would get by hanging out with him.
He could see her approaching from the corner of his eye. She was dressed both for comfort and going out in a long red spaghetti strapped top. The V neck reached to an attractive end, revealing nothing but necessary. It was simple, and on her it was nothing short of beautiful. She coupled the shirt with a flirty black skirt that billowed down to the top of her knees; a silky black ribbon wrapped around it and tied in the front. Black strappy, heeled shoes adorned her feet; they were just high enough to bring her eye level with him.
Putting her hand under her skirt to sit down, she smiled at him before looking down at the menu. "Find anything?"
"I was thinking of the deluxe burger with a large milkshake," he told her. Smirking, he tipped his head. "Since this is your date, are you paying?"
Laughing, she shook her head. "Hard up for money right now, Derek?" she asked, cocking her eyebrow. "Maybe I should switch dates with someone." Nodding, she glanced around the room. "That girl looks interested in you," she motioned discreetly.
Glancing back, his eyes widened. "Not her," he said, urgently. "Besides, I'm still liking the idea of a free meal," he kidded.
"Looks like she's spotted you," Casey told him.
Visibly paling, he shrunk down into the seat.
"I'm kidding," she said, chuckling.
Just then, a waiter made his way over. His eyes noticeably raked over Casey's body, causing her to cross her arms uncomfortably. Derek cleared his throat, disliking the attention she was receiving. Telling him what he wanted, he scowled annoyed with the young waiter. The boy attended school with him and seemed to keep his eyes intently on the paper after he realized his mistake.
"Interesting tactic there, Derek," she said, smirking.
"He obviously didn't know what he was doing, or he would've stopped earlier," he replied, leaning back.
"Ah," she said, elongating the word. "No eyes on your property," she said.
"Exact-" Realizing what she was doing, he shook his head. "Not that your property," he replied quickly.
Chuckling, Casey shook her head. "For someone who's supposed to be smooth, you've been slipping up." Sighing, she shrugged her shoulders. "Careful, I might just have to trade you in."
"There's no better model, I guarantee it," he said, winking.
The waiter came back with their milkshakes, one chocolate and one banana. Derek's eyes were drawn to her mouth as it wrapped around the straw. He suddenly wished he were sitting beside her, better access for kissing. Why didn't he think of this before? Clearing his throat, he tried to get a hold of his thoughts. "Monday tomorrow," he said, matter-of-factly.
Smiling, she nodded. "It usually comes after Sunday, yes."
"Does this mean I'll be seeing less of you? Since you'll be going to school," he wondered.
"Do you want to see less of me?" she asked, leaning in slightly.
"No, I'd like to see more of you," he told her, smirking.
Reaching out, she took his hand, turning it over, she ran her finger of his palm. "Well, you have my number," she said, shrugging. "I'm free Tuesday, but only if you plan on taking me to a movie," she said.
"Movie it is," he said, laughing.
Lacing their fingers, Casey stared into his eyes for a moment. Derek couldn't help but he caught by how unbelievably beautiful she looked. Even in the dim lighting of the diner, she was captivating. Sighing, he wished the table was smaller, so he could lean over and kiss her. Music rang out in the background, he was fairly sure it was Alanis Morisette.
Casey's eyes glanced away, her eyebrows rose. "That girl you were worried about has spotted you."
"I'm not falling for that again," he told, chuckling.
He ate his words a moment later, when the strawberry blonde, stick thin girl appeared at their table. Her large brown eyes stared at him with a glimmer of high expectations. Reaching out, she grabbed his freehand. "Derek," she shouted gleefully. "I haven't heard from you in ages," she accused with excitement. "Come and dance with me," she told him.
As she ripped him away from the table, he stared back at the laughing Casey, begging her to save him. While the girl wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, she ground her hips against his almost painfully. What was supposed to be a sexy move, only made him annoyed with her. Letting his hands sit on her hips, simply because he'd look ridiculous with his hands dangling by his sides, he let her sway them around. He was becoming dizzy from the nauseating movement.
Finally, his savior appeared. Her face was still creased with an amused smirk. Tapping on the girl's shoulder, she motioned to Derek. "Hi, you seem to have hijacked my date," she said, chuckling. "Sorry, but he's all mine tonight."
Caught off guard, she pulled away and let Casey have him. Walking away, slightly confused, she didn't even put up a fight.
Shaking her head, Casey wrapped her arms around his shoulders loosely. Raising his hands, Derek placed one on her hip and the other on the small of her back. Holding her closely, he relaxed against the soft movement of her body.
"You've already won me over in spite of me, And don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet, Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are, I couldn't help it, It's all your fault..."
Running his hand up and down her side, he smiled as her head rested on his shoulder, her breath tickling his neck. Her hand raised slightly; fingers tangling in his hair. Derek felt himself melt against her; he'd never felt so good with someone. He briefly wondered if any of his friends were seeing this and wondering what had happened; then decided he didn't care.
"Your love is thick and it swallowed me whole, You're so much braver than I gave you credit for, That's not lip service...You are the bearer of unconditional things, You held your breath and the door for me, Thanks for your patience..."
Derek realized he was dancing in a diner with a girl he'd only met days earlier and found the idea rather odd. But as she rocked against him, he understood that it was the best thing to ever happen to him. While he had been going through life with girl after girl, he found it nice to think of having just one. As long as was her, anyway. He couldn't imagine himself doing this with any other girl.
"You're the best listener that I've ever met, You're my best friend, Best friend with benefits, What took me so long, I've never felt this healthy before, I've never wanted something rational, I am aware now, I am aware now..."
Lifting her head from his shoulder, she stared into his eyes for a moment. He could see himself in her blue orbs, and for a moment he didn't recognize the guy staring at her. The guy who seemed to be falling and hard, for a girl he hardly knew anything about. All he knew, was that he wanted to know everything there was to know about her. He wanted to know the real Casey, not just the one that flirted with him mercilessly.
You've already won me over in spite of me, And don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet, Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are, I couldn't help it, It's all your fault..."
Leaning in, Casey pressed her lips against his, causing his eyes to fall closed. Reaching up, he ran his hands through her hair, relishing in the soft feel of it under his fingers. He ran his tongue over her lip, asking for entrance. Opening her mouth willingly, he tangled his tongue with hers. Before long, they had completely stopped dancing, simply cradling one another's mouths. Vaguely, in the background he could hear cheering from a few of his friends.
Breaking back from her for air, his eyes caught sight of the table. "As fun as this is, our food is getting cold," he mumbled.
Laughing, she nodded. "Well if I'm paying, we should make sure it's worth it," she told him.
Grinning, they walked back to the table. As they ate, Derek decided to ask her a few questions, to better get acquainted. She told him about her family; lacking of a father. Her school, which wasn't much to talk about. And in turn, asked about his life. He filled her in on his brother and sister; speaking rather fondly of his younger siblings, especially Smarti. He didn't say much about his dad, except that he was dating someone Derek hadn't met yet. They spent hours at the diner, long past they had finished their meals. Sharing stories about friends, music, fiasco dates, and laughing about life itself.
It was the best time Derek had ever had on a date. He found himself wanting to spend more and more time with her. Just being near her was intoxicating; he didn't want to let her out of his sight. When the manager of the Diner finally kicked them out, he drove her home, far past her curfew. Standing at the front door of her house, she stared at him with a genuine and lasting smile. He didn't want to let go of her hand, but was forced to when she kissed him goodnight and left inside her house.
Feeling like he could skip, Derek made his way back to Sam's car, which he had borrowed once again. Pulling into the driveway, he was able to sneak inside without his dad getting on his case. Making his way upstairs quietly, he fell back on his bed, a grin stuck on his face; one he was sure wouldn't be leaving any time soon.
Backspacing on his computer, Derek retyped the title to his essay. "What I Lost - by Derek Venturi." For the next few hours, he clicked away; deleting the lines he didn't feel got his point across and adding things that only now occurred to him. Derek had found the perfect subject for his essay. That which mattered most was what he lost a few weeks prior. He didn't have to name names, he didn't have to make it known exactly who he was talking about, but he needed to write it. In the end, he printed off the best essay he'd ever written in his life. Kissing the four, neatly presented pages in front of him, he them away in his backpack. Now that it was all out, he couldn't help but want a sequel; "What I Got Back - by Derek Venturi."
oTBCo
A/N Much later, I'm planning on putting up his essay for all to read. There's still a lot more to come. Casey's POV will be next. I'm going to try and move it back and forth between them, to fully get everything out. I hope you guys are liking what I've written so far. Let me know if you dislike anything or if you'd like to see something happen between them. Please review. Thanks: D
