Life With Derek: The Secret
o6o
Casey paced the living room, she hadn't dated anyone since Derek and from his description she was expecting the dorkiest looking boy alive. Of course, Derek had never met Felicity's brother; he just told her that the boy was a year older and a bookworm. Sighing, Casey checked her hair for the third time. It was pulled into a half ponytail and hung down in soft curls. She had only applied a little clear lip gloss, some light eye shadow, and mascara to her face.
Deciding she didn't want to wear anything she did when she went on her dates with Derek, she dressed in something less attractive. A simple baby blue shirt, the sleeves reaching to her elbows, that showed off a small sliver of her midriff was paired with low-rise jeans. Silver dangling earrings completed her ensemble.
"It's a party, Case," Derek said. "Obviously they'll be looking at me, not you."
Rolling her eyes, she tried to ignore him.
"Especially with what your date's going to look like," he muttered.
"At least my date hasn't slept with the entire hockey team," she shot back, glaring.
Scoffing, Derek leaned farther into the couch.
The doorbell rang, making Casey's heart beat pick up. She did not want to do this; she hated dating. Why did she ever agree to Derek's stupid proposal? She wasn't even getting anything out of it. She'd be stuck on some nerd's arm as he went off on how great calculus was. Sighing, she waited for Derek to open the door. "Derek?" she asked, annoyed. "Are you going to get it or what?"
"You're closer," he said, waving a hand to her as he switched through the channels.
Snorting, Casey walked over to the door and pulled it over. "Hel-" She lost her breath when she found herself staring into warm, ocean blue eyes. Gulping, her mouth turned up in a smile.
The boy in front of her could not be Felicity's brother; he was gorgeous. With short black spiky hair and piercing eyes, Casey wasn't sure she could form a sentence. She suddenly realized his hand was outstretched for her to shake.
Shaking her head, she chuckled. "Sorry. Hi, I'm Casey," she said, taking his hand.
"Michael," he said, grinning.
"Yeah, isn't that nice," an annoyed and sharp female voice said. Pushing her brother out of the way, Felicity stared at her, tipping her head. "Is your step brother here? Because I like to be fashionably late, not embarrassingly."
Nodding, Casey's eyes were locked on her date. "Yeah, he's somewhere in the house."
Coming up beside her, Derek grabbed his leather jacket. "We all ready to go Case? Hey Feli-" His eyes suddenly flashed as they landed on the boy behind her. "You're her brother?" he asked, shocked.
Sighing, Felicity rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you don't recognize him because he stays locked up in classes, working." Snorting, she twirled her hand in the air.
Casey walked past her, ignoring the popular girls rude comments. Standing beside Michael, she smiled up to him. "Do you go to a lot of these parties?" she asked.
"This is my first," he told her. His voice was deep and kind of scratchy, but it a sexy Vin Diesel way.
"I've been to a few," she said. "Stick with me and I'm sure we can have fun."
Clearing his throat, Derek half slammed the door before he locked it. Walking to Michael's car, he wrapped an arm around Felicity's waist before she told him he was bunching up her very revealing top.
"You're lucky my brother can drive; there was no way I was going to be driven in that Sam kid's car. Have you seen it?" Felicity asked, making a disgusted face.
"It's a 1967 Mustang," Casey interrupted. "It may be a little beat up, but it's a classic beauty."
"Beauty?" Felicity cocked her eyebrow. "I don't think so."
"You like cars?" Michael asked.
Shaking her head, Casey shrugged. "Just Sam's," she told him. "It's a nice car."
In actuality, she loved his car because it held a lot of great memories with Derek in it. When she had commented that it might need a tune up, Derek had said the same thing she said to Felicity. After his little speech on its perfection, she couldn't help but love the beat up car. She noticed Derek look at her, but she ignored his surprised eyes.
Taking the front seat, beside Michael, she tried her best to ignore Derek and Felicity talking in the back. She'd didn't know how Derek put up with all of his little girlfriends useless conversations. If it wasn't something about themselves, it was about celebrities. How dull is that?
"Do you want to listen to some music?" Michael asked her. He stared at her with a somewhat hesitant expression.
Casey got the feeling that he hadn't dated much and didn't really know how to make him feel more at ease. It was the first time she'd dated in weeks and she didn't' like that Derek was slightly part of it. Shrugging, she didn't reply. Usually, when going out for the first time, she liked to talk to them and get to know what they were like.
"She doesn't like music when she's on a date," Derek said. "She prefers to talk."
"Oh," Michael said, shuffling in his seat. "So," he said, uncomfortably.
"Uh, so why don't I ever see you around the school?" Casey asked, trying to put him at ease.
"I take extra classes," he explained. "Plus I'm a year ahead of you, so we wouldn't in the same classes to begin with. I'm trying to get into an Ivy League college," he explained, slightly rambling. "So I want the best possible grades and to try as many courses as I can."
"Wow," she said, nodding. "You must have a lot of homework."
Sighing, he nodded. "Yeah, it's practically all I do."
Snorting in the back, Derek rolled his eyes.
"Derek only plays sports," Casey said. "So he doesn't worry about things like school and getting an education. He relies solely on his looks to get him through life. So you can ignore him; in fact, I suggest ignoring him."
Scowling at her, Derek turned his attention out the window.
"So you two are siblings?" Michael asked.
"Step siblings," they said simultaneously.
"Like Derek could be related to her," Felicity said, checking out her makeup in a mirror. "Klutzilla related to the most popular guy in the school. It's laughable."
"Why do they call you Klutzilla?" Michael asked, his face completely straight.
"That's something Derek came up with. To make my life that much more worse," she said, finding her once good mood falling apart.
"It's not my fault you have trouble staying on your feet," Derek muttered.
"Well, if you fall tonight, I'll catch you," Michael told her, smiling.
Sighing, Casey grinned at him. Before she could respond, he pulled up near the house the party was being held at. He motioned for her to stay in the car and then ran around to open it for her. Blushing slightly, she thanked him. He took her hand as they walked towards the house.
Casey could vaguely hear Derek and Felicity fighting in the background. She didn't want him to mess up her outfit by putting an arm around her and he didn't feel like holding her hand. Rolling her eyes, Casey enjoyed the polite demeanor Michael held.
She could hear the pounding music radiating off of the large two storey white house. They didn't need to knock as the door was wide open and people were running in and out. Michael looked comfortable in his slightly baggy blue jeans and a white t-shirt. A black unzipped thin coat hung over top. He looked around the room with slight apprehension but when his gaze landed on her, he simply smiled.
"Come on," she said, leading him through the living room. "Let's get something to drink."
She wasn't surprised to see a lot of the girls staring at him appreciatively. Much like Derek, he had a long and lean physique. He smiled at people with a friendly grin; he already looked charming to the girls.
Grabbing a couple pops from the ice filled sink, she handed him one. "Unless you like something stronger?" she asked.
Shaking his head, he cracked open the can of root beer. "I don't drink alcohol," he told her.
Casey wasn't one for drinking herself, but she didn't mind a beer or two if she felt like it. Whenever she went to parties with Derek, he had a few, but never got hammered. She liked that he had control enough not to do anything over the top. Usually she just nursed one for the whole party, but since she'd only just met Michael she wanted to be completely sober.
Nodding, she sat on a counter. "So what schools are you planning on applying to?" she asked, sipping her cream soda.
"Harvard, Yale, Brown," he listed. "Only the best."
Smiling, she nodded. "What do you want to be?"
"A lawyer," he stated. "I'd love to fight for the beliefs and rights of people. Standing up for justice and making sure people get what they deserve. I bet it'd be incredible." He spoke with such intense love for his future job, she almost believed he already was a lawyer.
"My mom's a lawyer," she said, proudly. "So is Derek's dad."
"Cool," Michael said, his eyes wandering. "So what do you want to be?"
She shrugged. "I-"
"Something involving women's rights," Derek interrupted as he walked through the kitchen. Opening the fridge door, he pulled a few bottles of beer out. Winking, he half-smiled at them, tightly. "She loves the cause." He said it with a lace of annoyance. Turning around, he left the kitchen, tipping one now opened bottle back and letting it ride down his throat.
Sighing, she glared at his retreating form. "I'd like to be a part of something bigger."
"Position as the first female President hasn't been filled yet," Michael replied.
Grinning, she nodded.
Good answer. Wow, this guy seemed so incredibly perfect. Why hadn't she ever seen him around school? Why couldn't she have met him sooner? Even though he seemed like the perfect guy for her second try at a boyfriend, she just wasn't feeling any chemistry. Instead, she found he seemed like a great candidate for a friend. While she pondered how nice it would be to have a new friend, she found her thoughts wandering from him to a certain guy she had managed to meet at a party just like this.
Turning her attention away from Derek, she tried to focus on Michael again. "So what do you do for fun?" she asked.
"You mean besides taking beautiful girls out to parties?" he queried, smiling.
Laughing, she nodded. "Yes, besides that."
"Honestly, I study almost all the time. Sometimes I wish I could get away from school. I guess this is what it's like, huh?" He waved his hand around at the incredibly crowded house. Numerous students had already bumped into him. She had no idea how many people had already come in to grab a beer.
Girls were grinding themselves against the many excited guys. She could recognize most of the hockey guys in the crowd. Derek had introduced her to them once and she continued to see them at his games when she found herself being dragged by her family. A few of them were still rather nice to her actually, but only when Derek wasn't around.
"It's not always like this. There are lots of other places to go too. The Diner, the movies, the bowling alley. That sounds lame, but they're actually pretty fun places," she said, chuckling.
Laughing with her, he nodded. "Yeah, well maybe you can drag me away from my studies and take me out to those places."
"I'd like that," she said, happily.
"Only if you know how to get there though, I'm terrible at navigating this city. My sister actually made me drive out here before we picked you and Derek up. She said she wouldn't want to be embarrassed by getting lost."
Laughing, Casey shook her head. "Well, I'll be sure to bring a map."
"Smart thinking," he said.
His smile held a hint of laughter in it and Casey couldn't help but notice how very handsome he was, once more. While she found that she wasn't really attracted to him, she felt comfortable talking to him about things. It vaguely reminded her of how she was with Derek in the beginning, sans the thick attraction.
Shaking her head, she tried to forget all about Derek and focus only on Michael. Pulling her mouth into a smile, she tipped her head. "So you're Felicity's brother; what's that like?"
"Torture," he said. His face went from completely serious to a big smile. "The phone never stops ringing, she never stops yelling, and I never stop being told I'm a geek," he admitted with a sigh. "She can be great when she wants to, but mostly she's just mean."
Nodding slowly, Casey kept quiet. She didn't want to insult his sister, even if he seemed to believe she was just as heartless as Casey thought she was. The girl walked around the school like she owned it and made sure that everybody knew it. Of course, she had a rather torrid reputation with the many cool boys at the school, but instead of making her less popular it just upped how she was looked at.
"What's it like being Derek's step sister?" he wondered.
Clearing her throat she shrugged. "He's not so bad," she admitted. "We bug each other, but..." Sighing, she nodded. "You know how it is."
"Yeah," Michael said, before sipping on his pop.
Out of the corner of her eye, Casey noticed her best friend making her way into the kitchen. Waving at her, she hopped down from the counter. "Hey Emily," she said, grinning.
"Hey," she greeted. "I didn't know you'd be here."
"Yeah, I'm here with Michael," she said, holding her hands up to the very handsome boy.
"Hey," he said, holding his hand out for her to shake.
Emily at a loss for words, simply stuttered a hello and held out her hand. Laughing nervously, she smiled. "I'm Emily," she said, sounding rather high pitched.
Grinning, he nodded. "Nice to meet you."
"Yeah," she breathed. "You sure are nice to look at. I mean, nice to meet you too," she said.
Chuckling, Casey couldn't help but notice that Michael looked rather interested in Emily. Shaking her head, Casey knocked back the rest of her pop and decided to take a walk around the party and see if she could find the bathroom.
Derek sat glumly on a couch while Felicity gossiped with a bunch of girls. Gulping the rest of his beer, he looked around for where he put the third one he had one of his friends grab for him. He finally found it stuck between the cushions of the sofa. Pulling it out, he cracked it open and held it up to his lips. He could hear her laughing in the background with her stupid date. He had been expecting an ugly, smart kid with thick glasses and suspenders; not some male model out of a magazine.
Chugging half the beer, he glared at the bottle, gloomily. He felt Felicity's long nailed fingers thread into his hair. She wasn't paying attention to him, simply staking her claim to the other girls. He could imagine his Casey sitting on the counter, her date reaching out and touching her lightly. He could just see him now, leaning in for a kiss. Closing his eyes, Derek clenched his teeth.
In all the time he had been living with Casey, he had been lucky enough to never have to deal with the jealousy of seeing her with another guy. He wasn't all that surprised, while Casey could have anyone she wanted, he had screwed her over royally. She was probably thinking of becoming a nun after the pain he caused her.
Looks like Michael, he even thought his name with disdain, might be the perfect new boyfriend for Casey. She'd forget all about Derek and move on with perfect, tall, smart, good looking Michael. And they'd live happily ever after in their perfect house with their perfect children. They'd drive a perfect little van and have a perfect golden retriever. The perfect little family for perfect Casey and Michael. Alright, so maybe he was getting a little ahead of himself, but he was half drunk and being impossible.
Downing the rest of his beer, he decided he needed a fourth. He couldn't take the jealousy running through him and if he didn't wash it away, he wasn't sure what he'd do, but it wouldn't be good. Climbing off the couch, he stumbled into the kitchen. Careful to make sure he didn't look stupid, he pulled himself together and rummaged through the fridge for another bottle. Grabbing two, he took them with him back to the couch.
Casey and perfect Michael weren't in the kitchen anymore; Derek didn't want to think of where they might be. He knew that there was no one else to blame but himself and that it wasn't her fault at all. He knew he was the one who had ruined their relationship. It was all his fault that she had left him. It was because of his stupidity that he had broken her heart.
And he had suffered for it. She would never know how much it hurt to know that he had caused her so much pain. He beat himself up over it all the time. After losing her, he became calloused; which is probably why he treated her so badly now. Especially knowing that he could never have her, even if he managed to explain why he made the mistake he made.
It was some time around one in the morning when he realized he was far too drunk to really do anything on his own. He could hear Casey's voice echoing in his mind. When he opened his eyes he saw four of her; he didn't mind though, because she had one beautiful face. She stared at him with a tipped head of half concern and half anger. He had seen this face before; many times actually. He felt her hands on his and then her pulling him up. He could hardly stand, so he wrapped his arms around her limply. Resting his heavy head on her shoulder, he murmured something incoherently.
A male voice joined hers; perfect Michael was trying to help. He wanted to show his annoyance with the guy but found he didn't have control over most of his bodily movement. He didn't know where Felicity had run off to, he just remembered her getting off the couch somewhere around his sixth or seventh beer. He didn't really care; he didn't want to come with her in the first place.
He felt Casey's arm around his back and resting on his side, he could smell her sweet hair; vanilla, as always. As they navigated their way out of the house, he felt his feet kick cans and bottles out of the way and step on the fallen chips and cheezies. Nuzzling his head a little more into the crook of her shoulder, he briefly wished he was able to kiss the soft skin of her neck.
Perfect Michael dropped them off at their house, helping them to the door and saying something Derek couldn't hear to Casey. As she fumbled with the keys in the lock, she mumbled under her breath. After locking the door behind them quietly, she was careful bringing him upstairs. She didn't alert their parents or siblings as she half dragged him down the hall to his bedroom. Partly carrying him to his bed, she let him drop down onto the mattress.
After closing the door, she flipped the light on. "Can you undress yourself?" she asked, her hands on her hips.
While he was beginning to get a handle of himself and found he could move his hands again, he still shook his head. Why not let her do it for him? He was lazy to begin with; at least when it came to anything but hockey. Moaning a no, he let his head sloppily shake back and forth.
Sighing, she walked over to him. Reaching out, she took his hands and pulled him up into a sitting position. His head dangled over his knees, staring down at the floor. Her hands curled around the hem of the backs of his two shirts; one long-sleeved white shirt and a dark blue t-shirt. Tugging them up an over his head, she threw them over to the laundry basket. Her fingers ran over his back briefly, making him shiver. Pushing him back, by placing her hand on his forehead, she didn't notice the small smile on his face.
Kneeling by his bed, she pulled his shoes off and wrinkled her nose before quietly putting them by the door. Pulling off his socks, she kept her nose and face far away from them and tossed the pair into the hamper. Reaching up, her hands hovered over the button of his dark blue jeans. Sighing, she undid them and pulled them off quickly. Her fingers had brushed against his stomach, causing him to tense for a moment. He had no doubts that her eyes lingered over his hard stomach. He remembered her running her fingers over his abs in the past; an approving smile riding her lips. Throwing his jeans with the rest of his clothes, she lifted his legs and pushed them onto the bed.
Pulling his dark blanket up and over him, she tucked it in comfortably. "This was fun, huh?" she asked his seemingly asleep face. "Well, I'm glad I could drag you home drunk," she said, shaking her head.
"Yeah, I had fun too Case," he muttered. He could practically see her roll her eyes.
"Night Derek," she said, beginning to pull away.
"Hey Case," he called quietly.
She leaned in to hear him better. "What?"
"I'm sorry," he murmured.
She as surprised at first, but must've thought it was the alcohol talking. "Don't worry about it," she said, shaking her head. "I guess it's been a long week. I mean you actually did homework."
Shaking his head, slowly, he opened his eyes. Leaning up on his shaky arms, he looked at her. "Not for that," he said, staring at her pointedly.
Sighing, she looked away.
"Hey," he asked. Reaching out, he turned her face to him. Running the tip of his thumb over her bottom lip, he looked into her eyes; what was previously eight, had become just two. "I-"
"I don't want to talk about this, Derek," she said, her voice wobbly. "Especially when you're drunk," she said, shaking her head. Her eyes were filling with tears and her lips quivered.
He felt the bed lift as she stood up. Walking to the door, her hand hit the light switch. "Good night," she whispered, before leaving him behind.
"I never got to tell you how sorry I really was," he whispered into the darkness. Leaning back, he fell into his pillows. His inebriated mind was shouting for sleep and he wouldn't deny it any longer. He had let his jealousy get the best of him and now he had to suffer the consequences of drinking it away.
oTBCo
