Life With Derek: The Secret
o11o
Casey paced her bedroom, wringing her hands. While on the way back from the Mall, Sam had invited her to come to the party he was hosting that night. She hadn't been to one of his parties since her and Derek had their very public fight and broke up. Closing her eyes, she sighed. Unable to see where she was going, she stubbed her toe on her bed. Screeching, she hopped around on one foot. She could practically hear Derek's voice in her head; "Klutzilla strikes again."
Shaking her head, she bit her lip. Sam was her friend too, she should be able to go to his party. Her and Derek had been over for three months, she needed to let it go. Nothing was going to change between them; she wasn't entirely sure she wanted it to. If she kept on hating him and treating him like how she was, then she wouldn't have to face her real feelings.
It would be fun; she could relax a bit. She'd been on overdrive with all of her school work. Emily would probably be there, and hey she could invite Michael along. He'd probably really like to see Em again; they hit it off pretty well at the last party. Making her decision, she reached for the phone. Dialing up Michael, she felt her stomach turn as it rang.
"Hello," a familiar female voice asked.
"Hi," Casey said, shortly. "Is Michael there?"
Sighing, Felicity could be heard banging on a door. "Open up, some girl wants to talk to you. I'm waiting for an important call, so make it quick."
There was some rustling before Michael's sweet voice answered. "Hello?" He sounded somewhat confused but interested.
"Hey," she said, smiling. "It's Casey. From-"
"I remember," he interrupted, sounding happy. "How are you?"
"I'm alright. You?" Her stomach was beginning to feel more at ease. Michael was such a simple and easy going guy, that her nerves just calmed.
"Pretty good. I was just studying for classes," he explained, sighing. It was a clear sign that he obviously didn't wan to be stuck in the house with his school work. And since Casey had previously offered to bring him out more and show him the better part of relaxing from studies, she found this was the perfect time to start.
"Well, what do you say to getting going for a night?" she wondered.
It was obvious that there was no chemistry between them, but she was more than happy to settle for friendship. It just wasn't time for her to date; there was no one right for her around. She had gone on two dates in two days with two perfect guys; and yet she didn't feel anything. There was no spark, no interest; she saw them as great friends and nothing more. What was wrong with her? Why did she have to fall for the one guy who would break her heart?
"Out where? Bowling Alley? Theater?" he asked, a kidding tone to his voice.
There weren't many great places to go that didn't include drunk kids making out, so it was slim pickings. The Bowling Alley and Theater were fun though; she remembered many a night that her and Emily had thrown their own little mini parties at the Alley. However, this was not going to be one of those nights; it was time for her to face her fears.
Chuckling, she shook her head. "Nope, another party. This one is at my friend Sam's house."
"Oh," he said, slowly.
Noticing his hesitancy, she hurried to say, "Emily will be there."
There was a pause, before his excitement got the best of him. "Really?" he asked, brightening.
"Mm-hmm, I'm sure she'd love to see you again. I promise, it'll be interesting this time," she told him, hopefully.
"Alright, I'd love to go," he agreed, cheerily. "When do you want me to pick you up?"
"Nine is good," she said, smiling. "We'll have fun," she stated; more to herself than him.
"Am I picking Derek up too?" he wondered.
"No," she said, rather quickly. Shaking her head, she sighed. "Uh, I'm sure Sam will pick him up."
"Okay," he said, simply. "Great, I'll see you tonight Casey," he bid her goodbye, before hanging up.
Hitting the end button, Casey nodded. There was no going back now; she would attend Sam's party and she would have a good time. Sighing, her shoulders slouched. Why couldn't she look at the event more brightly? Alright, she knew why. She hated going to Sam's house; she never ventured far. Ever since that night, she stayed near the front door.
Closing her eyes, she wished the images of that night would go away. She didn't want to remember; she didn't want to think of it. Not his crying; not his stuttering apology. She didn't want to think of how much it hurt; how painful it felt, when her heart shattered. Feeling tears slip down the sides of her face, she inhaled sharply.
Sitting up quickly, she shook her head. She was not going to fall back into feel bad for herself. She could do this and she would do it right. Walking to her closet, she searched around for something nice to wear; something she would've worn, had she been going with Derek. Her hands ran through ever shirt she owned, finding nothing. Her eyes widened with realization; turning around, she ran back to her bed and pulled a thin white box out from beneath it. Opening it, she stared down at her evenings dress.
She actually happened to wear it the night Derek had taken her out for their last date. She had bought it especially for him; seeing as it was his big game night. A black, satin halter dress that came across the top of her chest at just the right spot. Thin, black straps wrapped around her neck comfortably. It was form fitting; flaring out, slightly, when it hit her hips and falling to her knees.
Walking to the mirror, she held the dress up against her, admiring its beauty. All at once, the night came back to her. It had started just like this.
Casey stood in front of the mirror, holding the dress she had bought especially for this night. It cost her a good sum of money, but she wasn't complaining. She knew Derek would love it; she couldn't wait to see him. Undoing her towel from her shower earlier, she slipped the soft fabric over her head. Hearing a knock at her door, she opened it to see her mom.
Nora gasped; her eyes were wide and a little teary. "Honey, you look absolutely beautiful!"
"Thanks," Casey said, a smile widening on her face. Turning around, she signaled to her zipper, asking her mom to do it up for her.
Nora reached out, pulling up the thin, virtually invisible zipper.
Casey tied the halter around her neck comfortably, feeling it brush against the bare half of her back.
Shaking her head, Nora stared at her daughter with loving eyes. "You look so grown up," she said, sighing.
Grinning, Casey grabbed her black purse from her bed and kissed her mom's cheek. "Chelsea will be hear any minute to pick me up."
"Have fun," she called out, waving.
"I will," Casey told her, before she heard a horn honk and ran outside to see her friend.
Waving, she hurried over and slid into the car. "Hey," she said, brightly.
"Casey," Chelsea said, with her eyes wide with awe. "You look incredible!"
"Thanks," she said. Lifting her hand, she stared at her watch. "I hope you're not angry that we have to get there early."
Shaking her head, Chelsea pulled her blue and white jeep out of the driveway. "It's no problem, I'll just bug my brother."
Casey chuckled. "Do you go to a lot of Sam's games?"
Shaking her head, Chelsea kept her eyes carefully on the road. "No, I don't see him that much. That's probably why we fight so much." She sighed, shrugging. "He thinks I should spend more time around the family; that way, we won't be so dysfunctional."
"Dysfunctional?" Casey wondered.
"Yeah, I mean practically all of my sisters are in private school with me and Sam's really the only one going to public school. Our parents fight constantly because my dad thinks his 'little girls' are too rambunctious. But he lets Sam have parties any time he wants! With Derek no less." Sighing with annoyance, she shook her head. "Sam likes and hates it at the same time. He wants his sisters to be at home, but he wants to have his parties whenever."
"Oh," Casey said, slowly.
"I didn't mean to rag on your boyfriend," Chelsea said. "It's just that Derek tends to make the parties more... lively. And Sam never gets in trouble for it, but I do if I'm there."
Nodding, Casey didn't know what to say.
"Whatever," Chelsea said, shrugging. "Let's just have fun tonight."
Smiling, Casey nodded.
Chelsea pulled up in front of the school, there were hardly any vehicles. There was a bus carrying the rival team sitting near the front and the cars belonging to the hockey players. Casey spotted Sam's car and smiled; knowing Derek was there. He had asked her to show up early, so he could see her before the game.
Walking inside, Chelsea waved that she'd see her in a little while and left to find her brother. Walking around the stands, Casey ventured down to the box where Derek's team would be sitting. Hopping over the side, she leaned over the edge and watched them warm up. The rival team was skating in circles and stretching at the other end of the rink.
Feeling a chill, Casey pulled her winter jacket a little tighter. There was no way she was going to sit through an entire hockey game in just her dress. Her eyes scanned the area, looking for his number. Spotting the01 on his jersey, she smiled lightly. He skated over to her, clad in all of his hockey gear and still managing to look handsome.
Pulling his helmet off, he grinned at her. Leaning over the wall, he pressed his lips against hers for a lengthy kiss. Reaching out, she wrapped her arms around his neck. She could feel his gloved hands holding her neck and pulling her closer. Breaking apart for air, she smiled at him.
Breathing rather heavily, he grinned. "I missed you," he said, shrugging slightly.
"I saw you just this morning," she reminded.
"Too long ago," he told her, looking down at her bulky jacket. "Ready for the ice age, or what?"
Laughing, she shook her head. "No, but I'm not wearing much underneath."
"Really?" he asked, his brows cocking in interest.
Undoing the jacket, she chuckled as Derek's eyes looked around to see if anyone else was watching. Opening it just enough for him to see, she blushed slightly at his approving eyes. His hands reached out, pulling her near him again. Running his lips over her cheek, he hovered near her ear. She bit her lip, feeling his hot breath over her skin.
"Stunning," he whispered in his deep voice.
Shivering slightly, she closed her eyes for a moment, relishing in having him so close.
"Hey Venturi," one of his team mates called. "Play later, it's time to work."
Laughing, Derek leaned back from her. Placing a passionate and shiver-worthy kiss on her lips, he winked and skated backwards for a moment, before turning and rushing over to his team. Slapping the boy who yelled over the head, he continued his warm up.
Sighing, Casey began buttoning her coat back up. Hearing someone skate closer, she glanced up. A boy she didn't recognize at all, leaned against the wall. His jersey, reading as number one and captain, matched those of the opposing team. Smiling in a way she was sure he thought was charming, he tipped his head at her. "Hey beautiful," he said, winking.
Cocking her eyebrow, she snorted. "Can I help you?"
"What are you doing later?" he asked, grinning.
"Going somewhere you won't be," she told him, smirking.
"Ouch," he said, feigning as if he was hurt. "When I wipe the ice with your boyfriend, I'll be sure to tell him you'll be everywhere I am." Winking, he stood up straight. "Especially in my bed."
Rolling her eyes, she turned and hopped over the side. "And after he snaps you in two, I'll be sure to have a beer in your memory." Winking just to rub it in, she walked off. Shaking her head at the idiot, she found Chelsea and sat down to wait for the game to start.
It wasn't long before the stands were filled with excited fans and parents. Looking around, she smiled as she saw kids holding up signs and banners. "Smash them, Venturi!" and "RED ICE! Go Derek, GO!" were a couple that amused her. It was obvious that the school was very much behind Derek and his team.
The buzzer went off, signaling the start of the game. Derek, Sam, and a few others took their places. Casey watched as Derek faced off with the boy who bothered her earlier. The puck fell and Derek was quick enough to pass it to Sam. But he didn't let the opposing Captain just skate away, instead he slammed him in the shoulder with enough force to take down three linebackers and skated to catch up to Sam.
Casey's eyes widened as the rival captain flew backwards and slammed into the ice. The stands erupted with excitement over the act and some even stood up and clapped. Casey was slightly surprised to see Derek react so violently; it seemed unneeded in the very beginning. However, she remembered what the opposing boy had said earlier and wondered if maybe he had made the mistake of actually saying it to Derek.
Within the first fifteen minutes, Derek and Sam had managed to score three points and the opposing team a pitiful zero. During the first period, Derek had hardly come off the ice the entire time. The only time he had, he'd only been off one or two minutes before he exchanged with someone else and was back on, full force.
Even though the rival team seemed to be playing rather dirty, they weren't getting in as much trouble as they should. In fact, the nameless captain had already used his stick to trip Sam, Derek, and a few others, a couple times. He hadn't been sent to the penalty box though, which was something the crowd was yelling about.
Derek seemed to think that the ref was either blind or rooting for the opposing team, so he decided that he was going to start checking them a lot more. Casey watched with wide eyes as Derek slammed a few guys into the walls with a resounding crash. By the end of the second period, the rival team had managed to tie them at 4 to 4.
Seems not only was the captain a hazard, but so was the rest of the team. Although, the rival captain was the only one going after Derek, it seemed. A few of the other players were getting off with far too much though. Number seven had already grabbed Sam's mask and elbowed him, without penalty. Number twenty three had gone after one of the other players on Derek's team; his kneeing, high sticking, and leg checking went unnoticed by the referee.
However, if he noticed Derek's team doing anything wrong, they were immediately sent to the box. He hadn't been able to catch Derek though, because he was smart enough to get one of his teammates to distract the ref whenever he smashed into the rival players.
Skating down the center of the ice, with his teammates blocking players for him, he shot the puck off at a great angle for the goal. However, it was covered when one of the rival players jumped on top of it. A minor infraction of the rules, which usually rewarded a goal or would give Derek's team a penalty shot. However, the ref, being the ass he is, pretended he hadn't noticed.
By the third round, anybody could see that Derek was getting incredibly pissed off. He was not only screaming at the ref, but at his own players. Walking down the stands, Casey stood by his box. Derek had been removed from the ice for a couple minutes by his coach and was now pacing while he waited to be let back on.
"Derek," she called out.
Noticing her, he walked over. "You're letting him get to you," she told him, shaking her head.
"I know," he growled. Looking down, he glared at the ground.
Putting her hand under his chin, she lifted his face. "Hey," she said softly. "Your ten times better than that guy. Your ten times better than his whole team," she told him, smiling. "If you let him get to you, he wins. You don't need to play dirty to win this; he's not as good, so he does need to." Shaking her head, she ran her thumb over his cheek. "You have a great team behind you; one that will do anything you say. All you have to do is tell them the plan, and I know you'll win this."
Nodding, his face softened.
"Derek," the coach shouted. "You're back on."'
"Win it," she told him, kissing him quickly.
Slipping his helmet on, he went out onto the ice. Making a circle, Casey could see that he was telling his teammates something. Taking his place, he squared off with the rival captain again. The opposing boy was already poised to attack Derek; too enthralled with the game, Casey didn't even move to her seat for a moment. Seeing Derek's smirk, she felt relieved for a moment.
The puck dropped and Derek quickly pushed it between the guys legs and was out of the way before he could charge him. Laughing, Derek took the puck down the ice while his rival tried to pull himself up from the ice. Speeding down the rink, Derek shot the puck from the side and scored. The crowd had laughed when the other guy hit the ice and cheered when Derek made the goal.
Holding his stick up in the air to their excitement, he pointed at Casey and nodded. His silent thanks to her for her encouragement. Clapping, she screamed along with the crowd, happy for him.
By the fourth round, the two teams were tied at 9 to 9. With all of their cheating, the other team had managed to keep up to Derek's much more thought out scoring. Sam had shot three of the goals, while Derek had wracked up the other six. Every time the rival team shot and scored, the crowd erupted in booing.
Casey had made her way back up to Chelsea to watch the last period from the stands. Derek, though he probably needed a break, refused to leave the ice. Taking out his best players, including Sam, he began setting out a plan for them. Casey could tell from the way his arms flew around drastically.
"Who do you think will win?" Chelsea asked, her face pinched with excitement.
"Derek's team," Casey said, nodding.
"Are you only saying that because your his girlfriend?" Chelsea wondered.
Shaking her head, Casey smiled. "I know he will," she said. "He can't lose." Finding it too warm in her jacket, she slipped it off and leaned forward to watch the game intently.
The crowd was stomping their feet and cheering for Derek. "DER-EK!' They shouted, gleefully. "VEN-TUR-I!" Their feet pounded to the syllables of his name. Clapping resounded through the huge rink and Casey couldn't help but be caught up in the fun of it all.
Waving to his fans, Derek took his place back with his team. Turning around, he nodded at them to make sure they were ready. There was ten minutes left in the game and Derek was bringing out his last lifeline. Getting the puck, he passed it to number 18, who Casey knew as Brent; from him, it was passed to Sam. Sam managed to keep it away from all of the rival team members, until three charged at him, so he passed it back to number 6.
The opposing Captain was constantly following Derek, sure that he was going to get the puck any second now. However, he was wrong, because Derek knew that he'd follow him and since he was really the only big problem, he kept him busy.
Number six passed it back to Brent, who then passed it to 28, who was way down near their own goal. Since all of the rival hockey players were confused as to why they'd shoot it away from the goal they were close to, they all began skating to number 28. The plan was going perfectly, and 28 managed to pass it to Sam, who was practically right beside the goal and scored it easily. Everybody was on their feet, screaming with joy that Derek's team was now ahead with 10 to 9.
Off to the side, Casey noticed that the rival captain was pushing Derek in the back. Turning around, Derek shook his head and pushed him back. Taking his helmet off, the rival boy shouted something that was overridden by the crowd. Circling Derek, he began skating away.
However, Derek wasn't very forgiving. Taking his helmet and gloves off, he threw them down and skated over, grabbing the guy by the back of his shirt. Turning him around, he punched the guy in his mouth with a powerful execution of his fist. Blood hit the ice quickly from the opposing Captain's mouth.
The crowd began to scream, "RED ICE! RED ICE!"
Wiping his mouth, the rival captain punched Derek back but didn't have nearly as much effect as Derek had. Punching him in the face again, Derek was drawing a lot of blood. The other boy pushed him back, attempting to knock him over, but Derek was too advanced on his skates to go down. The opposing boy managed to get Derek painfully on the side of his jaw, but Derek continued punching him in the face.
Casey had her hands over her mouth as she watched the fight go on. Derek, although he was winning, looked worn out and beyond just angry. She had never seen such an explosive fight before and didn't know what she should be doing.
Finally the ref tore them apart and yelled in Derek's face. "One point," the ref called, pointing at Derek.
"WHAT?" the stands shouted, angrily. A round of expletives could be heard.
As the ref left, Derek decided to do one last thing. Pulling his arm back, he slammed his fist into the rival boys jaw, sending him flying down to the ice. Turning around, he skated back and picked up his gloves and helmet. Going back, he leaned down and said something to the bleeding boy before skating back to his team.
There was only two minutes left on the clock and Derek was getting ready for one last play. Time was still running however, so they had to move quickly. Going back out, he signaled Sam. As they made their way around their own goal, in one line, they fanned out over the ice and quickly skated towards their opponents. Backing up, slightly afraid; the team seemed to kind of cower from the speed and power radiating off of Derek's team. Skating right past them, Sam passed the puck to Brent, who then passed it back to Derek.
Realizing their mistake, the rival team began chasing them down the ice. A large, burly hockey player was catching up to Derek, who shot the puck off towards the goal and scored. The buzzer went off, both signaling the end of the game and a goal. Derek was slammed into the boards painfully with a loud crash. The glass cracked as the hit it and he slipped down the side to the ice. The large rival player skated off.
Derek lay on the ice, not moving. People seemed too shocked to react at all. Even his team was surprised to see he wasn't getting up. He was a resilient player and had been checked more times than they could count. Not even the paramedics had reacted yet.
Coming to her senses and jumping out of her seat, Casey ran down the stands towards the box where his team was standing up, worried. Hopping over the side, she ran across the ice. It was slippery beneath her shoes, causing her to slip a few times, but she managed across. Kneeling down, on the freezing ice, she stared down at his closed eyes. "Derek," she shouted concerned.
Wincing, he opened his eyes slowly. Groaning, he rolled over slightly.
"Is your neck okay?" she asked.
He had hit the boards incredibly hard and she didn't want to do anything if he had any injuries. As worried as she was, she was smart enough not to do something that could potentially cause him more pain.
"What? Yeah, it's fine," he mumbled.
Nodding, she reached out and pulled his helmet off.
Smiling at her slightly, she could still see the pain in the set of his lips. "I won," he stated, laughing slightly.
Rolling her eyes, she nodded. "Yeah, yeah you did." Sighing, she shook her head. "Are you okay?" she wondered.
Nodding, he sat up slightly. "I'm fine," he told her. Lifting his arm, he managed to pull himself off the ice. Reaching out, he took her hand and helped her up. Wrapping his arm around her neck, he pulled her close and kissed her cheek. Looking down at her shoes, he chuckled. "How'd you get out here on those?" he wondered.
Shaking her head, she laughed. "I have no idea." She began slipping and held on to him tightly.
Wrapping an arm around her back, he bent over and lifted her legs up, making sure to keep the dress covering her. Screeching, she shook her head. "You're hurt," she reminded. "Put me down."
"Consider this a congratulations prize," he said, grinning. His pain and once dazed appearance seemed to melt away and he was back to being himself. He ceremoniously skated to the center.
The crowd shouted happily; standing up, they clapped loudly. His teammates joined him on the ice, slapping his back and waving to the crowd for their victory. Leaning down, he smiled at her before pressing his lips against hers in one very mind-blowing kiss. Casey's hands ran through his hair, ignoring the sweat clinging to it.
He carried her back to the box while the teams shook hands in a good spirited way and then skated back to find he had to shake the opposing captain's hand. Casey wasn't surprised to see the boy wince as Derek most likely squeezed the hell of his hand. He motioned for her to meet him outside while he got cleaned up.
Nodding, she left to grab her jacket and waited by Sam's car for him. Waving to Chelsea she told her she'd see her at the party. People poured out of the school to their vehicles and soon Casey was left waiting all alone. Derek had to shower, change and get ready for the party, so she was sure he'd be awhile. As the rival team left, she slouched slightly. Smiling softly to herself, she felt a surge of pride run through her that Derek had won.
Since he was parked rather close to the front, the opposing team was able to see her. She wondered what they thought of Derek and his team. The cheering and respect the crowd had for him had to be rather painful and hard to hear. Then how comfortable he was going out and acting as if he owned the rink when they won, which was great for him, but must've really rubbed it in for the other team.
As she contemplated this, she heard footsteps. Smiling, she looked up, hoping it was Derek. Her hopes were dashed as a very beat up captain of the other team stomped towards her with a cocky smile. Leaning against the car, he leered at her. "Hey beautiful," he said, again.
Rolling her eyes, she snorted. "Shouldn't you be on your way back to wherever it is you crawled out of? I'm sure your pity party is already in full swing."
"You're kind of mouthy," he said, raising an eyebrow. "I like that."
Pushing him away from her, she glared angrily. "I think you've had enough of a beating tonight, so why don't you run off." She waved her hand at him, motioning for him to shoo.
"You're little boyfriend has quite the temper," he told her, ignoring her attempt to make him leave.
"I can tell by your face," she retorted.
"It's not my fault he can't take a joke. Who would've thought a few comments about his sleazy girlfriend would make him that pissed off?"
Her eyes thinned and her mouth stiffened. "What did you just call me?" she asked, stepping forward angrily.
Laughing, he shrugged. "He didn't like the fact that you wanted me."
Snorting, she shook her head. "Wanted you? Don't kid yourself," she told him. "What would I want with a loser?"
Pushing her back into the car, almost painfully, he glared down at her. Leaning in, his lips were getting rather close. Disgusted, Casey tried to push him away, but was unable to. "Get off!" she yelled.
Not a moment too late, his body was off of her and on the ground. Derek was holding him down, pinned to the pavement. His jaw was clenched and his face was twisted into one very scary look of determination. His knee was digging into the guys chest while one hand was wrapped around his neck. The other hand was pulled back in a curled fist. "Don't ever come near her again," he told him, in a deadly tone. "Don't even think about her."
Casey put her hands on his sides, a small sign to tell him it was okay. She could feel the tense muscles of his back, flexing beneath her palms. It was obvious that he was incredibly stressed and angry. Casey was slightly scared of his reaction; not really of him, but of what could happen if his temper got the best of him. The other guy wouldn't look too pretty if it were to happen.
Standing up, Derek glared down at the boy. Putting his hand on the small of Casey's back, he directed her to the passengers seat and jumped in the drivers seat. Revving the engine, he peeled out of the parking lot and sped towards Sam's house. Reaching over tentatively, Casey wrapped her hands around Derek's free one. Lifting it, he kissed her palm and threaded their fingers. The party was in full swing when they arrived and Casey couldn't help but think it would be one very interesting evening.
She was right about that, it had been one very interesting night. It wasn't fun like she had hoped, instead becoming horribly painful for her. After the beginning of the night, she didn't think anything could go bad, but she had been proven wrong. Shaking her head, she willed the thoughts away.
Pulling her dress on, she glanced at the clock; quarter to nine. Sitting down at her desk, she applied a little makeup to her face. Soft, light charcoal eyeshadow gave her eyes a smoky look, along with the mascara she draped her lashes in. Putting on some very pale, tinted pink lip gloss, she grabbed her purse and slipped on a pair of black, strappy heels. Deciding to leave her hair down, the long straight brown strands reached to the middle of her back. Walking through a small spray of her regular vanilla spray, she smiled at the outcome. Sighing, she bid the chill running through her to leave.
Walking down the stairs, she was met with a collection of gasps. Turning her head, she looked at George, Lizzie, Edwin, Marti, and her mother. Smiling lightly, she ran an uncomfortable hand through her hair.
"When did you become a babe?" Edwin wondered, shaking his head in awe.
Lizzie smacked him upside the head and turned to her sister, smiling. "You look really beautiful," she told her.
"Thanks," Casey said, nodding.
"Casey is pretty," Marti shouted gleefully. Running over, she tugged on her hand. "Will you take me to play on the horsies again?"
Casey's eyes flashed for a moment before she knelt beside the little girl. "I think the carnival is coming back soon," she told her quietly. "And I promise I'll take you on the horsies."
"Yay!" Marti yelled, before running upstairs in her purple princess dress and waving her fuzzy, glittering wand.
"Casey," Nora said, smiling. "I haven't seen you wear that dress in-"
"Three months," Derek suddenly interrupted. He stared at her, his eyes full of pain and his mouth turned up in a grimace.
"What?" Nora asked, confused.
"Nothing," Derek mumbled before breaking past them and running upstairs.
"What's wrong with him?" George wondered. Shaking his head, he looked back to Casey. "You do look wonderful," he told her. "Are you going to Sam's too?" he asked. "Derek told me they were having a small get together."
Her smile wavered, but she nodded all the same. "Yeah," she told them. The doorbell rang and Casey was quick to answer it.
Michael stood in all of his handsome and adorable glory.
Feeling a surge of reassurance, she turned to wave goodbye to her mom and George but they walked closer.
"Who's this?" Nora asked, her brows raised high with interest.
Her shoulders slouched, but Casey invited Michael in, hoping neither of them would be embarrassed.
Holding his hand out, he shook both Nora and George's hands. "Good evening, I'm Michael," he introduced himself.
"Uh, hi- Hello, I'm George," her mother's husband said.
"Nice to meet you Michael," Nora said, brightly. "I'm Casey's mother, Nora." Smiling, she winked at Casey in approval. "So you'll be accompanying Casey to Sam's small get together?"
"Yes," Michael replied, comfortably. "I'm sure we'll have a fine evening." It was obvious he'd been around a lot of adults in his life.
"Fine indeed," Derek mocked, from the middle of the stairs. He had changed into a pair of comfortably baggy blue jeans and a black, long sleeved shirt with a baby blue tee over top. Adding product to his hair, he had styled it in a spikey mess. Walking past them, he slipped his feet into his Doc Martens. "See you at the get together," he called out, annoyed. Leaving, he slammed the door behind him.
Casey closed her eyes at his angry behavior and stiffened herself. Calming down when the loud bang of the door had passed, she opened her eyes and smiled meekly at her family. Shrugging, she sighed. Walking to the door, she said goodnight and walked out. Making their way to his car, they started driving towards Sam's house, which she had to give directions to.
"I'm sorry," she told him, quietly. "Derek can be rather unfriendly sometimes." Fiddling with her hands, she stared out the window. She didn't know what Derek's problem was; she put up with his dates all the time.
"When it comes to you, I can see why," he told her.
Her brow furrowed, turning to his she shook her head confused.
"Felicity told me," he explained. "That you and Derek had dated before your parents got together. She said you two were The Couple." He shrugged. "The one girl to reign in the 'playboy' only to have her heart broken," he said, sadly. "Must've been really hard Casey."
Nodding, she shrugged. "I got through it," she said softly. So Sam was right; everybody knew and remembered her relationship with Derek. How was she going to face them all at school? It had been easier when she thought nobody knew. When she thought they believed they were only fighting because they were step siblings.
"No you didn't," he said, understandingly. Pulling up outside of Sam's house, he jumped out and opened her door. Holding his arm out for her to take, she chuckled but wrapped her arm in his. Sighing, he shook his head. "Back to the place it ended," he said, staring at her. "Are you sure you can do this?"
Nodding slowly, she willed her eyes to stop burning. "I can and will do this," she said, confidently.
Walking to the door, she tightened her grip on his arm slightly. Walking in, she felt her breathing pick up and her heart race. Gulping, she looked around the house, feeling it all rush back to her. Closing her eyes for a moment, she told herself she wasn't going to cry.
Spotting Derek with a few of his teammates, she took in his sullen demeanor. Shaking her head, she set her jaw. This night was about her moving on, not about Derek. She wouldn't let herself be sucked in by the past, she had to get through it and move on. Nothing would stop her; nothing would keep her from leaving behind her remorse over her lost relationship. Or so she thought.
oTBCo
A/N Okay, just laying the ground work for the big secret. Sorry it wasn't in this chapter. It will DEFINITELY be the next one. I thought I could fit it in here, but that would be far too long, so sorry! I hope you like it so far and I promise to update very soon. The only reason I waited awhile this time was because I was moving my mom and sister into a new apartment and by the time I got home I was too tired to write. Sorry. Please review.
