A/N: Alright, well, I know I usually put these things in the end, but, I just have to say that there have been some changes to this chapter. Well, first of all, like 'CEE18' kinda pointed out, it might be best if I just kept the story between Drake and Derek seeing as they are the main characters here, so, this chapter is in Drake's POV. It's still about what happened at the dinner, but, in Drake's POV. Oh, and I'm sorry for the kinda late update, I know that I said that I would have probably updated it 2 days ago, but, I suddenly got busy, so, I'm sorry if some of you were expecting an update 2 days ago! Anyways, here's the story:
Derek Meets His Match
CHAPTER 3:
Dinner With The Neighbors
Tuesday: August 22, 2006 - around 6:45 PM
Drake's POV:
So.
His name is Derek.
Ugh, the guy freaks me out already. What was up with that 'weird smile thingy' that he was giving me? That was freaky. Though, I cannot believe that he and Casey, who, might I say is, amazingly cute, are related! Well, not blood-related, but, still... Casey looks really amazing though. The first time I saw her (which was like, 30 minutes ago) the first word through my head: cute.
Well, Emily herself wasn't all that bad, but, I'm guessing Josh likes her because of the way he looks at her. That was the way he looked at Mindy, and, well, as much as it sickened me to have her as my brother's girlfriend, if 'it' made him happy, then, I'm happy. Anyways, back to Casey.
After Josh oh-so-nicely mentioned my "love" for school, Casey and I just kinda stood there, staring at each other. Let me just tell you, she has a great body. And, she's not all that much like the other girls I've dated, and, let me tell you, I've dated a lot of girls, so, I should know. Anyways, when I say she has a great body, I mean what I said, and, don't get any wrong ideas, here!
Once my mom called us for dinner, I was half glad and half...disappointed. To tell you the truth, I just wanted to just sit down and just talk to Casey. To get to know her better and stuff. She doesn't seem like the type of girl to just throw herself at anyone. I mean, if she was, she would've been probably all over her step-brother and since they're not related, it wouldn't be incest. Besides, I really wouldn't care, just about the fact that she's not mine.
Well, after my mom asked them to join us for dinner, I was really glad, lemme just tell ya. Well, half glad and half sad, again. I was really glad that Casey was going to be able to spend some more time with us, well, me, but, hey, I gotta include family... unfortunately...
Hmmm, where was I? Oh right. After Casey, Emily, and.. Derek left, Josh grinned at me saying, "So...?"
"So...what?
"Oh, c'mon Drake, Casey's practically your type! When are you going to ask her out?"
"Josh! How could you think that way about me? Oh, and, probably after dinner..." With that and a smug grin, I went inside leaving Josh grinning after me.
"Hey mom! Thanks for inviting them over. They seem like nice people...very nice indeed.." Ok, so, I kinda mumbled the last part to myself, but, hey, if my mom heard that, she'd put a restraining order against me and Casey. Ok, maybe not, but, she'd give me, the infamous "Talk" again...trust me, you do not want to hear that more than once in one lifetime...!
"Not a problem Drake. Besides, you have to get to know them sooner or later, right? They are going to your school anyways and you might have yourself some new friends later after this dinner. Especially Derek! He seems nice. Maybe you two can even become friends or something."
"Uh, right."
"Josh! Help me set the table, would you? Just put the food on it and you teens can eat on the couch and talk while your Dad, Megan, and I will eat out. We're going to see the scenery a little bit here, look for places, alright?"
"Sure mom. Hey Drake! Can you put that box off of the middle of the floor, please? Someone can trip on this thing, it's huge. Oh, and, you wanna come help?"
As much as I wanted to, and, you know I wanted to...
"Heck no, Josh! Kinda busy here!"
"Busy? You're just staring at the T.V.!"
"Not staring! Watching. Totally different." As soon as I said that, the doorbell rang and I leapt up to get it. Ok, maybe practically pounced on the door, but, hey, I wanted dinner!
"Hey Casey..." My breath stopped short when I noticed that Derek's arm was hanging loosely on Casey's waist. Uh..are they dating?
"...and, Derek?"
I hadn't meant to end it with a question, it just came out that way. I mean, what would you do and feel if you thought someone was available the first minute, then, the next, you think she's already taken? I know. You would feel hurt and you would probably question it, right? Well, I know I did.
I eyed the two very confusingly. Derek's smug smirk (or so it seemed) and Casey's uncomfortable glance (while it seemed like she was trying to push him off without me noticing, didn't work, apparently..) told me that something was wrong with this...couple?
"Uh, you guys wanna come in? Dinner's on the table and you guys can just sit on the couch and eat."
Derek gave me another "weird smile thingy" and dragged both himself and Casey inside. I shut the door and the next thing I knew Casey's surprised (it seemed that way) shriek surrounded the air and there was a thud that had been heard. Ouch. Lets see what happened here.
As I turned around, I can hear Derek laughing his head off. I frowned as I looked at Casey's struggling attempt to push her self out of the box that she had seemed to have fallen head first at. I knewI should've put that box away!I ran to help her out, but, Derek blocked my view (and way) and...well, tried to help her out. If you can call what the heck he was doing helping her out, anyway. As Casey struggled to get out, her legs were flailing everywhere. Derek got hit in the arm!
Yeah, go Casey!
Heh, anyways, as soon as Casey's flailing leg hit Derek in surprise, he fell back and I rushed to help her. Luckily, she calmed down and I was able to get to her without getting hurt and I got her out. Her face was bright red either from embarrassment or the heat inside the box, I might never know, but, anyways, as soon as she had calmed down, she instantly hugged me quickly and mumbled a "Thanks" and as soon as she saw Derek she suddenly started yelling at him.
Something about how he was an incompetent jerk, idiot, and moron. So, I'm seriously guessing that they're not a couple! Cuz if they were, then, well, they're not now!
I'm guessing it was my turn to smile smugly at Derek, so, yeah, I did. He frowned then at my "smug smile" and gave me a smirk that told me, "Oh, its on."
After everyone had calmed down and Emily arrived (right after Derek and I had glared at each other), mom came out and told us that dinner was ready and she instantly brought out the food: spaghetti, some sort of seasoned bread (I dunno), a couple of buffalo wings (yum..), and well, water and Mocha Cola.
Everyone soon lined up for the food. Casey looked disgusted as Derek was first. Well, after a couple of (as it seemed) minutes waiting for Derek to fill up his plate, I soon grew irritated. Come to think of it, the moment I saw him with Casey I was irritated, but, now, I'm just annoyed. I mean, seriously. There wasn't that much food there!
Well, when he finally came out of the line, his plate was filled. Way filled. I mean, what's this guy's problem? Hasn't he eaten in the past few days?
I whispered this to Casey and she just laughed in response.
"Derek's always like this. Food is like, his lifeline, other than hockey anyways."
"Hockey?"
"Yeah, ask him about it later, I'd rather not hear him boast about it though. It's so annoying!"
"Oh."
Oh? That was all I could come up with? Well, then, I have to make myself sound at least bit more interesting if I want to catch Casey's attention, and...kill Derek's over confidence.
After having the little chat with Casey, we both realized it was her turn to get her food. We were the last so, as you can guess, there really wasn't much left. Of course, I was pretty sure that Derek had taken most of the majority. Ugh, the pig.
Anyways, while taking what was left of a seemingly perfect and nice dinner, (which, really wasn't much seeing as Derek had the majority of it on his plate, his mouth, and, (this made me chuckle a bit) on his face), Casey and I sat down next to each other on the side of the couch. Casey was in the middle between me and Derek. I bet she's comfortable. Oh yeah. Emily and Josh sat on the two armchairs on the side chatting away about who-knows-what.
Well, as soon as Casey and I sat down, she started a conversation. Well, I'm really not one to reject, so, of course I returned the favor.
"So, Drake, what did you do at your old high school?"
"Well, actually, I-" I was about to finish when Derek completely interrupted me...with his mouth full of the bread. Dude, that was gross.
"Yeah, Drake, tell us. Did you play any sports? Because, you know, if you did, maybe I can get in a good word for you into my hockey coach," he seemed really proud when he said that, "and, seeing as I'm the captain," again, really proud, "I can always put in a good word for anyone who plays well, and, well, good. So, did you?"
After that sudden, and, might I say, all so disgusting outburst, I shook my head while Casey was looking at Derek with a disgusted face that was also disbelieving at the same time. I, on the other hand, stayed calm. But, still! The ego this guy has. Sheesh.
"Uh, not really Derek. I'm not really that much into sports, though, I do play basketball every now and then. Music's more my thing, you know?"
Ha. Beat that, Derek.
"Oh, so, you play basketball? And, music? So, I'm guessing you'll be taking band this year?"
"Uh, no. I love my music, I just don't do school bands, thats all. I'm more of a hands-on kinda musician. I had my own band back in San Diego. We were kinda popular there."
Ok, 'popular' would have been an understatement since there, we weren't just popular, we were practically famous! But, I didn't want that big of a head as Derek. I didn't want to brag...though I should, but, Josh did that for me.
"Oh, come on Drake, you're being too modest. Your band wasn't just popular. You guys were practically famous! And, me, being your band manager, I should know."
"Your band was famous?"
"You were their manager?"
The two last questions belonged to the girls. The first one was from Casey to me, and, the second one to Josh. Duh. From Emily.
"Uh, well, ok, yeah, pretty much. We were pretty famous. Even played for TRL Live once..maybe three times..but, hey, who's counting? And, yeah Josh here was our awesome manager. So, Derek, as you can plainly see, I'm not really much of a jock, I'm more of a musician."
After saying that, I smiled proudly. Ha. I'd like to see him beat that.
Apparently, Derek had been inside my thoughts, as he did come up with a comeback. A comeback with a given smirk to go along with.
"Well, alright...but, let me just tell you, most of the chicks at school don't really care about musicians, especially if you play some sort of wimpy instrument. They care about, well, me. Well, seeing as I am the king of the school. Trust me, athletes beat musicians any day."
Oh, he's so wrong about that. And, when it comes to school girls, I'm never wrong or turned down. We'll see if he's king for long.
After Derek's comeback, I reached over the table to grab my drink and put down my plate. It really didn't take me long to finish since my food was about the size of a raisin. Ok, ok, fine, bigger, but, you get the idea. When I had gotten my drink, Casey's hand had landed on my thigh, which I was so not expecting, and, of course, had startled me, making my hand tip backwards towards Derek, sending the contents of my glass, (root beer), over to Derek's clothes...and, the majority of it on his leather jacket.
I gasped...ok, then, laughed hard while trying to gasp out a "sorry", Casey looked amused and then started laughing, Josh was repeatedly chanting a "Oh my God...!" and rushed into the kitchen to grab some towels, Emily was...sitting there staring at Derek as though he was some sort of alien (I wouldn't disagree..), and, Derek? Oh, he was raving mad, I can tell.
After Casey and I had calmed down, can't say too much for Derek, I said, "Hey, sorry, man. That was my bad. I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to spill my root beer at you..."
"Oh, you mean this? Don't worry about it, Drake, this jacket was just probably worth more than your life anyways, but, hey, who cares? Also probably worth more than your little instrument."
Oh. That did it. No one, I mean, no one insults my guitar. No one. Especially not some over-confident jock. I'll show him. But, for now, I gotta stay calm.
'Plot your revenge later Drake, plan it later...with Megan's help...'
I kept repeating that in my head over and over while smiling awkwardly at Derek and his stained leather jacket.
"Hey, man, your jacket's not 'hurt', alright? Its just a stain, just try to rub out the root beer and you'll be fine, by the way, how much did that cost you?"
"Rub out the stain? Are you kidding me? This is a $350 leather jacket we're talking about here. Are you seriously telling me to just rub out the stain!"
"Well, yeah, that's what I said, didn't I? Anyways, that jacket only cost you $350? That's nothing compared to the price of both my guitars and drum set, I'm pretty sure." I made sure to put extra emphasis on 'guitars and drum set.'
"Guitar? Drum set? I thought you were just some band geek, but, now, you're even just a dork!"
"Well, if having a Fender Strat that was worth $2,520, which I might add, is already way more expensive than your leather jacket and having a Pearl Forum Series Drum Set for $899 and, I won't even mention how much my acoustic guitar cost, which, in itself is already expensive, makes me a dork, then, yes Derek, I am a dork, but, you...you are more of a jerk, and, well, you'll probably never change. I'll probably move outta the 'dork' stage into the more 'rock star' stage, but, hey, at least I'm committed to something, right?"
After that, I smiled proudly and glanced at Casey. She was smiling, too. Actually, it seemed like she was chuckling a bit. Hopefully, not at me. Josh stood there, arms across his chest and smiling slightly with the towel in one hand. Emily stood next to Josh with her eyes wide and gawking, probably waiting for one of Derek's snappy comebacks.
Well, guess what? He had none.
The guy obviously was not prepared to hear such high numbers, and was not expecting it. I took this silence to say another thing:
"Ah, well, don't worry about it, man. I'm sure you're jacket's gonna be fine. And, if it's not, I have some extra cash from when I played at TRL and, I can give you the money for another one. So, don't worry about it, man."
See? I can be a nice guy. But, Derek? I dunno. He's still pretty unconditional to me. He practically dissed my status. That's not cool. Only I can do that. And, just to Josh, too.
Derek just stood there, mouth slightly open while I had my hand extended for either a handshake or a high five, anything to make sure I was on this guy's good list. Well, I really didn't want to, due to what he did to Casey earlier, but, hey, I'm the good guy here. I don't want a scene.
Well, he finally came to his senses and shook my hand while muttering, "Thanks, man. Oh, and, get your money ready, since I'll be needing it to buy another one. Not a word of my thanks to anyone, got it?"
Wow. Like a small 'thanks' would ruin his rep. Egomaniac alert here! And, personally? I didn't think there was anything wrong with his 'beloved jacket.'
Anyways, after the whole scene we kinda made in the middle of my new living room and after clearing out all the dishes, Casey pulled me aside to talk. I, of course being Drake Parker, didn't say no. Why would I?
It was Casey.
My soon-to-be girlfriend. I think she can even go better than Lisa, my last and only 'month-er'. I really think she can be one of those serious relationships that I won't blow because she might be stronger than I am. I really think so. She's..special, to say the least.
So, while Derek was sitting on the couch, listening, or at least, pretending to listen to Josh and Emily's conversation, Casey dragged me outside to...well, I don't know..
Yet.
A/N:
Well, I have to admit, this chapter didn't go out as much as I had planned, but, I hope it was good! The instruments for Drake that I mentioned, well, I didn't really know that much about guitars seeing as I'm more of a saxophone player myself, I just kind of researched the web for ones that kinda looked nice. LOL, I dunno! Oh, and, sorry if Drake seemed a little OOC here! And, if it's a little long, please tell me and I'll make them shorter.
Sorry again for the 2-day delay, and, I hope to get Chapter 4 out soon. Its gonna be in Derek's POV and well, you'll see!
Thank you all so much for your encouraging reviews! They help me keep going with this story! Thank you all! You guys ROCK!
Oh, and, if you all have any other ideas on what should happen between the characters, please feel free to let me know!
I've kinda been neglecting to put this, so, I'll put it on now:
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LIFE WITH DEREK or DRAKE AND JOSH.
LoL, I don't wanna get sued! I'm sure no one does either.
Again, thank you all for your encouraging reviews!As always, PLEASE REVIEW!
