CHAPTER 3- now edited!
It seemed like the room was getting smaller. The beige walls were slowly closing in on him, and it felt as if he had to try exceptionally hard to just breathe regularly. The dry air was scratching the back of his throat, as small droplets of sweat formed and dripped down his forehead. It seemed all he could do was chew the inside of his cheeks, lick away any microscopic drops of blood, and wait for his heart to stop beating like he had just had a close encounter with death itself.
Was this what a panicked Derek looked like?
Casey felt a sudden urge to look at him.
They were sitting in the school's Headmistress' office, their uncomfortable chairs facing her and her grand, wooden desk, that was a little too detailed and excessive for Derek's taste. They both knew exactly why they were there, even though at the moment nothing came to mind, as their brains were simply a blur of accelerating thoughts and memories.
Derek could sense Casey's eyes on him, her gaze so intense it made his skin itch with discomfort. He knew she was burning through him with those icy irises, but he didn't dare to lock eyes with her, dreading the knot that tightened his stomach whenever they exchanged heavy, powerful glances like those.
Casey watched him nervously nibble at his lips. She wasn't even listening to what their Headmistress was saying, even though she knew she should be. All she could concentrate on was how angry she was.
Angry at Derek, for stirring up trouble, again, and for involving her in it, especially when she had no desire to be associated with him whatsoever. Angry at herself, for standing once again by his side, and for allowing herself to be dragged into situations she never imagined possible. The blood was pumping rhythmically in her ears, making her head hurt slightly, and her jaw was clenched to avoid a loud scream from escaping her mouth.
"Mr. Venturi, your guardians warned me you thought of yourself as a… Rebel." Casey suddenly caught mid-sentence, having no idea what lovely speech had anticipated that hit. "I was willing to look past it, and Lord knows I turned a side-eye to a lot of your less acceptable behaviors, but I am afraid this is as far as I can bend before I break. With that being said, I hope you understand this means a good two weeks to a month of detention, alongside Ms. McDonald of course, and a final warning to you both. Next time something like this happens again, and I say this with much regret, you will both be expelled."
Derek swallowed those words whole, with an unknown sensation electrifying every inch of his body, making his sweaty skin want to crawl. When did everything become so complicated? Of course, he knew the answer to that, it was sitting right next to him, breathing heavily and tapping her foot against the floor. It was all her fault for ruining his life; something he knew she would inevitably do since the first time he looked her in the eyes.
Casey was also ashamed, mostly for her lack of outrage at a blatant threat of expulsion, but also at how fucking little she cared about what that woman was saying. It was all Derek's fault: his inability to give a fuck was turning her into someone she wasn't, or at least someone she never thought she could be. He had corrupted her, and she let him.
Her head ached as she remembered the first time they had sat in that office: when she swore it would be a 'new era'; a the time for prosperity and happiness. It was actually laughable how she failed to predict that Derek would bring chaos to her life once more. No new lessons to be learned here, everything was just like it always was. At least now Casey was sure the change of scenario did nothing but enhance Derek's needs to be a fucking dickhead.
5 MONTHS EARLIER
"I would just like to thank you for this opportunity and for meeting with us so late into the first semester!" Nora politely smiled, taking a seat next to George, who clearly just wanted his wife to guide the conversation.
"No problem at all, Mr. and Mrs. Venturi." The Headmistress, who was an old, seemingly stuck-up woman, replied. The use of his last name in regards to Nora made Derek want to roll his eyes. "I am sure there won't be a problem with them starting a bit late, just as long as they study hard and give it their best effort to meet the rest of the students!"
That thought alone was enough to make Derek laugh, which he immediately tried to cover up with a fake cough once he realized that George was eyeing him attentively.
"I can guarantee I will do my best to catch up in the curricular area." Casey nodded, smiling. What a weirdo. She's literally from outer space, Derek thought, his lips parting in disgust.
"As will Derek, surely." Nora added, with a slightly threatening tone to her mellow voice.
"How wonderful. But first, I must introduce myself properly." The Headmistress cleared her throat, looking directly at Derek and Casey "My name is Isabel Hastings, but you will know me as Mrs. Hastings or whatever new nickname your classmates have invented this year."
An uncomfortable silence settled in the room.
"The important thing to know is that, after this first week, I don't want to see either of you being called into my office. If you have a problem, do not hesitate to contact me, but I really would rather not hear that you got yourselves into trouble or anything of that sort."
"Understandable." Nora nodded, gripping George's hand as she fearfully imagined the things her stepson would get himself into during that year.
"What else did I have to say…?" Mrs. Hastings mumbled to herself, shaking her head "Oh yes, your schedules are awaiting you in the administrative office as well. You will both be in the same class, at least for a few of the subjects, it was the best I could do given the classes' size and your late signing to the school."
Ah, well done. Can't wait to be in the same class as her again.
"Also, your dormitories are in the same building. There are halls A and B, gender-appropriate obviously, and on different floors. On every floor there are bedrooms, a shared space for leisure, kitchen and a study space. Make use of the areas available to you. I'm sure the other students will give you the rest of the important information. Ah, also there is a sort of 'prefect' responsible for each floor, so if there are any complaints or questions to ask, it's them you have to turn to."
Casey was absorbing each sentence with ease, and it was practically impossible not to notice her glow around the room. It made so much sense for her to be back at such an elite, organized school, unlike someone else, who wouldn't last a minute this far outside his comfort zone.
"And finally, the weekends are free days. You can wear your regular clothes, given they apply to our dress code; freely roam around campus and, with authorization, you may leave the school grounds for special occasions or events. The curfew on weekdays is 11 pm, and on the weekends it's 1 am." She gave a polite smile "Any questions?"
"Is there any possibility of joining extracurricular activities this semester?" Casey eagerly asked.
"I am afraid there aren't any openings left. But I will give you a list of the activities and clubs we have in the school and you can think about joining in the next semester."
"Thank you for your time, Mrs. Hastings, it has been a pleasure to meet you." Nora rose from her chair, reaching to shake the lady's hand, as George imitated her.
They were already standing at the school's entrance for a final goodbye when the thought of leaving her daughter in another city finally sank in for Nora.
"Sweetie, you really don't want me to help you unpack into your new room?"
"I love you mom, but you are much messier than me. You know I have my own methods that work well with my personality."
"All right…" Nora sighed, closing in to hug her "I'm going to miss you so much, sweetie. Call me whenever, okay?"
"I'll miss you too, but it's not even 2 months until Christmas break! I'll be fine."
"I know you will, I trust you, Casey." Nora nodded, and her daughter felt her heart drop.
A little further away stood George and a still visibly angry Derek. His father had cornered him, hoping he could make the slightest of amends before leaving back for London.
"Derek, please understand this was the best decision…" He tried to say, but was quickly interrupted.
"For who?" his son forced a bitter laugh, "For the rest of your family, I bet."
"Don't be that way."
"Save it, dad. Just leave me alone and go enjoy your new life with some peace and quiet. I'll try to do the same."
Nora heard the interaction and sneaked behind George, not daring to say anything to her stepson. He was acting resentful and reckless; surely no good could come from her intervention.
"Just take care of yourself, Derek." His father sighed, resting a hand of his son's shoulder. "I want nothing more but to be proud of you."
"You want to change me." Derek corrected him, slowly taking his father's hand off of him. "That's it."
Nothing about that conversation was sitting well with the parents, who had decided it was just best if they left. Nora gave one last tight hug to Casey, holding in a few tears, and lightly passed her hand through Derek's back, hoping he would spare her the embarrassment of flinching. George awkwardly hugged her stepdaughter as well, before they both got into the car and drove away, allowing Casey to let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
She picked up her bags from the floor and, without looking at Derek, walked towards the main building, hoping to settle in her new room before lunchtime. But, without a warning, Derek abruptly stopped her.
He had grabbed roughly her by the wrist, and with a swift but firm movement, pulled her closer to him. She felt her breathing get all fumbled, as her eyes widened and concentrated on his closed-off expression. There were definitely too close for her liking. He unclenched his jaw and parted his lips, controlling his movements with a precision she didn't realize was possible when someone appeared so unbelievably mad.
"Let me make this very clear." He started, tightening his grip even more around her thin wrist "If anybody in this goddamn school finds out we come from the same house, the same city even, I will make your stay here absolute hell."
Casey stopped for a few seconds. Not that we're semi-related, not that we're family, but that we live in the same house, she thought, that's what he doesn't want people to know. Interesting.
"If you think I want anyone to know about that, you're fucking losing it, Venturi. Now let go of me before I give you a piece of hell."
Her eyes had suddenly turned a misty blue and green, like a furious ocean during a storm. He let go of her immediately, not being able to digest her expression and simply watched her storm off, huffing and mumbling to herself under her breath until she was out of sight.
That was going to be a fucking awful year.