A/N: Here's the deal: Where I am currently living does not have internet. And I do not have a car. And it's getting into snow season. So The likelihood that I can post regularly is low (I'm currently home for 5 days for the holidays). I apologize and I thank everyone who's stuck with me despite my disappearance. I'll post again as soon as I'm able. And I'll get back to writing, too. For now, enjoy chapter 12.
Chapter Twelve: I Hope You Know What You've Done
What had he gotten himself into? This had been a huge mistake. He drummed his fingers on his bed. After a couple of minutes of internal berating he dragged himself out of bed and went to his desk, booting up his laptop.
Casey (9:58am): I know girls aren't supposed to text more than twice in a row or something, but I need to ask: how is this thing with Derek working out?
Casey (10:00am): Like are you going to be sharing our convos with him? Cause I'd rather you didn't
Casey (10:11am): Also, not to pry, but how do you two know each other anyway? I never heard you mentioned when we lived in London
Shit. This was going to get so complicated. He took a few deep breaths, considering his options. He had hoped his guilt over deceiving his stepsister would go away with sleep. Instead, it got worse.
(11:31am): sorry was out to brunch w/ friends
(11:32am): didnt mean to keep you waiting beautiful ;)
Casey (11:36am): It's ok just wondering how you and Derek are evaluating my texting skills
(11:37am): i was gonna send screencaps of chat but i can just summarize instead if you want
(11:38am): or tell you direct?
Casey (11:38am): Or not (grit teeth emoji)
Casey (11:39am): I don't know if I could take the criticism tbh
(11:41am): ?
Casey (11:41am): Oh you want me to choose?
(11:42am): i figured you would
Shit, was he being rude? A little too blunt? This was supposed to be flirting, he needed to remember that.
(11:43am): you seem like a confident independent type ;)
Not exactly flirting, but Casey probably wouldn't know the difference, as long as he kept it up with the winky faces.
Casey (11:45am): I…. Guess? I mean, screen caps are ok as long as it's not yknow… (blind monkey emoji)
(11:46am): (smirk emoji)
(11:46am): are you expecting it to get embarrassing?
(11:46am): cause i can take it there ;)
Casey (11:47am): I'm not ruling anything out ;)
(11:48am): well A+ for banter so far
(11:48am): and good practical use of emojis
Casey (11:49am): Thanks, I try ;)
(11:49am): woah 2 winks in 2 min? what is the world coming to!
Casey (11:50am): :)
Casey (11:50am): Should I go for three?
(11:50am): …
Casey (11:51am): ;)
(11:51am): you slay me Spacey
Casey (11:52am): Seriously? Did he tell you ALL of my nicknames?
Fuck. Fuck, he did it again.
(11:53am): yep! but im sure I'll come up with some of my own too ;)
Casey (11:54am): Come up with any zingers so far?
(11:54am): just Sexy ;P
Casey (11:55am): Look who's going wink happy now! ;)
(11:55am): ;)
(11:55am): ttyl got a thing
Casey (11:56am): Ttyl! ;) lol
…Was it so bad that he got the same satisfaction having Casey flirt with Dan as he did when girls flirted with him via text? He had to stop himself from smirking when she sent her first winky face. It was like seeing her all dressed up for him: weird, but at the same time incredibly satisfying. He liked corrupting her. It just felt so wrong. Y'know… in the right way.
But he couldn't keep this up. For one, it'd be super obvious if she ever tried texting Dan while she was over for her 'lessons.' Which is why he decided to delegate.
"Hehey, Jonesy!" He leaned back in his desk chair, propping his feet up next to his keyboard, hand loosely gripped around the phone at his ear. "I've got a proposition for ya…"
Fifteen minutes of backstory and a password change later, Derek left the Google phone log open on his laptop as he changed for the day. He had a 3:00 hockey practice and was eager to move up from the second string to a starting position (what, you thought a sophomore would be a starting forward? nope), which meant some serious dedication to the team. But in the meantime, before practice, he'd hit up the café on the quad – or, as he sometimes referred to it, the Aviary – to check out the local fauna (aka birdwatching, aka girl-watching).
Before he stepped out, he checked his computer. Garrett Jones (aka Jonesy) had taken over as Dan from London, making it – he hoped – one less thing to worry about.
(12:16pm): So Casey… what are you into?
Casey (12:19pm): You mean besides ragging on my stepbrother whenever I get a chance? Lol
Casey (12:19pm): Well I'm sure Derek told you I'm really into school
What a keener.
Casey (12:20pm): I'm also a dancer and lately I've been getting interested in yoga too
(12:20pm): So you like activities that let you wear skintight clothes? Hot ;)
Casey (12:21pm): I actually do standard yoga, not hot yoga ;P
Well, that seemed to be going well.
Casey was feeling surprisingly capable. She wasn't so bad at this whole texting flirting hullabaloo. A feeling she promptly shared with Dan.
Five minutes later, however…
Derek Venturi
* Never EVER use the word hullabaloo when talking to anyone under 80 (2:10pm)
* And while we're at it try to keep your whole keener status on the dl (2:11pm)
- So now I'm getting notes huh? Did he send you screen caps of all of our conversation? (2:12pm)
* Not all, just the bad parts (2:12pm)
* In other words: most (2:12pm)
- PSH yeah right I've been doing really well at this (2:13pm)
* Sure whatever princess (smirk emoji) (2:13pm)
* I've got practice I'll ttyl (2:14pm)
- Whatever (2:14pm)
- WAIT when are you gonna give me Wesley's #? (2:15pm)
- Or give him mine? (2:15pm)
- ? ? (2:15pm)
Derek did not text back. Mostly because, well, he had no clue about the number business. He knew he'd have to, eventually, but for some reason the idea of setting his stepsister up with QU's most eligible bachelor made the edges of his lips turn down. Not a full scowl, sure, but if he thought about it too much he started to feel the wrinkles forming between his eyebrows.
Well, there was an easy solution to that: don't think about it. It was a coping technique Derek had been using for years, and it never seemed to fail. (Or, if it did, he didn't think about it long enough to recognize that it had.) And it would be especially easy to not think about it if he focused his attention on practice.
During the brief 'take ten' that the team got between drills, Derek pulled out his cell. His mind had been wandering while he'd cycled through the line of teammates practicing their slap shots. And it had wandered onto Casey, and the training he was supposed to be giving her.
Of course, it hadn't wandered onto any of the more conflicting thoughts he'd had about that training, as those thoughts fell into the category of things he didn't think about.
Instead, he'd become firm in his resolve to test her flirting skills in person. And he should probably make sure she knew how to loosen up – if she went to a party and tried dancing the way she'd been taught, she'd look like the biggest try-hard on the planet. But the likelihood that she'd let him drag her to a party – at least this early in the game – was staggeringly low. No, he had to come up with something else.
And he did. And his mind had three very different opinions on that. But, as always, he pushed away the things he didn't want to dwell on, and focused on just how hilarious it would be to see Spacey humiliated. In a controlled environment, of course.
Spacey
* ? (2:15pm)
- Same time same place tonight (4:35pm)
- Same dress code (4:35pm)
- If you even own anything better that fits the bill (4:36pm)
- (smirk emoji) (4:36pm)
* Aren't four texts in a row a little pushy Venturi? (4:38pm)
* I'm learning my proper texting etiquette from Dan and he says fit it in 3 or less (4:38pm)
- I'm the exception to all rules mcD (4:39pm)
- Especially yours (4:39pm)
- Thought you'd know that by now (4:39pm)
- I do what I want (4:40pm)
- :P (4:40pm)
* I see what you did there (4:40pm)
* You must think you're very clever (4:41pm)
- I do princess (4:41pm)
- Because I am (4:41pm)
- Tonight. 8:00. My place. Be there or – wait your already a square, guess that doesn't work (4:42pm)
* Oh ha ha :P (4:42pm)
* And it's you're (4:42pm)
- All heil grammar nazi (4:43pm)
- Gotta go practice (4:43pm)
* :P
A/N (written pre-hiatus): This chapter title took forever. I went through about four different songs before settling on 'Best Behavior' by We Are Scientists. (Other snippets I tried were "Let's not make it harder than it has to be" from 'Girls Chase Boys' by Ingrid Michaelson, "Oh no, what have I begun" from 'AhHa' by Nate Ruess, and "He's never sorry" from 'Nobody Cares' by the 88.) 'Best Behavior' won for the overall mood of the sound and lyrics. Derek is being a dick, and the lyrics fit with that (e.g. "You gotta want to be good – but lately I don't feel like behaving," or "our best behavior is really not that great"). Also, it's got some grungy guitar in there and messy rock. Makes me think of Derek.
Do other people also consider Derek more of a grungy guitar guy?
(You know what's coming.)
Let me know in a review!
Or tell me literally anything else, I love hearing what you think might happen, and how things are going in your opinion. And feedback on music choices is awesome and I want more of it!
A/N (post-hiatus... or during hiatus?): Again, so sorry for the lag. I'll try to post on the 27th if I can while I'm at the airport. Or before then. I forget when my flight is. But once I'm back home I'm not sure when I'll have internet again. All my apologies.
