Title: The Soundtrack of My Summer
Spoilers from: Season 4... And for those of you who were wondering, the season ends like this: Derek ends up with Emily (but I already broke them up), Casey ends up with Truman, who cheated on her once before (I made him cheat on her again and then broke them up too), and Casey and Derek are attending the same university in the fall.
Summary: It's the summer before Derek and Casey are about to go off to college, so the family decides to spend it in Mexico City. While there, Casey and Derek end up sharing a room, Casey gets a stalker, and Derek figures out just who Casey sees in her dreams.
A/N: Thank you sooooo much for the fabulous reviews! Keep 'em coming! This chapter is definitely one of my faves.. and it goes along with my favorite song by Boys Like Girls! How fitting!
Disclaimer: Mexico City, Boys Like Girls, the story of the Princess and the Pea, and Life with Derek still don't belong to me. I'm working on it, though. ;)
Chapter 6- Hero/Heroine
(Derek's POV)
The morning after, as I like to call it, was one of the most awkward experiences of my life. Having recently told Casey that I loved her, (which was complete nonsense, I was tired!) I prayed to God that she didn't remember what I had said last night.
Lucky for me, Casey didn't remember a thing. Apparently, she didn't even recollect the dream she had been having about me, because she seemed just as normal as usual when we woke up. Not that Casey is ever normal.
Here was how the morning went, in case you were wondering.
"Morning," Casey spoke as my eyes fluttered open. She was already up and ready for the day, with her makeup on and her hair done up neatly in a bun on the top of her head.
Instead of replying, I simply groaned and turned over on my side.
"Hey Derek?"
"What!?" I moaned, turning to face her with a lump in my throat. Was she planning on mentioning what happened last night? Because I really can't deal with that.
"I just wanted to say..... thanks," she smiled. "You were a big help last night."
"Don't mention it," I grunted. "I mean it. Don't."
Casey simply rolled her eyes and shut the door, leaving me to my thoughts.
She didn't seem to remember anything about the dream, which was good. And she hadn't heard what I had said to her last night, which was even better.
But the thing that made me the most relieved? That she wasn't planning on mentioning my "good deed" to the rest of the family.
I figured if Nora and George found out, they would probably start acting all proud of me and asking for hugs. Derek Venturi doesn't do hugs.
Edwierdo and Liz would probably make a big deal about it for days, investigating the reason behind my charitable behavior. That was another thing I really didn't need today. I was confused enough as it is why I've been acting so nice to Casey.
Smarti would probably start expecting me to act nicer to Casey all the time, which just wasn't going to happen. And then it might upset her, which wasn't something I wanted at all. Smarti's my favorite of the family, and I would rather give up hockey forever than make my little sister upset with me.
Okay, so maybe that was a stretch, but you get the point, right?
So here I am now, munching on my extra sugary cereal while Nora and George inform the family about what we're going to do today.
Of course, I wasn't entirely listening to what they were saying, but I did manage to hear a few words. Lunch, dinner, and something about an angel.
"Aren't you excited to see it?!" Casey squealed as we piled into the taxi. Casey, Marti and I were taking one taxi, leaving the other for Nora, Dad, Edwin and Lizzie. How they were all planning on fitting inside one cab I have no idea, but I knew what they were thinking. None of them wanted to be trapped inside a car with Casey and I fighting.
"To see what?" I asked, confused. I had no idea where we were going!
"El Angel de la Independencia! The Independence Angel! It's supposed to be the greatest tourist attraction in Mexico City! Boy am I glad I brought my camera!"
"We're going to see an angel? I hope she's hot," I whispered under my breath. Unfortunately, Casey heard me.
"The Independence Angel is not a girl, Derek, it's an historical monument! And besides, this trip isn't a chance for you to scope for hot girls, it's a chance for family bonding!"
"Whatever," I sighed, shoving my headphones into my ears to drown her out.
I think I might just be the unluckiest guy in the whole world.
The entire ride there, Casey told poor Marti every single detail she had ever learned about the history of Mexico City. I repeat. The entire ride.
After just ten minutes, I couldn't take it anymore, and I could tell Marti couldn't either. She had already fallen asleep on Casey's lap, but Space Case hadn't noticed a thing.
"Casey, why don't you save the rest of your story for later. Marti has a hard time getting to sleep, but with you talking, I'm pretty sure it'll take her no time at all!"
"Derek, you are such a jerk!" she screamed, and I caught a glance at our cab driver's face in the rearview mirror. He seemed tired, annoyed, and downright pissed off.
"You stupid, inconsiderate, big-mouth-"
"Case, I suggest you shut it before our cabby decides to take a detour," I whispered, and that shut her up quick.
For about a minute.
"I wonder how many people are going to be there!" she squealed. "The population of Mexico City is pretty huge, you know..."
Time for headphones again.
We arrived at the Independence Angel, which didn't look at all like an angel to me, at around noon. I shouldn't even be awake before noon, but unfortunately here I am.
"Isn't it beautiful, Derek?" Casey asked me as we approached the tall building. I had to admit, it was pretty impressive for a boring historical monument.
"Sure," I sighed, rolling my eyes. Casey can get so carried away sometimes.
Then suddenly I heard a voice call Casey's name, and her face turned ash white. The culprit was nobody I knew, but he had floppy brown hair, dark eyes and a very delighted smile on his face.
"Hi, Julio," Casey grinned, and I nearly choked on my own spit. This was Julio? The guy that Casey had turned down repeatedly just last night?
"Can you believe the luck? It seems like only yesterday that I saw you at the beach! Oh yeah... that's because it was yesterday!"
Julio threw back his head in laughter, and I snorted. This kid was a quack, and I could tell that Casey thought so too, but she had to be polite.
"So what brings you to the Independence Angel?" Casey asked nervously, looking around for the rest of the family.
"Oh, maybe a beautiful girl that I wasn't finished talking to last night," Julio grinned. "So, what's new?"
"Not much, considering we just saw each other last night," Casey sighed.
"Well then, let's cut to the chase, shall we? I would like to take you to this beautiful restaurant for dinner tonight. What do you say, are you up for it?"
"I'm sorry, Julio, but I'm kind of spending the day with my family," Casey admitted, and Julio quirked an eyebrow.
"So this is the arrogant, selfish, pig-headed step-brother?" Julio guessed, and I turned to her in shock. I was not pig-headed!
"Actually, no. Derek decided to stay at the cabin today. This is my boyfriend, Truman!"
Are you kidding me?
"What!?" I asked her, and she elbowed me hard in the ribs.
Ouch. That girl has bony arms.
"I mean, what a pleasure it is to meet you," I covered, casting her an angry glare.
"I thought you and Truman broke up because he cheated on you?" Julio asked, and I prayed to God that Casey had learned to lie a little better since the last time I had seen her do it.
"Well, we did break up, but then Truman came all the way to Mexico City just to apologize! Now, we're back together again, right honey?"
"Right," I choked out, nearly losing it as she began rubbing my arm. This was a little weird.
"But you seemed so hurt last night!" Julio persisted, and I rolled my eyes. This guy just wouldn't give up!
"Well, she was, but now she's over it!" I spat, putting my arm around her.
Okay, this was extremely weird.
"Casey, why would you get back together with him after everything I told you!? I even made up a fake ghost story just so you wouldn't go back to him!" Julio whined.
"Excuse me!?" Casey asked angrily. "That was a fake ghost story!?"
"Well, obviously! Come on, Case. Who actually believes in ghosts?"
"Don't call her Case," I seethed, gritting my teeth. Casey quirked an eyebrow at me but thankfully decided to let it go.
"The point is, I really think we belong together!" Julio spoke, taking a step closer to her.
"Dude, back off," I warned, pulling Casey tighter against my body.
"Casey, I know you don't really care about this guy anymore! I won't give up until you agree to go on a date with me!"
"Julio-" Casey began, but the idiot cut her off.
"You can come meet my parents! I told them all about you and they can't wait for our wedding!"
"This is ridiculous," I sighed. "Case, why don't you just tell him?"
"Maybe you should tell him," Casey spoke, confused and nervous. She had no idea what I was talking about, but I had a plan.
"Okay, I will. Fabio-"
"Julio."
"Same thing. Look dude, Casey and I are engaged. We're getting married in three months, and we're planning on looking for rings later today. So unless you're planning on stealing my fiancé, which I highly advise you not to do, I suggest you get out of our way and leave Casey alone."
"You're getting married!? Without telling me!?" Julio gasped, and Casey looked at me in disbelief.
"Yeah..... we are. I'd invite you to the wedding, but I think our guest list is already full. Sorry!"
"You have stolen my heart and broken it in two," Julio sighed. "Will I ever find another as lovely as you, mi amor?"
"I'm sure you'll find another love," Casey smiled. "Just maybe work on trying to be a little less clingy and a little more independent."
"I'd suggest therapy," I spoke, and Casey elbowed me a second time in the ribs. I was definitely going to have some fresh, non-hockey related bruises.
"Adios, mi amor. Goodbye, my love. Forever."
As Julio made a fool out of himself and sulked away, I couldn't help but laugh. Casey smacked me on the arm painfully, her eyes narrowed and very angry.
"How could you be so insensitive? You hurt his feelings, Derek!"
"The guy's a complete goofball, Case. Are you telling me you weren't the least bit creeped out by the fact that he followed us all the way here from the cabin?"
As Casey shuddered, I knew that I had won this argument. Julio was gone, and my "fiancé" was thankful for it.
The rest of the day was spent checking out these awesome pyramids, which I had to admit I really liked, and then hanging out at the park, which I didn't like so much. Parks and playgrounds were for little kids, not mature adults about to head off to college in the fall.
We returned to the cabin around eleven, and I was exhausted. After watching a little late night TV, I made my way into my bedroom.
Casey was there, sitting on my bed and reading a book.
"What do you think you're doing?" I asked her angrily, taking off my leather jacket and tossing it onto the bed.
"I'm staying in here tonight," Casey spoke, not looking up from her book.
"Why? Julio admitted that he made the whole thing up! You don't have to be scared of your room anymore!"
"That's the thing, Derek. It wasn't just what Julio said that freaked me out. When I was waiting for you to pick up the phone last night, the air got all cold and I could have sworn I heard a wolf howl. Julio may have been making his ghost story up, but that doesn't mean that room isn't haunted."
"You're being ridiculous," I argued. "There's nothing wrong with that room!"
"Then go sleep in it yourself!"
"Fine!"
I triumphantly made my way into the room that was supposed to be mine in the first place, only to find a broken glass lying on the floor, and red wine spilled all over the rug.
That hadn't been there the night before.
At that moment, a gust of wind blew through the room, and I shivered in the cold. The window across the room was wide open.
That definitely hadn't been like that last night.
Slamming the door, I ran into my old bedroom, where Casey sat with an expectant look on her face.
"You're right. That room's haunted."
"Told you!"
"But you're still sleeping in it."
"No way!" Casey screamed, launching herself across the bed. She was reaching for something.
It was my leather jacket.
"Give it back," I ordered, staring her down. There was no way this was actually happening.
"Not until you tell me you love me."
No way. There was no fricken way she had just said that.
"What did you say?" I asked nervously.
"I said not until you tell me I can stay," Casey spoke slowly. "Are you alright, Derek?"
"Yeah. Fine. Why?"
"Because your sweating bullets, pacing nervously around the room, and talking like an idiot. Hey! Maybe you are fine after all!"
"Very funny," I growled. "Fine. You can stay, but only if you give me my jacket back."
Victorious, Casey tossed me my jacket with a smirk on her face. Damn that girl.
I climbed into bed next to Casey, (yes I realize how weird that sounds) and placed my leather jacket on the table next to me, far beyond her reach.
"Don't you dare take my jacket again," I warned her, and she nodded.
Just then, the door to my room opened, and my dad walked in.
Oh great.
"What's going on here? Nora! Come quick!"
"Calm down, Dad," I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Nothing's going on. Casey just needed a place to stay tonight."
"Why couldn't she sleep in her own room?" My dad asked in confusion.
Glancing at Casey, I noticed her eyes grow large in fear, and she shook her head.
What was she hiding?
"Um, you see... Casey's bed is a little lumpy, and she says she can't sleep on it. I tried, and she was right. Very lumpy. Maybe there's a pea under there, right Dad?"
Clearly, my dad didn't find my joke very funny. He grunted, looked from Casey to me for a few more seconds, and then shut the door.
"That was close," Casey sighed, closing her eyes.
"Exactly why didn't you want my dad to know you were afraid of a ghost?" I asked. Come on, Case. The whole family already knows how lame you are.
"If my mom finds out I'm afraid of a ghost, she'll start worrying about me. Then I'll have to hear about how immature I am and how I'm not ready to go off to college! And even worse, she'll probably start crying and saying she's a bad mother!"
"Relax, Case," I sighed. "You know, you're starting to sound a heck of a lot like me."
"Excuse me?" Casey asked, her face wearing a look of disgust. Jeez, thanks Case.
"Trying to avoid listening to your mom cry? Yeah, that's definitely something I would do."
"Well, somebody has to start acting like you, considering you haven't been acting like yourself lately."
"Huh?" What was she talking about? I haven't changed!
"You're actually being nice to me," she smiled. "It's not something the old Derek Venturi would do, but here you are!"
"You're right. Maybe something is wrong with me."
Rolling her eyes, Casey shut off the light and scooted further under the sheets, while I thought about what she had said.
Why was I being so nice lately?
The answer came to me about twenty minutes later, as Casey talked in her sleep for the second night in a row.
"Julio, leave me alone!" she cried, swatting at the air in her sleep.
I couldn't help but think about how entertaining sleep-talking Casey was.
"Thanks, Derek," Casey smiled, and my ears perked up.
Was it just me, or did something inside me flutter at the sound of her speaking my name?
"You're always there for me, Derek. I don't know what I'd do without you."
I tried to restrain my mouth, but it wouldn't listen to me, and I found myself grinning in the dark like an idiot. What was wrong with me these days?
"My Derek," Casey sighed in her sleep. "My hero."
And that was when I knew that Casey McDonald meant a bit more to me than a step-sister should.