School was becoming way too much of a hassle for Casey, and she looked forward to the parties more and more. She now had fake I.D. s on her buying small amounts of alcohol to get her through the day. Money ran short, and her blended family was shortening the fuse of her temper. All she ever heard was – "Will you do this?" "Will you do that?" "Casey you're the responsible one." "Please just this one time?" She was thoroughly tired of it, and slept until someone became suspicious of her new habits. She was supposed to be trying to clean the house up for her mother's new client, but the cord to the vacuum wasn't cooperating and her finances had quit so she wasn't able to calm her nerves with a quickie of anything. She kicked at the appliance, hurting her foot in the process.
She heard a familiar snicker in the hallway. "What are you doing here Derek?" The young man shrugged, a small impish smile still on his face, "I thought I'd leave hockey practice early, and come to help you." It was then Casey's turn to laugh, "Yeah right." The smile left Derek's face, "Why is it that hard to believe?" Anger was evident in his voice, with a small pang of anguish to it. "You never help anyone but yourself, why don't you do me a favor for once in your life and just but out." Casey's impatience was growing and violence was on her tip, she'd slap him if she had to, though she knew she would enjoy hurting him as he always hurt her.
"Just let me help you." He was trying to take the vacuum away, and Casey tried to hold on to it. But her deprived body was weakened and as he yanked a second time she lost her balance and hit the hard floor. "You see what you do?" Derek knelt down beside her, and took her to the couch. She was too tired to complain, and her stomach gurgled from the lack of food that day, and she grabbed her stomach as the stomach acid made her way up her throat. Derek must have realized that too, because he took the closest wastebasket and held it up for Casey to up chuck. When she was done she collapsed back onto the pillows, becoming to tired to stay awake, and as she drifted off to sleep she felt something that was very similar to a kiss be placed on her cheek.