Chapter Six: Confessions.

When the four teenagers got back to Derek and Edwin's place, Edwin and Lizzie called the television. Derek reached for Casey's hand and walked to the kitchen to check if his dad and Marti were there. He found a note on the table and it read:

Derek, Edwin.

Went out to dinner with a friend. Marti is sleeping over at Grandma's house. I'll be back so be good! I mean it DEREK

-George

Derek smirked then put the note down, and then looked at Casey, "Come on. Let's go to my room and vent." Casey nodded as they descended up the stairs. They went into his room, where Casey sat on the floor next to his bed. Derek shut the door, and then sat next to her on the floor-crossed legs. He leaned against his bed and looked at her. She looked like she was fighting with her inner self.

"Okay, so let's talk," Derek suggested, breaking the silence. Casey sighed.

"I don't know how to talk about this. And I don't want you to think of me differently."

"Case, I'm not going to look at differently, I promise," Derek said sincerely. "How about who your ex is? As much as I don't want to get jealous, I want to help." Derek smiled, and was able to get a smile in return.

"His name is Jacob Jones. We went out a year ago for eight months. He was a good guy, or so I thought," she said mumbling the last part. Derek could see tears forming in her eyes and reached for her hand and squeezed it.

"So what happened?" Derek asked.

"Well, in the beginning, he was such a sweet, great guy. He knew how to treat me right, and he made me feel… special…" she trailed off as she looked over at Derek, seeing jealousy written all over his face. Casey giggled and then squeezed his hand, "Sorry."

"It's fine… continue," Derek insisted and Casey nodded.

"Well after a couple of months into the relationship, he started acting differently. He started to become a real jerk. He stared to calling me provocative words when I wasn't with him, or when I'm around his friends. He'd put me down when he didn't get what he wanted. I never expected him to verbally abuse me," she said then mumbling, "or physical."

Derek stared at her in shock. How could someone hurt someone like Casey? She's such a great girl, he thought to himself. He had the sudden urge to hunt Jacob down, and beat him up for all the pain he's caused Casey.

"Case, he hit you?!" Derek asked yelling it out, out of rage. Casey put her hand on his mouth.

"Keep it down Derek! Lizzie doesn't know the story, and I don't intend on telling her either so please," Casey pleaded and Derek's eyes were fierce. He took a deep breath and nodded.

Casey moved her left arm out and showed a scar. It was a long line. Derek looked into her sad eyes and then at her arm and his eyes bugged out.

"He did that?!" Derek asked getting angry all over again. He watched as more tears dropped from Casey's eyes. He wiped away her tears and waited for her to continue.

"He started hitting me one night… I was hanging out with my friends, and I didn't come call. When I got home, he was on the porch… waiting for me. He accused me of cheating on him, and began calling me a whore and a slut. I tried walking away from him, but he ended up hitting me in the stomach," Casey said looking at her hands, reenacting that night in her mind.

"I tried to fight him, and he ended up kicking me. I tried to break it off, and he threatened to kill me saying if he couldn't have me, no one would have me. I got this scar," point at her arm, "when I tried leaving him one time. He kicked and pushed me around, and then he pulled out his pocket knife and cut me, telling me it was a stupid thing to think about and I should know better by now. It ended up like that. I'd do something stupid, and then he'd hurt me for my actions. I started going out for cheerleading and dancing that way I'd get away from him, and thankfully I wasn't cut at tryouts. When I started getting more bruises that were starting to show, I tried out for basketball since my friends and his friends were wondering how I got those bruises. I never told anybody. I couldn't. I would have died and I know it's stupid to not tell anyone. My friends ended up seeing him hurting me one night after a basketball game, and got him off me with many punches to him before they called the police. My mom never told Lizzie, and I don't intend on telling her either."

Derek had anger written all over his face. He watched Casey as she broke down and cry. She tried to get up and leave the room, but Derek pulled her down in his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist. She wouldn't look at him, putting her hands on her face, as she continued to cry.

"Case, look at me," Derek said in a soft tone. She still wouldn't look at him and he moved a strand of hair out of her face. "Come one Casey please," he pleaded. She sighed and looked into his brown eyes. He looked into her eyes and saw sadness. He put his hand on her cheek and wiped away the tears that were streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that Casey, and I'm sorry he's an asshole, but Case, I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. I promise you that on my life I won't let anyone hurt you," Derek said sincerely and Casey nodded, knowing he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

"About the kiss earlier. I just wasn't expecting it, and everything about Jacob came back into me and a flash of pain came and it hurt. I just- I'm not ready, yet," She said looking at him. His face dropped a little and Casey felt bad. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked in his eyes. "Thank you Derek, for helping me and being here for me. You're a great friend."

Derek's face dropped more when she said 'great friend'. That's it? I need to let it out now, he thought.

"I'm just a great friend?" Derek asked, "I wish I was more," he continued as he looked down at her. She looked like she was fighting with herself in her mind.

"I care about you and I like you. More than I should," Casey said taking a deep breath. "But I can't trust someone so easily. It's so hard for me to trust anyone, especially guys, no offense to you. I know you wouldn't hurt me or anything that Jacob had done to me, but deep down inside myself, I have this feeling that I can't stop thinking that I will get hurt again, and I don't want to go through it all over again."

Derek tightened the grip around her waist, inhaling her wonderful sent.

"Casey, I understand, but you need to understand you can trust me, and I won't hurt you. No matter what anyone says, I won't hurt you. And I care about you a lot, and I can't explain it but you make me feel good about myself when I'm with you. I'll show you that you can trust me, and I won't hurt you…" Derek trailed off as Casey looked into his eyes, "If you let me?"

Casey thought about it. Should I go and take a risk? I mean, Lizzie's been telling for months. And maybe something good could come out of it. Then again, I could just get hurt all over again… ugh. I'm going to hell for this, she thought as she took a long sigh and looked up and locked blue eyes to brown. She saw honesty and something else that she couldn't put out, but she didn't follow up on it. She moved closer to his face and put a peck on his lips.

"I think… I want to give us a try. I just, I don't want to bring you down, with me being self conscious and all," Casey explained.

"I'll help you get through this," Derek said as he reached for her hand and entwined it. "And thanks Case, for giving us a chance. I know it's hard for you right now."

"You're so lucky that I feel comfortable with you. You're the first guy in a long, long time that I had finally got to know and become real good friends with. And I'm glad I'm giving you a chance. Lizzie told me I got to take the risk of going for it. I can't always be scared."

Derek whispered in her ear, "Don't be scared," sending shivers up and down her spine.

"It's hard not to feel scared, after what I've gone through," Casey said.

"But now you've got me," Derek countered.

"Yeah, I do," she replied looking at their entwined hands.

"So does this mean I can't kiss you for a while?" Derek asked raising an eyebrow and looking down at the girl in his lap.

"Maybe not," Casey smiled. A real smile, not like the fake ones she gave earlier on that day. "I mean, how else am I going to overcome it?" Casey asked winking at Derek and Derek just chuckled.

"Alright then," he said and cupped her face making out with her for a while till they were out of breath. Casey looked at her watch reading around eight.

"I think my mom's home now, and I'm guessing she'd want Lizzie and I back at home," Casey said and saw Derek pouted a little and she laughed.

"What?"

"You look so cute when you pout," she exclaimed and he scowled at her.

"It's not my fault I want to hangout with my girlfriend," he said smiling after saying it.

Casey smiled and shook her head. She began getting off his lap, but he wouldn't let go of his grip on her waist. Casey looked at him sternly and Derek just smiled. She kissed him passionately and his grip on her waist loosened up enough for her to wiggle out of his grasp.

"No fair Case," Derek said crossing his hands in front of him. Casey laughed then bent down and gave him another passionate kiss.

"I'll call you tonight alright?" Derek could only nod making Casey giggle. He stood up a minute later and put his wrapped his arms around her waist as they walked out his room. When they got downstairs the television was on but they didn't see their two younger siblings watching. No, they were in a make out session again. Derek and Casey looked at each other and Derek went to Casey and whispered in her ear, "See, that's how we should be, I know for sure you'd overcome it very easily" he said with a huge grin. Casey just rolled her eyes with a smile on her face.

She tipped toed towards the couch, where they were and reached for a pillowed and then whacked both of them.

"Ow!" both of them yelled out, making Derek and Casey laugh.

"The hell was that for Case?" Lizzie asked obviously mad they ended their kissing.

"Say goodbye to your boyfriend, mom might be home so we got to go now," she explained as she walked towards Derek and entwined their hands making Derek smile huge. Lizzie looked at Edwin and they both looked at them with a raised eyebrow.

"What going on?" Lizzie asked, and Casey smiled.

"Tell you later," she said as she kissed Derek on the cheek and whispered in his ear, "Call you later, boyfriend," with the emphasis on the last word. Derek's face gleamed when she said this and hugged her and wouldn't let go. By the time they let go, Lizzie was already out the door waiting at their place.

Derek watched as Casey walked over to her place and waited for Edwin's questions to begin.

"So what was that hand holding and the whispering about, huh?" Edwin asked.

"Nothing Ed, don't trip about it," he said walking into the kitchen.

"Don't trip my ass. D tell me!" Edwin exclaimed Derek nodded.

"Alright, so basically, we're going out now, but we taking it slow."

"You and taking it slow don't go together," Edwin said laughing.

"Yeah, but with her it does," Derek said as he walked upstairs into his room.

When Casey and Lizzie got home, Casey went to her room to listen to some music and think for a while, but it was cut off when Lizzie came into the room.

"Spill, and don't give me that, nothing happened." Lizzie said as she plopped down on her bed. Casey smiled and lied down on the bed with also.

"Well I told him about Jacob, and you knew didn't you? The whole story about Jacob?" Casey asked and Lizzie looked down and nodded.

" I understand why you didn't tell me, and I'm not upset," Lizzie assured her and Casey nodded thanking she wasn't mad.

"Anyways, I told him the whole story, and he kept promising me that he wouldn't let anyone hurt me. He said he wouldn't let me feel like that again. And then…" she trailed off thinking about what just happened and how he became her boyfriend, "I told him he was a great friend, and he asked if that was the only thing he was to me. I had more than 'just friends' and I knew I couldn't lie to him now, since he could see it in my eyes whether or not I was lying so… I told him I had feelings for him, more than I should, and he told me he felt the same way and asked me to give him a chance, that way he'd be able to show me that he's a good guy. So I took your advice and gave him a chance." Casey said.

Lizzie looked at her with a huge smile on her face.

"That's good Case. At least you're getting back in it you know. I'm tired of seeing you sad and mope when your girls are out, and Derek seems like a nice guy. From what Edwin is saying to me, he's been changing ever since we moved here last month."

Casey nodded and thought about everything that happened today. She knew deep down inside somewhere that Derek wouldn't harm her, nor put her in danger. She loved the feeling of his lips on hers. She touched her lips and smiled, picking up the phone and dialing Derek to speak about anything.

A/N: I know this wasn't really good, but hope you still like it!