Disclaimer: Sadly but truly I do not own Life with Derek.
Chapter 5: Klutzilla's First Fall
Marti and Casey rode all the rides over twice; but finally Marti wanted to be with her Smerek.
"Smerek! I want to go on that ride, and that ride, and that ride, Oh! And that ride!" Marti pointed to the rides she could see, she ran into a line and Derek followed.
"Aw, Smarti and Smerek." Tyler said, gazing at the siblings; Casey smiled.
"Adorable isn't it? But don't tell Derek, anybody who says anything about that gets it…he's overly protective of her." Tyler and Casey chuckled as they watched Derek give a death glare to the father of a boy who kept pulling Marti's hair in line.
"Yeah…kind of like how he is with you. If Marti hadn't showed, Rick wouldn't be walking right now." Tyler scoffed at the mention of his idiotic former friend.
"He…can be really protective…sometimes I wonder about him. He comes off as one thing…but he's totally different when he's with Marti or me. Like a different identity. With the exception of the conceitedness and the jackass air about him…that never seems to cease." They laughed slightly at that.
"So…you guys had a little encounter at the wedding rehearsal?" Casey looked at Tyler wide-eyed.
"H-he told…he told you?" Casey looked at Tyler as he nodded. "And you…you don't…care?"
"Why would I? You guys aren't related by blood. I don't care if your stepsiblings…it doesn't matter." Casey smiled; he could tell it was her silent thank you for his acceptance.
"I suppose he told you when he fell in love with me?" Casey raised her eyebrows, she obviously didn't know.
"He said "love at first sight"…but was only referring to himself." Tyler explained Casey caught on; he wanted to know when she fell in love.
"Well…I fell in love at first sight…fell out of love after last words…then fell in love again."
"Care to explain? Marti's going to have him a bit busy for a while…" Casey nodded.
"Well…I officially fell in love with him the first year of living in the Venturi household…
"Derek, this is incredibly stupid. It'll never work." Casey sat stubbornly on his bed while he paced around in his room.
"It will…it just needs a little…mm…sprucing up. There is no way I'm waiting until next month to drive." Casey rolled her eyes.
"Derek, Mom and George are going to notice their missing car; it won't work. We won't be back until, like, midnight. They'll notice for sure."
"Casey, you don't have to go to this party, you know." Derek continued to pace. "It probably won't be your scene anyways."
"Uh-uh. I'm going."
"Fine then; let's go." Derek climbed out the window and onto the front porch, Casey followed behind him.
"This is so stupid." Casey kept muttering under her breath.
Derek tried to open the car door, which was unlocked, to find the alarm going off. Casey rolled her eyes and groaned. Derek muttered swear words under his breath repeatedly.
Nora and George rushed outside with angry looks on their faces; after being dragged into the house by their parents. After the extremely boring lecture, which neither teen listened to, Casey and Derek went upstairs.
"I told you it was stupid." Casey grumbled, thinking back to their punishment…a month's grounding. They'd be living in solitaire with the rules they were ensued with.
"Casey, could you maybe spare the lecture of how you're better than me? Of how you're always right and I'm always wrong?" Derek snapped, turning around and storming off into his room. Casey stood in silence. She broke Derek Venturi…
"What do you mean, 'better than you'? I don't think that." Casey explained calmly. Derek just returned it with a snort.
"Right; because every time I screw something up you're not always there to remind me of how stupid or what a failure I am." Derek spat bitterly and he flopped down onto bed.
"I-I…I don't mean too…I'm sorry…" Derek just rolled his eyes.
"Whatever Casey. You don't mean to shove my failures in my face. You don't get it; everyone expects you to be perfect: so you do. Everyone expects me to fail: so I do. It's simple as that; I'll never measure up to you in their books, in your book…or in mine."
Casey's heart swelled for him. She'd always figured herself to be the victim…not Derek. She'd always figured she was the one whose life became hell…but he had the worse end; if not the worst.
Casey looked at the boy who looked like her cocky stepbrother she supposedly knew…but was completely different; this boy was torn and tattered; he was breaking because of her; he was vulnerable; he was sensitive…
…he was making her fall in love."
Tyler looked at her with sorry eyes.
"What?" She asked, truly puzzled.
"Must be horrifying…what if you don't go back?" Casey immediately knew what he was talking about at that point.
"I don't know…but it is scary. I love him, I really do…and it isn't easy. I mean, just when I think my life is getting less and less complicated, the bomb drops. Those two are the only things that I truly have…
…and honestly? I'll be terrified beyond belief living without those two." Casey said, explaining it to herself more so than Tyler. She watched intently as thee two remaining sources of music in her life ran around; from one ride to the next.
"I get it…but isn't there anyone you can talk to about that?" Tyler asked; really, he was happy to help, but until now…wasn't Casey or Derek able to talk to any friends or family or anyone they could trust?
"Well…Derek had Sam and I had Emily…but they're gone now." Casey's eyes didn't avert from Derek and Marti…she couldn't look away, even if she wanted to, she couldn't.
"What happened with them?" Tyler asked, suiting himself against a fence.
"Emily was my best friend; Sam was Derek's…Emily is madly obsessed with Derek…and Sam, even though we dated, still has harbouring feelings for me…so Derek says. Anyway Emily doesn't know and neither does Sam…nor will they ever find out until we decide they can."
"Which will be when?"
"Hopefully; never. Most awkward conversation with an ex-boyfriend: telling him you can't love him because you're madly in love with your stepbrother, AKA your supposed best friend." Tyler chuckled and Casey smiled.
"Right. I can see where that's coming from…so, what makes Emily past best friend?" Casey sighed…she should've seen this coming.
But Casey, under no circumstances, was ready to talk about that…but on another note, she needed to get it out.
She couldn't tell Derek; and she most likely never would; maybe since Tyler had been so understanding so far, he could be the one to hear this…
"Fine. I'll tell you." Casey inwardly groaned, she was about to begin…
"SMASEY!" Marti screamed at an eerily high pitch voice; an ear shattering scream could be heard from the little girl as she stood by a crowd.
A/N: Ooh! I wonder what's wrong…no seriously…I have no idea where I'm going with this one…but it's been pretty much the same case this whole time so I'm sure it'll be good…Smasey has some news ahead of her…and the explanation of the outburst containing the name "Smasey" in it. :P