And The Winner Is...
by TheBucketWoman
Disclaimer: I made up a few characters, so I guess I can be consoled by the fact that at least I own them, but still no LWD people for me. Waaah. Oh and I don't own the Death Cab song, Narnia, or The Exorcist either.
Chapter Seventeen
Part One: Casey.
Derek had briefly fallen asleep afterward. Right on top of Casey, and even in the roughly 300 percent humidity she would've been mad if he'd moved. She spent the time looking at his face and the way his eyebrows knitted together a little before he woke up.
"Crap," he said. He rolled off of her. This time he caught himself before he fell off the bed.
"You have the soul of a poet, you know that?" Casey said.
"Sorry I fell asleep," he said. He looked up at her though his eyebrows and a shock of floppy hair.
"S'okay," she said. "You looked all cute. Like a scruffy, shaggy little—"
"Don't say it," he said.
"Puppy."
"Aw hell no," he said. She rolled on top of him, and pinned him easily. He seemed to have lost all coordination, somehow. But he was smiling.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Are you?" she asked.
"Can't complain," he said. She hit him with a pillow.
Part Two: Edwin
It was too hot to go outside, so Edwin and Lizzie had parked themselves in front of the TV as soon as they got home. Derek had dropped his untouched and still warmish McDonald's bag between them on the couch, so they didn't even pretend that something wasn't up. Lizzie got up and pulled several random DVDs off the shelf.
"The Patriot?" Edwin asked. "Backbeat?"
"Or The Exorcist," Lizzie said. Edwin was trying too hard to find a pattern in these choices. He figured out eventually that she picked them mainly for their noise level, because she didn't much want to hear what was probably about to happen upstairs. She hit the surround sound feature on the remote and popped Backbeat in.
About half an hour into the movie, they heard a thud coming from upstairs. Edwin hit the pause button.
"Should we check on that?" he said, even though he really didn't want to. They waited in silence for a minute.
"Nope," Lizzie said. Edwin hit play on the remote.
After the movie, Edwin got up to go to the bathroom. He went upstairs, but came down grumbling under his breath and headed for the basement. When he came back, he announced:
"Damn door was locked."
"Figured," Lizzie said.
"And I heard giggling," he said.
"They were..."
"Conserving water," Edwin euphemized.
"Ew ew ewwww!" she said, to Edwin's endless amusement.
"Think of it this way," Edwin said. "Would you rather they didn't take a shower?"
"They could shower one at a time like normal people?" Lizzie said. "Never caught Mom and George doing any of that."
Who was she kidding? "Remember that bump my Dad had on his head that time?"
"Yeah."
"Weelllll," Edwin said. "You know how small their shower stall is."
Lizzie shuddered, purely for effect. Edwin put an arm around her and she leaned in as he restarted the movie again.
Part Three: Derek
He really needed to wipe that stupid look off his face. They would have to pick up Smarti soon, and then Dad and Nora would be home. His dad would take one look at him and keel over, then Nora would kill him. Slowly.
Casey looked pretty damn composed compared to him. Now she was sitting on the edge of her bed, braiding her hair too tight as usual.
"Why do you do that?" Derek asked. "It can't be comfortable." He pulled his own hair back from his forehead to demonstrate.
"Don't exaggerate, Derek," Casey said. "It's hot out. I just don't want my hair in my face during rehearsal later."
"Ookaay," Derek said.
"Looks tight because it's wet," she said. Then she crossed her eyes at him because he was still staring at her with probably that same goofy look on his face. It was like he'd lost precious IQ points since this morning and he really didn't think he had any to spare. He tried not to smile for a minute and that's when Casey started to crack up.
"I'm glad you think this is so funny," he said. The corners of his mouth had a mind of their own meanwhile. The more he tried to push them down, the more they quirked up.
"I'm happy you're happy," she said.
"Easy for you to say," he said. "You don't look like you need help tying your own shoes."
She rolled her eyes. "You're trying too hard, and the more you try not to smile, the worse it'll be. Now I don't know about you, but I'm hungry."
"Feel like I haven't eaten in a week," he said.
When they got downstairs, Edwin and Lizzie had The Exorcist on and they were actually watching it, but Edwin's head was in Lizzie's lap, her hand in his hair, for once with no argument.
"Wanna help an old altar boy, Faddah?" Derek said, making them both jump. Edwin catapulted off of Lizzie, coming within an inch of bonking her chin with his head on the way up.
"Jeez, Derek!" Lizzie said, putting a hand over her heart. Derek circled around for a front view of the two of them on the couch. Both mouths were swollen, hair disheveled. Derek made a point of moving Lizzie's hair off of her neck to check for hickies.
"Quit it," she said, smacking his hand away.
"Unless you want us to return the favor," Edwin said. Damn kid always was too smart for him. Casey turned away, blushing.
Derek put his hand on his chest and sat on the arm of the couch. "Is that the way you talk to your loving, concerned, about to make lunch, brother?"
"Loving?" Lizzie said.
"Concerned?" Edwin said.
"About to make lunch?" Casey said.
"E tu Casey?"
"Oohhh literary reference from Derek!" Casey said.
"What's your point?" he said, trying his damnedest to look hurt by all these insults. He tried poking his lower lip out, but it just wouldn't stay.
"Nobody loves me," he said theatrically, as he headed for the kitchen.
He made sandwiches quickly, assembly line style: mayo, mayo, mayo, mayo, tomato, tomato, tomato, tomato, salami, salami, salami, salami etc. He brought his and Casey's to the table complete with those blue corn chips she likes and a little cup of salsa. He set down a pitcher of iced tea. Then he sat down with her and began to eat.
"Hey!" Edwin said.
"Do I look like a waiter to you?" Derek said, taking the hand towel off his wrist as he said it. He looked at Lizzie and pointed to a chair. She took it.
Edwin went into the kitchen in a huff and no doubt found his sandwich ready made with a handful of the ranch nachos that only he liked on the side. Lizzie's plate was next to his with more blue chips on the side.
Edwin brought the plates and a couple of glasses in. "Why are you being nice to us, did you spit in this?" He lifted the top of the roll and peered underneath.
"Do ya see the way he talks to his brother?" Derek said to the rest of the table.
"Don't question why Derek's being nice. Just enjoy it while it lasts, Edwin," Casey said. Derek nodded, his mouth full.
"Yeah, okay," Edwin said. He gave Derek the eyebrow, and started to eat.
Part Four: Marti
There was a honk as she got off the cheese bus. The air conditioning was broken on the bus, and they'd hit a little traffic, so she was sweaty, cranky and out of sorts. The burnt-plastic smell of the seats clung to her as its raised weave pattern tattooed the backs of her legs.
Plus, she'd seen Tony, her favorite counselor, kissing Kelly, one of the lifeguards.
It's not that she thought he'd be kissing her or anything, because she was eight and Tony was at least Smerek's age, and that would be weird, but it still ruined her day.
But there was her Smerek and her Casey waiting for her right in front of the school where everyone could see, so she half skipped as she made her way down the sidewalk to their Honda. She clunked herself down into the backseat with a sigh, the way she'd seen her Dad hit the couch after a long day.
Derek caught her eye in the rear-view mirror and said. "Hot enough for you, Smarti?" Then she had to smile because he was talking and not writing notes so she wouldn't have to read his messy handwriting anymore and it also meant that he could trade insults with Edwin back and forth real quick the way they always do, so everything was good again.
She got up onto her knees in the backseat and leaned forward to give Derek a hug from behind.
"Ew," he said, "Back off, Sweaty." But he was smiling so she knew he didn't mean it.
"Least I don't have salami breath," Marti said. Casey laughed.
There was Derekmusic playing on the radio, something about not finding gloves in the glove compartment of the car, and it sounded kinda sad, but it made her think of Derek so she liked it. She wondered if he'd sing along now that his voice was better, even though she hasn't heard him sing in forever. And he was a terrible singer, but that never stopped him before he'd gotten hurt.
But he didn't sing along, not even when the song changed to something happier. Not even when he pulled into the parking lot of the ice cream shop, and that made her a little sad. But overall, she felt way better than she had on the bus half an hour ago. Especially when she saw Derek and Casey share a double cone. All was well.
Part Five: Casey
They had their first rehearsal that night,so Derek and Casey had had to scarf down dinner and run to the community center.
Sheldon and Emily came up to them as Derek set up his camera on the tripod near the stage. Both Casey and Derek knew what they were waiting for. Derek played it cool, though.
"Sup," he said.
"Heeeeeeey," Sheldon said. "Not bad, boy. Much better than last time, though Emily said that whole raspy Rod Stewart thing was sexy—" He was cut off when Emily put a hand over his mouth.
Over the course of the night, Casey would notice that most people's response to Derek's recovered voice had a "Heeeeeeey" in them. She wondered why that was.
"Um..." Derek said. "Thanks, Schlep. I think." He patted Sheldon on the back.
"Anytime," Sheldon said, after he wiggled out of Emily's grip.
"Oh, and I didn't get a chance to mention it, but grrreat audition Friday night," Derek began. He exaggerated his own mannerisms for emphasis.
Sheldon looked a little uncomfortable for a second. "Um," he said. "That wasn't exactly planned..."
"Lighten up, Schlep," Derek said. "But I think I should get my little brother Edwin to show you how it's done for real. Casey does a pretty good impression of me, too," Casey blushed at this, "but Edwin's is really the best."
People made a general fuss over Derek. Many of them, Casey had had to remind herself, had never met him and knew nothing about him, so it was interesting to see them react to Derek now that he felt a little more like himself.
Jack, the director came up to Derek, shook his hand, and started to talk about what he had planned and where Derek might like to shoot from, etc. At Derek's first monosyllabic response:
"Heeeeeeey," Jack said. "Listen to you. So like I was saying, you can go ahead and get pretty close on most of this, get a lot of shots of people looking at me like I'm crazy, maybe? That'd be cool. And don't neglect our rehearsal pianist, the lovely and talented Mrs. Kiernan," At this, he pointed over at a the piano where his wife, a brunette in a sundress, waved at them. "And I said this before, but you should really take some acting in college maybe. I'm thinking that you'd be good at it."
"Umm..." Derek said. "'Kay." He caught Casey's eye and grinned.
"Casey!" Jack said, "Help me out here. He'd be great right?"
Casey, who thought Derek would only be good at playing himself, said: "I'm sure." She winked at him.
There were folding chairs set up in a circle in front of the stage. Jack waved everyone over and called for attention.
He made everyone introduce themselves. Casey learned several things:
Sheldon has had years of voice lessons. "And one day I hope to beat my girlfriend at Karaoke night," he said.
Debra Singh took lessons with the same voice teacher and she was the one who got Sheldon interested in the play.
Chris was a model and a theater major and possibly a little overqualified to be there, but, when questioned about it said: "I really always wanted to play Seymour, so when I came home this summer, I went for it."
The guy they got to play Mushnik, Jack Castellucio, was an English/Drama teacher at St. Francis of Assisi.
Melissa Chang who was going to be Ronnette, did print ads and wanted to eventually do commercials. Brianna Martinez (Chiffon) said she was trying to get an agent.
David Epstein, who would be playing Audrey Two (after the audition on Friday, Derek passed her a note: Dude sounds like Eddie Vedder. Do you think that we could get this guy to do my outgoing voice message?) was in a band and trying to record a demo. As he spoke, he twirled a dreadlock in one hand, and openly flirted with whoever would allow it.
Casey and Emily were the least professional people in the cast, and Casey, for her part, wanted to hide under her chair.
After the cast introduced themselves, Jack turned to Derek who was standing behind the camera.
"Wanna say a few words, Derek?" he said.
"Not really," Derek said, to general laughter.
"Ah, but you will," Jack said.
"I'm Derek. I go to Thompson. I have a camera. I enjoy long walks and...candlelight...and...cookies," he said. "And I do whatever Casey tells me to."
"Or else," Casey said.
Part Six: Derek
People who hug you within half an hour of meeting you are not to be trusted. Derek came up with this theory during a break while he was setting up a shot and saw Casey off to one side talking to Chris. Chris, having already committed the crimes of being two inches taller than Derek and having a six-pack that showed through his t-shirt, made things worse by squeezing hell out of Casey. She giggled. Derek's blood pressure rose.
Casey, though, God love her, took the first opportunity to introduce Chris to Derek. She did this formally. Derek almost expected bows and curtsies.
"So does 'I do whatever Casey tells me to,' mean what I think it does?" Chris asked. Casey put a hand on Derek's back, ever mindful of his PDA rule.
"It means he's the boyfriend," she said. Before that moment Derek had only had an academic understanding of the power of that word. His blood pressure went back to normal. He held out a hand to shake and was pulled into a bone-crushing hug. Derek, not for the first time, wished that he could grow porcupine quills.
"Good to meetcha, man," Chris said, patting him on the back. Derek shot Casey a quick what-the-hell-is-this-about look. Casey shrugged.
"So do you go to film school?" Chris asked.
"High school," Derek said.
"Oh yeah, you said you went to Thompson, didn't you? My bad," Chris said. There was an awkward pause "Are you thinking of film school, then?"
"Dunno," Derek said. He would not be dragged into a conversation with this pretty boy...this reject from NSync. It wasn't gonna happen.
"I can see him in film school," Casey said. Derek smiled at her, his mood lifting. "He's definitely bossy enough."
Derek pointed at her and said, "Pot." He pointed back at himself and said "Kettle."
"And you two have been married for how long?" Chris asked.
"A good twenty, twenty-five years," Casey said. When did she grow a sense of humor?
"You're so cute; I can't even deal," Chris said. Then he excused himself.
Not to be trusted, Derek thought.
Part Seven: Edwin
"We are so gonna get caught," Lizzie whispered. She was cramped into what was supposed to be a wardrobe of the Narnia variety, with a false back. It gaped open, but it had a black curtain to hide its back door. There was a small hole in the curtain, just big enough to fit the camera's lens into, so Edwin could see what was happening, but Lizzie could not. Every once in a while, someone walked by, passing within inches of them. The floorboards of the stage would squeak. And every time that happened, Lizzie put a vice grip on Edwin's free arm. It was going to bruise.
"Hush," Edwin said. He instantly regretted it when she smacked his already aching arm.