Hey guys, sorry for the long wait between updates, hopefully that won't happen again. Last week was insanely stressful, but it's better now. I've changed the title of this story, obviously. It fit better with my changing ideas for the story. Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed, and hope you enjoy this one!
By the way, a few years went by and ages and grades are a little different from the show:
Derek, 18, 12th
Casey, 17, 12th
Edwin, 14, 9th
Lizzie, 14, 9th
Marti, 10, 6th
Disclaimer: If I owned Life With Derek, Derek would only wear shirts when he needed to cover up a hickey. Sadly this is not the case.
Dear Derek,
Okay. First of all, it will take all of my will power to ignore my morals and help you do this. After all, you know I'm not the speed-dating kind of girl, and I know that Casey isn't either. It would break her heart for you to only date her for a few weeks—if you can get her to accept, that is.
So in order for me to consent to this, I have a few rules for you. First of all, no sex. No taking clothes off, no hands under clothes, nothing. Got it? Also, if you ever were to cheat on her, I will kill you so painfully that you will still feel it in the afterlife. And thirdly, you have to help me win over the guy I like. I won't tell you who it is, but I've known him a few weeks, and he's really sweet. Unfortunately, he only knows me as a waitress. How can I get his attention?
Moving on to Casey—it looks like so far you've been messing with her emotions, which is good, but don't take it too far. It's important to get inside a girl's head. But don't make her think you're a psycho hormonal mood-changer. I know way too many guys like that, and it makes me want to offer them birth control to control their hormones.
Okay, I get distracted easily. Sorry. So. Make sure you are sweet when she needs it; obviously she is stressed and in pain, so make life a little easier for her—when a guy acts like a boyfriend, she will think of him more in a boyfriend type of way.
Another rule—don't pull the jealousy card. It is overdone and lame, and will just convince Casey that you really are just a speed dater, and only flirting with her because she is an available girl. Well, available as in close by, not as in available. Speaking of which, you need to get her to break up with Max. You're on your own with that one.
The most important thing to do is to talk to her. Casey is insightful, you can't just talk to her about sports and school and friends and family. I mean, you can, but not only that. She has dreams, she has real thoughts and feelings, and so do you. Let her know that.
Good luck Derek, and update me soon!
Sally
The first thing Derek saw upon opening his computer was the little flash of new mail, and he read through the email in less time than it normally took him to scan a page of Playboy. Then he read it again, wondering if he should make a list of the things he was supposed to do.
Oh God, I'm turning into Casey! he thought in horror. No lists.
But, the first thing to do was to figure out a plan for Operation: Break Up Max and Casey. He rested his hands, fingertips together in evil genius style, pondering this.
He was interrupted by his door opening. "Derek!"
Derek smiled and turned in his chair; it was Smarti.
"Hey Smarti, what do you need?" he asked.
"Der-ek!" she whined, "I'm not a little kid anymore, don't call me Smarti!"
"You keep telling me that," he explained, "but you'll always be my little Smarti. No matter how big you get."
She sighed, mock dramatically, but Derek could see the little sparkle in her eyes. Or maybe that was eye shadow—she was in the glittery makeup stage of girl-hood, which is her case was purple makeup. (There was a reason that his Dad and Nora didn't take her anywhere).
"Derek, I want ice cream and we don't have any. Can we go out to get some?"
"Oh, Smarti," he groaned, "I'm too tired to get out of my chair. You'll have to carry me."
Marti covered a giggle and grabbed at his hand, yanking him out of his chair. He mock-stumbled to his feet, swatting his bookshelf, bedside table, and doorframe as he went, pretending to be falling over. Marti giggled again and followed him out of the room.
"Hey family!" he called, voice echoing through the hallways, "We're going for ice cream, who's coming?"
From downstairs, George called, "I want ice cream!"
"Kids only, Dad," Derek laughed, "Edwin, you alive?"
"Busy!" he and Lizzie called simultaneously, followed by laughter.
"Creepy…" Derek muttered, before banging on Casey's door. "Case, you want ice cream?"
Casey was seated at her computer, some feminist chick crap blasting out of the speakers. She looked up when the door creaked.
"With you?" Casey asked. "I'd rather have the ice cream in my stomach, not my hair. Besides, I'm studying."
"Pleeeeeeeeease?" whined Marti from behind Derek.
Casey smiled indulgently. "Come on Marti, don't you want to spend time with your brother alone?"
"No, I want you too!" she exclaimed.
"Come on Case, you know you want to come."
Casey sighed, looked mournfully at her computer screen, before saving the word document and standing up. "Fine, but my hair better be ice-cream-free when I get back."
Marti cheered and danced down the stairs. Sweeping his arm out before him, Derek motioned that she should go first. Casey gave him a weird look but nevertheless skipped down the stairs, chasing after Marti.
It was a nice view. She was only limping a little now, favoring one knee.
"Bye 'rents!" Derek called out the door as he closed the door behind them all.
As he started up the car, with Casey in the passenger seat and Marti in the middle back, leaning forwards to see out the front, he realized for the thousandth time how much he loved driving. It was independence from his parents, the ultimate coolness.
He rolled down the windows and cranked up the volume—some old album of his dad's called Rumours, by Fleetwood Mac—and enjoyed the ride while Marti chattered to Casey about school and Dimi and her other friends.
Right now these were his two favorite girls in the world in the car. Of course, Marti would be the one still in the top slot a month from now. Casey would be replaced by the next fling, and he was okay with that. No girl had ever managed to maintain his interest for that long.
He pulled up to the little ice cream shop, parked, and scooped Marti out over the front console, and stepped out himself. Depositing her on the pavement, he walked around to open Casey's door while she fumbled with her purse.
"What are you plotting, Derek?" she demanded suspiciously.
He watched her pull down her just-above-the-knee skirt where it had ridden up as she climbed out, then realized that she was still waiting for an answer.
"Oh," he said, "nothing."
Except getting in your pants, he thought, before remembering Sally's rules. He would have to find a way around that.
She looked up at him in that adorable way of hers, unsure of whether to be mad or not. Thankfully, she couldn't read his mind. He smiled at her, and she tentatively smiled back, unsure of why she did so. He wanted to kiss her so bad, just lift up her chin and press his lips to hers—
"Derek, Casey," Marti exclaimed, "Stop flirting!"
The moment ended and they both jumped. "We weren't flirting," Casey said firmly. "Derek was just being weird."
He sighed and led the girls into the ice cream shop.
Hey guys, hope you enjoyed it. More to come soon, hopefully Friday? Especially if you review.
Preview of the next chapter:
"Derek…that was really nice today," Casey said tentatively, unsure of how he would react. But really, he was so cute around Marti, almost like a nice guy instead of the stepbrother she knew and (rarely) loved.
"You mean I was really nice today," he corrected, smirking down at her. "It happens sometimes."
Okay, so maybe she loved him a little more than rarely. The side of her mouth twitched in an almost smile. "Are you bringing anyone to school tomorrow?"
"I don't know, maybe my annoying stepsister?"
She smacked him but laughed, glad that he had offered. "Okay, thanks—night Derek."
"Night Casey."
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