A/N: Not much to say. I really like the way this chapter turned out. Hope you all do as well.
Enjoy and review! Let me know what you think
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 8: The Game
Today was the first Friday of Casey and Derek's college career and tonight was Derek's first hockey game. In high school Derek was the 'Hockey God', the captain of his team, perfect in every game. But here, he was just a lowly freshman on the varsity team, which only consisted of seniors. Not that he didn't have confidence in himself, part of his scholarship came from his skills in hockey, he was just nervous that he was not going to be what everyone expected of him.
Casey reached for the knob to their apartment when she heard Derek talking to someone. She held her hand over her mouth as she strained to listen through the front door. Who is he talking to? Does he have a girl in there? What are they talking about? All that filled Casey's mind was questions. She did not want to interrupt anything so she decided to just listen in. When she heard it was a one sided conversation she sighed, glad that he wasn't with anyone and was just on the phone.
"I know . . . but it's my first game . . . I guess I just expected you guys to be there . . . I'm just so used to having some fans . . . No, I can't ask her . . . She hasn't been to a game since I called her bad luck . . ."
With that Casey chuckled a bit. During the first few months of living in the Venturi/MacDonald household, she went to a few games with the family. After a rough loss, Derek blamed her.
"Why the hell did you have to come? It's not like anyone on the team even knows who you are and I don't even like you." Derek screamed as he walked into the house.
"I didn't even want to go. Mom and George forced me, saying we needed to bond as a family." She screamed, glaring at him from the other side of the couch.
"You are not my family!" Derek said walking around the couch.
"Was that supposed to hurt me Derek? I will never consider you family. I will never consider you anything more than what you are, nothing!" Casey said, matching his moves and coming face to face with him.
Their argument was heated and insults were flying back and forth. Finally, Derek said "It was your fault that we lost anyway. You're like a bad luck charm that won't go away."
Casey got so angry with him that she slapped him across the face, catching him off guard and making him fly onto the couch. "I will NEVER go to one of your stupid hockey games again."
After a few months passed and her feelings began to grow, she would secretly go to his games. She bought a blond wig and huge sun glasses and would always sit in the back. She had never missed a game in 2 years.
Hearing Derek groan and close his cell phone, Casey walked into their apartment. She acted like she heard nothing and continued about her normal activities. She hoped that he would ask her to his game, but he only made small talk, asking about her first campus newspaper meeting.
A little while later in his room, Derek was stressing about the game that was later on that night. During practice earlier in the week he noticed that there was a group of fans watching. They chanted one of his teammates name and he realized that it was not high school anymore. He was no longer Derek the 'Hockey God', he had not gained a name for himself here yet, he was just another player on the team.
He was starting in tonight's game, but he knew he would not have a single fan in the arena. Fans were always his motivation in high school. Hearing his name chanted and the feet stomping in the stands always gave him what he needed to play his best. Earlier he had called his dad, hoping he would show up with his family to support him, but Derek was disappointed to find out that they would not make it, they had other obligations.
I can't ask her, she would definitely tell me no. After I screamed at her all those years ago . . . it wasn't even her fault. Derek was having a conversation with himself while he was getting ready to leave for the game. The stupid captain of that other team checked Tom so hard that he was out for the rest of the game. We were so distracted . . . I should have never blamed her.
Derek heard music playing from the other room. After grabbing his hockey bag, he made his way out of his room. As he stood in the living room, he saw Casey humming to herself in the kitchen. She was sitting at the table, reading an article that was assigned to her during her meeting. Just ask her. 'Casey, would you mind coming to my game tonight?'
"Hey Casey, I'm heading to my game. I'll see you tonight." Chicken!
Nodding without looking up, Casey said "Good luck."
Hearing the front door shut, Casey jumped up and ran to her room. She had planned on attending Derek's game, even if he did not ask her. I can't break tradition. Casey rummaged through her closet for a jacket, knowing how cold it was in the arena.
When Casey finally arrived at Derek's game, she decided to sit in the back because she didn't have her wig and sunglasses. She sat down in the last row, right behind Derek's team's box. When the game started, she was pleased to see Derek on the ice. She had seen him play so many times, she knew how amazing he was at the sport.
Within a few minutes she knew something was wrong. It was weird to be watching Derek play and hear someone else's name from the crowd. She saw how it affected Derek's game, she knew he was out of his element. He was playing like he never played the game before. Suddenly, Derek was checked into the glass. Casey stood, afraid he was hurt, reminding her of the time at one of his high school games.
Casey waited for everyone to leave for Derek's game. It was the end of their junior year and Casey had liked Derek for about a little over a year now. She went into her room and opened her closet. Reaching on the top shelf, she grabbed the shoebox. Pulling her hair up, she placed the blond wig onto her head and sunglasses over her face. Grabbing a jacket, she ran to the bus stop.
Taking her normal seat, all the way on the top, behind Derek's team's box, she looked around for her family. She spotted a small girl holding up a huge sign that read "Go Smerek" in the front row. Smiling, Casey sat back to watch the game begin.
Casey was mesmerized with Derek's gracefulness and brut strength on the ice. She knew he was strong, from all of the arguments that ended with the two of them rolling on the floor, but she was always shocked with the way Derek made his presence known on the ice.
As the game progressed and Derek's team scored time after time, the stands began to shake. All you could hear in arena was "DEREK! DEREK!" Casey saw how he fed off of his fans. When they called for him, he skated a little faster and checked a little harder. It was as if he was playing for them.
She would always wince when she saw him get knocked down or pushed to the side. She feared he would get really hurt. As she watched only him, she didn't notice the guy coming up behind him. Obviously neither did Derek, because he was slammed into the boards, falling to the ground.
The entire arena grew quiet, waiting for their beloved "Hockey God" to get up from the ice. Without thinking, Casey went flying down the steps towards the rink, screaming Derek's name. She was terrified he was hurt. When she reached the entrance to the rink, she noticed him getting up. Shit, I can't let him see me. Casey ran towards the doors and out of the arena.
She had decided to walk home, since the bus would have taken too long to get to the arena and she did not want anyone to see her in the area. Casey knew that Derek was fine, but she was still worried about him. He could one day seriously get hurt.
A car's horn brought her back to reality. Casey turned to see Derek in his jeep, pulled up next to her. Boy am I happy I took off my wig. Casey walked over to the car, leaning into the open window.
"Want a ride?" Derek asked. It was obvious he was sad. She heard it in his voice, saw it in his eyes.
"Thanks." Casey said, getting in and buckling her seat belt.
They drove in complete silence for a while. She saw him pass their block, but she didn't ask where they were going. She desperately wanted to ask how he was feeling, if his side hurt, but she did not want to blow her cover.
After about 15 minutes of complete silence, Derek glanced at Casey and asked, "Where were you coming from?"
"Mall," Casey quickly replied. The school and mall were in the same direction from their house, so she figured he wouldn't think she was lying.
Another 5 minutes passed without a word said between them. It finally dawned on Casey that Derek's game would not be ending for about another hour. Why is he here? Did he get hurt badly enough that he couldn't play for the rest of the game?
As if reading her mind, "I got hurt in today's game. Some guy on the other team checked me and knocked me out for a minute or 2." Derek sighed. "My side got scrapped pretty badly on the ice and coach said I had to sit out."
"Derek, why did you leave? You could have still cheered for your team or showed moral support."
"I just had to get out of there. The crowd kept cheering for me, making me want to skate, but my side was in pretty bad shape. I just wanted to get out of there. I didn't say anything to anyone, I just left." Derek pulled the car into a parking lot of a diner. "Let's get something to eat."
Derek got out of the car and walked over to the front doors of the diner. He waited for Casey to make her way over to him before he held the door open for her. She saw in his face that something else was wrong, but she didn't want to push him.
Sliding into the booth, Derek winced when his side hit the wall. Casey immediately got up and walked over to the counter. He noticed her come back with a small box in her hand.
"Get up please." She asked Derek, looking into his eyes.
Derek got up and Casey motioned for him to get in on the other side. As he slid in, Casey slid in next to him, so that his bad side was now facing her. She gently lifted his shirt up, seeing the scraps on his side. She opened the first aid kit she got from the elder women at the counter, taking out an antiseptic wipe. She gently wiped the area, bandaging it carefully, trying not to hurt him.
Casey got up and gave the box back to the women at the counter. When she walked back to the table, she noticed Derek speaking to the waitress. As she sat down, the waitress walked away.
"I ordered an ice cream sundae, I figured we could share."
Casey just smiled back and looked out the window. As they ate, they spoke about random things, nothing of too much importance. They both shared a few laughs, and enjoyed their time spent together.
On their way back to the house, Derek started the conversation. "I had fun, thanks."
"No need to thank me, you were the one who brought me there."
"Well, thanks for keeping me company. And thanks for being my nurse."
After a moment, Casey turned to him and said "anytime Derek, anytime."
When they pulled into the driveway of their parents' home, Derek turned off the car but made no attempt to leave. Finally, he turned to Casey and asked "Do you think I'm nothing?"
Casey was completely shocked. You couldn't be more wrong. I think you're amazing and special and so far from nothing. Although so much was going through her mind, she couldn't bring herself to say anything fast enough.
Before Casey could respond Derek started talking again, "I'll take your silence as a yes."
Casey sighed, "I didn't say anything because I was shocked that you thought I thought that about you. And no, I do not think you are nothing. You are really something Derek, and it's definitely not nothing."
With that, Derek gave Casey a hug and went to leave the car. She put a hand on his shoulder, making him stop.
"Why do you think you are nothing?"
Thinking for a moment, Derek turned to face Casey, looking right into her eyes. "I guess I was just thinking, that if I ever got really hurt and couldn't play hockey, I wouldn't be anything. I would have nothing going for me. My fans love Derek Venturi, the 'Hockey God', but could they love just Derek Venturi?"
"You have so much more going for you than hockey. You have your grades, which you picked up so fast it's incredible. You also have your hidden talent as an artist. That drawing of you and Marti is amazing. People are stupid if they can't see past your hockey." Almost as soon as she said all that she mentally kicked herself. Great way to freak him out and show your true feelings. She thought that he would get weird and know she liked him and would never speak to her again.
Casey felt strong arms wrap around her. Derek held on to Casey for just a moment, whispering thanks into her ear, before leaving the car. Casey followed him into the house and up the stairs. At first, she headed towards her room, but she heard Derek call her name.
She walked over to his room and leaned on his door frame. He pat the bed next to him, telling her to sit down. "Casey, do you think we could stop?" After a moment of silence, Casey's mind was going crazy. Stop what? Stop talking? Stop being nice? "I want to stop fighting with you. I would really like to have you as a friend," he said.
Casey was relieved. "I would like to be your friend Derek. But, I'm not saying that I am not sometimes furious with you and won't want to yell sometimes, but I don't want you to think I mean anything that I say." She looked up and found his eyes with hers. "However, I want you to know that I meant everything I said before in the car. And I'll be here for you when you need to talk to someone . . . someone that can see you more than what your friends see you as."
"Thanks Case. And ditto." Derek smiled at her as she got up and left his room.
Staring down at the rink, Casey saw Derek get up. She saw him glide across the ice, with no motivation at all. She felt bad for him, knowing that he thought he didn't have a single fan or friend in the arena. I really hope he knows he is more than hockey.
Without thinking, Casey grabbed a notebook from her bag and scribbled something on sheet of paper. She ran down the steps and reached the glass boards, right behind Derek's team's box. She held up the piece of paper against the glass, so Derek can see what she wrote.
Derek looked up and scanned the crowd. Everyone was chanting his teammate's name. He felt like skating over to the coach and asking to be replaced. As he got closer to the box, he looked up. He saw Casey standing there, with a smile on her face and a piece of paper held up to the glass. When he got close enough he read he note, bringing a smile to his face.
DEREK! DEREK!
Casey stood there for the rest of the game. She watched Derek play harder than he had ever played before. He scored 3 of the 6 goals his team got, with his last winning the game. She was glad to help him in his time of need, but she couldn't help what wonder if he played so well because of having a fan, or if it was because the fan was her. She was secretly hoping it was because of her.
After the game, Derek entered the locker room to shower and change. During his shower all he could think about was Casey. Why would she come? Did she hear me on the phone with my father? She has to be the most amazing person in the world. Why can't I just tell her that? After his shower, Derek left the building, heading towards his car. When he got close enough, he noticed Casey leaning on his car, with the note still in her hand.
Walking up to her, a genuine smile crossed his lips. "Thanks for being my fan Case."
Casey chuckled. "Don't thank me yet, I still have to be a nurse to that gash on your forehead. And you won't be thanking me when it stings."
"Just take the appreciation." He said sternly, but she saw the sincerity in his eyes. "It really meant a lot that you came."
"Come on," Casey said, playfully tugging at his arm. "Let's get you home and clean you up."
Hmm, going home with my nurse Casey, Derek thought driving to their apartment, sneaking glances at her the whole way. What could be better?