Chapter 3: The Wheels on the Bus...
"I can't believe this!" Lizzie groaned. She was slumped back on Casey's bed, watching her older sister sort through the many clothes laid out on her bed.
"We might as well just suck it up and go, Liz." Casey sighed loudly, quite annoyed by her sister's complaining. As soon as George and Nora had dropped the bomb about leaving for the night to go to a carnival in the morning was borderline crazy. How they expected to pull everyone out of their weekend plans was a mystery. Casey had only been downstairs once to retrieve a pair of socks in the laundry room, only to discover her mom racing around the kitchen making sandwiches for the five hour trip.
"I know, but I was really planning on practicing my speech for the recycling club at school." Lizzie explained, only to be ushered off the bed so that Casey could spread out her large suitcase. "Why do you need so many clothes? We're only going to be there two nights."
"Trust me, for some odd reason I will need at least four outfits." Casey replied, quickly adding these clothes into the suitcase and trying to shove in a last pair of sandals. "Are you even done packing?"
"Yup, it took five minutes." When Casey gave her younger sister a look, the girl just shrugged in an innocent fashion. "Unlike you I don't need four outfits. Jeans and a t-shirt is all I need"
"Are you sure you're my sister?" Casey laughed, as she zipped up her bag and started toward the door. Lugging the bag out of the room and into the hallway where she could at least push the rest down the stairs.
"Of course you would pack to the extreme." Derek scrutinized, as he exited his room, raising an eyebrow at the large pack.
"Well where's your luggage?" Casey snapped, continuing her pushing.
"This is it." He shrugged. Casey looked up at him, only to find him in the clothes he had went to school in, except for the leather jacket that now adorned his shoulders.
"That is all you're bringing?" She couldn't believe it. Of course then again this was Derek she was talking about.
"Hey, this is all I need to make any girl fall head over heels." He smirked before picking up Casey's luggage easily and tromping down the stairs.
"Yeah right," She mumbled before her and Lizzie followed behind him.
When they entered the living room, Edwin was already splayed out on the couch inspecting a video game magazine, while his and Lizzie's, small duffel bags were already by the door. Derek lugged Casey's bag over there as well, setting it down with a huff. Lizzie had already taken her place, after moving Edwin's legs over, on the couch examining his magazine over his shoulder. Casey sat on the arm of it, letting out a sad sigh as she looked around her.
"Don't tell me your gonna cry, because we're going a way for the weekend?" Derek asked, plopping down on his chair. He looked up at her expectantly only to find that she looked close to tears. "Oh no, please don't!"
"No, that's not it." She wiped at her eyes uncomfortably, still making sure not to smear her perfectly put on make up. "This is just like our first vacation as a family, and it's already sucking."
"You can not call this a vacation." He commented, going for the jokes so as to make her more annoyed and less sad. "It's like a trip to some Carnival with very little planning involved. I'm surprised you're not rushing around like Nora."
"What are you talking about Derek?" Nora asked, as she carried her own bag to the door, as well as a small cooler.
"Nothing," He mumbled, standing up when George entered the room the car keys already in his hands. "Hey dad, can I drive?"
"No." Was the older man's immediate response, to his son's question.
"You sure?" Derek pressed.
"Absolutely. Marti, get down here!" He yelled this last part.
"Coming." A small voice said, and a skipping Marti, in a pretty pink dress, came down the stairs dragging along a wheelie princess suitcase. "Smerek will you carry my princess bag?"
"I'm sorry, ask Edwin. I have to carry Casey's because she's too weak." He commented, lifting her bag up and opening the door. He was followed by George, who had grabbed the cooler from his wife.
"Edwin?" Marti turned to him, a pout already playing on her small features.
"Sorry, Lizzie's a weakling too." Edwin laughed, getting a smack from Lizzie, as he followed his brother and dad out the door the two duffels in hand. Lizzie was behind him, already chatting to him, about nothing in particular.
"Here, sweetie, I'll carry it." Casey offered reaching for the bag, but Marti pulled it out of her reach and toward the door.
"Never mind, I have it." Here voice sounded sad, but it could have just been a figment of the older girl's imagination.
"Are you ready, dear?" Nora asked, reaching for the emergency house key and placing under the welcome mat before ushering her daughter out of the house so they could put the house on lockdown.
"I guess." Casey replied, heading toward the car where Derek and Marti were already seated in the back in the midst of a tickling fight. Lizzie and Edwin were climbing into the captain's chairs, as George roared the old van's engine to life.
Nora squeezed Casey's shoulder's before the girl climbed into the back with Derek and Marti, still trying to calm down from the tickles. As soon as everyone was in the van they pulled out of the driveway, the sound of the van's engine the only noise surrounding the family. Casey was squashed in the middle between a Derek who was bobbing his head to his old cassette player, his ear plugs sounded as if old rock was coming from them. Loud rock. Marti was staring out of the window, sighing loudly every few minutes.
"Is there any music?" Marti finally asked, her high pitched voice ringing in Casey's ears.
"I don't know." Nora started to dig in the different consoles before lifting a cd case with cartoons covering it.
"Is that my car ride music?" Marti asked, leaning forward in her seat only to squeal upon noticing she was right.
"Car ride music?" Casey asked.
"Marti had Derek burn her a cd full of little kid songs for long car rides." Edwin explained, examining the dusty cd cover. "I can't believe someone found this thing; I thought we burned it years ago."
"Put it in! Put it in!" Marti screeched, jumping in her seat.
"Okay. Okay." Nora shushed placing the cd in the player. In seconds the car was full of kiddy music. "The Wheels on The Bus" being the first track.
Marti started to screech along in time with the music. Lizzie and Edwin already had their ears covered trying to talk over the loud music. George just groaned before rolling down his window in an attempt to drown out the music. Casey looked over to Derek, his head still bobbing slightly. Her mind reeled before she came across and idea. Pulling out his earphones, he quickly made to cover his ears as Marti screeching was still at top notch. He shot Casey a glare before shouting.
"Why'd you do that?"
"Either you endure this torture with me, or you share." She gave him his options, and without a moment's thought he dug another pair of earphone plugs from his pocket. He handed them over after plugging the one end into the other end of the cassette.
"But it's my music." He added before placing the plugs into his ears and bobbing his head in the time of the beat of the song on his player.
Casey joined him, with less bobbing and more the tapping of her finger on her knee. She leaned back in her seat closing her eyes. They snapped open however, when a large hand clamped onto her tapping hand. She looked over at Derek who quickly removed his hand and gave her a look saying to stop. She did, closing her eyes again, and tried to think of something else besides the fact that their knees kept brushing. His jeaned against her bare one.
