Hey everyone, sorry for the longer update! I actually had the chapter wrote but then I decided that I didn't like the chapter so I erased the whole thing and started over…so I'm really sorry! Plus, I've been under a lot of stress this week because my birthday is on Sunday (April 23…yay!) and my party is tomorrow…so I was hoping to get this chapter up before Friday…! Plus, I went to a concert last Saturday (All-American Rejects and Fall Out Boy…AMAZING CONCERT!) so I didn't have a lot of time to write anything last weekend…sorry!

Thanks for the reviews…you guys rule!

R&R and please, no flames!

Lotsa love, degrassichick

Oh yeah, and I'm starting up another Dasey story, I might have it up on Saturday or something this weekend/next week. It's going to be called Sadie Hawkins Dance (slightly inspired by the Relient K song…just because I was listening to it when the thought of making a Dasey story about a Sadie Hawkins Dance came to mind!), so be sure to look for it! Thanks!

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Chapter 7

-¤-

Man, she's beautiful.

As I stare down at Casey, sprawled out underneath me, that's the only thought I can manage to think of.

Casey looks up at me, her eyes fluttering open, and then closing.

I suddenly hear a 'whoop' from the crowd of the skating rink.

Dear God, they're whooping us!

Come on, has nobody ever seen two people trip over each other while skating? I mean it just so happened that it was me and Casey, but come on.

"I think they're expecting a kiss." I say huskily.

Casey sucks in a deep breath, and gives me a sly smirk.

Yes, yes, yes!

"Well…" she murmurs, "That is not going to happen." She finishes and shoves me off of her.

I roll my eyes and try my best to stand up on my skates with out falling on my ass again, or worse, my face.

I manage o get up and regain my balance before holding out a hand for her to grab.

She reluctantly takes it and stands up before muttering a very small "thanks" and skating off towards Carter, who is eyeing me confusingly.

I let out a groan and skate off down the rink, being stopped by a very familiar girl with curly black hair.

"Hi Derek!" Emily squeals.

I cringe, "Hey Emily."

"That was quite a fall you took down there; you want me to help make you feel better?"

Oh God no, do not make passes at me. I'mnot interested in girls making passes at me!

Well okay, that's a huge lie. But I'm particularly not comfortable with Emily making passes at me, that's for sure.

"No thanks." I mutter, before glancing over towards where Casey is standing beside Carter.

He has his arms wrapped around her waist and his head tilted towards her.

My jaw clenches, it's not as if I could just come over there and break them up…how bizarre would that look?

I let out a frustrated sigh as Casey giggles.

It's going to be a long night.

-♥-

Why do I feel like I'm giving Carter extra attention just for Derek's benefit?

Oh, that's right; because I am.

But why?

I mean, okay…so we did almost kiss; but that was just a spur of the moment deal, I mean, it had to be!

Derek shoots me a glare and I turn to Carter, flirtatiously giggling and rubbing his arm.

I flip my hair over my shoulder and glance back at Derek, who is trying to escape Emily, who is following him around chattering happily.

He's too busy glaring at me that he completely loses track of where he's going.

He crashes right into a girl with brown hair.

I let out a small laugh and Carter grins triumphantly as if he just made me laugh.

I haven't honestly laughed at a single thing he said tonight.

In fact, I haven't even listened to a single thing he said tonight.

Derek sits up and helps the girl up as well; she grins at him and flips her hair over her shoulder.

I know who that is.

Her name is Amanda Jennings, she's a ninth grader.

Oh my God, he's going to ask out a fourteen-year-old?

Pathetic.

He looks at me out of the corner of his eye before grinning at Amanda and talking to her.

My stomach flips.

Can't Amanda do any better than Derek?

She smiles and rubs her hand over his arm.

Okay, she can seriously stop now.

Derek glances down at his arm before looking back up at her and smirking, beginning to say something to her.

My heart is pounding against my chest and my stomach feels like it's about to fall out of my body.

I can't take it anymore.

"Be right back." I mutter towards Carter before letting go of the railing I'm standing against and skating back onto the floor, making my way towards Derek.

I think my body has a mind of its own, because I have no idea what I'm doing.

I near him and Amanda glances over at me curiously before turning back to Derek, chatting away happily.

That's when I crack.

I purposely slam right into the side of Derek, the two of us crashing to the floor.

"Damn, Casey!" Derek exclaims, practically pushing me off of him as Amanda helps him up.

I crouch down, my hands trying to grip the floor as I stand up cautiously on my skates, regaining balance.

I give him an apologetic smile that is nothing but fake, "Oops, sorry. You know, I am Klutzilla, after all."

Derek rolls his eyes at me and gives me a flick of the hand, telling me to leave.

I don't, of course.

Derek shoots me an angry glare before turning back to Amanda and sheepishly smiling.

I skate up behind him, watching as Amanda looks at me with worry in her brown eyes.

I grin back at her.

Just then, one of my favorite songs by Panic! At the Disco comes on.

"Derek!" I scream in his ear.

Derek's body jolts and he whips around to face me, "What the hell do you want, Casey?"

"It's 'I Write Sins Not Tragedies'!" I squeal, "I love this song!"

"Then go skate to it!" Derek shouts back darkly before turning towards Amanda, "So anyway, as I was saying-"

"Um…I like this song too." Amanda buts in, "And since Casey isn't really talking to Carter, I'm going to go ask him to skate with me. See you around, Derek." She says before turning and skating off towards Carter.

Derek glares at me angrily.

I grin, "Hey Derek."

"What is your problem?"

I bat my eyes innocently, "Problem? Why, I don't have a problem, my dear stepbrother."

Derek shoots me another angry look, "Did you want something?"

"I have to have a reason to talk to you now?" I ask stupidly.

Derek rolls his eyes, "You always have a reason, Case."

I roll my eyes right back at him, "Well if you don't want to talk to me, then I guess I'll just head on home. Seeing as Amanda took my date and Emily is MIA. Have fun without me…all alone, dateless…in a room full of Skating Swingers of the Seventies." I mumble the last part, glancing around at the elderly people skating around the rink slowly, wearing spandex.

Ew.

Derek scoffs, "Well, since you ruined my evening-"

"I did not ruin your evening. You ruined my evening, just barging in here in the middle of my date."

"Well excuse me, Princess Casey. I wasn't aware that I wasn't allowed to be at the skating rink when you are here."

I eye him up and down, "Not my problem that you weren't aware of the rules." I mutter before turning and skating back to the concession area to take off my skates and head home.

Wait a minute…I don't have a ride.

-¤-

"Derek!" Casey calls out just as soon as I hit the carpet of the skating rink.

I glance towards her and see that she is wearing a pair of flip flops.

"What?" I ask, skating towards a table and beginning to remove my roller blades.

"I don't have a ride." Casey says quietly.

I scoff and remove my first roller blade, kicking it aside and removing my second one.

Casey scoffs, "Fine, just ignore me, why don't you?"

"That's what I'm trying to do, Case." I say, getting up from the bench and bringing my blades to the rental area before heading towards my Adidas and putting them back on.

Casey stalks back towards me, "Did you hear me? I don't have a ride."

"Yeah, I heard you. I just don't care. I'm not giving you a ride home. Hitch one with some grandpa that's not too busy grooving to the seventies for all I care." I scoff, standing up.

"Derek!" Casey exclaims, slugging me, sending chills up my spine, "You barged in on my date and then won't even give me a ride home?"

"You barged in on my date." I reply, as the two of us retreat outside the skating rink.

Casey rolled her eyes, "Oh please, you weren't even on a date."

"Well I could have been if you wouldn't have interrupted me." I scoff back.

Casey sighs, "Well Carter wasn't exactly the greatest date on the planet anyway."

I eye her questioningly as we near my SUV, "What do you mean?"

Casey shrugs, burying her hands in the pocket of her hoodie, "I don't know…he kind of checked out other girls while we were there, and he only talked about himself." Casey mutters, "Oh, and he laughed at his own jokes." She adds in.

"Oh." I nod.

"Yeah." Casey replies, before glancing over at me, "He reminded me a lot of you."

Excuse me?

I give her an open mouth smile, "What did you say?"

Casey grins and shrugs as we climb into opposite ends of my car, "He just did. You can take it either way, as a compliment or as an insult."

"Well I obviously take it as an insult since you didn't think he was that good of a date."

Casey laughs and rolls her eyes, glancing out the window as we pull out of the parking lot.

"But I'll have you know that I am a great date." I throw in.

Casey chuckles and rolls her eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Just keep telling yourself that."

I smirk towards her, she's so good looking. I can't believe that Carter even had the nerve to check out other girls while Casey was with him.

If I were with Casey, I would never—wait a minute, if I was with Casey?

Oh my God, I really do have a crush on her.

Well, I guess I have for awhile now. But with this whole bet thing going on, I'm attracted to her even more-so.

Weird or what?

Okay, me liking her isn't weird.

Me being her stepbrother and liking her…now that's three things:

It's weird.

It's incest.

And it's wrong, wrong, wrong!

But right now, I really don't care. Not anymore at least.

Oh man, I'm turning into a sap.

As I pull up to a stop light, I realize something.

I turn towards Casey, "Were you just talking my head off so you could get a ride with me?"

Casey laughs and nods, "Yep..." she looks towards me, "Why? Does it bother you?"

I can't help but grin, "Not at all."

-♥-

Wow.

I can't believe I actually had a normal conversation with Derek, without any fighting or anything!

As we pull up towards the house, I smile towards him, "Thanks for the ride. I hate to admit it, especially since it has to do with you, but I've had more fun in the past ten minutes with you than I did for the past two hours with Carter."

Derek smirks, "I'm honored."

I laugh, "Yeah, I bet you are."

Derek laughs and the two of us climb out of his SUV and make it up the front walk and front steps of our house.

"So…you ready to give up on this whole bet thing yet?" I ask with a laugh.

"Now why would I go and do that?"

"Because I'm beating you, obviously."

Derek scoffs, "Hate to break it to ya Case, but you're not beating me."

My jaw drops, "I am too!"

"How?" Derek asks, "How many dates have you been on since this date began?"

I roll my eyes, "There was Brian…Chad-" I shudder as soon as I say him, Derek does as well, "…Brian...Carter…" I finish.

Derek laughs, "You went out with two different Brians?"

Whoa…I just realized that!

I laugh and shrug, "Guess so. How many have you been on?"

Derek sighs, "Claire…" psycho "Tiffanie…Becca...and…" Derek stops.

I knew I was beating him!

I grin triumphantly, "I'm so beating you."

Derek rolls his eyes, "Yeah, by one date."

I scoff, "Well, I'm still beating you."

Derek nods, "Yeah, yeah. But just wait. We have school and then the chicks will be swarming me."

I laugh and roll my eyes.

Suddenly, a cool Canadian breeze whips through my hair and I shiver.

It's then that I realize that the two of us are still standing outside.

"Should we go in?" I ask with a laugh.

Nodding, Derek opens the door for me.

Aw…maybe he really is changing.

Wait a minute, he's Derek, changing isn't even in his genes.

Although he was pretty nice to me tonight…well, after he invaded my date that is.

"Thanks." I say softly and step inside.

Mom, George, and Marti are all sitting on the couch, Marti's head is resting against George, she must be asleep.

Mom turns around and smiles at us, "Hey you guys."

Derek smirks, "Hey."

"How was your night?" George asks.

I shrug, "Alright, I guess. Derek was surprisingly nice enough to give me a ride home." I say with a laugh, nudging Derek.

Okay, for some reason tonight, every time I've touched him, my hand has tingled.

I'm losing it. I have to be losing it.

Derek scoffs, "Yeah, after you literally talked your way into my car."

I laugh and shrug, "A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do."

Derek smirks and yawns, "Well I think I'm gonna head upstairs…night." He says before turning and jogging up the stairs.

"So did you have a nice time, Casey?" Mom asks.

I nod, "Yeah, I did. But I think I'm going to head upstairs, I still have a paragraph on my term paper that I need to write and it's due tomorrow."

Mom nods, "Well, would you mind taking Marti up to bed?" she asks politely.

I shake my head, "Not at all." I say and make my way towards them, scooping up my little stepsister.

Marti's arm swings around my shoulder as I tell Mom and George goodnight and retreat upstairs.

"Smerek likes you, you know." Marti mumbles sleepily as I head up the stairs slowly.

What?

"How do you know that, Marti?"

She yawns, "I just do…" she murmurs before falling against the crook of my neck.

I head into her bedroom and lay her down in her bed, pulling the blankets up over her, "Goodnight Marti." I say softly, kissing her forehead.

Marti turns her back towards me, cuddling up to the teddy bear lying haphazardly on the bed, "Love you Casey." She says groggily.

I smile down at her before making my way outside her bedroom, being sure to leave her door open a crack so she still has a sliver of hallway light in her room.

I sigh and head into my bedroom.

-♥-

Okay, I've been trying to write this paragraph for an hour now and this is just about all I'm getting:

Other reasons why we should use the Derek is because his lips always look so kissable and he has a smile that just about anybody could die for…including guys…backspace, backspace, backspace.

The first time it happened, my eyes almost popped out of my sockets, then it kept on happening.

I pound down on my keyboard before standing up.

I have to see Derek.

-¤-

Somebody's outside my bedroom.

I think its Casey.

Okay, I hope its Casey.

Knowing my luck, it's Marti having another bad dream.

Not that I would be angry if it were Marti, I just want it to be Casey.

I haven't been able to sleep because I keep thinking back to her.

I can't stop thinking about her.

Her hair, her eyes, the way she looks when she gets angry…just everything about her turns me on.

I'm completely going insane.

I roll off of my bed and stand up, making my way towards my door.

I grip onto the knob, slowly twisting it open.

Please be Casey, please be Casey.

-♥-

I'm completely gutless.
I don't think I can do this.

What is wrong with me?

-¤-

I open up the door the rest of the way, swinging it open.

I hear a bedroom door shutting.

It was Casey.

And she's gone.

-¤-

So what'd you think?

R&R and please, no flames!

Lotsa love, degrassichick