I feel like it's been forever since I updated this thing. Enjoy!

Casey completely let the whole drug thing go by the end of the week. And whatever she and Derek were, she liked it.

She was at work, waiting tables, when she heard the bell ring. She looked up and saw Ben standing there, looking…different. She wasn't so sure how he looked different but he looked different. Almost like he was distraught.

"Ben," she greeted.

"Hey,"

She was out of words to say to him after he greeted him and so she just left it at that.

"I need to tell you something." He said.

"What is it?"

"It's about Derek,"

--

Derek was playing that song again to make sure he wouldn't mess it up and the door burst open. It made him jump on the couch and he looked at who came in and it was Casey. She had tears running down her face.

"What's wrong?"

"How could you?" She asked him before she hurried to her room.

She slammed her door as Derek rushed over to it. He tried to turn the knob but it didn't turn. She locked it.

"Casey, what are you talking about?"

"Go away Derek. I don't wanna talk to you."

"What did I do though?" He asked desperately.

"I don't ever wanna see you again."

Derek nodded to himself and left.

Casey heard the door shut and she broke down. She thought back to her conversation she had with Ben. How could she have been so blind?

When Ben had told her it was about Derek, she was all ears, instantly.

"What about Derek?" Casey asked.

"Well, first, I wanna say I'm sorry for the way I've been acting lately. I guess I just get jealous over Derek." He sighed, "Was Derek with you yesterday?"

"No, he said he was going to the gym."

"I saw him go into a house with some blonde. I think it was one of those houses."

Casey's heart sunk.

"Look, I kept it to myself, but every time Derek wasn't with you, I always saw him with that blonde girl and they looked pretty cozy too."

Casey still didn't say anything.

"I even saw him walk into that one alley near your place. He didn't come back out for a while but when he did, he looked pretty burned."

"He said that you planted coke in his pocket." Casey informed him.

"What?" Ben asked, faux shocked, "Yeah, I don't like him much but I would never sink that low and do something like that."

She didn't know what to think. Her mind was racing like crazy. Derek was acting like the perfect boyfriend, how could he lie to her like that? Not only was she right about him using again, but Ben had basically implied that he was also hooking up with some girl too.

"And apart of me feels that he's selling too." Ben continued.

"You're lying." She said, shaking her head.

"Have I ever lied to you?"

He was right. Ben had never lied to her in their relationship. Never. And so she knew that he wouldn't lie about something now. Or so she thought.

"Look, I don't want you to just up and tell Derek that you know all this. Like I said, I'm not really sure. I mean, it could be someone who just looks a lot like Derek."

Casey just nodded her head.

And now she was in her one bedroom apartment all alone. She tried her best not to over react but she couldn't help it. First the coke in his jacket, and now this. She even went to check out that alley way Ben had mentioned too. And sure enough, the aroma of drugs was in the air. She didn't go all the way back, but from what Ben had described, it seemed like he was right. And now, she had no idea how she and Derek were going to get past this. Also, she had no idea where he was. As much as she cared about him, she didn't want to know where he was.

XxX

This time, Derek had no idea where he could go. He wasn't about to go back to Nora's place because he had just got back from there.

He just started walking in whatever direction he his feet took him. He kept walking and soon he came to the other side of the park. There was still enough light to see where he was walking and the faces of people walking past him. And then, as bad luck would have it, he saw that familiar blonde hair. Kayla.

He popped the collar of his jacket and continued to walk.

"Derek?" A voice asked.

Shit.

Derek stopped and looked to her.

"Hey,"

"Hey, I haven't seen you in a while." She said to him.

There was a bit of awkwardness between them given their previous activities together.

"Been clean,"

"You're clean now?" She asked him.

Like it was impossible for him to get clean and stay that way.

"Well, when you have someone who's willing to try, it's possible." He said almost bitterly to her.

"No need to snap." She half snapped back. "And who is this oh so wonderful person who stayed by you this whole time I didn't see you? That girl you're staying with?"

"That's none of your business."

"Whatever, if she's so great then why are you walking around looking like you just got walked all over?" Kayla asked.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

He walked past her and she stopped him.

"I'm sorry." She said to him and he rolled his eyes. "I'm going to a party and you look like you could really use a drink."

"I'm not partying."

"Not that kindof party."

He thought about it for a minute before he answered her.

--

"I never told you how nice this place looks Case," Ben said as he sat on the couch waiting for her to come out of her room.

Ben had offered to watch rented movies with her that night. She told him she didn't want to be alone and so he was more than happy to go over there with Derek not being there.

"Thanks." She shouted from her room.

Ben got up and started looking at all the things inside her place. He noticed there was a note book on the coffee table with a sheet of paper hanging out. Ben looked to her bedroom door and then pulled the page out. He then silently rushed to the kitchen and looked at the paper. He saw Casey's name on the top but it wasn't in her girly hand writing, it was sloppy but ledge able. His brows furred together as he read the first part quietly.

"Your voice was the soundtrack of my summer; do you know you're unlike any other? You'll always be my thunder…Your eyes are the brightest of all the colors; I don't wanna ever love another. So bring on the rain, bring on the thunder." He made a pity sound and shook his head. "Pathetic." He continued, "Too bad she wont get to read it."

And with that, he crumbled it up and tossed it in the trash. Just as Casey came out too.

"Ben, what are you doing?" She asked when she saw him in the kitchen.

"Looking for snacks," he lied.

And with that, she let it go. Only because he didn't know where anything was in her apartment because he was hardly there. She smiled and showed him a whole cupboard of snacks.

--

Derek followed Kayla to this house party she was invited to.

Yes, he decided to attend as well. He needed a drink and because Casey didn't drink, he couldn't drink.

When he walked in, he didn't smell any heaven in that room so he knew she was telling the truth and that it was just a party.

Kayla handed him a drink and she introduced him to some people that she knew. They all looked like they were his age so Derek and these other people got along great. Within an hour, he found out that Kayla lived with her mom who was working all the time. He knew that despite her drug use, she was a good student and was making pretty decent grades, and how these people knew this was beyond him. He also found out that the three guys he was talking to, all had a turn with Kayla. And even though they all had a turn, those guys cared about her like no other. And Derek, well, he chose not to mention his time with Kayla.

After about a few hours of mostly talking and a little more drinking, Derek decided that he was going to head back to Casey's apartment. And being the nice guy that he is, he walked around the house looking for Kayla to say good bye. He had asked around and all said that they didn't see her. Finally, he walked upstairs and saw a door that was slightly open. He opened it the rest of the way and saw Kayla on the floor, unconscious.

--

Casey had her head rested on Ben's shoulder. He was acting more of a boyfriend than he ever had with her. She almost forgot all about Derek and why he was gone until the phone rang. Casey made no move to answer it and was going to let the machine get it but then she heard the frantic voice of Derek.

"Casey? Look, I don't know why you're mad at me but I need you right now." He paused, "Something happened and I need you to come to the hospital."

The machine beeped and she sat up. She looked at Ben and without a word, she got up and rushed to get cleaned up.

"Casey." He said.

"I'm sorry Ben, you have to go." She said trying to get her shoes on, "I have to go to Derek."

"But, I thought that you were mad at him."

"It doesn't matter, he needs me."

--

Derek was waiting to see if Casey would show up and was starting to lose all hope. The police were called and were questioning him about how he knew her and what he thought happened. Derek even asked if he could have a drug test to prove to Casey that he was still clean. When they said they would call him, he asked for them to mail them to her address so she could read it herself.

And finally, what seemed like eons, she rushed into the hospital.

"Derek, what happened?"

"Remember than girl I told you about?" He asked her. When she nodded he continued, "I went with her to a party and she overdosed."

"You went to a party with someone who had an overdose? What the hell is wrong with you?" She asked him, "She was the one who you hooked up with while you were under the influence, are you really that stupid?"

"Casey,"

"And to top it all off, after everything I've done for you, everything I've put up with, and you turn around and…" She shook her head.

"I still have no idea what the hell you're talking about!" He stressed out. "I am completely lost when it comes to your random mood changes. One minute you're all over me and the next you tell me you hate me."

"I have never said I hated you."

"It was implied when you said you didn't wanna see me again."

Derek ran his hand through his hair and shook his head.

"When I saw her lying on the floor like that, I didn't know what to do." He continued, "She looked like he was dead and I saw myself lying there, barely breathing. I saw my life literally flash through my mind at the thought of me getting into that kindof mess." He said to her.

Casey sat next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't even wanna go back to that Derek ever again." He said honestly. "And whatever I did, I'm sorry, but I don't wanna talk about it."

XxX

Derek found out that Kayla had overdosed on crank. She ended up shooting too much and it took over her body. Derek went back to Casey's place but slept on the couch for the next two days. He really didn't want to talk about whatever was bugging him. One, because he didn't know why she was mad, and two, he let the reality of the possibility of overdosing sink in. That could have easily happened to him in the past. Anything could have happened to him while he was getting high. I guess you see things differently when you're sober.

And the day came; Casey was home while Derek was at work when a letter came for her with no return address. She set it on the counter and went about her business. She had cleaned her kitchen and when she went to dump something, she saw that crumbled up piece of paper. Her brows furred and she grabbed it. She never threw away paper, she always recycled.

She opened it and the first thing she saw was her name. She then began to read the words on the paper and her heart soared. Never had anyone written anything for her like what she read. It was amazing. She flattened out the paper and set it on the counter next to the envelope with her name on it.

Curiosity got the best of her because she was dying to open it. And she did. She looked over the paper slowly and it was a drug test for Derek. He was clean of anything and everything.

Derek was right. Ben lied to her about probably everything.

--

Derek came home around seven that night. After he took his jacket off, Casey was right there with her arms rapped around his neck. He didn't hug back right away, he just waited for whatever was to come.

"I'm sorry." She whispered in his ear.

He said nothing, he just wrapped his arms her waist and hugged her tighter. Those two words made him forget all that happened between them.

That one hug not only made him feel better, but it also told him that everything was okay with them now.

Derek casually looked around and saw his paper on the counter. He broke the hug and walked over to the paper and picked it up. His heart was pounding a million miles a minute as he turned to her. She wasn't supposed to see the song yet. He wanted to surprise her with it.

"Where did you get this?" He asked her.

"I found it in the trash." He looked at her, "I'm not lying." She said honestly.

Derek set it back on the counter, no use in hiding it anymore, she already read it. She walked over to him and rested both her hands on his chest.

"That was beautiful." She said to him. "Was that really for me?"

"Yeah," he said to her, "I wanted to show you how much you mean to me and that was the only way I knew how to." He shrugged, "You weren't supposed to find it, I wanted to play it for you before the summer ended."

"Well, you don't have to play it now, I can wait."

He allowed himself to kiss her softly.

"You don't know how much you mean to me," he whispered to her, "I just want it to be us, I wanna be with you." He said for the first time ever.

She was a little shocked that he admitted that to her. She ran her hands up his chest and around his neck. She hugged him tightly before she kissed him again.

"You have me. I'm not going anywhere."

And he believed her. It's funny how something tragic can bring two people together. And even if it wasn't so tragic, it was tragic enough for Derek to realize that something so simple could cost him everything.

I know I suck! You all didn't want Kayla back but I promise, that will be the last time she'll be in this story. And I'm alos contemplating if Derek and Ben should drop the gloves like Carcillo and Avry and throw down. Too soon? Not soon enough? Let me know!