I'm not so sure about this chapter. I think it's a little...blah.
Derek stuck to his word. He got a job working with Sam at a sports locker selling equipment. And he also worked with Ralph.
One afternoon while Derek was restocking some things, he heard Ralph pleading with Sam about something. He heard Sam sigh and say 'no' to him.
"C'mon dude, I need this night off." Ralph pleaded.
"Ralph, I already have that night off. Ask Derek."
"Yeah right," Ralph snorted, "the day I ask Derek is the day monkeys fly…or is it pigs?"
"Ralph, you're gonna have to let this go sometime." Sam said.
"No, I don't have to let it go."
"Look, I know what he did was shitty, and I'm not saying that you have to let it go let it go, but just give him a second chance."
Suddenly Ralph came into view and he sighed.
"Look, I have this dinner tonight and I was wondering if you could cover for me."
"Sure," Derek said without hesitation.
"That's it?"
"Yeah," Derek nodded, "I don't have anything to do."
"Okay, uh thanks, I guess."
And Ralph left Derek to his business. Derek saw Sam who gave him a head nod and Derek gave one back to him.
At least Ralph was sort of speaking to him.
XxX
Casey was going out of her mind. She was missing Derek like crazy and all she wanted to do was be with him. Would she be totally crazy to go to Canada for fall break and surprise him? If so, what would he say to her? Oh she missed him so much.
But fall break was still a few weeks away. So she would have to wait.
In other news, she hadn't seen Ben since she saw him walking out of the alley, burned. It seemed like he just disappeared off the face of the earth. And she couldn't help but think that it was a good thing. She didn't need anymore trouble from him. He had already caused enough trouble in her life.
She was on her couch studying and there was a knock on her door. She tossed her book down and answered the door. She really didn't want any company at the moment so this was making her wish she didn't even have a door for someone to knock on.
When she answered it, she saw her mother, again.
"Mom, if this is about Derek and I, I don't wanna hear it." Casey said to her.
"Well, it is about Derek." Her mom said.
"What about Derek, is he okay? What happened?"
"Casey!" Her mother exclaimed, "He's fine."
"Then what's going on?"
"George called me today."
"Okay?"
Casey had no idea where this was going. George had called her. And it was about Derek so hoe could nothing be wrong.
"Can I come in?" Nora asked.
"Sure."
Casey let her mother in and they both sat on the couch.
"Derek told George that you were the reason why he cleaned himself up," her mom said to her, "he said that Derek only stayed clean and is still clean is because of you."
Casey was stunned that her mother said that to her. Sure she knew that Derek cleaned up for her but he also did it for himself too. And she was a little pissed that Nora knew her business with Derek.
"Did you really put up with all that mess just to get him clean again?" Her mother asked.
"Yeah, I did." Casey said honestly, "And I don't- didn't look at him as a mess. Someone just needed to step up to the plate."
Nora looked at her daughter.
"Well I suppose if there is nothing I can say…" Casey looked at her mom. "You have my blessing."
"Oh, thank you mom."
Casey leaned forward and hugged her mother.
"Trust me, the next time you see Derek you won't even recognize him."
--
"I hate homework." He muttered.
He wasn't sure what he wanted to major in but as of that moment, he was stuck with math. It was like the problem was glaring at him, taunting him, saying that he would fail. He grabbed his pen and continued it anyway. And after an hour, he finally finished all his work for class.
Sure he didn't get into a university but a community college was a start. He could always go to a university later in life for whatever he wanted to do. He knew that once he finished with his school now and got a good job, he could get himself into a university and make get the rest of his life set.
The rest of his life.
He would love to add 'with Casey' to that but at the moment, he wasn't so sure if she really meant that she wanted to be with him through all this. He wasn't sure if she would stick by him while she was in New York. And he really wasn't sure if his life would somehow change. But he was sure that he wanted to be with her.
His thoughts were cut short when the doorbell rang.
He groaned and answered it. He froze. Ralph was standing there.
"Ralph,"
"Can I come in?" He asked.
"Sure."
Derek opened the door and let him walk past him and Ralph walked over to the couch. Derek closed the door and looked at him.
"Look, it's been a few weeks since you came home and I think that it's great that you're clean and all but what you did in the past, it was really fucked up."
"Yeah, I know.'
"And I think," he paused, "look, Sam told me that he forgave you because something about being an adult or something but I think that if I can just let the past be the past, we can be friends again."
Derek looked at Ralph and didn't know what to say.
Just a few weeks ago Ralph wanted noting to do with him and now he told him he wanted to just start over.
"Now's when you say something," Ralph said to Derek.
"Ralph, I mean yeah I would want nothing more than to be friends again but I only want this if you do." Derek said, "I'm not gonna have a tense life again."
Ralph said nothing.
"And I don't wanna make this sound like a relationship or something but this is all on you."
Ralph looked up at Derek and held his hand out. Derek slowly shook his hand and he was almost confused about it too.
"Let bygones be bygones." Ralph said to Derek.
XxX
Casey's first semester was almost finished, meaning that she would have a month off before second semester started. She wanted to go visit Derek but she also wanted to surprise him. He had told her that he had started school and he had a part time job so he was doing great. He also told her that things on the home front were pretty good. And she was happy for him.
And finally, after weeks or studying and a week of exams, she was on a flight back to London, Ontario.
--
She didn't call any of the Venturi's to tell them that she was coming so when Edwin saw her at the door, he was surprised.
"Casey, what are you doing here?" He asked.
"Surprising Derek,"
"Well come one in."
Edwin grabbed Casey's bags and she walked in.
"So where is he?" She asked.
"At work,"
--
She went to where Edwin had told her and she looked through the window. There, her breath was taken away, she saw Derek at the register and she smiled. She walked in and looked around.
Derek's back was turned and she hurried up to the counter and tapped her nails on the glass.
"Just one second." He said as he was putting an item back on a shelf.
He turned around and froze. A smile grew on his face and he rushed around the counter. He pulled her into a tight hug and picker her up.
"What are you doing here?" He asked when he let go.
"Surprising my boyfriend," she said smiling.
"Well I'm surprised."
He leaned in close and was about to kiss her, and he would have if it weren't for Sam.
"Casey?"
"Hey!"
Sam gave her a hug which was quickly broken apart when Derek glared at him. He batted Sam's hands away and pulled Casey to him.
"She's mine, I don't plan on sharing."
Sam rolled his eyes.
"So when do you get off work?" Casey asked Derek.
"An hour,"
"Go." A voice said from behind them.
Derek looked and saw Ralph.
"What?" Derek asked.
"I'll cover for you." He said.
"Serious?"
"Yeah,"
"Thanks."
Derek walked out with Casey and Sam gave Ralph a small nod.
--
Once they got back to his house, he led them up to his room. He shut his door and kissed her deeply.
"Derek, I need to breathe." Casey said between kisses.
"I know, but I haven't been able to do this for a while."
She smirked under his kiss and she pushed him away slightly.
"Derek, can't we just spend time together?"
"Can't we still make out and spend time together?" He teased.
She rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around him tighter.
"I really missed you." She whispered to him.
"I missed you too."
He nuzzled his nose with hers before he kissed her again.
And even though she was only going to be there for a short amount of time, he was happy that she was there. And he was ecstatic when she showed up at his work.
Yeah, break was going to be good.
XxX
"Der-ek! Stop, I'm trying to cook."
At that moment, he was standing behind her placing kisses on her neck with the occasional bite.
He simply laughed.
"I can't help it." He smirked, "What are you making anyways?"
"Baked Ziti,"
"Looks a lot like spaghetti,"
"It's similar, but instead on just boiling and mixing it with sauce, you bake it."
"Ohh okay,"
He then went back to placing those light kisses on her neck.
"Der-ek," she turned around and gave him a drawn out kiss while she moved away from the stove. "Out of the kitchen,"
He groaned and went in the living room where Marti was watching cartoons.
"Are you and Casey gonna get married?" She asked her brother.
"Uh, I don't know why?" He chuckled.
"Because I think Casey would be the perfect Princess Bride for you."
Derek smirked and ruffled her hair.
Now Marti may be young, but she always knew a good or bad thing when she saw one. She knew that Scott was scum before anyone else even knew. So maybe what Marti told him was true. All he had to do was wait.
Suddenly the door opened and in came George.
"What smells good?" He asked.
"Casey's making Baked Ziti." Derek said to him.
George nodded and went about his business.
After dinner, while Marti was helping Casey clean up and Edwin was on the phone with his current flavor of the week, George pulled Derek aside to share a man to man moment.
"Derek, I didn't believe it but Casey is good for you."
"Yeah," he nodded.
"Make sure you hold on to her." His dad said, "If you're in this good of shape now, I can't even imagine what you're life will be like a few years from now."
"You really think she'll stick with me that long?" Derek asked.
"If you play your cards right,"
The thought of Casey sticking with him for years to come was something Derek wanted to happen. It was something he looked forward to and he wanted it to happen.
So I'm thinking that there will be one chapter left, maybe two, but the last one will be quite a bit of Dasey.