Author's Note Enjoy? Constructive criticism, readers/reviewers, all is appreciated! Much love you to all:D
Disclaimer I own nothing.
Casey didn't leave her room. She refused to go down for dinner, and she wouldn't even leave for a bathroom break. Her doorknob was locked immediately after she regained her strength a minute or so after their encounter.
You are over-exaggerating Casey. Like usual. Stop it. Just go out there. He expects you to hide. But she couldn't bring herself to leave. Liberated Casey was deteriorating before she even had a long rein.
"Come on Casey…" Lizzie groaned through the door. Casey ignored her plea as she stared at the monitor of her computer. "Mom won't stop bugging me to get you down for dinner."
"I'm not coming down. I think I'm going to go over to Emily's." She heard Lizzie sigh from the other side and footsteps going back downstairs. Casey grabbed her house key and room key and went to the window. Another set of footsteps was coming up the stairs but she ignored it. She lifted the window up and stuck the keys into her pocket. A knock was placed on her door.
"Casey?" A slightly deep voice said.
"Edwin, I just told Lizzie I'm going over to Emily's. Tell Mom that if she wants me so bad she can go next door."
"Come out! You have to go downstairs to leave the house anyway." Casey laughed.
"That's what you think." She put one leg out carefully and grabbed onto the vine on the side of their house.
"Are you going out the window?" Edwin asked in a slightly worried voice. Casey decided that she wouldn't answer.
She took her other foot out of her room and started climbing down the vine. In the background she could hear Edwin calling out for her. She merely smirked.
Hah! Defeat Venturi. Can't get to me if I'm not in the same house.
Casey knocked on the Davis's door. Mrs. Davis answered.
"Casey? I've never seen you wear anything so…" Casey smiled.
"Yeah, I know, it's a new style for me. Is Emily here?" Mrs. Davis shook her head 'yes' and gestured her into the house. Emily walked down the stairs smiling.
"Hey Casey! I was just about to call you." Her enthusiasm wasn't questionable. Something good happened. Casey smiled.
"Oh really?" Casey followed her upstairs to Emily's bedroom. Emily shut the door behind them and they both sat on her bed.
"Guess what!"
"What?" Casey said emphatically with a smile on her face.
"Peter, the punter on the football team just called me! He said he has something to ask me and that we should set up a date!" Casey leaned in to hug her.
"Oh, Emily I'm so happy for you!"
"I know! Isn't it great!" Emily hugged herself. "I think he noticed me because of our social gathering at lunch today. Casey nodded her head in agreement, lingering on the thought of Derek's taunting smirk as she laughed obliviously. Her smile dwindled. "So, what brings you over here for?"
"Oh, well, you know," Casey made a weak gesture with her hand, "I thought I'd see if I could spend the night. My family is being extra buggy at the moment, I thought instead of fighting I'd just get out of the house." Emily raised her eyebrows.
"You and Derek seemed to be getting along at lunch. What happened?" Casey looked down.
"It wasn't Derek. It was all of them. Okay? I can have a problem with someone else can't I?" Casey stated aggressively. Emily leaned back a little.
"Yeah. I'm sorry." She thought for a moment. "If you need to...I'm sure my mom wont' have a problem with you spending the night." Emily put a comforting arm around Casey. Casey smirked at her.
I'm so confused…
Emily's Mom didn't have a problem with it so Casey spent the night. Nora never came over, and she suspected that Edwin and Lizzie told her where Casey went. As long as her mom knew where she was she didn't feel like calling.
Though she did feel a pang of guilt.
The next morning, Emily woke Casey up and Casey headed directly over to her house. She hadn't gotten the chance to take a shower last night, and she didn't bring any clean clothes to wear to school.
Not to mention her school books were at home as well.
Just pretend he didn't press you against the wall. Besides, if he can act normal I can too. After all, he expects me to freak out. I'm not the freak-out child anymore. I'm not.
Casey walked in and saw Derek's back, hovering over a bowl of cereal. Quietly she walked upstairs and knocked on the bathroom door. No answer. Casey hurriedly grabbed some clothes and went in there.
Quickly she stripped herself and got into the shower.
Within five minutes she finished and got her clothes on. She ran across the hallway to her bedroom.
After yanking the keys out of her pocket in the dirty clothes she was holding, she opened the door. Why am I still freaking out? It's not…like…ARGH!
She threw the dirty clothes on the floor and shut her door quietly, Afraid Derek might hear her. Her makeup was no where to be found. Casey grabbed her hair, wanting to pull it out.
Then she remembered. I left them in the bathroom.
Casey was about to open her door when she heard two voices.
"Were you running upstairs?" Edwin's voice said.
"No, why?" Lizzie's voice questioned.
"I heard running feet. Maybe it was Marti." Edwin said, pushing off the idea.
"Probably." Casey waited till she heard two different footsteps going down the stairs. She then opened her door and went to the bathroom to put her makeup on. Gosh, I feel like I'm doing something bad…being in my own home. A sigh escaped her mouth.
Quietly, knowing that she had to go to the kitchen to get her stuff, she walked on air and a smirk was held in place.
Derek was still munching on his cereal as Casey entered the kitchen and walked to the other end of the island where her stuff was.
"Where were you?" Derek said, not looking up.
"Emily's. Why do you care?" Casey asked, refusing to look at him. She realized her books were next to him. He didn't look at any of that did he? I do have some private stuff there…
"I don't. I'm just a curious kind of guy. Got a problem with that?" In the corner of her eye she saw him look up at her. Casey subconsciously looked at him. They locked in the stare for a few moments.
"No. Can I have my stuff?" Derek smirked.
"Of course. Come get them." Casey rolled her eyes and walked over to him and grabbed her stuff. His hand reached up and grabbed her left arm before she could walk away. She looked down at him. "I will be talking with you again after school. Even if you are at Emily's. Unless of course you don't want her to know about us." Casey sneered at him.
"Get your hands off me." She yanked her arm away from him and stormed out of the house.
A heartbeat sounded so desperate and loud in her ears. A sound so deafening, tears were welling in her eyes.
This is nothing to 'Liberated Casey'. I refuse to cry. He's harmless. Plus, I can handle myself. I'm pretty strong. I am fit…after all…