"Bye, Em," Casey yelled from the front stoop as her friend finally decided to leave.

"Try not to think about it and I'll see you tomorrow at school to kick some serious

ass."

Emily turned her head to the side and gave Casey a distorted frown before running

back up the steps and throwing a sobbing head into her small bosom. "Oh, Em,"

Casey made a suppressed noise to keep from falling off her feet.

"Whhhyyyyy!" Emily regressed to wailing once again after they had made such

progress. It had been a solid twenty-four hours since she had done this exact

maneuver and now, once again, the front of Casey's shirt was stained with tears.

She had had to deal with so many tears since yesterday afternoon and last night, that

it was bound to last a life time from all the comfort she put in.

Derek's tears were still a mystery to her. This morning, he was acting slightly more

'old Dereky' by rolling his eyes at Emily's unmistakable distress and then delivered

Casey a bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats that had a mixture of coke, water, and a raw

egg white poured into it instead of soy milk. She had been so shocked he even

bothered 'making' breakfast for her that she took a bite without inspecting her food

first.

Not his worst, but still savage.

In some sick way, he was trying to lighten the mood from what had happened the

previous night.

The recent event still haunted her. If she had only stayed in bed instead of begging

for his attention like some weak female, the dull ache between her legs would not be

present and the terrifying fear of having a child at sixteen with her step-brother

would not be nagging at her mind.

After spending forty minutes under the water, it began getting cold on its own. They

simply dried off in silence. Casey was still suprised he had followed her into her

room and literally tucked her in before placing a gently kiss upon her forhead before

turning to leave. She swore he felt guilty for something so she wasn't sure what. He

always did terrible thing to her but never felt remorse. How awful was it?

The incessant blubbering drew her back from her horrifying day dream.

"There, there," she cooed. Casey shook her head in the normal 'what the hell' face

she apparently gave a lot. It wasn't something she would commonly say, but saying

anything else had already been executed.

Abruptly, the tears stopped like she had a on/off switch the whole time. Casey

wanted to know where that damn switch had been hiding.

"Is she prettier that me?"

"Of course not."

"Personality...how 'bout her personality?"

"She has nothing on wit and peppiness when it come to you."

"Nice. Is she nicer than me?"

"Ummm...naw. You're both nice." Emily threw her head back and gave Casey a

seathing glare. Hesitation and complimenting the enemy, most definitely not the

smoothest move.

"Hahahaha," Casey slapped her knee. "Gotcha. Hmmmm."

Emily grabbed Casey's thin frame once again. "Thanks, Case. You have no idea how

much this means to me."

She turned to leave and just when Casey began to feel free, Emily turned around

once again.

Geez, what does it take to get rid of this girl, she thought.

"You dont think that..."

"I don't think what, Em?"

"Oh, ya know. Derek would want to go bowling or something?"

"Oh, uhhh, ya see." Think, Casey, think.

"Derek is on another one of thoughs, 'I'm not dating because girl's are nothing but

trouble and I want to make them sweat by my lack of presence' kicks." She had tried

her best to imitate Derek by lowering her voice, playing with her hair, and leaning

against the house in his sexy way that seems to get attention, though she never

noticed how beautiful it really was until recently.

"That was a good one, Case. I needed that," Emily laughed for the first real time

since Sheldon said it was over. "I've been trying since kindergarden anyway so what

difference would it make now."

Casey just shrugged her shoulders and tried her best to be nonchalant about the

whole thing. It killed her not being able to tell the one person she told every thought

too that 'her friend' was dating her step-brother, the guy that had taken up the girl's

every fantasy since before she got a serious boyfriend, and probably after that.

"Finally," Casey muttered beneath her breath as Emily retreated and went into her

own house next door.

She turned around and reentered her house, slowly closing the door behind her with

her back, sighing with relief.

It had been one of the longest nights she had ever experienced.

"What the..." She was lurched forward, falling on her knees in an agonizing twist of

fate.

"I need to talk to you, D."

It was non other than Ralph. He had tears streaming down his face as he jogged over

to Derek who had been lounging in his chair and drinking one of George's beers, a

habit he was getting into that Casey cared nothing for. Ralph lunged his body onto a

friend he didn't deserve, seeking comfort.

"No, no, no, no," Derek freaked out, giving a huff of pain as Ralph literally sat on his

lap and hugged him.

Casey burst into a fit of giggles, the sight so hilarious that the past twenty-four hours

had been entirely worth the view she currently beheld.

"Have fun, Derek!" Casey sing-songed as she trudged up the stairs, the sound of

Derek's screaming at her (not for her, but at her) reached her ears half way up the

steps.

"CASEY!"