Eight days later
Casey slipped into her off the shoulder burgundy blouse and skin tight black capris. She
was beginning to feel a little bit like herself once again after everything that transpired.
Things that she would rather not think about. She had even fixed her hair and put on a
little makeup this morning before school.
It landed her a date before second period. Men were so shallow.
Truman had a cocky air about him, something she swore to avoid but it was like a drug.
Why pick guys that are just going to end up treating her like trash? He was suppose to
pick her up at 7 and she'd been hiding in her room since she got home at 3:30.
Not intentionally but when she wanted to go downstairs, the asshole that shall remain
nameless, had brought his prostitute home. They were in the living room watching a
moving. Casey felt a little satisfaction for having a date tonight. He had no idea that
Truman was coming to pick her up.
Her worthless step-brother had heeded every word she said. Not one word was spoken
between them and it was apparent that the family was becoming suspicious.
Casey found out that Lizzie and Edwin knew after two days of non stop sulking and her
sister came to comfort her. Lizzie asked Casey if she wanted to talk about it and then
she informed her that she and her sidekick were already aware of the situation. It was
mortifying but half a weight had been lifted off her two ton shoulders.
The door bell rang. Casey smiled to herself since Derek was the only one in the family
room and would be obligated to open the door. She sat upon her bed, and waited for
her to be called. The seconds ticked by and finally two minutes had passed. She was a
little confused. Who else would it be at this hour?
Opening her temporary cell, she walked to the railing and leaned over to hear any voice
she could. It was Derek.
"You can't take her out. She ummm, has a nasty case of Gonorrhea."
"De-rek!" She barreled down the steps but not before noticing that it was the first time
she screached his name in over a week. It felt strange but came out more natural than
ever. Casey jumped the last three steps...and then fell flat on her face.
The pain was bad but not as bad as her bruised pride.
Fake Gonorrhea and clumsy. There was no way Truman would want her now.
Raising her head in mortification, three pairs of eyes were baring down on her. Truman
looked concerned and Derek was laughing. Figures.
And then their was 'the other women'; or was Casey that other women? Shaking her
head, she noted that she was no longer a women in his life period. It pained her to see
Sally altogether, having avoided her since the beginning, she did not want to know what
she looked liked. She was his type to a tee. Blond and perfect even if she did look
smarter than most of his flavors. Sally did get brownie points for hitting Derek and
telling him to stop laughing.
"Hi, you must be Casey. I've heard a lot about you." A soft hand clunched her own
while she still laid on her stomach in shamefaced distress.
"Sally," Derek hissed before once again turning his face to stone and acting like nothing
mattered.
Truman went to her side and lifted her from the ground. "You alright?"
"Ya, how's your face, Klutszilla?" Derek was no longer laughing but had his head bent
low with the smirk of the century on his gaze, his hands on his hips. She tried not to
think how attractive he really was with his tongue pressed to the roof of his mouth.
"I'm fine!" she barked. "I mean, yes. Thank you, Truman, and please do not pay
attention to anything my step-brother says. He's seeing a therapist for his compulsive
lying."
Derek's smirk fell and he turned to Sally. "I don't see one."
"Oh, that's right," Casey said while putting a finger beneath her chin. "Th-er-a-pist is too
big of a word for you to comprehend. Let me put it in simpler terms for your small
brain. I meant to say Shrink. Can you say Shr-ink with me, Derek?"
She chuckled then turned to their two houseguests and whispered, "The psychiatrist
needs to up his dose or our little Derek forgot to take his meds today."
"Ca-sey!"
"Ready to go, Truman?"
Truman indicated with his arms for her to lead them out. "What time will you be
home?" Derek asked in a low angry voice but the concern was unmistakable.
Casey turned on him, about to let him have 'it' but realized they had an audience that
had already experience quite a show for their first time witnessing the two in action.
She plastered a sweet smile on her face.
"Oh, don't worry about that. Just like last Sunday when you didn't come home until
morning and non of us gave a shit. Same thing."
And then she left, Truman hot on her heels. "Whoo," he huffed while wiping fake sweat
from his brow. "You two always like that?"
Casey no longer had contempt or a grin on her face, it was just flat.
"We will always be like that. Two enemies trying to conquer territory."
But Casey left out the fact that the territory she spoke of was the conquering of her
own heart once more. A heart that had stopped belonging to her when Derek "had her
at insult" rather than hello sixteen months, four days, and seven hours ago.