Let me just start off by saying : I had the absolutely worst day of my life. I mean like, I was devastatingly sick out of my mind. Point : If this chapter doesn't go too well, I'm sorry.

Because They Said So - Chapter 7

"People are staring..."

Derek rolled his eyes at this repeated complaint.

"Do you want to convince Emily or not?"

Casey sighed.

"Oh my god, Tori just pointed at us! Pointed!"

"Casey, shut up!" Derek hissed.

They proceeded to walk down the hallway, his arm hanging loosely around her shoulders. Casey could feel herself blushing furiously. Finally, they caught sight of Emily who was engaged in conversation with Sam.

She did a double take at the Derek and Casey.

"Hey, Em," she managed to squeak. "Sam."

Emily quirked an eyebrow, "Well, isn't this a sight?"

Sam softly nudged her.

"Definitely something you don't see everyday."

Sam nudged her again. This seemed to shut her up, but not redirect her gaze.

The four stood in silence, Dereks arm still latched around Caseys shoulders.

"So... lunch?" Sam finally spoke.

They all nodded in agreement and made their way to the cafeteria. Dereks arm soon made its way to Caseys hand; he laced his fingers through hers.

She was a bit hesitant at his touch, but she simply leaned up on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear.

"You owe me big time," she snidely remarked.

He chuckled as if she had just told him a joke, and he leaned down.

"You wish."

The corners of Caseys mouth twitched..

"Ow!" Derek cried out.

So, she might've accidentally kicked the back of his leg.

Accidentally, of course.

000

"What's going on with those two?"

Emily eyed Casey and Derek carefully, as they kept whispering and laughing.

"It's called, 'getting along'," Sam said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the entire universe.

"More like 'pretending'," Emily countered.

"What d'you mean?"

Emily rolled her eyes.

"Sam, they're acting! They don't really like each other," she whispered, motioning to the couple.

Sam glanced over at them.

"So what?" He finally answered. She shook her head at his oblivious stupidity.

"So... if they prove they can stay together, we have to end up paying them."

"Oh." He frowned. "Then what do we do?"

She thought for a moment, not breaking away from Derek and Casey.

"We push them to their limits," she decided. "Try and get them to do stuff to drive them crazy, so they have to forfeit!"

A smile slowly crept across Sams face.

"Very clever."

000

"Movie night, again?"

Emily nodded her head.

"C'mon, Casey, it'll be fun! Then we can play games! And--"

"Isn't that a bit... childish?"

Emily raised her eyebrows, "No way! Please, puh-lease, Casey?"

Caseys mouth twitched.

"What's going on?"

Sam strolled on by Emily while Derek swung his arm around Caseys shoulder.

"Emily wants to have a movie night tonight... and play games," she emphasized, hoping Derek would catch on.

"Sounds great!"

Jackass.

"Der, isn't that a little childish?" Casey tried again.

Derek merrily shook his head, "Nah, sounds cool."

Casey scratched the back of her head and gave a sheepish smile.

"Derek, can I talk to you for a second?"

Without waiting for an answer, she took him firmly by the arm and led him around a row of lockers.

"Derek!" She spat.

"What?"

"You know damn well what."

"What's your problem? They just want to watch movies!"

"Something freaky is going on with them. They're planning something, I'm sure!"

"So, let's play their game," he said simply. "Show them we can take what they give."

Casey winced hesitantly.

"Derek..."

"Casey," he challenged.

She narrowed her eyes.

"Well?" He said impatiently.

"Damn it, Derek, if anything goes wrong tonight, you better pray to God in Heaven..."

000

"That movie was too cute!"

Casey rolled her eyes as she put the DVD back in the case. She couldn't quite grasp the concept on how Emily could possibly think 'RV' was cute. One more point on the childish meter.

"Okay, okay, games," she squealed.

"Whoopdee-fuckin-doo," Derek muttered under his breath, barely audible. But Casey heard. She had to bite back to prevent from laughing.

"What kind of games d'you have, Case?"

"Um..." Casey looked over at Derek for help, but he just downed the water bottle in his hands. "W-we have Scrabble, Monopoly, Pictionary--"

"How about 7 Minutes in Heaven?" Emily said, rather than asked, excitedly.

Casey scoffed loudly and Derek tried hard not to show that he just choked on his water. This night had officially reached the top of the childish meter.

"Or, or! We could play Monopoly!" Derek said, waving a finger. "Fun fun!"

"Oh c'mon, D, don't be shy!" Sam said happily.

"I am not shy," Derek challenged.

"Derek," Casey whispered, shaking her head slightly.

Emily took Casy and Derek by the elbow and led them into the small coat closet by the staircase.

"I think it's pretty clear on how the game goes," Emily beamed.

"Em..." Casey started to hiss.

"Seven minutes to do whatever you want," she interjected. "Whatever you want," she repeated.

"Emily!"

"Have fu-un!"

The door shut with a small click. Derek viciously shook the door handle, but it was firmly held in place by Sam and Emily.

Casey searched frantically for the light switch, but it was way too dark. She ended up flicking Dereks arm in desperation to find the switch.

"Ow!" He yelped.

"Sorry," she whispered. She slid down the wall, forming a sitting position. She could feel him slide down next to her.

The only light came from the small glow under the crack of the door, from outside. She groaned. Finally, after about five minutes, Casey attempted to position herself under the door to see what was going on and reached over Derek.

She winced in pain when her stomach caught his knee, and she collapsed on his lap.

"God, Klutzilla," he said in a low voice, grabbing her shoulders and sliding her off of his legs. The gesture only made the situation more akward.

Derek was now on his knees, hovering over Casey, his hands still firmly gripping her shoulders. She was laying on her back below him, her arms laying on either side of her waist. Half of her face was lit by the light under the door.

"Um..."

Casey saw Derek lean in slowly. She could feel his steady breath, causing her heart to thud even more, if possible, rapidly. Their lips were only an inch apart, but she couldn't find the willpower to move. She closed her eyes, awaiting the moment.

She could feel his lips brush slightly against hers.

And that's where the door swung open.

"Time's up!"

The two bolted apart, blushing ferociously. Emily stood in the doorway, a smile plastered across her tanned face, Sam leaning in behind her.

They both scurried out of the closet, going in seperate directions.

"Well, this was fun tonight," Emily said, shrugging on her jacket once everyone was situated on the couch. "I'll get going then."

Casey sneered. "You and Sam didn't get a chance to play."

"We would have, but my Mom called. She said she wanted me home soon."

"Funny," Derek said quietly. "I didn't hear your phone ring."

"I guess I'll walk you home, Em," Sam said quickly, jumping up from his seat.

Derek and Casey decided arguing would get them nowhere, so, Emily and Sam left momentarily, thanking them again for the 'fun night', then leaving the two sitting idly on either ends of the couch.

It was pretty funny, Casey thought. She never thought the night could be so silent.

Good enough, no? Well, I kept redoing this chapter (no surprise there) and I'm pretty happy the way it turned out. Sorry for leaving you hangin' there. Review and you may just see a little more Dasey in the following chapter. My expectations? Let's just say it's a little more than 110 reviews? I'm HOPING that's what I'll get :) Hehe thanks a bunch.