Disclaimer: I had begged and threatened but all in vain.
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The third time it happened, Derek Venturi had blamed it all on allergies. (Like the ones you have to mushrooms, or to broccoli (he didn't want to find out but he was sure he had this one), some had to cats or dogs and then there was Casey, who had it to Max)
In fact, somehow it had all started with Casey sneezing all around Max. Well, she is Casey and she probably thinks getting an allergy is deep or something, (excuse me, I can't have a pepper stake, I am allergic to pepper or steak or both!!! or perhaps something even more moronic like "allergies are a way to ward you against the bad bad world, in a way there are like your best friends, cause that's what friends do.")
But her own boyfriend? (Geez!!! That's over the notch even for the hyperventilating over-dramatic keener stepsister of mine.)
Apparently not.
"But De-rek. He has changed me."
Oh so she had noticed! (And here was he, thinking that her sudden climb onto the social ladder had been noted only by him. And Emily. When did that girl ever miss anything?) So she did think that her skirts had suddenly gotten shorter, her tops a little too tight, and God, did she look awful in that over grown jersey of his. And wait a minute, cheer leading? Derek had almost hugged (shudders) Noel when he had told her that cheerleading was just not her thing and she should just stick to her lame poetry club.
"So change back" Derek had done this reverse motion thing with his hands for the added effect.
And it had worked.
Sort of.
She did break up with Max (actually ultimately he broke up with her, but lets just assume otherwise for her sanity)
And that had been the beginning of the change. (THE END. It had been the beginning of the fucking end, why had he not noted that before?) Because suddenly Derek and Casey were almost friendly. Almost (Okay so he did drop ice-cream in her hair, but that was just for laughs.) The whole ordeal about her helping him with the song for Sally; him teaming up with her for the dance show, (okay so he had screwed it up himself but who had been there to help her ultimately? Yours sincerely) and the works….
And now it was this.
Casey had very successfully avoided him the whole weekend and into a good part of the next week as well. They had barely exchanged five words in five days. (He should be celebrating)
And he was. At the moment he was sprawled lazily in Sam's backyard absentmindedly running his finger at the opening of the Soda can he was sipping.
"Would you stop doing that?" Sam had said annoyingly.
"What?" and he was still doing it.
"This" Sam said motioning to his hand. "You'll cut yourself."
"Yeah sure Casey."
"What?"
"What? I, uh… mean stop acting like my freaking mom, I mean Nora, I mean my ...I mean why are you acting all concerned like Casey."
"Casey? Concerned? About you? When did that happen?" (What was that ? one question? Or a multiple choice thing?)
"She isn't concerned about me dude." A pause "In fact she hasn't spoken to me all week."
"And that is bad? How?"
Derek had blinked stupidly at Sam before muttering something like, "you ask too many questions."
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Derek did not know how it was bad. But it just somehow was. Casey didn't trouble him with rides to school, at school she was there but they barely exchanged a glance let alone a hi! (Hi! Casey. Remember me? I live with you.)And at home, Casey had shut herself in her room, occasionally coming out for meals where apart from the basic 'pass me the potatoes' she said nothing directly to him. And what was worse that she was not moping around the house, which would have led him to believe that she had either gotten bad grades (she wouldn't mope if that was ever to happen. She would kill herself) or broken up with someone (as far as he knew she wasn't even dating at the moment. Was she dating someone?). In fact she was as sickeningly cheerful as ever. The sunshine just wasn't directed at him. And he could live with that. Right?
"Hi Lizzie. Edwin. Sandwich" Derek greeted as he entered the living room. "Um…where is Casey?"
"Her room" Lizzie looked at him almost suspiciously, "you have something major planned. Don't you?"
"Sorry. I don't plan things. They just happen to me. But what are we talking about?"
"You and Casey. You guys haven't been at each others throats in a while so I just thought this must be one of your nulls before the storm."
And there it goes again. At each others throat? Which probably means strangling each other or something but then why did he have this sudden image of Casey licking her way down his throat? And lower?
"Wouldn't you like to know Liz." Congratulations! He had just managed that without either breaking into a sweat or sounding like an unusually high pitched opera singer.
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Remember that expression+line mode Derek had known would give him nightmares? Well, that nightmare was at its full climax at the moment. (Pun intended) and Derek was absolutely freaked out.
Just what was going through that thick head of Casey's? So she had noticed him catch an eye full of her. It wasn't like they had made out or something. (Okay, the dinner Nora had made was not all that bad, so just why was he so intended on throwing up all of it?) So why was she making a big deal out of it. (She was making a big deal? Ha. Derek had a feeling that it was not Casey who felt as if they had suddenly caught a deadly epidemic). Why was she so adamant on keeping herself at bay? He was not going to jump her every time they saw each other you know….
Until…
Until this was exactly what Casey's perverted mind was afraid of….
Derek grinned. Oh! So this was it? Casey had probably made herself a color coded list of what Derek would do if he caught her unawares.
(Hello! He was just listing options she probably already had written down. He definitely wasn't making lists of his own. He does have better things to do you know.)
Option1. Casey thought Derek would just grab her and kiss her senseless…. (And why would she have trouble with that one? Derek Venturi kissing her! She should be over the moon.) (Crossed out)
Option2. Casey thought Derek would ask her out on a date. (Again. Girls lived for this. She should be looking forward for this one and not be afraid of it.)(Crossed out)
Option3. Casey thought Derek would suddenly declare his undying love for her. (Ha-ha. Even Casey knew him better than that.)(Crossed out)
Option4. Casey was just plain avoiding Derek. Period. (He was bolting out of his room and into hers before he could cross out this one).
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"Are you avoiding me?" Derek had barged into Casey's room.
"What?"
"Just answer me damit. Are you by any chance avoiding me?"
"And what makes you think that?" the corners of Casey's lips twitched a little.
"That's not important. You just haven't bugged me all week. I barely see you after school and you haven't barged into my room to shut the music, you haven't fought with me for the remote and you haven't would you stop smiling like that?"
"I...I am sorry" Casey said between full giggles "No Derek. I have not been avoiding you." She said finally sobering down a bit.
"Good"
"Good" Casey nodded.
And Derek didn't move a muscle. He just kept standing there. "Uh Derek…now that's settled… I really have to finish this essay." Casey reminded him.
"Yeah sure….I was you know, just making sure." He said backing out of the room.
(And seriously what was so funny? Why was she still smiling as if she knew something he didn't?)
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It was very late at night that it finally did hit him and he had bolted straight up on his bed from the shock.
"Are you avoiding me?" he had actually asked Casey if she had been fucking avoiding him. Fuck. He sounded like such a chick.
(No. no. no.) Derek angrily jammed his fist into the pillow and fell back to his bed, preparing himself to what he knew was going to be a long long night.
Are you avoiding me? What had he been thinking? better why had he been not thinking?
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A/N. I think the whole 'change back' scene in the allergy season was my favorite Dasey, moment. It just shows how Derek likes her just the way she is. And that soda can thing is an annoying habit I have, just thought it would be nice to lend Derek something of mine… (lol)Please leave a review and let me know what you think of this one. They make my day and motivate me enough to continue writing. I would greatly appreciate it.