Actually, yeah, I'm so glad everyone thinks Derek's in character... 'Cause he doesn't typically hit on Casey this much. I mean, it's less obvious. It's weird, actually. I think I like writing Derek more, which is weird because minus the insane planning and psycho studying and blue eyes and wearing my hair up all the time, I'm like Casey. Well, okay, I slack off like Derek, but I'm getting straight A's in all my honors classes, and like a B in math (which is not an honors class... Oh well). It's kind of weird writing his more perverted thoughts... lol. But I can turn anything into something dirty, so it's all good...
Anyways, wow! I can't believe that you think my fic's good enough to base yours off of, Abster... It's really not even that good. But, hey, I'm all for another Life With Derek fic. I heart them so.
And, Melissa... You and me both. ;) It's why I spend so much time writing. Man, if I had a stepbrother as hot as Derek... Seriously.
Yeah, Derek's way far from perfect... He's kind of an ass who has trouble expressing his feelings, but... He has feelings. You don't see much of that on the show. Well, when he gave Casey the phone in The Poxfather... And with Marti.
By the way, yeah... The chapters are all song titles... Of Canadian indie bands, I think. Not sure if all of them are (Canadian), though... And the song lyrics actually have a lot to do with the chapter... So, uh, a reward to anyone who can name the song and who writes it... Or something... I dunno. Are there any Life With Derek fanfiction boards? 'Cause if so, tell me... I wanna hunt 'em down.
Actually, I'm thinking of renaming this fic Temporary Insanity... What do you think? Or, wait, is that Consequences? Okay, I can't remember, but it sort of fits both... In that Vein, I would also like to inform you that there's gonna be a killer Casey chapter named Temporary Insanity in a while... After the party and the date and yeah... But it's kinda gonna rock.
I don't own Casey, Derek, Life With Derek, Nora, George, Marti, Lizzie, Edwin, Sam, Victoria, Emily, Fiona, A Tale of Two Cities (though we are reading it in English), Sydney Carton, any of the authors mentioned... Basically nothing you recognize from the show... I do own Derek's grandma, however... Not that I really want to.
"But not totally heartless."
What the heck was I thinking? Agreeing to be Derek's fake girlfriend? Okay, come on, Casey, relax... It's just for what, an hour at the most? What's the worst that could happen?
Let's see, shall we? Derek could touch you... In inappropriate places. Yeah, but in front of his grandmother? Come on, even he's not that despicable. He could... hit on you! Um, hello, he's been doing that for like the past week or something. Since a while ago, anyways! He could... Kiss you! Like with tongue and everything... Hah, yeah right... He hates you, you hate him. And besides, I won't let him kiss me! I'm with Sam and hello, he's Derek! Yeah, right. In his dreams... Okay, not in his dreams. I don't want to be in his dreams. They're worse than a letter to Penthouse.
Relax, Casey. Come on, I know you can lie. Lie, lie, lie... Maybe you can trick him into adding something else on to the deal? Yeah, that's good. Well, here goes nothing.
"Sorry about that, Granny. Casey here just wanted a little moment alone. She can barely keep her hands off of me..." Derek stated plainly, without an ounce of shame. I cannot believe he just said that in front of his grandmother! Pervert! In response, I quietly (and with enough force to make him groan) elbowed Derek in the side. His grandmother, bless her soul, only laughed. I was horrified, needless to say.
"Der-ek! Not in front of your grandmother!" I hissed, frowning. I am so not into PDA. Especially from my stepbrother. Ew. My stepbrother. Incest. Ew. Ew. Ew.
Derek just smirked condescendingly at me. He is so cocky. I hate that. How he thinks he's God's gift to humanity or something... He's not. He's insufferably full of himself. Lousy jerk. He wrapped an arm loosely around my waist, grinning lopsidedly at me before turning to his grandmother. "She's a little shy in public... But a tiger in private..." Derek stage-whispered, winking at his grandmother.
Somehow, the sweet old lady laughed. How could she laugh? I just wanted to smack him upside the head with that huge purse of hers. Then I realized that she was laughing at my discomfort. Frankly, I considered it a credit to my sanity that I had managed to avoid squirming out of his grip already. Stupid brother of mine.
"Derek... Seriously. Cut it out," I snapped, frowning at him. Uh oh. Better backpedal fast. His grandma's looking at me weird. Grimacing inside, I turned to him, trailing a finger up his chest. Derek was more affected than I would've thought. Suddenly his eyes were entirely focused on me. So that's what I have to do to get his attention. It isn't worth it. "Save it for later, okay?" I murmured softly, leaning into his grip. This is so weird and wrong. And weird. Why on Earth am I doing this? Just where, exactly, are Edwin, Marti, and Lizzie? What lousy siblings I've got!
Derek just kind of nodded dully, as if he was in some sort of daze. His grandmother smiled at me, cheerfully leaning out and patting me on the shoulder. "Oh, dear, it's nothing. Derek only does this to girls he really likes. It's quite a compliment, really. The more flirtatious he is, well, the more he wants to do certain things that us grandmothers aren't supposed to talk about with you... if you get my drift, and I'm sure you do. Things a proper girl only does until she's married. You look like proper girl to me. A good change from Derek's normal habit of dating skanks and hos. It's really very nice to meet you, Casey dear," Grandma said, in what was supposed to be a reassuring tone but had quite the opposite affect, patting my hand consolingly.
This lady just said some very un-grandmotherly things. Like, for example, insinuating that Derek wants to... Oh, it's so horrible I can't say it! I don't even want to think about it! But that's what she insinuated, and it won't ever happen! Never ever never going to happen.
Just take deep breaths and force the sheer, utter revulsion down in your stomach, Casey. This will be over soon enough and then you won't even have to look at Derek all weekend. You've got a date with Sam tonight and the party's tomorrow... And then two days of... Emptiness and you alone with Derek. More like three, I suppose. I can and will deal with it... him... whatever!
"Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Venturi. Derek's told me so much about you. He's very fond of you," I stated hesitantly, not quite knowing what to say, but forcing myself to take her hand and shake it. This was going fine.
"As he is of you," Grandma V chirped brightly. I cannot take much more of this! I gripped Derek tighter than necessary, leaning heavily on him for support. Oddly enough, this seemed to completely unnerve Derek. Good to know. I'll keep it in mind later during our military campaigns, when things aren't going this... well. This is going well, right? Please tell me this is going well!
If this is going well, then why do I feel like I've just stepped in a hornet's nest? I'm in too deep here. I can't pretend to be that... creature's... girlfriend! I just can't! Derek seemed suddenly to regain his composure, and he leaned into me. He was warmer than I was. He's trying to distract me, I know he is. I can't just let him do that. So, in order to bring things back to normal (or remotely normal, at least... Nothing had been normal since I'd moved in here), I changed the subject. "I wonder where Edwin ran off too. Lizzie and Marti should be down here by now..." I pondered curiously, glancing around and praying that someone would show up and put a stop to this.
Derek, who was by this time hanging all over me, grinned and started to kiss my neck. I immediately tensed up and almost violently tore him off of me. Of course, I stopped myself just in time, as I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to be his girlfriend, and that girlfriends typically didn't beat their boyfriends up. He laughed, knowing what I had almost done, and it was a deep, throaty snicker. That didn't mean that he stopped. "C'mon, Case, the longer they're gone, the more fun we can have..." Derek drawled, trailing wet kisses down my neck.
Ew, he's getting his slobber all over me! When he said that, I just about smacked him. I forced a smile, jerking my neck away from his lips perhaps a bit more abruptly than was prudent, but it was necessary. "Kiss me in front of your grandmother again, and no one will have fun tonight," I retorted with saccharine sweetness. To further emphasize my point (but mainly so his grandmother wouldn't suspect anything), I pouted and ran a finger down the length of his chest. The look on Derek's face was priceless. Ugh, I am going to have to take a scalding hot shower after this to get the stench of this off of me...
Where were Lizzie, Edwin, and Marti, by the way? They should definitely be here by now. It's been so long since Edwin ran off... I feel like I've been acting for days. On second thought, that's probably because Derek's hands have been constantly on me (at least he hasn't copped a feel... He would be six feet under in an instant). I can't take much more of this. I know I agreed to it, but I'm going insane here... This isn't worth inviting my friends. Actually, come to think of it, Derek would've invited them anyways. I bet he's into the whole private schoolgirl thing. His grandma chuckled, smiling sweetly over at us.
"Ah, to be young and in love..." She sighed, a hand on her chest in a very matronly way, as if she was recalling her own youth. Derek and I, however, were so far from love it was laughable. Derek grabbed my hand, tugging on my hand and forcing me into a spin, spiraling straight into his arms. Ouch. His abs are as hard as they look. Derek only looked down at me, bemused, locking his arms tightly around my waist, so tight, in fact, that I could scarcely breathe. Suddenly, Derek was everywhere, permeating every corner of my vision. Annoyingly, he was all I could see, all I could feel, all I could smell. Which was not what I wanted in the slightest. Then, to top it all off, he started slow-dancing with me, and, of course, there was no music. Therefore it was pretty much me pressed against him swaying back and forth slowly, oh, and I couldn't breathe!
"Yes... I just love my Casey so much," Derek whispered, sounding purposefully dazed, almost as if he was actually in love with me. He sounded oddly serious though, and there was this stormy, weird look in his eyes. It unnerved me that he never took his eyes off mine, not even when he kissed his way up my arm... Yeah, like those phony charmers do... There was just something off about the whole situation.
Yeah, Casey, that would be you even agreeing to do this stupid thing in the first place... What were you thinking? I'd say you weren't, but you're always thinking! What happens if Sam finds out about this? How you're being Derek's whore right now. Letting him touch you and kiss you in places Sam hasn't! Derek, your stepbrother. I-N-C-E-S-T spells incest. If Sam ever finds out about this... What will he think? Will he even want me anymore?
Oh, God. I'm at Derek's mercy. He has me exactly where he wants me. He's doing this just to torment me! How can he possibly be so cruel and hateful? He has control over me. He has all the power right now. And I'm Derek's whore! He can do... whatever... he wants... and get away with it! It's just him, me, and the kids right now. He's stronger than I am... The things he could force me to do! Oh, it's horrible! The kids will be gone tonight too... Oh, Lord, what have I gotten myself into!
I know what I'll do. I'll stay over at... At Emily's! She has to offer me asylum. And I can stay with some of my friends back home, at my real home, that is... And Vicky and Aunt Fiona... They're family. I organized her wedding. They have to let me stay.
They just have to.
Then suddenly, out of nowhere, Derek had practically thrown me against the wall. My back hit the wall roughly, and I could feel ripples of pain radiating down my spine. Ouch. That was going to bruise tomorrow. I tried to rub my lower back, but Derek snatched my hand roughly, throwing himself upon me and literally pinning me flat against the wall... and him. He started kissing my neck, roughly, insistently, sloppily... and I couldn't do one thing to stop him. I could only stare blankly at his grandmother, who somehow now seemed like a voyeur, holding my head up as high as I could with as much pride as I could muster. This wasn't much, however, as I felt dirty, sick, cheap, and used.
By Derek. Derek Venturi, the bane of my existence. I have never hated a single person as much as I hated Derek in that one unbearably long moment. I thought I'd hated him before, and I had, but it was nothing compared to this! Nothing!
"Case, get into it! Respond a little," Derek hissed breathlessly, lifting his lips only a few millimeters above my skin before returning to his task. I felt his hot breath against my skin and felt myself flush. This was so humiliating. What exactly was I supposed to do here? Moan or something, I guess...
I wanted to hurt Derek, so I figured I might as well do the whole digging-my-nails-into-his-back-thing that they did in all the movies. I moaned, I writhed (though mostly from disgust and trying my hardest to break free), I groaned... I suppose you get the drift. "Oh, Derek!" I breathed hoarsely, clutching him. I am a much better actress than I thought I was.
Derek was (ew) sweaty and oddly stiff for someone in the midst of a fit of passion. He was also getting tired. I saw my opportunity. Soon he'd be too tired to continue. All I'd have to do was moan his name a few more times. Piece of cake.
"Derek, oh, Derek! ...Oh... Derek..." I moaned huskily, sounding winded and breathless as I arched my neck to... as they say in those corny romance novels... "give him better access" to said throat. He better not be giving me hickies, that's all I'm saying. If he does, he's beyond dead.
Derek seemed to react oddly every time I said his name. He backed away faster than a speeding bullet, and every last one of his muscles tensed. He also seemed to be groaning a lot more. He was getting tired. Yes! Victory is so mine! Finally, I could be RID of him. Getting rid of him involves a shower, you know... Ah, a shower. That sounds so nice.
Derek impulsively pried his face off of my neck, backing away far enough so he could look at me. Have a decent look at me, that is. For one brief moment he did. His dark eyes bored deep into mine. Then a sullen, angry look came over his face abruptly, and he moved towards me violently. He shoved me into the wall even harder this time, plastering himself against me hard. His body was flush against mine and it hurt a little. It was difficult to breathe and he was all up in my face. I could feel every taut muscle, every sharp curve, every bone in his body. If we got any closer, I would become him.
Suddenly, his face was closing in on mine. The distance between his lips and mine became exponentially microscopic by the second. Out of the blue, here he was, his lips less than a millimeter from mine. I could feel the warm clouds of his breath on my face. He had heat. Derek was going to kiss me. Derek was going to kiss me! Now things have gotten seriously out of hand.
He seemed different suddenly, as if he was trying to be the hero in an action movie or something. He was attempting to be... a romantic. Derek, a romantic? Yeah, right. He might be a charmer, but he's no romantic. That being said, he tilted my chin up and was stared hungrily at my lips for a moment before he decided to make his move. I'd grown resigned to the fact that Derek was going to kiss me. Not okay with it... But resigned. It was going to happen and there was nothing I could do about it. That's life for you.
Our lips were literally a millimeter apart. If either of us had moved in the slightest, we would be kissing. If either of us breathed... we'd be kissing. Bless all that is holy... That happens to be when Edwin, Lizzie, and Marti finally showed up. We heard rather than saw them, I should say.
"Derek, bro, what are you doing?" Edwin questioned curiously, peering over towards us (I assumed). I can't even imagine what it must've looked like. On second thought, it probably looked almost exactly like what it was. To tell the truth, I had no idea what that was exactly.
Derek groaned audibly and very loudly with frustration, though towards whom I had no idea. He turned his head abruptly to face his family, and as he did this, his lips grazed mine fleetingly, accidentally. It was almost impossible for that to not have happened. There was, after all, only a millimeter of space between us. That's what I kept telling myself. I kept telling myself that because I had no other choice. I felt his warmth leave me, the pressure of his weight against me slowly relaxing and easing up as the distance between us increased quickly. Thank God.
If Derek realized what had just happened, he didn't mention it, or even acknowledge it. Which, finally, was something I was wholly comfortable with. Yes, it's best if I forget that... whatever... happened. Nothing really happened anyways. So what, our lips touched? Big deal. It wasn't even full lip contact. Just a little brush... No puckering, no smooching, no tongue, no moaning, not even a bumping of noses. It was barely even a touch... It lasted for what, a second at the most? So why am I obsessing over it?
Isn't that obvious? This is Derek we're talking about here. He's supposed to hate you, so why did he just...? No, Casey, don't question his motives... They're evil, of course, because Derek is evil and vile. Besides, the more you question them, the more you think about him, and that's just letting him win. We can't have that, now can we, Casey?
He's already under my skin enough as it is already.
Derek caught my dazed stare from the corner of his eye and stared back. It was really starting to unnerve me.
"Smerek? What're you doing?" Marti asked innocently. She smiled sweetly up at her big brother. Ah, she loved Derek so much... He loved her too. Sweet. Derek's frown deepened as he shot me a worried look. He wanted to know how to explain this. Well, I wasn't going to help him, and even if I wanted to, I couldn't do it! So I looked away, down at the ground, and suddenly all those feelings of being cheap and dirty hit me like a brick wall. I felt disgusted and sick to my stomach. Suddenly I wanted to throw up, and I wished, for the millionth time since Mom had gotten married, that I would never ever have to see Derek again. Of course, unfortunately for me, this was not an option.
"Nothing, Smarti..." Derek replied nervously, affectionately ruffling her hair. He gestured to his grandmother, whom we'd both forgotten, speaking, "Granny's here to pick you up and take you with her... Isn't that great?" Marti nodded emphatically, and Granny V beamed back at her. It seems Derek inherited her smirk. I say that because she's smirking at me in a way that is not at all matronly. Seems she thought I was a tramp or something... Just fabulous, and as if family reunions weren't awkward enough...
Lizzie handed Marti her overnight bag, and like an obedient soldier, Marti marched over to her grandmother. Aww, she was so cute... Sometimes I felt like Marti was the only decent Venturi (excepting George, that is). Here she was, leaving me, along with Lizzie, my so-called sister, and Edwin... Leaving me all alone with Derek the Insane. That's just great, isn't it? Marti handed her grandmother the bag, briefly glancing over at Derek before running into his open arms. Derek hugged her tightly, smiling genuinely down at Marti. "Love you, Smarti," He muttered, starting to let her go.
She smiled widely, kissing Derek messily on the cheek. It was a total aww moment, or, at least, it would've been, if I didn't absolutely loathe Derek. "I love you too, Smerek," She said quietly before racing over and grabbing her grandmother's hand. She waved happily at all of us before exiting cheerfully out the door. We all flocked to the door then, watching the car containing my stepsister and her grandma drive off. Finally, when it was visible no longer, I pivoted to face Derek and slapped him hard across the face.
Damn, that felt good.
Then I pushed past him, starting to make my way up the stairs. A shower sounded amazing right now. I just needed to wash all this off of me... especially before my date with Sam. Derek suddenly ran up the stairs and grabbed my arm, forcing me to stop and look at him. His grip hurt my arm just a little. Not enough to bruise, per se, but enough to give me a sensation of pain. Ouch. In short, it was the most annoying kind of pain because you knew it wouldn't show, yet you couldn't get rid of it.
"Where do you think you're going?" Derek growled, that dark look back in his eyes. This one I recognized... anger. I jerked my arm roughly from his grip, feeling the anger flare up in me. I wondered vaguely if the fire was in my eyes too...
"I'm going to take a shower. Do you have a problem with that?" I said coolly, trying my hardest not to snap on him yet. There was a very thin line between anger and hysteria, and I didn't want to tread it today. Derek fixed me with a look and blocked my path.
"Yeah," He muttered, crossing his arms over his chest, "I do. I'm using that shower." No, Derek, you aren't! This time, you won't get what you want... over my dead body! That shower is mine. Got it? Mine.
"I don't want to talk to you, Derek! I need to wash you off of me..." I snapped bitterly, shoving him rather violently out of my way. I passed him without a look, walking to the bathroom. Unbeknown to me, he followed me right into the bathroom. Somehow we always get trapped in that bathroom together. I shut the door behind me, sighing in relief, and walked over to the shower. I turned the water on and walked over to the mirror.
I undid my hair and took off my shirt, turning around and starting to undo my jeans. And there he was. Derek. He smirked at me, eyes openly roving over me. I blanched, crossing my arms over my chest self-consciously. "Oh, don't stop on my account..." Derek sneered, playing with the buttons on his shirt. I fought the urge to throttle him.
"Get out, Derek!" I snarled, trying to push him out of the room. However, he'd somehow managed to lock the door when I wasn't looking. Naturally. He obviously wasn't planning on going anywhere. I was about ready to open the door and lock him out when I heard a rather loud knock on the door. Bang, bang, bang. Derek and I both froze, straining to listen for the voice.
"Casey, baby, you in there?" It was Sam. Derek and I looked to each other in horror. Oh, crap. This was about to get messy.
"You can't tell Sam... about what just happened. If you have any shred of humanity in you... You just can't," I hissed pleadingly, feeling even lower than I had before. I was begging him... Begging him to not mention it to Sam. Derek put a finger to my lips and I fought the urge not to bite it. He did, however, look sincere this time.
"Relax, Sis, I'm not going to tell him. Trust me, I'll get it just as bad as you will... if not worse. Now get in the shower!" Derek mumbled, pushing me towards the shower. I stopped right at the edge of the tub. There was no way I was going in there in my jeans. Derek noticed this in the midst of unbuttoning his shirt and scowled, grabbing my (still) bare shoulder. I squirmed uncomfortably under his touch. Why does he not understand the whole keep-your-hands-to-yourself policy? It's not that difficult, you know...
"Look, just get in the shower and stand under the showerhead with your head turned away from the door and your hair over your face. Do what I tell you to do, okay?" Derek barked softly, setting me in the shower. Sam was still pounding on the door. Derek hurriedly threw off his shirt, hid mine, and opened the door in a flash. Then suddenly he slid into the shower with me, pulling the curtain all the way shut. He looked at me pleadingly, and then I knew what he was going to do.
I heard the door open and obediently turned my face away. Derek, for the millionth time all day, kissed my neck. I was starting to get very, very sick of this. Luckily enough for me, the fear overcame my revulsion. Sam, my boyfriend, was out there, in the bathroom... and I was in here, in the shower, letting his best friend kiss my neck. It wasn't right.
"Casey? Are you in there?" Sam called loudly, perhaps too loudly. Derek felt that Sam was about to open the door, so he broke away from my oh-so riveting neck long enough to call out to Sam.
"Think again, Sammy!" He hollered, poking his head out of the curtain. Sam smirked at Derek, who smirked in response. "Hey, man, do you mind? I've got a girl in here and I'm a little busy right now... So could you come back later?" Derek responded calmly and breathlessly. Ugh. A bit eager, wasn't he? Oh, who am I kidding? This is Derek we're talking about. Why am I even surprised?
What he said, however, was more than good enough to make Sam leave. As soon as the door shut, I jumped out of the shower with Derek hot on my heels. Once again, he locked the door. All alone... yet again. I shuddered, feeling cold and missing the shower's warmth. I still felt dirty. Derek put a hand on my shoulder, and I flinched and rocketed away from him, suddenly screaming at him, "Don't touch me, Derek! Don't touch me!"
I sure hope that Sam's long gone by now, and that no one's listening to this. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, feeling as pitiful as I looked. I looked like a drowned rat, water dripping down my sides and soaking into the rug. I leaned heavily on the sink, still staring wide-eyed at my reflection. Derek hesitantly approached me from behind, but I shrunk away, and he sighed.
"I'm sorry, okay, Casey? I let things get a little out of hand and..." Derek began awkwardly, sitting on the edge of the tub. He almost sounded truly contrite, but I wasn't buying it. I knew him better than that. I shook my head, turning to face him, forcing a laugh, and fixing him with a glare that could melt ice. Derek recoiled from the force of my intense stare.
"No, Derek. You knew exactly what was happening. You used me," I growled violently, rounding on him, jabbing at him with my pointer finger. He made me feel like scum, like filth. Like I was a slut, even though I'm not. Why did he do that, why?
Derek looked up at me, a pained expression on his face. The smirk had long since fallen off his face, replaced by a frown. Why was he so distraught? What did he have to worry about and feel guilty about? Then slowly, slightly unsteadily, he got up and padded over to me. "I really am sorry, Casey. I did some things you probably weren't ready for and..."
He really sounded sincere this time, and I wanted to believe him, I really did... But how could I, just like that? I couldn't. "Yeah, you were kissing me, touching me, pressing yourself against me in places no one, not even Sam, ever has. You made me feel like your whore. And I had to just let you keep touching me and plaster a fake smile on my face like I was okay with it..." I cried loudly, feeling so ill I could barely stand, and then suddenly there were tears streaming down my face. Without saying a word, I tried to leave, but I wound up slipping on the floor. Fortunately for my head, I fell into Derek's arms instead of on the floor.
Derek was wet, but so was I. I wanted to get out of his arms; I wanted to leave, but I lacked the strength to even move. I didn't even care that he repulsed me. I was so tired and weak now, too tired and too weak to care. I merely sunk deeper into his arms, burying my face into his chest and letting all my sobs come out. Derek, oddly enough, didn't pull away... He merely held me closer, muttering how... how sorry he was.
And then I realized that he was really sorry. "I'm sorry, Casey... I crossed a line. I didn't mean to... I just thought that it would be better if I kissed you there than if I kissed your face or your lips... And I shouldn't have been so rough with you but I was just... I'm sorry. I thought you would say something if I was totally out of line. I'm so sorry... I'll let you invite all of your friends to the party and I'll take you out to the movies tonight... my treat... And anything else you want... Just please, stop crying!" Said Derek a bit desperately, apologizing like mad. I still didn't look at him; I just kept crying, thinking about how worthless he'd made me feel.
"I'm sorry I made you feel like that... But I don't think about you like that. If I had known you had a problem with it, I promise I would've completely backed off, given you space, told Granny the truth... What can I say to make you feel better? Like... I wish you to know that you have been the last dream of my soul?" Derek rambled uneasily, as if he was consumed by guilt... Something I had a lot of trouble believing. My head shot up at those all too familiar words and suddenly I'd forgotten my tears, instead gaping at Derek.
"Since when do you read?" I blurted, awed and surprised. He doesn't read. So... How does he know the quote? It's sort of obscure... and really, an incredibly, insanely romantic thing to say to a girl. Not that I'll be telling him that anytime soon... A wry smile finally appeared on Derek's face.
"I don't," He replied bemusedly, fixing me with a decidedly warm look. This was a side of Derek I had never seen... directed at me, at least. Except to Marti...
I frowned. "Then how are you quoting Sydney Carton?" I inquired, furrowing my brow. Some errant tears still trickled down my face. Derek surprised me even further by absentmindedly brushing them away. I stared at him, floored, and his skin tone changed a little (though I couldn't quite point out if he was blushing or if he had paled). Naturally, he immediately retracted his hand, the familiar nonchalance beginning to reappear on his face as he shrugged coolly.
"So reading A Tale of Two Cities actually does come in handy... Wow..." Derek joked, trying to make me laugh. Men are almost always completely lost once a woman cries. Pretty much. Derek paused before speaking again. "Actually, I played Sydney in the school production last year. Got some rave reviews..."
I nodded, trying to imagine Derek getting guillotined. Somehow it didn't seem as amusing as it would've been a few minutes ago. It's because Derek's being nice to me. He's never nice to me, which is why I can think cheerfully on his death sans guilt.
However, I could picture him as the character... Long hair and all. Derek was sarcastic, popular, a slacker, smarter than he appeared, crafty, not at all open with his feels, and, well, a jerk... He fit the mold perfectly. Though I don't think Sydney Carton wore a leather jacket.
I know the quote. I just don't get how he knew to say that... I love the classics. Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Hugo, Dickens, Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky... You name it. A Tale of Two Cities happens to be one of my favorites... That quote he said? I even know where it's from. Book the Second (I'm not kidding, that's actually how it's written), The Golden Thread, Chapter Thirteen, The Fellow of No Delicacy. I'm actually impressed (and with Derek, too! Who would've thought?)...
Derek looked up at me somewhat warily. "Forgive me?" Derek asked hesitantly. It was a bit hard for him to even get the words out... He must really not be used to apologizing to people. I suppose change is good. Especially if Derek stops being such a... It appears I spoke too soon. He's staring at my chest... Of course. Why wouldn't he be? Hmm, who's checking who out now?
I looked him over with a shrewd eye, forgetting, of course, that he was not wearing a shirt and was soaking wet. And, um, when I looked at him, he was sort of in the middle of taking off his pants. I really have an innate sense of bad timing lately. My cheeks burned and I quickly looked away, crossing my arms over my chest embarrassedly. "It's a decent enough start, I suppose... But that really depends on if you stop staring at my chest, Derek..." I retorted, forcing a brief, unnatural chuckle.
Derek smirked over at me, and suddenly, he was himself again. Great. Just when I thought he was going to be nicer... He's not. Of course. Why on Earth was I surprised? After all, this IS Derek we're talking about here... Derek. "Same goes for you, McDonald," Derek rejoined cheekily. The smile fell off my face faster than a speeding bullet.
That being said, Derek proceeded to continue staring at me and thus, blatantly checking me out... again. I was getting fed up with that... I looked then to the shower, which was still running. I was cold and wet, and it was calling out to me. Derek followed my line of sight slowly. His eyes narrowed, noticing the target of my gaze, and soon came to look me full in the face. We might've wrestled for it, but we were both wearing too little clothes for this... At least, by my standards. By Derek's, I strongly suspect he would put up little to no resistance just so long as someone was straddling him. With me in such little clothes already, I decided not to tempt fate.
Both of us then attempted to make a mad dash for it, but I managed to (somehow) flip over the side of the tub, landing flat on my back on the bottom of the tub. My back felt even more bruised than before. Somehow Derek also managed to slip and wound up (surprise, surprise) on top of me. Oof. That really hurt. We lied there in an awkward silence for a while before Derek grunted, pushing himself up. He rose to his feet and quickly bent down, grabbing my hand to pull me up. Down right decent of him, and out of character...
"I get the shower," Derek stated effortlessly, crossing his arms over his chest. I glared at him with narrowed eyes, shaking my head no.
"Derek, I was just crying... because of you. Don't you think that I deserve it?" I pouted, hoping to appeal to him. Derek, however, was as impassive as a stone. Feeling rather disgusted with myself, I placed my hand upon his forearm, leaning forward a little. His breathing hitched a little, but other than that, he showed no signs of change. I was so out of my league in this attempt to get what I wanted. Guilt worked sometimes, but Derek was the master.
Fixing me with a winning smile, Derek started to undo his jeans. "You can join me if you want, Case..." Derek drawled, an amused look flickering in his eyes. I gaped at him, which I suppose was rather stupid, as he has been hitting on me all day. He kept on smirking and began to unzip his jeans.
"Don't call me Case!" I muttered, feeling very, very uncomfortable and hitting him hard in the chest. This shower was so small. I was getting extremely claustrophobic here in this tiny enclosed space, and Derek disrobing wasn't helping in the slightest. Derek frowned for an instant, rubbing his chest where I had hit him.
"Girl, I could do this all day..." Derek returned huskily. His grin widened and reappeared. He gave me a quizzical look, as if he was surprised that I was still in here (and, trust me, I was too). Then, giving me a devilish smirk (because he knew he was about to win), he started to pull down his pants. But I refused to leave. I was not willingly going anywhere.
Derek looked even more surprised now. He raised his eyebrows, eyes a little wider than usual, but he shrugged and smoothly slid his jeans all the way off, haphazardly chucking them over the curtain. I heard them hit the floor with a wet, resounding smack and looked to see where they had fallen. I looked back quickly, and Derek stared at me for a long, searching moment. His hand lingered on the waistband of his boxers (which I avoided looking at) as he stared at me. "Didn't think you'd stick around this long," He uttered hoarsely.
I shrugged, meeting his eyes. "What can I say? I'm stubborn," I replied stiffly, crossing my arms over my chest. Derek nodded, and I could read his thoughts... What an understatement, he seemed to say. Of course, that was the pot calling the kettle black. I had been a lot more flexible than he had.
"Me too..." Derek mumbled vaguely. He flexed his fingers as if itching to do... something. Just what that something was I hadn't a clue in the slightest, but whatever it was... It scared me. "Looks like you actually want to shower with me..." Derek pointed out mockingly. I didn't let it phase me.
"I could easily say the same about you, Derek. Besides, I'm not the one undressing in your presence, now am I?" I countered, placing my hands on my hips defiantly. Derek snorted, rolling his eyes.
"Don't flatter yourself, Casey," Derek snarled in a cool, detached tone. It was my turn to roll my eyes. I gave Derek an "Oh, please" sort of look. The water was still warm, but it was starting to feel tepid. One of us would have to get out and soon.
Finally, Derek shrugged, his hand still on his waistband. "Have it your way," He breathed hotly, starting to take off his boxers. It was then that I finally lost my composure. I couldn't stay in that tiny hole with him any longer. I bolted out of that shower as if I was on fire, racing to the door which I struggled with, finally throwing it open violently and racing out into the hall.
"Thanks, Case!" Derek called after me smugly. I didn't look back. I was too angry. My blood boiled. At his comment, I suddenly stopped, turning to look at the shower.
"I told you, don't call me that!" I shrieked back, furious, holding on to the doorway with white knuckles.
I heard Derek chuckle. He was still laughing as he stuck his wet head out of the curtain to offer a reply. He blew me a kiss. "Love you too, Case!" He exclaimed, snickering. He blew me another kiss, and I felt my cheeks flush in fury. I didn't bother to reply. I turned around and stalked down the hallway, freezing more and more with each step.
Why can't I be more assertive with him? How is it that I always wind up giving in to him? And I end up back here again, kicking myself for being so stupid... maybe I ought to kick somebody else for a change... Like Derek.
I slammed the door to my bedroom shut behind me, punching a button on my radio. A song, my type of music, was already playing.
I'm diving headfirst into something... Better judgment's gone a-running... I'm headed straight into disaster... We all know what he is after, tonight, tonight...
Nothing but trouble on his mind... I come across it all the time... Not getting slaughtered from it... Kick myself for getting careless... Kick myself for getting like this...
He does have it coming, after all. Karma will come back to bite him one of these days, and with my luck, maybe I just might be there to see it... Yeah, someday some girl will get under his skin in a big way. He's going to fall in love, and it's going to be priceless. Someday he's going to get rejected. Flat-out stone-cold rejected. The tables will have turned.
And, so help me, when that happens, I'm going to laugh my ass off.
Loren ;
Thanks for all the great reviews. I love them; they make my day...
Seriously, though... How many times have Derek and Casey almost kissed in this story? Well, okay, they technically DID kiss in this chapter, but it doesn't count... I mean, there's the time in the last chapter... And the sort of moment in Casey's chapter... Anyways, review! Love you guys!