While I honestly don't think Sally would react well to Derek and Casey dating, I couldn't leave it like that. So Sally redeems herself in this chapter. A little. She's still kind of a you-know-what.
Now, the character in this chapter is definitely a you-know-what. And there is no redeeming her, because the writers didn't bother to, either, even after two episodes. I'm so excited about this chapter, because I feel like Casey finally gets to have a little justice!
Hope you like it!
Chapter 8, Derek: Catch-22
The Saturday after the Sally fiasco, she calls me. I'm shocked she still has my number. I'm with Casey that morning, lying in the hammock and watching Marti and Dimi run around the backyard.
"Do I answer?" I ask Casey, definitely not wanting to.
Casey shakes her head, which surprises me. "I want to know what she has to say first before either of us talk to her."
We let the call go to voicemail, and as soon as it's finished we listen to the message. Casey snuggles closer to me on the hammock and grabs my hand. I can tell she's as nervous as I am.
"Hi Derek. It's Sally. I wanted to say I'm sorry for how I acted the other night. I shouldn't have been so rude, and while I don't think you and Casey dating is … What I mean is, I don't approve—but, well, I gave up my right to have an opinion about your life a long time ago and it wasn't fair of me to judge you both like that. I really do wish you both the best of luck. Um, okay, bye."
I play it again just to listen to her tone. She sounds sincere. "I don't want to call her back. I feel like that's the end of it."
Casey agrees. "It was nice of her to apologize, but we agreed anyone who doesn't support us shouldn't be in our life."
I nod. "You're right."
"What?" She grins.
"You're right. You're right. You're right. There. I said it three times." I stick my tongue out at her.
She's still grinning. She just can't get enough of me saying she's right about something after denying her for so many years. Have I mentioned she looks really cute when she thinks she's one-upping me?
"Casey! Derek!" Dad calls from the doorway. He's already rounded up Marti and Dimi and is motioning to us to come inside. We're going to Toronto for the day to visit Icky Vicky, and Casey and I would much rather stay home, but our parents aren't letting us get out of it, even though Lizzie, Edwin, and Marti are spending the day at Mom's.
Casey and I drive Liz and Edwin in the Prince, and Lizzie and Casey dominate the conversation with talk of Lizzie's first date with Ricky the night before. I try to tune them out, and I can tell Edwin's doing the same. Finally, I pull over and practically push Casey into the backseat. She and Lizzie are still talking as Edwin climbs past her and into the passenger seat next to me. We exchange exasperated smiles. I'm glad to hear they hit it off, I really am, but do I need to know every detail of their conversation, where he put his hands on the table, and what he smelled like?
No.
Both cars pull up in front of Mom's townhouse and she's already standing on the porch. Marti barrels up the front walk before anyone else is even out of the car.
We all gather on the porch, and Marti's hugging Mom around the waist. Casey and I exchange a smile. Marti's adjusted very well to being a big sister, but when she's at Mom's she's the baby again, and she tends to lap up the attention pretty shamelessly. Lizzie's spent less time with Mom, but from their hug you'd never be able to tell they weren't family.
I let her wrap me in a hug and I even kiss her cheek, feeling generous. She hugs Casey, too, and though she treats Casey very well and has never said a bad word about her, there's the slightest bit of tension. Mom's reaction when we told her we were dating went something along the lines of, "I just want you to be happy, and if she makes you happy, so be it." Which isn't exactly disapproval, but still, I can tell she's not thrilled.
Casey keeps saying it's because they never spend any time getting to know each other, and she might have a point, but Mom has visited us exactly once, so why should we make the effort to visit her?
I'll admit, I might still be the slightest bit resentful of my mom. Our relationship is fine now, and I love her, but the truth is there was a long period after the divorce when she wasn't around, and even though she's made a better effort these past few years, she's still not around much. Casey listens patiently when I complain about her, and she thinks I'm justified in feeling this way, but she can't really relate. Dennis may be a workaholic, but he's always been there for Casey and Lizzie. He calls and emails regularly, even though he doesn't see them as often as he'd like. I can count on one hand the number of times Abby's called me in the past year.
Casey sees me stewing about all of this and links her arm through mine as we head into the house. "The more time we spend here, the less time we have with Icky Vicky," she whispers, and I squeeze her hand.
We chat with Mom for a little while. She exclaims over how big Simon's getting, and to her credit, she seems totally okay with holding her ex-husband's new baby. She smiles at me across the living room and starts waxing nostalgic about when I was little.
"Mom!" I whine.
"Sorry, sorry. I can't help it. Marti's gotten so tall, and Edwin's in high school, and you're …" she trails off, eyes drifting to Casey. Casey holds her gaze, and I'm proud of her for staying calm. My mother doesn't scare her.
"… an adult," she finishes, smiling at me again. Her eyes well up and I smash myself into the back of the couch, angling Casey in front of me. This is apparently the furthest away from the crying I'm going to get.
"Simon likes you," Nora pipes up, saving the day. My mom turns her attention to Nora, and they start talking about baby stuff.
I give Casey a little breathing room, and she grabs my hand and plants a quick kiss on it.
We endure a few more minutes of small talk, and as we're leaving, Mom promises to come see one of my hockey games this fall. It's a nice gesture, but I'll believe it when I see it.
We leave the Prince at Mom's and join our parents in the family car for the drive to Vicky's. Casey gets more fidgety the closer we get to her house, and I know it's my turn to reassure her. After all, this visit will be a hundred times more uncomfortable than the one at my Mom's. "I love you, you know," I whisper, and she kisses me quickly before our parents can catch us in the rear-view mirror.
"My favorite cousins!" Vicky says in a loud, too-enthusiastic voice as she throws open the door.
"Hi, Victoria," Casey says fake-brightly, accepting Vicky's hug.
"S'up?" I nod to Vicky, and she looks like she wants to lean in to hug me, but thinks better of it.
Vicky's focus shifts to our parents, who are standing behind us. "Aunt Nora! Uncle George! And oh my gosh, how cute is this baby?"
We dart past her into the house and say hello to Fiona and Harry.
"I always thought you were such a nice boy," Fiona remarks. "I'm so happy Casey finally found someone worthy of her."
"Um, thanks?" I say, wearing a thin smile. Fiona's so weird.
Harry just sort of coughs in agreement, and Casey hugs her aunt, trying to remain upbeat. "Thanks so much, Aunt Fiona. It means a lot that you approve." I can tell she's dying to hear Vicky's reaction, and frankly, so am I.
Victoria's holding Simon, cooing baby talk at him as he fists strands of her hair. "I think it's great, too," she pipes up, and Casey stares at her.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I knew something was up between you at that party last year. Derek was never that nice to you before."
"I was being nice to her because her boyfriend was a slimeball," I say.
Vicky fixes her gaze on me, and I can tell she's warning me not to go into detail. She obviously hasn't shared what happened that night with her parents. I wonder what reason she gave Fiona for why she and Casey haven't spoken in over a year.
"Let's go catch up." Vicky gestures up the stairs. "I want to hear all about Queen's." Her voice is dripping with fake sincerity, and it's amazing to me that the adults don't call her on it. But then again, Vicky's mom has never been great at the whole paying-attention-to-her-daughter thing, which is where Vicky gets a lot of her issues.
Vicky hands Simon to Nora and we follow her to her bedroom. She settles into her desk chair, leaving us to find a comfortable spot on her bed. "So."
She looks at us expectantly, and I exchange a puzzled look with Casey.
"So …" Casey repeats.
"You guys!" Vicky bounces a little in her chair. "Tell me everything. Did you hook up in the car after you dropped me off? Was Truman just a cover?"
Casey glares at her. "You're seriously going to pretend like everything's fine between us? I haven't forgotten what you did that night."
Vicky looks stung. "Casey, I … I thought we were okay. I said I was sorry."
Vicky sounds sorry, but she's trying way too hard. I want to wipe that pout right off her face.
Casey sighs. "Oh, Victoria. You know I can never stay mad at you. But at the time, I really did care about Truman, and what you did hurt me."
I'm dying to put an arm around her, but at this point I don't think touching her in front of Vicky is a good idea. The girl's a little unstable.
Vicky looks at the floor, her chair squeaking as she spins it from side to side. "I'm sorry."
"I forgive you. After all, in a way it helped me."
Vicky looks up. "How?"
"It made me see what a horrible person Truman was, and made it that much easier to fall for Derek." She looks over at me gratefully. I figure it's safe to at least hold her hand.
"So you did hook up that night!" Vicky squeaks happily.
"No!" Casey pauses. "It happened later, at university."
"You naughty kids," she teases, and I manage a weak smile. She doesn't deserve to hear our story, and I hope she drops this conversation quickly.
Who am I kidding?
"Hey cuz," she turns to Casey, evil glint in her eyes. "Isn't Derek a fabulous kisser?"
I can't believe I ever thought this girl was hot. Okay, I can, because she's practically identical to Casey. But her personality leaves a lot to be desired. "Bitch," I bite out, and Casey grips my hand tightly.
Vicky eyes me lazily and smirks, twirling her hair around her finger. I wish Simon had spit up in it.
"As a matter of fact, he is," Casey speaks up. "And he's even better in bed. Too bad you two didn't make it that far, but Derek doesn't fuck needy sluts."
I swallow a gasp, but Vicky lets hers out. I've never heard Casey talk like that before. It's kinda hot.
Vicky stands up, trying to look menacing by towering over us on the bed. "What is wrong with you?" she asks, genuinely sounding concerned. I realize at this point that it's definitely all an act. Vicky will never change.
"I'm going to go downstairs and catch up with dear old Uncle Harry and Aunt Fiona. Want to join me, Case?" I pull both of us up so we're standing in front of Vicky, and I watch Vicky's lip quiver slightly as Casey wraps an arm around me and follows me downstairs.
We manage to get through strained appetizers where we focus on talking to our aunt and uncle, and dinner is civil, but then Aunt Fiona has the brilliant idea of putting us on dish duty. I see Nora and George look at each other in alarm. If even they can sense the tension, that's a bad sign.
It comes down to a standoff in the kitchen, Casey and me by the sink, holding the plates we carried in, and Vicky across from us, holding a sponge. "I'll wash, you dry, Derek can stack," she suggests icily, and we shrug in unison.
After a few moments of silent work, Vicky clears her throat. "You know, I really am happy for you guys. I was so shocked when Derek stood up for you at that party, Case. And I thought I saw something between you. But I never expected you to actually get together, and I'm glad you did."
Casey and I stay quiet. Mostly to make her squirm, and partly because I think we're both unsure whether to believe her.
"I might keep doing things to get in the way of it, but all I really want is for us to get along," she says to Casey. "And Derek," she turns to me, and I refuse to make eye contact, "I don't know you that well, but what I do know about you is that you're a true gentleman, and Casey's lucky to have you."
She starts crying, and cruel as it seems to leave her hanging, I can't bring myself to acknowledge her. Between the fiasco with Sally and this, I can't take any more crazy girls. I just can't.
Casey is a much more compassionate person than I am, of course. She sets down the plate she's holding and goes over to hug Vicky. Vicky's shoulders are shaking from crying and Casey hugs her tight.
"You're my cousin and I care about you. I'm sorry about what I said. But you like to push my buttons, and it gets old after awhile, you know?" She gives me a sidelong glance and I wink at her. (We've finally figured out that button pushing is stupid when you can make out instead.)
Vicky wipes her tears. "I'll be better, I promise." She looks at me. "I promise."
I shrug. Casey makes a face at me, and I know she wants me to try a little harder. I give Vicky a light hug, barely touching her, but it seems to mean a lot to Vicky.
"I really appreciate the second chance."
I want to correct her; this is probably her forth or fifth chance—but for Casey's sake I keep my mouth shut.
"How do you like university?" Casey asks, and Vicky startles at the abrupt change in topics.
"It's wonderful," she gushes, wiping away the rest of her tears. She's still over-enthusiastic, but it's less grating this time. "U of T has the best parties."
Casey smiles carefully at me, and I know we're both thinking that Vicky's still Icky, but at least she's not being rude and vindictive … right now. "Tell me more," Casey says generously, and as Vicky starts talking about life in Tdot, I try my best to pay attention. The rest of our visit really isn't the highlight of our summer, but at least Victoria is starting to understand that crossing Casey is never a good idea.