Entry 11: Surprise, Surprise (Part 1)
Title: Surprise, Surprise
Entry Number: 11
Author: mihnn
Fandom: Life with Derek
Rating: PG13
Genre: Romance, Humour
Spoiler Warnings: None.
Summary: This Halloween, Derek Venturi gets the most scariest surprise of all: a visit from his stepsister, Casey. And worst of all, she intends to stay. Indefinitely.
Word Count: 6142
Derek Venturi was a happy man. Yup, insanely, over-the-moon, never want to die because life is so perfect, happy. Who wouldn't be happy to leave for college? To start their own un-family centered life? To finally, finally after three years of scheming to get what was rightfully his, three years of fighting for power that he was intended to posses in the first place, three years of her, he is finally, dare he say it, Casey free? If he was a thirteen year old girl, he would be jumping on his bed, squealing in happiness. But he wasn't. He was a man, no matter what his little sister might think. And men, did not squeal. He did do a very embarrassing 'triumphant' dance in the privacy of his bedroom when he found out that he was to have off-campus housing away from little Miss Priss . That, he was allowed to do. As a man.
Life was good. Life was fair. The creator finally noticed his suffering and decided to reward him mightily by taking away the cause of his suffering. And can the cause be anything but McDonald in nature? Derek let out a soft sigh as he leaned into his couch, propped his feet on his coffee table, grabbed his remote, and turned on his tv.
It was Halloween. And instead of dressing up as a monster (because, let’s face it, why should he ever hide his good looks?), he decided to stay indoors and enjoy the joblessness that he had selfishly wanted for years. He had always been the step-sibling who was asked to accompany the kids for Halloween. But not this year. No. This year, he was the kid who got to do kid-like things. The only thing missing from this perfect evening was…
There was a knock on the door. Derek grinned. Pizza. The food of Gods.
Looking back on this seemingly ordinary moment, he should not have made the effort to get up off the couch and answer the door. No. He should have stayed put. Ignored the call from the rest of civilization. But did he do that? Nope. Who would have done that when they had delicious pies coming their way? He knew his greedy self would get him into trouble soon. Although he had no idea that the trouble would have no relation to his eating habits. Why couldn't the universe have given him trouble in the form of… um...cholesterol? Instead, he was greeted by an unwanted surprise that made him stiffen in dread.
"Casey?"
He croaked. His voice freakin' croaked. Like a frog. Or a toad. Or any other fearful animal in anticipation of it's death. Yup, to him Casey McDonald equals death. And no, he did not find that insensitive. What's so insensitive about the truth?
Casey huffed at him, like that was new, and handed him her cellphone. Derek stared at her dumbfounded.
No.
NO. NO. NO.
This cannot be happening. Casey on her own was difficult to handle. With the right sedative, it's plausible. But Casey with a suitcase? Intent on entering his apartment that was suppose to be a Casey-free zone? And holding out her cellphone that had his home number on it, already dialed?
"No." Derek spoke firmly into the offending instrument.
"Derek." His father pleaded. "You know we wouldn't have asked this if it weren't absolutely necessary."
"No." Derek emphasized while eying his stepsister who crossed her arms and glared at him in annoyance.
"She needs a place to stay."
"No."
"But..."
"No." His eyes narrowed at her. "Wasn't she supposed to have on-campus housing or something? With roommates?"
Casey stopped eying death rays at him to look away, embarrassed. Interesting. Very interesting.
George sighed on the other end. "The chemistry wasn't right." Sounds like something the Princess would say.
"You mean, they couldn't handle living with her." Derek said in a matter-of-fact tone. So, he wasn't paranoid. She was the most difficult person to live with. Save for an over enthusiastic trombone player, a super star wars keener, and even a mariachi band. Or perhaps he wasn't being fair. He would prefer the mariachi band to her nagging.
"Derek..."
"No! End of discussion dad. I'm not living with her. This is my crazy-casey-free life that you're trying to ruin." He ignored her eye roll.
"It's only for a few days."
Derek scoffed. He knew when his father was lying. And boy, was he lying. "How few is few?"
A slight pause. "A few."
He thought so. "No." He repeated.
"It's not a discussion, Derek. She needs a place to stay, and your place is big enough."
"Yeah, big enough for one."
"You have a spare room." His father argued.
"That's for my pool table."
"You don't have a pool table."
"I might think of getting one."
Casey rolled her eyes again before grabbing her suitcase and moving forward. Derek's eyes widened at her insubordination. How dare she enter without his permission? He was the king! He was the ruler! And no peasant was to enter his realm without his permission.
"What do you think you're doing?" Derek screeched blocking her way.
With another eye roll for good measure, Casey grabbed her cellphone from his now limp hand. "I'm in George, thanks for the distraction."
Distraction? What distraction? Wait a minute. When did he come to the middle of his moderate living room? When did she manage to haul that giant bag of crap into his apartment? When did the door close? He looked at her confused. She tricked him? They both tricked him? The nerve!
"Uh huh.. Yeah.. " Derek crossed his arms in defiance while he waited for his dear 'ol step-sis to finish her conversation. He was getting more considerate as the years passed. "Okay then… Thanks, George.. Yeah... I'll tell him… Bye."
Derek narrowed his gaze at her. “No, Casey. No, I am not going to let you stay the night. No, I am not going to let you turn my bachelor pad into a pink paradise. No, I am not going to let you hijack my tv and watch your weird black and white noir styled movies-“
“Casablanca is a classic.”
“Casablanca should be in colour.” Derek said smiling in a very sinister manner. "You can leave now." He refuses to live with her. Again.
"I'm home. So where could I possibly go?" She grabbed her bag and headed to the bedroom that was not occupied by him. He rented this place expecting to get a roommate. Not a royal pain in the ass disguising herself as a roommate.
"No! No. No. No." Derek blocked her from entering the bedroom. "This is not your home. This is my home. I bought it, and I will decide who will be my roommate."
Casey sighed. "Look, Derek. I'm not happy with this arrangement either. But I do need a place to stay. You have an empty bedroom right there." She gestured to the room he was currently standing in front of.
Wow. She sounded sincere. Too bad he knew when she spoke crap. And that, my friends, was utter crap. He raised his eyebrows at her. "You wanna try again?"
Her eyes narrowed. There's the tigress he knew she was. "I'm going to be your new roommate." She said matter of factually. "I'm going to go about my life ignoring you. And you are going to behave yourself around me. That means no junk food to be dropped around our apartment. No burping after every meal like it's a glorified sport. No hitting on my friends when they come over. No loud music when we have finals. No 'dropping in' unexpectedly when you promise to go out. No eating all of the food and refusing to get groceries. No bringing in girls while I'm here. No using any of my stuff without asking for permission first. And most of all, no pranks." Her breathing became ragged, as she took a threatening step towards him. "I mean it, Derek. One prank, just one, and so help me, I will shave your head while you sleep."
His eyes widened as he realized that he had no parental protection.
"Oh yeah. I went there." Casey snapped before pushing him aside, storming into the room and slamming the door shut.
Derek Venturi was not a happy man. He was pretty sure that the universe was out to screw him.
"Happy freakin' Halloween to me," he mumbled under his breath before turning to face his stepsister.
*
He knows it, and she knows it. Derek Venturi had a knack of knowing how to do certain things, how to manipulate certain people, and how to always get what he wants. But don't let that easy-breezy lifestyle fool you, it's an art form that only the most attentive of students could embrace, and live by. And luckily for Derek, being able to get around people was God's gift to him, and he was convinced, on a whole, a gift to mankind. He hasn't made the connection yet, but he's pretty close.
Casey McDonald on the other hand is the anti-Derek. Even though she might see it as a compliment, everyone knows, it's not. While he's in the world to spread the word of joy, fun and many dangerous yet entertaining ideas courtesy of the stuntman 'Edwin Venturi', Casey has been put on this world to suck out the very thing he brings into it. Hasn't the world suffered enough? With the floods, avalanches, earthquakes, do we really need to add Casey McDonald to that list?
And the Queen Klutzilla is now his roommate. How wonderful. Maybe he should visit his friend's aunt's best friend, who happens to be an an African Medical man with knowledge of the black arts. He could easily get some of her hair for the ritual of pinning needles into dolls.
But right now, he was staring her down. Yup, staring and glaring are two different things. He was not the glaring type, unlike his opponent who was sitting opposite him, poised for battle. She was not under any circumstances, going to march into his home and demand things of him, without giving him the same right of demanding things from her.
She sighed. A sigh of defeat. "Fine." She mumbled. And Derek pictured a monkey doing a victory dance. Okay, so maybe he has been watching too many Simpson reruns. "I will tivo my tv shows when your games are on. But I want at least a day's notice."
Derek nodded in agreement. A small price to pay for winning the bigger battle. So he sometimes might forget to warn her. It could happen. "Next." He said gesturing at the list she held in her hand. Damn her and her list making influence.
She scrunched up her face in concentration as she read requirement number six. "No studying in the living room?" She looked at him, confused. "How is studying going to bother you?"
He expected this. Actually he expected her protests for all his requirements. Which is exactly why he added some bogus ones for pure entertainment purposes. Who wouldn't crack up at the concept that Casey's hot, girlfriends should wear micro mini skirts when visiting their apartment? Not Casey obviously, who had no sense of humour. He didn't need a lecture about respecting women's bodies. He respected them enough for the bodies to come back for more… respecting, didn't he?
"Think of it this way." He leaned forward to emphasize his point. "If I want to get some guys together and hang out, you would yell at me for no reason because we would be disturbing you from doing something you could easily do in your room." Casey scoffed her annoyance. A sign that he was right.
"Fine." She snapped. "But no parties or get-togethers or movie marathons when I'm having my finals."
"Fine. But only if you don't nag at me constantly."
He could see Casey chew her bottom lip thoughtfully. Maybe he should get the girl some gum. It must not be healthy to eat your own skin so frequently. "Define constantly." She said slowly.
Seriously, what did he look like? A dictionary? "Um.. Nagging me on the whole, is pretty much constant." He said slowly as if speaking to a four year old. He would be lying if he said he took no pleasure in how her eyes narrowed in offence.
"I can’t promise no nagging." She said stubbornly.
If she wanted to play it that way, it was fine by him. "Then I can’t promise to be considerate." So, he might have said that in a slightly more cocky manner than was needed, but that was no reason to toss a pencil at his head. It was a good thing her sport was dance and not karate or any other deadly style of martial arts. Imagine the damage she could have done if she had any upper arm strength. "Ow! What the hell!" He couldn't help but yelp. In all fairness, the possibility of being attacked by a pencil was unexpected, and she could have blinded him. He was just saying. Not that a pencil could injure him.
"Sorry." She mumbled. Funny, he couldn't hear the remorse in her voice.
"Yeah, sorry that you missed." He rubbed his forehead for good measure. Might as well rub it in.
She smiled. "You know me well." And just like that, they were smiling at each other. He had forgotten how much fun it was to have her around, even if ninety percent of the time, she annoys the shit out of him.
Casey stood up. "Dinner?" Code word for 'truce'. Actually, any word associated with food could be a code word as far as he was concerned.
"Knock yourself out." Derek gestured towards the kitchen. Mi kitchen, su kitchen.
It was weird. Their relationship was based on a hate/not quite hate dynamic that Derek didn't have with anyone else. And thank God for that. He didn't believe the world could handle another Casey. That night, she made dinner, and he washed up. Yes, there were instances where they worked together. And no, he would never admit that little tit-bit of information to anyone. But really, it is not quite out of the ordinary if you think about it. How else were you supposed to survive one another for three years without giving into that first instinct of pre-meditated murder? If he had the chance, he would probably take it. Or maybe he wouldn't. His decision will depend on whether she annoyed him at all that day.
It also surprised him to realize that they didn't lack conversation topics throughout the night. That is, if you consider, "You're such an idiot.", "George would not approve.", and "Are you crazy?" part of a top notch conversational piece. And he did contribute a bit in the form of "Klutzilla", "Princess", and "Space-Case" among other colourful statements. What could he say? He loved the classics.
Besides the obvious squabble over nothing, the meal was pretty uneventful. How was Derek to know that this simple act of feeding oneself while conversing with another would become a nightly ritual of theirs? No matter what the day entailed.
*
It started off normal enough. Casey would come back from the library in time to wave goodbye to his friends, who would leave after a fulfilling couple of hours of gaming. She would lecture him about the importance of not wasting his time, which his brain would convert to a monotonous "bla bla bla" musical piece. She would then cook dinner. And depending on her mood, blackmail or use the threat of bodily harm to get him to help. He couldn't shake the feeling that she 'asks' him to help to stop him from going out, because, really, all he does is add a bit more pepper and stir the thing.
At first, he scheduled hanging out with his friends around their 'dinner plans' out of consideration for Casey. Yeah, that sentence sounded wrong even when he thought about it. Try Casey getting upset over making him a simple dinner, which might or might not have included his favourite meals, to cheer him up for a loss his hockey team endured. And Derek, being Derek, not telling her that he was going out with his teammates to drink themselves into a stupor. This little incident resulted in a very hostile atmosphere around the apartment. And by hostile, he means waking up to a really pissed Casey. He doesn't recommend it to anyone.
"What?" Derek groaned out when he managed to sluggishly move out of his bedroom. It's a good thing he had a remedy for hangovers. Aspirin, more aspirin, and did he mention aspirin? The reason for the 'what' was in respect to the loving expression his stepsister so carelessly glared at him.
"You're up?" His eyebrows rose at her snappy tone. "What a surprise." She mumbled that last bit, but he could hear it fine. Word to the wise, too much of the good liquor could give you a spidey-sense.
"What's up with you?" He groaned as he sat at the kitchen table. So, he's a bit cranky when he wakes up. So, sue him.
"What's up with me? WHAT'S UP WITH ME?" Okay, so maybe he winced a bit. He was still getting used to his super-hearing.
"Um… Yeah... " This is why he hated confrontations in the morning. His brain was too slow.
She was mad. But then again, he was used to her mad. He leaned his head on his hand and waited patiently for the Princess to tell him what he did wrong. Again. His eyes suddenly snapped open when Casey opened the refrigerator and tossed something onto the table. Was that mac and cheese? Another item. Chili? Another item. Pasta? And another. Mini pizzas? What the hell? Was she aiming for his head, and happen to miss? Four times? That is seriously bad aim.
"There! That's your dinner! I hope you enjoy it!" She snapped before grabbing her… was that a spatula? Was she making breakfast? Roughly throwing it into the sink, she marched to the living room table to gather her books. Leaving him to stare at the spot she was standing in, dumbfounded.
Come on Derek. You can do this. Make the connection! Dinner! Did she make it last night? Why would she do that? What happened last night? He couldn't remember. He's got a hangover the size of a bowling ball stopping him from gathering his memories. He shouldn't drink so much with the guys, even if they lose another game during this season. Even Casey thought they shouldn't have lost, when she attended the… Oh!
Within moments, he was out of his seat. "You made me dinner?"
She snapped her head up to sneer at him. "Yes, genius."
O-kay. Not at all awkward. What was he supposed to say? Sorry I missed the dinner I didn't know about? Seriously? "I didn't ask you to make me dinner."
She froze, as if gathering her thoughts. She couldn't really blame him. And she knows it.
"I know... It's just.." Why was she looking at him with a puppy-like expression on her face? "I wanted to do something.. I don't know.." She shrugged. "Something nice."
Derek squinted his eyes at his supposed step-sister. He thought his pot-head friends were joking when they said that the twilight zone existed. Looks like he owed Zimmer ten bucks.
"Just forget it." Casey snapped before grabbing her bag and moving towards the door.
"Casey!" He suffered an aneurysm just then. At least that's the only reason behind what he did next. "Thanks."
She looked at him, a soft smile played on her lips. "You're welcome." She said softly before turning to leave. Derek watched her silently as she grabbed her coat and left. He had an idea. And he had no idea why.
*
"So, why do we have to leave exactly?" Brenden turned swiftly and jumped to the side to avoid being pushed out the door by Derek.
Derek sighed. His friends are fun, but seriously dumb. "I told you."
"Yeah, you told us." Trey chirped in. "But you didn't tell us why." Why the hell was he giving him that look?
"What do you mean, 'why'?" Derek shifted towards the door slightly, hoping that this conversation might trick them to follow suit. They've been known to do much dumber stuff. Can anyone say 'Jackass imitators'?
His best buds shared a look. A look that Derek didn't like. It had a hidden meaning. Like a private joke was shared. "We mean.." Brenden said slowly. Almost suggestively.
"What's up with you and Casey?" Trey piped in quick, interrupting Brenden.
O-kay. That question could mean a lot of things. So, Derek articulated his confusion. "Huh?"
He saw the 'shut up' look that Brenden threw Trey. "It's just that we've noticed how you two seem to be... hanging out a lot... together… recently..."
Derek stared at them silently. There must be a misunderstanding here. "Huh?"
It was Brenden's turn to sigh. "Seriously Dude, do you not notice how your dating streak has plummeted since her arrival?"
Derek could feel his brain trying to make the connection between his dating life and Casey. He explored all options within those few seconds, but nothing came to mind, except one thing. "Well, yeah.. Casey wont let me bring anyone into the apartment. Something about it not being sanitary." Yeah, so he might have added that last bit sarcastically. She didn't give him a reason, just put down the rule.
"And you believe her?" Trey gasped. Derek cocked his head at his friend in confusion. Didn't he explain the rules Casey laid down just a week before? The guy forgot already? He needed knew friends.
"The thing is..." Brenden was talking again? Why was he surrounded by people who just wont shut up? "We think you need to get out there. You know... shake it up a bit, live life a little." He grabbed Derek's shoulders and shook him. "Beer, buddies and broads. Come on, man. Get your act together."
"What's going on?" The guys turned to face Casey who just walked in. How dare she look amused at him being almost strangled. Derek shrugged out of his friend's grasp, and was about to say something witty like 'eavesdrop much?', but Trey beat him to it.
"Wassup, Case? Finished practices?" Of course she finished practices, you moron. She's wearing a leotard. And Derek sent up a silent prayer to forget that he knew such a word existed.
"Um… Yeah.." she said, confused. At least she too, noticed how monumentally dumb that question was. "Well, you guys carry on, with... whatever you're doing." Hanging her coat, she headed to the kitchen.
Derek felt his breath catch. Come on, breathe. He didn't understand why he was feeling so nervous suddenly. Why did he have to feel nervous whenever he did something, kinda nice. Not that what he did was nice. He just figured, it was his turn.
She came back out. Her expression was unreadable. "Derek? Can I talk to you for a second? In the kitchen?" He followed her, ignoring the mildly curious looks from his friends.
"You don't eat this stuff." Casey gestured to the really, really, gross (insert vomiting sound) vegetarian meals he ordered from the vegetarian restaurant down the street.
He shrugged. "You do."
"But it's your turn to pick what's for dinner tonight." Geez woman! Get the point!
"I know."
He knew that look. When she squinted at him, she was trying to decide what his deal was. "I know, you know. I'm just wondering if you were really planning on eating tofu." She was looking at him smugly.
Derek looked at the food. "I'm not really that hungry." Did his stomach just growl in protest?
"Dude! Really?" Trey bounded in. "Great! Then, you can join Brenden and me at Stacey's party. It's going to be rocking!" He clapped Derek on the back.
He didn't know why, but he looked at Casey. Almost like he was asking her if it was okay. Which is ridiculous really. He never cared about her opinion before, why now?
"Yeah, you guys should definitely go." Her smile seemed strained. Maybe he should stay and eat with her before joining his friends.
"Yeah?" Derek asked softly. If she wanted him to stay, he would stay. Complain the whole time, but stay all the same.
The look she gave him was… something. He didn't know what it was. "Yeah. Go have your fun." She said softly.
He had to tear his eyes away from her when his friend started jumping in a jerky manner very similar to a seizure as he excitedly called Brenden, who grabbed Derek's jacked and flung it at him.
"Come on, D. Let's go." Now it was Brenden's turn to push Derek out the door.
With a quick nod to Casey, Derek put on his jacket and led his friends out. Then he heard it. "Derek!" He turned around. Casey stood there, hugging herself. She looked very small. Lonely. Not the type of Casey he was used to. But she was smiling. At him. Wow! Things do change. "Thanks."
He smiled back. "You're welcome." He said softly before closing the door, somewhat regretfully.
*
So, now, there are a few changes around the apartment. And secretly, Derek didn't mind it. It reminded him of home, when the McDonalds moved in. The apartment had no mess you had to walk through, everything was in it's place, the bathroom had soap, and the refrigerator was fully stocked. There was no reason for Derek to complain. There was only one thing that kept complaining. Casey. And it sounded a lot like nagging. It was a good thing that years of living with her had made him immune to the annoying buzzing sound she seems to produce.
"You're late." Casey stood up from where she was studying on the couch to heat the food she left out for him. He checked his watch as he hung his jacket. Midnight. No wonder she was sarcastic.
"The party sucked." He grabbed the plate and took his seat.
She sat opposite him, like always. "Told you." He hated it when she was smug.
He grunted. He was not going to admit anything. Especially if 'anything' includes her being right. After two bites, he noticed it. She was looking at him. Or watching him to be exact. Taking another unnecessarily huge bite, and taking pleasure in her face scrunching up in disgust, he raised his eyebrow at her. "What?"
She looked at him sheepishly. "I need a favour." He knew it. He watched her for a few seconds as she waited for her words to sink in. Then, without a word, he stood up and headed to his room, plate in hand. But she blocked him. "It's a small favour really." She looked at him hopefully.
She's lying. He couldn't help but eye her skeptically. “Is it something that I wont like to do?"
"Um… No." That 'no' sounded way too quick for his liking.
"Will I be inconvenienced?" She raised her eyebrows at him. So what if he had been attending his English classes? He's supposed to mature at some point, right?
"Not at all." That smile was so sickly sweet, it dripped of lies.
"Hm... Wow... This is a tough one." He shrugged. "No."
Her jaw dropped. She was such a drama queen. "But you don't even know what the favour is yet."
"I don't have to know it, to know that I will say no." He made a move, and she blocked him again.
"It's a small thing, really." Did her voice just squeak? Like when she's forcing herself to be nice?
He sighed. She was so annoying. "What's the favour?" He has gotten softer recently. Another sign of him becoming a man. A kind hearted, mature man. Yeah, he should really stop that.
Casey smiled. She actually thinks she's won? She's got another thing coming. "It's Megan."
"Who?" Another huge bite to disgust her.
"She's my cousin. And I sorta… told her... that... um... she could... You know..." She was biting her lip nervously now, while giving him a meaningful look.
He would have to be an idiot not to get her look. But like always, he preferred to play dumb. "What?" Who wouldn't like to see their stepsister grovel?
"That she could stay here?" Casey asked sweetly.
Oh! The woes of being fair! "No." Derek used this as a distraction to make a move towards his bedroom.
"Why not?" Casey asked following him.
"We don't have room."
"We have a couch."
"Which is not meant to be slept in. Plus, I don't want strangers sleeping in my apartment."
"But she's not a stranger. She's my cousin."
"Any relative of yours is a stranger. It comes with the alien DNA."
"Come on, Derek."
He turned around to face her. "No. And that's final, Casey. My word is law." Turning swiftly, Derek marched into his bedroom, ignoring the slightly disturbing sparkle he thought he saw in Casey's eye.
*
"Hey, Derek!" He knew that voice. Soft, breathy and the body attached to the voice wasn't bad either.
"Amanda." He nodded at her, knowing that that was sufficient for her. And he was right. She walked up to him before leaning slightly against him. Her hand found itself on his chest as she began playing with a button on his shirt. He felt his whole body snap to attention, although he was cool enough not to show it.
"You know, my roommate is going out for a date tonight. So, if you want to hang out, I'm free." His mind should really stop picturing these women like porn stars. No, wait. It wasn't his imagination. She was sucking a lollipop. And rather pleasurably nonetheless. Who could miss that 'open for business' sign?
"Oh, I think I can arrange a… meeting for tonight." He smirked as he leaned towards her. No reason for him not to get as close as possible, now is there? "Actually, my apartment will be empty tonight. Casey's got some group project or other." Her face fell at Casey's name. What was weird with people these days?
"She's still staying with you?" That question was asked rather…casually... Not!
"If it was up to me, she would have been kicked out weeks ago." He leaned closer. "But that doesn't change the fact that my apartment would be empty tonight." He was determined not to go back to Amanda's apartment again. Not with that weird Cocker Spaniel who seemed to love watching them doing it. He needed to help the dog out with its sex life. Maybe a nice poodle would do the trick.
She bit her lip. Damn! She's hot! "Sure. See you there at eight." She leaned forward and bit his ear slightly before whispering 'lover' ever so erotically. He couldn't help but watch her sashay away, her long legs bringing back great, great memories.
Derek turned back to his first order of business, and found himself get slightly irritated. "Dude! I told you I wanted an espresso like five minutes ago." The guy behind the counter wearing a ridiculous apron, dragged his eyes away from Amanda's ass to stare at him. "Hellooo!" Derek waved his hand in front of the guy who just gave him a blank stare. Finally, he seemed to snap out of it.
"Espresso. Got it." He turned to prepare Derek's drink, who couldn't help but smirk. Yup, guys wanted to be him.
*
There are several things you should know about Amanda. She's hot, but bitchy. Which is every guy's dream. Nothing beats angry sex. And that is exactly what they had courtesy of her roommate, who had started dating her ex-boyfriend and didn't have the courtesy to lie to her face about it. How inconsiderate could she get? Trying to ask permission to date her ex, who she dated as a dare, but her roommate has now fallen for? The bitch! - Her words, not his. Or at least that was what he gathered when they had their fun and she started talking. He tuned out while they got dressed. Girls never really noticed that guys are not under any obligation to listen to them once they get what they want. And he got what he wanted. Twice. And no, he didn't believe that he took advantage of her, when she was the one who jumped him within seconds of opening the door. He loved his life.
"…Don't you think?"
"Yeah... I totally agree." He had no idea what she was talking about.
"Good. I'll see you tomorrow then." She quickly put on her top and walked out of his bedroom.
Wait. What? "Tomorrow?" He asked following her.
"Yeah." She grabbed her purse, then turned towards him. "You said you'll come." Why doesn't he listen? Bad brain!
"I don't know if..." There was a knock on the apartment door, and Derek let out a sigh. He needed time to think of an excuse. Especially since Amanda's eyebrows rose threateningly when he was about to give her an excuse.
He opened the door, and stopped short. "Hel-lo Gorgeous." He mumbled under his breath. Dark hair and dark eyes. The word vixen came to mind.
"Um, hey!" She looked nervous. And she was pointedly glancing at his chest. Derek looked down. Shit! He forgot to wear a shirt. Good thing he remembered to wear a pair of pants.
"Does Casey live here?" She looked over his shoulder.
"Er, yeah, but she's not in." He grinned at her. "But you could always leave a message with me."
"That's alright." She took a few steps forward. "I'll just... um... go in?" She quickly moved around him. He wasn't going to complain. No reason to.
"Who's that?" Derek jumped when he noticed Amanda next to him. Uh-oh. She looked jealous.
"Casey's friend." He said casually, not about to show that he had no idea who she was.
The girl in question turned around. "Actually, I'm her cousin."
Hm. That's weird. Didn't they have a discussion about Casey's cousin a few days before? And didn't it end with something like… 'No'? Obviously, the girl didn't know how to take 'no' for an answer. She would make for an awesome drug dealer someday.
"You're Casey's cousin?" He crossed his arms, waiting for her response.
But she seemed to miss the threat, because she smiled at him. "Yeah, I'm Megan." Derek's jaw tightened. That scheming, good for nothing, little.. "You're Derek I presume?"
With great difficulty, he unlocked his jaw. "Yeah." His teeth though, stayed glued together.
"And you are?" She turned to the girl standing next to him. Derek looked beside him. She's still here?
"Amanda." She said curtly. Yeowza! Bitchy Mandy was back.
"Okay." Boy, was she chirpy. "It's great to meet you." To which, Amanda shot her a smouldering glare. Then she turned to him.
"Tomorrow then? I'll see you at the church at four. My sister will be so jealous that I got a date to my cousin's wedding, when she cant." This is the moment where you could picture a siren going off in his head. Warning! Warning! Wedding with family! She thinks you are a couple! Abort! Abort!
"I don't know." Derek mumbled. He needed a saviour. Anything. Anybody.
"Actually." Their heads snapped to Megan who looked at them apologetically. "I was supposed to let you know that my aunt Nora, Casey's mom? Is coming to visit us tomorrow evening, so, I don't think she'll be happy if you missed her."
She's an angel! From where was she from? "Yeah." He turned to Amanda. "She'll kill me if I don't meet her. First time in three months"
"Really?" Amanda looked suspiciously between the two, before finally sighing. "Fine. I guess I can get someone else."
Finally! "Great!" He put his arm around her and walked her to the door. "Tell me how it goes." With a quick nudge, she was on the other side. "I'll call you." And he shut the door, interrupting whatever she was going to say.
He turned around to see Megan beaming at him. "Aunt Nora huh?"
She shrugged. "You looked like you needed some help." She's cute. And, she lies. Something Casey McDonald never did unless the world depended on it. "Casey didn't tell you that I was coming, did she?"
"Nope."
She nodded, as if understanding the complexity that was her cousin. "Can I use your bathroom?" Derek pointed at the door to his left. "Thanks." Okay, so, Megan was pretty cool. But that doesn't mean that he wouldn't be giving a rush order for his stepsister's tombstone.
Entry Number: 11
Author: mihnn
Fandom: Life with Derek
Rating: PG13
Genre: Romance, Humour
Spoiler Warnings: None.
Summary: This Halloween, Derek Venturi gets the most scariest surprise of all: a visit from his stepsister, Casey. And worst of all, she intends to stay. Indefinitely.
Word Count: 6142
Derek Venturi was a happy man. Yup, insanely, over-the-moon, never want to die because life is so perfect, happy. Who wouldn't be happy to leave for college? To start their own un-family centered life? To finally, finally after three years of scheming to get what was rightfully his, three years of fighting for power that he was intended to posses in the first place, three years of her, he is finally, dare he say it, Casey free? If he was a thirteen year old girl, he would be jumping on his bed, squealing in happiness. But he wasn't. He was a man, no matter what his little sister might think. And men, did not squeal. He did do a very embarrassing 'triumphant' dance in the privacy of his bedroom when he found out that he was to have off-campus housing away from little Miss Priss . That, he was allowed to do. As a man.
Life was good. Life was fair. The creator finally noticed his suffering and decided to reward him mightily by taking away the cause of his suffering. And can the cause be anything but McDonald in nature? Derek let out a soft sigh as he leaned into his couch, propped his feet on his coffee table, grabbed his remote, and turned on his tv.
It was Halloween. And instead of dressing up as a monster (because, let’s face it, why should he ever hide his good looks?), he decided to stay indoors and enjoy the joblessness that he had selfishly wanted for years. He had always been the step-sibling who was asked to accompany the kids for Halloween. But not this year. No. This year, he was the kid who got to do kid-like things. The only thing missing from this perfect evening was…
There was a knock on the door. Derek grinned. Pizza. The food of Gods.
Looking back on this seemingly ordinary moment, he should not have made the effort to get up off the couch and answer the door. No. He should have stayed put. Ignored the call from the rest of civilization. But did he do that? Nope. Who would have done that when they had delicious pies coming their way? He knew his greedy self would get him into trouble soon. Although he had no idea that the trouble would have no relation to his eating habits. Why couldn't the universe have given him trouble in the form of… um...cholesterol? Instead, he was greeted by an unwanted surprise that made him stiffen in dread.
"Casey?"
He croaked. His voice freakin' croaked. Like a frog. Or a toad. Or any other fearful animal in anticipation of it's death. Yup, to him Casey McDonald equals death. And no, he did not find that insensitive. What's so insensitive about the truth?
Casey huffed at him, like that was new, and handed him her cellphone. Derek stared at her dumbfounded.
No.
NO. NO. NO.
This cannot be happening. Casey on her own was difficult to handle. With the right sedative, it's plausible. But Casey with a suitcase? Intent on entering his apartment that was suppose to be a Casey-free zone? And holding out her cellphone that had his home number on it, already dialed?
"No." Derek spoke firmly into the offending instrument.
"Derek." His father pleaded. "You know we wouldn't have asked this if it weren't absolutely necessary."
"No." Derek emphasized while eying his stepsister who crossed her arms and glared at him in annoyance.
"She needs a place to stay."
"No."
"But..."
"No." His eyes narrowed at her. "Wasn't she supposed to have on-campus housing or something? With roommates?"
Casey stopped eying death rays at him to look away, embarrassed. Interesting. Very interesting.
George sighed on the other end. "The chemistry wasn't right." Sounds like something the Princess would say.
"You mean, they couldn't handle living with her." Derek said in a matter-of-fact tone. So, he wasn't paranoid. She was the most difficult person to live with. Save for an over enthusiastic trombone player, a super star wars keener, and even a mariachi band. Or perhaps he wasn't being fair. He would prefer the mariachi band to her nagging.
"Derek..."
"No! End of discussion dad. I'm not living with her. This is my crazy-casey-free life that you're trying to ruin." He ignored her eye roll.
"It's only for a few days."
Derek scoffed. He knew when his father was lying. And boy, was he lying. "How few is few?"
A slight pause. "A few."
He thought so. "No." He repeated.
"It's not a discussion, Derek. She needs a place to stay, and your place is big enough."
"Yeah, big enough for one."
"You have a spare room." His father argued.
"That's for my pool table."
"You don't have a pool table."
"I might think of getting one."
Casey rolled her eyes again before grabbing her suitcase and moving forward. Derek's eyes widened at her insubordination. How dare she enter without his permission? He was the king! He was the ruler! And no peasant was to enter his realm without his permission.
"What do you think you're doing?" Derek screeched blocking her way.
With another eye roll for good measure, Casey grabbed her cellphone from his now limp hand. "I'm in George, thanks for the distraction."
Distraction? What distraction? Wait a minute. When did he come to the middle of his moderate living room? When did she manage to haul that giant bag of crap into his apartment? When did the door close? He looked at her confused. She tricked him? They both tricked him? The nerve!
"Uh huh.. Yeah.. " Derek crossed his arms in defiance while he waited for his dear 'ol step-sis to finish her conversation. He was getting more considerate as the years passed. "Okay then… Thanks, George.. Yeah... I'll tell him… Bye."
Derek narrowed his gaze at her. “No, Casey. No, I am not going to let you stay the night. No, I am not going to let you turn my bachelor pad into a pink paradise. No, I am not going to let you hijack my tv and watch your weird black and white noir styled movies-“
“Casablanca is a classic.”
“Casablanca should be in colour.” Derek said smiling in a very sinister manner. "You can leave now." He refuses to live with her. Again.
"I'm home. So where could I possibly go?" She grabbed her bag and headed to the bedroom that was not occupied by him. He rented this place expecting to get a roommate. Not a royal pain in the ass disguising herself as a roommate.
"No! No. No. No." Derek blocked her from entering the bedroom. "This is not your home. This is my home. I bought it, and I will decide who will be my roommate."
Casey sighed. "Look, Derek. I'm not happy with this arrangement either. But I do need a place to stay. You have an empty bedroom right there." She gestured to the room he was currently standing in front of.
Wow. She sounded sincere. Too bad he knew when she spoke crap. And that, my friends, was utter crap. He raised his eyebrows at her. "You wanna try again?"
Her eyes narrowed. There's the tigress he knew she was. "I'm going to be your new roommate." She said matter of factually. "I'm going to go about my life ignoring you. And you are going to behave yourself around me. That means no junk food to be dropped around our apartment. No burping after every meal like it's a glorified sport. No hitting on my friends when they come over. No loud music when we have finals. No 'dropping in' unexpectedly when you promise to go out. No eating all of the food and refusing to get groceries. No bringing in girls while I'm here. No using any of my stuff without asking for permission first. And most of all, no pranks." Her breathing became ragged, as she took a threatening step towards him. "I mean it, Derek. One prank, just one, and so help me, I will shave your head while you sleep."
His eyes widened as he realized that he had no parental protection.
"Oh yeah. I went there." Casey snapped before pushing him aside, storming into the room and slamming the door shut.
Derek Venturi was not a happy man. He was pretty sure that the universe was out to screw him.
"Happy freakin' Halloween to me," he mumbled under his breath before turning to face his stepsister.
*
He knows it, and she knows it. Derek Venturi had a knack of knowing how to do certain things, how to manipulate certain people, and how to always get what he wants. But don't let that easy-breezy lifestyle fool you, it's an art form that only the most attentive of students could embrace, and live by. And luckily for Derek, being able to get around people was God's gift to him, and he was convinced, on a whole, a gift to mankind. He hasn't made the connection yet, but he's pretty close.
Casey McDonald on the other hand is the anti-Derek. Even though she might see it as a compliment, everyone knows, it's not. While he's in the world to spread the word of joy, fun and many dangerous yet entertaining ideas courtesy of the stuntman 'Edwin Venturi', Casey has been put on this world to suck out the very thing he brings into it. Hasn't the world suffered enough? With the floods, avalanches, earthquakes, do we really need to add Casey McDonald to that list?
And the Queen Klutzilla is now his roommate. How wonderful. Maybe he should visit his friend's aunt's best friend, who happens to be an an African Medical man with knowledge of the black arts. He could easily get some of her hair for the ritual of pinning needles into dolls.
But right now, he was staring her down. Yup, staring and glaring are two different things. He was not the glaring type, unlike his opponent who was sitting opposite him, poised for battle. She was not under any circumstances, going to march into his home and demand things of him, without giving him the same right of demanding things from her.
She sighed. A sigh of defeat. "Fine." She mumbled. And Derek pictured a monkey doing a victory dance. Okay, so maybe he has been watching too many Simpson reruns. "I will tivo my tv shows when your games are on. But I want at least a day's notice."
Derek nodded in agreement. A small price to pay for winning the bigger battle. So he sometimes might forget to warn her. It could happen. "Next." He said gesturing at the list she held in her hand. Damn her and her list making influence.
She scrunched up her face in concentration as she read requirement number six. "No studying in the living room?" She looked at him, confused. "How is studying going to bother you?"
He expected this. Actually he expected her protests for all his requirements. Which is exactly why he added some bogus ones for pure entertainment purposes. Who wouldn't crack up at the concept that Casey's hot, girlfriends should wear micro mini skirts when visiting their apartment? Not Casey obviously, who had no sense of humour. He didn't need a lecture about respecting women's bodies. He respected them enough for the bodies to come back for more… respecting, didn't he?
"Think of it this way." He leaned forward to emphasize his point. "If I want to get some guys together and hang out, you would yell at me for no reason because we would be disturbing you from doing something you could easily do in your room." Casey scoffed her annoyance. A sign that he was right.
"Fine." She snapped. "But no parties or get-togethers or movie marathons when I'm having my finals."
"Fine. But only if you don't nag at me constantly."
He could see Casey chew her bottom lip thoughtfully. Maybe he should get the girl some gum. It must not be healthy to eat your own skin so frequently. "Define constantly." She said slowly.
Seriously, what did he look like? A dictionary? "Um.. Nagging me on the whole, is pretty much constant." He said slowly as if speaking to a four year old. He would be lying if he said he took no pleasure in how her eyes narrowed in offence.
"I can’t promise no nagging." She said stubbornly.
If she wanted to play it that way, it was fine by him. "Then I can’t promise to be considerate." So, he might have said that in a slightly more cocky manner than was needed, but that was no reason to toss a pencil at his head. It was a good thing her sport was dance and not karate or any other deadly style of martial arts. Imagine the damage she could have done if she had any upper arm strength. "Ow! What the hell!" He couldn't help but yelp. In all fairness, the possibility of being attacked by a pencil was unexpected, and she could have blinded him. He was just saying. Not that a pencil could injure him.
"Sorry." She mumbled. Funny, he couldn't hear the remorse in her voice.
"Yeah, sorry that you missed." He rubbed his forehead for good measure. Might as well rub it in.
She smiled. "You know me well." And just like that, they were smiling at each other. He had forgotten how much fun it was to have her around, even if ninety percent of the time, she annoys the shit out of him.
Casey stood up. "Dinner?" Code word for 'truce'. Actually, any word associated with food could be a code word as far as he was concerned.
"Knock yourself out." Derek gestured towards the kitchen. Mi kitchen, su kitchen.
It was weird. Their relationship was based on a hate/not quite hate dynamic that Derek didn't have with anyone else. And thank God for that. He didn't believe the world could handle another Casey. That night, she made dinner, and he washed up. Yes, there were instances where they worked together. And no, he would never admit that little tit-bit of information to anyone. But really, it is not quite out of the ordinary if you think about it. How else were you supposed to survive one another for three years without giving into that first instinct of pre-meditated murder? If he had the chance, he would probably take it. Or maybe he wouldn't. His decision will depend on whether she annoyed him at all that day.
It also surprised him to realize that they didn't lack conversation topics throughout the night. That is, if you consider, "You're such an idiot.", "George would not approve.", and "Are you crazy?" part of a top notch conversational piece. And he did contribute a bit in the form of "Klutzilla", "Princess", and "Space-Case" among other colourful statements. What could he say? He loved the classics.
Besides the obvious squabble over nothing, the meal was pretty uneventful. How was Derek to know that this simple act of feeding oneself while conversing with another would become a nightly ritual of theirs? No matter what the day entailed.
*
It started off normal enough. Casey would come back from the library in time to wave goodbye to his friends, who would leave after a fulfilling couple of hours of gaming. She would lecture him about the importance of not wasting his time, which his brain would convert to a monotonous "bla bla bla" musical piece. She would then cook dinner. And depending on her mood, blackmail or use the threat of bodily harm to get him to help. He couldn't shake the feeling that she 'asks' him to help to stop him from going out, because, really, all he does is add a bit more pepper and stir the thing.
At first, he scheduled hanging out with his friends around their 'dinner plans' out of consideration for Casey. Yeah, that sentence sounded wrong even when he thought about it. Try Casey getting upset over making him a simple dinner, which might or might not have included his favourite meals, to cheer him up for a loss his hockey team endured. And Derek, being Derek, not telling her that he was going out with his teammates to drink themselves into a stupor. This little incident resulted in a very hostile atmosphere around the apartment. And by hostile, he means waking up to a really pissed Casey. He doesn't recommend it to anyone.
"What?" Derek groaned out when he managed to sluggishly move out of his bedroom. It's a good thing he had a remedy for hangovers. Aspirin, more aspirin, and did he mention aspirin? The reason for the 'what' was in respect to the loving expression his stepsister so carelessly glared at him.
"You're up?" His eyebrows rose at her snappy tone. "What a surprise." She mumbled that last bit, but he could hear it fine. Word to the wise, too much of the good liquor could give you a spidey-sense.
"What's up with you?" He groaned as he sat at the kitchen table. So, he's a bit cranky when he wakes up. So, sue him.
"What's up with me? WHAT'S UP WITH ME?" Okay, so maybe he winced a bit. He was still getting used to his super-hearing.
"Um… Yeah... " This is why he hated confrontations in the morning. His brain was too slow.
She was mad. But then again, he was used to her mad. He leaned his head on his hand and waited patiently for the Princess to tell him what he did wrong. Again. His eyes suddenly snapped open when Casey opened the refrigerator and tossed something onto the table. Was that mac and cheese? Another item. Chili? Another item. Pasta? And another. Mini pizzas? What the hell? Was she aiming for his head, and happen to miss? Four times? That is seriously bad aim.
"There! That's your dinner! I hope you enjoy it!" She snapped before grabbing her… was that a spatula? Was she making breakfast? Roughly throwing it into the sink, she marched to the living room table to gather her books. Leaving him to stare at the spot she was standing in, dumbfounded.
Come on Derek. You can do this. Make the connection! Dinner! Did she make it last night? Why would she do that? What happened last night? He couldn't remember. He's got a hangover the size of a bowling ball stopping him from gathering his memories. He shouldn't drink so much with the guys, even if they lose another game during this season. Even Casey thought they shouldn't have lost, when she attended the… Oh!
Within moments, he was out of his seat. "You made me dinner?"
She snapped her head up to sneer at him. "Yes, genius."
O-kay. Not at all awkward. What was he supposed to say? Sorry I missed the dinner I didn't know about? Seriously? "I didn't ask you to make me dinner."
She froze, as if gathering her thoughts. She couldn't really blame him. And she knows it.
"I know... It's just.." Why was she looking at him with a puppy-like expression on her face? "I wanted to do something.. I don't know.." She shrugged. "Something nice."
Derek squinted his eyes at his supposed step-sister. He thought his pot-head friends were joking when they said that the twilight zone existed. Looks like he owed Zimmer ten bucks.
"Just forget it." Casey snapped before grabbing her bag and moving towards the door.
"Casey!" He suffered an aneurysm just then. At least that's the only reason behind what he did next. "Thanks."
She looked at him, a soft smile played on her lips. "You're welcome." She said softly before turning to leave. Derek watched her silently as she grabbed her coat and left. He had an idea. And he had no idea why.
*
"So, why do we have to leave exactly?" Brenden turned swiftly and jumped to the side to avoid being pushed out the door by Derek.
Derek sighed. His friends are fun, but seriously dumb. "I told you."
"Yeah, you told us." Trey chirped in. "But you didn't tell us why." Why the hell was he giving him that look?
"What do you mean, 'why'?" Derek shifted towards the door slightly, hoping that this conversation might trick them to follow suit. They've been known to do much dumber stuff. Can anyone say 'Jackass imitators'?
His best buds shared a look. A look that Derek didn't like. It had a hidden meaning. Like a private joke was shared. "We mean.." Brenden said slowly. Almost suggestively.
"What's up with you and Casey?" Trey piped in quick, interrupting Brenden.
O-kay. That question could mean a lot of things. So, Derek articulated his confusion. "Huh?"
He saw the 'shut up' look that Brenden threw Trey. "It's just that we've noticed how you two seem to be... hanging out a lot... together… recently..."
Derek stared at them silently. There must be a misunderstanding here. "Huh?"
It was Brenden's turn to sigh. "Seriously Dude, do you not notice how your dating streak has plummeted since her arrival?"
Derek could feel his brain trying to make the connection between his dating life and Casey. He explored all options within those few seconds, but nothing came to mind, except one thing. "Well, yeah.. Casey wont let me bring anyone into the apartment. Something about it not being sanitary." Yeah, so he might have added that last bit sarcastically. She didn't give him a reason, just put down the rule.
"And you believe her?" Trey gasped. Derek cocked his head at his friend in confusion. Didn't he explain the rules Casey laid down just a week before? The guy forgot already? He needed knew friends.
"The thing is..." Brenden was talking again? Why was he surrounded by people who just wont shut up? "We think you need to get out there. You know... shake it up a bit, live life a little." He grabbed Derek's shoulders and shook him. "Beer, buddies and broads. Come on, man. Get your act together."
"What's going on?" The guys turned to face Casey who just walked in. How dare she look amused at him being almost strangled. Derek shrugged out of his friend's grasp, and was about to say something witty like 'eavesdrop much?', but Trey beat him to it.
"Wassup, Case? Finished practices?" Of course she finished practices, you moron. She's wearing a leotard. And Derek sent up a silent prayer to forget that he knew such a word existed.
"Um… Yeah.." she said, confused. At least she too, noticed how monumentally dumb that question was. "Well, you guys carry on, with... whatever you're doing." Hanging her coat, she headed to the kitchen.
Derek felt his breath catch. Come on, breathe. He didn't understand why he was feeling so nervous suddenly. Why did he have to feel nervous whenever he did something, kinda nice. Not that what he did was nice. He just figured, it was his turn.
She came back out. Her expression was unreadable. "Derek? Can I talk to you for a second? In the kitchen?" He followed her, ignoring the mildly curious looks from his friends.
"You don't eat this stuff." Casey gestured to the really, really, gross (insert vomiting sound) vegetarian meals he ordered from the vegetarian restaurant down the street.
He shrugged. "You do."
"But it's your turn to pick what's for dinner tonight." Geez woman! Get the point!
"I know."
He knew that look. When she squinted at him, she was trying to decide what his deal was. "I know, you know. I'm just wondering if you were really planning on eating tofu." She was looking at him smugly.
Derek looked at the food. "I'm not really that hungry." Did his stomach just growl in protest?
"Dude! Really?" Trey bounded in. "Great! Then, you can join Brenden and me at Stacey's party. It's going to be rocking!" He clapped Derek on the back.
He didn't know why, but he looked at Casey. Almost like he was asking her if it was okay. Which is ridiculous really. He never cared about her opinion before, why now?
"Yeah, you guys should definitely go." Her smile seemed strained. Maybe he should stay and eat with her before joining his friends.
"Yeah?" Derek asked softly. If she wanted him to stay, he would stay. Complain the whole time, but stay all the same.
The look she gave him was… something. He didn't know what it was. "Yeah. Go have your fun." She said softly.
He had to tear his eyes away from her when his friend started jumping in a jerky manner very similar to a seizure as he excitedly called Brenden, who grabbed Derek's jacked and flung it at him.
"Come on, D. Let's go." Now it was Brenden's turn to push Derek out the door.
With a quick nod to Casey, Derek put on his jacket and led his friends out. Then he heard it. "Derek!" He turned around. Casey stood there, hugging herself. She looked very small. Lonely. Not the type of Casey he was used to. But she was smiling. At him. Wow! Things do change. "Thanks."
He smiled back. "You're welcome." He said softly before closing the door, somewhat regretfully.
*
So, now, there are a few changes around the apartment. And secretly, Derek didn't mind it. It reminded him of home, when the McDonalds moved in. The apartment had no mess you had to walk through, everything was in it's place, the bathroom had soap, and the refrigerator was fully stocked. There was no reason for Derek to complain. There was only one thing that kept complaining. Casey. And it sounded a lot like nagging. It was a good thing that years of living with her had made him immune to the annoying buzzing sound she seems to produce.
"You're late." Casey stood up from where she was studying on the couch to heat the food she left out for him. He checked his watch as he hung his jacket. Midnight. No wonder she was sarcastic.
"The party sucked." He grabbed the plate and took his seat.
She sat opposite him, like always. "Told you." He hated it when she was smug.
He grunted. He was not going to admit anything. Especially if 'anything' includes her being right. After two bites, he noticed it. She was looking at him. Or watching him to be exact. Taking another unnecessarily huge bite, and taking pleasure in her face scrunching up in disgust, he raised his eyebrow at her. "What?"
She looked at him sheepishly. "I need a favour." He knew it. He watched her for a few seconds as she waited for her words to sink in. Then, without a word, he stood up and headed to his room, plate in hand. But she blocked him. "It's a small favour really." She looked at him hopefully.
She's lying. He couldn't help but eye her skeptically. “Is it something that I wont like to do?"
"Um… No." That 'no' sounded way too quick for his liking.
"Will I be inconvenienced?" She raised her eyebrows at him. So what if he had been attending his English classes? He's supposed to mature at some point, right?
"Not at all." That smile was so sickly sweet, it dripped of lies.
"Hm... Wow... This is a tough one." He shrugged. "No."
Her jaw dropped. She was such a drama queen. "But you don't even know what the favour is yet."
"I don't have to know it, to know that I will say no." He made a move, and she blocked him again.
"It's a small thing, really." Did her voice just squeak? Like when she's forcing herself to be nice?
He sighed. She was so annoying. "What's the favour?" He has gotten softer recently. Another sign of him becoming a man. A kind hearted, mature man. Yeah, he should really stop that.
Casey smiled. She actually thinks she's won? She's got another thing coming. "It's Megan."
"Who?" Another huge bite to disgust her.
"She's my cousin. And I sorta… told her... that... um... she could... You know..." She was biting her lip nervously now, while giving him a meaningful look.
He would have to be an idiot not to get her look. But like always, he preferred to play dumb. "What?" Who wouldn't like to see their stepsister grovel?
"That she could stay here?" Casey asked sweetly.
Oh! The woes of being fair! "No." Derek used this as a distraction to make a move towards his bedroom.
"Why not?" Casey asked following him.
"We don't have room."
"We have a couch."
"Which is not meant to be slept in. Plus, I don't want strangers sleeping in my apartment."
"But she's not a stranger. She's my cousin."
"Any relative of yours is a stranger. It comes with the alien DNA."
"Come on, Derek."
He turned around to face her. "No. And that's final, Casey. My word is law." Turning swiftly, Derek marched into his bedroom, ignoring the slightly disturbing sparkle he thought he saw in Casey's eye.
*
"Hey, Derek!" He knew that voice. Soft, breathy and the body attached to the voice wasn't bad either.
"Amanda." He nodded at her, knowing that that was sufficient for her. And he was right. She walked up to him before leaning slightly against him. Her hand found itself on his chest as she began playing with a button on his shirt. He felt his whole body snap to attention, although he was cool enough not to show it.
"You know, my roommate is going out for a date tonight. So, if you want to hang out, I'm free." His mind should really stop picturing these women like porn stars. No, wait. It wasn't his imagination. She was sucking a lollipop. And rather pleasurably nonetheless. Who could miss that 'open for business' sign?
"Oh, I think I can arrange a… meeting for tonight." He smirked as he leaned towards her. No reason for him not to get as close as possible, now is there? "Actually, my apartment will be empty tonight. Casey's got some group project or other." Her face fell at Casey's name. What was weird with people these days?
"She's still staying with you?" That question was asked rather…casually... Not!
"If it was up to me, she would have been kicked out weeks ago." He leaned closer. "But that doesn't change the fact that my apartment would be empty tonight." He was determined not to go back to Amanda's apartment again. Not with that weird Cocker Spaniel who seemed to love watching them doing it. He needed to help the dog out with its sex life. Maybe a nice poodle would do the trick.
She bit her lip. Damn! She's hot! "Sure. See you there at eight." She leaned forward and bit his ear slightly before whispering 'lover' ever so erotically. He couldn't help but watch her sashay away, her long legs bringing back great, great memories.
Derek turned back to his first order of business, and found himself get slightly irritated. "Dude! I told you I wanted an espresso like five minutes ago." The guy behind the counter wearing a ridiculous apron, dragged his eyes away from Amanda's ass to stare at him. "Hellooo!" Derek waved his hand in front of the guy who just gave him a blank stare. Finally, he seemed to snap out of it.
"Espresso. Got it." He turned to prepare Derek's drink, who couldn't help but smirk. Yup, guys wanted to be him.
*
There are several things you should know about Amanda. She's hot, but bitchy. Which is every guy's dream. Nothing beats angry sex. And that is exactly what they had courtesy of her roommate, who had started dating her ex-boyfriend and didn't have the courtesy to lie to her face about it. How inconsiderate could she get? Trying to ask permission to date her ex, who she dated as a dare, but her roommate has now fallen for? The bitch! - Her words, not his. Or at least that was what he gathered when they had their fun and she started talking. He tuned out while they got dressed. Girls never really noticed that guys are not under any obligation to listen to them once they get what they want. And he got what he wanted. Twice. And no, he didn't believe that he took advantage of her, when she was the one who jumped him within seconds of opening the door. He loved his life.
"…Don't you think?"
"Yeah... I totally agree." He had no idea what she was talking about.
"Good. I'll see you tomorrow then." She quickly put on her top and walked out of his bedroom.
Wait. What? "Tomorrow?" He asked following her.
"Yeah." She grabbed her purse, then turned towards him. "You said you'll come." Why doesn't he listen? Bad brain!
"I don't know if..." There was a knock on the apartment door, and Derek let out a sigh. He needed time to think of an excuse. Especially since Amanda's eyebrows rose threateningly when he was about to give her an excuse.
He opened the door, and stopped short. "Hel-lo Gorgeous." He mumbled under his breath. Dark hair and dark eyes. The word vixen came to mind.
"Um, hey!" She looked nervous. And she was pointedly glancing at his chest. Derek looked down. Shit! He forgot to wear a shirt. Good thing he remembered to wear a pair of pants.
"Does Casey live here?" She looked over his shoulder.
"Er, yeah, but she's not in." He grinned at her. "But you could always leave a message with me."
"That's alright." She took a few steps forward. "I'll just... um... go in?" She quickly moved around him. He wasn't going to complain. No reason to.
"Who's that?" Derek jumped when he noticed Amanda next to him. Uh-oh. She looked jealous.
"Casey's friend." He said casually, not about to show that he had no idea who she was.
The girl in question turned around. "Actually, I'm her cousin."
Hm. That's weird. Didn't they have a discussion about Casey's cousin a few days before? And didn't it end with something like… 'No'? Obviously, the girl didn't know how to take 'no' for an answer. She would make for an awesome drug dealer someday.
"You're Casey's cousin?" He crossed his arms, waiting for her response.
But she seemed to miss the threat, because she smiled at him. "Yeah, I'm Megan." Derek's jaw tightened. That scheming, good for nothing, little.. "You're Derek I presume?"
With great difficulty, he unlocked his jaw. "Yeah." His teeth though, stayed glued together.
"And you are?" She turned to the girl standing next to him. Derek looked beside him. She's still here?
"Amanda." She said curtly. Yeowza! Bitchy Mandy was back.
"Okay." Boy, was she chirpy. "It's great to meet you." To which, Amanda shot her a smouldering glare. Then she turned to him.
"Tomorrow then? I'll see you at the church at four. My sister will be so jealous that I got a date to my cousin's wedding, when she cant." This is the moment where you could picture a siren going off in his head. Warning! Warning! Wedding with family! She thinks you are a couple! Abort! Abort!
"I don't know." Derek mumbled. He needed a saviour. Anything. Anybody.
"Actually." Their heads snapped to Megan who looked at them apologetically. "I was supposed to let you know that my aunt Nora, Casey's mom? Is coming to visit us tomorrow evening, so, I don't think she'll be happy if you missed her."
She's an angel! From where was she from? "Yeah." He turned to Amanda. "She'll kill me if I don't meet her. First time in three months"
"Really?" Amanda looked suspiciously between the two, before finally sighing. "Fine. I guess I can get someone else."
Finally! "Great!" He put his arm around her and walked her to the door. "Tell me how it goes." With a quick nudge, she was on the other side. "I'll call you." And he shut the door, interrupting whatever she was going to say.
He turned around to see Megan beaming at him. "Aunt Nora huh?"
She shrugged. "You looked like you needed some help." She's cute. And, she lies. Something Casey McDonald never did unless the world depended on it. "Casey didn't tell you that I was coming, did she?"
"Nope."
She nodded, as if understanding the complexity that was her cousin. "Can I use your bathroom?" Derek pointed at the door to his left. "Thanks." Okay, so, Megan was pretty cool. But that doesn't mean that he wouldn't be giving a rush order for his stepsister's tombstone.