Everybody Has Something to Hide (PART 3)
PART 3
Chapter 12: Doesn't Set You Free
Casey crossed her arms and took a few steps forward so that she was standing directly in front of Derek. "Tell me," she commanded, hoping he didn't detect the quiver in her voice.
Derek cleared his throat, "Are you sure you want to know?"
Casey gritted her teeth in frustration, "Don't make this into some huge epic event, D. Just tell me so we can both go on with our own lives. Which is clearly what you want."
He bit his lip, but didn't refute her claim. "Okay," he began, sounding far more nervous than the circumstances accounted for. "Did you know that you talk in your sleep?"
"I talk in my sleep," Casey repeated. "You were mad at me…for talking in my sleep?"
"No, not exactly," Derek said, frowning.
"What, did I say something weird?"
"Oh, it was weird all right," Derek muttered.
"De-rek! Just tell me!"
"Go get your dream diary," Derek suddenly said.
"My dream diary?" Casey exclaimed. "For what?"
"Fine, I'll go get it myself," Derek said, swinging open his door and going next door.
Casey stared after him in shock before following him. "You can't just go into my room without permission," she ranted, stopping short when she realized that he was holding her dream diary in his hand. "How'd you know where it was?"
Derek shrugged, "You're easy to figure out, Case." Then he paused, "At least, most of the time."
She held out her hand for the diary, but he didn't give it to her. She let her hand drop, "What, are you going to read it or something?"
He shook his head, "No, I'm not." He sat down on her bed and looked up at her, "Tell me, Case, when's the last time you wrote in this thing?"
Casey frowned, "Um, not for a while, I guess. I might dream every night, but usually I don't remember them."
She saw Derek clench his jaw before he said, "You were dreaming that night."
"What night?" Casey asked, even though she knew the answer. Derek didn't say anything. Casey sighed, "Okay, so I was dreaming and I said something weird out loud. What was it?"
"You said…" Derek swallowed visibly and took a deep breath, clearly steeling himself to say something that she didn't want to hear-or something that he didn't want to say out loud.
"Just spit it out," Casey snapped, becoming impatient with all his theatrics. And he called her the dramatic one!
"You said, 'I love you.'" Derek's voice was quiet, almost muted.
Casey blinked, not sure she had heard right. "I told you that I loved you?"
"No."
Casey tried again, "I said the words 'I love you' to someone in my dream?"
"Not to someone." There was no question about it, Derek definitely looked uncomfortable now.
Casey licked her lips, suddenly feeling nervous herself. What had she said? "The suspense is killing me," she said drily, hoping he didn't see through her sarcasm. Be cool.
Derek picked up her dream diary and flipped through it, presumably to find a blank page. He scribbled something down for a minute before carefully placing it on her bed. Then he got up and walked to her door. Casey stared after him inquiringly. Without looking at her, he said quietly, "You said 'I love you, Truman'." Then he left.
Derek lay sprawled on his bed, his headphones around his head, but not connected to anything. He slowly got up to go get a CD but paused when he heard whispers coming from the hallway. He walked carefully to his door and pressed his ear against it.
"...taking this too far."
"It was your idea."
"Not to do that, I would never-"
"Because you don't have the guts."
"Listen!"
"No, you listen. I told you I would win, and I will."
"...don't care what he thinks of you?"
"It doesn't matter to me. As long as the plan works."
"It was at the dinner table!"
"So?"
"The whole family was there, what if he told them-"
"Told them what?"
"That you were having a little fun with him under the table?"
"…pretty sure he enjoyed it. Did you see his face?"
"No, but I saw Casey's face."
"Did she look pissed?"
"Yes."
"Then I don't know what you're complaining about…"
The voices faded away and Derek leaned against his door in shock. What were Lizzie and Edwin up to? Suddenly, there was a knock on his door and he jumped. Fully expecting it to be Casey, he swung it open. His stomach dropped when he saw that it was Lizzie. He automatically took a few steps backwards because, yes, he was just a little bit scared of her.
"Hey, Derek!"
"Lizzie," he said stiffly.
She walked into his room and shut the door behind her. Derek took a few more steps backwards. She held out something to him, "This is for you."
"What is it?"
Lizzie shrugged, "It's a CD."
"You-you made me a CD?" Derek stammered.
"Not exactly." Lizzie smiled and placed it carefully with the rest of his CDs. "So, that was a good dinner tonight, wasn't it?"
Derek blinked, wondering when he had let this girl take control of the conversation. "Listen, Lizzie," he began
But she interrupted, "No, it's okay. You don't have to say anything. It was fun, right?"
Derek frowned, "It wasn't exactly-"
"Don't worry," Lizzie said quickly, walking over to his door. She turned to stare at him intently, "Just remember, jealousy is a powerful emotion." And then she left, leaving Derek more confused than before.
Shaking his head in bewilderment, Derek sat down at his computer, logging on to AIM. Almost immediately a box popped up on his screen.
FashionistaxK: derry!
DVent007: Kendra, whats up?
FashionistaxK: any news on the car?
DVent007: no, Truman is still denying it.
FashionistaxK: don't you believe him?
DVent007: I believe that he doesn't have it.
FashionistaxK: then what do you want from him?
DVent007: well he knows who took it!
FashionistaxK: want me to get the info outta him?
DVent007: sure u can try. do you need his number?
FashionistaxK: no im talking to him right now.
Derek frowned. Guess her and Truman really do talk. Like that wasn't suspicious at all…
FashionistaxK: he says the people who took it are so obvious that you'll never figure it out.
FashionistaxK has signed out.
Derek tapped his fingers on the table thoughtfully. People? Obvious? All he was getting out of that conversation was that it hadn't been a one-man job. Or one-woman, a voice said in his head, sounding exactly like Casey. Speaking of Casey, maybe he should go tell her about what Kendra had just told him…
Casey got up determinately. She had to go see Derek. There was no use in being mad at him for ignoring her, she admitted to herself. If the situation had been reversed, no doubt she would've done the same thing. It was about the only thing she and Derek had in common…ignoring people who hurt them, trying to push them away. It's what Derek had tried to do, and she couldn't hold it against him.
She swung open her door to go to his room and jumped back in surprise when she saw Derek standing there, his hand posed to knock on her door. His eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Casey?" he said uncertainly.
She grinned slightly and moved backwards to let him in, "Great minds think alike."
"Did you just say I had a great mind?"
Casey blinked, "Wow, you're right. I'm so tired that I'm not thinking clearly."
Derek gave a short laugh. "It's pretty late," he agreed. "So I was just coming to tell you about a conversation I just had with Kendra."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I got her to ask Truman about who he saw taking the car."
"What did he say?"
Derek frowned, "Something about the answer being obvious. Oh and he said it was more than one person."
"The answer's obvious?" Casey repeated.
Derek shrugged, "Yeah, I have no idea. I'll try and force it out of him at school tomorrow."
"School!" Casey exclaimed.
"Uh, what about it?"
"How are we getting there?"
Derek stared at her for a few seconds before he got it. "Oh, damn," he muttered, "I guess we're walking." Then he snapped his fingers, "OR I could ask Sam to pick us up."
Casey shook her head, "No, that would be too obvious. We have to at least pretend that we're driving to school."
Derek heaved a huge sigh, "Have I mentioned how much I hate Truman?"
Casey laughed, "About a million times."
Derek shuffled his feet, suddenly looking awkward. "So, are we going to talk about this?"
She didn't have to ask what he was talking about. "I understand why you were angry," Casey said slowly. "I would've been hurt, too." She waited for him to say something, but he simply nodded. She frowned at his expression before she understood. "Wait!" she exclaimed, "You don't actually think I love him, do you?"
"What am I supposed to think?" Derek said belligerently.
Casey stared at him in shock, "How could you think that!? I never told Truman that I loved him."
"But you obviously told him that in your dream, so it must be how you really feel."
"I don't even remember that dream, Derek! And you can't ASSUME that's how I really feel! I practically loathe the guy!"
"You're not the only one taking a psych class, Case!" Derek said, looking mutinous. "We studied dreams, you know. They're supposed to be like the window into your subconscious."
"Figures that's the one class you pay attention in," Casey muttered. Then she said more loudly, "While that may be true, you know that Truman has some weird hold over my subconscious…I used to dream about him all the time, even before we started going out…"
"And doesn't that tell you something, Casey?"
Casey took a deep breath, willing herself to calm down. "No, Derek. It doesn't tell me anything."
"Well, it tells me that you're obsessed with the guy," Derek said in a hard tone.
"I told you I'm over him!"
"Mind over matter," Derek said dully.
"What does that even mean!?"
Derek shrugged, "You're the smart one."
Casey ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "This discussion-argument-isn't going anywhere, D. And I'm exhausted. Let's just talk about it…later."
"Fine by me," Derek snapped, throwing open her door so quickly that it slammed against the wall. Casey flinched but didn't say anything. Good riddance.
Chapter 13: We're All in This Together
Derek groaned and opened his eyes to squint at his alarm clock. Fuck. 7 AM. Why the hell hadn't Casey woken him up? He stumbled out of bed, tripping again over the sheets that he hadn't bothered to fix after he and Casey…he winced, feeling a headache coming on. Way too early to be thinking of such heavy stuff. He blearily made his way into the hallway, stopping to peer in Casey's room, which she wasn't in. Probably woke up at 6, stupid keener, he grumbled to himself.
He turned the handle on the shower and gasped when he was hit with a jet stream of cold water. Fuck. Well that was one effective way to wake up. Quickly showering and brushing his teeth, he ran back to his room to throw on some clothes and grab his bag. Glancing quickly at the clock (7:25), he hurried down the stairs.
Casey was sitting in the living room, clad in summery pink dress. He looked her over and his gaze landed on her heels. What the fuck? Was she planning on walking to school in those? He shook his head and continued into the kitchen without saying anything to her.
"Ah, Derek!"
"Hey, dad." Derek quickly poured himself a cup of orange juice and gulped it down.
"Whoa, what's the rush?"
"I don't want to be late to be school," Derek said, then mentally slapped himself. Don't want to be late to school? He never said stuff like that. "I mean," he hurriedly amended, "I don't want Casey to nag me all the way about how we're gonna be late."
George nodded understandably, "Women."
"Women," Derek agreed, with a smile.
"What about women?" Nora asked, walking into the kitchen.
"Oh," George replied with a bright smile, "Just saying how we can't live without them!"
"Uh huh," Nora said skeptically. "So, Derek?"
"Yeah?"
Nora threw a glance at George, "Are you driving Casey to school today?"
Derek frowned, "Um, yeah. I usually do…why?"
"Oh, I just noticed that she's been leaving early for a few days to walk."
Derek shrugged, "I wouldn't know anything about that." He discreetly looked at his watch. 7:35. Shit, they really had to get going. "Well, I'll see you guys later," Derek called over his shoulder as he walked back into the living room.
"Have a good day," George called back. "And remember to go to detention today!"
"Can't wait," Derek replied sarcastically.
'De-rek!"
"Nothing like you saying my name to start off this wonderful morning."
"We're going to be so late!" Casey hissed.
"Well then stop yelling and start walking," Derek said, opening the door and ushering her out.
They walked in silence for a few minutes before Casey suddenly said, "Psychology is my favorite class."
"Okay," Derek replied inattentively.
"I've been reading books about it for years."
"Good for you, Case," Derek yawned.
"And I think I can explain that dream."
Derek's head snapped up, "What?"
"Paying attention now, are we?" Casey said smoothly.
"Yes, 'we' are," Derek said, rolling his eyes. "What's your explanation?"
"Well, remember when we were at the mall and we had that fight?"
"You're gonna need to be a little more specific."
"It was that conversation we had right before you saw my mom standing in line at that smoothie place."
Derek frowned, trying to remember:
Nothing happened with me and Truman. He was just flirting, as usual. That's who he is." She paused, and then continued, "Just like you."
Derek let his slice drop back onto his plate. "What!? Are you implying that I'm like Truman?"
"I'm not implying anything," Casey snapped. "That's who you are!"
"Ah, you mean that discussion we had where you insulted me by comparing me to Truman?"
"I wasn't comparing you," Casey retorted. "I said that you and he were basically the same person."
"Right," Derek said coldly. "And?"
"I know you think it's an insult," Casey said soothingly. "And, from all we know about Truman now, I see why you wouldn't want to have anything in common with him."
"Okay," Derek answered slowly, wondering where she was going with this.
"But the truth is," Casey continued, "you share a lot of qualities with him." She glanced at him before counting off, "You both have that cool-guy persona, you're both players, flirtatious, arrogant, irresistible-" She broke off, looking as though she had said too much.
Derek pursed his lips thoughtfully. He knew that Casey's description matched him pretty well…but he hadn't realized that girls saw Truman the same way.
"But Truman takes it to a whole new level," Casey said hurriedly, misinterpreting his silence for anger. "He can be sleazy, manipulative…"
"A general, all-around scumbag," Derek supplied.
"Yes," Casey agreed.
"So…?"
"Don't you see!?"
Derek felt very much wrong-footed about this whole conversation. "Um, see what?"
"I couldn't have you, so I chose him!" Casey cried.
Derek stopped in his tracks, "What!?"
"It's not like I thought we could ever be together," Casey continued, staring at the ground. "I was attracted to those qualities in him…the same ones that I see in you."
Derek stared at her unseeingly, not believing what he was hearing. He didn't know what to say, but Casey didn't notice. She now appeared to be talking to herself. "To me, he was you."
Derek cleared his throat, "So in that dream, you really meant…"
Casey nodded, and met his gaze for the first time in their conversation. "I really meant that I love yo-"
"No!" Derek shouted.
Casey looked startled, "What's wrong?"
Derek felt his heart beating wildly. He lowered his voice so that he wouldn't yell again. "Just, it doesn't…I don't want…"
"You don't want to hear me say those words to you." Casey had stopped walking, and turned to face him, looking hurt.
"It's not that," Derek said carefully. "I just don't want you to feel like you have to say it."
"I know," Casey replied, frowning. "But, I want to."
"You don't have to prove anything to me."
Casey stared at him for a few seconds. "You really don't want me to say it," she said finally.
Derek shook his head, "Not now. Not when it means nothing."
Casey bit her lip, "It would've meant something to me."
"But not to me," Derek replied, his tone final.
Casey wondered what the point of even coming to school today was. She had been about 30 minutes late for her first class (which had been Psychology, go figure). So she had decided to go to the library and try and get some work done. Unfortunately, she couldn't concentrate. She still felt hurt that Derek hadn't wanted to hear that she loved him. His reasons for not wanting to hear it had seemed so…weak. Maybe he didn't want to say it back, she realized, with a sinking heart. She glumly shut her textbook and had just decided that maybe she should go find something else to do when somebody slid in at her table.
"Hey, Casey!"
"Sam!" Casey exclaimed, genuinely glad to see him.
"How's it going?"
"Ugh, I was late to school this morning so I had to skip Psych."
Sam grinned, "Yeah, I ran into Derek. He told me about the whole missing car situation…any ideas on who might've taken it?"
Casey shook her head, "No, but apparently Truman knows who has it."
"And you don't think that he's playing some dumb game with you?" Sam asked shrewdly, watching her face carefully.
"What do you mean?"
"You don't think that he has it?"
Casey sighed, "No, I honestly believe that he doesn't have it." She added, "Derek believes him, too."
Sam frowned, "Yeah, so he said. Any idea what convinced him?"
"Kendra, I think," Casey said, trying to sound indifferent.
Sam raised an eyebrow, "Kendra?"
"Yeah, I guess her and Truman are being real buddy-buddy these days," Casey said sarcastically.
Sam stared at her for a few moments before snapping his fingers, "You know what you need?"
"What?"
"An investigation!"
Casey rolled her eyes, "I hardly think we can call the cops over a stupid prank. Especially since Derek doesn't want his dad to find out the Prince is missing."
Sam was shaking his head with an amused grin, "Nah, I didn't mean the cops, Case."
"Then, who did you mean?"
"I bet we could figure it out if we put our heads together."
"We could?" Casey repeated disbelievingly.
"Sure…me, you, D, Ralph…Emily," he added.
Casey didn't miss the faint blush that appeared on Sam's face at the mention of Emily's name, but she didn't press the issue. "Well, if you think you guys can help," Casey said uncertainly.
"Of course we can," Sam said confidently. "Five heads are better than one."
"If you say so," Casey grinned as she gathered her stuff for her next class.
"Ready for math?" Sam asked, holding out his arm for her books.
"Oh, can't wait," Casey laughed, linking her arm with his. She had forgotten how easy it was to talk to Sam. It was probably why they hadn't lasted as a couple…some people are just meant to be friends, she mused.
She let Sam lead the way down the stairs and frowned when she saw that most of her math class was congregated outside their classroom, all reading a note on the door. Sam nodded toward them, "What do you think that's about?"
"Don't know," Casey murmured, trying to get close enough to read the note.
"Sam, Casey!" Emily struggled to get out of the throng of people clustered around the door. "Did you hear!?"
"Hear what?"
"Class is cancelled!"
"No way!" Sam said, looking positively stoked.
"Really? What does the note say?" Casey asked, squinting at the words, which definitely said something more than 'class is cancelled.'
Emily waved an arm dismissively, "Something about a test next week."
"What's going on?" Derek asked, arriving with Ralph and glancing around at the chattering crowd.
"Class is cancelled, D!" Sam answered excitedly.
"All right!" Ralph said, punching the air with his fist joyfully.
"Sweeet," Derek said, grinning. "I didn't do my homework last night."
Casey rolled her eyes at him, "Do you ever, D?"
"Good point."
"But this is perfect," Sam suddenly said, his eyes glinting at Casey.
"What are you talking about?" Derek asked, looking from him to Casey.
Casey shrugged, "Sam said he think they can help us with our…situation."
"What situation?" Emily asked, her eyes widening.
Derek heaved a sigh, "Our missing car situation, I presume?"
Casey nodded, "Can't hurt to try, right?"
"So, does anyone have any questions?" Derek asked, staring at the circle around him.
Emily was biting her lips thoughtfully, Sam was nodding monotonously, and Ralph was scratching his head. Derek rolled his eyes and leaned back against the tree that they were sitting under. It was a nice day and Casey had suggested that they go out to the park to discuss Sam's little 'investigation.' Derek personally didn't think that their friends were going to be to help them with this one…In any other instance, Derek wouldn't have hesitated to ask Edwin and Lizzie for a little help After all, they had both proven to have quite an eye for detail. Unfortunately, both of them were acting way too suspicious themselves.
"Okay, I have a question," Ralph said, waving his arm in the air.
"Yes?" Derek asked idly.
"Do you think Kendra has the car?"
Derek blinked in surprise, "Kendra? Why would she have it?"
Ralph shrugged, "Truman said the person who had it would be obvious."
Derek was shaking his head, "There's no way-"
"Why?" Casey interrupted.
"Huh?"
"Why is it so impossible for you to believe that she might have it?"
"Because! She wouldn't do that…I don't think," Derek said, frowning.
"Well, here's your chance to ask her yourself," Sam said, tilting his head slightly.
Derek glanced up and swore to himself when he saw Kendra and Truman walking toward them. Kendra was smiling tightly but Truman was openly smirking. Derek stared at Kendra for a second, suddenly remembering a conversation he'd had with her recently:
"So, what about you? Have any guys on your radar?"
She winked, "Don't I always?"
Derek's eyes narrowed. Had she been talking about Truman?
"Well, if it isn't my favorite people," Truman said, sneering at them.
"Wish I could say the same Tru-scum, I mean Truman," Emily snapped, glaring at him.
"Real classy, Em," Truman said, rolling his eyes.
"Is there anything in particular you wanted?" Sam asked, and Derek noticed his shoulders stiffen with anger.
"Not really," Truman yawned. "Just came over to see what the Scooby gang was up to."
"Funny you should ask," Derek replied, glancing significantly at Casey.
"Oh? Talking about me, were you?" Truman asked interestedly.
"Casey had something to ask you," Derek said, mouthing the word 'rose' to Casey.
"Oh yeah!" Casey said suddenly. "I forgot to tell you this earlier, but I gotta say, black roses are not the way to a girl's heart, Truman."
Truman frowned, "What?"
"Black roses," Casey repeated. "I don't appreciate them. Nor does anyone else, I'm sure."
"Black roses!?"
Derek frowned. Truman seemed genuinely confused. Casey said loudly, "Really, Truman. You're a better actor than I thought, but I know you put that rose in my locker-"
Truman held up a hand as if to ward off a particularly dangerous criminal. "Hold up, Case. I have no idea what you're talking about-"
"Drop it," Sam said sharply when Casey opened her mouth to retaliate. "He obviously has no idea what you're talking about, and we have more important things to discuss…"
"We do?" Casey and Derek asked in unison.
"Yes," Sam replied firmly, standing up to face Truman. "Where were you the morning of, ah, the fourteenth?"
Truman grinned, "Ah, you mean the day that Derek's car got stolen? Why, I was in the parking lot of the mall. Watching it get taken."
"And you didn't think to stop them?"
"Who?"
"The people taking the car!"
"Oh no," Truman replied, laughing. "It was too funny."
Emily stood up as well and placed herself in front of Sam- who at any rate, looked quite angry. "And you can't tell us who it was because…?"
"That's for me to know and you to find out," Truman replied in an annoying sing-song voice.
Derek had had enough. "Let me tell you what I think of this little situation. A) You're lying and have no idea where my car is. B) You're lying and fully know where my car is. Or C) You're lying and actually stole the car yourself." Derek paused and glared at him, "Multiple choice quiz Truman, which one do you pick?"
Truman cocked his head and pretended to think. "How about D) None of the above?"
"Hey, that wasn't an option!" Ralph said indignantly.
"Nothing gets by you," Truman snapped before turning to Derek. "Look, I saw your car get taken, but I really don't know where it is right now. Has it ever occurred to you that I may be telling the truth?"
"Nope," Derek said offhandedly, but he was watching Truman's features carefully. He didn't look like he was lying…
"So, Kendra, you don't have the car either?" Ralph asked, looking up at her pleasantly.
Kendra looked surprised, "What!? Of course not!"
"Can you tell us who has it?" Emily said, narrowing her eyes.
Kendra shrugged and gave Truman a playful shove, "Sorry, Em. But he won't tell me either." Derek's eyebrows rose. Well that was surprising.
"Do we have permission to leave, your highness?" Truman asked, giving a mock bow.
"Permission granted," Ralph said cheerfully. Truman rolled his eyes and swung an arm over Kendra's shoulders before leading her away. Derek watched after them for a few seconds before realizing that Casey was watching him carefully. He smiled at her: don't worry, I'm really over her. Casey nodded and turned away, but not before he caught a skeptical look cross her face.
"All right," Sam said, sitting down and rubbing his hands together. "What did we learn from that interrogation?"
Emily answered, "Well we learned that Truman is keeping his precious information to himself."
"And we learned that Kendra doesn't have anything to do with it," Casey chimed in, throwing an apologetic look in Derek's direction.
Sam looked exasperated, "That's all true. But didn't anyone read between the lines? Derek?"
Derek had no idea what he was talking about and shrugged weakly, "You know better than to ask me to read, Sam."
Sam rolled his eyes, "Ralph?"
Ralph blinked. "Well, he did tell us that the car wasn't stolen at all," he said in an obvious tone.
Sam nodded approvingly while Derek, Casey, and Emily stared at them, flabbergasted. Huh?
Chapter 14: Lover's Lane Has 4 Paths
"What!?" Casey exclaimed. "When did he say that!?"
"He didn't say it," Ralph explained patiently. "He sorta let it slip…"
Derek held up a hand, "Were we even listening to the same thing?"
"Apparently not," Sam smirked and Derek rolled his eyes.
"So?" Emily asked impatiently, "Are you going to tell us what you're talking about?"
"You had to be listening," Ralph replied with a grin.
"I was listening," Casey interrupted indignantly.
"Okay, Casey," Sam said. 'Replay the conversation in your head. Think about everything Truman said about the car."
Casey frowned, trying to think. "He said he didn't steal it."
Sam shook his head and threw an amused glance at Ralph. "Actually, he said that he didn't take it."
Casey blinked, "What?"
Ralph leaned forward, "He only used the word 'steal' once. He said the word 'taken' several times."
"I don't get it," Emily interrupted, looking confused.
Sam grinned, "If he kept saying that the car was taken, it means that it must be someone close to Derek...close enough for it to not count as stealing…"
"Someone close to me?" Derek repeated.
Emily frowned, "You mean like a really close friend?"
"It could mean that," Sam agreed. "But we are his close friends, so it's someone else." He looked expectantly at Casey, as though waiting for her to grasp his thoughts.
She stared at him for a few seconds. Someone close. But it wasn't one of their friends. "If it's not one of us," Casey said slowly, "it would have to be…family?"
Ralph nodded, "It makes sense, doesn't it? You can't say that someone in your family STOLE your car…you'd say they borrowed it, or took it."
Derek snapped his fingers. "Edwin and Lizzie!" he exclaimed loudly.
"Edwin and Lizzie," Casey repeated, not quite sure what to do with this information.
"Does that seem like a possibility?" Sam asked, watching her carefully.
"Well, they have been acting weird," Casey mused.
"Really?" Emily asked, looking interested. "Weird, how?"
"Weirder than usual," Derek offered, looking thoughtful.
"You gonna confront them?" Sam asked.
"Not directly," Derek said, the beginnings of an idea gleaming in his eyes. "We'll have to try to fish it out of them first," he added, his gaze landing on Casey.
Casey sighed. More games. She was quite sick of it, actually. But, she knew better to stand in the way of Derek's schemes. "Do what you have to do," she said simply.
"Ready to head back?" Emily asked, gesturing at the school.
"Nah, I don't have class till later," Casey replied. "I'll just stay out here."
"Me too," Derek said quickly. Casey frowned and threw him a glance, Liar. He grinned and shrugged.
"Lucky," Sam groaned, getting up. "I have Physics. Hate that class."
"I'm with you bro," Ralph said, shaking his head. "Who cares about monuments anyway?"
Emily frowned, "What?"
"That's what we're talking about now," Ralph explained.
Sam cleared his throat, "Ah, actually, we're talking about momentum right now, buddy."
Ralph looked nonplused, "That's what I said."
"Of course it is," Emily said, grinning, "See you guys later!"
"Bye, Em," Casey replied, waving. Derek nodded to them as they walked away.
Casey watched them as they got smaller and smaller in the distance, letting herself enjoy the silence.
'So," Derek said. Casey sighed ruefully, ah well, those 10 seconds of silence were nice.
"What?"
He looked excited. "Ready for Operation X?"
"Huh?"
"The plan Casey!" Derek replied, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
"That's the stupidest name I've ever heard."
His expression didn't change but he smirked, "Oh like your precious Purple Fog?"
"Purple Fog was a perfectly reasonable name-"
Derek laughed, "So, what, you wanna call this Purple Fog 2 or something?"
"No," Casey said with dignity. "But we need a name that isn't too obvious…"
"Operation Prince?" Derek suggested.
"Too obvious."
"Okay," Derek said. "How about something that relates to a prince? Um, princess, crown, knight, armor, castle-"
"That's it!" Casey exclaimed.
"What's it?"
"Castle. Operation Castle…OC for short."
Derek gave her a look that clearly said he didn't care, but he shrugged, "Fine by me."
"Okay, now that that's settled…what exactly is the plan?"
Derek shifted forward eagerly, "All right, this is what I was thinking…" He paused.
Casey raised her eyebrows, "Yes?"
He cleared his throat, "Well, first of all, um…have you noticed if Edwin has been acting a little, ah, friendlier to you than usual?"
Casey tilted her head, thinking. "Well, he has been talking to me more than usual. And acting a little stranger. Why?"
Derek looked uncomfortable. "Well," he said slowly, and Casey didn't miss the faint blush that spread across his face, "Lizzie has been acting way too friendly towards me recently."
Casey stared at him for a few seconds, piecing together all the weird things she'd seen her sister do recently: laughing loudly at Derek's non-jokes, the dinner table drama, whispering in the hallway…
"Okay," Casey said slowly. "What about it?"
"I was thinking," Derek said, his eyes glinting, "It's time for a little payback."
Derek barely stifled a yawn and stared unseeingly at the blackboard. What was this guy even talking about?
"Mr. Venturi!"
Derek jumped, "Huh?"
"I asked you what you'll be writing your essay topic about."
"Oh," Derek said, looking wildly at the board for some clue as to what exactly the essay was supposed to be about. "Umm…I haven't decided yet."
His teacher heaved a big sigh, "I see. What about you Mr. French?" There was no answer and Derek turned around to look at Truman's seat. Make that EMPTY seat. Skipping class AGAIN. Derek had to admit, the guy had guts. The bell rang and Derek fairly flew out of his seat. He couldn't wait to get home and put his plan into action. He grinned when he saw Casey waiting for him.
"I love it when I see a girl waiting by my locker," Derek whispered into her ear, pulling away only after he saw her cheeks become tinged with pink.
"Don't flatter yourself," Casey said, but she smiled tenatively.
Derek held out his arm and Casey linked her arm through his as they walked down the hallway. No one spared them a second glance- it was common knowledge that Derek Venturi and Casey McDonald were actually friends at this point. Derek pursed his lips thoughtfully, wondering if the school would be as accepting if they crossed the line as public friends to a public couple.
"Derry!"
Derek winced, wondering why Kendra was suddenly in his life a lot more than usual. It was starting to grate on his nerves. But he turned around and plastered a fake smile on to his face when he saw who she was with. "Kendra! And Truman…"
"Derek," Truman nodded stiffly, looking awkward. Derek stared at him curiously. He'd never seen Truman look uncomfortable. It was a strange sight.
Kendra smiled at them pleasantly, "So, Truman has something he wants to say to Casey."
"What is it?' Derek asked aggressively.
Truman glared at him before turning to Casey, "So…about those text messages…"
"Wild guess," Casey said sarcastically, "It really was you who sent them."
"Well, yes," Truman admitted.
"Like I didn't see that one coming," Casey muttered under her breath.
Derek ignored her. "And why did you keep asking her if she wanted a ride?"
Truman blinked, "Well, she was walking by herself…"
Casey exclaimed, "Wait, you were actually following me!? I KNEW IT!"
Derek frowned. What was going on here? Truman raised an eyebrow, "You knew?"
She nodded, "Yeah, I had this feeling that someone was watching me, but I couldn't see who…I guess it was you." She threw him a disgusted look.
"Yeah, I guess it was," Truman said in a sheepish tone. "I didn't mean to scare you, I was just messing around. I really was going to give you a ride, but then I saw Derek pull up next to you."
"And that's why you sent that text to Derek on my phone," Casey said slowly. "You knew he was with me because you were watching us."
Truman shrugged, "I figured you would've told him what I did, so yeah, I decided to send that text. No harm, no foul, right?"
Derek stared at him in disbelief. "No harm, no foul?" he repeated incredulously. "You just admitted to stalking Casey-"
"It wasn't stalking!" Truman interrupted indignantly. "I was only trying to have some fun-"
"Well, don't," Casey said, looking tired. "Quite frankly, I've had enough of you to last me a lifetime."
Truman nodded, holding up his hands. "Message received. Loud and clear."
Derek recognized that he was being sincere and relaxed slightly. "So, what brought on this confession?"
"Oh, that was me," Kendra said cheerfully. "I figured you guys needed to clear the air."
"Clear the air for what?" Casey asked suspiciously.
Kendra glanced at Truman before turning to Derek, "For our little announcement!"
"And what's that?" Derek asked, even though he knew where this conversation was going.
Kendra smiled becomingly and clasped Truman's hand in her own. "We're dating," she said calmly. "I just wanted the two of you to know, first, before the news got around school."
Derek barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes. "Good for you," he said finally. "I hope you're, uh, happy together."
"Thanks, D," Kendra said, winking. "I tried to give you a hint about it-"
"Yeah, I remember," Derek interrupted. "When you said you had a guy on your radar…you were talking about Truman."
Kendra laughed and nodded, "Yeah, I knew that you would figure out who I was talking about soon enough."
Truman cleared his throat, "Casey, you haven't said anything."
Derek glanced up at Casey's face. It was smooth, expressionless. She shrugged, "What do you want me to say?"
"You don't mind, do you?" Kendra asked, scrutinizing Casey's expression- or lack thereof.
"No, of course not," Casey said quickly. "You have my blessing," she added, with a tight smile.
"Well, good," Kendra said uncertainly, glancing at Derek in confusion.
Derek caught Casey's gaze and raised an eyebrow; what, are you still into him? She frowned; No. But at the same time, she raised her head defiantly and he somehow got what she was upset about. She might've disliked Truman, but sometimes it still hurt to see your ex with someone else. He smiled at her slightly; Don't worry, I understand. Casey held his gaze for a few seconds before returning the smile. She turned back to Truman and Kendra and grinned at them. "No, really," she said sincerely, "I really do hope you guys work it out."
Truman nodded, looking satisfied. "Thanks, Case."
"Yeah, thank you," Kendra said, a genuine smile on her face. Derek stared at her, surprised. Huh. She really did look happy.
"While we're in the confessing mood," Derek began, looking pointedly at Truman.
He looked slightly confused, "What? Don't tell me you want me to confess to taking your car!"
"No, no," Derek said quickly. "I believe you didn't take my car," he said, emphasizing the word so that Casey would realize that Truman once again hadn't said the word 'steal.' He saw her nod slightly from the corner of his eye.
"Then what do you want me to confess to?"
"The black rose."
Truman threw up his hands in either anger or exasperation. "I really have no idea what you're talking about!"
Kendra cleared her throat, "Um, I might know something about that…"
Truman turned to stare at her, "What!?"
"It was you?" Casey and Derek said simultaneously.
"Forgive me, Case," Kendra said, her tone sweetly innocent. "It was supposed to be a test…"
"A test," Derek repeated, feeling a headache coming on.
"To see how she felt about Truman!" Kendra said earnestly, earning an eyeroll from both Truman and Derek.
"Um, what exactly was a black rose supposed to prove?" Casey asked.
"Well, I figured that you would think that it was from Truman. And I was right."
"So?"
"Well, I wanted to see what you would do about it. Would you thank him for sending you a rose, or would you be creeped out because it was a black rose? Would you see it as a gesture of friendship or would you rekindle your romance…"
Casey suddenly burst out laughing and Derek cracked a grin. Typical Kendra logic. He could see what she had been trying to do. She was as manipulative as Truman was. What a perfect match.
Truman grinned and slung an arm over her shoulders, "Well you were wrong about that part, babe. Casey actually started yelling at me in the middle of the hallway if I remember rightly-"
"I was not yelling," Casey scoffed. "I was merely-"
"Causing a scene?" Truman offered.
Casey rolled her eyes but smiled. "Promise me that we'll never have to deal with each other again?"
Truman returned the smile, "I promise."
Casey walked up the stairs to their front door, pausing to look at Derek. He caught her gaze, "What's up?"
"Are you sure this plan is going to work?"
"Casey. Don't you trust me?"
"Of course I do, but-"
"Then don't worry," he said soothingly. "We're older than them, we have more experience in these matters. It won't be long till they break." He looked positively thrilled about the idea.
"But…" Casey trailed off, not knowing why she was protesting.
Derek tilted his head, a grin forming on his face. "Don't tell me you're nervous, Case."
"No! Of course not," Casey replied quickly.
"Because it's just a little harmless flirting," Derek said, grinning.
"I know…but these things tend to get out of hand," Casey said, frowning.
"Afraid you can't control yourself around Edwin?" Derek said, smirking.
"Der-ek!"
Derek laughed and slid an arm around her shoulders, "Trust me. It'll be fun, just follow my lead. Okay?"
Casey sighed, resigned. "Okay, okay."
Derek unlocked the front door and Casey followed him in, feeling nervous. Nora was sitting in the living room reading a newspaper. She looked up when they walked in, "How was your day?"
"Boring," Derek said immediately.
Nora laughed, "What, nothing interesting happened all day? Casey?"
Casey shrugged, "Nope, nothing interesting. We got assigned a new essay for my Lit class. I'm going to write about the fight for women's rights because the book we're reading is all about fighting for what you believe in."
Nora nodded approvingly, "Good idea, Case. What are you writing about Derek?"
Derek looked bewildered, "Wait, what exactly are these essays supposed to be about anyway?"
Casey rolled her eyes, "We'll be in our rooms, mom."
Nora nodded absently, "Okay, I'll call you down for dinner."
Casey bounded upstairs, closely followed by Derek. He followed her into her room, looking excited. "Ready for Operation Castle?"
Chapter 12: Doesn't Set You Free
Casey crossed her arms and took a few steps forward so that she was standing directly in front of Derek. "Tell me," she commanded, hoping he didn't detect the quiver in her voice.
Derek cleared his throat, "Are you sure you want to know?"
Casey gritted her teeth in frustration, "Don't make this into some huge epic event, D. Just tell me so we can both go on with our own lives. Which is clearly what you want."
He bit his lip, but didn't refute her claim. "Okay," he began, sounding far more nervous than the circumstances accounted for. "Did you know that you talk in your sleep?"
"I talk in my sleep," Casey repeated. "You were mad at me…for talking in my sleep?"
"No, not exactly," Derek said, frowning.
"What, did I say something weird?"
"Oh, it was weird all right," Derek muttered.
"De-rek! Just tell me!"
"Go get your dream diary," Derek suddenly said.
"My dream diary?" Casey exclaimed. "For what?"
"Fine, I'll go get it myself," Derek said, swinging open his door and going next door.
Casey stared after him in shock before following him. "You can't just go into my room without permission," she ranted, stopping short when she realized that he was holding her dream diary in his hand. "How'd you know where it was?"
Derek shrugged, "You're easy to figure out, Case." Then he paused, "At least, most of the time."
She held out her hand for the diary, but he didn't give it to her. She let her hand drop, "What, are you going to read it or something?"
He shook his head, "No, I'm not." He sat down on her bed and looked up at her, "Tell me, Case, when's the last time you wrote in this thing?"
Casey frowned, "Um, not for a while, I guess. I might dream every night, but usually I don't remember them."
She saw Derek clench his jaw before he said, "You were dreaming that night."
"What night?" Casey asked, even though she knew the answer. Derek didn't say anything. Casey sighed, "Okay, so I was dreaming and I said something weird out loud. What was it?"
"You said…" Derek swallowed visibly and took a deep breath, clearly steeling himself to say something that she didn't want to hear-or something that he didn't want to say out loud.
"Just spit it out," Casey snapped, becoming impatient with all his theatrics. And he called her the dramatic one!
"You said, 'I love you.'" Derek's voice was quiet, almost muted.
Casey blinked, not sure she had heard right. "I told you that I loved you?"
"No."
Casey tried again, "I said the words 'I love you' to someone in my dream?"
"Not to someone." There was no question about it, Derek definitely looked uncomfortable now.
Casey licked her lips, suddenly feeling nervous herself. What had she said? "The suspense is killing me," she said drily, hoping he didn't see through her sarcasm. Be cool.
Derek picked up her dream diary and flipped through it, presumably to find a blank page. He scribbled something down for a minute before carefully placing it on her bed. Then he got up and walked to her door. Casey stared after him inquiringly. Without looking at her, he said quietly, "You said 'I love you, Truman'." Then he left.
Derek lay sprawled on his bed, his headphones around his head, but not connected to anything. He slowly got up to go get a CD but paused when he heard whispers coming from the hallway. He walked carefully to his door and pressed his ear against it.
"...taking this too far."
"It was your idea."
"Not to do that, I would never-"
"Because you don't have the guts."
"Listen!"
"No, you listen. I told you I would win, and I will."
"...don't care what he thinks of you?"
"It doesn't matter to me. As long as the plan works."
"It was at the dinner table!"
"So?"
"The whole family was there, what if he told them-"
"Told them what?"
"That you were having a little fun with him under the table?"
"…pretty sure he enjoyed it. Did you see his face?"
"No, but I saw Casey's face."
"Did she look pissed?"
"Yes."
"Then I don't know what you're complaining about…"
The voices faded away and Derek leaned against his door in shock. What were Lizzie and Edwin up to? Suddenly, there was a knock on his door and he jumped. Fully expecting it to be Casey, he swung it open. His stomach dropped when he saw that it was Lizzie. He automatically took a few steps backwards because, yes, he was just a little bit scared of her.
"Hey, Derek!"
"Lizzie," he said stiffly.
She walked into his room and shut the door behind her. Derek took a few more steps backwards. She held out something to him, "This is for you."
"What is it?"
Lizzie shrugged, "It's a CD."
"You-you made me a CD?" Derek stammered.
"Not exactly." Lizzie smiled and placed it carefully with the rest of his CDs. "So, that was a good dinner tonight, wasn't it?"
Derek blinked, wondering when he had let this girl take control of the conversation. "Listen, Lizzie," he began
But she interrupted, "No, it's okay. You don't have to say anything. It was fun, right?"
Derek frowned, "It wasn't exactly-"
"Don't worry," Lizzie said quickly, walking over to his door. She turned to stare at him intently, "Just remember, jealousy is a powerful emotion." And then she left, leaving Derek more confused than before.
Shaking his head in bewilderment, Derek sat down at his computer, logging on to AIM. Almost immediately a box popped up on his screen.
FashionistaxK: derry!
DVent007: Kendra, whats up?
FashionistaxK: any news on the car?
DVent007: no, Truman is still denying it.
FashionistaxK: don't you believe him?
DVent007: I believe that he doesn't have it.
FashionistaxK: then what do you want from him?
DVent007: well he knows who took it!
FashionistaxK: want me to get the info outta him?
DVent007: sure u can try. do you need his number?
FashionistaxK: no im talking to him right now.
Derek frowned. Guess her and Truman really do talk. Like that wasn't suspicious at all…
FashionistaxK: he says the people who took it are so obvious that you'll never figure it out.
FashionistaxK has signed out.
Derek tapped his fingers on the table thoughtfully. People? Obvious? All he was getting out of that conversation was that it hadn't been a one-man job. Or one-woman, a voice said in his head, sounding exactly like Casey. Speaking of Casey, maybe he should go tell her about what Kendra had just told him…
Casey got up determinately. She had to go see Derek. There was no use in being mad at him for ignoring her, she admitted to herself. If the situation had been reversed, no doubt she would've done the same thing. It was about the only thing she and Derek had in common…ignoring people who hurt them, trying to push them away. It's what Derek had tried to do, and she couldn't hold it against him.
She swung open her door to go to his room and jumped back in surprise when she saw Derek standing there, his hand posed to knock on her door. His eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Casey?" he said uncertainly.
She grinned slightly and moved backwards to let him in, "Great minds think alike."
"Did you just say I had a great mind?"
Casey blinked, "Wow, you're right. I'm so tired that I'm not thinking clearly."
Derek gave a short laugh. "It's pretty late," he agreed. "So I was just coming to tell you about a conversation I just had with Kendra."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I got her to ask Truman about who he saw taking the car."
"What did he say?"
Derek frowned, "Something about the answer being obvious. Oh and he said it was more than one person."
"The answer's obvious?" Casey repeated.
Derek shrugged, "Yeah, I have no idea. I'll try and force it out of him at school tomorrow."
"School!" Casey exclaimed.
"Uh, what about it?"
"How are we getting there?"
Derek stared at her for a few seconds before he got it. "Oh, damn," he muttered, "I guess we're walking." Then he snapped his fingers, "OR I could ask Sam to pick us up."
Casey shook her head, "No, that would be too obvious. We have to at least pretend that we're driving to school."
Derek heaved a huge sigh, "Have I mentioned how much I hate Truman?"
Casey laughed, "About a million times."
Derek shuffled his feet, suddenly looking awkward. "So, are we going to talk about this?"
She didn't have to ask what he was talking about. "I understand why you were angry," Casey said slowly. "I would've been hurt, too." She waited for him to say something, but he simply nodded. She frowned at his expression before she understood. "Wait!" she exclaimed, "You don't actually think I love him, do you?"
"What am I supposed to think?" Derek said belligerently.
Casey stared at him in shock, "How could you think that!? I never told Truman that I loved him."
"But you obviously told him that in your dream, so it must be how you really feel."
"I don't even remember that dream, Derek! And you can't ASSUME that's how I really feel! I practically loathe the guy!"
"You're not the only one taking a psych class, Case!" Derek said, looking mutinous. "We studied dreams, you know. They're supposed to be like the window into your subconscious."
"Figures that's the one class you pay attention in," Casey muttered. Then she said more loudly, "While that may be true, you know that Truman has some weird hold over my subconscious…I used to dream about him all the time, even before we started going out…"
"And doesn't that tell you something, Casey?"
Casey took a deep breath, willing herself to calm down. "No, Derek. It doesn't tell me anything."
"Well, it tells me that you're obsessed with the guy," Derek said in a hard tone.
"I told you I'm over him!"
"Mind over matter," Derek said dully.
"What does that even mean!?"
Derek shrugged, "You're the smart one."
Casey ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "This discussion-argument-isn't going anywhere, D. And I'm exhausted. Let's just talk about it…later."
"Fine by me," Derek snapped, throwing open her door so quickly that it slammed against the wall. Casey flinched but didn't say anything. Good riddance.
Chapter 13: We're All in This Together
Derek groaned and opened his eyes to squint at his alarm clock. Fuck. 7 AM. Why the hell hadn't Casey woken him up? He stumbled out of bed, tripping again over the sheets that he hadn't bothered to fix after he and Casey…he winced, feeling a headache coming on. Way too early to be thinking of such heavy stuff. He blearily made his way into the hallway, stopping to peer in Casey's room, which she wasn't in. Probably woke up at 6, stupid keener, he grumbled to himself.
He turned the handle on the shower and gasped when he was hit with a jet stream of cold water. Fuck. Well that was one effective way to wake up. Quickly showering and brushing his teeth, he ran back to his room to throw on some clothes and grab his bag. Glancing quickly at the clock (7:25), he hurried down the stairs.
Casey was sitting in the living room, clad in summery pink dress. He looked her over and his gaze landed on her heels. What the fuck? Was she planning on walking to school in those? He shook his head and continued into the kitchen without saying anything to her.
"Ah, Derek!"
"Hey, dad." Derek quickly poured himself a cup of orange juice and gulped it down.
"Whoa, what's the rush?"
"I don't want to be late to be school," Derek said, then mentally slapped himself. Don't want to be late to school? He never said stuff like that. "I mean," he hurriedly amended, "I don't want Casey to nag me all the way about how we're gonna be late."
George nodded understandably, "Women."
"Women," Derek agreed, with a smile.
"What about women?" Nora asked, walking into the kitchen.
"Oh," George replied with a bright smile, "Just saying how we can't live without them!"
"Uh huh," Nora said skeptically. "So, Derek?"
"Yeah?"
Nora threw a glance at George, "Are you driving Casey to school today?"
Derek frowned, "Um, yeah. I usually do…why?"
"Oh, I just noticed that she's been leaving early for a few days to walk."
Derek shrugged, "I wouldn't know anything about that." He discreetly looked at his watch. 7:35. Shit, they really had to get going. "Well, I'll see you guys later," Derek called over his shoulder as he walked back into the living room.
"Have a good day," George called back. "And remember to go to detention today!"
"Can't wait," Derek replied sarcastically.
'De-rek!"
"Nothing like you saying my name to start off this wonderful morning."
"We're going to be so late!" Casey hissed.
"Well then stop yelling and start walking," Derek said, opening the door and ushering her out.
They walked in silence for a few minutes before Casey suddenly said, "Psychology is my favorite class."
"Okay," Derek replied inattentively.
"I've been reading books about it for years."
"Good for you, Case," Derek yawned.
"And I think I can explain that dream."
Derek's head snapped up, "What?"
"Paying attention now, are we?" Casey said smoothly.
"Yes, 'we' are," Derek said, rolling his eyes. "What's your explanation?"
"Well, remember when we were at the mall and we had that fight?"
"You're gonna need to be a little more specific."
"It was that conversation we had right before you saw my mom standing in line at that smoothie place."
Derek frowned, trying to remember:
Nothing happened with me and Truman. He was just flirting, as usual. That's who he is." She paused, and then continued, "Just like you."
Derek let his slice drop back onto his plate. "What!? Are you implying that I'm like Truman?"
"I'm not implying anything," Casey snapped. "That's who you are!"
"Ah, you mean that discussion we had where you insulted me by comparing me to Truman?"
"I wasn't comparing you," Casey retorted. "I said that you and he were basically the same person."
"Right," Derek said coldly. "And?"
"I know you think it's an insult," Casey said soothingly. "And, from all we know about Truman now, I see why you wouldn't want to have anything in common with him."
"Okay," Derek answered slowly, wondering where she was going with this.
"But the truth is," Casey continued, "you share a lot of qualities with him." She glanced at him before counting off, "You both have that cool-guy persona, you're both players, flirtatious, arrogant, irresistible-" She broke off, looking as though she had said too much.
Derek pursed his lips thoughtfully. He knew that Casey's description matched him pretty well…but he hadn't realized that girls saw Truman the same way.
"But Truman takes it to a whole new level," Casey said hurriedly, misinterpreting his silence for anger. "He can be sleazy, manipulative…"
"A general, all-around scumbag," Derek supplied.
"Yes," Casey agreed.
"So…?"
"Don't you see!?"
Derek felt very much wrong-footed about this whole conversation. "Um, see what?"
"I couldn't have you, so I chose him!" Casey cried.
Derek stopped in his tracks, "What!?"
"It's not like I thought we could ever be together," Casey continued, staring at the ground. "I was attracted to those qualities in him…the same ones that I see in you."
Derek stared at her unseeingly, not believing what he was hearing. He didn't know what to say, but Casey didn't notice. She now appeared to be talking to herself. "To me, he was you."
Derek cleared his throat, "So in that dream, you really meant…"
Casey nodded, and met his gaze for the first time in their conversation. "I really meant that I love yo-"
"No!" Derek shouted.
Casey looked startled, "What's wrong?"
Derek felt his heart beating wildly. He lowered his voice so that he wouldn't yell again. "Just, it doesn't…I don't want…"
"You don't want to hear me say those words to you." Casey had stopped walking, and turned to face him, looking hurt.
"It's not that," Derek said carefully. "I just don't want you to feel like you have to say it."
"I know," Casey replied, frowning. "But, I want to."
"You don't have to prove anything to me."
Casey stared at him for a few seconds. "You really don't want me to say it," she said finally.
Derek shook his head, "Not now. Not when it means nothing."
Casey bit her lip, "It would've meant something to me."
"But not to me," Derek replied, his tone final.
Casey wondered what the point of even coming to school today was. She had been about 30 minutes late for her first class (which had been Psychology, go figure). So she had decided to go to the library and try and get some work done. Unfortunately, she couldn't concentrate. She still felt hurt that Derek hadn't wanted to hear that she loved him. His reasons for not wanting to hear it had seemed so…weak. Maybe he didn't want to say it back, she realized, with a sinking heart. She glumly shut her textbook and had just decided that maybe she should go find something else to do when somebody slid in at her table.
"Hey, Casey!"
"Sam!" Casey exclaimed, genuinely glad to see him.
"How's it going?"
"Ugh, I was late to school this morning so I had to skip Psych."
Sam grinned, "Yeah, I ran into Derek. He told me about the whole missing car situation…any ideas on who might've taken it?"
Casey shook her head, "No, but apparently Truman knows who has it."
"And you don't think that he's playing some dumb game with you?" Sam asked shrewdly, watching her face carefully.
"What do you mean?"
"You don't think that he has it?"
Casey sighed, "No, I honestly believe that he doesn't have it." She added, "Derek believes him, too."
Sam frowned, "Yeah, so he said. Any idea what convinced him?"
"Kendra, I think," Casey said, trying to sound indifferent.
Sam raised an eyebrow, "Kendra?"
"Yeah, I guess her and Truman are being real buddy-buddy these days," Casey said sarcastically.
Sam stared at her for a few moments before snapping his fingers, "You know what you need?"
"What?"
"An investigation!"
Casey rolled her eyes, "I hardly think we can call the cops over a stupid prank. Especially since Derek doesn't want his dad to find out the Prince is missing."
Sam was shaking his head with an amused grin, "Nah, I didn't mean the cops, Case."
"Then, who did you mean?"
"I bet we could figure it out if we put our heads together."
"We could?" Casey repeated disbelievingly.
"Sure…me, you, D, Ralph…Emily," he added.
Casey didn't miss the faint blush that appeared on Sam's face at the mention of Emily's name, but she didn't press the issue. "Well, if you think you guys can help," Casey said uncertainly.
"Of course we can," Sam said confidently. "Five heads are better than one."
"If you say so," Casey grinned as she gathered her stuff for her next class.
"Ready for math?" Sam asked, holding out his arm for her books.
"Oh, can't wait," Casey laughed, linking her arm with his. She had forgotten how easy it was to talk to Sam. It was probably why they hadn't lasted as a couple…some people are just meant to be friends, she mused.
She let Sam lead the way down the stairs and frowned when she saw that most of her math class was congregated outside their classroom, all reading a note on the door. Sam nodded toward them, "What do you think that's about?"
"Don't know," Casey murmured, trying to get close enough to read the note.
"Sam, Casey!" Emily struggled to get out of the throng of people clustered around the door. "Did you hear!?"
"Hear what?"
"Class is cancelled!"
"No way!" Sam said, looking positively stoked.
"Really? What does the note say?" Casey asked, squinting at the words, which definitely said something more than 'class is cancelled.'
Emily waved an arm dismissively, "Something about a test next week."
"What's going on?" Derek asked, arriving with Ralph and glancing around at the chattering crowd.
"Class is cancelled, D!" Sam answered excitedly.
"All right!" Ralph said, punching the air with his fist joyfully.
"Sweeet," Derek said, grinning. "I didn't do my homework last night."
Casey rolled her eyes at him, "Do you ever, D?"
"Good point."
"But this is perfect," Sam suddenly said, his eyes glinting at Casey.
"What are you talking about?" Derek asked, looking from him to Casey.
Casey shrugged, "Sam said he think they can help us with our…situation."
"What situation?" Emily asked, her eyes widening.
Derek heaved a sigh, "Our missing car situation, I presume?"
Casey nodded, "Can't hurt to try, right?"
"So, does anyone have any questions?" Derek asked, staring at the circle around him.
Emily was biting her lips thoughtfully, Sam was nodding monotonously, and Ralph was scratching his head. Derek rolled his eyes and leaned back against the tree that they were sitting under. It was a nice day and Casey had suggested that they go out to the park to discuss Sam's little 'investigation.' Derek personally didn't think that their friends were going to be to help them with this one…In any other instance, Derek wouldn't have hesitated to ask Edwin and Lizzie for a little help After all, they had both proven to have quite an eye for detail. Unfortunately, both of them were acting way too suspicious themselves.
"Okay, I have a question," Ralph said, waving his arm in the air.
"Yes?" Derek asked idly.
"Do you think Kendra has the car?"
Derek blinked in surprise, "Kendra? Why would she have it?"
Ralph shrugged, "Truman said the person who had it would be obvious."
Derek was shaking his head, "There's no way-"
"Why?" Casey interrupted.
"Huh?"
"Why is it so impossible for you to believe that she might have it?"
"Because! She wouldn't do that…I don't think," Derek said, frowning.
"Well, here's your chance to ask her yourself," Sam said, tilting his head slightly.
Derek glanced up and swore to himself when he saw Kendra and Truman walking toward them. Kendra was smiling tightly but Truman was openly smirking. Derek stared at Kendra for a second, suddenly remembering a conversation he'd had with her recently:
"So, what about you? Have any guys on your radar?"
She winked, "Don't I always?"
Derek's eyes narrowed. Had she been talking about Truman?
"Well, if it isn't my favorite people," Truman said, sneering at them.
"Wish I could say the same Tru-scum, I mean Truman," Emily snapped, glaring at him.
"Real classy, Em," Truman said, rolling his eyes.
"Is there anything in particular you wanted?" Sam asked, and Derek noticed his shoulders stiffen with anger.
"Not really," Truman yawned. "Just came over to see what the Scooby gang was up to."
"Funny you should ask," Derek replied, glancing significantly at Casey.
"Oh? Talking about me, were you?" Truman asked interestedly.
"Casey had something to ask you," Derek said, mouthing the word 'rose' to Casey.
"Oh yeah!" Casey said suddenly. "I forgot to tell you this earlier, but I gotta say, black roses are not the way to a girl's heart, Truman."
Truman frowned, "What?"
"Black roses," Casey repeated. "I don't appreciate them. Nor does anyone else, I'm sure."
"Black roses!?"
Derek frowned. Truman seemed genuinely confused. Casey said loudly, "Really, Truman. You're a better actor than I thought, but I know you put that rose in my locker-"
Truman held up a hand as if to ward off a particularly dangerous criminal. "Hold up, Case. I have no idea what you're talking about-"
"Drop it," Sam said sharply when Casey opened her mouth to retaliate. "He obviously has no idea what you're talking about, and we have more important things to discuss…"
"We do?" Casey and Derek asked in unison.
"Yes," Sam replied firmly, standing up to face Truman. "Where were you the morning of, ah, the fourteenth?"
Truman grinned, "Ah, you mean the day that Derek's car got stolen? Why, I was in the parking lot of the mall. Watching it get taken."
"And you didn't think to stop them?"
"Who?"
"The people taking the car!"
"Oh no," Truman replied, laughing. "It was too funny."
Emily stood up as well and placed herself in front of Sam- who at any rate, looked quite angry. "And you can't tell us who it was because…?"
"That's for me to know and you to find out," Truman replied in an annoying sing-song voice.
Derek had had enough. "Let me tell you what I think of this little situation. A) You're lying and have no idea where my car is. B) You're lying and fully know where my car is. Or C) You're lying and actually stole the car yourself." Derek paused and glared at him, "Multiple choice quiz Truman, which one do you pick?"
Truman cocked his head and pretended to think. "How about D) None of the above?"
"Hey, that wasn't an option!" Ralph said indignantly.
"Nothing gets by you," Truman snapped before turning to Derek. "Look, I saw your car get taken, but I really don't know where it is right now. Has it ever occurred to you that I may be telling the truth?"
"Nope," Derek said offhandedly, but he was watching Truman's features carefully. He didn't look like he was lying…
"So, Kendra, you don't have the car either?" Ralph asked, looking up at her pleasantly.
Kendra looked surprised, "What!? Of course not!"
"Can you tell us who has it?" Emily said, narrowing her eyes.
Kendra shrugged and gave Truman a playful shove, "Sorry, Em. But he won't tell me either." Derek's eyebrows rose. Well that was surprising.
"Do we have permission to leave, your highness?" Truman asked, giving a mock bow.
"Permission granted," Ralph said cheerfully. Truman rolled his eyes and swung an arm over Kendra's shoulders before leading her away. Derek watched after them for a few seconds before realizing that Casey was watching him carefully. He smiled at her: don't worry, I'm really over her. Casey nodded and turned away, but not before he caught a skeptical look cross her face.
"All right," Sam said, sitting down and rubbing his hands together. "What did we learn from that interrogation?"
Emily answered, "Well we learned that Truman is keeping his precious information to himself."
"And we learned that Kendra doesn't have anything to do with it," Casey chimed in, throwing an apologetic look in Derek's direction.
Sam looked exasperated, "That's all true. But didn't anyone read between the lines? Derek?"
Derek had no idea what he was talking about and shrugged weakly, "You know better than to ask me to read, Sam."
Sam rolled his eyes, "Ralph?"
Ralph blinked. "Well, he did tell us that the car wasn't stolen at all," he said in an obvious tone.
Sam nodded approvingly while Derek, Casey, and Emily stared at them, flabbergasted. Huh?
Chapter 14: Lover's Lane Has 4 Paths
"What!?" Casey exclaimed. "When did he say that!?"
"He didn't say it," Ralph explained patiently. "He sorta let it slip…"
Derek held up a hand, "Were we even listening to the same thing?"
"Apparently not," Sam smirked and Derek rolled his eyes.
"So?" Emily asked impatiently, "Are you going to tell us what you're talking about?"
"You had to be listening," Ralph replied with a grin.
"I was listening," Casey interrupted indignantly.
"Okay, Casey," Sam said. 'Replay the conversation in your head. Think about everything Truman said about the car."
Casey frowned, trying to think. "He said he didn't steal it."
Sam shook his head and threw an amused glance at Ralph. "Actually, he said that he didn't take it."
Casey blinked, "What?"
Ralph leaned forward, "He only used the word 'steal' once. He said the word 'taken' several times."
"I don't get it," Emily interrupted, looking confused.
Sam grinned, "If he kept saying that the car was taken, it means that it must be someone close to Derek...close enough for it to not count as stealing…"
"Someone close to me?" Derek repeated.
Emily frowned, "You mean like a really close friend?"
"It could mean that," Sam agreed. "But we are his close friends, so it's someone else." He looked expectantly at Casey, as though waiting for her to grasp his thoughts.
She stared at him for a few seconds. Someone close. But it wasn't one of their friends. "If it's not one of us," Casey said slowly, "it would have to be…family?"
Ralph nodded, "It makes sense, doesn't it? You can't say that someone in your family STOLE your car…you'd say they borrowed it, or took it."
Derek snapped his fingers. "Edwin and Lizzie!" he exclaimed loudly.
"Edwin and Lizzie," Casey repeated, not quite sure what to do with this information.
"Does that seem like a possibility?" Sam asked, watching her carefully.
"Well, they have been acting weird," Casey mused.
"Really?" Emily asked, looking interested. "Weird, how?"
"Weirder than usual," Derek offered, looking thoughtful.
"You gonna confront them?" Sam asked.
"Not directly," Derek said, the beginnings of an idea gleaming in his eyes. "We'll have to try to fish it out of them first," he added, his gaze landing on Casey.
Casey sighed. More games. She was quite sick of it, actually. But, she knew better to stand in the way of Derek's schemes. "Do what you have to do," she said simply.
"Ready to head back?" Emily asked, gesturing at the school.
"Nah, I don't have class till later," Casey replied. "I'll just stay out here."
"Me too," Derek said quickly. Casey frowned and threw him a glance, Liar. He grinned and shrugged.
"Lucky," Sam groaned, getting up. "I have Physics. Hate that class."
"I'm with you bro," Ralph said, shaking his head. "Who cares about monuments anyway?"
Emily frowned, "What?"
"That's what we're talking about now," Ralph explained.
Sam cleared his throat, "Ah, actually, we're talking about momentum right now, buddy."
Ralph looked nonplused, "That's what I said."
"Of course it is," Emily said, grinning, "See you guys later!"
"Bye, Em," Casey replied, waving. Derek nodded to them as they walked away.
Casey watched them as they got smaller and smaller in the distance, letting herself enjoy the silence.
'So," Derek said. Casey sighed ruefully, ah well, those 10 seconds of silence were nice.
"What?"
He looked excited. "Ready for Operation X?"
"Huh?"
"The plan Casey!" Derek replied, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
"That's the stupidest name I've ever heard."
His expression didn't change but he smirked, "Oh like your precious Purple Fog?"
"Purple Fog was a perfectly reasonable name-"
Derek laughed, "So, what, you wanna call this Purple Fog 2 or something?"
"No," Casey said with dignity. "But we need a name that isn't too obvious…"
"Operation Prince?" Derek suggested.
"Too obvious."
"Okay," Derek said. "How about something that relates to a prince? Um, princess, crown, knight, armor, castle-"
"That's it!" Casey exclaimed.
"What's it?"
"Castle. Operation Castle…OC for short."
Derek gave her a look that clearly said he didn't care, but he shrugged, "Fine by me."
"Okay, now that that's settled…what exactly is the plan?"
Derek shifted forward eagerly, "All right, this is what I was thinking…" He paused.
Casey raised her eyebrows, "Yes?"
He cleared his throat, "Well, first of all, um…have you noticed if Edwin has been acting a little, ah, friendlier to you than usual?"
Casey tilted her head, thinking. "Well, he has been talking to me more than usual. And acting a little stranger. Why?"
Derek looked uncomfortable. "Well," he said slowly, and Casey didn't miss the faint blush that spread across his face, "Lizzie has been acting way too friendly towards me recently."
Casey stared at him for a few seconds, piecing together all the weird things she'd seen her sister do recently: laughing loudly at Derek's non-jokes, the dinner table drama, whispering in the hallway…
"Okay," Casey said slowly. "What about it?"
"I was thinking," Derek said, his eyes glinting, "It's time for a little payback."
Derek barely stifled a yawn and stared unseeingly at the blackboard. What was this guy even talking about?
"Mr. Venturi!"
Derek jumped, "Huh?"
"I asked you what you'll be writing your essay topic about."
"Oh," Derek said, looking wildly at the board for some clue as to what exactly the essay was supposed to be about. "Umm…I haven't decided yet."
His teacher heaved a big sigh, "I see. What about you Mr. French?" There was no answer and Derek turned around to look at Truman's seat. Make that EMPTY seat. Skipping class AGAIN. Derek had to admit, the guy had guts. The bell rang and Derek fairly flew out of his seat. He couldn't wait to get home and put his plan into action. He grinned when he saw Casey waiting for him.
"I love it when I see a girl waiting by my locker," Derek whispered into her ear, pulling away only after he saw her cheeks become tinged with pink.
"Don't flatter yourself," Casey said, but she smiled tenatively.
Derek held out his arm and Casey linked her arm through his as they walked down the hallway. No one spared them a second glance- it was common knowledge that Derek Venturi and Casey McDonald were actually friends at this point. Derek pursed his lips thoughtfully, wondering if the school would be as accepting if they crossed the line as public friends to a public couple.
"Derry!"
Derek winced, wondering why Kendra was suddenly in his life a lot more than usual. It was starting to grate on his nerves. But he turned around and plastered a fake smile on to his face when he saw who she was with. "Kendra! And Truman…"
"Derek," Truman nodded stiffly, looking awkward. Derek stared at him curiously. He'd never seen Truman look uncomfortable. It was a strange sight.
Kendra smiled at them pleasantly, "So, Truman has something he wants to say to Casey."
"What is it?' Derek asked aggressively.
Truman glared at him before turning to Casey, "So…about those text messages…"
"Wild guess," Casey said sarcastically, "It really was you who sent them."
"Well, yes," Truman admitted.
"Like I didn't see that one coming," Casey muttered under her breath.
Derek ignored her. "And why did you keep asking her if she wanted a ride?"
Truman blinked, "Well, she was walking by herself…"
Casey exclaimed, "Wait, you were actually following me!? I KNEW IT!"
Derek frowned. What was going on here? Truman raised an eyebrow, "You knew?"
She nodded, "Yeah, I had this feeling that someone was watching me, but I couldn't see who…I guess it was you." She threw him a disgusted look.
"Yeah, I guess it was," Truman said in a sheepish tone. "I didn't mean to scare you, I was just messing around. I really was going to give you a ride, but then I saw Derek pull up next to you."
"And that's why you sent that text to Derek on my phone," Casey said slowly. "You knew he was with me because you were watching us."
Truman shrugged, "I figured you would've told him what I did, so yeah, I decided to send that text. No harm, no foul, right?"
Derek stared at him in disbelief. "No harm, no foul?" he repeated incredulously. "You just admitted to stalking Casey-"
"It wasn't stalking!" Truman interrupted indignantly. "I was only trying to have some fun-"
"Well, don't," Casey said, looking tired. "Quite frankly, I've had enough of you to last me a lifetime."
Truman nodded, holding up his hands. "Message received. Loud and clear."
Derek recognized that he was being sincere and relaxed slightly. "So, what brought on this confession?"
"Oh, that was me," Kendra said cheerfully. "I figured you guys needed to clear the air."
"Clear the air for what?" Casey asked suspiciously.
Kendra glanced at Truman before turning to Derek, "For our little announcement!"
"And what's that?" Derek asked, even though he knew where this conversation was going.
Kendra smiled becomingly and clasped Truman's hand in her own. "We're dating," she said calmly. "I just wanted the two of you to know, first, before the news got around school."
Derek barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes. "Good for you," he said finally. "I hope you're, uh, happy together."
"Thanks, D," Kendra said, winking. "I tried to give you a hint about it-"
"Yeah, I remember," Derek interrupted. "When you said you had a guy on your radar…you were talking about Truman."
Kendra laughed and nodded, "Yeah, I knew that you would figure out who I was talking about soon enough."
Truman cleared his throat, "Casey, you haven't said anything."
Derek glanced up at Casey's face. It was smooth, expressionless. She shrugged, "What do you want me to say?"
"You don't mind, do you?" Kendra asked, scrutinizing Casey's expression- or lack thereof.
"No, of course not," Casey said quickly. "You have my blessing," she added, with a tight smile.
"Well, good," Kendra said uncertainly, glancing at Derek in confusion.
Derek caught Casey's gaze and raised an eyebrow; what, are you still into him? She frowned; No. But at the same time, she raised her head defiantly and he somehow got what she was upset about. She might've disliked Truman, but sometimes it still hurt to see your ex with someone else. He smiled at her slightly; Don't worry, I understand. Casey held his gaze for a few seconds before returning the smile. She turned back to Truman and Kendra and grinned at them. "No, really," she said sincerely, "I really do hope you guys work it out."
Truman nodded, looking satisfied. "Thanks, Case."
"Yeah, thank you," Kendra said, a genuine smile on her face. Derek stared at her, surprised. Huh. She really did look happy.
"While we're in the confessing mood," Derek began, looking pointedly at Truman.
He looked slightly confused, "What? Don't tell me you want me to confess to taking your car!"
"No, no," Derek said quickly. "I believe you didn't take my car," he said, emphasizing the word so that Casey would realize that Truman once again hadn't said the word 'steal.' He saw her nod slightly from the corner of his eye.
"Then what do you want me to confess to?"
"The black rose."
Truman threw up his hands in either anger or exasperation. "I really have no idea what you're talking about!"
Kendra cleared her throat, "Um, I might know something about that…"
Truman turned to stare at her, "What!?"
"It was you?" Casey and Derek said simultaneously.
"Forgive me, Case," Kendra said, her tone sweetly innocent. "It was supposed to be a test…"
"A test," Derek repeated, feeling a headache coming on.
"To see how she felt about Truman!" Kendra said earnestly, earning an eyeroll from both Truman and Derek.
"Um, what exactly was a black rose supposed to prove?" Casey asked.
"Well, I figured that you would think that it was from Truman. And I was right."
"So?"
"Well, I wanted to see what you would do about it. Would you thank him for sending you a rose, or would you be creeped out because it was a black rose? Would you see it as a gesture of friendship or would you rekindle your romance…"
Casey suddenly burst out laughing and Derek cracked a grin. Typical Kendra logic. He could see what she had been trying to do. She was as manipulative as Truman was. What a perfect match.
Truman grinned and slung an arm over her shoulders, "Well you were wrong about that part, babe. Casey actually started yelling at me in the middle of the hallway if I remember rightly-"
"I was not yelling," Casey scoffed. "I was merely-"
"Causing a scene?" Truman offered.
Casey rolled her eyes but smiled. "Promise me that we'll never have to deal with each other again?"
Truman returned the smile, "I promise."
Casey walked up the stairs to their front door, pausing to look at Derek. He caught her gaze, "What's up?"
"Are you sure this plan is going to work?"
"Casey. Don't you trust me?"
"Of course I do, but-"
"Then don't worry," he said soothingly. "We're older than them, we have more experience in these matters. It won't be long till they break." He looked positively thrilled about the idea.
"But…" Casey trailed off, not knowing why she was protesting.
Derek tilted his head, a grin forming on his face. "Don't tell me you're nervous, Case."
"No! Of course not," Casey replied quickly.
"Because it's just a little harmless flirting," Derek said, grinning.
"I know…but these things tend to get out of hand," Casey said, frowning.
"Afraid you can't control yourself around Edwin?" Derek said, smirking.
"Der-ek!"
Derek laughed and slid an arm around her shoulders, "Trust me. It'll be fun, just follow my lead. Okay?"
Casey sighed, resigned. "Okay, okay."
Derek unlocked the front door and Casey followed him in, feeling nervous. Nora was sitting in the living room reading a newspaper. She looked up when they walked in, "How was your day?"
"Boring," Derek said immediately.
Nora laughed, "What, nothing interesting happened all day? Casey?"
Casey shrugged, "Nope, nothing interesting. We got assigned a new essay for my Lit class. I'm going to write about the fight for women's rights because the book we're reading is all about fighting for what you believe in."
Nora nodded approvingly, "Good idea, Case. What are you writing about Derek?"
Derek looked bewildered, "Wait, what exactly are these essays supposed to be about anyway?"
Casey rolled her eyes, "We'll be in our rooms, mom."
Nora nodded absently, "Okay, I'll call you down for dinner."
Casey bounded upstairs, closely followed by Derek. He followed her into her room, looking excited. "Ready for Operation Castle?"