Hey people, I'm back with ch 12. I've been super busy, going to the beach, getting a tan, (getting burned). But seriously though, my school assigned summer work due the first day of school, so I've been trying to clear that out of the way. I know this is a poor excuse for a chapter, but I really wanted to get it out. Even though, it does end with Derek inside his room, listening to Fall Out Boy, I had planned the ending of ch. 12 much differently. But, I hope you enjoy it all the same.
Summer K.
Derek was the next one to get to the hospital. He got a visitor's pass and went up to Casey's room. He heard laughing coming from her room. He knocked on the open door.
"Hello." he said.
Casey looked up. "Derek!" she wheeled over to him. He gave her a hug. "Oh my gosh it's nice to see you." she whispered.
"Same here." he said.
She turned around and gestured to Tyrique. "Derek, this is my friend, Tyrique. Tyrique, this is my, um, stepbrother, Derek."
Derek walked over, and stiffly shook hands with Tyrique. Casey started fidgeting. Then there was a cough coming from the door. Everyone turned around to see Emily and Sam walk in the room hand in hand. Derek looked over at Casey whose mouth was dropped open.
Emily opened her mouth into what seemed to be a smile. "Uh, hey everyone." she nudged Sam.
"Yeah, hi." he echoed.
There was a tense silence that filled the room until it became a deafening roar. Derek ducked his head, and then faced Sam.
"Uh, Sam what's going on?" he asked.
"I'm here to celebrate your birthday, man." he replied.
Derek cocked his head. "Let me see you outside for a second." he shoved Sam into the hallway, and closed the door after him.
"What the hell is going on?" Derek whispered hoarsely.
"What do you mean, man?" Sam asked.
"Why are you here with Emily? Aren't you still with Casey?"
"No way, dude. You told me she was off limits, so I left her alone." Sam replied, his eyes shifting.
Derek pinned Sam against the wall. "What? When did I ever tell you that fool?"
Sam answered quickly. "Like a month ago. When I first started dating her."
Derek searched Sam's eyes. He remembered.
"You can't date her. She's my stepsister."
"Why not, man? She's only your stepsister."
"Ever heard of the 'male code'?"
Derek let Sam go, and fixed his own collar. "My bad, Sam."
Sam fixed his collar."Yeah, your bad."
Derek walked back into the room. Emily had not moved from where she stood. Casey was in tears.
"Derek, did you know?" she asked.
"No way! I had absolutely no clue that this was going on."
Tyrique cleared his throat and spoke. "I don't think I should be here. Goodbye people." he quickly wheeled out the room.
"How could you do this to me, Emily?" she asked.
"Sam told me he was free. He said he was over you. I'm sorry." Emily said, walking over to Casey.
"So this is how you break up with me Sam? This is how you're telling me it's over? And why, because of Derek's damn male code? He couldn't find anyone worth his while, so he doesn't want you to have me. Well guess what; you don't have me. Are you happy Derek? Also, Sam, I hope you are happy. Emily is a wonderful girl, too bad you're a jerk." With that, Casey tried to wheel out the room, but Derek stopped her.
"Look, I didn't mean it that way, Case. It's just that-" he stopped when he couldn't find any words to say.
Casey turned dark eyes towards him. "I hate you." she said slowly and quietly, but with passion.
Derek backed away.
"Everyone get out." she said quietly.
Everyone quickly left the room, without many words. Derek was the last to leave. He was about to walk out the door, when he turned around.
"Look, it may be my damn fault, but don't hate me for it. You don't know what it's like at home. Goddammit, Casey, Lizzie and Edwin are screaming at each other now. And my dad, oh, my father," he let out a laugh. "Our parents hate me, Casey. Despite the damn fact I saved your life, I am still at fault for everything. Everything, Casey." He stopped for a moment. "See you around." he said before walking out.
"Sam, you were still with her, so why did you tell me that you were free. Now Casey thinks I'm just a slutty boyfriend stealer." Emily said on the way out the hospital.
"Look, Derek told me that Casey was off limits according to his 'male code' and so I stopped dating her, right before she ran away. But I guess she never found out that I had started dating you." he said.
"Well, I don't know, you need to fix things with Casey, ok?" Emily said. "She's my best friend; you can't hurt her like that."
"Yeah, I know. Let me at least take you home, ok?" he asked.
"Sure."
Derek saw Sam take Emily's hand and lead her to his dad's car, and drive off.
"Sir? Is there anything I can help you with?" a nurse asked.
"Uh, no." he didn't notice how long he had been standing there just staring at the road. "Uh, I'm fine. Can you tell me where the bathroom is?" he asked.
"There, sir." she pointed right across from him. "Anything else?"
"Um, no." he shook his head. The nurse nodded her head, and walked away. He went out the front doors of the hospital.
He got home to an empty house. "Anyone home?" he called. The silence in the house was deafening. He ran up to his room, and turned up his stereo. He moved to punch something, but he stopped as he remembered what happened last time. He sighed hard, though he didn't hear it, and sat down on his bed. The rock music pulsed through his veins, and shook the walls. He could see the stuff on his stereo visibly dancing shaking, like they would fall off any moment.
Dance, dance
We're fallin' apart to halftime,
Dance, dance
And these are the lives you love to lead,
Dance, this is the way you'd love if you knew how misery loved me.