"Are you sick

Flashfic for Shellie (jeytonlover)

The Things We Do

"Are you sick?" Emily said in exaggerated concern, palming her friend's forehead for emphasis.

Casey clicked her tongue, batting Emily's hand away. "No. I just don't like this musical."

"But it's Grease. Don't you own, like the collector's edition, with the leather DVD cover and all?"

Casey huffed, but grumbled a reluctant yes. She scowled, trying to shove thoughts of the upcoming school musical out of her head.

"You love performing," Emily persisted.

"Yes, but I don't wanna be part of this one, alright?" She hoped this would close the conversation.

Raising her hands in surrender, Emily took the hint. "Okay. But you do know that the new guy is gonna be Danny, right?" A dreamy look came over Emily's face and Casey rolled her eyes. Matt – "the new guy" – might be cute, but he was far from likeable. The damn pretty boy couldn't be any more in love with himself. Even more so than Derek.

"Emily," Casey groaned, burrowing further into the restaurant's booth.

"Okay, okay." Emily eyed Casey carefully. "What's with the Grease bitterness anyway?" The question was simple enough but, truth be told, Casey still hadn't figured it all out yet.

"I just don't think the story is all what it's cocked up to be…" she said honestly.

"What's not all it's cocked up to be?" Derek repeated as he slid beside Emily.

"Grease," Emily supplied, playing with the straw of her drink.

Derek's face pinched. "Are you guys talking about losing weight again… 'cause I'm saying this one last time. You both are nowhere near fat. Freakin' girls," he muttered the last part with annoyance.

Casey looked down at her stomach and started pinching it calculatingly before Derek hit her hand away. He shot her a 'what-the-hell-Casey' look and she instantly stopped. "Sorry."

"We were talking about the play at school, you idiot." Emily clarified.

"Oh. Okay… What does encumber mean?"

The randomness of the question almost made Emily spit out her drink. "Uh?"

"Encumber."

Casey narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

Derek shrugged but Casey could tell it was forced. "I read it in our English book, wanted to know what it meant."

Casey snorted. "Yeah, right, liar."

"I'll have you know that I am not-" He stopped mid-sentence when he spotted Matt coming out of the kitchen. "Can you just tell me what it means?"

Casey exhaled in irritation. She reached across the table and punched Derek on the shoulder. "Are you still doing that stupid rivalry thing with Matt?" Matt, apart from being the new guy at school, was also the new waiter at Smelly-Nellie's … and Derek's main competition,apparently.

"Can you just answer the question? Jeez," Derek hissed in slight panic, squatting low to keep himself hidden. Casey shook her head in defeat.

"It means to hinder." At Derek's questioning look, she continued. "To hamper, to block. Kinda."

She smiled when Derek nodded, obviously piecing something together.

Emily laughed. "Did he actually use the word encumber?"

"Believe it, Davis."

"It also depends what context it's in – it can mean 'to burden' too," Casey added as an after-thought. Before she could process anything, Derek had gotten up and swiftly kissed her on the forehead.

Emily sat wide-eyed, staring after Derek's retreating form. "Did he - did you - wha?"

Casey looked equally perplexed. "Yes, he did."

Emily was still shaking her head in surprise.

Casey suddenly gasped when something occurred to her. "Do you think he's breaking up with me?"

"No-"

"He's softening the blow, isn't he?" she went on. "I knew this was going to end badly." She gripped the table tighter and was about to get up when Emily firmly held her down.

"Relax, drama queen. This is not pre-break-up behavior."

"It is pre-break-up behavior!" she insisted, looking around frantically after noticing how loud her voice was.

"No, pre-break-up behavior is keeping distance, missing dates, generally being jerk-ish. And I've been seeing Derek around us so frequently I'm starting to think he's attached to your hip – and happily so," Emily scoffed. "He buys you things and he whines whenever you wanna spend alone time with me – so yeah, I don't think he wants to break up with you."

A worried expression flittered across Casey's features. "Are you sure?"

Emily nodded reassuringly. "Positive."

Casey was silent for a moment after that, chewing on her lower lip in reflection.

"There's nothing to worry about Casey, really."

Casey refocused on her food and forked a cut piece of sausage. And then it hit her. "He gave me an extra sausage."

"Um, okay?" Emily said hesitantly.

"Derek knows how much I love them here – and he gave me an extra one," she explained, smiling down at her plate.

"Maybe I have a dirty mind, but there's something wrong with that statement," Emily muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing. That's very sweet of him. Are you convinced he's not gonna break with you now?"

"Definitely."

It took a whole fifteen minutes and a meal finished before Emily's offhanded comment finally sank in. "You do have a dirty mind!"

0

"Can't I be part of the crew or something?" Derek pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Venturi. I already have too many people on the crew committee. And I think an acting exercise will do you good."

"Ms. Zeldin," Derek wined. "You can't do this to me."

"Derek, I don't know why you're protesting. You did Pirate Pete just fine and people loved it, didn't they?" She fixed him with a stern look that almost made him back down. Almost.

"But-"

"No buts. Look, it's not a very big part and you even get that famous leather jacket of yours. Do the part and I guarantee you an A."

Derek scowled. "And if I don't?"

"You'll get an F. Are we clear?" she stated with finality. He nodded obligingly. He dragged himself out of the classroom, hoping to incite some pity from his drama teacher, but he had reached the hall and still no reaction.

"Damn," he muttered under his breath, making his way to the cafeteria. Sam was sitting across from Ralph and Emily, talking animatedly. Casey was nowhere in sight.

"Hey Derek," Emily greeted first. He waved in acknowledgement before taking a seat beside Sam. "Casey has a meeting with the debate team."

Derek shook his head, making a grab for Ralph's pudding. "Who spends their lunch hour debating, anyway?" Ralph agreed heartily, but grabbed his pudding back.

"Get your own, D."

Derek glowered at his friend, "You guys suck."

"What crawled up your ass?" Ralph jibed.

His forehead fell to the table. "Zeldin's making me act again."

He groaned when all three of them laughed in response. "I told you you should have signed that stupid sheet when it first came around. No one in school wants to be in the play… except five people, maybe."

"Shut up," Derek mumbled into the table.

"Who will you be playing?" Emily asked curiously. Did she not realize this was a nightmare? People might have loved him as Pirate Pete, but it was a very trying ordeal. He didn't do theatre. Period.

"Leo."

"The enemy leader?" She looked a lot more interested than he felt comfortable with.

"Yeah," he said hesitantly. "Why?"

Her face split into a huge grin before she answered. "Matt is playing Danny."

Derek banged his head several times on the table. "You gotta be shitting me," he grumbled morosely.

"Not today," Emily sang in delight.

"It'll be alright, man," Sam interjected, tapping his friend good-naturedly on the back. "Think of it this way… now you have an excuse to spend time with Casey." Learning lines and looking like an idiot. Yeah, sure.

"Casey's not in the play," Emily corrected.

Sam frowned at her. "What do you mean Casey's not in the play?"

Emily shrugged. "She's bitter about the subject matter."

"Grease?" Obviously, Sam couldn't wrap his head around the idea of Casey not being in the play either. Derek hadn't even given it much thought until now. "It's her favorite movie."

"Well, not anymore, I guess."

Derek narrowed his eyes. "Why the change of heart?"

"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling it's not as simple as far as Casey drama goes."

Derek regarded her carefully, trying to think of the reasons behind Casey's sudden aversion. "Maybe she has something against John Travolta," he suggested.

"Yeah!" Ralph agreed. "Probably against his depiction of a fat chick in Hairspray."

Emily clicked her tongue, a habit Derek was sure she picked up from her best friend. "You guys are idiots."

Derek completely dismissed her. "Dude, don't tell me you watched Hairspray."

"My grandma was watching it. What was I supposed to do?" Ralph justified, looking affronted.

"Walk out of the room, maybe?"

"It's not a bad mov-"

"Shhhh," Derek hissed, glancing at their surroundings in panic.

Emily slapped Derek on the head. "You're horrible," she griped, getting up. She hoisted her bag onto her shoulder and waved a half-hearted goodbye to the rest of the guys.

Sam sent her a pleading look. "Hey, where are you going?"

"To find Casey."

Derek quirked an eyebrow in question. "She's debating."

"Well, I'd rather listen to her debating over something interesting than listen to you guys debating over Hairspray," she explained, quickly getting away from them.

"That was rude," Derek muttered as he watched her walk out of the cafeteria. He huffed in an important manner. "So who wants to play cheese ball?"

But Ralph had already set up the strategically ripped juice box as a net and made a paper ball out of the left-over cardboard.

0

Derek begrudgingly parked his car, about to turn off the engine when Casey appeared in front of his door. She smiled up at him in a highly suspicious way.

"Take me to the pharmacy?" she asked, shooting him that pleading look that always made him cave in.

"Casey," he groaned, his head falling on the stirring wheel. "I'm tired."

"Fine, then I'll go alone." It wasn't that she sounded mad, or purposely trying to make him feel guilty, but it was hard to find time alone with her without looking too obvious.

He sighed. "Get in." He gestured to the passenger seat with his head and had to roll his eyes when Casey practically bounced in joy.

She opened the door and clumsily got in. Derek waited patiently, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. He knew better than to start driving without her green light.

"You can go now."

He nodded in compliance and drove out of the garage.

"So how was practice?" Casey said absently, looking over the list he figured Nora had given her.

"Rough."

"Em told me you're in the play," she said suddenly, a strange tone in her voice. She kept her eyes focused on the list.

He responded with a simple 'yes', watching her nod in acknowledgement. He wondered what that meant. "So how come you're not Sandra?"

Casey laughed. "Sandy, you mean?"

Derek looked sheepish as he shrugged off his mistake.

"I don't know," Casey admitted. He detected a note of agitation in her voice but couldn't figure out why.

He tried to goad her into elaborating but she wouldn't give out. They arrived at the drugstore and she was still dodging his chain of questions.

"Derek," she huffed, pausing at the entrance to shoot him a stern glare. "Let it go, will you?"

Not wanting to cause a scene right in front of the store – and because he knew he was acting a bit too childish – he acquiesced obligingly.

"Mom said we could choose which cookies to get," Casey said as she scanned the snack shelves.

He came to stand behind her when she paused at the Fudgeo box. Smirking, he leaned in closer to whisper in her ear. "Why is it that you always navigate towards my favorite box and not yours?"

His grin grew wider at the sight of her flushing. He gently rested a hand on her hip and took a step closer.

"Ha. Please," she said with a laugh. "Since when has Fudgeo been your favorite?"

Derek looked affronted. "Uuuhhhh, since forever. They're so chocolaty and flavorful." He said this with such childish glee, staring openly at the box in front of him.

Casey snorted. "Are you 6?"

"Are you 40?" he shot back with equal derision. "Miss Tofu." She scowled, snootily turning her head away from him.

"It's not my fault I have refined taste," she refuted. She pushed the basket further, his desired box long forgotten.

"Refined for a bird, perhaps," he said easily. He tried not to smirk when her expression soured. "But in human-world, you've got what a sensible person would call horrible taste."

Her face pinched as she exhaled in irritation. "I don't have bird taste, you idiot."

Derek shot her a dubious look. "And exactly what do you call that nuts and dried fruits thing you always eat?" His face contorted in distaste at the thought.

"Hey!" She whirled around to face him. "Those happen to be very healthy and good for you!"

"They're also bird food." It was so easy, getting her riled up. He'd never admit it to her, but he actually grew to like the aforementioned snack.

Casey narrowed her eyes. "You suck." She diverted her attention back to the shelves, eying the different bags of chips, pretending like she was interested. He saw the list, and chips had not been on it.

He laughed. "You're losing your touch, babe."

"Yeah, well," she sputtered, duly avoiding his eyes. "It's true."

It was weak and Derek found it strangely charming. Either she wasn't in the mood, or she was out of fuel. Derek stepped closer. He palmed her waist, bringing his chest flush against her back. "Don't sound too convincing now," he muttered, his lips nearly touching her neck. With some of his usual pride, he noticed her eyes flutter even though they remained open. "I almost believed you there."

And then she was shoving him away, a smile tugging on her lips. "You're an ass," she said, unable to keep her laughter from bubbling over.

Making a grab for her hand in a sudden burst of affection, he pulled her to him. "Yes, but I'm your ass."

She rolled her eyes. "That's crude."

Derek shrugged. "Conveys the message, doesn't it?"

She shook her head deprecatingly, her face clearly set in amusement. "You're still an ass."

He was about to close the distance between them when an old lady cleared her throat loudly. "Do you mind?" she rasped in a scratchy whiny voice that had both of them wincing.

Casey, being the ever-so-polite girl she was, made a grand gesture of making way. "We're sorry."

Derek merely exhaled in slight annoyance. At least they were going home soon. He'd finally be able to get a moment alone with her then.

And to think living together would have made things easier for them. Yeah, right, he though bitterly. It only complicated things - especially with Casey's ridiculous ideas of being a "normal" couple and consciously trying to cut down alone time together at home.

The girl was crazy.

Then again, he often found sense in Casey's craziness, and that scared him the most – that is, understanding her now when he spent the past three years of his life walking on such different planes than her.

It didn't help that he was crazy about her too.

Realizing that she was still talking to him, he shook out of his daze. "What?"

"I told you you can go get those stupid cookies," Casey mumbled, a twinkle in her eyes.

0

"Wow, Zeldin really outdid herself this year," Emily said, admiring the lavish Grease poster near their locker. Casey chose to scowl at it instead.

"Yeah."

Emily seemed to notice Casey's disagreeable mood and frowned. "So you really do have something against Grease?"

"I already explained it to you." She shut her locker, checking her watch to see if it was too early to start walking to class. She decided it wasn't.

"Not really," Emily insisted, falling in step with her best friend. "You just claimed it wasn't as great as it seems to be – before Derek interrupted us."

Casey sighed tiredly. "They change for each other."

"Okay…" Emily said encouragingly.

"Sandy and Danny change who they are so that they can be with the other…"

Casey bit her lip, pausing suddenly near a classroom door. She caught sight of the object of her thoughts.

Emily must have followed her line of vision when she spoke up. "Never thought I'd see the day where Derek would have such an effortless hold on you." There was a note of fondness in her tone that prevented Casey from getting upset at the comment. "I'm happy for you."

Casey remembered her momentary indecision that morning about whether to take her nuts and dried fruits snack to school, and took a deep breath. Of course, she had finished by packing it in her bag, but the damage had been done. Her eyes drifted to the floor, confusion swarming restlessly in her head. She didn't even notice Derek approaching them.

"Case?" he said tentatively, shooting Emily a questioning look. Casey watched as Emily shrugged and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong, sweety?" A look of realization flashed across Emily's face.

Not wanting to give herself away to Derek, she managed a small smile. "Sorry. I keep thinking about that project due next week." She shot Emily a brief pleading glance.

"That you already finished?" Derek scoffed, fixing her with a stern look. "You need to learn how to relax," he continued before his eyes wiggled suggestively. "And I've got a perfect idea."

He grinned devilishly. "You can stay with me after school while I practice my lines." Casey sensed movement beside her but when she turned around, Emily was smiling at her. When she diverted her attention back to Derek, he had a strange expression on his face.

"But if you don't want, it's alright," Derek reinstated.

"I'm kinda tired. I'll wait for you at home." She knew that that last phrase was useless since it was obvious she'd be home when he finished. But it seemed important to reassure him, especially since he deflated a bit at her refusal.

At his nod, she offered him a small smile before scurrying to class.

0

The moment Zeldin had announced there was going to be a musical, he knew he was in for it. She had a glint in her eyes, staring everyone down with her piercing eyes. He had a hard time believing that this cheerful woman bolstering around in the theatre room was the same woman who forced him into this.

"Oh, that looks lovely, dear. Very very nice," she applauded, beaming up at one of the actresses' stage hairdo.

At least Casey was there – looking like the most miserable person in the world as she read out the lines in a semi-toneless voice.

Derek smiled despite himself. Zeldin had spotted her a little after the last bell rang, begging her to stand-in for Catherine, the girl who was playing Sandy. That fact alone seemed to annoy Casey the most, especially since Matt was Danny.

Derek would have kept a closer eye on them if he hadn't known that Casey disliked Matt almost as much as he did. In Casey's exact words, 'he didn't need to get all territorial on her' when it came to Matt.

Derek cleared his throat when he realized the drama teacher was approaching them.

"Want a ride, baby," he read lamely. Melissa, Betty Rizzo, hastily shoved her phone into her pocket.

"Sure. Why not," she answered back, pretending to read her paper. She sounded equally unconvincing.

Melissa had been another recruit by obligation. She had spent the last hour altering between flirting with him and texting her friends.

Casey had caught a rather obvious move on Melissa's part.

He would have quickly offered an explanation, but it would have looked suspicious if suddenly leapt up to her. People at this school were like rabbits when it came to gossip.

Derek read the next line. He heaved a sigh of relief when Melissa got more into character. At least the girl knew how to throw off a teacher.

"Very good, guys!" she said enthusiastically, a huge grin plastered on her face. She looked at her watch and sighed. "I think that's enough for tonight." She clapped loudly and started a long speech Derek droned it out almost instantly. The interaction unfolding a few meters in front of him seemed much more important than whatever Zeldin had to say.

His heart started beating faster when he noticed that Casey's eyes were watering. His thoughts were confirmed when Matt kept shooting her worried looks. Finally, Matt's hand hesitantly came behind her back in what Derek assumed was a comforting gesture.

Derek didn't do tears, but he'd be hell bent if Matt was the one comforting Casey, his girlfriend. Unfortunately, Casey started swiftly walking out of the hall. He inwardly groaned when Matt followed her out too. He would have run after them, but that would have only attracted attention.

Thankfully, Zeldin ended her stupid pep speech an agonizing thirty seconds later.

As soon as Derek entered the hallway, he heard Casey brush Matt off. He was surprised at how polite she was being.

"I'm fine, Matt, really," she reassured, clearly trying to contain her tears.

"You don't look fine," he said softly, uncertainly taking a step closer.

Casey shook her head. "Matt, just give me a minute, okay?"

Matt licked his lips, his eyes flicking over to Derek. He started walking back towards him. "You heard her," he said casually, standing in front of him.

"How about you mind your own business," Derek shot back in irritation. Who the hell was this guy to tell him to back off?

"I think we should respect her wishes."

Derek exhaled angrily. "Get out of my way, Matt."

"Or what?" The douche actually took another step closer in an attempt to look intimidating. It didn't work. An insult was at the tip of Derek's tongue when Casey cut in.

"Hello? I'm having a moment here. Do you mind?" She sent them an incredulous look, her sniffle making him feel guilty.

"Sorry," he mumbled, feeling his eyes shift downwards in shame. He started to back away, Matt close at his heels.

They settled onto the stage quietly, watching as the last few people filed out of the room.

"You don't need to stay," Derek grumbled. He didn't see why Matt felt the need to wait for her too.

"You don't need to either," he retorted arrogantly.

"I'm her stepbrother. We go home together, asshole."

Matt made a face. "I just wanna make sure she's alright."

And then something occurred to Derek. "Why is she crying?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly, his tone losing some of its stubbornness. "One moment we're doing a scene, next moment she gets all blubbery." The guy actually looked flustered. Not unlike how he gets when a girl cries.

"What scene was it?"

Matt blew out a breath. "Sandy realizes Danny goes to her new school and he completely rebuffs her."

Derek frowned.

"Does it mean anything to you?" Matt prodded. "Did she recently break with her boyfriend or something?"

"No, she didn't," Derek answered automatically. "She's been single for a while now."

It was at that moment that Casey timidly came back in, her eyes bloodshot and her face flushed. "Can we go, please?" she said in a soft voice, the phrase directed to him.

"Yeah." He stood up, Matt carefully in tow.

"Thanks, Matt. I'll be fine. Just had a bad day," she explained. He nodded sympathetically. Derek's fist curled when she hugged him.

He really had to work on his 'territorial' issues. Casey would kill him if he ever acted on them. And it was getting harder not to.

When they broke apart, Derek breathed a sigh of relief and gladly led her outside to the car. It was mostly silent until he started the engine.

Her head fell back on the window, her forehead pressing against the cool glass.

"Casey?"

"Hmm…"

He bit his lip. What exactly was he supposed to say?

"Uh, why are you sad?" he said, immediately regretting his choice of words. Why are you sad? Who says that?

"I'm fine, Derek," she answered quietly.

"Why won't you just tell me why this play is bothering you so goddamn much?" he burst out in aggravation. He couldn't just guess.

Watching her look so dejected was unnerving him. He didn't like it.

"Derek." Her voice broke a bit, making him want to take back the comment. "Not today, okay?"

He wanted to insist, but somehow, it didn't feel right.

So he let it go.

0

Casey had officially become Catherine's stand-in, moving between people to practice different scenes. She chanced a glance at Derek who seemed to be perfectly sincere as his and Matt's characters had some kind of a showdown. Mrs. Zeldin was watching with giddy attention as they fought.

"So how's Derek at home?" Melissa asked her the moment Casey stopped reading.

"What do you mean?"

The girl shrugged. "Is he as smooth and sexy at home?"

Yes - even more so when his attention was solely on her. But she wasn't going to tell Melissa that. "You know, I don't really know how to answer that."

Melissa laughed. "'Cause he's your stepbrother? Come on. You can admit to his hotness. If he was my stepbrother, I'd admit it. It's kinda kinky."

Casey didn't know whether to feel bewildered or amused. Derek often said that their situation was 'kinky'. She sort of understood how, but still. It wasn't how she pictured their relationship. "Well, I can tell you that however Derek is at school, he's pretty much the same at home." But with a whole lot more affection.

"Well, he kinda changed, I think," Melissa pondered, not taking her eyes away from Derek.

"He used to be more… there," Melissa continued. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think he'd gone steady with some chick."

Casey was starting to think Melissa was channeling Emily. This was classic Emily-reasoning. She made a mental note to introduce her best friend to Melissa.

"What do you think?"

Casey bit her lip. "I think you've got a point. Maybe he just grew up," she suggested.

"Maybe. But it seems sudden, you know? Derek always flirts back when you flirt with him. I couldn't have been more obvious and he still didn't respond."

The blonde shook her head in disbelief.

Casey tried to contain her smile even though her insides tightened a bit. Derek didn't flirt back because he was with her.

There was a loud commotion at the other end of the room, stumping Casey's response. Derek and Matt had started fighting.

Casey knew it wasn't part of the play anymore. Derek had been itching to get a good punch in ever since he met Matt. The teacher yelled for them to stop and Casey was relieved to see them both freeze.

"Wow, I must have come at the right time," Emily said suddenly from beside her.

"For real," Ralph added, grinning.

"Em, Ralph! What are you doing here?" Casey turned her head away from the scene in front of her for a second only.

Emily shrugged. "Substitute teacher. Convinced him to let us out to go to the library."

"Nice," Melissa remarked, having heard Emily.

Emily laughed. "Not the brightest guy. He must be going through hell with the rest of the classroom."

"I think they're having a paper plane war," Ralph supplied glumly. Emily rolled her eyes.

"I practically dragged him out."

"Well, it's not everyday you can have a proper paper plane war," Ralph retorted in defense.

Casey droned them out, impatiently waiting for Derek to come to them.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Casey hissed once he was close enough.

He looked frazzled and a little bit more than irritated.

"Well, what happened?" Casey persisted.

"He was being stupid." He then grinned at Emily and Ralph. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Substitute teacher," Ralph answered enthusiastically, earning himself a high five from Derek.

Casey sighed exasperatedly. "Derek."

"What?"

"What's wrong with you?"

"Can you relax, Drama Queen. Matt was asking for it, okay? Kept baiting me and shit." Casey's face pinched. Derek had anger issues sometimes.

"Well you need to think before you act. You could have gotten in trouble," Casey continued anyway.

Derek rolled his eyes. "Can you not harp on me right now? You know I don't like the guy – you don't even like him. I didn't get in trouble. So fuck it. Just forget it."

Casey gaped at him.

"Venturi," Mrs. Zeldin called out sternly, gesturing for him to come.

He took a deep breath and momentarily closed his eyes. "I'll see you guys later."

They nodded sympathetically. Casey decided to avoid his eyes instead.

Emily elbowed her. "Cut him some slack."

Truth was, Casey found comfort in Derek's behavior. She didn't think it'd be wise to show it, though.

The rest of the class passed rather uneventfully. Melissa and Emily hit it off almost immediately – even Ralph seemed to like her. Derek and Matt had kept their distances but apologized upon Zeldin's orders.

Casey had gone to the bathroom at some point, and paused when she saw Catherine and Matt acting out one of the ending scenes. Casey watched as Matt looked shell-shocked at a leather-clad Catherine, holding a cigarette to her mouth.

Casey's gaze inadvertently went to Derek. He caught her eyes and smiled apologetically. She returned it. Unable to stifle the onslaught of emotion surging within her, she quickly turned her eyes away.

Emily, Ralph and Melissa were deeply engaged in a conversation so Casey figured they wouldn't notice if she quietly disappeared for a few minutes. She found the backdoor and opened it in growing relief.

She was really going to have to deal with this.

0

Something wasn't right. Something hadn't been right for the past week, and Casey had yet to tell him what was wrong with her. Emily's tip earlier that day still wasn't making any sense to him.

"Something about change, she said," Emily whispered from beside from the desk beside him.

"What?'

"In the play – Casey doesn't like that they changed themselves for the other… or something like that."

He saw Casey subtly disappearing out of the hall and before he could change his mind, he had opened the backdoor.

She startled at the noise. "Sorry," he said quietly.

She nodded, avoiding his eyes. She was leaning against the wall, her features visibly weary and drawn. It was clear that something was on her mind.

"Sorry I sorta blew up on you…" He sent her a sheepish smile and hope she knew he was being sincere.

"It's okay. I deserved it anyway." There was note of dejection in her voice.

"Casey."

It was only after a short silence that Casey finally spoke up. "Sandy goes all bad for Danny. Wears the tight leather clothes… smokes… becomes all sexy." She was wringing her hands nervously.

"And I keep thinking… that's what I wanna do," she continued softly. "But I don't know if I can." She bit her lip, looking back up at him.

"I'm not sure I understand," Derek admitted honestly.

"I'd change for you." It was so low, he almost didn't catch it.

Derek felt himself melt a bit at her words. "You don't need to." And suddenly what Emily had said made sense. He ran a hand through his hair in agitation. "Jeez, Casey."

Then, trying to find the proper way of reassuring her, he rested his forehead against hers. "Danny and Sandy in the summer, they were good… you – you feel like summer all the time."

"But it can't be summer all the time," Casey mumbled quietly. Derek palmed her cheeks, bringing her head up.

"Are you seriously comparing us to Danny and Sandy?" he asked in a disbelieving tone, earning himself a reluctant smile from Casey.

"You know what I mean."

He sighed, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. She snuggled into his chest, their breathing easily falling into step. "So what, you think I'm suddenly going to start ignoring you if you don't?"

"I don't know," she muttered.

"And you think that if you go all bad on me, it'll all be alright."

"Derek," she groaned.

He tried not to let the smile be obvious in his voice. "And then, what? I'd start wearing super dorky clothes?"

She fisted his t-shirt. But he was glad to hear a tiny laugh escaping her lips, feeling her shake against him.

"I hate you."

"Liar. Ten seconds ago you were ready to wear leather for me."

She shoved him away, smiling openly now. Chuckling softly, he resumed their previous position. Casey didn't protest.

Her eyes caught his. "You don't think it's stupid, do you? I'd do it if you wanted me to."

If he hadn't been sure about the extent of his feelings, he'd be sure as hell now.

"I don't think it's stupid." He pushed a lock of her hair away from her eyes. "I'd wear a stupid cardigan if you really wanted me to too."

Casey laughed.

0

"Mrs. Zeldin, I am not walking on stage with this!" Matt gestured wildly to his leather jacket. Derek laughed. The sleeves were too short – and very obviously so.

"Matt," she said in a strained voice, evidently trying to keep her cool. "It's the most appropriate thing we have. Stop complaining."

"But Mrs. Zeldin-"

"I said no! Go get ready."

She quickly left after that, leaving Derek laughing at Matt's outraged face.

"Derek, I'm gonna need your jacket," Matt said seriously, his tone daring Derek to say no.

"No."

"Ah come on, man." He looked like a kid who just got his candy stolen. Derek loved every second of it. With great glee, he repeated the same answer.

"Why you gotta be like that?" Matt followed Derek when he started to walk away.

"Be like what?" Derek threw back in amusement.

"I would do it if it was the other way around."

Derek smirked. That was the perfect opening if he ever saw one. "Yes, well, you're not me, Mattie-boy," he drawled happily, his smirk growing infinitely more devious.

Matt rolled his eyes, but Derek wasn't finished.

"And really, you'd be encumbering my reputation if I ever let you wear this baby."

0

END

0

Prompt: Dasey. It has to revolve around Grease (the movie or Broadway Show). It can be a daydream or Derek and Casey's school could be doing "Grease" for their end of school musical. The drama teacher still holds pull over Derek and he's forced to participate. Mayhem ensues.

Author's Note: The thing about this is that I had a specific idea in my head. And I'm still not sure if I conveyed it, so I'm just gonna hope that you enjoyed it --crosses fingers--