Once A Cheater, Always A Cheater (Part 2)

[tamilnadu09]

PART 2



"ANSWER ME!"

Casey flinched. George was not taking this well. She looked hopefully at her mom, but Nora was staring at her daughter in a mixture of shock and disappointment. Casey's heart thudded painfully in her chest. She had never seen her mom look at her that way before, and it hurt. She turned to Derek, in the hopes that he would say something, but he was looking at his father in fear. Apparently, George had never freaked out like this before.

I can't believe this is happening! What should I do? They're going to kill us! Casey thought frantically. Don't admit to anything. They can't prove it was us…Casey frowned as Derek's words came back to her. When had he told her that, anyway? She honestly couldn't remember. But, she acknowledged, it sounded like good advice right now.

Remembering the faces she had practiced in the mirror earlier, she tried smiling innocently, hoping against hope that she didn't look too guilty. "They're calling US to the meeting?" she asked, widening her eyes in mock surprise, "But, that's so unfair! We didn't even do anything wrong!"

George frowned at her, "You mean, you DON'T know why he's calling you two in?"

She shook her head quickly and tried to make her voice squeak with indignation, "This is so insulting! Me and Derek spent hours cramming for that exam. Why would either of us do a stupid thing like that?"

Nora looked extremely relieved, "Oh, Casey! Thank God you're not involved in all this! I was so worried that you might've done something rash when Truman broke up with you- or that you and Derek had some bet going-"

"OR that it was one of Derek's little 'harmless' pranks," George interrupted, "It wasn't, was it?" He asked, looking directly at his son.

Casey glanced at Derek. He looked visibly shaken and didn't answer. Casey gave a forced laugh, "Wow, George. You must've really scared him if he's been struck speechless!"

That shook Derek out of his reverie and he glared at Casey, "I'm NOT scared…I'm just, uh-outraged!"

"Outraged?" George asked skeptically.

"Yes! Simply outraged at this serious miscarriage of justice!"

Casey felt that Derek was taking this declaration of innocence a little too far. She coughed, "Well, D, you're always being blamed for everything around here-I didn't think you'd care about the principal's accusations. I mean, the guy has hated you ever since he got here!"

Nora laughed, "You know, George, Casey's right. Hasn't Lassiter always had it in for Derek? No wonder he's trying to blame him!"

George had calmed down, but he still looked slightly suspicious. "That's true…but then why is he also blaming Casey?"

Derek quickly answered, "Oh, you know Casey. She's such a Miss Goody-Two Shoes that Lassiter is probably hoping she saw who did it and is willing to rat him out."

George nodded and relaxed, "That makes sense." Nora shot him a Look and he quickly backtracked, "Not that I'm agreeing with Derek! No, no. Casey isn't, ah, Miss Perfect?"

"Actually, I called her Miss Goody Two Shoes- but that works, too," Derek said, grinning at Casey.

Casey rolled her eyes at Derek, but allowed a small smile to cross her face.

George cleared his throat, "Well, I guess I owe an apology to you kids. I didn't mean to yell, but I was just so angry-"

Casey interrupted, "It's okay, George. We understand."

Nora smiled, "I'm afraid you two are still obligated to go to that meeting tonight. But, I'm sure if you just explain that you had nothing to do with it, then he'll let you come home."

George nodded, "And if he doesn't believe you, then just call me or Nora, and we'll come down to the school to have a word with him."

Derek looked up nervously, "That's alright dad, thanks. I think we can handle Lassiter."

"Okay, well Nora and I were actually on our way out, so we're going to trust you to get to the meeting tonight on your own. If there's any problem at all, you just let me know." Waving goodbye, they left through the backdoor, muttering about Lassiter's incompetency.

Casey and Derek stood alone in the kitchen, watching their parents leave. Casey closed her eyes. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. How had she gotten herself into this mess? She couldn't believe she had looked her mother in the eye and told her a straight-up lie! She had never done that before. What was wrong with her!? She felt tears sting her eyelids, and clenched them together, willing herself not to start crying.

Derek stared after his parents. Damn. He couldn't believe this was happening. How the fuck had Lassiter figured out it was him anyway? And why was he dragging Casey into this? He looked at Casey and noticed that she seemed to be struggling not to burst into tears. She looked so vulnerable that he felt his heartstrings give a painful tug.

He stepped toward her, not really knowing what to do. He really tried to avoid crying chicks at all costs, but this was Casey. And he had some weird, unjustified feeling that this was all his fault, anyway.

He moved so he was directly in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders. She opened her eyes and he watched as a single tear escaped and made its way down her cheek. Unconsciously, he reached out and wiped away the tear with his thumb, marveling at her smooth skin. For a second, he had the crazy urge to smell his thumb, just to see if her tears smelled like lavender. In the next second, he realized what a stupid notion that was. She always seemed to make him think of dumb things. Impossible things.

"Casey," he whispered.

She gave a wavering sort of laugh, "So you were pretty stupid to not think of hiding George's cell phone."

Derek grinned. Same old Casey. "Yeah," he agreed, "Pretty stupid of me."

She gave him a small smile, and he immediately felt better. He swung an arm around her shoulders, "What do you say, study buddy? Ready to crack the books?"

"You know it."

4 HOURS LATER

"I'm fucking exhausted," Casey announced, flopping down on Derek's bed.

Derek turned around from where he was sitting at his desk to look at her. He grinned, "You must really love my bed, Case."

"De-rek."

He laughed, "Not to worry. No girl can resist my bed, it must be in their genes or something."

"Very funny, Derek."

He had a feeling he was pushing his luck, but he stealthily got up and then clambered onto his bed, so that he was standing on the mattress, looking down on her. She looked up at him, "What the fuck are you doing up there?"

He grinned down at her. "I wonder what would happen if I started jumping right now…would you fall off?"

"Derek! Stop being so immature-"

Not listening to her, he began jumping up and down lightly, testing the firmness of the mattress. Casey was holding onto the edge, staring at him with wide eyes that clearly said I'm so going to kill you if I fall off. Derek grinned, looked straight at her, and gave an enormous leap. She screamed, and losing his concentration, he fell.

He felt his breath catch immediately as, for the second time in the span of two days, he found himself lying on top of Casey. She glared at him and rolled them over, so that she was staring down at him. Derek smirked, "Didn't know you liked to be on top, Case."

He expected her to immediately become enraged and get off him, but she didn't move. He stared up at her as his heart rate sped up considerably. Her face was inches away. His eyes fell on her lips. They were sparkling again.

And he knew, even as he opened his mouth to ask the question, that it would ruin everything- but he did it anyway. "You said this morning that Truman hadn't apologized to you. If he did, would you take him back?" He watched Casey's eyes widen. Watched as she leaned away. Watched as she climbed off him. Watched as she walked away.

She paused at the door, and without turning around said quietly, "Maybe."

Then she left.
Casey sat in front of her mirror, scrutinizing her reflection. She had spent the past hour trying to pick an outfit that wouldn't make her look guilty. She had settled on a red t-shirt layered with a white tank top and a denim skirt. Her hair was still perfectly straight, and she carefully brushed on red eyeshadow and pink lipgloss. Slipping into red flip flops, she grabbed a red handbag and threw her cell phone, house keys, and some makeup into it. Then she sat back on her bed, and frantically tried to think of something else to do…maybe she could clean…She needed to keep busy so she wouldn't start thinking about what had just happened…Unbidden, Derek's face appeared in her mind's eye and she groaned. Had she really said maybe? What the fuck was wrong with her? She wasn't thinking of getting back with Truman…was she?

Suddenly someone knocked at her door and she jumped. "Yeah?" she called out tentatively.

Without coming in, Derek called out from behind the door, "It's almost 6, so we should start heading over to the school. I'll be waiting downstairs." His voice faded away and she heard him going down the stairs.

"I'll be down in a minute," Casey called back, though she wasn't sure he heard her. She grabbed her bag and was about to head downstairs when she stopped at the door…she felt like she was forgetting something…Her eyes swept the room and landed on her collection of body sprays and perfumes. She walked back over and unconsciously picked up the perfume that Truman had given her for their 3-month anniversary. I never even wore it, Casey thought, feeling a stab of sadness. Might as well wear it now, she reasoned, and without smelling it she quickly spritzed it on herself.

Derek was lying down on the sofa with his eyes closed when she got downstairs. Without opening his eyes, he said sleepily, "Lizzie, when did you get home?"

Casey looked around, confused. Lizzie? "Um, what?"

Derek's eyes flew open, looking startled, "Casey?"

"Yes...?" She said slowly, waiting for him to say something. When he simply continued to look puzzled, she shrugged it off. She wasn't in the mood to deal with Derek's weirdness. "Ready for this meeting?"

He cleared his throat, "Yeah, ready as I'll ever be. You wanna drive?"

Casey shook her head, "Nah, I've already driven twice today. Your turn to take the wheel." He nodded absentmindedly and grabbed the keys as they headed to the garage.

The drive felt long and uncomfortable. She saw Derek glance at her several times. He still looked oddly perplexed about something, but he didn't say anything. She didn't speak until he pulled into the school's parking lot. "So…?"

"What?"

"Shouldn't we plan what we're gonna tell Lassiter so we have the same story?"

He looked exasperated, "God, Case, I don't know! Would you quit acting like I know what I'm doing!? Because I don't have a fucking clue!"

She leaned away from him in stunned surprise. What the fuck was his problem anyway? "Fine!" she hissed, slamming the door behind her and walking angrily toward the school.

Derek slumped over the steering wheel, already regretting yelling at Casey. He slowly got out of the car, locking it behind him. He squinted; he could vaguely see Casey standing by the door. He quickly ran up to the door and held it open for her. She didn't even make eye contact with him. Guess she was pissed. Not that he blamed her.

The two of them walked cautiously down the darkened hallway. It was slightly eerie, being here on a weekend.

"Kinda creepy, huh?" Casey said, looking around nervously.

In another time and place, Derek thought ruefully, he would've tried to scare her. But, after what had happened today, he didn't feel like it. Instead he simply replied, "Just what I was thinking."

"Think we're supposed to go to Lassiter's office?"

Derek shrugged, "Sure."

They reached Lassiter's office, but the door was closed. Casey knocked on it, "Sir?" she called loudly. Nobody answered. Derek tried the knob, but it was locked. He frowned. The guy couldn't even bother to show up?

Casey was examining the door. Suddenly she grabbed Derek's arm and pointed at a note that was stuck on the side of the door. He leaned forward to read it: All those who have been requested for the meeting tonight, please come to room 261 promptly at 6 PM. Derek looked at his watch. 6:05. Great.

He let Casey drag him frantically up the stairs. She was way too uptight for her own good.

"Chillz, Case," he said, almost lazily

"Is that the only thing you ever say?" Casey asked furiously.

"You could try listening to me for once," Derek retorted.

Casey stopped abruptly and whirled around to face him, "What? You think I don't listen to you? Your words a-"

"I'm glad you two finally made it," Lassiter's voice cut smoothly into their argument.

"We're only a few minutes late," Derek muttered.

"What was that?" Lassiter said sharply.

"Nothing, nothing."

"Good," Lassiter replied, pointing into the classroom behind him. We've been waiting for you."

Derek rolled his eyes. Talk about laying on the melodrama- 'We've been waiting for you'….Who even talked like that anymore? Shaking his head, he gave an encouraging smile to Casey-which she did not return- and led the way into the classroom. He stopped short at the doorway.

Casey bumped into him. "What the hell? Why did you st-" She caught sight of the people assembled in the room and her eyes opened wide with surprise.

"Hey Derek! Hey Casey!" Ralph shouted, excitedly waving at them. Derek stared at him in stunned silence. What the fuck was Ralph doing here? He could hear Casey's labored breathing behind him and he turned his head, intending to ask her what she was hyperventilating about, when he caught sight of who she was staring at. Truman.

Abruptly in a bad mood, Derek slammed his bag down next to Ralph. He glanced up to see Casey still hovering in the doorway. She was looking between him and Truman, with an odd look on her face. Lassiter stood behind Casey, tapping his foot impatiently, "Miss McDonald, would you care to take a seat?"

"Um-"

"Ohmygod, I'm so sorry, am I late?" Emily cried, running into the room.

"Emily!?"

"Casey?"

"What are you doing here?" the two girls said unison.

"Mr. Lassiter called my house and told me to come here for this meeting…"

"Yeah, same here."

Lassiter interrupted, "Actually, Miss McDonald, I couldn't seem to reach your house number. I was forced to call your stepfather's cell phone instead."

Derek shifted uncomfortably, but Casey looked unfazed. "Oh, sorry about that," she said smoothly. "We're changing phone companies right now." Derek raised his eyebrows. When had Casey become such a good liar? She caught his eye and he winked. She gave him a small smile before sitting in the front row with Emily.

"So, D, you excited for this party?"

"Ralph, this isn't a party."

Ralph looked confused, "But Lassiter said a bunch of people were invited…"

"You call a meeting with 5 students 'a bunch of people?'" Derek asked Lassiter incredulously.

Lassiter didn't appear to be listening and stuck his head out the doorway, as though he was expecting someone else. Derek frowned, "Are we still waiting for someone?" he asked aloud.

"Yes…and here he is now," Lassiter announced.

Derek looked up and saw Sam come rushing into the room, muttering apologies about being late. Sam stopped in the middle of the room and looked at everyone in surprise. "Take a seat," Lassiter said coldly, gesturing at the many empty desks. Still looking bewildered, Sam sat down next to Derek.

Lassiter slammed the door shut and everyone jumped in surprise. "So…." he drawled, staring at all of them. "I assume you all know why you are here?"

"No!" Ralph said confidently. No one else spoke as Lassiter eyed them all grimly.

Truman sneered, "Are you going to make us guess why you dragged us to school on a Saturday night? Not to be rude, but there are plenty of other things I could be doing right now."

"Don't you mean plenty of other people you could be doing right now?" Emily shot.

Sam grinned and Derek nodded approvingly at Emily. Ralph, however, laughed out loud. "Good one, Em!" he called.

"ENOUGH!" Lassiter shouted, and they all jumped again. "THIS IS A SERIOUS MATTER! YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT NONE OF YOU KNOW WHY YOU ARE HERE?"

Truman opened his arms wide and shrugged, clearly gesturing that he wasn't the only one in the room without a clue of what was going on.

Derek was watching Casey to make sure she didn't start blabbering the truth, as she often did when put on the spot. However, she looked completely at ease and stared up at Lassiter with an expression of polite curiosity. Derek looked down to hide a smile. She was really getting the hang of this deception thing.

"I see," Lassiter said. "Well, then, I'll be right back. Why don't you talk amongst yourselves when I'm gone?" With a cold smile, he exited, carefully shutting the door behind him.

"Alright, let's get this party started!"

"For the last time, Ralph, this isn't a party."

Casey turned around to look at them, "So, what does everyone think?"

Truman replied, "Let's think logically about this…"

"Didn't know you were capable of logical thinking," Emily said frostily.

Truman grinned, "There's a lot of things you don't know about me, baby."

Derek grimaced. Was this guy hitting on Emily? In front of Casey? What was his problem anyway? Sam nudged him, "Guess he's trying to steal your moves, D."

"Huh?"

"You know, trying to make the ex jealous by flirting with another girl in front of her…"

Derek blinked, "Oh…yeah. I guess you're right." I wonder if it's working, he added silently. He stared at Casey, but she didn't seem to be paying attention. She looked thoughtful. I wonder what she's thinking about…

Suddenly she turned around to face all of them, "I think Truman is right," she announced.

Emily shot her a weird look, "Right about what?"

"About thinking logically," Casey replied. "I think the first step is to figure out why he called the 6 of us here tonight…"

Sam leaned forward, "Well, we know for a fact that he suspects just the 6 of us as being involved in what happened yesterday."

"Right," Casey said. "But, why just us?"

Emily nodded, "Oh, I get it. You mean, like, what do the 6 of us have in common…?"

Derek frowned, "Wait, you think he chose us because-"

"Because we're all best friends!" Ralph exclaimed.

Emily coughed, "Well, I wouldn't put it like that, exactly."

Truman stood up, "No, but he has a point."

Sam nodded at Truman, "Yeah, Ralph does have a point. I mean, there's like a 1000 kids in the school…Is it coincidence that he chose us?"

Casey replied thoughtfully, "Yeah, we're all friends, more or less. But, what did we do to make Lassiter suspicious of us?"

Lassiter opened the door, holding a large manila envelope in his hand. He shut the door behind him. "I think the answer to your question, Miss McDonald, lies in this envelope."

Everyone looked at the envelope apprehensively. Emily eyed it, "Wh-what's in it, sir?"

Lassiter handed it to Casey. "Why don't you open it and find out?"

"Um, okay," Casey replied nervously.

Derek, Sam, and Truman all leaned forward in anticipation as she reached into the envelope. Ralph appeared to have fallen asleep.

Derek watched Casey's eyes widen and she slowly took out an object and placed it on the desk in front of her. Derek's heart sank when he recognized what it was.

Chapter 9: The Calm Before the Storm
Author's Note: Hope you're all enjoying the story so far! As always, thank you for the reviews! A few of you had some questions about the plot so far, but I can't answer them yet. HOWEVER i will tell you that everything will be explained by the end. All the stuff that hasn't been explained yet is sort of a clue for the ending ;)

Some questions I can answer now:

Katherine: Yes, Lassiter called using George's cell phone- I tried dropping a few hints about this throughout the chapters :)

LandAmongTheStars: Good guess about what was in the envelope :p I ended one of the previous chapters with a cliffhanger about Lassiter looking through the "evidence". I'm glad you picked up on that :)

EreshkigalGirl: Wow, I love the Breakfast Club…lol but it totally wasn't intentional. But, you're right, it does have that vibe to it!

Casey carefully placed the videotape on the desk. She heard a sharp intake of breath from behind her, but she didn't look to see who it was. If Derek had taught her anything, it was to remain calm in the face of danger. And this was certainly a dangerous situation.

Putting on a fake smile, she pointed to the tape and said innocently, "What is this, sir?"

"I bet you didn't know we have security cameras stationed around the school, did you, Miss McDonald?" Lassiter asked coldly.

Derek coughed, "Security cameras!? Isn't that, like, illegal?"

"We shall soon find out what is illegal and what is not, Mr. Venturi."

"Well, what's on the tape?" Emily asked nervously.

He turned to her with a smile, "I don't know yet, Miss Davis."

"You mean you haven't watched it yet?" Sam asked disbelievingly.

"Nope," Lassiter replied cheerfully.

There was silence. Casey turned around to glance at her classmates. Derek was staring at Lassiter with an expression of open-mouthed incredulity, Sam was squinting at Lassiter as though he'd never seen him before, Truman was scowling in disbelief, and Ralph still appeared to be fast asleep.

Casey felt extremely confused and frowned. Lassiter appeared to notice her expression, "Anything you'd like to say, Miss McDonald?"

She looked up, debating whether to speak or not. From the corner of her eye, she saw Derek nod slightly at her. "Okay," Casey said suddenly. "If you haven't watched this tape, then on what basis did you call the 6 of us here tonight as suspects?"

Lassiter grinned. He'd clearly been waiting for someone to ask this question. Without further ado, he pulled another envelope from his suit. "On the basis of this security tape," he replied, putting it down on the desk. He strode to the front of the room and said loudly and clearly, "You are ALL, and I repeat ALL, on this tape engaging in suspicious activity."

"But that's impossible!" Emily sputtered.

"So this is the way it's going to work," Lassiter went on, ignoring Emily. "One by one, you will join myself and Bob in the next room and we will watch this tape together. If you are able to satisfactorily explain the circumstances of your behavior, you will be free to go. Before the night is over, I am certain that I will know who pulled the alarm."

"But I don't understand," Sam interrupted. "The first tape that you haven't watched yet shows who the culprit is, doesn't it?"

"I don't know, I haven't watched it."

Casey felt a surge of annoyance. Lassiter was being simply infuriating. Why couldn't he just watch the fucking tape? "Can't you at least tell us where the two tapes are from?"

"Sure. The tape that you are all going to watch is from the camera in the hallway. The first tape- that no one has watched yet- is from the camera placed above the fire alarm."

Truman stood up suddenly, his chair toppling over. His face was etched with anger, "So the culprit is definitely on the first tape!?" he shouted. "Why are you wasting our time!?"

"HAVE A SEAT!" Lassiter bellowed, and everyone jumped.

Truman shot Lassiter an angry look and roughly picked up his chair from the ground before tossing himself into his seat.

"Alright, let's get started, then," Lassiter said, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "Emily, you're first."

Derek let out a sigh of relief as Emily walked nervously out the door. At least he wasn't first.

"Man, what do you think is on that tape?" Sam asked anxiously.

Derek shook his head, "I have no idea. But I feel like I'm waiting to be questioned for a fucking murder trial or something. In fact, I have half a mind to just go up to Lassiter and tell him-"

"Derek!" Casey screeched.

"What!?"

"Um, I think we should tell George that we're gonna be here late. We don't want him to be sitting at home and worrying about us. Let's go into the hallway and call him."

Huh? Derek opened his mouth to remind Casey that neither of their parents were at home, but she widened her eyes and tilted her head toward the door. Apparently she had something to tell him. "Uh, yeah, sure. That's a good idea. I wouldn't want my dad to be worried." Derek said, getting up to join her.

Casey grabbed his arm and dragged him to the other end of the hallway, looking around nervously. He stared at her bemusedly, "Stop being so paranoid, Case. There's no one else here."

"Okay," she said abruptly, and turned to face him. "What do you think is on that tape?"

"I have no idea why everyone keeps asking me that," Derek said tiredly. "I honestly don't know. I'm a little more worried about the other tape- you know, the one that has footage of me actually turning on the fire alarm. That could be slightly incriminating."

"No need to be sarcastic, Derek."

He shrugged, "Anything else you wanna say to me?"

Casey crossed her arms, "Yeah, actually. I know what you're thinking of doing. Don't do it."

"Do what?"

Casey glared at him, "Don't confess.

"It would save everyone a lot of time," Derek pointed out.

"But there's no reason he has to know it was you."

Derek gave a short laugh, "I think it gonna be a little hard to deny it when he finally watches the other tape."

Suddenly Casey leaned close to him, gripping his shoulder. Her lips brushed his ear, "Don't worry about that tape," she whispered. "It's taken care of."

Derek pushed her away, feeling sick. "What did you do, Case?"

She shook her head, "It's not important right now. Just trust me on this one."

"No. Tell me."

Casey looked exasperated, "Why can't you just trust me?"

"BECAUSE I DON'T TRUST YOU!" Derek exploded.

Casey took a startled step backwards. He caught a glimpse of hurt on her face before it turned into anger. She whirled around and began walking back to the classroom. Derek groaned in frustration before quickly following her. "Casey, wait!" he hissed.

He caught her arm and tried to pull her back, but she struggled against his grip angrily. Becoming impatient, he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her backwards so that she slammed into the lockers. Putting his arms on either of side of her so she couldn't escape, he leaned forward so they were inches apart.

A million different thoughts ran through his head and he hesitated, trying to decide what to say. He finally decided on, "Why do you smell different?"

Whatever she had expected, it wasn't that. "What?"

"You smell different, today," Derek said clearly. "Like vanilla or some other bullshit scent like that."

Casey blinked several times, obviously trying to decide if she was hearing him correctly. "Um, I'm wearing a different perfume."

"Did you buy it?"

She frowned, "No, Tru- …ah, someone, gave it to me…as a gift."

Derek merely looked at her.

"It's really none of your business," Casey snapped.

He nodded, his eyes straying to her lips. They still sparkled. "At least that's still the same," he said pointing at her mouth.

Casey squinted at him, "Derek, would you look at me, please?"

He raised his eyes to meet hers and she peered into them worriedly, "Hmm, they're not red…" she trailed off.

Derek began laughing. He dropped his arms and slumped down on the floor, sitting back against the lockers, beside Casey. He looked up at her "I'm not on drugs, Case."

She slid down next to him and looked at him skeptically, "Are you sure, Derek? I mean, it's okay if you are," she placed a hand on his arm. "I can get you the help you need to lead you back on the right path…"

He stared at his arm, which burned under her touch. She noticed him looking and quickly removed her hand. He turned to face her and said earnestly, "I don't need drugs, Casey. Not when I'm with-"

"WILL YOU TWO GET BACK HERE!" Lassiter shouted down the hallway. Startled, they both looked at him. Derek subtly slid his cell phone from his pocket and held it up, "Just making a call, sir," he said loudly.

Lassiter glared at them before hauling Truman into the interrogation room and slamming the door shut behind him.

Casey turned and looked at Derek expectantly, as though waiting for him to finish his sentence. He met her gaze but didn't speak. He didn't know what he had been trying to say anyway.

Looking disappointed, Casey started to get up, but Derek grabbed her arm, "Wait."

She raised her eyebrows, inviting him to continue. "Just so we're clear, you're telling me that I don't have to worry about that other tape?"

"That's what I said."

"And just so we're clear, you and me are the only ones that know what really happened, right?"

Casey hesitated, looking awkward. Feeling a jolt of nervousness, Derek sat up, "Right?"

Casey said haltingly, "So…I guess I never told you why me and Truman…um… didn't get out of the school right away during the fire alarm yesterday…"

Derek's eyes flashed with anger, "Please tell me you didn't tell Truman."

She didn't reply.

Derek growled, "Casey! Answer me! Did you or did you not tell Truman?"

Casey looked at him worriedly, "Okay, will you just listen to the whole story first?"

Derek took a deep breath, barely controlling his fury. "Fine," he said shortly.

Casey glanced at him quickly and stood up. She began pacing back and forth in front of him, a gesture that made him realize that she was actually scared of telling him the truth. This did nothing to help his mood. "Okay," she began. "When you pulled the fire alarm, there was just instant pandemonium. So many people came running down the stairs and out of the classrooms-"

Derek interrupted, "I know. I was there."

Casey nodded, "Yeah, well…I sort of moved to the side so I wouldn't be trampled. I couldn't see you. I decided to just wait…"

Derek couldn't see where she was going with this. "Go on," he said when she stopped.

"I was leaning against a door to one of the classrooms when someone pulled it back and I fell in-at Truman's feet."

Derek frowned, "So the guy was hanging out in an empty classroom by himself…doing what?"

Casey shrugged, "I don't know. I didn't ask. When he saw me, he pulled me into the room and shut the door and then we, well, um, you know…"

Derek looked up furiously, "You mean you were having sex in there? My god, Casey! I thought all those girls were just dumb gossips! They were actually telling the truth!?"

Her eyes widened and she put her hands up, "No, no! We were just making out, I swear!"

"During a fire alarm?" Derek couldn't keep the disbelief out of his voice.

"Well, it wasn't a real fire!" she said defensively.

"I know that you knew that, at the time. But, there's no way Truman could've known whether it was real or not. You're telling me that he was going to risk being burned to death just for a quick make-out session with you?" he said incredulously.

"Not exactly…"

-FLASHBACK-

Casey grinned as Truman slammed her against the door and leaned in for a kiss. She giggled, "Did I ever tell you that you were a good kisser?"

Truman smirked, "You might've mentioned it." His hands slid down her back and she shivered with pleasure. His lips brushed her neck and she arched it slightly. He murmured against her skin, "I'm so glad you're not mad at me anymore."

"Hmm?" Casey said, trying to think. "Mad at you for what?"

He pulled away with a puzzled smile. "Well you seemed pretty upset that I didn't remind you to go to your math exam…"

Suddenly Casey remembered and frowned, pushing him away. "That's right," she said slowly.

Truman rolled his eyes and grabbed her again, "Oh, come on, Casey. I didn't mean to remind you about the fact that you were mad at me. Let's just forget about it-"

"No!" Casey said indignantly, pushing him away again. "I can't believe my own boyfriend didn't think it was important to help me, and Derek did!"

Truman looked confused, "Derek? What does your brother have to do with this?"

Casey breathed in deeply in anger, "For the last time, Truman, he is my STEP-brother!"

Truman shook his head, "Whatever. He doesn't matter right now." Then he paused, "What do you mean he helped you?"

Casey's eyes flashed, "I mean, even my UNIMPORTANT, SLACKER STEPBROTHER deemed it important enough to get me into that exam, and you didn't give a damn!"

Truman's eyes narrowed, "How did he help you?"

-END FLASHBACK-

Derek sprang to his feet in rage, "SO YOU TOLD HIM EVERYTHING?"

Casey's eyes sparkled with tears. "I had to! I was just so mad at him- I had to show him what a jerk he was. I forgot it was supposed to be a secret-"

"SHUT UP!" Derek bellowed.

Casey jumped backwards, the tears running down her face. "I'm sorry! But you don't understand…"

Derek told himself to calm down, but it didn't work. He didn't think he'd ever been this angry in his entire life. So their fate depended on whether or not Truman could keep his mouth shut? He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. Unfortunately, the only thing he breathed in was her damn perfume. The one that Truman had given her. This did not help his rage, and his eyes flew open again. She was still standing there and staring at him. It looked like she had stopped crying, but he could see the tears glistening on her face.

Derek didn't know what was wrong with him, but he couldn't help feeling as though Casey had stuck a knife in his back. He felt betrayed, and perhaps that's why he chose his next words callously. "I think you've just proved why I could never trust you." She looked as though she'd been slapped. He got an odd satisfaction from that and he leaned forward looking at her stonily. "And now you know why I stopped us- before." Her eyes widened but he continued icily, "I could never be with someone like you." Without pausing to look at her face, he turned on his heel and walked back toward the classroom.

She didn't know how long she sat there in the empty hallway. I could never be with someone like you. Don't think about it. I could never trust you. Don't think about it.

Fresh tears ran down her face.

"Casey?"

Casey looked up and saw Sam looking down at her concernedly. She quickly wiped the tears off her face and tried to smile, "Hey, Sam. What are you doing down here? You been interrogated yet?"

He shook his head and sat down next to her, "Nope, I think he's still talking to Truman."

"Really?" Casey frowned, "Truman's been in there for a long time."

Sam nodded, "Yeah, and Emily's still in there, too."

"Her and Truman are both being questioned at the same time?"

"Yeah, pretty weird, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Sam looked at her and put an arm around her shoulders, "Don't cry anymore, Casey. He's not worth it."

"What are you talking about?"

"Derek told me what he did- about how he pulled the alarm and that whole fiasco with the locked closet. And about how Truman pretty much knows all about it."

"And did Derek tell you what he said to me?"

Sam looked like he was choosing his words carefully, "No, he didn't. I figured he must've said some mean stuff though cuz he's in a pretty bad mood."

Casey's mouth twisted, "Yeah, I saw some of that bad mood."

Sam shook his head, "You know he regrets it."

Casey looked at him, "Did he tell you that?"

"Nah, but I've known D for a long time. I can tell when he feels bad about stuff."

"MISS MCDONALD," Lassiter called. "You're next."

"Coming, sir," Casey called back, getting up.

Sam remained sitting. He smiled slightly when she looked down at him. "Good luck," he mouthed.

Casey returned the smile, "You too…and thanks for, you know, talking to me."

"No problem."

Derek was pacing back and forth across the classroom floor. He was the only one left in the room- except for Ralph, who was still sleeping so he didn't really count anyway.

Suddenly, he heard Lassiter call Casey's name. Derek hurried to the door and saw Casey give a polite nod to Lassiter before walking into the interrogation room. Lassiter glared at something or someone down the hallway before shutting the door behind him.

Derek hesitated for a moment, wondering if Lassiter would come out again, but he didn't. Derek slowly opened the door and walked out into the hallway. He saw Sam walking toward him and nodded at him. Derek put a finger to his lips and pointed at the door, indicating that they should listen to Casey's questioning. Sam winked to show that he understood and placed himself next to Derek.

"I'll be the lookout," Sam whispered. "You can listen." Derek nodded and pressed his ear against the door.
x
Casey walked cautiously into the room. It was small and dimly lit. There was one large desk in the middle of the room and several chairs scattered around it. There was a TV in the corner. A large man nodded to her and pointed to the chair across from him, "Take a seat." Casey sat down and looked behind her. Truman and Emily were sitting in a corner of the room, looking upset. Lassiter walked in and pointed at Truman and Emily, "Remember, you're not allowed to while talk we question Miss McDonald," he said sternly.

Casey smiled nervously, "Is it really necessary for them to be in the room?"

"Yes it is," Lassiter replied smoothly. "Oh, have you met Bob?"

Casey nodded politely to the large man, "Nice to meet you."

Bob grunted at her and picked up a remote lying on the table. Lassiter switched off the light so that they were all sitting in the dark. Bob turned on the TV. Casey saw immediately that the camera was positioned somewhere near their math classroom. Casey looked down to hide a smile. Thank God. It was nowhere near the closet or the fire alarm.

"Alright, let's get started," Lassiter announced. He fast-forwarded through some of the footage before pausing. Casey watched the screen carefully. She saw a huge crowd appear, most of the students looking frantic and rushing toward the exit. Okay, so this was during the fire alarm. Bob pressed a button and the image zoomed in on a corner of the screen. Casey saw herself standing against a door and watched as the door open and she fell in. The door closed. She saw the hallway clear out and nearly 5 minutes later, she and Truman came out and ran through the hallway, getting drenched from the sprinklers in the process.

Lassiter stopped the tape, "Explain what you were doing." Before she could speak, he held up a hand, "And DON'T tell me that Truman was 'listening to music.' That door didn't open by itself."

Casey thought frantically, trying to think of a good excuse. She heard a chair scrape behind her. "I already told you," Truman said loudly, "We were having sex." Casey felt her eyes narrow and turned around to glare at Truman. He was staring at her and he raised his eyebrows slightly when she looked at him- Go along with my story.

Lassiter laughed and shook his head, "I don't believe that Miss McDonald would engage in such an act on school grounds- especially during a fire alarm. So, tell me, what were you discussing in that classroom? Perhaps you were telling her that you pulled the alarm so that exams would be cancelled?"

"I didn't pull the alarm!"

"Don't lie to me!" Lassiter roared, "Your reputation as a troublemaker is well known!"

Casey looked between Truman and Lassiter anxiously. As much as Truman had humiliated her, she wasn't going to let him take the fall for this. "No," she said loudly. "Truman is telling the truth. He didn't pull the alarm."

Lassiter raised his eyebrows at her, "Are you saying that everything he told me was the truth?"

Casey knew what he was asking. She gritted her teeth, "Yes. He told the truth."

She heard Emily gasp behind her and Lassiter stared at her with an expression of disgust, "Miss McDonald…I am shocked."

Casey flushed. "I apologize, sir."

After a minute, Lassiter nodded curtly, "Then your original punishment still stands- 2 weeks detention." He paused, then turned to Truman, "Well, it seems as though your story has been confirmed."

"Yes, it has. Can I go now?" Truman snapped.

Lassiter gave an odd smile, "Don't you think Miss McDonald has a right to know why Miss Davis is here?" Without waiting for an answer, he turned to Bob. "Cue the tape."

Derek leaned against the door, frowning. So, Casey was still sticking up for Truman. Maybe she really did like the guy.

Sam looked at him, "I know what you're thinking, D. And I think you're wrong."

"Huh?"

"I don't think Casey covered for him because she's in love with the guy. She did it because it was the right thing to do."

Derek shot his friend a skeptical look. "Sam, she admitted to having sex with him just to get him out of trouble! She basically threw her reputation on the line for the lying scumbag! If that's not love, I don't know what is."

Sam shrugged, "It's not like she had a choice. You have to admit, it's a convenient cover story."

Derek looked incredulous, "What, are you Truman's side, too?"

Sam grinned, "Nah, D. I'm just saying- cut the guy some slack."

"What!? Why should I?"

Sam raised an eyebrow. "He knows that you're the one who did it. But he hasn't ratted you out yet. I'd be grateful if I were you…"

Chapter 11: Trust is a Five Letter Word
"Ah, here we are," Lassiter said, motioning for Bob to pause the tape. "Watch closely, Miss McDonald. Unfortunately, we don't have audio on these tapes, but I think you will be interested nonetheless…"

Casey leaned forward in spite of herself, staring intently at the screen. She saw Emily walking down the hallway, carrying a book in her hand. She stopped at her locker and pulled out a notebook before slamming it shut and sitting down on the floor. She appeared to be getting in some last minute studying before the math exam. Suddenly, another figure appeared in the hallway and walked toward Emily.

-FLASHBACK-

Emily sat below her locker, gnawing nervously on her lip and staring at her math textbook. Why couldn't she figure out how to do this problem? Her parents had been giving her shit about her grades lately, so she knew she had to get a good grade on this exam. If only she didn't suck so much at math…if only Casey actually had time to study with her these days, but no, she was always too busy with Truman.

"Emily?"

Emily jumped and looked up startled. Speak of the devil. Truman was leering down at her. Where the fuck had this guy come from anyway? She tried to smile, "Truman! What are you doing here so early?"

"I could ask you the same question," he replied, sliding down next to her.

Did I tell him he could sit with me? Emily frowned, "Oh, I'm just studying for that exam we have today. Are you ready?"

Truman laughed, "I hope so. I studied for a while last night. I've always been pretty good at math, so it's not an issue."

"Lucky you," Emily said enviously. "I can't even figure out how to do this problem."

"Want me to take a look at it?"

"Um, sure," Emily said, pointing at the problem she was stuck on. "I can't for the life of me figure out how to do #10."

Truman leaned closer to her, peering at the book. He grinned, "Don't tell me you're still on chapter 12! Have you studied the rest of it?"

"Oh, yeah of course. I just never understood this problem. Do you know how to do it?"

Truman shifted closer to her and slid his arm around her shoulders. Emily froze. "Want me to teach you?" he murmured in her ear.

"Wh-what?" Emily stammered, trying to edge away from him.

He gripped her more tightly, smirking slightly, "Mmmm, you smell good," he whispered, pushing the book out of her hands. He used his other hand to turn her face toward him and held it so she couldn't back away.

"Where's Casey?" Emily asked desperately, hoping to remind him that he had a girlfriend.

"It's okay," Truman whispered. "She'll never find out." And with that, he leaned forward and kissed her on the lips.

-END FLASHBACK-

Casey didn't allow any emotion to cross her face as she watched the video. She watched silently as Truman and Emily kissed. Watched as Emily struggled to push Truman away and got up angrily. She looked like she was yelling at him. He raised an eyebrow cockily and said something back. Emily shook her head and rushed down the hallway. After a second, Truman also got up and walked away until he disappeared off the screen.

Lassiter stopped the video and crossed his arms, looking at Casey expectantly. He clearly thought that she was going to make a big scene. Casey slowly stood up to face Truman and Emily. Emily looked horrified, "Casey, I swear-"

Casey held up her hand. "It's okay, Emily. I know it wasn't your fault. I might not have been able to hear what was going on, but I could see that he was hitting on you, not the other way around. Don't worry about it." She paused, chewing on the inside of her cheek, trying to decide what to say to Truman. "As for you, I guess I'm not really surprised." She could see Lassiter watching her closely. She opened her mouth and said clearly, "I regret ever having had sex with you." Lassiter nodded, satisfied. Apparently, he believed that lie now.

She turned to him without smiling, "As illuminating as this has been, I still don't see why Emily is here."

Lassiter frowned, "Isn't it obvious? From that tape, it looked like Truman and Emily were pretty close...She might've been telling him about how she wasn't ready for the test, and he could've decided to pull the alarm for her so she would have the weekend to study…"

Casey nodded. It wasn't a logical conclusion, but she could see why he would think that. Of course, that was all assuming that it was Truman who had pulled the alarm- which he hadn't been.

Emily stood up hopefully, "So, does that mean that me and Casey can leave?"

"No, I'm afraid not. The three of you have not proved your innocence yet," Lassiter said apologetically.

"What!?" Casey said indignantly. "It's supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, not the other way around!"

"Under normal circumstances, that would be true. However, I am certain that someone here is, in fact, guilty," Lassiter paused. "So, for right now, we're going with the assumption of guilty until proven innocent."

"But, that's not fair!"

"Life isn't fair, Miss Davis," Lassiter said listlessly. He then glanced at his watch. "However, I am not completely heartless. It's almost 8pm so why don't we take a break?" he said, walking toward the door.

"Quick!" Derek hissed, "They're coming out, get into the classroom!" He grabbed Sam's arm and they stumbled into the classroom, falling into the nearest seats.

A few seconds later, Lassiter walked into the classroom, closely followed by Casey, Emily, and Truman. He looked down at Derek and Sam in some surprise, "When did you two relocate to the front row?"

"Ralph talks in his sleep. It was a little too strange for my taste," Derek said swiftly.

Lassiter glanced at Ralph bemusedly, "That boy sure can sleep." He cleared his throat, "Listen up! Since it is 8pm, I'm going to give you all a little break before we continue. Bob and myself are going to that diner down the street to get some coffee…Does anyone here want anything?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "Okay, then…We'll be back in about half and hour."

He turned to leave, but paused at the door. "None of you may leave the building. I expect to see all of you here when I return."

"Yes, sir," Derek said, eager for Lassiter to leave. Lassiter nodded and shut the door securely behind him.

"And then there were 6…" Ralph whispered.

Derek rolled his eyes, "Had a good nap, Ralph?"

"Yeah," he yawned. "I don't know why I'm so sleepy all the time."

Casey advised, "Get a full 8 hours of rest a night, Ralph."

Truman grinned, "Well some of us don't need 8 hours-"

"Enough!" Sam said loudly. Derek looked at him in surprise. Sam glanced at him before continuing, "We don't have the time for this right now. We only have 30 minutes to figure out how to get out of this mess, and I suggest we all work together." He held up a hand when he saw Emily glare at Truman. "I know that we aren't all best friends or whatever, but none of us wants to be in trouble…so let's just suck it up and come up with a plan."

Everyone exchanged glances glumly. Derek sighed, "You're right, Sam. What do you think we should do?"

"Okay, well first of all, let's go out in the hallway. Sitting at these desks makes me feel like I'm in history class or something," Sam said, leading the way. Everyone followed him out into the hallway, where they gathered in a circle around him. "Okay," Sam said again. "First things, first. I think we should all know the same information."

Casey frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Everyone here knows what Derek did, except Emily. So, this would be the time to fill her in."

Emily looked around the circle uncertainly, "Fill me in about what?"

Derek scowled, "None of you know how to keep a secret, do you?"

"It's hardly a secret, D. The rest of us know," Sam pointed out.

Casey suddenly said, "Wait, but Ralph doesn't know, does he?"

Derek said dismissively, "It was Ralph's idea."

"My idea to do what?"

"For me to pull the alarm, Ralph. Keep up with the conversation, would you?"

Emily gasped, "IT WAS YOU!?"

Sam began to fill her in on the whole story. Ralph was listening interestedly. Truman was staring at the ground, his eyebrows furrowed. Derek tried to catch Casey's eye, but she was determinately not looking at him. He felt a slight pang when he remembered the last words he had spoken to her, and tried to shrug it off. He had been right to get upset…hadn't he?

"Alright," Sam said loudly, "Now that we're all on the same page about Derek, perhaps we should discuss everyone else's secrets…" He looked expectantly at Truman, Casey, and Emily.

Casey shrugged, "I guess I agree with that. Truman and Derek already know the truth. I guess I'll fill the rest of you in." She proceeded to tell everyone why she and Truman had been delayed in coming out of the school during the fire alarm. Derek listened carefully, but she merely repeated the same story she had told him.

Emily's mouth dropped open, "You mean you lied to Lassiter!?"

"I had to, Em. Lassiter was already suspicious of Truman."

"Exactly!" Emily exclaimed, "He thinks Truman did it. You could've just let him think that…"

Casey looked extremely shocked. "Em! I couldn't let him take the blame for something he didn't do!"

"Casey," Emily said patiently, "This is Truman we're talking about-"

"But, that doesn't make it right!"

Sam shot Derek a grin, I told you so. Derek smiled slightly and rolled his eyes. Yeah, yeah. You're always right.

Ralph said, "Okay, so we know why Derek, Casey, and Truman are here. What about Emily?"

Emily shifted uncomfortably, "Um, well…"

Casey smiled at her friend, "You have nothing to be ashamed of, Em. It was completely Truman's fault."

Truman rolled his eyes, "Okay, okay. I'll tell the story." He quickly explained to the others why Emily had been called to the meeting. Derek tried his best to look like this was the first time he was hearing the story. He didn't think they would be too happy to know that he and Sam had been listening at the door. Suddenly he realized that Casey was looking expectantly at him. Huh? And then he realized that Truman had finished telling them about how he had hit on Emily. Casey was clearly waiting for his reaction.

Derek forced a lazy smile to his lips, "Once a cheater, always a cheater," he said coolly.

Sam added, "It does explain why Emily has so much built up hostility toward Truman." Derek nodded, thinking about how Emily had flipped out at Truman in front of the school yesterday. It did explain a lot…

Ralph looked confused, "But that doesn't make sense."

Casey raised her eyebrows, "What do you mean, Ralph?"

Ralph appeared to be deeply contemplating his answer. "Well…it's like Emily is only here BECAUSE Lassiter thinks that Truman did it."

Casey nodded, "Yeah, I was thinking of that, too. Emily and Truman could've been talking about anything. And in this case, they really were just talking about the math exam. Lassiter is hell-bent on proving that Truman is the one that pulled the alarm, so he made everyone who Truman came in contact with that day a suspect."

Sam shook his head, "That doesn't seem right."

Truman laughed grimly, "That's what happens when you have a reputation for causing trouble. Everyone automatically blames you for everything…"

"Well then, how come he hasn't blamed Derek for anything yet?" Ralph pointed out.

Derek frowned, "I'm here, aren't I?"

"Yeah, but it's like you said, 'Once a cheater, always a cheater'…you and Casey have both been caught cheating on a math test before. How come Lassiter doesn't think you're trying to cheat your way out of this exam?"

Emily shook her head, "Ralph has a point. We need to think about this. For some reason, Lassiter doesn't think Derek did it. He thinks Truman did, and he wants to prove that in some way."

Casey suddenly said, "Emily's right. Even though me, Truman, and Emily have already explained what we were doing on those tapes, Lassiter still won't let us leave. Which makes me think he has more footage of us that he hasn't shown us yet."

Sam frowned, "Okay, let's talk about what could be on those tapes…Could you tell where the security camera was placed, Casey? I mean, I know it's in the hallway, but how much of the hallway can you see?"

"Yeah, the camera was pointed toward the side doors to the school- probably to keep track of who's coming in or going out-and it includes that long stretch of hallway near our math classroom."

"Near the math classroom?" Derek interrupted.

Casey nodded, "Yeah, but it's pointed in the opposite direction from the fire alarm you pulled and that closet we were hiding in."

Sam appeared to be thinking, "Is there anything else important in that hallway that you remember?"

Emily said, "Well it is the same hallway that has my locker, Derek's locker, and Ralph's locker."

Truman frowned, "Aren't all our lockers in that hallway?"

"Yeah, but the camera is only pointed toward ours. Your locker, Sam's locker, and Casey's are behind the camera so you can't see them."

Derek suddenly remembered something, "Fuck!" he swore.

"What's wrong, D?"

"If it shows the math classroom, then he'll see me sneaking out during the exam- and coming back with Casey."

There was silence. Casey heaved a big sigh, "I guess we know why he won't let me leave…and we know what he's going to question you about."

Emily said, "Well, Derek, at least you have time to make up an excuse. Now, what about Sam and Ralph? Any ideas about why you two are here?"

Derek said slowly, "Well, I think I know why Ralph is here. When me and Casey were stuck in that closet, we heard Ralph in the hallway a couple times- when he was supposed to be taking the exam."

Emily rolled her eyes, "Well yeah, I can see how that would be slightly suspicious. Ralph, you'll have to think of an excuse for that. Now what about you, Sam?"

Sam shook his head, "I haven't the faintest idea."

Emily persisted, "Did you talk to Truman at any point during the day?"

Sam opened his mouth, then hesitated. Derek squinted at him in the dim light. It was hard to tell, but it seemed like a faint blush had appeared across Sam's face. Emily noticed, "You did talk to him, then?"

Sam didn't speak, but Truman grinned, "Yeah, he did."

Casey looked suspiciously between them, "What happened?

Suddenly they heard footsteps echoing in the stairwell, "Everyone get in the classroom!" Emily whispered. They all fled into the room, quickly throwing themselves into their seats.

A minute later, Lassiter walked in. He glanced around the room carefully, "I'm glad to see that everyone is still here…Well, no time to waste. Derek you're up next…
x
"…Derek you're up next." Lassiter motioned for Derek to follow him.

Derek stood up with sarcastic smile, "Can't wait, sir."

Casey tried to catch his eye to warn him not to screw up, but he didn't look at her. Lassiter, however, paused at the door and turned around, "Miss McDonald, you may join us as well."

Damn. "O-okay," Casey said nervously.

They both walked into the next room. Casey automatically headed to the back seats where Truman and Emily had sat during her interrogation, but Lassiter shook his head with a smile. He pulled up a chair next to Derek and pointed to Casey. "You'll be sitting next to Mr. Venturi for this one," he said cheerfully.

Casey gave him a tight smile and sat down slowly next to Derek. Lassiter looked awfully happy about something. Perhaps he thought that he was honing in on the criminal. And then Casey mentally shook her head. Criminal? She wasn't in jail. But, as she looked around the room, she frowned. It had a very…jail-y vibe to it, for sure.

"Hey, Derek," she whispered.

He turned to her and raised an eyebrow questioningly. She leaned toward him, "Doesn't this feel like prison to you?"

"Stop being so dramatic, Case," he replied shortly.

Casey sighed and leaned back. Derek still appeared to be in a bad mood. Lassiter clapped his hands, "Alright, let's get started." He turned off the lights and they were thrown into darkness, again. Bob pointed at the TV with the remote, and the video began playing.