Disclaimer: Don’t own Life With Derek, the malls or any of the bands and movies mentioned in the fic. ‘Nuff said.

Author’s Note: I’m so glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter. I still can’t get over the response this fic is getting. I’m absolutely ecstatic! Hope you enjoy this next chapter!

RANDOM FACT: Westmount Mall and White Oaks Mall are actual malls in London, Ontario. I should know, because I used to live there, haha.

X

Code Names for Puberty
A Night on the Town

X

They had been seeing each other in secret for nearly two weeks and for once, Edwin and Lizzie were glad that they were the middle kids because it gave them an advantage that none of their other siblings had.

That advantage? To be able to sneak off without being detected or raising suspicion.

To everyone else in the Venturi-McDonald household, Edwin and Lizzie sneaking away to go meet up in the Games Closet was nothing new. They’d been doing that since the day their families merged. Add that to the fact that the rest of their family members were so absorbed with what was going on with their own lives and well… it just made it that much easier to meet up and do as they pleased.

The best part? No one noticed a single thing. On the surface, everything was back to normal - well, as normal as things got for their crazy family. Since Edwin and Lizzie were no longer “fighting” and were back to their regular routine of spying on Derek and Casey - or rather, “observing teenage interaction” - and basically being joined at the hip, their elder siblings (and Marti, to an extent) were back to doing what they did best - keeping the attention focused on themselves, and as usual, Edwin and Lizzie were pushed aside - but they didn’t care. At least, not anymore.

It was truly remarkable, though, how incredibly oblivious their family was. Even though everything appeared to be “back to normal” on the outside, any normal family would be able to see through the alleged “normalcy”. Any normal family would be able to put two and two together, and realize that Edwin and Lizzie’s “meetings” were becoming more frequent, and any normal family would probably catch the lustful glances they shared at the dinner table, or the shy smiles exchanged whenever their hands accidentally touched when they reached for the remote at the same time.

The Venturi-McDonalds, however, were the furthest thing from normal, and they were completely and utterly oblivious. They (Edwin and Lizzie, that is) could probably waltz into the kitchen holding hands and no one would bat an eye. They wouldn’t risk it, of course, but that’s just how blind their family was. Besides, it was so much more fun meeting up in secret - kind of romantic, even. Like it was forbidden or something.

Still… as romantic as it was, meeting up in the Games Closet just for the sake of practicing kissing and exploring one another’s bodies was getting old, and as Lizzie broke their current kiss for oxygen, Edwin couldn’t help but voice his thoughts - thoughts that had been eating away at him since the start of their evening escapades.

“What are we?” He asked, still a bit breathless from the kiss.

Lizzie, who was leaning in for another kiss, pulled back and frowned.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“I mean… what are we?” Edwin specified, motioning to the two of them. “Like… are we… you know… boyfriend and girlfriend?”

Lizzie sighed and fell back against the closet door, closing her eyes and repeating Edwin’s question over and over again in her mind. Truth be told, she hadn’t really given much thought about them. Sure, they’d been “seeing” each other (in secret) for the better part of two weeks, but that… their meetings, that is… were primarily scheduled for the sole purpose of “practice”.

That didn’t mean anything, did it?

Were they boyfriend and girlfriend? She wondered. Even though neither of them had actually made it official… they had to be something, right? There was an obvious attraction on both their parts, clearly, but was that all it was? An attraction? Infatuation with a dose of raging hormones? Were they merely “step-siblings with benefits”, using each other to satisfy their urges until they found someone better? Or were they something more than that?

“I don’t know…” she answered finally, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Are we?”

“D-do you want to be?” Edwin stammered.

“Do you?” Lizzie countered.

“I… I wouldn’t mind, if that’s what you mean.” Edwin replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets and refusing to meet her gaze. “Would you?”

“N-no…” Lizzie couldn’t help but want to smack herself for sounding so nervous and unsure.

Edwin swallowed nervously and licked his lips.

“Then… do you want to be?” He asked.

“Be what?” asked Lizzie, though she had a feeling she already knew what he was going to ask.

“My girlfriend.” He replied, confirming what she already knew.

“Umm… o-okay…” Damn it! Why was she so nervous? This was Edwin she was talking to!

“So… I guess it’s official, then.” He said. “We’re boyfriend and girlfriend.”

“I guess so.”

An awkward silence - something that seemed to be becoming more common - dawned on them, and for a few minutes, neither of them said anything. Then Lizzie, growing tired of the silence, spoke up.

“So… what now?” She asked.

“Well… it’s obvious, isn’t it?” Edwin said. “We… go out on a date.”

Lizzie smirked.

“A date?” She repeated. “At this hour? In public?”

Edwin rolled his eyes.

“Not right now!” He said. “I was thinking maybe… tomorrow night? We could go see a movie at Westmount… it’s less crowded there and we’re less likely to run into people we know.”

“It sounds to me like you’ve actually thought this through,” said Lizzie, still smirking. “Have you?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Just a little.”

Edwin sighed and scratched the side of his head.

“So… is that a yes or no?” He asked.

“Well… it is getting kind of cramped in here… and a change of scenery would be nice…” Lizzie thought about it for a few more seconds before smiling. “Sure. Why not?”

Edwin’s eyes lit up.

“Really? That’s great!” He exclaimed, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a tight embrace. “You won’t regret this, Liz! I promise!”

“I know, I know… but you are paying, right?”

Edwin immediately released her and took a step back, grinning sheepishly.

“Of… course I am.” He said slowly, through gritted teeth.

Lizzie beamed.

“Good.” She chirped, leaning forward and kissing the corner of his mouth before pulling away. “It’s a date, then.”

X

At around 5:30 the following afternoon, Lizzie found herself uncharacteristically stressing over what to wear for her date with Edwin. It was silly, really - ridiculous, even. She’d never been one to worry about superficial issues before, so why was she suddenly starting now? More importantly, however… why was she doing it all for Edwin?

It was that precise thought that made Lizzie stop pacing around her room and sigh for the umpteenth time that day. Puberty was so annoying. It was messing with her head and turning her into a miniature Casey - something she really didn’t want to happen. Unfortunately, her adolescent mind thought otherwise, and after a heated debate with her conscience that lasted about three minutes, she reluctantly succumbed to her feminine urges and made her way over to her closet.

She skimmed through her wardrobe in search of something… appealing to wear. Something nice and flattering, but not trashy. Eventually, she came across something decent enough and started to get ready.

Getting ready that particular afternoon was probably the longest and most dreadful experience of her life, and she was certain that by using her mother’s blow-dryer to dry her hair instead of letting it do so naturally, she definitely contributed to the ongoing threat of Global Warming. It made her feel bad, but she didn’t have time to let it dry naturally. They had to leave for their date soon and if she wanted to look her best, she had to… make sacrifices.

‘Oh, dear God.’ Lizzie thought mournfully, as she slipped on a belt and made her way over to the full-length mirror hanging on the back of her door. ‘What the hell is wrong with me?’

She bit her lip and scrunched up her nose as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror, examining every inch of her body.

There were so many things wrong with her, it wasn’t even funny. Sure, she’d moved up from a training bra to an actual bra, but even then, she was still small in comparison to the other girls she knew - like Tanya and Michelle, for example - and she was nowhere near as busty as Casey.

To add salt to the wound, it was a well known fact that Edwin was a “bust” type of guy, too. He’d made that clear numerous times, and the fact that she wasn’t exactly the “biggest” girl in their class made her feel rather… inadequate, to say the least.

A knock at the door snapped Lizzie out of her thoughts, and that knock was soon followed by Edwin’s muffled voice.

“Hey, are you ready?”

“Yeah!” She called back. “I’ll be out in a sec!”

X

‘Whoa.’

That was the only thing that came to Edwin’s mind as Lizzie emerged from her bedroom just seconds later, clad in a jean skirt with black leggings. She also wore a light green top that tied up above her waist, revealing the yellow tank top underneath. Her entire ensemble was topped off with some matching jewelry that he’d seen Casey wear before, so he could only assume that they belonged to her.

“You’re staring.” Lizzie’s voice brought his attention back to her face. “Is something wrong?”

“What? No! Of course not!” Edwin assured her. “You look great!”

A faint blush graced Lizzie’s cheeks, but she quickly got over the compliment and changed the subject.

“So, are we ready to go?” She asked.

“Uhh… yeah…” Edwin replied. “You remember what I said, though, right?”

“Yeah. If anyone asks, I’m meeting up with Jamie and you’re meeting with Michelle.” Lizzie recited.

Edwin smiled.

“Great.” He said, before glancing down at his watch. “We better get going. The bus leaves in ten and we’ve got a five-minute walk. Do you have everything?”

“Yep.”

“Good! We’re all set, then!”

X

Edwin turned out to be right, Lizzie realized, as the two wandered aimlessly from store to store while waiting for their movie to start.

Westmount Mall was significantly less crowded than White Oaks, and the only people who usually shopped there were the senior citizens (because they enjoyed the peace and quiet) and mothers with young children, so the chances of them running into someone they knew were very slim. Besides, most of the kids in their grade - as well as all of the teenagers they knew - shopped at White Oaks because that’s where all of the “cool” stores were. So, needless to say, they were pretty much safe.

After a while, Edwin and Lizzie found themselves walking around the back of a music store in search of a record player. Edwin was really into the old vintage music from the fifties and sixties. He owned quite a few records by artists like Buddy Holly and bands like the Beatles and the Who, and even some records that dated back long before the second World War - they’d all been stashed in boxes in the back of his bedroom attic when he’d first moved up there to make room for the McDonald women. The only problem was… he didn’t have a record player to play the records on, and to him, downloading the music off the Internet or buying the albums on CD just wasn’t the same as listening to it the old fashioned way, which was why he’d been searching high and low for an actual record player for nearly two years… with very little success, unfortunately.

“How much longer until our movie starts?” Lizzie wondered out loud, as she picked up an Evanescence CD and checked the price.

“Uhh…” Edwin stopped trying to peer through the storage room and glanced up at the Marilyn Monroe clock hanging on the wall. “Pretty soon, actually. We should go.”

Lizzie nodded and put the Evanescence CD back where she’d found it before she and Edwin made their way out of the music store, up the escalator and over to the movie theatre on the second floor.

“Two tickets to ‘Shutter’.” Edwin announced, slapping a movie coupon for two onto the counter once they’d reached the ticket booth.

The guy sitting at the counter - whose nametag read “Mark” - had curly red hair and thick glasses, and looked to be in his mid-twenties. He wore a sour expression on his face and didn’t look like he enjoyed his job too much, and after placing his comic book down, he raised an eyebrow at Edwin.

“Aren’t you a little young for that movie?” He said. “How old are you?”

“Fourteen.” Edwin lied.

“Riiiight.” The guy, Mark, obviously didn’t believe him. “You know… I think ‘Horton Hears A Who’ might be a little more appropriate for someone your age, don’t you agree?”

“Dude, I’m fourteen!” Edwin cried. “Just give me and my girlfriend the freakin’ tickets!”

“Edwin…” Lizzie started, wrapping her hand around his forearm. “Calm down or you’ll get us kicked out.”

Edwin smiled weakly at her and took a few deep breaths in order to regain his composure before turning back to face Mark.

“Fine. If you won’t listen to me… at least listen to this.” He pulled out an extra ten dollars and waved it around in front of Mark’s face, feeling rather smug as he watched the redhead eye the money greedily. “For you… if you give us the tickets. What do you say, Mark?”

Beside him, Lizzie was speechless. She knew Edwin liked to bribe and bet for his own benefit, but it’d never really impressed her like it did at that moment, and when his lips curled into a very Derek-like smirk when Mark snatched the bill and handed him the tickets… she nearly swooned.

“C’mon, Liz.”

Before Lizzie could even respond, Edwin grabbed her hand and led her over to the popcorn stand.

X

Edwin’s jaw clenched tightly as a particular jumpy scene caused Lizzie to shriek and cover her eyes.

The movie was about halfway in and Edwin really didn’t know what to do. A silent debate was going on in his head, about whether or not he should wrap his arm around her. It was completely ridiculous, really, since it wasn’t exactly unusual for him to just casually throw an arm over her shoulder and pull her close to him, but ever since they’d started… whatever it was they were doing, things were different. She wasn’t just his step-sister anymore, she was his girlfriend too.

He ran his tongue over his bottom lip. All of his worrying was making him thirsty, but when he reached for his drink, his fingers accidentally grazed Lizzie’s. Their eyes met briefly, but Edwin quickly pulled his hand back like it’d just been burned and looked down at his lap.

“Sorry.” He murmured.

“S’okay.” Lizzie replied softly.

“Do you… like the movie?” He asked.

“It’s okay.” She said.

Edwin glanced over.

“Do you want to ditch?”

Lizzie shrugged.

“I dunno… it’d be a huge waste of a perfectly good coupon…”

“Yeah,” Edwin agreed. “I guess.”

They went back to watching the movie, but after about five minutes, Lizzie spoke up again.

“Edwin?”

Edwin turned to face her, opening his mouth to say something, but was cut off when Lizzie suddenly grabbed his face with both of her hands and brought his lips to hers in a kiss that lasted mere seconds, but left him breathless anyway.

“What was that for?” He asked.

Lizzie just smiled.

“No reason.” She replied, before focusing her attention back on the movie.

X

About an hour or so later, Edwin and Lizzie walked through the front door of their house, only to find the rest of their family sitting in the living room eating leftover pizza and watching TV. No one really acknowledged their presence, save for Nora, who wanted to know how the movie went.

“It was alright,” Lizzie replied, “Nothing spectacular or anything.”

Edwin nodded in agreement.

“That’s good.” Nora replied, grinning. “Did you two have fun with Jamie and Michelle?”

Edwin and Lizzie glanced at each other before looking back at her.

“Oh, yeah, it was a blast.” Edwin said. “You really should’ve been there.”

Lizzie bit her tongue to keep from laughing, and before her mother could ask any more questions, she quickly grabbed Edwin’s wrist and dragged him up the stairs.

X

And that’s the end of chapter 6! I apologize if the chapter sort of wavered near the end… I’m really tired, to be honest. It’s almost midnight here. Still, I hope you guys enjoyed!

Please, leave a review and I’ll update as soon as I can!

REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!

-Lady Azura-