A/N: This story takes place right after Casey and Max break up. Both Casey and Derek are 17; Edwin is 15 and Lizzie is 14; Marti is 8.
Chapter 1
Casey was sitting on the couch in the living room staring at the blank television screen, thinking about all of the ways she had screwed up with Max. She kept telling herself that everything happened for a reason, but that was a loser's motif. If you lose, there must be some holy reason – some divine plan – that you can hold responsible for your loss. And then something even better will come flying through your bedroom window. "I don't think so," Casey thought despondently.
"Dinner time!" Casey heard Nora call.
"I'm not hungry," Casey said, sighing and walking up to her bedroom. She had already finished her homework, but she had a test coming up in two weeks so she figured she might as well start studying. Absentmindedly, she stared out the diamond shaped window. She could practically feel the cold breeze from inside, watching as the colorful leaves blew off the trees and landed on the already frozen ground like giddy sea nymphs crazy with some form of beautiful, euphoric delusion. She shook her head. It must be so easy to be a leaf, to be able to free fall – to be able to just not care. Casey sighed and opened her text book and was struck with pages and pages of fine black print, but she didn't mind – she craved knowledge. It gave her peace. It helped her to forget all of her normal, ordinary boy trouble.
"I should consider myself lucky," she said out loud, not meaning to talk to anyone in particular, since she was alone in her room with the doors closed. "A lot of girls don't even get dates until they're 25."
The other side of Casey rationalized. "Yeah, but all of the guys you dated were pompous jerks who dumped you once they found out they couldn't convince you to have sex with them," Casey told the idiot in her that thought she was lucky.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the annoying sound of someone knocking on her door. "Who is it?" Casey groaned.
"It's just me," Casey heard Lizzie say. "I brought you up a bagel and lemonade."
Casey got up from her desk and opened door. "Thanks, Liz," Casey said.
"What's wrong?" Lizzie asked.
"I broke up with Max. I found out that he was cheating on me with some whore named Amy," Casey said.
Lizzie hugged Casey, gently patting her on the back. "It'll be alright, Case," Lizzie said.
"I know, I know. I guess this is a good time to get back to being the person I used to be," Casey said.
"That sounds like a good idea," Lizzie said, smiling.
"I didn't really love Max, anyways. He was hot, but that was about it. Actually, now that I think of it, he was such a coward," Casey said.
"What about Sam?" Lizzie asked.
"Sam's too insecure. He's a great friend, but he's more like a brother to me than anything else," Casey said.
Lizzie nodded. "I'm sure there's someone out there who cares enough to break through your shell," Lizzie said.
"What shell?"Casey asked.
"The wall you built around yourself. Don't worry, sis, I built the same wall…it must be genetic," Lizzie said, and then the two sisters were standing under a dim light bulb laughing their hearts away, burning calories and watching unnecessary heat fade to ashes as, together, they turned a whole new leaf. No, Case made a resolution, she didn't need boys. She didn't need a relationship, and she didn't need love. Well…at least, she didn't need the romance sort of love.
Casey took a sip of the ice-cold lemonade stared out the window again, focusing on the pale rising moon instead of the descending leaves. The night just now was setting in. If only she knew, that once this night took it's rightly place, there would be no going back. But Casey didn't know any of this now. Lizzie was even less informed.
"I have to finish my homework," Casey told Lizzie.
"Okee-dokee. I'll leave you and your textbooks be," Lizzie said, and the two sisters shared another burst of the giggles.
So Casey sat at her desk, writing random definitions and staring at flashcards all while calculating the grade she needed to achieve in order to maintain an A average. If only that were the only thing she had to worry about.
To Be Continued….
