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A week later...

I was so fiercely hungry that I could eat a horse.

Shay had dragged me out last night for a few drinks and I never had the chance to eat a proper meal. Nevertheless, we had a great time together and I had to admit, I enjoyed seeing her drunk more than I should have. I kept my drinks to a minimum and I'm glad I did, otherwise Shay and I wouldn't have gotten home last night otherwise.

On the plus side, Shay and Kelly were planning to take me to meet the guys of 51 the next time they all went out for drinks. I was excited to meet the people I'd heard so much about.

I padded into the bathroom quietly careful not to disturb anyone. Then I made my way to the kitchen in search of well needed food.

From what I could tell Matt was home and Kelly wasn't. Matt's shoes were beside the sofa and his keys were on the coffee table, but Kelly has appeared to have stayed out last night.

As I fried up some eggs I grabbed my phone and texted Kelly - Hope you had fun lover-boy. How's the head?

I'd plated up my eggs and made coffee by the time he replied - A lot of fun. And don't ask. I'll be home soon.

I rolled my eyes as I shoved a fork-full of eggs in my mouth - Wham, bam and thank you m'am.

The phone buzzed across the breakfast bar when Kelly answered - Something like that.

Kelly was a prolific ladies man, but he didn't pretend to be anything but. I guess he hadn't met the right girl yet to make him settle down and he was still young. There's no harm in having a little fun, as long as your careful about it and feelings don't get in the way. That's when it gets complicated.

Once I finished my eggs I poured myself another mug of coffee and settled on the sofa to watch the news. The weather looked lovely outside, a warm but not overly hot day seemed to be brewing. I had nothing to do today, so maybe I'd go out for a run. I'd missed my morning runs.

Fifteen minutes had passed when I heard footsteps upstairs and doors creaking open. A pair of bare legs appeared and started walking down the stairs - at first I thought it was Shay, but it was this red-haired girl I'd never seen before. She was sporting wild hair and was wearing a daringly short white dress.

Matt followed close behind, clothed in nothing but a pair of boxers.

The girl shot me a glance before she slipped through the doorway after giving Matt a quick kiss. Once the door was closed, he turned and grinned, before heading to grab some coffee.

"She's the third this week. You're on a role Casey," I say as nonchalantly as possible as Matt sits in the armchair, smelling of sex and beer.

Matt rolls his eyes, annoyed that I was calling him up on this, "And it matters to you, because?"

I hold up my hand, "Oh, it doesn't. I'm just stating facts."

His blue eyes narrow at me and he clenches his jaw, "If you want to say something, say it. Don't be a fucking pussy and expect me to beat around the bush with you."

This ignites a burning anger within me, "Alright. Hallie. Sleeping around with god knows how many women isn't going to fix what's going on in your head."

I can see in his eyes that he's angry with me, so angry, and I was angry with him for how rude he was. And I was angry with myself.

"How do you know about her?" He hisses bitterly, hunching over in the armchair to appear closer to me.

I swallow deeply, "Shay. I asked her about you."

Matt's blue eyes widen with fake humor and a deep fury, "So you think that now you've heard this one thing about me that you know me?"

Momentarily stunned, I shake my head, "No, I-"

He quickly cuts me off, "Then don't tell me what the fuck to do, Dawson. I'll sleep with who I want. I don't give you instructions on how to live your life - I couldn't care less - so don't impose your perfect ideals on me."

I clench my fist, "I'm not trying to 'impose my ideals on you', I'm stating facts. And maybe I was trying to give you some fucking advice!"

Matt scoffs humorslessly, "I highly doubt that... Look Dawson, just because you're so fucking perfect with your perfect little life it doesn't mean you get to dictate what the rest of us do. So back off!"

I slam the coffee down on the table and push myself off the sofa quickly, "How I'd love to be perfect Casey, trust me," I hiss harshly before rushing up the stairs and away from him.

I quickly change into my running clothes, images of those days haunting my mind like some disease I couldn't get rid of. Why could I never escape them?

Grabbing my keys I leave the apartment, slamming the door behind me. I take the elevator to the ground floor, open the front doors and hit the pavement and run.

Run from everything.

Casey

Kelly was with a girl again, probably the same one he went home with last night. Shay was having dinner with her mom. Gabby, screw Gabby, she'd been called in for a few hours.

Who the hell did she think she was? She doesn't know me, she doesn't know Hallie, she doesn't really know what happened and she has no right to comment on it. Neither does she have a right to comment on my behaviour. I'm not hurting no one. This is my business. She should stay out of it.

She made it seem so easy, black and white, right and wrong, as if she was some fucking angel or something. So she'd had a good life, she had experience to comment on other people's pitfalls. Didn't she?

What did she mean by how she wished to be perfect?

Maybe there's more to her than you realise?

I don't know. I don't care. I leave her to live her own life, she should let me do the same.

I was contemplating calling Sarah. I was bored and alone, I needed the company. There was nothing wrong with what I was doing. I'm fine. I'm fine.

The phone was in ready in my hand when I heard someone unlock the front door. I looked at the clock 7pm and I rolled my eyes, it's probably Gabby. She was only needed to cover for someone for a couple of hours.

Sure enough, when the door opened and a figure slipped inside, it was her.

Gabby shuffled in and closed the door behind her. Her head was lowered so I couldn't see her face as she kicked off her shoes. I swear I heard her sniffle.

I watched her as she moved towards the staircase, figuring that she was just ignoring me because of earlier. Fine, I could deal with that.

But as she took the first step on the stairs I caught a glimpse of her face, it was red and puffy and she was crying. Then I heard a whimper escape her lips.

"Dawson?" I call as I quickly get up from the sofa and jog towards the stairs. She pauses for a second but then shakes her head, lifting her foot slowly onto the next step.

When I reached the stairs I caught her hand in mine and she stopped moving, "Leave it," she mutters with upset mangling her words as she tries to shake my hand away.

"What's wrong? What happened?" I ask her hurriedly, finding myself feeling more concerned than I'd expect. I coaxed her body into turning so that she faced me. Gabby tried to fight against me, pushing me away, "Just get off me!"

But something told me that she couldn't be alone right now. That I shouldn't leave her alone and uspet like this, no matter how much she ground on me.

So I held onto her as she fought against me, pushing against my chest with as much fight as she could muster. Then the energy seemed to slip from her body as she stopped fighting against me and she collapsed on the third step of the stairs, curling up into a ball and crying helplessly.

I sat beside her, finding it awkward to sit on the step because I was crammed onto the narrow part of the stairs but not concerned about anything other than Gabby right now. Cautiously I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into my chest. She froze for few moments, her body stiff next to mine, but then she curled into my chest and cried into my shirt.

"What happened?" I ask quietly, murmuring the words into her hair. Gabby shakes her head, a twisted wail echoing from her mouth, "I couldn't-" the words were barely understandable as she blubbered them, another wave of uncontrollable tears bursting from her pained eyes.

"Ssh," I soothed as her hand clutched needily at my shirt, a patch of her tears wetting the fabric.

I waited for her to speak when she was ready rather than coaxing the information from her, "He died... I couldn't save him..." she whispers with a painful misery and for some reason, it hurt me too.

"Who?" I murmur, coming to the realisation that she'd lost someone on the job.

Her breath catches in her throat, "He was just a kid, just a kid and he's gone..." that's all she can say before the tears and lack of breath take over, and she can't speak no more.

"It's okay," the words seemed difficult to speak as I comforted her because I knew what she was feeling. Knew what it felt like to lose one.

Gabby stayed huddled into my side for so long I wasn't sure what the time was when she raised her head from my chest. She sniffs and rubs her face with her hands, an awkward small smile on her lips, "Sorry for this," she apologizes, wiping her eyes with her sleeves that were scrunched in a ball in her hands.

I shake my head, "Don't mention it," I assure, wondering how the fiesty girl I argued with earlier had been reduced to this crying one. I didn't expect for Gabby to have such opposite sides to her.

She nods slowly, "I'm gonna go to bed," she says before lifting herself up from the step. I follow suit, but return to ground level while she goes up.

"Dawson?" I call just before she was out of sight.

She turns to face me, her face still red and pained, "Yeah?" she asks, her voice guttural and throaty.

"It wasn't your fault."

I finally see Gabby the next morning when she pads down the stairs as Kelly and I are watching TV. She seems to be better now.

Gabby doesn't make eye contact as she makes her way to the kitchen, murmuring a "Morning," to us as she passes. A few minutes later she sat down on the sofa with Kelly, focusing her eyes anywhere but me and the armchair.

What happened last night?

One minute I hate her and the next I'm comforting her?

Gabby seemed intent on ignoring me and forgetting last night, I'd do the same. I'd brush it off. It meant nothing. It was nothing.

"You okay?" Kelly asks as he observes Gabby. I'd mentioned what happened to him so he and Shay could take care of it. It means nothing to me.

She looks up at him with a bewilderment, "Yeah, fine," she shrugs it off.

Kelly shakes his head but doesn't say anything else, probably waiting to speak to her in private.

When she passes by me when Kelly went to the bathroom I turn away, disregarding her. Gabby nods, apparently happy with this and makes her way to her room.

Hating each other - just the way I like it.

She's intruding, bossy, dictatorial, stubborn, a know it all and a pain in my ass.

I don't like her.