"Okay, so, what exactly do we need for this tradition ya'll have?" I
asked as Jeff drove to the supermarket.
"Food!" Jeff exclaimed with a laugh.
"Is this a camping trip? Like out in tents and crap?" I asked.
"Nope, we have a little beach house that we rent. But we do most of our time on the beach. There's a fire goin, the water crashing up on the shore, everyone huddled together, ALCOHOL!" Jeff said.
"Ah, I see. There will be electricity in this little house, right?"
"Yeah. There's a fridge, bathroom, shower, running water. All the comforts of home. Don't worry," Jeff said with a smile. We got out of the car and walked into the packed store. Some how we had gotten everyone's attention because they all stopped and stared at us.
"Jeff, is there something on my face?"
"No. Mine?"
"No....then why the hell are they all starin at us?" I asked in a whisper.
"Don't know. Let's just get our stuff," he said grabbing a cart and pushing it with one hand as he put his free arm around my waist.
We threw in random things. Cases of soda, chips, dips, cookies, marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate bars, hamburgers, hamburger buns, and every other food imaginable. We even got skittles!
"Okay, now I want you to make those brownies!" Jeff said.
"Ummm...no. Remember the last time I did that?! It ended up all over the damn kitchen!" I said as we examined the coolers filled with beer.
"Come on.....please? I'll help you," he pleaded.
"Dude, that was the whole problem!" I exclaimed with a laugh.
"PLEASE?!"
"Aight, but you definitely have to help!" I said.
"SWEET! Karen's gonna love em!" he said excitedly as he threw a case of Bud light, Heineken, and Schmernoff.
"Karen? Oh, you....your date," I said looking at the floor.
"Yeah, I think you'll really like her," he said putting his hand on my face.
"Yeah, maybe," I said softly.
"Why do you sound so sad about all this?" he asked raising my head up to look at him.
"I'm not. Don't be crazy," I laughed.
"There's something wrong. I know there is. What is it?" he asked.
"Nothing. Nothing's wrong."
"Casey, I know you and know there is something wrong. Now what..."
"JEFF!! Drop it!" I snapped.
"No, Casey, I'm not gonna drop this. Tell me what's goin on!" he demanded.
"Damn it Jeff!! There is nothing wrong!" I exclaimed.
"I'm not dropping this!"
"Well that's too damn bad!" I yelled as I stormed off.
"You piss me off so bad sometimes!" Jeff yelled. Again we had the attention of the whole store.
"I piss you off!? Fuck that!" I yelled.
"Casey, don't you walk away! Get your ass back here!"
"ASSHOLE!!" I screamed back at him.
"SLUT!!!" he screamed and immediately he covered his mouth with his hand.
"What?! You did not just call me that!" I screamed near tears.
"Oh shit Case. I'm so fuckin sorry! I didn't mean to say that!" he said as he left the cart and walked to me. I shook my head and backed away.
"No. You did. You seriously meant it," I said through clenched teeth as he tried to put his hand on my shoulders.
"No, I swear. I didn't mean it. It just came out. Really. I didn't mean it!" he said as I backed up into a shelf.
"You wouldn't have said it if you didn't mean it," I said choking back tears.
"Come on Case. Let's just finish shopping and we'll talk about this later at home," he said.
"No, we won't. I'm goin to get a cab," I said as I pushed him away.
"It's too expensive!"
"I honestly don't give a shit!" I said grabbing my bag and starting for my way out of the store.
"Come on Case, be reasonable," he said following me.
"You called me a slut Jeff. A fuckin slut! That's not a good thing!" I said turning to face him.
"I know. And I'm sorry. I really didn't mean it. You know I didn't. I would never mean something like that. I love you," he said as I let him take me into his arms.
"You know how I feel about that!" I said as I let a tear go.
"I know. I was just pissed. It just popped out. I would never seriously call you that. Cause you're not. You're really not!" he said as he pulled away. "Listen, don't cry over this. Please? It's supposed to be a good time tomorrow nite. We don't really need to have this kind of tension and stuff."
"You're right. I'm sorry, I over reacted."
"No, you didn't. You were right to act the way you did. I was in the wrong here, not you," he said wiping my tears. "Let's finish this shopping."
"Okay. Sure," I said as we walked back to the cart.
"Well, aren't you two the cute couple!" a woman said walking up to us.
"We're not a couple," I said with a smile.
"Your hair matches and everything! So damn cute!"
"Ma'am, we're not a couple," Jeff said.
"It just tore me apart to see two kids like you, so in love, fighting."
"WE'RE NOT A COUPLE!" Jeff and I shouted.
"But it did turn out to be a happy ending. Making up and all." Jeff sighed as my face began to get warm with anger.
"We're.."
"Yeah, we're in love," Jeff said putting his arm around me. I looked up at him and he just smiled.
"Awe, now that's what I like to see!" The woman walked off and Jeff began to laugh.
"What the hell was that?!" I exclaimed.
"Oh come on. There was no point in arguing with that lady!" he laughed.
"Yeah, you're right!" I said.
"So, sweetheart, baby, honey bunch, Mike's hard lemonade?" he asked picking up a case.
"Yes, honey. I think that would be good," I smiled. "Are we ready to go Jeffy Weffy?"
"Okay, that's a little much!" Jeff said as we burst out laughing.
"Some people are so bizarre!" I exclaimed.
"Oh, you're one to talk!" Jeff said lifting a chunk of my multi- colored hair.
"Well, you can't say anything either, SKITTLES!!!" I laughed.
Jeff paid for everything and we loaded the car. We drove home, laughing about the events that had happened.
"Shane's taking you, right? Cause I'm goin out with Karen tonite, then she's spending the nite, and I don't want you to feel like the third wheel or anything. And Matt and Any are already down there getting things ready. Shannon and Crystal are stopping of at his parent's house. And you don't know Sean and Ryan," Jeff said.
"Jeff, that's fine! Shane's coming over tonite," I said putting my hand on his.
"Okay, good. I was really worried," he said.
"Don't be. I'll be there! Definitely!" I smiled and he seemed to have relaxed.
We arrived at his house and I helped him bring everything in before driving myself home. I got out of my car and saw Shane sitting on the steps.
"What are you doing sitting out here?" I asked as he grabbed my waist and he pulled me to him. I put my hands on his head as he buried his head into my stomach. "Hey, what's all this about?"
"I don't know. I just missed you," he said as he pulled away.
"We just saw each other yesterday," I smiled.
"I guess losing you for that day made me realize how much you really did mean to me," he said.
"I love you," I said kissing his cheek.
"I love you too," he replied as he took my hands and stood. We walked into the house and up to my room where we laid in each other's arms and fell asleep.
"Casey! Shane! Pizza's here!" Gil yelled bringing us out of our peaceful slumber. I stretched and we walked down to the kitchen. "I rented some movies to watch together."
"What ones?" I asked.
"Ice Age and Monster's Inc. Then I got some for you two. Interview with a Vampire and Blade II," Gil answered.
"Thanks Dad," I said kissing his cheek.
"Okay, Gil, where's the pizza?" Shane asked.
"In the living room. So we could eat and watch tv," Gil smiled.
Gil sat in his arm chair and I sat on the floor with my legs curled under me. Shane sat on the couch and we began our movie nite.
When Ice Age finished, Gil said goodnite and left us alone. Shane popped in Blade II and rubbed my shoulders from his seat on the couch. When we started Interview with a Vampire, I curled up next to him on the couch.
"I'm kinda anxious to meet this Karen girl Jeff's got," Shane said rubbing my arm.
"I'm not," I blurted out.
"You're not? Why?"
"Well, umm, I, uh, I don't know," I sighed.
"You two are so strange!" Shane said.
"How so?"
"Neither one of you likes to hear about the other being in a relationship."
"Maybe we're both afraid of losing our friendship."
"Yeah, right," Shane muttered.
We had fallen asleep on the couch towards the end of the movie. Gil woke us up at 6 in the morning so we could get there by 3. We decided on taking Shane's car. He started the drive and it wasn't long before I had fallen asleep.
"What's goin on?" I asked as we came to a stop.
"Lunch babe. I'm so hungry! Plus we're meeting Sean and Ryan."
"Okay, so who are these Sean and Ryan people?" I asked as we walked into the McDonalds.
"Sean is the guy that's responsible for your car and Ryan is a friend of Matt's from high school and then we became pretty good friends," Shane explained as he grabbed my hand. Shane ordered our food while I went and found a table. I was sitting there for about 5 minutes when a couple of good looking guys walked up to me.
"Are you Casey?" one of them asked. He was about Jeff's height with dark brown spiky hair. He had piercing blue eyes and an eyebrow ring.
"Yeah, you fans?" I asked. They chuckled a bit and I must have given them one of my weird looks cause they instantly stopped.
"Not really. I'm Ryan. Friends of Matt's," he said extending his hand. I smiled and politely shook it.
"And I'm Sean. How do you like the car?" he asked as they sat down.
"I love it. It's great!" I said as Shane came over with a try full of food.
"I see you guys have met my girlfriend, Casey," Shane said kissing my cheek. I grabbed the chocolate shake off of the try and started on it right away. "Who as you can see has an obsession with chocolate shakes!"
"I do not!" I exclaimed with a mouth full of shake.
"RRRIIIIGGGHHHTTT!" Shane laughed.
We ate our lunch and I got to know the guys. Sean and Ryan followed us the rest of the way. We finally arrived around 3:30 and were greeted by Matt and Amy. They helped us carry our gear inside and we relaxed on the beach. It was a beautiful sunny day with the temps being about 65 degrees. I was in heaven! Being from Maine you get 10 degree weather on December 31!
"Are things with you and Shane still okay?" Amy asked as the two of us left the guys to do their guy stuff and walked down the shore in our bare feet.
"Yeah, I think so. But Amy, I think things are about to get bad between Jeff and I," I said stopping to look out to the water. Amy stopped and put an arm around my shoulders.
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"I don't wanna meet this Karen girl. Seriously I don't," I said.
"Why?"
"That's the thing. I don't really know," I said as I turned to face her.
"Are you afraid of losing him? He'll always be your friend. I don't think you have to worry about that," she said with a smile.
"I don't know. Every time I think of him with this girl, I get a pit in my throat and I feel sick," I said.
"Casey, you're not gonna like what I have to say about this, but this sounds like you're jealous and may just like Jeff."
"Well, of course I like Jeff," I said.
"No, Case, I mean LIKE him. More than a friend or whatever ya'll are callin yourselves."
"Amy, our relationship is not like that. He's my brother. That's it. Nothing more. I dunno, maybe I'm just coming down with a cold or something," I said as Shane ran over to us.
"Cold? Did you just say you think you're getting a cold?" he asked putting his arm around my waist.
"Yeah, but it may just be allergies or something," I said as we walked down the beach back to the house leaving Amy.
"Ames, you coming up here to greet Shan and Crystal?" Matt asked running towards her. "Oh no. What's wrong now? I'm almost afraid to find out cause you were actually right the last time."
"Matt, Case just told me that she's not looking forward to meeting Karen. That every time she thinks of her and Jeff being together she gets a pit in her throat and she feels sick," Amy said.
"Oh, wow. That's ummm.....well, yeah. What are we gonna do about those two? At least Jeff can admit that he loves her. She can't even do that!" Matt laughed.
"Matt, this is not something to laugh about!" Amy yelled as she stormed off to greet Shan and Crystal.
I was in the house writing in my journal when Jeff and Karen arrived. I knew they had gotten there, but I was just trying to avoid the whole situation. I wanted to put off meeting Karen as long as possible. Then, I heard the voices getting closer. They were in the house and I just tried to hide.
"Casey!" Jeff yelled. I knew he was looking for me, but I stayed lying on the couch as still as possible. "Casey, there you are!"
"Oh, hi, Jeff," I said sitting up to look at him.
"Come on outside and meet Karen," he said grabbing my hand.
"Well, I was kinda in the middle of writing," I said picking up my journal.
"Come on. I really want you to meet her! I swear you'll love her!" he said with a large smile on his face. I had to give in, there was no way I couldn't. I sighed and let him pull me outside. As I walked down the steps I was shocked to see her. She was about my height and had the same body type as me. Her hair was blonde with blue and purple streaks and in a ponytail. She had blue eyes and wore glasses much like the ones I wear when I don't have my contacts in. She wore a pair of blue faded flares, a black two row grommet belt, and a tank top that said Princess across it.
"Holy shit! Does she look like Casey or what?!" Matt exclaimed in a whisper to Amy.
"I was just thinking the same thing!" she responded.
"Karen, this is Casey," Jeff said.
"Oh my God! It's so great to meet you! I swear I know everything about you. Jeff talks about you all the time," she said embracing me in a hug.
"Oh really? Good things I hope," I said.
"Oh yes! Definitely!" she laughed as she pulled away. "It sounds like we have a lot in common."
"Oh?" I said as I back up into Shane. He instantly wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my head.
"Yeah, our creative ideas, obviously our clothing and hair styles, our love for Jeff here, and music," she said.
"Oh, I see," I said.
"Yeah, I'd love to just hang out with you for awhile and talk. We could probably be great friends!" she said excitedly.
"Maybe!" I said looking at Matt for some help.
"Alright! Who's ready for some food!?" Matt announced. Everyone cheered and the guys went to work on the fire and grill.
"Is this your cd collection?" Karen asked me as us four girls sat in the living room.
"Ummm, some of em," I said as she peeked through the cds.
"I think I have every single one of these! How weird is that?!" she said. I smiled as Amy handed me a lemonade. I mouthed 'thank you' to her and she nodded.
"You girls gonna get off your asses to help us?!" Ryan exclaimed.
"Doesn't look that way," Crystal said as I laughed.
"What are you laughing at?!" Matt exclaimed as he walked over to me.
"Your face," I joked.
"OUCH!" the others exclaimed.
"Oh really?!" Matt said as he put his arms under me, lifting me off the couch. He carried me out of the house and down the beach.
"Where the hell are you taking me?" I asked as he just let out an evil laugh. I looked out towards the water and realized it was coming closer and closer. Then, all of a sudden, he let me go and I fell right into the water. He stood there laughing as I stood up dripping with water from every part of me.
"MATTHEW MOORE HARDY!!" I screamed as I chased after him.
"That'll teach ya to make fun of me!" he laughed as he ran behind Amy.
"I can't believe you did that!" Crystal exclaimed as Shane wrapped a towel around me.
"Pretty funny, huh?" Matt asked still laughing. Sean and Ryan were laughing right along with him, but everyone else just stood staring at him. Then Amy hit him hard.
"That was an asshole thing to do, Matthew!" she exclaimed.
"Sorry, I thought it was funny," he said as his smile faded. He walked over to me and I looked right past him. "I'm sorry Case. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I said coolly.
"I just thought it was funny," he said. I smiled at him and put my arms around him.
"I know. To tell you the truth, it was pretty funny," I laughed.
"So, you're not mad at me?" he asked as we pulled away.
"No, not at all," I said as my teeth chattered.
"Come on, before you freeze in those clothes," Crystal said putting her arm around my waist and pulling me into the house. I quickly changed and got dried off. I put a blanket around me and walked out to join the others. Shane kissed my cheek and handed me a plate with a burger on it.
"Hey, Casey, what's this?" Karen asked as a woman with a deep voice came from the boom box Jeff had brought with him. I sipped my lemonade and listened closely. I smiled and started banging my head to the sound.
'Unclean. Unclean. Filthy. They can't get a scent of me!' Jeff joined me in the head banging as did Crystal and Shannon.
"You guys, this shit is horrible!" Matt complained.
"She rocks!" I said.
"She?!" Amy exclaimed. "Are you sure?!"
"YEAH!!" the four of us said together.
"So, who is she already?" Karen asked a little annoyed.
"Her name is Otep! She's got a rockin style. Totally into her since I heard her at Ozzfest," I said.
"Yeah, that's where I got into her too," Jeff said as the song ended.
"I don't think I like her," Karen said walking over to Jeff.
"No one cares," I said under my breath.
"You honestly like her?" Karen asked me.
"Yeah, I do. Her, Kittie, Soil," I said.
"I've never heard of any of them," she said.
"Guess we're not that a like after all," I said as I sat on the sand next to the fire.
"Hey, are you okay?" Shane asked sitting next to me.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just don't like this chick," I said.
"Karen? Why? She's just like you," he said.
"I don't know. I really don't."
"Casey, you really think you're gonna lose him!" he said with a smile.
"That must be it. I mean, we are inseparable. The only time I've been near him when he's had a girlfriend is that little thing with Trish. But she's like my sister too, so I guess that's why it didn't bother me. But the fact that I don't know this girl gets to me," I said.
Shane put his arm around me tightly and we stared at the sky together. By the time 11:30 came around, we were all a little buzzed and were looking forward to the new year. We were all dancing around on the beach, Jeff and Shannon even jumped in the water to be stupid.
"Hey ya'll! Body shots time!" Crystal announced as she brought out a tray with the normal body shot ingredients. "Shannon, get your ass over here!"
Shannon ran over to her and licked her neck so the salt would stick. When he was done she did the same to him on his chest. When mine and Shane's turn came around he put the salt on my chest since he was a little more then buzzed at this time. And I was just buzzed enough to not care!
"Hey, why don't you and Jeff do one?" Sean suggested. The two of us shot him a dirty look and then looked at each other.
"Yeah, go for it!" Shane said with a smile. He was obviously too out of it, or he wouldn't have been so willing.
"I don't mind. Go ahead if you want!" Karen said. Jeff and I sighed at the same time and walked towards each other. I licked his neck and applied the salt taking salt and shot I went for the lemon that he had in his mouth. I went to suck the juice out of it and it fell to the ground. Our lips connected and an electric shock seemed to run through both of us. We quickly pulled away and decided that we had had enough body shots for one nite.
Finally it was 11:58. We all huddled together with champagne in hand. We listened to a local radio station begin the count down. I held onto Shane as we looked into each other's eyes. The DJ announced midnite and we kissed passionately. We drank up the champagne and moved onto the beer once again. We all were passed out on the beach or in the house by 3 in the morning. I knew that we were all gonna regret what we did in the morning. But I think all the fun we had made up for it! I did avoid Karen for most of the nite. But caught her and Jeff kissing which was bad. When we all finally woke up it was 2 in the afternoon. I woke up on the beach with Shane on one side of me and Ryan on the other. Shane had his arms wrapped tightly around me. I squinted as the sun was too bright for my poor hung over eyes. I groaned just as everyone began waking up. I stood up and wanted someone to shoot me. I pulled on my sunglasses, Yankees hat, and climbed into the back of Shane's car with a blanket over me. We all headed home and I just slept as much as possible. It was definitely one nite that I wouldn't forget, hopfully!
A/N: The song in this chapter is by Otep called "Unclean". I highly suggest ya'll download it. Kick ass song!! Well, if you're into hard rock that is. It's quite hard so beware! Lol
"Food!" Jeff exclaimed with a laugh.
"Is this a camping trip? Like out in tents and crap?" I asked.
"Nope, we have a little beach house that we rent. But we do most of our time on the beach. There's a fire goin, the water crashing up on the shore, everyone huddled together, ALCOHOL!" Jeff said.
"Ah, I see. There will be electricity in this little house, right?"
"Yeah. There's a fridge, bathroom, shower, running water. All the comforts of home. Don't worry," Jeff said with a smile. We got out of the car and walked into the packed store. Some how we had gotten everyone's attention because they all stopped and stared at us.
"Jeff, is there something on my face?"
"No. Mine?"
"No....then why the hell are they all starin at us?" I asked in a whisper.
"Don't know. Let's just get our stuff," he said grabbing a cart and pushing it with one hand as he put his free arm around my waist.
We threw in random things. Cases of soda, chips, dips, cookies, marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate bars, hamburgers, hamburger buns, and every other food imaginable. We even got skittles!
"Okay, now I want you to make those brownies!" Jeff said.
"Ummm...no. Remember the last time I did that?! It ended up all over the damn kitchen!" I said as we examined the coolers filled with beer.
"Come on.....please? I'll help you," he pleaded.
"Dude, that was the whole problem!" I exclaimed with a laugh.
"PLEASE?!"
"Aight, but you definitely have to help!" I said.
"SWEET! Karen's gonna love em!" he said excitedly as he threw a case of Bud light, Heineken, and Schmernoff.
"Karen? Oh, you....your date," I said looking at the floor.
"Yeah, I think you'll really like her," he said putting his hand on my face.
"Yeah, maybe," I said softly.
"Why do you sound so sad about all this?" he asked raising my head up to look at him.
"I'm not. Don't be crazy," I laughed.
"There's something wrong. I know there is. What is it?" he asked.
"Nothing. Nothing's wrong."
"Casey, I know you and know there is something wrong. Now what..."
"JEFF!! Drop it!" I snapped.
"No, Casey, I'm not gonna drop this. Tell me what's goin on!" he demanded.
"Damn it Jeff!! There is nothing wrong!" I exclaimed.
"I'm not dropping this!"
"Well that's too damn bad!" I yelled as I stormed off.
"You piss me off so bad sometimes!" Jeff yelled. Again we had the attention of the whole store.
"I piss you off!? Fuck that!" I yelled.
"Casey, don't you walk away! Get your ass back here!"
"ASSHOLE!!" I screamed back at him.
"SLUT!!!" he screamed and immediately he covered his mouth with his hand.
"What?! You did not just call me that!" I screamed near tears.
"Oh shit Case. I'm so fuckin sorry! I didn't mean to say that!" he said as he left the cart and walked to me. I shook my head and backed away.
"No. You did. You seriously meant it," I said through clenched teeth as he tried to put his hand on my shoulders.
"No, I swear. I didn't mean it. It just came out. Really. I didn't mean it!" he said as I backed up into a shelf.
"You wouldn't have said it if you didn't mean it," I said choking back tears.
"Come on Case. Let's just finish shopping and we'll talk about this later at home," he said.
"No, we won't. I'm goin to get a cab," I said as I pushed him away.
"It's too expensive!"
"I honestly don't give a shit!" I said grabbing my bag and starting for my way out of the store.
"Come on Case, be reasonable," he said following me.
"You called me a slut Jeff. A fuckin slut! That's not a good thing!" I said turning to face him.
"I know. And I'm sorry. I really didn't mean it. You know I didn't. I would never mean something like that. I love you," he said as I let him take me into his arms.
"You know how I feel about that!" I said as I let a tear go.
"I know. I was just pissed. It just popped out. I would never seriously call you that. Cause you're not. You're really not!" he said as he pulled away. "Listen, don't cry over this. Please? It's supposed to be a good time tomorrow nite. We don't really need to have this kind of tension and stuff."
"You're right. I'm sorry, I over reacted."
"No, you didn't. You were right to act the way you did. I was in the wrong here, not you," he said wiping my tears. "Let's finish this shopping."
"Okay. Sure," I said as we walked back to the cart.
"Well, aren't you two the cute couple!" a woman said walking up to us.
"We're not a couple," I said with a smile.
"Your hair matches and everything! So damn cute!"
"Ma'am, we're not a couple," Jeff said.
"It just tore me apart to see two kids like you, so in love, fighting."
"WE'RE NOT A COUPLE!" Jeff and I shouted.
"But it did turn out to be a happy ending. Making up and all." Jeff sighed as my face began to get warm with anger.
"We're.."
"Yeah, we're in love," Jeff said putting his arm around me. I looked up at him and he just smiled.
"Awe, now that's what I like to see!" The woman walked off and Jeff began to laugh.
"What the hell was that?!" I exclaimed.
"Oh come on. There was no point in arguing with that lady!" he laughed.
"Yeah, you're right!" I said.
"So, sweetheart, baby, honey bunch, Mike's hard lemonade?" he asked picking up a case.
"Yes, honey. I think that would be good," I smiled. "Are we ready to go Jeffy Weffy?"
"Okay, that's a little much!" Jeff said as we burst out laughing.
"Some people are so bizarre!" I exclaimed.
"Oh, you're one to talk!" Jeff said lifting a chunk of my multi- colored hair.
"Well, you can't say anything either, SKITTLES!!!" I laughed.
Jeff paid for everything and we loaded the car. We drove home, laughing about the events that had happened.
"Shane's taking you, right? Cause I'm goin out with Karen tonite, then she's spending the nite, and I don't want you to feel like the third wheel or anything. And Matt and Any are already down there getting things ready. Shannon and Crystal are stopping of at his parent's house. And you don't know Sean and Ryan," Jeff said.
"Jeff, that's fine! Shane's coming over tonite," I said putting my hand on his.
"Okay, good. I was really worried," he said.
"Don't be. I'll be there! Definitely!" I smiled and he seemed to have relaxed.
We arrived at his house and I helped him bring everything in before driving myself home. I got out of my car and saw Shane sitting on the steps.
"What are you doing sitting out here?" I asked as he grabbed my waist and he pulled me to him. I put my hands on his head as he buried his head into my stomach. "Hey, what's all this about?"
"I don't know. I just missed you," he said as he pulled away.
"We just saw each other yesterday," I smiled.
"I guess losing you for that day made me realize how much you really did mean to me," he said.
"I love you," I said kissing his cheek.
"I love you too," he replied as he took my hands and stood. We walked into the house and up to my room where we laid in each other's arms and fell asleep.
"Casey! Shane! Pizza's here!" Gil yelled bringing us out of our peaceful slumber. I stretched and we walked down to the kitchen. "I rented some movies to watch together."
"What ones?" I asked.
"Ice Age and Monster's Inc. Then I got some for you two. Interview with a Vampire and Blade II," Gil answered.
"Thanks Dad," I said kissing his cheek.
"Okay, Gil, where's the pizza?" Shane asked.
"In the living room. So we could eat and watch tv," Gil smiled.
Gil sat in his arm chair and I sat on the floor with my legs curled under me. Shane sat on the couch and we began our movie nite.
When Ice Age finished, Gil said goodnite and left us alone. Shane popped in Blade II and rubbed my shoulders from his seat on the couch. When we started Interview with a Vampire, I curled up next to him on the couch.
"I'm kinda anxious to meet this Karen girl Jeff's got," Shane said rubbing my arm.
"I'm not," I blurted out.
"You're not? Why?"
"Well, umm, I, uh, I don't know," I sighed.
"You two are so strange!" Shane said.
"How so?"
"Neither one of you likes to hear about the other being in a relationship."
"Maybe we're both afraid of losing our friendship."
"Yeah, right," Shane muttered.
We had fallen asleep on the couch towards the end of the movie. Gil woke us up at 6 in the morning so we could get there by 3. We decided on taking Shane's car. He started the drive and it wasn't long before I had fallen asleep.
"What's goin on?" I asked as we came to a stop.
"Lunch babe. I'm so hungry! Plus we're meeting Sean and Ryan."
"Okay, so who are these Sean and Ryan people?" I asked as we walked into the McDonalds.
"Sean is the guy that's responsible for your car and Ryan is a friend of Matt's from high school and then we became pretty good friends," Shane explained as he grabbed my hand. Shane ordered our food while I went and found a table. I was sitting there for about 5 minutes when a couple of good looking guys walked up to me.
"Are you Casey?" one of them asked. He was about Jeff's height with dark brown spiky hair. He had piercing blue eyes and an eyebrow ring.
"Yeah, you fans?" I asked. They chuckled a bit and I must have given them one of my weird looks cause they instantly stopped.
"Not really. I'm Ryan. Friends of Matt's," he said extending his hand. I smiled and politely shook it.
"And I'm Sean. How do you like the car?" he asked as they sat down.
"I love it. It's great!" I said as Shane came over with a try full of food.
"I see you guys have met my girlfriend, Casey," Shane said kissing my cheek. I grabbed the chocolate shake off of the try and started on it right away. "Who as you can see has an obsession with chocolate shakes!"
"I do not!" I exclaimed with a mouth full of shake.
"RRRIIIIGGGHHHTTT!" Shane laughed.
We ate our lunch and I got to know the guys. Sean and Ryan followed us the rest of the way. We finally arrived around 3:30 and were greeted by Matt and Amy. They helped us carry our gear inside and we relaxed on the beach. It was a beautiful sunny day with the temps being about 65 degrees. I was in heaven! Being from Maine you get 10 degree weather on December 31!
"Are things with you and Shane still okay?" Amy asked as the two of us left the guys to do their guy stuff and walked down the shore in our bare feet.
"Yeah, I think so. But Amy, I think things are about to get bad between Jeff and I," I said stopping to look out to the water. Amy stopped and put an arm around my shoulders.
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"I don't wanna meet this Karen girl. Seriously I don't," I said.
"Why?"
"That's the thing. I don't really know," I said as I turned to face her.
"Are you afraid of losing him? He'll always be your friend. I don't think you have to worry about that," she said with a smile.
"I don't know. Every time I think of him with this girl, I get a pit in my throat and I feel sick," I said.
"Casey, you're not gonna like what I have to say about this, but this sounds like you're jealous and may just like Jeff."
"Well, of course I like Jeff," I said.
"No, Case, I mean LIKE him. More than a friend or whatever ya'll are callin yourselves."
"Amy, our relationship is not like that. He's my brother. That's it. Nothing more. I dunno, maybe I'm just coming down with a cold or something," I said as Shane ran over to us.
"Cold? Did you just say you think you're getting a cold?" he asked putting his arm around my waist.
"Yeah, but it may just be allergies or something," I said as we walked down the beach back to the house leaving Amy.
"Ames, you coming up here to greet Shan and Crystal?" Matt asked running towards her. "Oh no. What's wrong now? I'm almost afraid to find out cause you were actually right the last time."
"Matt, Case just told me that she's not looking forward to meeting Karen. That every time she thinks of her and Jeff being together she gets a pit in her throat and she feels sick," Amy said.
"Oh, wow. That's ummm.....well, yeah. What are we gonna do about those two? At least Jeff can admit that he loves her. She can't even do that!" Matt laughed.
"Matt, this is not something to laugh about!" Amy yelled as she stormed off to greet Shan and Crystal.
I was in the house writing in my journal when Jeff and Karen arrived. I knew they had gotten there, but I was just trying to avoid the whole situation. I wanted to put off meeting Karen as long as possible. Then, I heard the voices getting closer. They were in the house and I just tried to hide.
"Casey!" Jeff yelled. I knew he was looking for me, but I stayed lying on the couch as still as possible. "Casey, there you are!"
"Oh, hi, Jeff," I said sitting up to look at him.
"Come on outside and meet Karen," he said grabbing my hand.
"Well, I was kinda in the middle of writing," I said picking up my journal.
"Come on. I really want you to meet her! I swear you'll love her!" he said with a large smile on his face. I had to give in, there was no way I couldn't. I sighed and let him pull me outside. As I walked down the steps I was shocked to see her. She was about my height and had the same body type as me. Her hair was blonde with blue and purple streaks and in a ponytail. She had blue eyes and wore glasses much like the ones I wear when I don't have my contacts in. She wore a pair of blue faded flares, a black two row grommet belt, and a tank top that said Princess across it.
"Holy shit! Does she look like Casey or what?!" Matt exclaimed in a whisper to Amy.
"I was just thinking the same thing!" she responded.
"Karen, this is Casey," Jeff said.
"Oh my God! It's so great to meet you! I swear I know everything about you. Jeff talks about you all the time," she said embracing me in a hug.
"Oh really? Good things I hope," I said.
"Oh yes! Definitely!" she laughed as she pulled away. "It sounds like we have a lot in common."
"Oh?" I said as I back up into Shane. He instantly wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my head.
"Yeah, our creative ideas, obviously our clothing and hair styles, our love for Jeff here, and music," she said.
"Oh, I see," I said.
"Yeah, I'd love to just hang out with you for awhile and talk. We could probably be great friends!" she said excitedly.
"Maybe!" I said looking at Matt for some help.
"Alright! Who's ready for some food!?" Matt announced. Everyone cheered and the guys went to work on the fire and grill.
"Is this your cd collection?" Karen asked me as us four girls sat in the living room.
"Ummm, some of em," I said as she peeked through the cds.
"I think I have every single one of these! How weird is that?!" she said. I smiled as Amy handed me a lemonade. I mouthed 'thank you' to her and she nodded.
"You girls gonna get off your asses to help us?!" Ryan exclaimed.
"Doesn't look that way," Crystal said as I laughed.
"What are you laughing at?!" Matt exclaimed as he walked over to me.
"Your face," I joked.
"OUCH!" the others exclaimed.
"Oh really?!" Matt said as he put his arms under me, lifting me off the couch. He carried me out of the house and down the beach.
"Where the hell are you taking me?" I asked as he just let out an evil laugh. I looked out towards the water and realized it was coming closer and closer. Then, all of a sudden, he let me go and I fell right into the water. He stood there laughing as I stood up dripping with water from every part of me.
"MATTHEW MOORE HARDY!!" I screamed as I chased after him.
"That'll teach ya to make fun of me!" he laughed as he ran behind Amy.
"I can't believe you did that!" Crystal exclaimed as Shane wrapped a towel around me.
"Pretty funny, huh?" Matt asked still laughing. Sean and Ryan were laughing right along with him, but everyone else just stood staring at him. Then Amy hit him hard.
"That was an asshole thing to do, Matthew!" she exclaimed.
"Sorry, I thought it was funny," he said as his smile faded. He walked over to me and I looked right past him. "I'm sorry Case. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I said coolly.
"I just thought it was funny," he said. I smiled at him and put my arms around him.
"I know. To tell you the truth, it was pretty funny," I laughed.
"So, you're not mad at me?" he asked as we pulled away.
"No, not at all," I said as my teeth chattered.
"Come on, before you freeze in those clothes," Crystal said putting her arm around my waist and pulling me into the house. I quickly changed and got dried off. I put a blanket around me and walked out to join the others. Shane kissed my cheek and handed me a plate with a burger on it.
"Hey, Casey, what's this?" Karen asked as a woman with a deep voice came from the boom box Jeff had brought with him. I sipped my lemonade and listened closely. I smiled and started banging my head to the sound.
'Unclean. Unclean. Filthy. They can't get a scent of me!' Jeff joined me in the head banging as did Crystal and Shannon.
"You guys, this shit is horrible!" Matt complained.
"She rocks!" I said.
"She?!" Amy exclaimed. "Are you sure?!"
"YEAH!!" the four of us said together.
"So, who is she already?" Karen asked a little annoyed.
"Her name is Otep! She's got a rockin style. Totally into her since I heard her at Ozzfest," I said.
"Yeah, that's where I got into her too," Jeff said as the song ended.
"I don't think I like her," Karen said walking over to Jeff.
"No one cares," I said under my breath.
"You honestly like her?" Karen asked me.
"Yeah, I do. Her, Kittie, Soil," I said.
"I've never heard of any of them," she said.
"Guess we're not that a like after all," I said as I sat on the sand next to the fire.
"Hey, are you okay?" Shane asked sitting next to me.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just don't like this chick," I said.
"Karen? Why? She's just like you," he said.
"I don't know. I really don't."
"Casey, you really think you're gonna lose him!" he said with a smile.
"That must be it. I mean, we are inseparable. The only time I've been near him when he's had a girlfriend is that little thing with Trish. But she's like my sister too, so I guess that's why it didn't bother me. But the fact that I don't know this girl gets to me," I said.
Shane put his arm around me tightly and we stared at the sky together. By the time 11:30 came around, we were all a little buzzed and were looking forward to the new year. We were all dancing around on the beach, Jeff and Shannon even jumped in the water to be stupid.
"Hey ya'll! Body shots time!" Crystal announced as she brought out a tray with the normal body shot ingredients. "Shannon, get your ass over here!"
Shannon ran over to her and licked her neck so the salt would stick. When he was done she did the same to him on his chest. When mine and Shane's turn came around he put the salt on my chest since he was a little more then buzzed at this time. And I was just buzzed enough to not care!
"Hey, why don't you and Jeff do one?" Sean suggested. The two of us shot him a dirty look and then looked at each other.
"Yeah, go for it!" Shane said with a smile. He was obviously too out of it, or he wouldn't have been so willing.
"I don't mind. Go ahead if you want!" Karen said. Jeff and I sighed at the same time and walked towards each other. I licked his neck and applied the salt taking salt and shot I went for the lemon that he had in his mouth. I went to suck the juice out of it and it fell to the ground. Our lips connected and an electric shock seemed to run through both of us. We quickly pulled away and decided that we had had enough body shots for one nite.
Finally it was 11:58. We all huddled together with champagne in hand. We listened to a local radio station begin the count down. I held onto Shane as we looked into each other's eyes. The DJ announced midnite and we kissed passionately. We drank up the champagne and moved onto the beer once again. We all were passed out on the beach or in the house by 3 in the morning. I knew that we were all gonna regret what we did in the morning. But I think all the fun we had made up for it! I did avoid Karen for most of the nite. But caught her and Jeff kissing which was bad. When we all finally woke up it was 2 in the afternoon. I woke up on the beach with Shane on one side of me and Ryan on the other. Shane had his arms wrapped tightly around me. I squinted as the sun was too bright for my poor hung over eyes. I groaned just as everyone began waking up. I stood up and wanted someone to shoot me. I pulled on my sunglasses, Yankees hat, and climbed into the back of Shane's car with a blanket over me. We all headed home and I just slept as much as possible. It was definitely one nite that I wouldn't forget, hopfully!
A/N: The song in this chapter is by Otep called "Unclean". I highly suggest ya'll download it. Kick ass song!! Well, if you're into hard rock that is. It's quite hard so beware! Lol