AN HOUR OFF

She's got an hour off. She sighs. She hopes Casey has one off as well, she needs to get things right again. When she gets outside the scream tells her not only Casey has an hour off. So do Eddie and Gabe. She recognizes them with other guys from her English class. Beating the shit out of Casey. He lies on the floor and they're kicking him. The sight of it makes her so angry.

"HEY YOU!"

The pupils who were beating up Casey look up surprised.

"What?" Gabe steps forward. He looks angry.

"What do you want from us?"

"I demand you let Casey go. He didn't do anything."

"Yes he did, he sat next to you."

"No, I sat next to him. Leave Casey alone."

"We need to clear our minds and have a little fun."

"You call beating the daylights out of someone fun?"

"Yes, we do."

"Then start beating the daylight out of each other."

Gabe looks angry. He makes a swift move with his arm and the rest of the pupils stand around him.

"You piss me off you know. I think we'll beat the daylight out of you."

"Do whatever you like, but leave Casey alone."

"Gladly."

Gabe walks at her. She stays where she is. When Gabe stands in front of her she hasn't moved a muscle. He hits her. Her nose starts bleeding.

"Nice shot Gabe."

Gabe looks amazed. Then he turns around.

"Come on guys, let's go to the football field."

The pupils all walk pass her. Casey looks at her, amazed by what he just witnessed. Desi walks towards him.

"Are you okay Casey? God, you look a mess."

"I'm fine."

He sits up straight with his back against a tree. Desi looks at him. He's got another bleeding nose, he's got a cut above his eye, and a big bruise next to his right ear. She opens her bag and takes out some more tissues. She takes a little bottle of alcohol and makes one of the tissues a little wet with it. She hands another tissue to Casey.

"Here, for your nose."

He still looks amazed. Then she cleans the cut over his eye with the alcohol. It stings a little, and she sees the pain in Casey's eye. She smiles at him, letting him know everything is all right. When the wound above his eye is clean and stopped bleeding, she looks at him.

"Have they hurt you anywhere else?"

He shakes his head. She looks at him. She notices a spot on his T-shirt.

"What's that?"

She asks, pointing at that spot.

"I don't know. It wasn't there before."

"Can I take a look?"

Casey looks around. When he sees nobody else, he nods and takes off his shirt. Desi sees a cut right under his right shoulder. She makes another tissue wet with alcohol and cleans that wound as well. When she's finished, she nods, and Casey puts his shirt on again. At the moment he has his shirt on, Desi witnesses a girl walking towards Casey.

"Well, Casey and the new girl. How sweet."

Desi looks at the girl. She doesn't like her attitude. Casey looks down, she notices he feels something for this girl. She decides to look how he handles this before opening her mouth.

"What do you mean Delilah?"

"I mean what I mean. You must be dating, seeing as she got an exclusive look on your chest."

Casey starts blushing. Desi sees he's terribly embarrassed. She still doesn't say a word.

"We aren't dating. She was just trying to help me."

"With what?"

"Just. Stuff." Desi finds her suspicions true. Casey is embarrassed being beaten up by those guys. Delilah grins.

"All right, then keep your secrets. But I know."

She smiles evilly, and then she turns around. As she walks away Desi looks after her. Then she looks at Casey.

"Why didn't you tell her the truth? Why do you let her do that to you?"

He looks at her. Why did she become so involved with what he did and didn't do?

"Uhm. Well I. She."

He looks down. She knows she shouldn't have asked.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have. Asked you that."

Casey looks up again. He feels bad about his reaction.

"No, it's my fault. I shouldn't have reacted that way. You're right. I shouldn't let her do that. But she has a good side. You just need to get to know her. She can be a pretty cool human being if she isn't being a first class grade A bitch."

Desi looks at him. Then she remembers some magazines. She remembers the high school invasion story. Then she remembers one particular line. 'Casey Connor, currently dating Delilah Profitt.' She looks at Casey.

"She dumped you, didn't she?"

He looks up suddenly. How did she know?

"How do you know I even dated her?"

"I'll give you a hint. A high school was invaded by aliens. I remember now you saved the day. And now I remember one particular line, from one of the magazines; 'Casey Connor, currently dating Delilah Profitt.' Now my guess is, you still love her. And she dumped you. Because the media has no more interest in the little invasion, she has no chance left getting famous. So she dumps you, your cover is gone and everyone starts picking on you again."

Casey looks down. She knows she's right. And he knows it as well.

"Yeah. You're right. Why didn't you tell me you knew about this. And why did you come, if you knew?"

Now it's Desi who feels uncomfortable.

"My dad died. The houses here were cheap. And I needed to finish my education. So I came here, away from the memories."

Desi looks down. The thought of her father makes her twitch. Casey sees her twitch and feels guilty for asking.

"Are you all right Desi?"

"Yeah."

Casey looks guilty. Desi sees the look in his eyes. She looks in his eyes.

'They're so blue. No, you won't. They just don't hide emotion.'

Desi looks down for a little moment before she looks in his eyes again.

"Casey, it's okay. You don't have to feel guilty for asking."

He looks up. How did she know he felt guilty? He is about to ask when the bell rings. Desi helps him up.

"What's your next class?"

"Biology."

"Mine two. Come on, you look a little. Beaten up. I don't have a better word. I'm sorry. Come on man, you are dizzy as hell. I can see it in your eyes. They give you away."

She smiles and helps Casey up the stairs. When they get to biology she checks out his leg. She sees a big cut under his knee.

"Casey this is bad. Why do they do this to you?"

"For fun. I have been labeled pathetic since first grade."

"Time to switch label."

Desi smiles at Casey. He smiles back, but when she cleans the cut on his leg with alcohol that expression changes to pain. Desi sees it and tries to relax him a little.

"It only stings for a moment. Don't worry."

He nods, and Desi goes on cleaning. When it isn't bleeding anymore, she sits down on a chair. Casey looks at her.

"Thanks for wanting to help me out. But there is one thing I still don't get. Why didn't Gabe continue hitting you after he got you a bleeding nose?"

"Do I have a bleeding nose? Hm."

She takes a tissue and holds it against her nose.

"And why he stopped? I wasn't scared enough I guess."

Casey smiles.

"I would have been terrified in your place. I mean, there were like. 6 jocks, excluding Gabe."

"But I knew that if they'd hurt me, they'd leave you alone. And that kept me cool. I don't want you to get hurt. Nobody deserves your burden. Remember that Casey. Nobody."

She smiles at him. He thinks about her words. Nobody? He doubts that. But he doesn't tell her. He secretly thinks she thinks she's the only one who must carry that burden. Because she wanted to get beaten up for him. For him. He thinks about that, but he can't figure out what's so special about that.