Carol climbed the stairs and into Casey's room, pleased that she didn't have her music blaring out like usual, though her door was still closed tightly. She was sat at her computer desk, cell in one hand the other directing the mouse on the computer screen. She tried to pretend nothing had happened but her red cheeks showed the tears she had cried. Carol sat down besides her, one arm enveloping her daughter automatically. She rested the other on her knee, but moved it when she felt the tremors - she was shaking.
"Thank you for trying to help me," Carol said, trying not to get too upset again.
"I only made it worse," Casey sighed, feeling bad, sure she had made the situation worse by trying to get Mark away from her mother.
"Don't be silly - thank you," she whispered, kissing her on the head. "You did nothing wrong, but please, next time - don't get involved. This is between me and Mark," she said gently, trying to make her understand.
Casey turned cold again. "Next time?" She didn't need to say anything else, she knew she'd made herself crystal clear.
"You know what I mean," she said softly, fearing a confrontation with her daughter.
"Yeah, I do," Casey muttered, looking down at her hands.
"Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?"
"No," she replied, offering no information.
"What did the police ask you?"
Casey sighed and stood up, tossing her phone onto her bed as she started pacing the room, running her hands through her hair as she tried to release the stress she felt built up inside. "Just stuff - what the fight was about, if I was okay, if this is normal…"
"Okay," Carol said, not knowing what to say. "I'm sorry baby, I'm really sorry."
"Are you okay?" She asked, diverting the attention from herself.
"Yeah."
"You sure?" She asked, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.
"Yeah - nothing happened."
"That's not how it seemed from where I was standing," Casey snapped.
Carol sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I want to tell you something - which goes no further than me and you, okay?"
Sitting on the edge of her bed Casey nodded, wondering what it was her mother was going to tell her, and how it could be related to the fight with Mark.
"When Mark first moved in, we got into a fight. He said I was too friendly with his own friends and he hurt me. He beat me badly, Casey, I was black and blue - broken teeth - everything. Afterwards, he felt so bad, and I gave him an ultimatum. If he ever touched me again with the same intentions, we would be over. That was over 10 years ago Casey, and he's never hurt me again. I promise."
Casey continued to play with her hands as she took deep breaths. She didn't think it possible, but her hatred for Mark grew in an instant.
"Then what was this?"
"This," Carol said, wiping at her eyes, "is the closest its ever come. I admit… I had images of turning up to work tomorrow with black eyes, that's why I called the police to warn him off."
"You shouldn't have to fear anything," Casey roared, jumping up in anger.
"I don't - this was just a one off - because I pushed him too hard."
"I hate him mum," Casey snapped, throwing herself back onto the bed and crying.
"I love him Casey, and you do too, just like he does both of us. This was a fight, everybody falls out - we just accept it and move on. This is between us anyway, Case, so please, stay out of it."
"Fine," she snapped, watching as Carol left her alone. Turning the light off Casey moved to sit by the window so she could look out onto the street. Why wasn't Jack here? Grabbing her phone she sent Kim a text asking her where her father was. Kim promptly replied, she thought he was here. Getting fed up Casey closed her eyes but saw nothing but the images of Mark hurting her mother. She understood why her mother gave her that particular antidote, but part of her wished she had never known. It had been hard enough to live with Mark before, but now - now it wasn't an option.
Getting annoyed she sent a message to Jack too, before climbing into her bed fully dressed, crying herself to sleep under the covers.