Can't Let Go Chapter 4, a greek fanfic

A/N: This a shoutout to Hollowmeadow, who's been a faithful reader to this story. I hope anyone else who reads it will enjoy it.

As always, thanks for reading!

CHAPTER FOUR

Rusty was frustrated. He had called Casey a few times and he kept getting her voicemail. She was ignoring his calls. Well, it was a good thing he knew his sister well; he assumed she was probably at Max's or The Coffee House. If Cappie had revealed to Casey that he still loved her, there was no way she'd be at Max's. Rusty made his way towards The Coffee House and smiled as he saw Casey sitting outside at a table sipping a latte. He made his way over to her.

Casey groaned inwardly as she saw her little brother walking towards her. Thank God she had her sunglasses on. She didn't want him to see how red her eyes were. She'd been sitting at the café for the last couple of hours doing nothing but drinking lattes and shedding tears here and there. She removed the crumpled tissues off the table before Rusty could spot them.

Rusty was finally at Casey's table and he took a seat across from her. "Morning Case."

"Hey Rusty, what's going on?" Casey said.

Rusty gave his sister a concerned look. "Casey, what are you doing?"

Casey looked at Rusty with a confused expression. "Just enjoying my latte here."

"That's not what I'm talking about. What are you doing about Cappie?"

"What do you mean, Rus?" Casey asked, avoiding his gaze.

Rusty reached across the table and lightly patted his sister's hand. "I know what Cappie said to you last night. Case, when are you going to realize that you belong with Cappie?"

Casey looked down at her lap and shrugged. "I can't be with Cappie, Rusty. I have Max."

"Look Case, you know how much I like Max, but you can't keep doing this to Cappie."

"Rusty, I appreciate your concerns, but this is none of your business." Casey told him.

"None of my business?" Rusty asked her. "Damn right, it's my business. I can't stand to see my big brother cleaning again." Casey gave a small gasp at the mention of Cappie cleaning. Rusty nodded. "That's right Case; he's cleaning because you rejected him once again."

"That's not fair, Rusty." Casey said quietly. "You just don't understand this whole situation with Cappie. What we shared freshmen year is something I will never forget, but I have to focus on my future with Max."

"Casey," Rusty started. "What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid of anything, okay? I just wish everyone would leave me alone about Cappie." Casey proclaimed. "It's hard enough hearing it from Ashleigh and Rebecca, but to hear it from you as well. It's too much."

"Case, it's only because we care about you and Cappie. We just want you to be happy." Rusty playfully punched Casey in the arm. "I want you to be happy. I always do."

Casey gave her brother a small smile and forcefully said, "I am happy, Rusty. I am completely one hundred percent happy with Max."

Rusty frowned. He knew there was no way Casey would admit her true feelings to him. He was pretty sure that behind her sunglasses, Casey's eyes were probably red from crying last night and this morning. "Case, what really happened last night? I know you've been crying. Talk to me."

Casey slowly removed her sunglasses off her face and looked Rusty in the eyes. "I just don't understand Cappie, that's all. Why does he wait till now to tell me how he feels? We were doing so well at just being friends. Why did he have to complicate things?"

"Because Casey, we can't help what we feel. Cappie's probably wanted to tell you how he feels for some time now, but he was trying to respect your relationship with Max."

"He doesn't even like Max." Casey quipped.

"Even so, Cappie's got class." Rusty said with a smile. Then he gave his sister a sad look. "He's torn up pretty bad, Case. I'm pretty worried about what's going to happen at the KT party tonight."

Casey admired Rusty's loyalty to Cappie. Her brother truly looked out for Cappie. He was no longer the annoying little geeky brother from Illinois; Rusty was growing up. "Rusty, Cappie's a big boy, okay? I'm sure he'll be fine."

"You think so? You remember the last time? It cost you $300." Rusty asked.

"As long as you keep him away from the strip club, he'll be fine." Casey assured her brother.

"You're not listening to me Case. Cappie's really in a bad state here. I'm worried about him."

"Rusty," Casey said coolly. "I know you want to look out for your big brother, but Cappie will always be Cappie, okay? I'm sure by the end of the night, Cappie will have forgotten all about what he said to me. He'll probably seduce a couple of freshmen girls or something."

"Casey, cut the crap." Rusty said coldly. "I'm sick of you always putting Cappie down. He's been nothing but a good friend to you and me over the past year. Why can't you forgive and forget what happened freshmen year."

"Because I just can't, okay?" Casey finally exclaimed. "Cappie broke my heart, Rus. I can't let that happen again."

"You can't be afraid of the past. You're never afraid of anything. It's one of the things I admire most about you. You always face every challenge and you never back down. Why are you backing down so easily?" Rusty asked, challenging his sister.

Casey was getting annoyed. Everyone was trying to push Cappie onto her. She knew Rusty was right. There was a part of her that was still in love with Cappie, but she didn't want to admit it out loud to anyone. Casey blinked back some tears. "Rusty, please don't make me do this, okay? Just let me deal with this on my own."

Rusty felt bad as he looked at his sister's teary eyes. "I just don't want to see either of you miserable." Rusty told her quietly.

She stood up and leaned down and gave her brother a small kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for the concern, little bro. But I'm happy, I really am. Max is the one I want."

"You know Cappie's not wasting his life away, right? He's going to law school next year."

Casey nodded. "I know, he told me last night. I think it's wonderful. Cappie will be very successful when he leaves CRU. I wish him the best."

"He'll practically be your neighbor, Case." Rusty told her.

Casey shook her head. "What are you talking about?"

"Didn't Cappie tell you where he was going to law school?"

"Now that you mention it, he never told me where." Casey replied, then her eyes widened. "What did you mean when you said he'd practically be my neighbor?"

"Cappie's going to be at USC." Rusty said.

"What?" Casey exclaimed. "Cappie's going to USC? USC as in University of Southern California? USC located in the heart of Los Angeles?"

"The very one." Rusty said matter-of-factly. "Don't you see Case, it's fate."

Casey rolled her eyes at Rusty. "It's not fate, Rusty. It's a coincidence."

"Are you so sure? Of all schools, Cappie is going to one in L.A. where you're going to be."

"You tell Cappie things all the time. You probably mentioned I was going to be in L.A. for my internship."

"I don't think so, Case. Cappie didn't tell any of us he was applying to law school. I just found out this morning. You only found out about your internship a couple of months ago. It takes time to apply to law school and take the LSATs." Rusty told her.

"I don't know what to say." Casey replied. "I have to go, Rusty."

"Casey, just promise me one thing."

"What?"

"Don't give up on Cappie just yet."

Casey sighed. "I'm sorry Rusty. I have to go." Casey gave her brother a distressing look and walked away from him.

Rusty watched Casey walk away and shook his head in defeat. Why was Casey being so stubborn? Anyone that was in the same room with them knew that they belonged together. Rusty knew he would just have to try harder. He wasn't giving up just yet.

Cappie knew he should've walked away as he neared The Coffee House and saw Casey and Rusty seated outside talking. He decided to sneak by without them noticing and order his coffee. He needed it after all the cleaning he'd done so far. He had gotten up at the crack of dawn and cleaned the living room, the kitchen, his bedroom, and the basement. After Casey rejected him, cleaning was the only way to cope. While cleaning he didn't have to think about his problems.

He thought about the night before. Casey had pretty much told him she didn't want to be with him. After graduation, she would leave him and go to Los Angeles. With Max, Cappie thought bitterly.

Cappie took a seat at table inside the café situated by a window that would allow him to hear the Cartwrights. From where he sat, he could hear Rusty and Casey's conversation. He knew that eavesdropping was bad, but he couldn't help it. He needed to know what they were talking about.

"As long as you keep him away from the strip club, you'll be fine." Cappie heard Casey say to her brother. Cappie's ears perked at the mention of strip clubs, then he remembered what happened the last time he went there with the guys. It was the week after Casey had been lavaliered by Evan. It had killed him when he witnessed the ceremony out on the ZBZ lawn. He almost lost her then. The only way he coped was by going to the strip club and drowning his sorrows in alcohol, the bad buffet, and the plethora of women in barely there clothing. Cappie sighed and shook his head. Casey had to come and bail them out. He had been an idiot then.

"You're not listening to me Case. Cappie's really in a bad state here. I'm worried about him." Cappie's face broke into a grin. Good ol' Rusty was always worried about him and the brothers. He was a true and loyal friend. But he kind of wished the younger Cartwright would keep his mouth shut about his mood. He didn't want Casey to think that he made Rusty come talk to her.

"Rusty, I know you want to look out for your big brother, but Cappie will always be Cappie, okay? I'm sure by the end of the night, Cappie will have forgotten all about what he said to me. He'll probably seduce a couple of freshmen girls or something." Cappie's smile left his face as he heard those words come out of Casey's mouth. She still thought he was the same old Cappie. The truth was that for the last few months he hadn't been involved with anyone. He wasn't even interested in other girls. There was only one girl for him and he was listening to her hurtful words at the moment.

"Casey, cut the crap. I'm sick of you always putting Cappie down. He's been nothing but a good friend to you and me over the past year. Why can't you forgive and forget what happened freshmen year." Cappie chuckled and felt proud of his little brother. He was standing up for his fellow KT.

"Because I just can't, okay? Cappie broke my heart, Rus. I can't let that happen again." Cappie couldn't believe what he was hearing. She had been the one that left him the night of the formal. She had stayed with Evan after Cappie punched him. She broke up with him. No wonder she didn't want to be with him. She was afraid that what happened freshmen year would happen again. But Cappie knew better now. If given the chance, Casey would be a priority in his life. He promised that.

"Rusty, please don't make me do this, okay? Just let me deal with this on my own." It hurt Cappie to hear how vulnerable Casey sounded.

"I just don't want to see either of you miserable." Ah, that's the Spitter we love, Cappie thought.

"But I'm happy, I really am. Max is the one I want." Cappie scowled at the mention of Max. Damn Max, he thought bitterly. The guy was a serious douche and so not Casey's type at all. Max didn't understand Casey the way he did. When Casey told him yesterday that she wanted Max, it had hurt him. But it hurt more to hear her say it to someone else. He couldn't sit there anymore and listen to them. He had to get out of there.

Cappie stood up and dropped his empty cup in the garbage. Thank goodness there were two exits in The Coffee House. He went out the door furthest from Casey and Rusty and started walking back to the KT house. He had to convince Casey that he'd changed. But Rusty was right; he'd been there for Casey on more than one occasion over the last couple of years. Wasn't that enough? Hadn't he showed her he was reliable and responsible?

Cappie was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the other person on the sidewalk and collided with the person. "I'm so sorry," he called out.

"Hey, you douche!" Cappie groaned, when he realized it was Max that he had bumped into.

"Hey Max," Cappie said solemnly.

"So, how are things?" Max asked civilly.

Cappie smirked. "Really? We're doing this? You really want to know?"

Max shook his head. "No, not really. Crazy, right?"

Cappie nodded. "It's crazy." God, this guy was a bore, Cappie thought.

"See you around. I have to meet Casey."

Cappie couldn't respond and gave Max a nod. He watched Max walk towards the ZBZ house and groaned. There was no way he was going to lose Casey Cartwright to someone like Max. Sure, Max was smart and could probably give Casey a really good life, but they lacked something. And that something was what made him and Casey soul mates. He remembered telling Rusty about soul mates a few months ago. There was no doubt in his mind that Casey Cartwright was his. He also knew that he was hers. Sooner or later, Casey would see it. At least, he hoped she would.