Author's Note I feel that I say, 'the red head' far too often in the chapter. But I couldn't find much of an identification for her till I revealed her name. Remember the chapter, back a couple chapters, and Casey mentioned throwing a party? A red head looked eager about it. Yes. It's the same red head. (So miniscule. I hope my readers pay attention. D: ) Took a little longer than an hour, but I was hungry... Enjoy. Comment with thoughts. I'm started the next chapter and I'm going to estimate that this will be my longest fan-fic. I have SO many details and events in store for you guys! I sware! I'm so excited! :D I hope no one feels that it drags on or loses it's touch. I DO know how I want it to end. It's just going to take a few things for it to get there and I may have to have a few 'summary' chapters. (Like, the chapters that basically tell how a whole week went...ugh. I hate doing that but I might have to. Thoughts on that? Are those boring?)

Disclaimer XP

Casey watched her feet trace a path in the hallways of Thompson high. The jovial laughter and light-hearted talking going around her evoked a strange feeling of mad irony. The red head she had sat with last week came up next to her. She looked a little worried.

"Are you alright Casey?" Casey breathed in, and almost in an automatic way, she lifted her head and gave a natural smile.

"Yeah!" She said reassuringly. "I was just thinking about this past weekend." The red head gave a knowing grimace and nudged her.

"So, he asked you out, didn't he?" Casey's eyes got wide and she glared down at her, panicked she may be speaking of Derek.

"What?!" The red head was taken back.

"So, he didn't ask you out?" Casey stopped short.

"Who?" Her heart was racing, hoping that no one else knew even the tiniest piece of information concerning her and Derek.

"My brother. Noel." The red head looked at her like it was the most common bit of information and that Casey should have known.

"Noel? Covington?" She looked at Casey with heavy eyebrows and shook her head yes. "Since when does he like me?" The red head laughed and hooked her arm around Casey and led her to the cafeteria for breakfast.

"He's liked you since last years' musical." Casey twirled that thought in her mind. "I'm not surprised he didn't ask you out though. He's quite the chicken."

They got in line and the red head got a donut and some orange juice. Casey and the red head then sat at the table closest to the windows at the right side of the cafeteria.

"So, Noels' really liked me for a while. Considering it's almost been a year." Casey absorbed herself in the information. At the time she was dating Max. So it was no wonder he hadn't made a move back then. But it's been a while since I broke it off with Max. He must be chicken...

"Yeah. At first he wouldn't tell me why he got all funny." Casey furrowed her eyebrows. "What I mean by that is, that during the musical he started acting more light-hearted and less sarcastic. He was still Noel but, happier. It was funny because I grew up with him as a brooding younger brother and 'poof', he's different within a week or two."

"Okay, now that doesn't make sense." The red head laughed short, slightly confused.

"What doesn't make sense?" She took a huge bite out of her donut and focused on Casey.

"I was assuming that you were younger than him, considering Noel and I are now in the senior class. How can you be older, but still in high school?" She rubbed her forehead ashamedly, making Casey wonder further.

"uh…" Casey leaned down to catch her eyes, "this is a little embarrassing, but I was supposed to graduate last year. I failed the two classes that I needed because I slacked off. And Noel has always been a grade below me because my dad got my mom pregnant right after they had me." She laughed, "No resting for her." Casey smiled.

"Okay. That makes sense." Casey paused. "I don't know why he likes me though..." She shook her head at Casey.

"Oh, Hun, I can't count how many guys like you with all my fingers and toes combined." Casey leaned back. "I didn't know you too well, till this year really, but I've heard senior guys, last year and this year, mention your name. I'd wonder who you were, dying to know who this 'brilliant beauty' was. Max definitely spread the astonishing accounts of your personality around." She made an uncomfortable face. " 'course, after you broke up with him he said real mean things."

"Like?" Casey leaned in, highly intrigued.

"Well, like,…Like this one time, he said you and him were upstairs in his room and you said to him that-" A brunette girl walked up, focused on the red-head.

"Angie! How's it kickin'? Why didn't you call this weekend? I needed to talk to you…remember?" The brunette looked genuinely upset. Angie touched the girls' forearm and looked endearingly upward.

"Oh, I'm sorry Kelly, babe, I forgot. I had some…family issues pertaining to my cousin." Kelly gave a nod of understanding. She obviously knew about this 'family issue'.

"Well do you have time to talk now?" Angie looked at Casey, asking without saying anything. Casey nodded and the two girls walked out of the cafeteria. She sat in contemplation, watching thier retreating figures.

Max said things about her, she had already known that. But I never knew what he said about me…

Casey went to her locker and saw Emily waiting impatiently against it.

"There you are!" Emily lifted herself off of the locker and gave her a frustrated look. "Where were you? We always meet each other here, like ten minutes before now!"

"Sorry, I was in a conversation with…Angie, Noels' sister." Emily nodded her head, still slightly aggravated. "It's not a big deal Em."

"I wanted to tell you about my weekend with Peter. But I'm pretty sure you don't want to hear about it." Casey shook her head no.

"I do want to know! You have to tell me how it went!" Emily looked unconvinced for a moment and then began going into juicy detail about her weekend. Casey only half listened to the words that spewed out of Emily's mouth. She caught what she thought was important, but didn't really care. Emily came off quite conceited, and Casey was thoroughly disgusted with herself and Emily.

"-mean, I know we just started going out, but he's so attractive, I just couldn't keep my hands to my-" Angie seems really interesting. And, Noel wanting to be with me…I'm such an airhead. Now that I think about it…It was really so obvious. Why have I always been so…oblivious? After building a reputation of 'thinking too much', I have to wonder how much I was really thinking. If I had a clearer head I may have caught more…I guess I don't think as clearly as I thought I thought. Casey smiled. "He seemed to be enjoying himself and I love the fact that I can make him smile."

"Emily, I'm happy you found a great rebound guy." She said loosely to Emily without thinking the statement through. Casey meant to say something along the lines of 'being glad that Emily was over Sheldon' but…

"What makes you think he's rebound?" Emily looked really hurt. Casey's mouth dropped open a little, contemplating exactly what she meant by that. Friends always speak the truth, right?

"Well, it took you forever just to kiss Sheldon…You hadn't been dating Peter a day and already you had your tongue down his throat." Casey shrugged her shoulders and continued, "and as a friend, I know that you don't really like Peter, you are just looking for someone to help you get over Sheldon." Emily's mouth quiver and she stomped in front of Casey, turned on one heel then glared.

"You, Casey, you don't know what you are talking about. And you, Casey, don't know the meaning of friendship." With red and wet eyes growing on Emily's face, she blinked, and stormed away.

Calmly, Casey turned around and opened her locker, grabbed her English textbook and headed to her first hour class.

Instead of feeling remorse to the slightly harsh words she had spoken to Emily, Casey felt a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders. In the pain there was a certain sense of strength. Though she deeply cared about Emily's emotions and knew that she was incredibly insensitive to the pain of Sheldon moving away, Casey couldn't help but feel happy that for once, she didn't restrict herself to save someone's feelings.

I mean, how can you save someone from their emotions if it means denying them?

Her day at school flowed with uncaring glances to pitiless highschooler's that decided on one random day that she was cool enough to look up to.

And now more than ever, she didn't care if she did her best or not.