Chapter Ten - New Friend, Old Enemy

"I broke up with Noelle, Heather. Dammit. I broke up with her."

I looked up and so did Heather. We were painting our nails. Heather's idea, not mine. I was at her house on a Friday night. It's been a matter of two and a half weeks since I've been brought to this new world, and I haven't found a way to get out. And Hudson isn't home these days and I have no way to reach him. Everything is...weird. And different. I want my old back. What is everyone doing in my old life?

"You broke up with Noelle?" Heather asked, a small smirk forming on her face.

Casey catches my eye for a millisecond. "Yeah. She...I don't know. It's not like I wanted to. Well, I sort of did. Because every time I was with her, I got this major headache. And whenever she even left the room the headache would leave. And so every time we were out somewhere I'd be dying of a killer headache. And if we'd kiss, my head would feel like it's going to explode. It was brutal. And then I just started feeling like I didn't like her as much. Ever since I—"

"What?" Heather demanded when he stopped himself. "What? Ever since you what?"

He shook his head but glanced over at me super-quick. "Nothing. It's nothing." then he left the room.

"He totally likes you," Heather gushed the minute he left the room.

"No, he doesn't." I said dryly.

"Okay, maybe he doesn't. But he should!"

"Why do you want him to like me so much?" I snapped, because I hated the topic of Casey. It hurt to remember how he used to be. And he didn't seem to be changing a lot...

Except why had he broken up with Noelle? That was strange. For New Casey, it was.

"I need a drink." I said when I saw Heather's somber face at my sudden snap. "I think the nail polish fumes are getting to me."

She smiled a little. "Thank God, I thought you were going to start screaming at me."

I gave her a small sad smile. "Not even close"

I was pathetic. This life was pathetic. I cannot live like this. Without Casey. And having to paint my nails Pirouette Pink. What kind of nail polish company named their nail polish Pirouette Pink? Ugh.

I headed downstairs into their kitchen. For some reason I haven't run into Warren or Candi at all on my trip to this New Reality (I have started using capital letters for New Reality because I say it so much). It was a good thing I haven't met them yet— I'm betting Candi probably looked like Sarah Palin and Warren like Jake Gyllenhaal. After all, this New Reality was so twisted I wouldn't be surprised if Warren turned up as some smoking hot celebrity (which he wasn't in real life. In real life he was more like a Middle-aged Celebrity Wannabe) and Candi turning out to be rung for first female President of the United States.

So it was a good thing. A very good thing. That I haven't met them here yet.

Casey was ironically in the kitchen. I ignored him as I got myself a glass from the cabinet and used the refrigerator water button thing to get myself water.

"Hey," his voice was behind me. I whipped around.

"God, you scared me. Don't do that." then I turned back around and continued to wait for tue water to fill up.

"What's up?"

I lifted the glass away from the fridge and peered at him weirdly.

"Are you still mad at me for being a jerk?" he complained. "Look, I know I was a jerk. But you know? You were the reason I broke up with Noelle. Not really you but more of what you said to me. How I can be better than this... How I'm a jerk and stuff and... I felt stupid and lousy. A random girl I barely know just comes barging into my life telling me I'm an asshole? Yeah, so I felt lousy. And stupid."

"You're not lousy and stupid." I felt like these I was always listening to people complain about me and telling them they weren't stupid and shallow and jerks, even though they were. Sigh. My life sucks now. I've become a human consultant.

"I wanted to make it up to you." he said. "For making me realize what a scumbag I was being. Can we just hang out tomorrow afternoon? Like just me and you? I'll take to a movie, or whatever."

"Oh, really." it wasn't a question. Just an Oh Really.

He nodded. "Really. And it's not like you and I are, um, friends or anything. I barely know you. The reason I'm taking you out is to thank you for your very random but accurate advice or whatever."

I blinked.

God.

No.

"No."

"Why?" he demanded so suddenly that it frightened me. "Do you not like me? I thought you were obsessed with me."

I rolled my eyes and took a sip of water. "Please. You're still vain like before. Like I said, get over yourself."

"No! I asked you out and you're supposed to accept! And not because I like you, but because I want to thank you. It's a one-time thing. I won't leave you alone until you say yes because then I'll feel guilty if I never do anything to thank you."

"Since when did *you* become Mr. Do-Gooder? Leave me alone." I took another sip of water, very amused by his desperateness. To be honest, I did kinda want to go. To see what it felt like to be out with Casey one last time...maybe this is the only chance I'll get to win him over, even though he claims he doesn't like me and probably doesn't. Compared to a girl like Noelle, I'm a ragdoll. A ragdoll with Pirouette Pink nails and a sky-blue Hollister t-shirt and black Abercrombie & Fitch pants I had both found in "my closet" at "my home". I was sooooo getting sick of Hollister and Abercrombie but it was either these or the sleeveless golden sheer and silk Alice + Olivia top Marissa had lent me a week ago for no reason. ("It'll look cure with your New Religion dark-wash skinny jeans I got you last Christmas," she had said, "And plus I'm trying to spend less money so instead of buying you something new I'm giving you something I already have.") So I had decided to stick with the Hollister. At least it was a t-shirt and not some fancy alertness thing you'd most likely see on The Hills or 90210 than here in Santa Martina.

Casey answered my question. "I'm not a do-gooder! I'm just trying to be nice to you. Jesus."

"Fine." I snapped. "But stop acting like it's a huge hassle on you."

He smirked. "What if it is?"

"Then I won't go."

"You just said you would." his smirk got bigger.

"Would you quit it?" I slammed the glass down on the counter so hard that it made a loud noise, silencing both me and Casey. The kitchen was silent for a moment until he said with a (very adorable) smirk, "Till we meet again." and left the kitchen.

Déjà vu much? Again? Ugh. I was now remembering the Renaissance Faire when he had kissed my hand and said that "tip we meet again" line. Where did that Casey go?

I went back to where Heather was in her room. "What took you so long?" she demanded while flipping through a Teen Vogue magazine.

"I also needed to use the bathroom." I said. "No biggie."

She looked up at me. "So I've been taking your advice into consideration."

"What?"

"Like, to be less shallow and stuff? Remember?"

"Oh. Yeah. That. Okay, and...?"

"And I think I'm going to *try* to be better. It won't be easy but I wil try."

"You are?" I almost squealed. "And why did you suddenly decide you wanted to be better?"

"That vision kept popping back into my head. About how I was taunting you. I still can't believe it. You're too nice and my friend and I...I just would never do that to you. That person in the vision is...cruel. I hope she never exists. I hope someone like her is never born into me. I want to change before I become like that. Before I hurt people who don't deserve it."

Wow. I found myself getting teary. If I ever went back to my real life, I think I would kind of miss this Heather as a friend. Isn't that weird? I'd miss Heather. She's not so had in this new life. Just misunderstood. Maybe she's like that in real life too. Insecure and misunderstood. Maybe she takes of her insecurity problems by putting other down so she feels better about herself. It might not all be her fault. If I ever get back to the real world, and if Heather is still Evil Heather, I'm going to seriously start trying to fix her. By first becoming her friend.