Chapter Thirteen - In This Rhinestone World
"So you're telling me you have a different life and I was your enemy?" Heather cracked up. "Seriously. You're my best friend! I'm sure I could never hate you, even in another world or life or whatever. Anyway, I'm trying to take your advice into being less shallow and bi— er, witchy. Now let's see if Danny likes me for me!"
My half brother Danny, I thought glumly. I smiled at Heather. I really had noticed a good change in her. She seemed really...civilized. Someone I actually wouldn't mind being around if she stayed like this. If she was like this in real life I would actually be her friend. I felt good that I had influenced such a positive change in her. At least I was making this Alternate World a better place, right?
"No, you seriously hated me." I laughed. "If I ever get back, promise me one thing."
"Yeah? What's that?" she held out a piece of gum to offer me. I just shook my head.
"That you'll stay the same way you are here."
I was at Marissa's doorstep now, facing Marissa.
"Marissa, I just wanted to let you know—"
Before I could finish my sentence she grabbed me in a huge hug. "I am so sorry! Sammy! So, so, so sorry! Please! I'm your best friend and I'm sorry if I've ever done anything to annoy or anger or hurt you. Please forgive me? Before it's too late?"
She started crying again.
"What?" I stammered, taken aback.
"I can't watch this." she was crying. She ran back into her house and slammed the door shut. Before I could even tell her that I would be her friend no matter how horrible she turned out to be. That I would always try to help her no matter what.
"Mom, I love you." I finally said to my Mom in her room the same day. "And no matter where I go or what happens to me, remember that I love you even if you do stupid things that make me hate you for a long time. But I'll still always love you inside. It's just hard for me to say. You have to understand that. I'm not good at showing affection too well..."
Mother looked up. Why was she crying so hard? I had just started to speak like five seconds ago.
"Please," she sobbed. "Forgive me someday. Even when you're gone. Forgive me for everything."
I really had no idea what to forgive her for. What did Alternate Reality Mom do to me ever? Nothing. In this New World she's always been Perfect Happy Mother.
But just for her sake, I said, "I forgive you." even though I didn't know what she meant, I still forgave her. Inside I secretly knew I was also forgiving her for leaving me in Santa Martina while she ran off to Hollywood (in my real life). I was forgiving her for the one thing I swore I would never forgive her for.
And I was glad.
"Look," I said to Casey when he opened the door to his house after I rang the bell. "I'm actually here for Heather, so—"
"Heather's not here." he said, looking me so straight-on in the eyes that it scared me.
"Yes it is. I can hear the Shakira music from her room."
"Well you can't come in." he was still looking into my eyes weirdly.
"Stop staring like that," I snapped. "And let me in! Heather!" I yelled into the house. He blocked the doorway. "I said you can't come in, Sammy."
"Why not?" I attempted to maneuver myself underneath his arm but he stopped me again.
"Because I need to tell you something first." he admitted.
"That you hate me? Got back together with Noelle? I don't care. Really, Casey. I don't care. Let me in."
"No, it's that ever since you first talked to me I've found myself thinking you are the strangest girl I have ever met. Claiming you come from a different reality, that I was your boyfriend in that alternate world, and that you don't really like me when I know there is something up with the way you look at me. You look at me as if you knew me before. As if we once knew each other so well. But I've never known you before at all, so I started actually kind of believing you. Then you tell me I'm better than this and the 'real' Casey was better than this and that I can be a better person and, that I'm vain and a jerk and Noelle isn't worth my time, which she isn't. And I go out with you once because I feel bad for being a jerk, and I drop you off at your house and I tell you that was our only date and stuff and I expected you to act hurt of something but you didn't. I just wanted to see if you really liked me or not. Which you obviously don't."
My throat felt dry. Hearing his voice say so much at once...reminded me of the old Casey. My Casey.
He continued, "But the truth is I found myself falling for you and I don't know why because you have got to be the most...interestingly strange...person I have ever met."
Where was he going with this? "Your point is...?" I tapped my food impatiently. I needed to talk to Heather.
"This is my point," he said and then grabbed me by my shoulders and kissed me. The minute he kissed me I felt something different. And it reminded me so much of the real Casey, my Casey. I wanted to see him so bad now. I wanted to kiss the real Casey now. Not this new one. I wanted to be with my real mom, not the Martha-Stewart-mother she had become in this new life. I wanted to be with the old Marissa, the real Marissa. Okay, maybe I didn't want to see Mean Heather again and I wanted New Nice Heather to stay, but I can't ask for everything, right?
Casey wasn't kissing me anymore. When I opened my eyes, everything was dark.