A/N: Guys...for the last time. No hanging, no beheading, no firing squad, no burning at the stake, no water torture, no torture rack, no lethal injection, none of that! Geez, you guys are secretly violent…anyway, happy readings!
"Dude, is it my eyes that are playing tricks on me, or did Alex literally just go over there and kiss Abbie Carmichael on the lips…in front of everyone…" Amanda deadpans as they watch everything practically unfold.
"No, no, I see it too." Serena murmurs in response, completely in awe what is taking place. In fact, she and the other three girls are so in shock, that they barely comprehend Casey walking away before she's halfway towards the school. "Hey, Casey, wait up! Don't leave!" she calls out before scrambling after the red haired girl.
Meanwhile, in a strange twist of irony, Abbie is the one who breaks the impromptu lip lock, looking at the blonde clinging to her in utter confusion. "Alex, what the hell?"
A little thrown off by what she has just done, and slightly by the fact that the bane of her existence just called her by her actual name, she quickly separates herself for the confused athlete before she makes her way back across the courtyard to her table. Even once she gets there, she can feel the eyes of the other girl's boring into her, but she decides to stay completely silent, knowing that she can't exactly look any of them in the eye right now.
One usually talkative Kim Greyleck finds herself having to literally bite down on her tongue to keep from saying anything as Alex gathers her things and heads in the same direction that Casey and Serena did not even five minutes prior. Once she's sure Alex is out of sight and earshot, she turns back to the remaining two girls seated at the table with her. "Well damn."
"All of this puts me in a fighting mood." Amanda grinds out clenching her fists. "Nothing would please me more than to be able to put a dent in that jocks face right now."
"Everything puts you in a fighting mood." Connie states disapprovingly. "If you keep it up, you're gonna get suspended again, or maybe even expelled this time."
Kill rolls her eyes at her two friends as she gathers her own things as she finally makes up her mind to go look for Alex. "Don't do anything stupid…" she mutters to the two girls before heading inside the school as well.
Serena frowns as she rounds one last corner, and her heart breaks a little when she sees Casey quietly sobbing in a corner. She sighs a little before she approaches the girl and takes a seat next to her. "Oh Case, please don't cry. Everything will work out."
Casey flushes deeply at realizing that she was followed and someone is seeing her cry. She wraps her arms tighter around her self and tucks her self further into the corner. "Go away Serena."
"No, I'm not gonna 'go away'. When you obviously need someone to talk to. Like I said, it will all get better, things just get really hard sometimes."
"It's not going to get better Serena, it's not. All I wanted to do was look out for her, that's all I wanted. I-I've never cared about someone as much as I care about her! I changed for her Serena! It was all for her. She was the first person to ever express any kind of interest in me. Why would she do that?"
Serena shuffles closer and risks wrapping an arm around Casey, letting out a sigh of the relief when the red head leans into the embrace. "Anger sweetie. Both of you said things that shouldn't have been said. I agree, she shouldn't have done what she did, but I think its best that if you two talk about it."
Casey shakes her head vigorously as she reaches up and wipes some of the tears from her eyes. "No, I can't. What if she never even liked me? What if she just felt sorry for me?"
"Honey, don't say that. Of course she liked you, she liked you a lot, we all could tell."
"Then why would she go kiss Abbie like that? And right in front of me? She doesn't care Serena, I'm telling you; she just doesn't care." Casey then proceeds to move away from the preppy blonde and stands up, still wiping her tears away. "Things are just so hard right now…"
Serena frowns and stands as well, her concerns evident on her face. "What do you mean?"
Casey flushes again and hugs her self tightly as she averts her gaze to the tiled flooring. "Things, ah, just aren't that great at home, that's all. I really don't wanna elaborate or anything." She concludes, feeling to embarrassed to talk about her home life. "I'm just gonna head to my next class early. I'll see you around."
Serena contemplates following Casey as she makes her way down the hall, but she assumes that the girl just wants her space so she settles on not following this time. She sighs and shakes her head for a moment before she bends down and picks up her things to head about her own business, not really taking the time to notice the blonde that was eavesdropping on their prior conversation.
Alex has to bite down on her lip extra hard to keep from speaking to either Casey or Serena alerting them of her presence. Her anger and adrenaline has washed away, and it's replaced by the pang of hurt and guilt; in fact, she feels like crying.
She turns around, about to walk away, when she is thoroughly surprised by a presence behind her. Her shock briefly flashes across her face, and as soon as it's there, and it's gone. "I don't want to talk to anyone." She murmurs, attempting to move past the brunette that obviously intentionally followed her.
Abbie steps to the side, succeeding in blocking Alex's path. She folds her arms tightly, and for once, her expression is void of any of the typical smugness one would expect to see. "Yeah, tough luck with that. Why'd you kiss me?"
"I wasn't thinking," Alex replies as nonchalantly as she can with a dismissive shrug before her gaze turns cold. "What does it matter to you anyway? Worried about me embarrassing you in front of your friends? You've already told them that you slept with me. What could an innocent little kiss do to your oh so flawless reputation…?"
Abbie frowns a little before she drags her fingers through her hair. "No, I just wanted to know why you'd kiss me when you're still a thing with Novak. Or a thing you were with Novak. Kinda saw her leave back there. Just wanted to know why you'd ruin your 'good thing' for no reason."
Alex sighs and leans against the wall. "Why do you even care anyway? Shouldn't you be jumping for joy because now you can try to bed me properly? And I'll have you know that it was not for 'no reason'. It happened because of a really stupid fight. And that really stupid fight happened because of what you did, or rather what you tried to do to me at that party."
"Yeah, about that…listen, it was wrong of me to try and take advantage of you like that. I'm sorry."
"Right, it's wrong when you try to take advantage of me, but when you take advantage of Serena, it's completely okay."
Abbie winces a little before she shrugs her shoulders. "Ah, Serena was different. Serena knew what she was getting in to when she wanted to go out with me. You, you have this innocence about you that's a little…weird I guess. I dunno, I guess I don't wanna take that away. So, I am sorry."
Alex narrows her eyes and her lips purse into the thinnest little line. "I see no reason for me to accept your apology. You're still an asshole."
"I can live with that. I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry, that's all." the lean brunette concludes with another shrug. "I'll see ya around."
Alex frowns and looks off the other direction as hears Abbie walk the other direction. She lets out a huff of irritation when she feels a presence at her side once again. "I thought you were leaving. Do I have to spell it out slowly that I don't care about your half assed apology?"
"Well frankly, I don't think that I need to apologize for anything, but if you remind me what it is I did, I'll try."
Alex turns her head a feint blush creeps to her cheeks as she casts her gaze down to the floor. "I'm sorry; I thought you were Abbie…"
"I had assumed since I saw her walking off a few seconds ago." Kim notes with raised eyebrows. "What did she want? Was she trying to hurt you again?"
"No, no, nothing like that, it's not important really. Um, were you looking for me?"
"Yeah, actually I was. I was gonna ask what the hell that was that went on outside."
Alex flinches and shifts her books in her arms as she pushes herself away from the wall. "Let's walk and talk, I need to go to my locker." She mutters quickly. "I was just angry okay? What she said hurt me, and I was just really hurt, and really upset, and I wasn't thinking. It just happened."
Kim raises her eyebrows again and bites the inside of her cheek. "Right, because things like that 'just happen'."
"Are you here to scrutinize me Kim, because that really is the last thing that I need right now."
"It really isn't my place to say, I just wanted to know what the hell that was. Especially with all the things people are saying about you right now. You do of course realize that the very last thing that you just did is help the cause of the situation? And what about Casey? Hell, I don't even know where she went!"
Alex closes her eyes and takes several calming deep breaths. "Before you and Abbie walked up to me, I heard her talking to Serena. I-I've never seen her cry, other than that time we stopped Abbie from picking on her at lunch that time. I feel just awful, but it isn't fair! She hurt me too!"
"I really don't think this is the kind of thing where you can use that 'fairness' clause." Kim points out as she leans against the lockers. "So are you gonna try to talk to her?"
"I tried talking to her before, what makes you think that she's gonna listen to me now? She needs to come talk to me, and if she really wanted to, she would." Alex says as she rather forcefully shoves all her books in her locker. "I can't be on my knees begging for her, I just can't do it."
Kim sighs and kicks at imaginary dust on the floor. "I'm just saying."
"You're always 'just saying', Kim…"
"True, but seriously. Maybe if you two would talk, then things would be okay?"
"Well, talking doesn't solve everything." Alex concludes firmly before slamming her locker and making her way down one of the many halls of the school.
Kim sighs again just as the bell rings. She hates it when her friends fight, especially when it's with each other.
Later
Casey sighs heavily as she makes her way into her house after a rather stressful walk home from the bus stop. She dumps her backpack in the living room, and then proceeds into the kitchen where she finds her mother busying herself with random household things.
"Hello sweetie, how was school?" the elder woman asks as she washes her hands in the sink.
Casey shrugs and plops down in one of the chairs at the table. "It was okay I guess." She lies, though she knows that her mother can probably detect her lying. "How was looking for a job today."
Casey's mother sighs as she tries her hand on a dish towel. She then leans against the counter and folds her arms as she looks down at her daughter with a sorrowful look. "We're going to have to move honey. I'm still struggling in finding a job, and the bills are getting to be too much."
"But Mom, isn't there anything that we can do? I-I'll get a job so I can help, I'll even stop going to school if I need to, please Mom, there has to be something we can do." Casey stutters, her throat tightening as she feels the tears spring to her eyes once again.
"Oh sweetheart, that's very sweet of you to want to do such a thing, but I need you to focus on school Casey. I need you to focus on school so you can go to a good college and become a lawyer just like you want."
Casey folds her arms tightly and sits back in her chair, her head hanging low from shame. "I would make a crappy lawyer anyway. I'm awkward, and no one would ever really listen to anything that I had to say. They don't now. All of this assuming that I would actually even get into law school. Or even go to college for that matter…"
"Sweetheart, don't say things like that." the older woman says softly, placing a hand on Casey's shoulder. "You are a very intelligent young lady, and you will get into a good college, and I am positive you will make an excellent attorney one day."
"Yeah, if anyone would ever really treat me like I mattered." Casey mumbles before she gets up from her seat and heads upstairs where she locks herself in her room. She sits on her bed, and is still slightly shameful that the tears fall even in the privacy of her own bedroom.
'I've never mattered to anyone. Why would I be so stupid to think someone like Alex would ever really care?'
Guys, I have bad news. I broke my hand. Which makes typing on the computer extra, extra hard. Fortunately, I have come up with a solution. I can still write with my good hand, so I write every thing out, and then I have my sister type it up and uploaded, like she so generously did here. It is a little time consuming, but it's worth I because I want all my readers to be happy!
Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, leave your lovely feedback!