by Zara Rivas
Kari laughed, her green eyes sparkling. Erica told me that Kari had dated Casey a couple of times and though she pretended not care about him anymore, she still did. "Stephanie just pointed out that Casey seems awfully smitten with you."
I laughed, shaking my head. "Casey wants a challenge. If I acted like any of the other girls who become unable to speak in his presence, he'd back off."
"So why don't you?" Stephanie asked.
"I value my self-respect more than that," I grinned.
"Casey wants a challenge?" Kari asked, her eyes focused on something behind me. I knew what that meant. "Let's test that theory."
I refused to turn around, but I knew he was there. He and the blonde kid with the attitude problem approached our booth. Casey sat on the edge of my seat, so close to me that I had to move. His infamous smirk graced his features for a second before he extended an arm across the back of the booth seat behind me.
Casey smiled genuinely at Kari. I realized I hadn't seen him smile genuinely at anyone. "How are you, Kar?"
Kari shrugged, "Fine," she said noncommittally. She didn't ask how he was and I could tell it surprised him. He snagged a chip from my tray before turning back to Kari. He was slightly off-put by her behavior; he had been expecting an ally in her. He still had one, he just wasn't watching her closely enough. She couldn't keep her eyes off him—her words weren't matching her actions.
He shot a look at Erica, who just shrugged. She looked conflicted—she didn't want anyone messing with Casey; they were cousins after all, but she understood all the same.
Casey's blonde friend sat next to Stephanie, pushing his tray at Casey. He was glaring at me much in the same way everyone else at school had been. "Down boy," Casey laughed.
"I don't get why you bother with her," Blondie's glare intensified. "She's just some bitch that thinks she knows how things work here."
I gasped, but not at his words. Casey's fingers had slid to my shoulder; his index finger ran so lightly against the nape of my neck that I could feel my hair standing on end. It took me a second longer than I would have liked to shrug his arm off. The look in Stephanie's eyes told me she noticed.
"That's not necessary, Chris," Casey told the blonde heathen and I detected a bit of menace before his arrogance took over. "She doesn't like me, that's fine. I was starting to believe that I was created to be the guy every chick wanted and the dude every guy wanted to be. It's refreshing to know I don't have to live up to that anymore."
I scoffed, rolling my eyes as I played with my burrito, not hungry anymore. I tuned out the conversation again until l felt Casey's elbow in my rib cage. I looked up at him, annoyed, until I realized everyone was looking at me. I snickered, "I did it again, didn't I?"
Erica laughed. "Yeah," she paused, "What were you thinking about?"
"I don't even know," I replied quickly. It was a lie, of course, but it didn't matter.
"I asked if you were planning on going to prom," Stephanie spoke up, her eyes darting to Casey before quickly landing back on me.
I shook my head, "No."
"Why not?" Erica asked.
I shrugged, wishing we weren't having this conversation, especially in front of Casey and Blondie. "I don't even know if I'll still be here. Could be anywhere by May."
"That's gotta be so sweet," Kari interjected, picking at her taco salad. She popped a tomato in her mouth before continuing. "I mean, you've seen so many places that most people will never get a chance to see."
I nodded. It was true, of course. I never took for granted how lucky I was in that respect. "It's had its perks."
"Like isolation?" Casey asked under his breath. I looked at him sharply. Where did he get off?
Stephanie looked between Casey and me uncomfortably before continuing, picking up on the tension. "We're all going shopping," she pointed at Erica and Kari, "on Saturday. Kari's got her dress already, but we don't. You should come."
I should have said no. I would have, if not for Casey's comment. He thought I was isolating myself? It was true, but if that was why he thought I wasn't talking to him, he had another thing coming. I hated how he thought he understood. He didn't. "Sure," I smiled genuinely at them. It had been forever since I'd been shopping with anyone—I was so used to going alone that I wondered if anything had changed since then.
Casey was noticeably cooler towards me for the rest of lunch. When we headed back for school, he said goodbye to everyone but me and bolted. Seeing him flustered made my day.
The rest of the week went by uneventfully. There were rumors flying that I had been rejected by Casey and that was why I was so resentful towards him. Some people were still rude, but most were simply curious, and approached me without shame to ask about him. He hadn't so much as acknowledged my existence since our lunch together. People noticed.
"God, he's crabby," Erica dropped into the seat next to me in world history. I was beginning to understand that 'he' at McCormack High meant Casey Fitzgerald. Talking about any male without explanation automatically meant Casey—it was ridiculous.
Erica had been spending extra time with Casey, noting that even she was slightly concerned by his sudden change in demeanor. "It's your fault, you know," she said suddenly and I laughed. For the first time in days, Casey turned to look at me from his seat in the opposite corner of the classroom. When he realized what he had done, he smirked at me and turned back to his friends.
"My fault?" I asked, smiling at Stephanie as she took the seat in front of me. "I didn't do anything."
"I think that's the problem," Stephanie said, twirling a mechanical pencil in her hand. "He thought he was cool with it, but he's never had a problem with anyone. Everyone loves him."
I shook my head, grateful for Ms. Steinberg's interruption. If I had to talk about Casey for a second longer, I was pretty sure my head would explode. It completely floored people that I didn't care about him. I didn't know him and I didn't want to—what was so difficult about that?
"It's time for you all to get started on your final projects," Ms. Steinberg said. "They'll be due the last day of class so you have plenty of time to put good work into it." She continued, explaining the project and handing out papers. We would be responsible for writing up a historical conflict from both sides. She expected in-depth research and length, so it was likely to take some time to get everything together. "You will be paired," the class let out a sigh of relief. "I will be doing the pairing." Everyone groaned.
As soon as I realized the list was alphabetical, I knew what was going to happen. I was already looking at Casey when he realized it as well. I heard Stephanie groan and murmur that she was going to end up doing all the work, but I didn't pull my eyes from Casey's as our names were called together.
The class let out a collective gasp and Ms. Steinberg actually stopped her list to look from me to Casey, puzzled. She shook her head as we continued to stare at each other, the rest of the class forgotten.
This was going to be interesting.
Chapter Three
I changed my mind.
I did not want to go shopping with three girls who would not stop taking about stupid Casey Fitzgerald.
My dad had just been so freaking happy when I told him that I couldn't back out now. Even though I really, really wanted to.
"Girls aren't supposed to be crabby about going shopping, Katie," he pointed out, setting the newspaper he had been reading down.
"I'm not crabby," I grumbled, flopping down onto the couch dramatically.
"Then what would you call it?" he asked, an amused smile on his face.
"Distraught."
He laughed, "Why are you distraught?"
"It's prom," I said after some hesitation. The real answer was, of course, related to Casey, but I wasn't sure how well my dad would take to boy talk. Prom was a minor detail.
"Prom? Isn't that in May?"
"Well, yeah. That's the point. We probably won't be here in May."
His eyes searched mine, but he d
idn't offer any words of encouragement immediately. "Is it important to you?"
Kind of, I thought, though I said no. He raised his eyebrows and I sighed. "Maybe. I don't know."
"If it's important to you, we can be here."
I shook my head. "Don't say that, Dad. You know you can't make that kind of promise."
"Katie, you've spent your whole life like this and haven't complained. If you want to stay somewhere long enough for prom, we'll do it."
"Is shooting for graduation overkill?" I asked hopefully.
He just laughed, shaking his head, but didn't reply. I knew it was. I knew asking for prom was. I was being selfish, but I couldn't tell him that I didn't want it. I did. I wanted this experience.
"I love you, Daddy," I hugged him.
There was a knock at the door and I pulled it open, surprised to find all three girls in the hallway. Erica was supposed to pick me up and we were to meet Stephanie and Kari there. They pushed their way in and introduced themselves to my father, who seemed ecstatic to see me with so many friends. It had been a long time since I had anyone over.
When Kari started flirting with him, I made them leave. "'Bye General," she said, winking at me before heading out the door.
"Interesting girls," my dad was pink in the cheeks. He handed me some cash and told me to find a dress—he was going to make sure I was there for prom. I hugged him one more time and hurried after the three girls.
"You never mentioned how much of a stud your dad was, Katie," Kari accused, her eyes gleaming.
"You're sick," I pushed her playfully.
"No, I'm serious. There's something about a man in a uniform…" she trailed off, raising her eyebrows deviously.
"He was in his pajamas!" I shrieked. Stephanie and Erica burst into laughter as we all climbed in Erica's car. We joked around the whole way to the mall and for the first time, I realized that I was glad I met them.
At the first store we stopped at, both Stephanie and Erica found dresses that looked fantastic on them. The green dress Erica chose contrasted perfectly with her red hair; the black dress Stephanie chose was elegant and so extremely her that it seemed as if it was made for her. I, on the other hand, had a much more difficult time finding something. It wasn't that there weren't dresses I liked—there were—it was that I knew if I picked one, it would make prom real, and I wasn't completely sure I was ready for that.
Erica was paging through Cosmo, Stephanie reading over her shoulder. Kari had been staring up at the ceiling for so long I was sure her neck was going stay that way. They all had picked out most of their accessories and I still couldn't choose a dress.
"I'm starving," Kari whined. "One more and we're going to eat. I need a break."
I laughed, closing the door to the changing room. The dress was strapless and cream colored with gold stitching. It was simple and sleek, but I knew the gold streaks in my dark hair would be brought out by the color—and I knew very few people would choose a dress like this.
I slipped it on and opened the door to show the audience, as I had done for the last dozen or so I'd tried on.
"Wow," Stephanie said, her eyes wide. "You look amazing."
Kari nodded in agreement, "Yeah. I see your father passed on some of his gorgeous features to you."
"Will you stop?!" I shrieked. "My dad is not hot."
"I hope you wouldn't think so," Kari grinned.
I heard someone let out a low whistle and I spun around, surprised to find Blondie standing directly behind Erica. They were apparently going to prom together and needed to compare colors. "Nice," he said to me. Erica just rolled her eyes at him before showing him her dress.
"Man, I'm starved, can we—" I froze at the sound of Casey's voice. Slowly, I looked up at him, surprised to find him staring at me, eyes wide. This time I smirked, spinning around elegantly.
"You like?" I asked innocently.
He regained motor control and smirked at me. "I'd like you in anything, baby."
I rolled my eyes and went back into the changing room. I slipped back into my clothes slowly, hoping Casey and Blondie would be gone when I emerged. It was a weekend—I was not supposed to have to deal with him when we didn't have school.
All hope was in vain, of course, because they accompanied us to the food court after I purchased the dress. I grabbed a slice of pizza before joining them at a table in the middle of the court, desperately wanting to be elsewhere.
"I thought you weren't going," Casey said offhandedly. He was sitting across from me so he had to speak up a little, but somehow conversation around us continued. It was actually somewhat reassuring to realize I wasn't being put on the spot.
"My dad said we'd stay if I wanted to."
"And you want to?"
"Obviously," I said shortly, staring at the sea of people around us. I needed to divert my attention. Casey was exhausting me.
"Would you go with me if I asked?" he inquired suddenly. Conversation around us still hadn't stopped. I was beginning to wonder if this was even happening until I saw him waiting for an answer.
"Are you asking me?"
"No," he looked away.
"Then no," I replied, the finality in my voice obvious. I rested my cheek against my palm and closed my eyes.
"Are you okay?" Stephanie's voice interrupted my thoughts. I opened my eyes slowly. Now conversation had stopped.
"I'm fine," I assured her, my gaze shifting to Casey, "Just tired."
I made it through lunch without having to say another word to Casey, which made me happier. Just as we were about to part, he grabbed my wrist gently and dragged me a few feet away. I could feel four pairs of eyes on us, but I refused to acknowledge them.
"What?" I hissed, pulling my hand away.
He looked at me, exasperated, before scribbling his phone number on the back of an old receipt. "We've gotta get started on that project in history. Give me a call when you have some free time."
I nodded, taking the paper from him. Our fingertips met for just a second and I jumped. I hated the effect he had on me. His eyes met mine, the smirk on his face telling me he noticed, before he and Blondie disappeared into the crowd.
"He gave you his number," Kari teased after taking the piece of paper from me. "Believe me, it's not a challenge he wants, it's you."
I shook my head, "It's for history. We were assigned together for that stupid project."
Stephanie shrugged, "You're lucky to get paired with him. He takes this stuff seriously." She scowled and I remembered that her partner was the type to slack off.
"Girl," Kari continued, "he was practically drooling when he saw you in that dress. He wants you."
"Stop," I shrugged her comments off, looking to Erica for support.
"She might be right," Erica admitted and my jaw dropped. "Casey's usually the epitome of smooth and he's been anything but smooth with you. It's almost amusing."
I shook my head for what felt like the millionth time. "Whatever. It doesn't matter anyway. I don't want him."
Erica shrugged and Kari laughed, but Stephanie raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "Give it time," Kari smiled, "You will."
When Erica dropped me off at home a few hours later, I was slightly surprised to find the apartment empty. I immediately noticed my dad's emergency bag was gone and headed quickly for the kitchen where I found the note I knew would be there.
Had to take an emergency trip to D.C. Be back in the morning. Love you—Dad.
I was used to this, but at the same time, I was disappointed. I wanted to show him my dress. I wanted to sit around and talk—I hated that I hardly had any time with him anymore.
I hung my dress carefully in my closet before settling on the couch, flipping through channels aimlessly. My mind was decidedly elsewhere and before long, I turned the television off and closed my eyes, wanting more than anything to forget about stupid Casey Fitzgerald.
I was hovering between sleep and wakefulness when my cell phone rang, startling me. I answered it grog
gily, wanting to be asleep, especially after I thought for a fraction of a second that it was Casey calling me.
"Why haven't you called me?" my cousin Erin inquired incredulously. Erin was my father's brother's daughter and the only person I kept in contact with through my constant moves. She was my best friend.
To answer her question truthfully, I had completely forgotten about her. I wasn't going to tell her that, of course, but it was the truth and it startled me. Erin was normally who kept me sane through all the moves and people, but I hadn't even thought of her since—