Welcome back to Seacrest, Are you ready for more?
Volume 2 of the Heartbreak High series.
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Lucas is back in business, picking up to shattered pieces of his life as a new year dawn's on Seacrest bringing about new challenges, new romance and even...
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I sit in the interrogation room, staring at the gray walls surrounding me. They're cold and bare, nothing like the vibrant colors I'm used to, the pinks and purples that used to fill my world.
"Casey?" The officer's voice cuts through the silence, sharp and demanding. He wants answers, and I know I'm supposed to give them.
I lift my eyes to meet his, and I can see the impatience there, the need to get something out of me. I'm supposed to be the girl who has all the answers, the one who's always in control, always knows what to do. But right now, I'm not sure I know anything at all.
"So," he says, leaning forward slightly, his hands resting on the table between us. "You were at the party. You were seen leaving with him. We need you to tell us what happened."
My heart pounds in my chest, and I can feel the pressure building, the weight of expectations pressing down on me from all sides. I'm used to pressure-cheerleading competitions, schoolwork, being the girl everyone looks up to. But this... this is different. This isn't the kind of pressure I can shake off with a smile and a cheer. This is something that makes me feel like I'm drowning.
"I..." The words stick in my throat, and I can feel the tears threatening to spill over. I blink them back, forcing myself to stay composed. Crying won't help. It never does. But I'm not sure how much longer I can hold it together. "I don't know."
The officer's eyes narrow, and I can see the frustration there. He doesn't believe me. Maybe he thinks I'm lying, trying to protect someone. But the truth is, I'm not sure what happened. I'm not sure of anything anymore.
"You don't know?" he repeats, his voice laced with disbelief. "You were there, Casey. People saw you. You need to stop playing games and tell us the truth."
The truth. It's such a simple concept, something I've always thought I knew so well. But now, it feels like it's slipping through my fingers, like I'm grasping at air. I can still see the faces of my friends, the way they looked at me when I walked into school the next day.
"I'm not playing games," I say softly, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to keep it steady. "I just... I don't remember."
He leans back in his chair, studying me like he's trying to figure out if I'm telling the truth. Maybe he thinks I'm trying to protect someone, maybe he thinks I'm scared. But the reality is, I'm just lost.
"Casey," he says, his voice softening just a fraction, like he's trying a different approach. "I know this is hard, but we need you to be honest with us. If you tell us what happened, we can help you."
I swallow hard, the lump in my throat making it difficult to breathe. I'm so used to being the girl everyone relies on, the one who never lets anyone down. But right now, I feel like I'm letting everyone down, like I'm failing at something so much more important than any cheer competition or school exam.
"I'm trying," I say, and I can hear the desperation in my voice. "I'm really trying, but... everything's so blurry."
His expression softens just a bit, and for a moment, I think he might understand. But then the pressure's back, the weight of his expectations, the way he's counting on me to give him what he needs. And I don't know if I can.
The room is cold, and I can feel the chill seeping into my bones, making me shiver. I wrap my arms around myself, trying to find some warmth, some comfort, but there's nothing. Just emptiness, and the overwhelming sense that I'm completely alone.
"Please," he says, his voice quiet, almost gentle now. "Just tell us what you remember."
I close my eyes, trying to block out the sound of his voice, the pressure, the fear. I try to focus on something else, something that feels safe, familiar. But all I can think about is how lost I feel, how far away everything I used to care about seems now.
"I can't," I whisper, the words barely audible. "I just... can't."
The detective sighs, and I can hear the disappointment in his voice, the way he's already writing me off as a lost cause. But I'm not sure I care anymore. The weight of everything is too much, the expectations, the pressure to be the girl everyone thinks I am. I don't know how to be that girl anymore, and I don't know if I even want to try.
"I'm sorry," I say, even though I don't know what I'm apologizing for. Maybe for not being the person everyone needs me to be, maybe for letting them down. Maybe for not being able to hold it all together the way I used to.
But the truth is, I'm sorry for a lot of things. Most of all, I'm sorry for losing myself somewhere along the way, and for not knowing how to find my way back.
