Caught in Haze

Chapter Three

Before the last class of the day, my best friend Casey Hunt and I decided to clean out our lockers. She has been my rock for the last four years. I have no idea what I'd have done without her.

We became friends after a poorly timed joke about dead parents. I say poorly timed because it happened on the day after my dads funeral. And even though I don't actually remember the joke itself, I know it must have been good because the rest of the class, including the teacher, were shocked to silence waiting for my reaction. Everyone but Casey. She sat there oblivious, laughing at her own joke.

When she realized what she had done seconds later, I watched her face screw into a grimace and her face flushed a deep red from her embarrassment. Her reaction was even funnier than the joke had been, and I burst into laughter. I definitely surprised not only her, but everyone else in that room. We've been friends ever since.

The more Casey and I hung out, the more we got to know each other. We both were dealing with absent parent issues, which pretty much solidified our bond.

If her parents were fighting or having parties with people that creeped her out, she'd come to my house to escape. If my mom was holed up in her room for days on end, she'd come to my house to keep me company. She basically lived on my couch for the majority of the first three years of high school. Her parents never even noticed she was gone when she was at my place. That made it easy for her to be there all the time. We helped each other through those darker times.

My mom also didn't notice she was there at first. She was so lost in her grief that I don't think she could tell us apart in those first few months. When she finally did notice, Casey had already integrated herself into every aspect of our lives and my mom didn't bat an eye. She just took her in, no questions asked.

Eventually, she got tired of Casey sleeping on the couch. Last summer, she turned her home office into a room for Casey. The day her bed was placed in the room was the last day Casey slept anywhere else.

I like to think that hearing me and Casey fill the house with noise helped my mom break through all that silence. That's why she just accepts Casey as another daughter; because she is thankful for her. I am, too. Casey made sure I didn't feel so alone. I think I was the same thing for her.

"I can't believe I'm about to clean out my locker for the last time." Casey said dramatically as she leaned against her locker next to mine.

"I know. It's kinda sad and awesome at the same time." I said, grinning back at her. I turned to open my locker and she did the same.

"I don't understand why we even had to go to class today." Casey groaned.

I watched as she shoved random books and papers haphazardly into her bag with a frown on my face. She is probably the single most disorganized and carefree person I know. And yet she's still the smartest person I know, too. The contrast has always been one of her most endearingly annoying qualities.

I have to work hard and stay organized to maintain my grades. Casey doesn't even study and manages to be the smartest person in the room. That includes the teachers. She even got a full ride scholarship to Hudson University, one of the top schools in the country. We'll be going there together, but she's not the reason why I chose to go.

At least that's what I tell her.

"I agree. It's not like we learned anything." I shrugged and neatly tucked everything left from my locker into my bag.

"At least we have a massive party to look forward to tonight." She grinned, nudging my shoulder with hers. I looked over at her and her maniacal smirk.

Somehow, the valedictorian is a bad influence. Or rather, a fun influence.

"What party?" I asked, rolling my eyes with a smile.

I am usually the voice of reason in this friendship. But once in a while, I let Casey talk me into something stupid... Like going to a high school party that will most likely end with the cops showing up.

She didn't answer me. Instead her grin widened as she looked at something behind me.

"Well hello there!" She said sweetly to whoever it was.

I turned around quickly to see who Casey was suddenly so interested in.

The first thing I saw was a flash of gold and my body instantly froze.