When I woke up the next morning I was in an unfamiliar bed in a room I had never seen before. Sitting up, I pulled the covers to my bare chest and looked around. On the table beside the bed sat my clothes, neatly folded. The events of last night flashed through my mind. Slipping out of bed, I quickly pulled my clothes on. Just as I got my jean shorts on, there was a knock at the door. "Can I come in?" called Jason's voice.
"Yea," I called back.
He was wearing the same clothes he had been last night, blue tank-top and jeans. We just looked at each other for a moment. "We better get going," I said, glancing over at the clock.
Jason nodded and we headed downstairs. Aaron was laying on the couch, a half naked girl beside him. By the looks of it, they were both drunk. Jason lead me outside to his truck and I climbed in. "You going home or what?" he asked as he started it up.
"Sarah's house," I replied.
The whole way there neither of us spoke. I just stared out the window, wondering what Sarah and Lindsey would say when they found out. I could try and keep it a secret from them, but Sarah knew me too well for that to happen. If I tried, she would just bug and bug me until I finally told her. That's how she had always been, always having to know everything about everything.
When we arrived at Sarah's, Jason stopped in front of her house by the sidewalk. Opening the door, I stepped out. We both said one word to each other, bye. Sarah walked out the front door just as Jason started driving away. By the look on her face, I could tell she wasn't happy. "Was that Jason?" she asked as we met halfway across the yard.
"Yea," I replied.
"What happened last night? You said you were going look for some people you knew, and I never saw you again. You didn't even come back here like you said you were going to. Lindsey and I were worried. You wouldn't answer your phone either."
I looked away. "Some things," I paused. "happened."
The look on her face told me she was surprised, then it flashed to anger. "You mean, you and Jason..." she didn't finish as I nodded. "How could you? After I told you how I felt about you, this is what you do? Are you trying to hurt me or something, Casey? Or do you just not care about me?" shouted Sarah.
I looked her right in the eyes. How could she believe I didn't care about her? She was acting as if we were dating or something. "Don't care about you? I've always cared about you, Sarah. Get past your emotions and understand that for once!" I yelled back.
"Are you saying I don't understand anything you say?" she said with a glare.
"No, I'm saying you let your emotions cloud everything. You get all emotional, and you can't see the hand right in front of your face."
"Whatever. I can't talk to you right now," she said, he voice starting to break.
"Fine! I'll just go home then!" I shouted, then turned and ran towards home.
When I got home, I saw Lindsey helping her mom take in groceries. "Hey, Casey," she said with a smile.
"Hey," I said back and walked over to her.
He face turned to worry. "What's wrong?" she asked.
I looked around, then picked up a bag to help. "I'll tell you in a little bit, ok?"
She nodded and we finished taking the groceries in. Once we were done, we headed up to her room. Walking over, I sat down on the edge of her bed and she shut the door then sat down beside me. "So, what is it?" she asked.
"Last night, at the party, me and Jason..." I trailed off.
"I see," was all she said.
I looked over at her. Her expression was sympathy, not anger. "You're not mad? I was afraid you'd flip out," I paused. "like Sarah."
"Flip out? Why would I do that? I understand what happened. Sometimes things like that just, well, happen. Nothing you can do about it. What's done it done. As for Sarah, I'm sure she'll realize that soon enough. But for now, it looks like I have some competition," she grinned at me.
"Wait, you mean, you like me?" I asked, stunned at what she had just told me.
She nodded. "Of course I do. How could I not? You're my first, and best friend, I made here. We're alike in a lot of ways. I've just been kinda afraid to tell you. I was worried you'd think I was a freak and stop being my friend. Or not like me back."
"Not like you back?" I almost laughed. "You have no idea how much of a relief it is to know you like me."
"And Sarah?" she asked.
"Well, the other day she told me she loved me..." I trailed off again.
"I see. That explains why she got so mad," she pushed me onto my back on her bed, straddling me with her hands beside my head. Our bodies didn't touch, except for our legs, and her face was only inches from mine, her hair creating a curtain around us. "Looks like I have more competition than I first thought," she said with a smile.
