Counting Stars • [Casey x Izzie]

Not A Crazy Girlfriend

Izzie

I double tapped the picture that Casey posted on her private account this morning.

Evan had unfollowed her social media a while ago which is probably why he still doesn't know about us. Not many people at her last school know either, only her closest friends.

I guess our school being so far away from Newton was a good thing in this instance. It allowed her to start fresh with our relationship.

And I may not be new to relationships but I sure was having a hard time suppressing the butterflies that would never go away when it came to Casey.

I got lucky. Really lucky in the fate department.

Casey got a scholarship to Clayton, chose to go, we taunted each other, she stayed long enough for us to be friends and then the pieces fell into place to give me the best thing that I've had in my life.

"What are you smiling at?" My mom asked next to me on the couch.

The kids were sprawled on the floor, half asleep  with Hercules playing on the T.V.

It was a rare occasion to have us all be a family like this. I'm pretty sure she drinks more alcohol than the three kids combined have had milk. 

"Nothing." I answered.

"Doesn't look like nothing." She pressed, running a hand through the dark hair I inherited. "Talking to someone? Is it your boyfriend, the posh one that looks like a prick."

At least we could agree on one thing.

"No, actually, we broke up. Turns out he really was a prick."

She took a sip from the bottle in her hand. "Good. He wasn't right for you anyway."

My lungs were inhaling the smoke that emitted from my heated skin.

Who was she to tell me who is and isn't right for me? She doesn't know me or my life.

Here she was thinking she had the audacity to assume a type for me when I didn't even have a label for myself.

Only I can say who I am and who I want. No one- especially not her- is going to take that power away from me.

So if I told her- when I tell her about Casey, I'm going to stick my ground. Because she hasn't been around long enough to get to know me, let alone understand what I've been through. So, no; she doesn't deserve a say in the life that I want.

I hadn't realized I had balled my hands on my lap until I felt my phone buzz beside me. I slowly released my fingers and picked it up.

It was a message to the track team's group chat.

Coach : Don't forget training tomorrow. Some JV runners are going to be joining us since Casey and Quinn won't be there.

I skimmed through her message and leaned back when it registered.

Why was Casey not training?

More so, why didn't she tell me?

I'm not one of those crazy girlfriends that want to know exactly where and what my girl is doing, but I think the fact that we're teammates is another thing.

However, I left it go for now. She might tell me later tonight and I didn't want to press.

After the movie, I sent three zombie-like kids to bed while my mother made the couch hers.

I had to take the bottle from her loosening grip and lay a blanket over her body.

I remembered the days when she began spiraling. I was so angry. Every time she would come home at an untimely hour and I was the one who had to feed the kids, bathe them, dress them and help with their homework. That was supposed to be her job. It is her job.

I wasn't meant to be the one taking care of her when she would be sprawled on her mattress drunk.

Yet, I couldn't do anything about it.

No one listens to kids because what we say is apparently nonsense.

But in reality, it's the children that see the most. They hear the most and make sense of it, because no one thinks that they're listening.

That's why I do my best to pay attention when my siblings are speaking. When they want to share news or art or a silly joke with me, I listen. Because I want them to know that they matter to us older people.

Even when I've never felt like I have.

I fell back on my bed with my phone raised over my face.

I texted Casey;

She didn't reply for a minute... then two... five.

I didn't stress considering it was late and she might have gone to sleep early. As far as I knew from her message this morning she had to go to group session with Sam because they had some sort of family lunch, and we hadn't talked since.

However, there was something about it that didn't sit well with me. I hadn't heard much from her since this morning, she wasn't going to training and she hadn't told me why, then I don't get a reply.

Where the hell was my girlfriend?

**

A.N

Hi, didn't expect me to be so productive with writing, huh? Haha

In the next few chapters I was thinking of posting some teasers of my new book if you guys are interested, let me know and I'll add them to the end of some upcoming updates!

xo