by Katie Wright
"Hey," Casey reached for my arm but I turned back before he held on. "Are you that mad at me?"
"No, not really I just think they're bad for you."
"For Brian."
"Second hand smoke kills too." I retreated upstairs to my bedroom. I played some music and finally felt sleep sweep over me. I was more exhausted then I thought. Thus I didn't even have time to think about the events of the day. That would all have to wait till tomorrow.
Chapter 10: Labor Day Weekend Day One
After a long weekend of contemplation I realized how depressed I really was. Yes I had a job but it was boring and my co-worker wanted more than a platonic relationship. I on the other hand wish he would leave me alone. Yes, very depressed. And on top of that I started to realize my feelings for Casey were a little less than what I thought they were.
For one thing it was obvious to me that I had a slight attraction to him. I wasn't going to admit it openly because it wouldn't come to any good. He and I were more or less opposites. But I realized he wasn't such a bad person and maybe it was possible for us to become friends.
I let Jane know of my personal struggles.
She started laughing and covering her face with her hands.
I, irritated by her actions slapped her back into reality, "It's not funny Jane! I don't like him like that."
She finally finished rolling on the floor and decided to come back, "I didn't think that was funny but the whole deal with Dan was hilarious. I would pay money to see that."
"Oh," was all I managed to get out.
Jane leaned back in one of the seats and looked out into my backyard. I sipped on my lemonade and looked at the floor.
"Heath?"
"Yeah?"
"So do you think you like him? Or is this just a mere you like his looks thing?"
"Well I just think he's cute. And you know what happens when you realize someone isn't as mean as you thought they'd be. They become more attractive to you."
Jane nodded and took a sip of her drink.
"What are you thinking," I asked her.
"Nothing."
"Bullshit."
"Fine," Jane looked me straight in the eye, "I think you like him a little more than you're putting on. And I think he might too."
I got up from my chair and started to make my way inside, "It doesn't really matter, he's cute but not my type."
"Physically or mentally."
"Both."
"Now you're bullshitting," as I turned around to look back at Jane I noticed one of her eyebrows arched. She just couldn't give me a break.
"Look can we not talk about this anymore? I think it's just a passing fancy you know? Let's go in and get something to eat."
Jane agreed with me and we made our way back inside.
That Sunday the only thing I could think about was Casey. I hated myself for it. Dan was just as decent as Casey with exception to his know it all attitude towards well everyone.
Not so long after my conversation with Jane I decided to change things for myself. For one thing I decided to avoid Casey, which wasn't difficult because I didn't have any car problems. Also my cousins didn't have any real good reason to show up so I put it all down to a fluke. My feelings or what I perceived as feelings for Casey were a mere side effect of loneliness combined with an infatuation.
I spent all my free time making up that dinner with Dan by giving him another chance. I figured he was probably nervous about meeting my family and that Casey had no right butting in with his two cents. He wasn't even family so he shouldn't have embarrassed Dan like that.
So a month later was nearing another family event, Labor Day. We all decided to go down to my family's beach house as our traditional end of the summer event. My Aunt Carrie and Uncle Todd, Mickey and Brian's' parents, had the beach house. This meant that I would be seeing my cousins.
I tried not to think about it, it was possible that neither one of them would be coming. The past couple of years they claimed to have work but really I just think they didn't want to come because it involved our family.
My parents informed me and Sara that we could bring along one friend. I obviously chose Jane, because she's my best fried and Cara hasn't been around since she hooked up with her boyfriend, Rich. So she was most definitely out. Sara brought one of her college buddies Lucy Gilk. I never heard of the name 'Gilk' I suppose originally it was something a lot longer and hard to pronounce.
Friday afternoon my family and I packed our bags and started our two hour drive to Cape May. We arrived at a three story Victorian beach house. I have to say it was very impressive compared to my house at home. Brian and Mickey's parents were very well off.
My aunt and uncle weren't there yet but my dad informed me that they would be coming before dinner. That gave me and Jane a chance to decide which rooms we were going to pick. We picked the turret on the second floor.
"I love coming hear!" Jane practically squealed into the room.
"I know I do too." I started to unpack my bags and place the contents into the dresser drawers.
"Yo ho!" Sarah's new friend Lucy rapped against our open door.
"Hey," Jane and I said happily in unison. Lucy was a very outgoing girl, however, not in an annoying way. She was very different from my sister Sarah who was quite reserved.
Lucy plopped onto Jane's bed which happened to be the closest to the door. "This place is amazing!" Lucy looked up and around the room.
"Yeah I have been coming the past couple summers with Heath and I still can't get over it. Why don't you guys come here more during the summer?"
I shook my head, "They usually rent it out during the summer. Which I think is absolutely stupid. I mean why have it if you're never going to be here. Uncle Carrie and Uncle Todd also take other vacations during the summer since they're ridiculously rich. Not that I'm blaming them but you know they could offer to let the rest of us stay here. I guess they make up for it during this weekend thing."
"Oh, that is a shame though," Lucy started to get up. Before she left she turned around, "Oh, me and Sarah are taking the bedroom on the third floor if you need anything. Ta, ta chicas!"
"Bye," Jane said down the hall. "Where are your parents staying?"
I thought about it because there were particular rooms that the rents stayed in. "Well they're not packing across the hall and I doubt they'd monopolize my aunt and uncle's room on the first floor so they're probably down the hall."
"Wow," Jane said, "thought that out much?" She laughed at her little joke.
"Ha, ha, yes," I finished trying to sound serious. "I guess this means we get this end of the house kind of."
"What if your cousins come?"
"I doubt it they haven't been here the past two years. But hypothetically speaking if they do then across the hall would be the last bedroom for the both of them and them some."
Once we finished unpacking and settling in my mom started dinner. We were having my favorite, Alaskan snow crab legs. Oh yes I loved them deeply. I set the table for a setting fit for my family and the new arrivals.
I walked out of the kitchen and up into the den. I noticed a car pulling in and realized it was my uncle's SUV. I didn't understand why they had brought such a big car till I saw the extra two bodies jumping from either side of the vehicle.
My two dimwitted cousins had decided to come. My stomach started twisting into knots immediately. But as only four of them strolled up to the front door I felt the unexplainable knots dissipate.
As I had guessed under my hypothetic situation the cousins took the bedroom across from me and Jane. Jane pulled me aside and told me to make sure we locked the room every night. I would have asked her why but I had an idea that it had to do with Mickey.
"Hey so how's that job going Heath?" Uncle Todd asked me at the dinner table.
Oh I so loved these crab legs, delicious. "Oh works fine."
"Wow your friend's not here," Brian added.
"What friend," I was confused I hones
tly didn't know who he was referring to.
"Your other friend," Mickey put in.
"Oh, no, Cara isn't coming."
Brian immediately stiffened, "Not her," he spat. I didn't know where his hostility came from but it put me off a bit. "I meant your friend Dan."
"No, Dan, is not coming, why would he?"
"Good." Mickey snickered.
Uncle Todd, after picking off the last bit of meat off of one of his crab legs returned to asking me questions about what I did. He was a history buff and was very interested in my work unlike everyone else. I have to say it was nice having something in common with someone besides Dan and the other people I worked with.
It was nearly 7 o'clock when the door bell suddenly rang. It scared me practically out of my seat since no one bothered us when we were at the beach house.
Brian jumped out of his seat and left the room. I looked across the table from Mickey who was smirking.
"Are we expecting someone?" I asked to deaf ears.
"Hey everyone."
"Casey," I whispered to myself. I couldn't see him since I had been sitting away from the kitchen entry.
Casey wandered in and everyone said their 'hellos'. Mom got up and took him to the stove to get more crab legs. Everyone seemed fairly excited except for me. Lucy was elbowing Sara in the side and whispering to her. She had a giddy sort of smile on her face. Please, was she that excited about a boy?
Once we restarted dinner with our new addition I didn't seem to want to talk. I just sat there and listened to everyone else's conversations.
Apparently Casey decided to drive himself here because he had to close up the shop. He must have made it in record time from home.
When dinner finished me and the girls (that being Sarah, Lucy, Jane, and me!) decided to go and take a walk around town. We needed no destination. Okay we were going out to a place in town where the other hotties seemed to hang out at. If anything we were going to goggle. Yes everything was perfect until the stupid boys dropped in.
"Where are you going?" Mickey asked.
Sarah spoke up for the rest of us, "We're going to take a walk. Why, you guys bored or something?"
I have to say my sister didn't mind getting to the point of some matters.
Mickey smirked and then looked back at his 'posse,' although I'd consider Brian the real leader of the little group. "No thanks, we're going to the bar."
"That's nice to know," I began and walked to wards the door opening it, "byes."
Almost an hour later and we found ourselves on the boardwalk. Everyone but me sat on the bench facing the shops. I leaned myself against the metal railing, my arms wrapped behind me around the top bar. I leaned myself back and looked upside down towards the ocean.
I could still hear the copious amounts of people parading on the boardwalk but didn't bother to stare.
"Oh look he's a hottie," I heard Lucy say.
I did like her but she was a bit too shallow, shall we say?
"No," Jane disagreed, "Now he's," I supposed she was pointing, she tended to speak with her hands, "is a hottie."
"Yeah I agree," that was Sarah.
I looked up, and knew if Sarah thought someone was good looking it might be a good idea to check it out. It didn't take much time for me to find who they were gawking at.
Sarah turned around and looked at me, "Heath I think he's your type, probably your age too."
"So," I was very transparent.
"Yeah whatever," Sarah snickered.
The guy was a typical 'hottie.' He had the light brown hair that brushed his forehead and typical tall, model like, frame. He was wearing flip flops, long khaki shorts and a blue and green striped polo shirt.
"No he's not my type. His hair is too light."
"Yeah I don't like guys with light hair either." Well at least Lucy and I had something in common. She laughed, "I think Casey is a total cutie."
Hold, up. What had she just said?
"No you can't have him," Jane said immediately.
"Oh why? Does he have a girlfriend?" Lucy asked.
"No but you still can't," Jane was determined and this made me wonder did she have a thing for Casey?
"Do you like him?" Lucy was definitely persistent.
"No I don't but a friend of mine does."
"Sure, who is this friend?"
"I can't tell you she wouldn't want me too. But I will tell you if you touch a hair on his head you will be in big trouble and a bit disappointed."
"Oh and why is that?"
From here I could see Jane's shoulders tighten. Lucy was either trying to piss Jane off or she really liked Casey. Then Jane spoke with such calm I even believed her. "Because he'd never go for you, sorry." Jane got up from the bench and started walking towards the model that was playing at one of the arcades. They immediately started a conversation.
Eventually we all met Jane's new friend. His name was Jake, a college student at Rutgers and a math major. Damn, I hated math and still do.
The night lasted a couple more hours and luckily Jake introduced us to some of his friends. They were also attractive but not as much as their friend. Lucy and Jane didn't speak much mostly because Lucy was too busy flirting with the short brunette with dark brown eyes, the rest of the night.
We said our goodbyes and told them we'd catch them on the beach the next day.
Our walk home wasn't a long one and luckily because Lucy didn't stop once talking about Terrance.
"Oh he's so cute and he's a year older. Did you see when he held my hand before we left? He told me he couldn't wait to see me tomorrow…"
And it went on till we got inside. Jane grumbled something and went straight up to bed. It was nearing twelve and yet I wasn't tired. I must have gotten a second wind in me or something, so I decided to grab a midnight snack.
The first view I saw as I entered the kitchen was that of someone's ass squatting over into the fridge. Damn I was still looking because I knew it wasn't anyone related to me. Of course he had to be wearing a pair of grey sweat pants that just hung nicely over…
"Casey," I said to push my own thoughts away.
He jumped at my voice and I of course had to laugh.
"Damn, you scared the shit out of me," he held his chest as though he really had been scared.
Now I could see he was also wearing a white t-shirt that was allowing me to see that he was in good shape on top of everything else.
I motioned to the fridge, "I was thinking of getting something to eat."
He turned back to the contents of the fridge, "Yeah I'm having trouble finding something."
I came up beside him and looked inside, "I thought you would be out later."
"Yeah well I'm the only one who came home. Mickey and Brian are still out. They found some girls to bother and I guess I'm just tired."
"Too tired to hang out with them?" I was no longer looking for food but carrying on a conversation without eye contact. That was much easier for me.
"That and I just hate being a fifth wheel." He looked back at me, "There isn't anything in here."
I bit the inside of my cheek and pondered, "Oh, there's a freezer in the garage."
I left and Casey trailed behind me. When I opened it I pulled out a large tub of ice cream.
"I knew they had goodies," I said in delight.
We went back into the kitchen and pulled out the ingredients for a makeshift sundae. Mine came out messy with the jimmies spilling over the bowl and onto the counter while Casey's was like a perfect temple. It looked almost inedible due to its perfection.
"Are you going to eat that?"
"Why," he asked piqued.
"Well not that there's anything wrong with it but it looks too perfect to eat. I was wondering if you were making a snack or a work of art."
He chortled, "Yeah I'm a bit of a perfectionist, especially with my sundaes," he pointed at my mess, "at least mine is in the bowl."
"True." He was right, how was I going to transport this
anywhere?
"Let's just eat it at the kitchen table. Otherwise you'll get it everywhere."
"Thanks what a great solution." My sarcasm wasn't lost on him. He looked at me and grinned, then shook his head.
Finishing off our sundaes I was too full to stand up. "God I feel sick."
"Yeah me too," he muttered across the table. He was gripping his stomach.
