Chapter Text
"Come on, Casey, or we'll leave without you!" Emma yelled, the sound of Easton's Jeep's engine blurring her words.
Casey hurried to the front door. She hadn't heard anything except for her name, but it was easy to assume what Emma was yelling about.
Casey walked across the driveway to the black car, her gaze not leaving Easton.
"Hey Dove," Easton said, using the name he'd used ever since he found out her middle name. She sat down on the backseat, pulling the door shut. Casey flashed him a little smile through the rearview mirror, making Easton smile as well.
They sang along to the Blonde album during the drive, just like Casey and Easton used to when he picked her up from her father's house on a difficult night.
Whenever Casey's bright blue eyes and Easton's hazel eyes locked through the rearview mirror, Casey felt a sense of safety — a feeling she had missed for the entire time she'd been in Boston.
Easton reached out his hand to Casey as she opened the car door. She smiled warmly and took his hand, steadying herself as she stepped out. "You look pretty," he whispered.
Casey glanced at Emma, who hadn't heard Easton's comment. "As do you," she joked.
Whenever Easton made remarks about Casey's looks, she wasn't sure if he was flirting or just innocently complimenting her.
She knew that he couldn't like her in that way, and that he only complimented her because he knew what she thought of herself.
As Casey and Emma stepped onto the sand, the calmness of the car ride was long gone. It was replaced with loud music and people cheering.
Easton had left the girls to go meet his friends after telling them to behave.
"We're so back, bitch," Emma mumbled, leaving Casey's side and blending into the crowd smoothly.
Casey took a deep breath, trying to forget the worry about how the party could end, and just living in the moment. With music blasting through Casey's eardrums, she spotted a familiar face — Pope.
He was talking non-stop to the people around him, oblivious to the fact that nobody was listening to him.
As soon as his eyes lifted from the ground, he stopped Casey walking towards him. "Look what the wind blew in," he said with a friendly smile.
The people he was previously talking to had scattered around, finally being freed from Pope's educating speech about science.
Casey sat down on a tree branch beside Pope. "I suppose you don't want to listen to facts about octopuses?" he asked.
"I don't mind it," Casey replied with a slight smile.
She loved talking to Pope. Around probably 90 percent of the deep conversations she'd ever had was with him. In a world of miscommunication, it was refreshing to be heard and to genuinely just talk.
A bonfire was lit further down the beach, with drunk teenagers running and yelling around, making the scene seem almost like a ritual.
Casey noticed a few other familiar faces. JJ and John B were handing out drinks and giving occasional dirty looks to kooks.
Kiara was sat on the sand with people around her, but only John B was seeming to catch her attention.
"The others missed you, you know?" Pope said, noticing Casey looking at them.
"And you didn't?" she joked.
"Eh," he jokingly mumbled back.
"Will you be mad if I go say hi to the others?"
"No, go ahead."
Casey smiled at Pope as she stood up and walked towards the beer keg.
JJ whistled at her, making the others aware of Casey's presence. She put her hands up, playfully swaying her hips.
"Would the fancy lady favor a drink?" JJ asked with a smirk. He raised the red cup in his hand like a toast, not taking his glance off Casey.
Casey shrugged her shoulders, "it's been months, after all."
JJ winked at her before turning to the keg and filling another red cup with beer.
"You want a drink too, Kie, or are you too busy drooling over John B?" JJ yelled as he handed the cup to Casey.
Kiara rolled her eyes, turning her focus back to the people around her.
Casey took a little sip of the beer, her eyes twitching because of the bitterness.
"I know it's far from the fancy stuff you've been drinking, but I was hoping that you still had a bit of pogue in you," John B said, noting her reaction.
"She is a kook, after all," Emma remarked, appearing next to Casey.
The pogues didn't like Emma — she was the typical rich girl who spent her afternoons sunbathing on yachts.
JJ pointed at Emma, "haven't seen you around ever since you hooked up with John B."
Everyone around quieted, processing what JJ said. "John B did what?" Kiara snapped, walking over to the group.
"You're a freak, JJ," Emma huffed with an eye roll. She grabbed Casey's arm and left the scene, forcing Casey to follow her.
"Did you really?" Casey inquired once they were far away enough from the others, not fully believing JJ.
"It was an all-time low for me, okay?"
Casey stopped, pursing her lips together. "You hooked up with John B even though you hate pogues?"
"You weren't here, you don't know how hard it was for me."
"Why John B?" Casey asked, ignoring Emma's comment.
"He was at the right place at the right time."
"Fucking hell, Emma, you're such a hypocrite," she blurted.
"Like you're such an angel," Emma said in a mocking tone.
Casey was sat further away from the others, hugging her knees. Emma was mad, and ended up drowning those emotions by drinking. The bonfire was crackling with music blasting and drunk teenagers dancing around it.
"You look like you're about to cry," Rafe suddenly said, startling Casey. He stared at her, his body slightly shaking and his pupils blown.
"I'm not," Casey replied quickly, looking away from him.
Rafe stumbled closer to her, sitting down a few feet away. "Look, I was just wondering," he took a breath and scratched his arm. "Why are you sitting out here alone?" he slurred.
"None of your business, Rafe."
"Feisty. You know my name?"
"Everyone knows your name," Casey mumbled.
Rafe laughed — half cruel, half manic. "Now I have to know your name, too."
"It's Casey."
"Ah, the kook-turned-pogue girl," he smiled, looking at Casey, yet having unfocused eyes.
Casey looked at Rafe with her eyebrows raised, "That's what I'm known for?"
"Sure. You really shouldn't be hanging out with those pogues, though. You're too pretty for that mess."
Before Casey could react to the compliment, she heard footsteps thudding on the sand.
"Back off, Rafe," Easton snapped, using a tone Casey had never heard before.
Rafe grinned, keeping his eyes on Casey, "Just saying hi, chill."
"You're fucked up and way out of line, leave."
Rafe's smile died. "You gonna make me? Last time I checked, I don't take orders from you," he said with blurred words.
Casey stood up, heart pounding and hands shaking. "Just drop it, Easton."
Easton's gaze flicked over to Casey, noticing her hands shaking. "This isn't over," he declared.
Rafe laughed again, "whatever. Later, Casey."
Casey walked away, not waiting for Easton. Her heart was still pounding, unable to shake away the feeling she got from seeing Easton's reaction. Her thoughts were spiraling — she trusted Easton because in her head, he could have done no bad. He wasn't like her father, until he was. She played with the hair tie that was always on her wrist, almost scretching it so much that it broke.
Easton had catched up to her and grabbed her arm, making her body tense.
"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to do that."
"Do what?" Casey asked, trying to hide her emotions.
"Get mad at Rafe and scare you."
"You didn't," she mumbled. "You're fine, I'm fine," she continued, her voice barely a whisper. Her hands were trembling as she slid the streched hair tie back around her wrist.
He sighed deeply. "Wanna head home?"
Casey nodded, walking with him to his Jeep.