"Tay, wake up!" Casey yelled to him as he threw a pillow at her head.
"What time is it?" he asked her, groggily.
"Time to get you up so we can get ready to see Kyle!" Casey told him, cheerily. "He'll be here in 2 hours."
"It's too early to get up, I can get up in 15 minutes if I want."
"But you're getting up now, hurry up. I have to do my hair, you better be ready to get up in 5 minutes," she told him, throwing the pillow back.
"Fine," he mumbled, putting the pillow over his head.
"...so alive/i'm feeling fine/you're eyes stand out in my mind/the stars they fall around me/when i think of you/the seasons changing just like/like I would for you.."
"Casey, turn that lower!" Tay yelled to her.
"What?" she asked him, coming out of the bathroom, a brush in her hand. "Did you say you were awake and ready to get up now?" she grinned at him. "Nothing like the sounds of Aztek Trip to get you up in the morning."
"Yeah, at least some stuff is words to live by," Tay said.
"Like what?" she asked him.
"Worry's waste and happy's just a high."
"You're such a dork." she told him. "And it's time to get up now, I'm done with my hair."
"Fine." he said to her.
"Why do we have to go to the park before he comes?" Tay asked Casey, whining.
"Because I walk to the park every morning before school, it's good excercise. Besides, you need to get out more often."
"But Casey-" he pleaded with her.
"Just be quiet and eat your breakfast, we only have an hour and a half."
"Quit freaking out." he told her, taking a sip of orange juice. "You bought the wrong kind of juice, Casey," he told her.
"Taylor-" Casey sighed, "What am I going to do with you. Next time come shopping with me then."
"Sorry," Tay said, shrugging, then smiling at her. "I'm done, are you ready to leave?" he asked.
"Now that's what I like to hear. Let's go," she said, grinning at him.
"Tay, would you do me the biggest favor?" Casey asked him after they got back from the park.
"What-" he asked, being cut off by the doorbell.
"Never mind!" she yelled back, "He's here!" Casey frantically ran to the door. "Hey!" she breathlessly said, opening it.
"Hi." the smiling face of Kyle greeted her. "How are you?"
"I'm doing pretty good. I'm so happy that you came here, I never thought you would ever like, find my number and call me or anything," she told him as he walked inside their apartment.
"You guys have a nice place." he told her.
"Yeah, I guess, it's better than a lot of other apartments right off campus." Casey told him.
"Hey!" Tay said to Kyle as he wheeled into the room.
"Hey! I haven't seen you in a while!" Kyle told him, giving Tay a hug. Casey stared at Kyle while all of this was going on. He was just like she remembered him, with short, dark hair, deep brown eyes, a very square jaw, the same wire-rimmed glasses, same chiseled face, he got taller since she last saw him, he was about 5'11". Casey thought he was still as good looking as ever, and he had the same disposition, which had drawn her to him in the first place.
"Casey!" Tay called, drawing her out of her thoughts.
"What?" she asked.
"What do you want to do now?"
"Um, let's go to the park, and then we can go to a nice little cafe about 2 blocks away." she told them.
"Not the park again!" Tay groaned.
"Taylor, we were only there for like, an hour before, it won't kill you to go there again." she told him.
"But-"
"No," Casey said, cutting him off. "We're going there, and then to the cafe, that's final. I want to show Kyle the park."
"Fine," Tay sighed.
"Casey, you are still the same person you were in high school," Kyle laughed at her.
"I know, I know, everyone tells me that," she replied, grinning.
"Do you two still go to parties?" Kyle asked them grinning, at the cafe, hoping he wouldn't piss off Taylor from bad party experiences with Casey in high school.
"Yeah," Tay told him, "Casey still makes me go to parties that her friend Laura always has."
"Well, that's good, right?" he asked.
"Yeah, I guess." Tay said. "I mean, my friends all go to them and stuff, so it's all good."
"Actually," Casey interrupted, "There's one tonight. If you want, Kyle, you can come with us and if it's too late after, crash at our place or something."
"Sounds good." Kyle said to Casey. "I don't have any classes tomorrow or anything. It should bring back memories, huh?"
"Yeah...." Casey trailed off, "memories..."
"Bye Tay," Casey called to him, "Loosen up and get a drink or something, maybe you'll meet some girls!""Bye Casey," Tay gruffly called, frowning. He didn't like it at all that Casey had brought him to a keg party in the first place, and now she was just leaving him there for a while, with people he didn't even know.
"Hi Casey." Kyle came up to her and gave her a hug. "Do you want another drink?"
"Nah, I'm good for now." she informed him. "This is my 4th mudslide of the night."
Kyle laughed. "You're ready to have some fun tonight, aren't you?"
"Of course," Casey flirted back. She had a huge crush on Kyle. He kind of knew, but she didn't mind. She thought he was irresistable, with his well-defined jaw line and his dark hair. He reminded her of Superman, in a way, he had the same look. He was also very popular in school, and was on the football and basketball teams.
"Casey!" one of her friends ran up to her. "Do you know that Kyle keeps talking about you to his friends?" Kelly excitedly asked her.
"Really?" Casey asked. "Oh my god, he is gorgeous, isn't he."
"Definitely, some words of advice, Casey, take the chance while you have it, and you definitely have it with him tonight."
"I dunno," Casey trailed off, "Taylor's here tonight and everything..."
"You told him before to fend for himself and that you'd see him later!" she pleaded with her friend. "Besides, he was just over by the keg and talking to one of the cheerleaders. He'll be fine."
"If you say so--Hi Kyle!" Casey was cut off as Kyle walked back over to her.
"Hey babe." he replied to her greeting, putting his arm around her. "Can I talk to you out on the porch for a while?"
"Um, OK..." Casey trailed off as they walked towards the porch of the house the party was at.
"You have the prettiest eyes," Kyle told her thoughtfully. Casey knew that he was drunk out of his mind at this time, and she was a little buzzed herself, but she really hoped that Kyle was sincere in his comments.
"Thanks, you're not so bad yourself," she laughed.
Kyle embraced her, and kissed her hard on the lips. "You're so beautiful," he murmured, kissing her harder.
"Damn, I want you so badly," Casey confessed, immediately regretting her words.
"Hey babe, we could make it happen," he told her, sticking his hands up her shirt, "But not here, we have to go inside for that.
Casey smiled at him, thoughfully, weighing her options. Kyle was the best one. "Ok," she laughed at him.
"What are you waiting for hun?" he asked her, opening the door to get back inside.
"Casey?" Kyle asked her.
"What." Casey said, shaking her head to bring herself back to reality.
"What time do you think we'll get back from the party?"
"Um, it depends on who's there, when I want to go home, when Laura lets me go home, and when Tay's done hanging out with his friends." Casey told him.
"Hey, it sounds good to me!" he told her.
"Ok, that's cool. I'll call Laura now, and tell her we'll be there." Casey replied, almost in a dazed state from her memories.
"Good deal." he told her.
"Hey, Laur? It's me Casey. We're all going to the party tonight...me, Tay, and my friend Kyle....no way!...nope, he's just a guy from high school...that early?...i know it'll be dark by then, but...ok, 9:00 it is...I'll see you then...OK...really?...yeah, bye...uh-huh, bye...k, see you later." Casey hung up the phone.
Kyle stood in the kitchen, laughing.
"What's so funny?" she asked him.
"Nothing, just...nevermind." he told her.
"Fine, be like that." Casey told him, turning away, offended. "Anyways, we can go somewhere until 9, or just stay here. Whatever you want."
"Maye we can go back into town, there were a couple places I wanted to check out."
"Good. Let's go then. Are you coming, Taylor?"
"Yeah." he said. He hated it when Casey had one of her mood swings, and now was one of them. He knew she would lighten up by the time the party came, but 9 was a long time away.