"Thank you guys so much for letting me stay here tonight." he told Chris and Greg on the way back to their apartment.
"It's no problem." Chris told him. "Anytime you need to, you can stay with us, we don't mind."
"Well, thanks again. It's just that Casey is just so frustrating sometimes. And she never ever thinks she's wrong. It's like, it's always Casey's way, or no one's way."
"I know what you mean." Greg told him. "My ex was like that, he was so controlling, over everyone. Even his own mother. I don't know how she put up with him for so long."
"Well, Casey, not that bad." Tay said to them as they got into the elevator at Chris and Greg's apartment building.
"You know what I mean though." Greg told him.
"Yeah, definitely. I can relate. Casey was always kind of controlling and she always freaked out if she didn't get it her way, even when we were little." Tay laughed to himself.
"What's so funny?" Chris asked him.
"Nothing, I was just thinking about when me and Casey were littler and she used to take slapshots at people she didn't like. We always played hockey, even after she moved away." Tay smiled.
"That's so sweet." Chris said to him.
"Which part," Tay laughed, "The playing hockey together or the part where she beat the crap out of people with hockey pucks."
"Both." Chris said to him.
"Yeah, I guess. She did hurt some people though. Like my ex-girlfriend. I thought she was awesome and Casey kept telling me she was a bitch, but I didn't believe her until she told me to choose her or Casey."
"What did you do?" Chris asked him.
"I yelled at her and told her that Casey was more important to me than any girl I was going out with. She got mad at me and went to slap Casey. Casey put a couple pucks right into her stomach. After she went back to Oklahoma, she was admitted to the hospital for it. Casey and I did get some amusement after that."
"That's a little mean, isn't it?" Greg asked him.
"Nah, Casey and I could stomach shots like that. It happened all the time. We would beat the crap out of each other playing hockey. We always ended up with bruises all over or stitches or whatever all the time."
"Some fun." Chris laughed.
"No, it really was." Tay told him smiling. "The stitches were only from accidental stuff, like when Casey shot a puck at me when I wasn't looking and I turned around then it hit me square in the face. I split my lip and knocked out a tooth. It was all fun though."
"I know what you mean. Kids will be kids, right?" Chris told him.
"Yeah." Tay sighed.
"So, what were you and Ian talking about before, you looked pretty bummed."
"Soulmates and destiny and stuff. He was talking about how he hopes one day he'll find his soulmate and how we can't interfere with destiny and fate."
"That's some pretty deep stuff. Why was he so bummed?"
"Because he broke up with Lindsay."
"Wasn't he going out with that kid Joe or something the week before?"
"Yeah, but he was only fucking him. He had a real relationship with Lindsay for like, 4 months or something."
"He kept a girl that long? I'm surprised, I didn't think he had it in him." Chris said, jokingly.
"Yeah, I guess he does." Tay sighed.
"What's wrong. You're really bummed tonight." Chris told him.
"The whole Casey thing, and talking to Ian about soulmates, it's all so depressing." he said.
"What are you going to do about Casey?" Greg asked.
"Well, I'm not going back to her apartment until Kyle leaves, and not until she apoligizes to me."
"Why would she apoligize?" Chris asked.
"She knows I didn't want her to get involved with Kyle again. She knows that I'm right about how he hurt her before, and he'll do it again. She can't admit when she's wrong, especially when it has to do with a guy." Tay told them, frowning.
"It's OK, Tay," Chris told him. "She'll get over it as soon as he leaves. You know that's how Casey is."
"I know, but still." Tay shook his head. "I just can't believe her."
"Hello?" Chris asked.
"Hi, this is Casey, is Taylor there?" she asked him.
"Hold on a minute." he told her. "Tay," he whispered, "Casey's on the phone."
"Ask her if he's gone."
"Casey, did Kyle leave yet?"
"No, he's still here, he stayed the night. He couldn't very well leave here at 3 am now, could he." she bitterly told him.
"He's not gone, Tay." Chris told him.
"I'm not even going to talk to her until he leaves." he replied.
"Casey, he won't talk to you until after Kyle leaves."
"Ugh!" Casey yelled in frustration. "Fine, he can do whatever he wants!" she yelled, hanging up the phone.
"Tay, she's really pissed." Chris told him.
"I don't care, I am not going back until after he leaves."
"I hope it all works out man." Chris told him. "Anway, we have to go to work now, so you're on your own for the day."
"Oh, OK." he said to them, "When do you think you're gonna be back?"
"I'll be home around 6, and Greg should get home before that, around 5:15, you still gonna be here?"
"Yeah, I'll do something. I'm home by myself everyday, till I start working in the office, in a couple weeks."
"Alright, that's cool. Anyway, I gotta jet, so do whatever you want. You can have someone over or something, there's an extra key on the rack in the kitchenette in case you want to leave. See you later." Chris gave Taylor a hug as he walked out the door.
"Bye Tay." Greg said soon after, leaving.
"Hey, Ian? It's Taylor."
"Hey, where are you?"
"I'm at Chris's house. He's still over at Casey's."
"Oh man, I'm sorry. Are you busy?"
"No, that's why I called."
"Want to hang out at the coffeeshop or something to talk?"
"Yeah, that sounds good. I'll see you there in 10 minutes, OK?"
"Cool, bye Tay." Ian hung up the phone as Tay left the apartment to go see his friend.
Hi, Ian, how are things?" Tay asked his friend as he arrived at the coffeeshop and sat down.
"They're fine since last night." he told him. "What's going on with Casey?"
"Well, we basically had a big falling out this morning when Chris talked to her. She got all mad when I told Chris to tell her I wasn't going to talk to her until Kyle was gone. She got all mad and was screaming at Chris and everything."
"That really sucks."
"Yeah, it does."
"I know how you feel though. Friendship can really hurt sometimes."
"Brian, that girl is bad news, she's a little slut." Ian told his friend."Ian, you shouldn't be the one talking. You're a puny little sophomore. I'm a senior."
"Yeah, but she's a freshman, Bri. She's 3 years younger than you."
"She's hot as hell though."
"Yeah, she's not that pretty really. She is a little slut though, I don't know what you or those other guys see in her."
"Well, they can't have her. She's mine now."
"What makes you think that?" Ian asked.
"What are you talking about." he asked Ian, frustrated.
"You're not the only person she's with. Bri, she was like, fucking Steve the other day."
"Shut up Ian, you don't know what the fuck you're talking about. She wouldn't do that!" Brian shoved Ian into the lockers in the hallway. "Don't tell my what my girlfriend is doing, cuz she's not. You're so full of shit Ian."
"Fine, believe what you want, I don't care." he told him. "But when you find out another way, don't tell me I didn't warn you."
"Fuck you, I hate you Ian." Bri told him, shoving him into the lockers again. "I hate you, you little dick." He punched him in the face and walked away.
"Yup, it sucked. I broke my nose that day when he punched me."
"Damn, that was harsh."
"Yeah, it was true. It came back to him. One day he walked in on them. They were in his friends car and he went back to get a shirt he needed in it. He got really mad and beat the shit out of the kid, then hit his 'girlfriend'. She was a little bitch and called the cops on him. Poor Brian, he got his ass arrested. I feel bad for the guy."
"Have you heard from him since?" Tay asked.
"Yeah, he keeps getting in trouble with the law now." Ian told him, sadly.
"That sucks." he replied.
"I know, he's in jail now, I think he'll be out on probabtion in a couple months though. Whatever though, friends can be very fickle sometimes."
"That they can," Tay sighed, "That they can."