Casey.
Five years ago,
When Irene helped me inside the room, I knew she was not going to let it go. She was one of those girls who acted like a girl for girls. She would fight for you in front of everybody, but behind your back, she would gossip about you. She was that kind of person. It was hard to understand people like her. She would defend you, to your face, to your back. She was just spreading shit about you.
She and Leanna's sister were friends, so when Leanna and I came here, she treated Leanna like her young sister, so I guess I fell in her category. I don't know, although she's never stood up for me like that before.
And even though I knew that, it was because she was mainly focused on her hatred, and whatever grudges she was holding against Cesar, I also knew that everything she had said was true.
And of course, it was true.
Every single word that Irene said was true and I don't even know why I was mad because I knew this. It was Cesar's reputation. It wasn't a lie, he's never lied about who he is. He never lied to me, but I was so mad and I didn't even know why. I was so angry.
And when we got inside, Irene tried to dig information from me, asking me where Cesar and I went, if he tried anything on me, and then doing this whole crap where she started handing me compliments because she wanted me to soften up and tell her what happened.
When I didn't give her what she wanted, she switched tactics. Irene could be sweet one second and a bulldozer the next. That's what made her dangerous and a bad human being in general. She'd butter you up, act like your saviour, and then throw you under the bus the moment it suited her.
She sat on the edge of the bed, arms crossed, eyes narrowed at me like she was trying to read my soul.
"Casey, come on. You don't just disappear with Caesar and come back limping and red-faced like nothing happened. Something did happen... You can trust me, tell me the truth, I am on your side here."
I didn't answer. I was still too mad to talk. Too mad at Caesar. Too mad at Irene. And honestly, mad at myself for getting caught in the middle.
"I'm not judging you, okay?" she continued. "I just want to know you're not falling for his bull. He can be such a smooth talker when he wants something.... trust me I know."
I looked at her then, and for a moment, I saw it—real concern. Not gossip, not jealousy. Just genuine fear that I was getting pulled into something I wasn't ready for.
And I hated that she was right.
Because Irene could say a lot of things, but she wasn't wrong about Caesar. His reputation wasn't just talk. Girls knew the rules with him: no strings, no feelings, no expectations. And yet, I let myself forget that for one second.
So I looked at her and said, "Nothing happened. I told you that."
Irene stared at me for a long moment, then nodded slowly like she didn't believe me but decided to drop it… for now.
"Alright," she said, standing up. "Just… be careful, Casey, Cesar is a bastard. You're not like the others, you're one of the good ones."
And with that, she left, closing the door softly behind her. But her words? They stayed. Echoing.
You're not like that your are one of the good ones.
God, I wished that were true.
I drank the pills, tried to go to sleep, got nothing from that, decided to eat the ice cream and the chocolate, and then I think I must have dozed off clutching the little teddy bear in my arms.
It was a surprise to no one, especially me, that Leanna probably never came back that night because she came back the next day. She was wearing the same clothes we were supposed to go with her to the party with.
The first thing she did was come into my bedroom and wake me.
"Casey, you worried me yesterday," she said the moment I stirred.
"Yeah," I answered, waking up, still puffy in my throat, hers. And when I started sitting down, I winced, reminding me about what had happened yesterday, but I braved through it. I didn't want her to ask me any questions.
"Yeah, you were so worried you came back this morning," I said back teasingly.
She laughed, getting all red from me before she said, "Irene called me, you know what she's like, and she told me that you were okay and she had put you in bed—that you were asleep—so I didn't have to worry."
"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry."
"So," she said, getting closer, "what happened between you and Cesar?"
I went all red, my face reddening. "What do you mean? What did Irene tell you? You do know that that girl runs her mouth. Nothing happened."
She looked at me as if she didn't believe me, as she said, "Okay, I know you still got your V-card and wouldn't waste it on someone like him"
I hit her playfully, she laughed, and then she said, "I'm going in to take a shower. Want us to go have brunch together?."
But I didn't want to risk it—her asking me why I was wincing or anything—so I said,
"No, I'll just eat inside. I'm taking it easy today."
"All right, fine. Let's stay in and maybe go to lunch. It's already very late anyway."
"All right," and then she left and went to her bedroom. And, truth to her word, she prepared breakfast, and then by the time lunch went around, she came to my room to remind me about lunch.
"Hey, come on, let's go to lunch. Remember, I am paying, so come on, get dressed. We're not going out wearing sweats."
So I got dressed, put a little gloss on my lips, and went with her to lunch. She paid like she said she would. I wasn't really eating much. I was still a bit shaken, and my body was sore, so I was just picking at my food while she talked about how the party went, who hooked up with who, who danced with who, who was drinking with who. And then she said something that made me freeze mid-bite.
"Is that Caesar?" she asked, looking behind me.
And I immediately turned around and saw Caesar coming into the diner with his friends, teammates, with a few girls with them. The moment I saw him, I immediately looked forward and away from him and looked at Leanna. I was glad that she was more focused on checking out Caesar than seeing the look on my face, which allowed me to rearrange my features.
I didn't answer her, and she said, "He is so hot."
I nodded, absent-mindedly. I stuffed food in my mouth to keep me from saying anything more. The last thing I wanted was to trade notes with Leanna about Cesar.
Just as we continued eating, suddenly someone sat next to me. I looked up, turned beside me, and found Caesar sitting next to me, and I froze, immediately dread followed, because why the hell was he sitting here? Why was he beside me?
I chanced a look at his face, and he had on this smile on his face, and that smirk—it promised danger, it promised trouble. I don't know if he had another smile than that one, and my heart went into outer space, glancing at Leanna, who was just openly smiling at Caesar, and made a little flirty move, too, as she started playing with her hair, and did that thing with her body, where she pushed her tits towards him.
But me? I was going haywire. What if Caesar tells her what happened between the two of us last night in the woods?
What if he tells her how I came onto him after the two of them had just slept together? What if he reveals what kind of a person I am to my roommate? Where will I put my face? Where will I be? Oh no! He better not... Please no.
Oh my God, Leanna is such a good person. She is one of the people I can actually count on. And if he messes this up for me...
Gosh, why did I ever sleep with him? Why did I even think it was a good idea in the first place?
Why today? Why couldn't he just let me get over what happened between the two of us before he came and fucked my life after he had fucked me?
Great.
What the hell is he doing here?