Interim(87)

She glimpsed Casey at her locker, and her face fell.

“You okay?” Jeremy asked, following her gaze.

“I will be. As soon as I get some answers,” Regan replied.

Her words held a measure of intimidation, and Jeremy was glad he wasn’t the person on the other end of them.

“We eat at seven,” she said, and headed toward her ex-best friend.

Casey tensed but didn’t look Regan’s way.

“This is gonna be totally uncomfortable for the rest of the year,” Regan said coolly. “Side-by-side lockers and all.”

No reply.

“Maybe you oughta ask for a locker change,” Regan continued.

“I’m fine,” Casey said softly.

“Then maybe I should,” Regan replied. She pointed in Jeremy’s direction. “Right over there. With those people.”

“I didn’t make you change sides,” Casey said.

“Change sides? I don’t even know what that means,” Regan spat.

“You’re looking for an argument, and I’m not gonna give it to you,” Casey replied.

“I can’t believe you turned your back on me,” Regan said, unfazed. “We’ve been friends since kindergarten, and then you all of a sudden up and diss me hard because my ex-boyfriend told you to? Since when do you let anyone order you around? I mean, besides Ethan.”

“Watch it,” Casey warned.

Regan shook her head. “Whatever. I don’t even care about that. I care that my best friend in the entire universe dropped my ass like I matter for nothing!” She paused. “And why did you never give that note to Jeremy?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t ‘huh’ me,” Regan said. “The note. The note! The note I wrote to him in middle school asking him to be my friend.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Casey said, closing her locker door.

Regan whipped her hand out and grabbed Casey’s arm.

“Let. Go,” Casey warned. “Or I’ll get you suspended all over again.”

Regan threw up her hands. Did she want to sacrifice the rest of her soccer season and a potential scholarship?

“What’s happened to you?” she whispered. “You’re just evil now. An evil person.”

“I’m not evil. I just grew up.” Casey turned on her heel.

“Why didn’t you give him that note?” Regan screamed.

Casey ignored her and headed down the hall. Regan sprinted toward her, shoving herself between Casey and the classroom door.

“Move, Regan.”

“Why did you do that to me? Why did you lie about him? What was so awful about me wanting to be his friend?”

“Look at him! Why would you want to? I did you a freaking favor, bitch! Do you have any idea where you’d be right now had I not intervened? Soccer star? Pffsst!! Unlikely! You’d be a nobody!”

Regan’s hands trembled at her sides. Don’t you dare strike her. Everything’s over if you strike her.

“You wanna talk about perspective? You’re f*cking the guy who threw black paint all over you,” Regan said.

Casey’s breathing came faster. She clenched her jaw and her books against her chest.

“You stole a friend from me. You stole years from me because of one lie,” Regan said.

“Take some responsibility, Regan. You could have been his friend at any time.”

“You told me he didn’t want that!”

“Yeah, well, you could have made him,” Casey said carelessly. “If you really tried. You were always good at getting the things you wanted.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the fact that maybe I never wanted to be on the outside,” Casey said. “That I belonged here, right here, all along. That maybe you held me back.”

“You always wanted to be a f*cking bitch? Is that what you’re telling me?”

Casey ignored her. “I was never in the right group until now. And I think that’s because I let you dictate my life, shove me into the space you wanted me to fit in. You didn’t ask me what I wanted. You never asked me what I wanted. It was all about you. All the time. Because you were loud and persistent and obnoxious. And I was your opposite, quieter, lesser half.”

Regan stood shell-shocked.

“So yeah, I lied about the stupid note. I made a decision for myself that day. I decided you were going to live the life I wanted to live since I’d spent so many years living yours. Seemed only fair.”