The other sister

chapter twelve.

Cassie coasted quietly into Levi's drive careful to not wake his parents with her car, she parked as close to the door as possible.

"Thanks for tonight, Cas. It was exactly what I needed. You always know what I need."

"You're welcome, I'm glad we could go."

He undid his seatbelt and turned to climb from the car, she copied the action ready to help him inside. He caught her arm when he heard her move.

"Don't, I can manage."

"No, I'll help you inside."

"Please, Cas. Let me go alone. I just want to feel like a normal teenager after a night out with a friend."

"Fine but...I'm sitting in the car until you're in the house."

He gave a small nod in agreement and then carefully climbed from her car. He shuffled his feet but moved at a decent pace to his front porch and up the two steps. At the front door he fumbled a bit with his key before giving her a wave and stepping into his house.

She sat in the car until his bedroom light turned on and then a second longer. She watched him move passed the window to the closet and strip off his shirt.
With a heavy sigh she put her car in reverse and pulled onto the street driving across the road to her own home.

She let herself in and headed to the laundry room to throw the blanket she had in her car in the washing machine. She was bent over closing the door when Carly entered the room.

"How was the movie?"

"Good, kind of stupid. It was more your kind of movie than mine."

"How is Levi?" Carly asked carefully.

"Why? Does it matter?"

Cassie turned moving to the kitchen and Carly followed.

"I do care about him, it's not like I don't care. I just don't want to be his girlfriend."

Cassie poured herself a glass of water and stared at her sister. Sometimes it amazed her how familiar her features were, like a mirror other days she barely recognized her.

"He's going to lose his scholarship, nobody from school even bothers to check on him and he doesn't know why you wont return his calls." Cassie said.

"Because I'm talked out, I cant be his girlfriend anymore. I love him and I care about him but our relationship...it doesn't work."

"Why?" Cassie asked.

"I can't tell you that. Not right now, just trust me. Okay?"

Cassie finished her water and placed the glass carefully in the sink, her back to Carly when she spoke.

"He loves you, Carly. He keeps asking for you."

"Its better this way. He doesn't love me. He just thinks he does."

"He's not stupid," Cassie snapped.

"I never said he was, he's just confused...he's been confused a long time."

"Where do you go all day? What are you doing?" 

"I...I can't tell you that either."

Cassie shook her head and started for the stairs fed up with the conversation, burned out on her life for the time being. She closed her bedroom door just as her phone rang, she rushed to answer it not wanting to wake up her parents.

"Hello?"

"Cas?" Levi spoke on the other end of the line.

She waited a minute, debating what to say. She heard how desperate he was but he wasn't desperate to talk to her. 

"No...it's me...Carly," She lied, her heart pounding.

There was a long silent pause, she thought maybe he was on to her. Maybe she blew the whole thing, maybe he was starting to pick up on her voice being  an octave lower than her sisters.

"Hey, I was hoping you were home," He finally said.

"Yeah...sorry I missed you today I was...I was out."

"I don't know why I'm calling this late I just, I needed to hear a friendly voice."

"I'm glad you called," She said honestly, relaxing against her sheets.

"So, Cal called me...he's having a huge party near the end of summer and I don't know what the future holds but...I was hoping you'd be my date."

"Oh...Levi..I..."

"I just can't stop thinking about the other day when you came over and...the way...the way you kissed me and how it felt to have you in my arms, against my skin...tell me I'm not imaging the spark, the electricity. Tell me you didn't feel it too and I'll let you alone, but I...I've never felt that way before and it makes me feel like...maybe there's still hope."

She bit her lip and didn't say anything, she glanced to the left to her bedroom door that was closed, but she could swear she saw the shadow of feet outside. She wanted to hang up deny it all, she wanted to come clean right then and there before it got more out of hand but if Carly was outside the door she would hear everything. The last thing she needed was to confess to her lies and her sister hear them, so she swallowed and then let the truth slip off her tongue.

"No, you're not imagining it but...I...I can't keep...doing that," She said softly.

"Okay, we'll take it slow then and if it falls apart at least we can say we gave it a try, right?"

"Right."

"Come over tomorrow, come let me make lunch for you."

"Alright," She said.

The footsteps under the door moved away and she closed her eyes, feeling herself sink deeper into the lie she had created.

"So.....what're you wearing right now?" He asked, his tone teasing.

"You agreed we were going slow!" She exclaimed, her cheeks burning red.

"Yeah but...I'm not touching you  through a phone...I wish I was but...you can give me something."

She looked down at the outfit she wore to the drive ins, being on the phone, knowing he didn't know it was her made everything seem so raw. It made her feel wild, reckless, free to say what she wanted. So she focused on under her clothes.

"Blue striped panties and a no bra," She said.

He let out a groan on the other end of the phone and even as she blushed more she couldn't hold back a smile. Knowing she had the power to tease him, to drive him wild was like a drug and she loved the high.

"You're killing me," He said.

"I'll see you tomorrow," She said trying to sound sexy.

"I'll....hear you...tomorrow," He replied.

She giggled and hung up tossing her phone on to the floor she rolled over burying her face in the pillow and letting out the girlish squeal that had been trapped inside her chest all night.