Counting Stars • [Casey x Izzie]

Free Falling

Izzie

As soon as my eyes fluttered open the light from my open curtains blinded me. I shielded myself under my blankets and made a note to always close them.

That's when I remembered why I didn't.

I laid on my bed till late night trying to get a hold of my girlfriend who seemed to have gone MIA. I didn't want to worry too much but couldn't help it and stayed up late enough to fall asleep without my own consent.

I checked my phone again: nothing.

I decided that if Casey wasn't going to bother texting me back then I wouldn't waste any more effort if I was just going to be ignored.

For the first time since we started dating I actually felt upset with her. Not only was she keeping something from me, she couldn't even answer the phone to reassure me that it wasn't anything.

I realised that I spent way too much time feeling like shit because of other people and I didn't want that to be me now. So I took my pride and strapped it onto the sleeve of my school uniform.

As I was walking through the gates of school I realised that I was gripping my books a little tighter that I normally would, infuriation was surely radiating from my skin.

A car pulled up to the gates but never went into the school lot. I found it weird considering no one really dropped their kids off in this area so I squinted my eyes to see who it was.

Then I immediately regretted wanting to know when I saw Casey in the passenger seat.

That wasn't her car, or her dad's or mom's. It's not even Sharice's!

The glare of the sun light made it difficult to identify he driver but even though I couldn't see; I could feel. And I felt my heart fall to my stomach.

Casey was smiling and she was smiling bright. I thought she saved a smile like that for me but I guess it wasn't that special after all.

Then she got out of the car and waved off the driver. The vehicle did a U-turn and that's when my throat turned concrete and I couldn't breathe anymore.

**

I didn't know where I was going, I didn't know what I was doing and I didn't care how I looked doing it.

The ringing in my ears echoed through to my brain and I just wanted it to stop, stop, stop!

"Izzie!"

I couldn't do it. I couldn't turn around and face the voice that just struck my glass heart when she said my name because I knew it would break me.

"Izzie!" She called again.

A sturdy grip squeezed my shoulder and I was ripped from my distortion.

There she was. She was so beautiful I that I almost forgot about what I was thinking. I almost wiped the slate clean because of the way the lighting in the hall changed the colour of her eyes... almost.

"Hey, I've been looking everywhere for you." She said.

Ironic.

"Well, you found me. Congrats." The acidity oozed from my tone. I turned but she ran in front of me.

"Woah, what's wrong?" She tried to reach out for me but I flinched, causing her to retract.

Her face was in distress and for a second I wondered whether I was wrong after all.

But no, the facts say it all and I was done being the victim.

"What's wrong?" I chuckled. "What's wrong is that I stayed up texting and calling because you weren't replying. What's wrong is that I stayed up driving myself insane all night. So, what's wrong is I did all of that and you couldn't even care enough to reassure me."

"Izzie I-"

"But here you are, absolutely fine but apparently not well enough to remember to call your girlfriend back."

I went to try and walk past her again but she just grabbed my arm. We were lucky that no was walking through the halls, and even then I wouldn't care.

"Hey, wait." I shook her hand off but stayed to listen. I felt like there was a part of me that would always want to listen and I hated it. But I didn't say a word because I had nothing else to say to her right now.

"Okay..." she breathed out. "Last night I went out with Sharice and I slept her place, my phone died so I didn't get any of your calls and I'm sorry that I made you worried."

I just stared at her. She sighed knowing that she needed to do better than that. Even if she didn't know what I saw this morning, that was a shitty excuse for what she's done. And she'll need an even better one to explain what the fuck she was doing before school.

I actually had to shut my eyes to hold the pending waterfall because I just couldn't imagine the girl that I spent so long wanting from afar feel so distant overnight.

"You couldn't call me before school?" I tested.

"I was late and rushing out of the house," she said so fluently I almost believed her. "Izzie, I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say. I'll make it up to you, I promise." She said, pleading for me to forgive her.

"Okay..." I almost whispered. "So Sharice dropped you off this morning?" I asked.

I just wanted- needed an explanation. I needed her to give me a reason to stop being so paranoid, a legitimate excuse to tell me to suck it up and stop crying. I needed her answer to call me an idiot for even thinking the possibility.

She hesitated.

Why the hell was she hesitating? Please don't... I begged even though I couldn't say it out loud. Don't lie to me.

"No... my dad dropped me off this morning."

My heart fell. It didn't break, it didn't shatter on hard ground, no. It was free falling.

I physically felt the g-force in my stomach and in my lungs. I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't breathe.

Even as I said it I was holding my breath...

"We're done."

**

A.N

Hiiii I'm back haha.

Sorry it took a while, I've been crammed at uni. I actually have an essay, group pitch and an exam all due in the next 5 days but I wrote this instead :) don't tell my lecturers.

Please let me know what you think of this update :)

See you in the next one xo