into the night [cazzie]

fourteen

IZZIE WAS HAPPY. Well, not happy, per se. It was more of a "just okay." Happy in comparison to what she had been feeling all throughout the days before. It was more of an "I can finally live with myself" kind of feeling. Something she hadn't felt for a long time.

Still, no matter how stunted the "happiness" was, it felt like such a strange feeling, especially after the rollercoaster of a week she had been through. Guilt still gnawed at her insides whenever she thought about Casey, but ultimately, it would turn to anger about Casey's betrayal, but then back into guilt when she remembered Casey's hospitalization. It was too much for Izzie sometimes, but all she could think about was Casey.

Casey, Casey, Casey.

Even though Izzie was well-trained in hiding her thoughts, she didn't really know how to take all of those feelings she had about Casey and stuff them into the box in the back corner of her mind. Her mixed emotions made it impossible to stop thinking about Casey 24/7, but she managed.

After all, Izzie knew she wasn't the type of person to need someone. She had never let herself need anyone before. Not when her mom became an addict. Not when her youngest brother was born. And definitely not with Casey. Izzie didn't need Casey. There was nothing about Casey that made her special. She was just a friend, a friend who betrayed her greatly and hurt her more than anyone had before.

So she was over it. Izzie had accepted that she may have made some mistakes, but it was over now, and lucky for her, no one got killed. That was all she could ask for. Casey could believe whatever the hell she wanted, but Izzie knew that, on that night, the only person she could've turned to was Casey. Now, of course, she knew that she had Sawyer, too.

But all of those thoughts went out the window when Izzie opened her door that night, exactly a week after the last time she saw Casey. She forgot that she was supposedly able to "live with herself," and she forgot that she was "over it." She forgot that she had committed herself to Sawyer, and she forgot that Casey was supposed to be trapped inside a box inside the back of her mind.

It had been raining for the past few hours, a loud storm that was characteristic of summer nights in Connecticut. The booming, boisterous thunder had scared the kids from sleeping, but eventually, Lydia and Izzie were able to coax them back into bed. Lydia was now upstairs, FaceTiming one of her friends. Claudia... or maybe Madison... Maddie? Madeleine? Izzie shook her head: it was so hard to listen to Lydia when she went on about all of them. Each name just blended into the other.

Izzie, on the other hand, had been downstairs, just scrolling through her phone. Sawyer had passed out an hour ago since she had to wake up early the next day. Her Clayton friends were all out, and Izzie had wanted to go, but of course, her mom had disappeared the night before and had yet to return. So Izzie was all alone.

Just as she was ready to call it a night, Izzie heard a knock at the door. At first, she thought it was just the storm, as the winds were definitely picking up. But the knocking continued, so Izzie figured it was her mom, who probably forgot her keys. She walked to the door angrily, ready to chew her mom out. How dare she be so irresponsible after years of promising that she would get better?

But it wasn't her mom, and it definitely wasn't the rain.

Izzie froze when she saw Casey on the porch, completely soaked in rain, but nonetheless there. She looked like she still was supposed to be in the hospital, with a cast still on and a scar on her face. But she was here. Why was she here? Izzie closed the door and stepped outside onto the porch.

The porch overhang kept both of them from the rain, but Izzie couldn't help but notice how drenched Casey was. And she couldn't see a car anywhere. Did Casey run here?